OWH Memorial Day Blog Hop 2014

I am thrilled to be joining today's Operation Write Home Memorial Day Blog Hop. What a special, yet still somehow insufficient, way to remember those who have sacrificed so much for the sake of our freedom. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. May we never take for granted the freedom that God has blessed us with through your courage and service.

My patriotic mixed media card thank you card for you today is based on Sketch # B-7. I watercolored the background with red and blue. The Melissa Frances tag has the same patriotic colors. The chipboard frame was swiped with Memento ink. I adhered these different pieces using Scrapbook Adhesives by3L.

The bird and Thank You are both cut with Penny Black dies. The sentiment and button are actually blue, but the photo makes them look darker somehow.

How about a giveaway? I will be putting together a sampler of embellishments similar to the ones I offer on my ETSY shop, 2 6x8 sets of retired stamps from The Craft's Meow, Spellbinder dies set. Just leave me a comment for a chance to win! You have until Wed night to comment. I will announce the winner on Thursday's post.

Etsy Store * Facebook * Pinterest * Bloglovin'

Vintage Card #4 with Printable ATCs

Here is card #4 using the Printable Spring ATCs I have on my NinaB Printables etsy shop. The papers are Melissa Frances. The doily is by SRM Stickers. The pearl is by Want2Scrap.

A little bit of distressing, stitching and using up the huge buttons that I usually have a hard time using on my cards.

Here are the Spring ATC's ready for you to print out and make beautiful cards with.

I'm teaching a card class tomorrow, in conjunction with our monthly ladies' discipleship meeting. We're studying Biblical Worldview, or how we interpret the world around us in light of Scripture. I'm really enjoying the study and hope that I'll be able to communicate God's truth clearly. Have a great weekend, friends!

Etsy Store * Facebook * Pinterest * Bloglovin'

Thanks a Bunch

Hello, friends! I hope you have recovered from the holiday festivities. Now that the gifts have been unwrapped and hopefully enjoyed by you, it's time to get creative to send thank you cards to the thoughtful people who sent you those wonderful gifts. Here is one of a series of cards I made using some of my Want2Scrap products.

I covered the Vintage Phone by Laurel Lane - Chipboard with some wet glue and covered it with Art Glitter glitter. I accented the doily with Nestabling Heart Circles Pink Pearl.

The sentiment is from The Craft's Meow's Stitched Sentiments set. The Red Rose Ribbon 1" was adhered to the center of the bow. The papers are by Melissa Frances.

Have a great day!

Happy New Year and Some Changes

Hello, friends! I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's celebration! I enjoyed the break and spending time with our loved ones at home. I love my Christmas gift from  my hubby...a new craft room! I will share pictures soon.

I will be making a little bit of change on my blog starting today. As you probably already noticed, I haven't been blogging as often. Life has been so busy. My oldest just became a teenager and it's sad to think that we only have a few years with her at home before she pursues her dreams on her own :(. And ministry always keeps us on our toes. Because of all this, I decided to give up on some other less important aspects of life (such as publication, though I missed the excitement of receiving those acceptance emails from my favorite craft magazines) this past year. Unfortunately, blogging falls under this "less impt than life" category as well, but I love sharing my cards here and am always SO encouraged by your visits and comments that I just cannot give it up entirely :). I will just be posting less often.

I will also be sharing more non-paper crafting posts. One other thing enjoy is cooking and baking. Having moved to a little bitty town in Croatia many years ago, I have had to learn to cook from scratch and experiment with substitute ingredients. I have definitely learned to be creative in my kitchen and it has been a fun experience that I would like to share with you also, from time to time.

THANK YOU so much for your continued visits, comments and support the last 3 years I have blogged. I hope you will keep returning despite the changes I mentioned above.

Now let's get to today's card. This is for The Craft's Meow's January Sketch Challenge. I used Stitched Sentiments Two stamp set on this simple vintage card.

The papers and stickers are Melissa Frances. The flower is by Prima.

Merry Christmas!

Hello, friends! Sorry for my absence. Christmas is always a busy time being in full-time ministry, having guests, hosting, etc. I'm not complaining. I love doing all these things, but it means I've had to slow down on other things I do, like blogging.

I have a fancy Christmas card to share with you all today. I first distressed and stitched the edges of the Melissa Frances patterned paper, then laid a pretty doily right in the center. I adhered a sticker in the center of the doily and some beautiful B.Y.O.B. 1 Build your own Bling - Donna Salazar Design bling.

I then took a Pine Tree Chipboard Embellishments - Pack of 4 and traced it on the back of a patterned paper, fussy cut it, adhered to the chipboard and inked the edges. I finished the tree by placing some Sleek Strips Silver Rhinestones- Self Adhesive to mimic a garland.

The sentiment is from The Craft's Meow's Stitched Sentiments Two stamp set. I finished the card by adhering a rose from the Red Rose Ribbon 1" with a double seam binding bow tucked underneath.

I just want to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a wonderful and memorable Christmas and New Year!I want to end with a link to one of the best messages I've heard about Christmas. If you just have one sermon to listen to about Christmas, this is it. It will change how you've always viewed the nativity of Jesus Christ and understand His incarnation in a mind-blowing, life-changing way!

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." John 1:14

Birthday Greetings

I have some non-holiday cards for you today, but they are related to Christmas. These two cards are part of a set that I'm giving away as a gift to a friend. It's great to mass produce cards that follow the same layout, but with different elements to make each one unique. It's also great to use up some supplies that I have hoarded for far too long :).

The papers, stickers and resin crown are by Melissa Frances. The sentiment is from The Craft's Meow's Stitched Sentiments Two, this month's free with $50 purchase.

The background was distressed and stitched on the edges. The flower is by Prima. And I tucked the seam binding underneath it.

I'm busy preparing for our church's Women's Christmas party tomorrow. The ladies of our church made these lovely quilted pillow cases and Bible covers as party favors.  Aren't they beautiful? I had nothing to do with making these. I can only stitch straight. :) I was just in charge of wrapping them and making little tags.

Stay warm and enjoy the weekend, friends!

TCM Valentine Blog Hop and Winners!

I'm so glad that you have come to join The Craft's Meow's Valentine Blog Hop featuring TCM's Valentine/Love stamp sets, which are all on sale right now at 15% off through December 16th. The code is Valentine at checkout.

If you came from Lindsay Amrhein's blog, then you're at the right spot. My card for today uses one of my favorite sets because it allows me to make my favorite vintage/shabby cards. The Cherished stamp set is also perfect for those who like to color. Here I just colored the hydrangea image and left the background as is.

I distressed the hyrangea panel and stitched the edges. The hearts are stitched in the middle and came from my Spellbinders' Home Sweet Home dies. The papers are Melissa Frances. I tucked the words underneath the bow.

Your next stop is my friend Sharri Seffens. To see the list of participants and the info about the giveaway, please visit the TCM blog.

And now, the two winners of my giveaway are...

Peggy and Anita Braddock

Winners, congratulations and please send me your info (via Contact tab above) by this Saturday morning (earlier would be better!) in order to claim the  prize. This will help with organization and avoiding confusion. And my parents, who will do the mailing for me, will be leaving soon to come visit us, so there's not a lot of time to get the prizes out to you in a timely manner. Thank you all for participating. I will have another giveaway sometime next month.

TCM Holiday Card Blog Hop

Welcome to The Craft's Meow's Holiday Card Blog Hop. Today, the team is showcasing the many holiday-themed stamps that TCM offers through their online store. If you came from Lindsay's blog, then you're at the right spot. If not, you can check the list of participants on the TCM blog so you don't miss a thing :).

I have two cards for you. My first is classic vintage using my Christmas Angel stamp set. I've been inspired lately by a few shabby chic crafters and created this. The papers are Melissa Frances. I colored the angel with Copic markers and framed it using Spellbinders dies. The sentiment is from Vintage Ornaments, which I framed with Spellbinders Fancy Framed Tags Two. I sprinkled some Want2Scrap LeCreme pearls to add to the vintage feel of the card. I distressed all the edges and inked them.

My second card is more on the Clean and Graphic style using the Holiday Foundations set. The stockings were die cut using my Spellbinders' Sweet Folk Art dies. I used leftover scraps from my mass-produced Christmas card project a from few posts ago. I embellished the stocking with lace.

Your next stop is my friend Sharri, don't forget to stop by the  TCM blog for more info on prizes and more inspiration! Happy hopping!

Angel Noel

Today's card was on the Want2Scrap blog a few days ago to highlight the Nestabling and Nestaboard that both coordinate with Spellbinders dies. I used the Nestaboard Fancy Tags Two and Nestabling Fancy Tags Two Silver Rhinestones to frame my sentiment. The angel and sentiment are from The Craft's Meow's Christmas Angel stamp set.

I love how detailed these Nestaboards are. I usually place a patterned paper on it (using the coordinating Spellbinders dies), but I decided to keep it without to match the Kraft card base. The papers are Melissa Frances.

I hope you were inspired to use these fantastic Want2Scrap Nestabling and Nestaboard products on your projects.

Want2Scrap Products used:

Nestaboard Fancy Tags Two

Nestabling Fancy Tags Two Silver Rhinestones

Cross Promo Products used:
The Craft's Meow's Christmas Angel stamp set
Spellbinders Classic Oval, Fancy Tags Two dies

GlueArts Adhesive Squares™ Brand Adhesives-PermaTac

GlueArts U-Cut-It® 4x4

Christmas Blessings

I have a quick post today since it's a holiday in Croatia and we have lots of plans for the rest of the day. My card is for The Craft's Meow's November Sketch Challenge. Here is the sketch:

Here is my interpretation using the Christmas Angel stamp set. I left the angel not colored this time. I love the details that it looks fine even as is. I die cut it with a Spellbinders Classic Circle die.

 

The papers are Melissa Frances. I added the Want2Scrap bling for more flair. The sentiment is heat embossed with white on Kraft cardstock.

I hope you can join the TCM team for this month's sketch challenge. Make sure you check out the blog fore more samples using this sketch. Have a great day!

The Craft's Meow Previews: Christmas Angel, Hearth and Home

Welcome to The Craft's Meow's October Release previews. I'm excited to share with you my new set called Christmas Angel. It has an image of a beautiful angel and several sentiments for outside and inside your cards to go with it.

I have a shabby chic card for you today with lots of vintage touches and lacey loveliness :). Of course, I had to use my favorite vintage-inspired company, Melissa Frances, for the papers.

I used Copic markers to color the angel. Buttons, seam binding and roses are the finishing touches.

The TCM team is also highlighting my friend Elizabeta's set called Hearth and Home. It has a fireplace image that you can make rustic or elegant, like I did below.  I added the border from Vintage Clocks to coordinate with the damask pattern on the fireplace. I tied two jingle bells to the seam binding bow.

I paper pieced and colored with Copics my main image. A little of bit of Want2Scrap bling was added to the fireplace flourish design. The papers are again by Melissa Frances.

Please visit The Craft's Meow's blog for more information and links to other designers' blog for today's previews. Comment there for a chance to win one of the stamp sets being featured today.

Ink Splatter Card #3

I'm sharing the 3rd card in my Want2Scrap Silhouette - Old Time Tricycle with the Ink Splatter technique series of cards. This one is super simple. As with my first two cards, I used the silhouette as a stencil. I stitched the panel onto the card front.

I felt like those big wheels needed some bling, so I adhere some Want2Scrap Swirls - Silver Rhinestone - Package of 2 - 4" x 4" on top. Small strips of chipboard, lace and sentiment (from The Craft's Meow's Simply Delightful set) decorated with 3 rhinestones (from Want2Scrap Sleek Strips Silver Rhinestones- Self Adhesive) finish the card.

I hope you're enjoying this series of cards. I have one more to share and it's my favorite of the 4! Stay tuned! :). Don't forget to check out my GIVEAWAY going on now. Five prizes are up for grabs that include Spellbinder dies, Want2Scrap bling and The Craft's Meow stamps! COMMENT ON TODAY'S POST and on THESE POSTS for a chance to win. One comment per post, please. You can see the prizes HERE or scroll down below to my June 24th post. Thank you!

Want2Scrap Products used:

Want2Scrap Silhouette - Old Time Tricycle
Want2Scrap Swirls - Silver Rhinestone - Package of 2 - 4" x 4"
Want2Scrap Sleek Strips Silver Rhinestones- Self Adhesive

Cross Promo Products used:

 The Craft's Meow's Simply Delightful stamp set

GlueGlider PRO+ MultiDirectional Cartridge Refill - Repositionable

GlueArts Adhesive Squares™ Brand Adhesives-PermaTac

GlueArts U-Cut-It® 4x4

GlueArts and Want2Scrap Blog Hop

Welcome to Day 5 the final day of the Glue Arts and Want2Scrap Spring into Summer Blog Hop! We have had such a great week sharing projects from our two companies and the creative magic of the talented designers. Remember to be eligible for the prizes you need to leave a comment on the Want2Scrap AND the Glue Arts Blogs.

AND

Glue Arts provides a wide range of adhesive from their Glue RiderPro Adhesive Squares, or Embellishments Adhesive. They have just what you need for your next scrappy or crafting project.

Want2Scrap specialize in bling, chipboard albums, laser designs, iPhone 4 cases and ribbons!

To be eligible for the prizes leave a comment on the Want2Scrap AND the Glue Arts Blogs. Comments will be taken until Sunday May 27 at midnight.

Day Five: Friday May 25

Audrey Pettit

Nina Brackett <<-- you are here!

Joe Morgan/Joe Rotella

Mimi Leinbach

Keely Yowler

I made a wall hanging for you today (using 12 x 12 Decorative Sheet Style A) with a quote that I made up myself. It's sort of my life motto.I adhered the patterned paper using GlueGlider PRO+®.

Here are some close up photos so you can see more details. I inked the Chipboard Alphabet- Stylish with white pigment ink.

I used tons of Want2Scrap and Melissa Frances products on this. I highlighted the word "God" with the Swirls, Finesse - White Pearls - 2 Pack - Self Adhesive and a bird resin which, along with the flowers and letters, was attached using Adhesive Squares™ Brand Adhesives-PermaTac.

It's hard to see, but I used the Silhouette - Lady with Flowers as a stencil and sprayed with Clearsnap Smooch Spritz Spun Sugar  to capture its shape and create this subtle background for the Chipboard Charlies Birdcage Silhouette.

Thank you for joining our blog hop! Remember to leave a comment on the Want2Scrap AND the Glue Arts Blogs. Comments will be taken until Sunday May 27 at midnight.

Want2Scrap Products used:
Chipboard Charlies Birdcage Silhouette
Silhouette - Lady with Flowers
Chipboard Alphabet- Stylish
Swirls, Finesse - White Pearls - 2 Pack - Self Adhesive
12 x 12 Decorative Sheet Style A

GlueArts Products used:
GlueGlider PRO+®  
Adhesive Squares™ Brand Adhesives-PermaTac
U-Cut-It® 4x4

Other Products used:
Clearsnap Smooch Spritz Spun Sugar 
Melissa Frances Papers, Tags and Bird Resin
Versamagic White Pigment Ink
Lace, Button, Burlap Twine and Seam Binding