And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness
and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Red & White for the Red Cross

Hello friends!  Clara Barton and a few associates founded the Red Cross 134 years ago today.  In honor of the Red Cross, The Ways To Use It Challenge today at Splitcoaststampers is to create a card using red & white.  Here is my card:

Creative Nugget:  All stamps and dies used on this card are from Our Daily Bread Designs.  The Daisy Chain Background Die was used to emboss some texture on the background layer which was matted with Pure Poppy Card stock and mounted to a Neenah Solar Crest card base.  Next, the Gingham Background was stamped with Pure Poppy ink.  The Layered Lacey Squares Die was cut for the sentiment and sponged while the label was still in the die.  The sentiment is from the new Spread Your Wings stamp set.  The little ladies from the Butterfly & Bugs mini stamp set were colored with Copic Markers and cut with the coordinating Butterfly & Bugs Dies.  Six layers of Asters & Leaves die cuts were used to form the flower and red seed beads were added to the middle of the flower.  A Fence border and several Pennants were added to follow Sweet Sunday Sketch 269 for this week.

This card will be submitted for the following challenges:
Splitcoaststampers - WT532
Word Art Wednesday #184 - Anything Goes Family Friendly

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a wonderful day…let God lift you up!

Hugs,
Cathymac

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Praying Through

Hello everyone!  Just sharing a card I made for a man at our church who just suffered a stroke.  I'm hoping this card will bring encouragement to him and his wife.  Since I'm hosting the Sketch Challenge today over at Splitcoaststampers, SC541 was used for the design of my card.

Creative Nugget:  This sailboat image from The Sea clear stamp set is perfect for masculine cards and was stamped on watercolor paper using a waterproof ink...Versafine Onyx Black.  The edges were taped down to a cutting board creating a frame around the image.   Kuretake watercolors were brushed onto the dampened paper.  The panel was propped at an angle and enough water was added to the ocean allowing the color to drip down the image, stopping at the taped edge.  Each layer of color was air dried before the next color was added.  The same method was used to apply the colors to the sky, but the panel was left flat to dry, eliminating the drips.  When completely dry, the sentiment from the God is Bigger stamp set was added along with a few black pearls.

Here are the beautiful stamp sets from the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Store 
that were used to create this card:

This card will be submitted for the following challenges:
Splitcoaststampers - SC541
Just Us Girls - #293 Color Challenge
Crafting From the Heart - Challenge 60 Anything Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by…hope you've been inspired by your visit!
Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Hugs,
Cathymac

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Time For a Ride...

…a bike ride, that is!  Hello, Friends!  Yesterday's CAS "Wheely" Challenge on Splitcoaststampers had me inking up an Our Daily Bread Designs image I've had for a while, but have never used.  This vintage bicycle scene brought back memories of learning to ride a bike when I moved from the city to the suburbs.  The girls in the neighborhood couldn't believe I had never ridden a bike before and it became their mission to teach me how.

Creative Nugget:  Since this is a Clean and Simple card, there's not really very much needed in the way of explanation.  After the Bicycle image was stamped and colored with Copics, a large Spellbinders Matting Basics rectangle was used to emboss a frame around the scene.  Two butterflies from the Butterfly & Bugs stamp set were colored and cut with the coordinating Butterfly & Bugs Dies.   Pink gingham from the Shabby Rose Paper Collection was used to mat the main panel before popping it up on a Neenah Solar Crest card base.  A little shimmer was added with a clear Wink of Stella marker to finish the card.

Here are the supplies from the Our Daily Bread Designs Store that were used to make this card:


This card will be submitted to the following challenges:
Splitcoaststampers - CAS325 (Wheels)
Through the Craftroom Door - Anything Goes
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Inspiration Color Swatch
Pile It On #69 - Not Cute
Dream Valley - Things With Wings
Creatalicious Challenge #75 - Butterflies

Thanks so much for stopping by…why not enjoy a bicycle ride today!

Hugs,
Cathymac


Friday, May 15, 2015

Looking Back at the ODBD May 2015 Release

Welcome, my friends!  Today we are taking a look back at Our Daily Bread Designs May 2015 Release.  Get ready to view some gorgeous creations made with the stamps and dies released this month.  Birds, Butterflies, and Flowers…oh, my!

Here is my sample using several of the new stamp sets and dies released this month:
  
Creative Nugget:  The base of my card is a Double Side Step (directions found HERE from Pinterest) which was lined with blue card stock and one of the pretty papers from the Shabby Rose Collection after it had been white embossed with the Belles Vignes stamp.  Next came the process of decorating each panel.  The smallest butterfly from the Trois Jolis Papillons stamp set and the butterfly from the Butterfly and Bugs stamp set were white embossed on Mixed Media paper and watercolored as well as the birds from the Spread Your Wings stamp set.  These were cut with the matching Tres Papillons Dies, Butterfly & Bugs Dies, and the Birds and Nest Dies and mounted to the side panels.  The middle steps were lined with Grass Border die cuts and flowers cut with the Birds and Nest Dies.  The sentiments from the Spread Your Wings stamp set were white embossed on blue Clouds & Raindrops die cuts.  These were extended above the middle step with strips of acetate as was the flying bird.  The Gilded Gate Die was used to cut the gate that spans the front of the card.  More flowers were added to the gate as well as a seam binding bow to finish the card.

These new products from the Our Daily Bread Designs Store were used to make this card...
…and these old favorites:

To view all of the gorgeous samples made with this release, visit the Our Daily Bread Designs Blog.  For the details on each beautiful creation made by my talented Sister Sticks, click on the links below!

Lori * Julie * Sandee * Dawn * Cathy 
 Amy * America * Wanda 

Thanks so much for stopping by…enjoy the hop and be inspired!

Hugs,
Cathymac

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Just Believe

Hello, Sweet Friends!  Just a quick post with a card to share with you today.  I had an idea for a card which followed the Sketch Challenge from Wednesday over at Splitcoaststampers.  The whole card was finished except for the main panel and when I reached for the stamp set I had in mind to use, realized I did not have that set!  What…a Sweet 'n Sassy stamp set NOT in my collection?  Well…you can be sure I will be taking care of that promptly, but out came two favorite stamp sets to mimic the one I had in mind…Leafy Flourish Background and More and Majestic Monarchs.


Creative Nugget:  The background on the large circle was sponged with Distress Inks and one of the images from Nature Silhouettes was stamped repeatedly across the grass line.  A trail for the butterflies was made with one of the flourishes from the Leafy Flourish Background and More stamp set.  The Majestic Monarchs were colored with Copic Markers and cut with the matching Monarch Dies.  A sentiment from God is Bigger was stamped onto a Mini Tag die cut to finish the card.

The following supplies from the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Store were used for my sample today:


Thanks so much for stopping by…hope you were inspired!
Have a wonderful day!

Hugs,
Cathymac

Friday, May 8, 2015

Featuring What's Up?

Hello friends!  Today Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is featuring the What's Up? stamp set which includes fun arrow images and a lot of mix and match sentiments.  The inspiration for my card came from the Mojo Monday Sketch for this week and Robin's Splitcoaststampers' Free 4 All Challenge to use the May colors of emerald green and sapphire blue.

Creative Nugget:  Peerless Watercolors were used to make a wash on watercolor paper to get the emerald green color on the background.  When dry, blue Brushos were sprinkled on and spritzed with water.   Arrows cut with the Arrow Dies were used instead of the banners on the sketch.  All of the other design elements followed the sketch.  The What's Up? arrows were stamped in Mowed Lawn and Brilliant Blue and point to the New Beginnings Butterfly which was colored with Copic markers and cut with the matching Butterfly Die.  The circle panel was stamped with the Queen Anne's Lace from the Nature Silhouettes 2 stamp set.  The split sentiment is also from the What's Up? stamp set.

The following supplies from the 
to make this card:

This card will be entered into the following challenges:
Splitcoaststampers Free 4 All - F4A272

Thanks so much for stopping by…have a wonderful day!

Hugs,
Cathymac


Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Fancy Fritillary

Hello friends!  Don't you just love the look and smell of Spring…azaleas, lilacs, mowed lawn?  We have been enjoying some gorgeous weather here so it's starting to feel a lot more like spring.  The lilacs beginning to bloom next to the brick wall of our garage were the inspiration for my card which became Sketch 539 for today over at Splitcoaststampers!


Creative Nugget:  To create the background, Bundled Sage, Dusty Concord, and Seedless Preserves Distress inks were applied to a craft mat and spritzed with water.  A piece of Mixed Media paper was pulled through the inks.  Dusty Concord was applied to the back of a brick wall stencil, spritzed with more water and pressed on top and left to air dry.  More water was then spritzed through the stencil to remove some of the color on the bricks.  The rest of the card is pretty easy…the lilac paper is from the Blooming Garden Collection by Our Daily Bread Designs and the vine stamped on the brick wall and on the large circle is from the newly released Belles Vignes background stamp set.  The sentiment is from the Mini Tag Sentiments stamp set and other dies by Our Daily Bread Designs used on the card include the Flourished Star Pattern Die, Beautiful Borders Dies, Matting Circle Dies, Mini Tag Dies, and the beautiful new Fancy Fritillary Die.

This card will be submitted for the following challenges:

Thanks so much for stopping by…hope you get to enjoy a little bit of Spring today!

Hugs, 
Cathymac

Friday, May 1, 2015

Welcome to the ODBD May 2015 Release

Hello friends!  Welcome to the Our Daily Bread Designs May 2015 Release!   Birds and Butterflies are a sure sign that Spring has arrived.  Be sure to look for these signs of spring as you view the new release creations on the blogs of the talented Breadsticks…birds and butterflies abound!   

Three randomly selected winners will each receive a $25 gift certificate to the ODBD Store, to be used toward the purchase of ODBD Stamps found in the "stamps column" of the website just for commenting on the Design Team cards!  You have until May 2, 2015 at 9:00 p.m. EDT to leave your comments on the Designers' Blogs for a chance to win!  The Winners will be posted on the ODBD Blog on May 3rd, so be sure to check back there to see if you won!


My first sample uses the beautiful Belles Vignes and Trois Jolies Papillons stamp sets.

Creative Nugget:  The edges on two pieces of Mixed Media paper were masked and the Belles Vignes corner was white embossed. Blue, Green, and Yellow Bisters were lightly sprinkled over the panel and spritzed with water.  Both pieces were given time to air dry.  You never know what you are going to get with the Bisters, but I love the resulting watercolor look.  I chose the panel I liked best and cut it using the large rectangle from the Flourished Star Pattern Die Set, then mounted it on Basic Black card stock and a blue card base.  Layered Lacey Square Dies were used to cut a frame from the second panel.   Banners were cut from a scrap of Christmas 2014 Paper and other scraps from my stash that matched the panel using the Pennant Dies.  These were attached across the frame.  The sentiment from the Belles Vignes set was white embossed on a vellum banner and woven through the frame. Blue and Black Bisters were used on another scrap of Mixed Media paper.  The Swallow Tail butterfly from the Trois Jolies Papillons stamp set was stamped onto this using Archival Jet Black ink and then cut with the matching Tres Papillons die.  The butterfly was added with foam tape to finish the card.

Several of the new stamp sets and dies were used to create a Pop-Up Box for my second project.

Creative Nugget:  After cutting and scoring my box, the panels were covered with green card stock and   papers from the Blooming Garden Collection.  The Zinnia was also stamped on pieces of Blooming Garden papers and it and the leaves were cut with the matching Zinnia and Leaves Dies.  The Fancy Foliage Dies were used to cut a leafy flourish which was mounted along with the zinnia to the front of the card.  The sentiment from the Belles Vignes stamp set was stamped onto a Mini Tag die cut and tied to the seam binding holding the card closed.  Micro beads were added to the center of the zinnia using Glossy Accents.

The card opens to reveal a Bee Balm and Butterfly garden!

The Grass Border Die was used to line each section of the box. The sentiment from Belles Vignes was stamped on a Clouds & Raindrops die cut and attached to the box with a small strip of acetate.  Copic Markers were used to color the Bee Balm and butterflies from the Trois Jolies Papillons and Butterfly and Bugs stamp sets.  The Bee Balm was fussy cut and added randomly to different layers in the box.  The butterflies were cut with the matching Tres Papillons and Butterfly & Bugs Dies and attached to the box on strips of acetate.  Several other clouds and a seam binding bow finish the box.


The following new supplies from the Our Daily Bread Designs Store were used to create these projects...

...And some old favorites:

To see all of the gorgeous projects made with the new release products head on over to the Our Daily Bread Designs Blog.  You won't want to miss any of the project details so be sure to click on the links below to visit my talented Sister Sticks and leave a little love behind to be eligible for one of the fabulous prizes!

Lori * Julie * Sandee * Dawn * Amy * Cathy(me) 
 America * Chris * Angie * Audrey * Sabrina 
Grace * Silke * Loretta * Lisa * Wanda

Thanks so much for stopping by…hope you've been inspired!

Hugs,
Cathymac