Amazing Paper Grace

Are you ready for the Fourth of July??  I can’t wait!!  Last night while I was in my studio I could already hear the rumble and pop of what I thought might be thunder.  To my delight, somewhere nearby, someone was enjoying fireworks!  We’ve always been fortunate to see the fireworks from our house but who knows, maybe we’ll venture out.  Today I’m sharing a card with another adorable Tilda.  This card is based on the July Sketch for the Magnolia Hi-Lites Blog.   If  you would like to see the sketch and submit a entry of your own, hop on over to the Magnolia Hi-Lites Blog and link yours up too!

I settled on a red, white and blue theme and picked Spellbinders Stars to go along with the theme.  Tilda is sitting on a swirl I pulled from Spellbinders Doodle  Parts.  Tilda was a dream to color up - I decided to color her using my Distress Reinkers - it reminded me just how much I love them.  

I hope you have a fine, fine holiday!!  I’m so thankful that I’ll have time with my family as we celebrate!!

Today I’m sharing a card made with Spellbinders Contemporary Hearts Pendant.  I wanted to change it up a little bit so I decided to offset two of the same shapes with cut out centers.  It leaves a great area in the center that I can place a center, flower or even a sentiment.   On the center of this card I used Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Circles Large and Spellbinders Standard Circles Large followed by the Pendant Center.

Well, I because my card is as simple as it gets for me this is probably my shortest post yet!  No worries, I have a sweet story that my girlfriend Kay (Hi Kay!!) sent to me that touches me every time I read it.  I’ve sent it out to son and daughter , they know what matters but love the little nudges I send.

I grew up with practical parents who had been frightened by the Great Depression.  A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it.  She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it.  A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.
 

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused.  Their best friends lived barely a wave away. It was the time for fixing things; a curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress.  Things we keep.
 

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy.  All that repairing, eating, reusing, I wanted just once to be wasteful.  Waste meant affluence.  Throwing things away meant you knew there’d always be more.
 

But then my mother died, and on that clear summer ’s night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn’t any more.  Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away . . . never to return.  So, while we have it . . . it’s best we love it . . .and care for it . . . and fix it when it’s broken . . . and heal it when it’s sick.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special.  And so, keep them close!

Thanks so much for stopping by!!  I hope you are making plans for a wonderful weekend filled with family and those who are close!

You are going to love, love, love the new releases from Our Daily Bread Designs - I know that I sure do.  The treasures include Mother Teresa quotes and a large background stamp with the music from Amazing Grace!  If you haven’t read my bio here, I’ll tell you Amazing Grace is my favorite hymn and was the inspiration for the name of my blog.  You can’t imagine how thrilled I was when Kelley showed us the new stamps for July. 
 

Our Blog Hop today starts at 9:00am CST and there is blog candy along the way.  Now you have to hit every stop in order to find the candy, but you’ll see some dazzling creations along the way.  Now if you have not reached me after leaving Kathy Jones be sure to go back to the ODBD Blog to start the hop and you’ll eventually get to me.

My card today uses the Let us Begin Set.  Kelley issued a challenge to the design team to use her new ODBD Inks for our cards.  Without knowing we were having a challenge, we were asked to select three inks to test and they were sent to us.  Then it was announced that we should use only those inks plus black for our reveal cards today.  Sheesh, good thing I didn’t go crazy with yellow or purple, or even worse orange!!  Yeah, tell me how many cards you’ve ever seen me post with orange!!  So, the three inks I selected were Bordeaux, Dusty Rose and Olive.  The inks line is new to ODBD, is available in the ODBD store and boasts 18 vivid colors.

For my card, I embossed my sentiment and the corner piece with Versafine Black Onyx and clear embossing powder on watercolor paper then used my inks to watercolor the flower.  Once again I could not resist the Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Pendant - have you not guessed that it’s my favorite?  I have two staggered  Fleur Pendants and I added a Spellbinders Petite Scalloped Ovals Large and a Spellbinders Petite Oval Large.  Ribbon, pearls and a decorated corsage pin finish things up.

That’s it for me for today.  Your next stop along with way is the very talented Lorelie Kim.

For all my sweet friends in Canada,….Happy Canada Day!

I’m so excited to share with you a new JustRite set that is being released on the JustRite website on July 7th.  The name of this set is Thinking of You - it comes with six borders and centers that are perfect those more solemn occasions when we need to let someone know they are in our thoughts.   This set works with the 2 1/4 x 3 1/16" Oval.

My sentiment and border were cut out with Spellbinders Classic Ovals Small and Spellbinders Classic Ovals Large.  I then used Spellbinders Renaissance Hearts Pendant Center to create a border around the ovals - after cutting six of the centers they are simply glued to the back of the oval.  The border on the card is actually two of Spellbinders Renaissance Hearts Borderabilities cut, mirrored and secured with a strip of paper on top through the center of the combined borders. 

Be sure you visit the other Spellbinders Designers who are previewing this set!  Debbie Olson, Sharon Johnson,  and Heidi Blankenship all have different takes on this very elegant set.   Oh, and there is blog candy at the JustRite Stampers Blog - don’t you need one of the sets - hop on over there and find out what you need to do and what you can win!

Thanks for stopping by, I’ll have new reveals for you tomorrow too!!

Greetings!!  In need of a card for a friend who is having a hard time, I set out to find something in the new selections from JustRite Stampers that would fit the bill.  From the JustRite Tiny Words Borders and Centers set I narrowed my choices down to Sending Hugs although several of the other sentiments work for this occasion too!!    As you know, I am really smitten with the Spellbinders Pendants and I’m especially excited that they stack so well between the items in each set, with other sets, with Nestibilities and with the JustRite borders and centers! 

In this case I started out on the bottom with Spellbinders Standard Circles Large, which serves as a base.  Then I layered on the Spellbinders Eyelets Pendant, followed by the Spellbinders Renaissance Hearts Pendant with the center cut out.  I folded the Pendant 8 times then glued the ruffled pendant into place with glue dots.  Next I layered two of the Renaissance Hearts Centers with glue dots as well.  I stamped my JustRite Tiny Words Border and punched it out with my 1 1/4" round punch then stamped the JustRite Tiny Words Center and punched it out with my 1" round punch.   Using three of the Renaissance Hearts Accent Pieces, I snipped out the center with scissors then used each accent as a buckle, holding it into place with a corsage pin.  The corsage pin was longer than I needed it to be so I cut them shorter with my wire cutters.

Okay, heading out to put this in the mail to my friend!!  Thanks for stopping by and just a hint - more JustRite goodness is on the horizon so stay tuned!

ETA:  Your imagination is not playing tricks on you.  I had two posts scheduled that had a mind of their own…so today you have all sorts of mail from me. 

Have you been checking out the posts from the JustRite Designers blogs?  Well, there is a new set scheduled for release on July 7th called Preserves Borders and Centers Set.    I’m showing a little Congratulations Basket that I made with the set.  A few of my friends have had babies recently, but this is for the next friend that announces she is pregnant.   The set has a card, a jar of pickles, two chocolate bars, and a book.  Here are the individual items.

Okay, so here are the pickles - I think they are so cute!  I used one one of the centers from the new Preserves Borders and Centers Set with the JustRite 2 3/8" wood mount, and created my own border using Times New Roman 15 point font to read  "Break Open In Case of Pregnancy".  The center is colored with copic markers.

The chocolate bars are two of the giant bars you can buy at the grocery store.  I used design paper for the wrappers then used the What’s Cooking Borders and Centers Set with the JustRite 1 5/8" wood mount for the medallions on the bars. 

For my 4 x 4 card I used the JustRite 1 5/8" wood mount and the Times New Roman 25 point font to create a rounded expression that reads "You’re Expecting".    I hunted high and low for something to go with my pregnancy theme and finally landed on this Studio G stamp showing a pregnant lady.  The space I was working with was tiny, but she fit and I colored her with copics too!!

Thanks for stopping by today.  More gifts and cards are in the works!

ETA:  Phooey, I had this post and another scheduled but they did not go off on schedule and I’ve didn’t check behind it - arrgh!!.  Oh well, the best laid plans, hunh. 

Today I’m sharing one of the June releases from Our Daily Bread Designs from the set Quiet Waters.  This long wide sentiment gave me the opportunity to show the gorgeous die template from the Fleur de Lis Borderabilities set.  I stamped the sentiment on Spellbinders Curved Rectangles and cut one edge off.  The filigree piece is from the jewelry section at Hobby Lobby - amazing finds there!!

 Designers for ODBD are showing cards from the new releases that will be shown in their entirety on  Wednesday, July 1st.    Let me just say that the new releases are truly amazing.  I’ll have one to share with you soon!!

Okay, I am honestly winding down with the Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Pendant, but if you couldn’t tell, when I started working with this die template, I went on a card making binge!!  For a very quick post tonight, I wanted to share another sample I made earlier with the Fleur Pendant that has a slightly Asian feel.   It’s a  little bit different because I used the Pendant Center as corner pieces. 

It’s a very simple card, the center circle motif is a piece of design paper.  I added a sentiment from the Flourishes - Flourished Words Stamp Set and a bow to finish the design off. 

I hope you have a glorious weekend! 

 Happy Birthday to you!!  Happy Birthday to you!!  Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday!! Happy Birthday to you!!  My dear friend, Michelle over at Stampers Dream, is the lucky Birthday Girl today and all of us with the Dream Team are celebrating the occasion.  I pulled together a birthday card using one of the new releases with Flourishes called Waterlilies.

After embossing the lillies in white, I used tombow markers and an almost dry aquapainter to color the image.  It is popped up on Spellbinders Antique Book Plate then popped up again on Spellbinders Labels 4.  The sentiment comes from Flourishes - Flourished Words Stamp set.   Lastly, the sentiment sits on a Spellbinders Labels 1 die template.  Easy Peasy! 

Thanks for popping by today!   If you get a chance, stop over at Stampers Dream too and wish Michelle a very Happy Birthday!!

I couldn’t resist using the new Spellbinders Tulips Pendant and Spellbinders Tulips Borderabilities - I’m tellin’ you, it’s CUTE!!  I simply used the Pendant and changed out the color of the tulips by cutting extras and popping them up.  Then I did the same thing on the Borderabilites.  I think it made the perfect whimsical background for my little Tilda (#325 Tilda with Tag)

I colored Tilda with Copic Markers this time, stamping her with Tuxedo Black Memento on Simply Smooth White Prism Paper.  I stacked several layers to create a medallion to sit little Tilda on.  The bottom layer is Spellbinders Large Scalloped Octagons then the next layer is Spellbinders Large Octagons then my Pendant layer.    For the text inside the tag, Tulips 4 Sale,  I used my JustRite alphabet with the Times New Roman Uppercase 25 point font.

Just a note - Diana over at Magnolia-licious is taking pre-orders for the Pet and Animal Collection.  Also lots of the out of stock items are now back in stock including many of the Halloween stamps.

Have you been having fun each day waiting on the new reveal with the Spellbinders Pendants?  I’m in love with these die templates!!  Spellbinders has announced a contest using the Pendants called the Pendant Project Contest.  There’s big money to be won for submitting project you make with the new Pendants so be sure to stop by the Spellbinders Blog to see the rules!

Thanks for stopping by today, I so appreciate it!!

I’m back to share two cards with you today.  The first is lemony goodness thanks to this new set from Flourishes called Live, Love and Lemons.  Of course I had to throw in the Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Pendant, but I really wanted to dress it down a little bit to go with this casual card.  See, how nicely that Pendant fits with the Spellbinders that are already in my collection?  I’m just sayin’ . . .  It reminds me of lace in this case, but it’s a nice little dressy touch but not as frou-frou as my samples from the previous two days.

I watercolored the lemons image with Tombow markers and popped up an additional cut out of the image for some dimension, placing it on Spellbinders Classic Square Large.   Next I layered Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Pendant followed by Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Squares, Large.   After stamping/masking five of the lemon slices, I cut out my self made border and mounted it on the bottom of my card.  The rectangular tag is a retired Spellbinders tag that fit my sentiment perfectly.

My next card is today’s Sketch Challenge on Splitcoast - I haven’t played along on one of those for quite some time.  For Sketch Challenge #234 I selected one of the June releases with Our Daily Bread Designs called Ask, Seek, Knock.  I divided the sentiment so that it could fill the two side panels that the sketch calls for.   Both selections today are rather clean and simple.

Don’t forget you have until 11:59 EST on June 24th to get in the drawing for the Spellbinders Die Templates on Debbie Olson’s post HERE.  Michelle Wooderson is revealing a lovely set today that you will not want to miss - you can see her set HERE.

As I mentioned, the Fleur de Lis Pendant speaks elegance so I wanted to share a wedding card that I put together using that Pendant.  It has similar layers as the card I revealed yesterday however the Center is raised on this card, rather than recessed.  The elegant saying is standard faire from Flourishes - Flourished Word Stamp Set and the paper I used is from K & Co.

To make the card I cut one panel with Spellbinders Curved Rectangles and behind each side I placed one of the Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Borderabilities.  I cut one Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Pendant, which I topped with another Pendant.  I cut the center with Spellbinders Classic Squares, Small and finished with the Center from the Fleur de Lis set on top.

Just a reminder that Debbie Olson is revealing a new set of Pendants and Borderabilities today!!  Please make time to get to her blog HERE to see the fantastic creations she has dreamed up using these new die templates - you will not be disappointed. 

You have until 11:59 pm EST, June 23rd, 2009, to enter to win the die that I revealed.  You can see the rules and links for entering the contest by reading my post HERE.    You are in for such a treat this week, here is the fabulous line up that will be bringing you the rest of the new Spellbinders Pendants.

June 23, 2009  – Debbie Olson    
http://debbiedesigns.typepad.com/

June 24, 2009  – Michelle Wooderson    
http://michellewooderson.blogspot.com/

June 25, 3009  – Keri Lee Sereika   
http://pinklemonade.typepad.com/my_weblog/

June 26, 2009 –– Sherry Cheever    
http://sherrycheever.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/

June 27, 2009  – Heidi Blankenship    
http://embellished-dreams.blogspot.com/

June 28, 2009 -– Linda Duke    
www.lindaduke.typepad.com/

June 29, 2009  – Jennifer Davis    
http://www.preservationarts.com/

Thanks so much for stopping by and thank you so much for sharing the excitement with the new Spellbinders die templates!

Spellbinders Introduces:
Shapeabilities Pendants Blog Frenzy
June 22 through June 29th, available for ordering June 30, 2009

Edited to Add:  Thanks to everyone who entered the Spellbinders’ Shapeabilities Pendants Blog Frenzy to win my Die Template releases.  You can no longer enter to win my release.  Please check out the links below to enter the contest on other blogs.

Check  the Spellbinders Blog for the announcement of Daily Winners.

Commenting on this post is welcome but does not enter you into the contest. This contest is sponsored directly by Spellbinders Paper Arts. Please read the post to find directions for entering. If you have any questions, please e-mail PenContestQuestions@Spellbinders.us

Welcome to the First day of Spellbinders Pendants Blog Frenzy!

Spellbinders is celebrating the introduction of Pendants die templates, a new die line that will inspire your creative mind.  You have the opportunity to win the Pendant and Borderabilities die templates I’m introducing today by entering the contest at the end of this post.  Be sure to read all the rules before entering!  You still have until June 23rd, 11:59 pm EST to enter for the dies I’ll be showing you today.

What a pleasure it is for me to kick off the Blog Frenzy with this new Spellbinders product!  As you will see, it is right up my alley!  With all the techniques on punching that I’ve displayed and played around with, Spellbinders hit a home run in my book with the Pendant die templates.  I was thrilled beyond words to see that now I’ll be able to make the same type of round motif medallions with one pass of my Wizard!  (Remember, these die templates are universal and work with other popular die cut machines).  The possibilities are endless with stacking, off-setting, framing and removing the centers.  

Remember, these die templates can only be seen on Spellbinders Designer blogs and there will be 8 days of reveals.  As always, there is an opportunity for you to win these templates so I’d encourage you to take care and read my entire post carefully to make sure your entry is correct, ensuring your eligibility to win.

Here is a complete list of the line up.  To see or to go to any of the ones coming up, feel free to visit the following:

June 22, 2009 -  Becca Feeken    
http://www.amazingpapergrace.com/

June 23, 2009  – Debbie Olson    
http://debbiedesigns.typepad.com/

June 24, 2009  – Michelle Wooderson    
http://michellewooderson.blogspot.com/

June 25, 3009  – Keri Lee Sereika   
http://pinklemonade.typepad.com/my_weblog/

June 26, 2009 –– Sherry Cheever    
http://sherrycheever.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/

June 27, 2009  – Heidi Blankenship    
http://embellished-dreams.blogspot.com/

June 28, 2009 -– Linda Duke    
www.lindaduke.typepad.com/

June 29, 2009  – Jennifer Davis    
http://www.preservationarts.com/

I know you are dying to see exactly what a Spellbinders Pendant die template is, so I’d like to present to you, two new Spellbinders sets:

S4-204 Fleur De Lis Pendants - MSRP $24.99 per set

S4-213 Fleur De Lis Borderabilities - MSRP $19.99 per set

The Fleur De Lis shapes are the epitome of absolute elegance!  My mind immediately goes to wedding, vintage, invitations, favors - you get the picture.  The S4-204 Fleur De Lis Pendants  include a large pendant, a center pendant and two accent pieces and has a MSRP of $24.99.  It’s no coincidence that the center pendant fits exactly in the middle of the large pendant.  This will enable a matched cut out or very stylized frame but the center pendant can also be stacked on top!  Then the two small accent pieces are of the same scale and size that you can use them separately or stack them on top of any of their matching outlines on the large or center pendants.  Pendants are symmetrical and perfectly sized for a card with the large pendant measuring 3 3/4" x 3 3/4" and the center pendant measuring 1 7/8" x 1 7/8".

The S4-213 Fleur De Lis Borderabilities are made to work with both cards and scrapbooking with a perfect cut size of  1 x 5 1/2" for both and has a MSRP of $19.99.  The first Spellbinders Borderabilities die template with the fleur outline, is open-ended which will allow you to make a continuous border.  The top edge does not cut which will allow you to incorporate a border as a part of your page.  The second Spellbinders Borderabilities die template cuts on all edges allowing you to place the border as you will.

I have two projects to share with you today.  For the first project, a card called Make A Wish, I have included step by step directions to show you how to use the Pendants.  For the second project, A Vintage Gift Set with Keepsake Ornament and Box, a tutorial will be coming soon.

  Here is a closer look at the Pendant:

Here is a step through on how to make the card:

My second project is a vintage ensemble that includes a card, Keepsake Ornament and a Keepsake Box to hold the ornament.  The ensemble uses the S4-204 Fleur De Lis Pendant as well as both of the die templates of the S4-213 Fleur De Lis Borderabilities.   Here is a closer look at each piece of the ensemble:

The card

 The Keepsake Box

The Keepsake Ornament

Keepsake Box and Ornament

So now, keep reading to find out how you can get this Pendant die template set!

After the entry deadline is reached, Spellbinders will randomly pick one entry from each Blog Frenzy reveal as stated in the “Rules”. Winner will be contacted by e-mail within 24 hours of the contest deadline. Winner will have 72 hours to reply to that e-mail to claim the prize.  If Winner fails to respond within 72 hours, a new name will be drawn for said prize.   Winner will receive the new die templates being revealed on the specific daily blog post they are entering.

Entrants visiting all 8 Spellbinders Pendant Reveals and correctly entering their information into the separate drawings, as described below, will automatically be entered into a GRAND PRIZE give away of a full set of the 8 Pendants die templates and 8 matching Petite Border die templates being revealed.

Rules
Any participant wishing to be included in the daily drawing for the Spellbinders Pendants die templates Blog Frenzy give-away must adhere to all of the following rules. We are happy to welcome US and international blog guests for this Frenzy.

To enter each drawing on sneak peeks between June 22 and June 29, visit the reveal blog and click on the contest link to reveal an e-mail window.  In the subject line of the e-mail, enter the die template name being revealed.  Each blog reveal will remain open for 48 hours. Only 1 entry per blog is allowed and participant must use the same email address daily to be considered for grand prize entry, no exceptions.  Please consider whether you will have access to the same e-mail address from June 22nd through June 29th and plan accordingly.

Spellbinders Design Team members and employees are not eligible for drawings.

Any participant wishing to be automatically entered into the drawing for the Pendants Frenzy Grand Prize must enter all 8 blog reveals and follow all the above rules.

Please note:

*Spellbinders will only use email information to contact the winner.

*Spellbinders will not share this email address with any other parties.

*Spellbinders will not use this email information for advertisements or communications other than to contact the winner.

*If you wish to be included in further communications from Spellbinders, please go to their homepage SpellbindersPaperArts.com and sign up for their newsletter.

For more Spellbinders product release information go to

SpellbindersPaperArts.com/blog

If you have any questions regarding the contest, send an e-mail to:

PenContestQuestions@spellbinders.us

Thanks so much for joining me for the reveal of the new Spellbinders Pendants.  This is only the beginning and the other designers have great reveals in store for you too.  I hope you’ll find time in your day to visit with us through out the entire eight days!
 

A quick post today to share a baby card that I’m sending out to a friend.  My goodness what was happening nine months ago - I know quite a few people having babies.  It was an excellent opportunity to use one of my Magnolia stamps - so I chose baby Tingla (#286 Sitting Tingla).  She is watercolored with Tombow markers and cut out then perched on a frame that I made with Spellbinders Classic Paisley, Spellbinders Scalloped Paisley and Standard Circles Large.   For the sentiment I used Spellbinders Stars 5.

We have a full day planned for Fathers Day - I hope yours is a memorable one too!!

ETA:  Just a reminder that new Spellbinders dies release on Monday, June 22nd!!  There will be a big contest going on and if you want to get a head start on "The Rules", have a look at THIS post over at Spellbinders.   Want the low down on who will be showing which dies on which dates?  You can see the line up HERE!  Hope you have a second to stop by beginning on Monday - these new dies are on my favorites list already!

 
I am absolutely wild about the new Nesting Bird stamp by Impression-Obsession!  It’s so funky and different from my normal style that I thought it would make for a fun afternoon trying to figure out how to make it work.  I decided to emboss it in white on white watercolor paper and use my Tombow Markers to make the white embossing pop.   (Just so you know, Michelle at Stampers Dream is carrying the full line of Tombows now and she ships them out lickety split!)

Because I cut the image out and wanted to mount it on a dark background, I ended up cutting off much of the detail.  To get the detail, back, I white embossed my dark panel which I cut with Spellbinders Labels Large,  and seated the cut out image on top.    I used design paper from Tiny Dancer, My Mind’s Eye, Bazzill for my main panel and the card base is 140lb Strathmore Watercolor Paper.

Tombow Colors - 837, 452, 373, 993, 177, 98

Psst . . . I’m pretty excited over here because there are some new things happening at Spellbinders!!  You will definitely want to stop by and see me on Monday, June 22nd when I get to reveal one of the new Spellbinders Shapeabilities Pendants.  I know the silence over here was deafening, but now I’ll get to show you what I was working on.  Don’t miss it!    Say, did someone say there are prizes to be had?  Come back to check it out!

Tags: Spellbinders, Stamper's Dream