ODBD Release Day and Blog Hop!!!

Happy October, everyone!! Are you ready for a BLOG HOP, plus prizes?!! We are so excited to present three brand new sets from Our Daily Bread Designs.....three beautiful sets to help uplift someone who is hurting, to give hope of forever with Christ, or to let someone know that you care and that you are praying for them, not to mention one of the most gorgeous ODBD scenes to date.

If you jumped here from Connie's blog, you are in the right place. If not, head over to the ODBD Blog and start there.


Since today is Thursday, I have incorporated Bible Verse Thursday Challenge from Christian Paper Crafts. This week's challenge is to use any verse on your project which mentions eternal or everlasting life. I chose to use the John 6:40 stamp from the new "Praying for You" set. Heather's Color Monday challenge this week is called "Bling It On!"....use any metallics, glitter, or bling.....no problemo!!! I have also used Alisa's Sketch Tuesday challenge....what a super fun sketch this week!! And lastly, my color combo is from Emily's Color Challenge over at Splitcoast...to use Sage, Pink, and Going Gray. Since I've long since ran out of Going Gray, I used this gorgeous K & Co paper instead....hey, two color challenges in one!!!
Card details:
Paper: K and Company "Madeline", a paint chip from Olympic Paints, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
Embellishments: May Arts satin ribbon, Basic Grey Opaline Pearls, one oval pearl by Martha Stuart, Irridescent Gold Glimmer Mist
Tools: Spellbinders Labels Four, paper piercer and mat pack, Martha Stuart Butterfly punch, Creative Memories corner punch

Now, on with the Hop!!!
Your next stop is Deb's blog.......just in case there is a missing link in the Bread-stick chain, here are the next stops after Deb's:
Becca
Angie Z.
Chris




Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to give the other girls a little love by leaving your comments!! Have a blessed day!

smARTworks Sponsor Spotlight!

This month's sponsor for Christian Paper Crafts has been smARTworks, a wonderful company owned by Susan Trask. Susan sent a very generous package of goodies for each of the Design Team members to work with....including stamps, ribbon, cardstock, embellishments, punched flowers, altered items, and much more.

For the first project here, I used a watercolor note-card and matching envelope, a flower silhouette stamp from "Sunny Delight", and "Joy of the Lord" sentiment stamp.....all provided by smARTworks. Using scratch paper masks, the scenes were colored with sponge daubers and ink pads. I chose not to embellish this note-card, but used paper piercing instead.

My next project is almost entirely made from the smARTworks package. The "God Bless' stamp set had so many sentiment stamps that I couldn't choose just one for a project....so I chose them all and made a Viewmaster card....this was a blast!!! The close-up photo shows the different sentiments.....what a versatile set!!! I used the instructions found on the Resources page at Splitcoast. The flowers from "Sunny Delight" were masked and stamped many times, then cut out with scissors and an exacto knife. The "slide mount frame" is a stamp from "Misc. Trio Backgrounds" set.



My last project for today was something totally new for me....bottle-caps! smARTworks provided four bottle-caps ready to decorate as page embellishments, magnets, or whatever you can dream up! I recently saw a Martha Stuart tutorial on making photo frames out of bottle caps and jar lids, etc. Just print your photos, punch them out with a 1" circle punch, seal the front and back of your photos with packing tape, and use any kind of clear resin to seal them into the bottle cap....I used Ranger Glossy Accents. Once dry, I glued thumb tacks to the back so that I could put them on my cork board with my other personal goodies!! So fun and so easy! The hard part was waiting on them to dry!!!


Thanks for stopping by today! Check out our Design Team gallery for smARTworks for more projects. And don't forget to check out the huge variety of products at smARTworks today!! Many blessings to you!!!

Featured Stamper NANCYRUTH!!!!

This week's featured stamper over at Splitcoast is my dear friend, NancyRuth Levine aka NANCYRUTH!!! I don't think there is a soul on SCS who doesn't know who she is!!! Check out her awesome and massive gallery HERE. NancyRuth is so sweet, funny, and encourages others daily with "gallery love"....not to mention she's super creative and talented!!!! It is an honor to case one of her lovely cards today! I chose this beauty because of the delicate and elegant design....and I LOVE how she created a frame with the punch!! My card ended up a bit different because I ran out of room....had to trim off the outside of the frame.

This afternoon I noticed that this layout fits this weeks sketch over at Card Positioning Systems....check it out HERE. Plus, the OCC Challenge this week is to use monochromatic colors.....no problem....my card fits that bill too!!!!

Card details: I am totally in love with this new "Indian Summer" paper from Basic Grey...and I love how it matches the new SU colors!! The border and frame were punched with the EK Success Fleur De Lis border punch, the corners are punched with a CM punch, the satin ribbon is from Offray, the sentiment is from Our Daily Bread Designs "Friendship" set, and the entire thing was sprayed with Pearl Glimmer Mist....my fave!!

Thanks so much for looking! Come back tomorrow for another smARTworks creation.....for the Vendor Spotlight over at Christian Paper Crafts. And don't forget the ODBD Blog Hop/Release Party on Thursday!!! Have a blessed day!!

Can it be fall ALREADY?

I have been in denial that summer is over.....I'm still wearing shorts to work and sitting in my lawn chair during lunch! However, today I smelled "the smell".......the wonderful smell when the leaves start turning colors. For those of you whose seasons don't change......I'm so sorry that there are so many things you can't experience....like "the smell"!!! It is a wonderful, nutty, earthy, clean smell.....there is no way to describe it....you have to come here and visit!!!

Anyhoo.....this is my SECOND challenge combo TODAY!!! There were so many awesome challenges all over this week, so I'm cramming as many as I can! I have combined Cindy's Fun on Friday Challenge (Christian Paper Crafts) to color on Kraft with colored pencils.....out of my element on this one!!! Card Positioning Systems has some of the best sketches....I couldn't pass this one up!! Also, Stamping Sisters in Christ had a fall challenge this week. And last but not least, Emily's color challenge over at Splitcoast was too yummy to pass up....razzleberry, curry, and black. Just today I received this gorgeous Basic Grey "Indian Summer" pad from ODBD....perfect timing for both the SSCC and SCS color challenges. This is the first chance I've had to ink up "Give Thanks" from Our Daily Bread Designs.
Thanks for stopping by again today! Thanks for all of your wonderful comments! You sure know how to make a girl's day!!! God Bless!

"So Very Loved" Challenge Combo

No way can I break the record for the most challenges combined, but I used quite a few to make this birthday card for my sister, Rachel.
Over at Christian Paper Crafts this week, Heather's Color Monday challenge was use use Cocoa, Pumpkin, and Turquoise.....plus I used Alisa's Sketch Tuesday layout!!!!
Splitcoast also had some fun challenges this week! I have used Lynn's 5-Layer Button Technique again......I am hooked on these!!!! Julia's Ways To Use It challenge was to step out of your box...or should I say...comfort zone.......so I have used distressing, which is very stressful for me!!!! Judy's Limited Supply Challenge was too fun.....using "S.O.S" as your theme....I used "S" for sketch, "O" for orange, and "S" for stars.....very clever challenge, Jude!!! And last but not least, Stef's Inspiration Challenge was to use an item from "The Pajama Squid" on-line store for your inspiration. Okay, so I put the cart before the horse, but I found this pillow which matched the paper from Making Memories ( I got it for 50 % off at Archivers!!!), which I wanted to use for the color challenge!!! Plus, I also entered this on Moxie Fab World's blog for their "Gradient is Radiant" challenge....if you want to play, you have until the 5th!!! Check it out!!

Thanks for stopping by today! Stay tuned for news about new ODBD sets for October, plus a BLOG HOP WITH PRIZES scheduled for October 1st!! Have a blessed weekend!

Bible Verse Thursday- It's ALL About "Hymn"

This week's Bible Verse Thursday Challenge over at Christian Paper Crafts isn't so much about a verse this week, but it's about your favorite hymn or song lyrics. Most of us find such inspiration in the songs we hear, whether from the church hymnals, or the radio, or songs we sing with our families. So, use music as your inspiration. Now is the time to scan those old hymnals and print your own designer paper!! Use stamps if you've got 'em or write your music freehand. Be as creative as you wish.....there are no rules!!!
I have used a few other challenges for this card as well. I used a color challenge from OCC, to use Chocolate, Lt Pink, Dk Pink, and white. And last but most fun, was Lynn's Technique Lover's Challenge to make your own 5-layer buttons out of cardstock or dsp!!! I will definitely start making my own buttons....no more searching through all of those buttons to find something to match!!! I made my button from "Grow in Grace" to match the Amazing Grace single stamp and the Amazing Grace Hymn from ODBD.

Here is a fun little tidbit: The Cuttlebug Spot is celebrating their one year anniversary.....lots of prizes there this week. Today's prize is sponsored by The Scrapping Cottage....they are giving away a $250 shopping spree!!

Don't forget to check out Christian Paper Crafts if you haven't yet! It is a free on-line community, with some wonderful Christian ladies to fellowship with and talk paper too!!! Marcelle's "Daily Bread" devotional is a fantastic way to start your day, along with Robyn's Proverbs study, and Natalie's "Book of John" study!! If you're hankerin' for some paper-craftin', we have challenges every day except Sunday. Check out the weekly challenges and special projects HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!! Have a blessed day!!

Basic Grey Buttons and Brads

These two projects were made to showcase Basic Grey's button and brad collections, which coordinate with their awesome designer papers. Please see the full product review on the ODBD blog HERE.

The first card was cut with Spellbinders Nested Butterfly dies, layered with Basic Grey "Bittersweet" paper, and embellished with matching brads. The stamps are from the "Friendship" set, new from Our Daily Bread Designs this month.

The next card came about pretty quickly once I layed my hands on the new "Lemonade" paper...which had almost every button color in it!!! I just happened to have some gingham ribbon which matched the gingham stripe in the dp. The "flower" stems were punched with a Martha Stuart foliage punch. The verse is from another new ODBD set this month, called "Get Well".

Thanks for stopping by today! Don't forget to stop by the ODBD store this week and pick up your Basic Grey buttons and brads, which, by the way, are the Super Special Sale item.....20% off until Saturday night at midnight! Have a blessed day!!

God's Blessings SSC Challenge 4

Have you heard of the new challenge site, Stamping Sisters in Christ? Each week they have a new sponsor and a new challenge. This is my first chance to play in one of their challenges....I hope to make it a weekly habit!! Also, I have incorporated the Inspiration Challenge from Splitcoast Stampers, to choose an item from the LAMA store, which has lots of beautiful, colorful Latin American items. I chose this gorgeous apron.....luckily this Basic Grey June Bug dp has all the right colors!! I used "Thinking of You", one of the new Doodle sets from Our Daily Bread Designs, pink satin ribbon from May Arts, Spellbinders Labels Three, and pink pearls from Hero Arts.
Thanks for stopping by today!! Have a blessed weekend!!

BIBLE VERSE THURSDAY

Earlier this week, I read a verse about "living water" in the Bible....sorry, I SHOULD go and look it up for you......anyhoo.....I thought water would make a good theme for this week's Bible Verse Thursday Challenge over at Christian Paper Crafts. Use any image with water and a verse of your choosing OR a verse about water and any image you choose. I love being flexible with the challenge rules, to bring out everyone's creativity!!! I also mentioned "bonus points" for anyone who also uses Alisa's sketch challenge and Heather's color challenge as I did!

The set I chose is "Quiet Waters" from Our Daily Bread Designs. The image was stamped with Stazon Jet Black, the sky was watercolored and the rest was colored with markers. I finally had a chance to use this awesome suede ribbon from May Arts...you can "leaf" it attached or cut each one separately...I love it! Though not very visible, the background dsp is Memory Box "Sugardrop"....I liked the olive and rose colors together, to go with the color challenge. I finished with some olive gingham ribbon, buttons, and linen thread. I feel really good that I didn't overdo this one....I'm trying to turn over a new leaf.....well, for some projects anyway!! lol!!!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a blessed day!

Butterflies for a Friend

This set was made for a special friend. I HAVE to make more of these....I had a total blast! The notepad is simply a 3x5 steno pad....check out the easy Spiral Notebook Tutorial I did for Christian Paper Crafts . What I love about this technique is that you don't have to take out the spiral!!!


The ribbon jar is a recycled Almond jar....my hubby now understands why I have a closet full of these things!!! lol!! This gorgeous designer paper is from SEI, called "Jolie Chocolat", paired up with SU Pretty in Pink. I used one of my new fave Spellbinders Nestabilities sets, called Nested Butterflies. The butterflies on the lid were punched with a Martha Stuart butterfly punch; the pink and white satin ribbon I've had in my stash for at least 15 years; the pink pearls are Basic Grey Opaline Pearls (I love the quality of these!) And I saved the best for last: this awesome stamp set is a September release from Our Daily Bread Designs, called "Friendship". Each month, Kelley ads the most fantastic sets, with more and more versatility! Wait until you see what's coming in October!!!

Thanks for stopping by today! Stay tuned tomorrow for Bible Verse Thursday and the announcement of last week's challenge winner! Have a blessed day!

Inspiration Butterfly Birthday

My first card for this post is a birthday card for my niece, Leah. This card will accompany the door-hanger I made a couple of weeks ago. This week's Inspiration Challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers is to find an item from the CWD Kids website as your inspiration for a project. I chose this cute outfit because of the enormous and colorful butterfly. I've been waiting for the chance to try out my new Spellbinders butterflies....this was sooooo fun to make!!! Just might try this again next week for another niece!! I used K & Co "Wild Raspberry" dsp with SU Bermuda Bay, some SU poly-twill, and Opaline Pearls. The butterfly on top was cut out from the dsp.

The next card I made for my nephew, Ethan. For his 1st birthday, I wanted to make his card to look like one of his fave toys, a Tonka Truck. My hubby helped me sketch out the general shape of the truck, then I cut apart the sections for templates. Using various circle punches, a word window punch, and a lot of hand-cutting, this thing finally came together! The Ways To Use It challenge was perfect.....to use red on your project. Red is usually a tough color for me to use, but was perfect for this card!!!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a blessed weekend!

Ecstasy Piercing Template Product Review

This card I made for the Ecstasy Piercing Templates Product Review for Our Daily Bread Designs' blog and newsletter. It was such a blast to experiment with a new template! I love the versatility of piercing templates...you can add just a little touch or base your whole project around it! Oh, in case you haven't heard, you can get your own Ecstasy templates 20 % off until midnight Saturday.....the Super Special Sale at Our Daily Bread Designs! Check them out here! (Some even come with vellum and tools!)

The colors I chose to fit Janette's Color Monday challenge over at Christian Paper Crafts, to use eggplant, olive, and teal.....okay, I'm stretching it a bit, but there is teal in this dsp!!!!
By the way, don't forget about CPC's Prize Week.....all you have to do is participate in any of the challenges this week.....there is a prize for each challenge.....check out the details HERE.

Card details:
Stamps: ODBD "Get Well" and "Friendship"
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Basic Grey Lemonade
Tools: Spellbinders Labels Four, Ecstasy Piercing Template
Accessories: Basic Grey Opaline Pearls, May Arts Satin Ribbon, Glimmer Mist.

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a blessed day!

A PRIZE FOR EACH CHALLENGE AT CPC!!!

If you haven't visited Christian Paper Crafts this week, you are missing out on a lot of fun opportunities! There are fun challenges Mon thru Sat each week, but this week there is a prize for each challenge when you participate!!!
Color Monday: Win an awesome stamp set from smARTworks, called "Breathe"!
Sketch Tuesday: Win the brand new set, "Lord of Seasons", by Gina K!
Wait for The Lord Wednesday: Not only win to have Chelsea's beautiful RAK card sent to someone in need, but the bonus prize this week is "Gathering Flowers" from smARTworks!
Bible Verse Thursday: Win a fantastic set from smARTworks, called "God Bless"!!
(There is no Fun on Friday challenge this week in observance of those who lost their lives on 9-11.)
Case Artist Saturday and Scripture Saturday: smARTworks "Have a Heart" and "Flowers".
Each winner will be announced one week after that particular challenge. Get playing...and Good Luck!!!

Plus, the posting challenge is still underway.....you have until Midnight, September 12, to post as many comments or projects as you can, to win an awesome set from Our Daily Bread Designs! Check out the challenge details HERE.

Now, for the card details:
Today is the Bible Verse Thursday Challenge over at CPC.....today's challenge is to make a sympathy card with any uplifting or comforting verse. I chose the ODBD "Path Of Life" set.....it looks to me like a garden you would see in Heaven. I have also used the Sketch Challenge and Color Challenge from Splitcoast this week.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a blessed day! :)

smARTworks....Vendor Spotlight at Christian Paper Crafts

This month's featured sponsor over at Christian Paper Crafts is "smARTworks"! Susan Trask, the owner of smARTworks, has provided our Design Team with a wide variety of stamps, paper, ribbon, and embellishments. My post today features a matching notecard and envelope, along with the "Have A Heart" stamp set, satin ribbon, and gemstones....all provided by smARTworks.

Check out the variety of products at smARTworks.....from altered items, to tools, to a HUGE variety of rubber stamps, to punched embellishments, and more!

An Important Annoucement:
Tonight at midnight is the start of Christian Paper Craft's second Posting Challenge contest! Visit this thread to find out how to win a stamp set from Our Daily Bread Designs!!!! All you have to do is leave comments in the gallery or forums......come on, most of us are natural "Chatty Kathy's" anyway, right? Good luck, everyone!!!

"Three For Thee" ODBD Pocket Challenge

To celebrate the release of three beautiful new sets, Our Daily Bread Designs is hosting a super fun challenge, from now until September 17. All you have to do is make a pocket card of any type.....there are many tutorials on Splitcoast's Resources Page, however, be creative and come up with your own version if you like! Link your card to the ODBD blog by 8 pm EST on Thursday, September 17th for a chance to win one of the new ODBD "Doodle" sets! Anyone can play, however, only those using ODBD stamps as a focal point will be eligible to win. There will be three winners....one for each set!

For some gorgeous samples, check out the following "Breadsticks":
Connie
Dawn
Judy
Silke


For my card sample today, I have not only made a pocket card for the ODBD challenge, but today is also Bible Verse Thursday over at Christian Paper Crafts. This week's challenge is to choose a verse about friendship, plus use a butterfly on your project. Also, over at Splitcoast, Emily's color challenge is to use Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, and Bermuda Bay.....this "Lemonade" paper, button, and Opaline Pearls from Basic Grey were a perfect match! Also, I have used Roxie's sketch challenge......what a great layout for a pocket card!
I have used two of the new sets for this card...."Thinking of You" and "Friendship". The images and sentiments were stamped in Stazon Jet Black, then I outlined the images with "Gold Lame" Smooch paint.

Don't forget to check out the Membership Drive Challenge over at Christian Paper Crafts.....another chance to win ODBD stamps!!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!! Have a blessed day!!!