A new beginning or two!

Hello! I know a long time has gone by, but a lot has changed for me! I gave birth to a beautiful, wonderful, and time-consuming baby girl back in August, so crafting went by the wayside for a while until we found a routine that worked for us and she was able to entertain herself a tiny bit. This seems to finally have happened.
I know that it is pretty obvious that I am slightly obsessed with Bible journaling and all things pertaining to this marvelous craft. I love to search the web for new inspirations, watch journaling videos, create new pages, enjoy Periscopes from many different people, and many more activities that we've all come to know and love about the aspect of journaling in our Bibles. But, my favorite part of this is hiding God's word in my heart! What an encouragement I have found it to be! It seems that just as my strength is failing, or my wits are at their end- God brings to mind a verse I recently rediscovered through journaling! It's so refreshing to know that God honors the time I spend with him through His Word! I've come to realize that it doesn't have to be extravagant or fancy as long as it's quality time spent with Him!
I jumped on the Periscope bandwagon and filmed my first video which is just a flip through of my KJV Journal Bible (which I love). I love that you find a wide variety of "art" among the pages as I search for my own style of journaling. I must say I still am not entirely sure of what it is because I love to dabble in all sorts of things. You find simple hand lettering, word art, acrylic paint, watercolor, tip ins, and vellum, but I love that every entry is evidence of a time I set aside to talk with God and have him speak to my heart as well! I hope this little video will give you courage to start your own journal journey, or encourage and inspire you if you have already started. Just remember it is about time listening for Gods voice!

Along with a new baby, Periscoping for the first time, starting to teach Patch club at church, and participating in our church's new nursing home ministry, I also started up an Etsy shop! For now it has some items to help with creating in your Bible...hopefully more will follow soon, as I figure out exactly what works best. I'd appreciate your prayers, encouragement, and any advice you have. :)
Keep an eye out for more to come from me! I have plans for both the blog and the Etsy shop. Keep on keepin' on, my friends!

Monster Hugs and Catch Up!

Hello, All! I have been creating like mad in my little corner...sometimes I remember to take photos as I go and other times I get so caught up in the process of it all that it completely slips my mind! I've been trying to be better about it and now I have to play catch up here to get everything posted! So, without any more delay enjoy this very colorful post! 

I am going to use this card for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge:Anything Goes

Wednesday Challenge

Originally I was going to use this card as an entry for the Distress Challenge for Lawnscaping, but I read about it a day too late. I like the card and had a blast creating it...I started with three Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks in Stream, Wild Plum, and Butterscotch. 

 Using some felt on a Tim Holtz applicator and a piece of plastic I had cut from some packaging, I applied the alcohol inks over the entire piece.

 I decided these monsters from Lawn Fawn's Monster Mash would be adorable in a tie-dye state. So, I used my StazOn Jet Black ink to stamp the little guys onto the opposite side of the plastic.

 I just love the way they turned out...they look like they're ready to have a good time!

 I fussy cut each critter out.

 Next up I decided that I wanted a little color in the background of my card, but knew to get the full effect of the alcohol inks the immediate background would need to be white, so I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, and Peacock Feathers to create this fabulous rainbow on the card base.

 I then temporarily placed my monsters where I wanted them to go along with Avery Elle's Avery's Alphas stamps to get placement just right.

 I used my wonderful new tool, the MISTI, to ensure perfect lettering.

 I finished the sentiment using the original stamp that came in the Monster Mash set. I then used my Spectrum Noir markers to create another rainbow effect in the lettering.

 I carefully used my Martha Stewart two way glue pen to place glue along the black stamped edge of each image. This is so the adhesive does not show through the clear plastic.

I added a little bit of glitter to the letters using my trusty Wink of Stella clear brush.

 and here is the final product.

 I hope you've enjoyed learning about the project! Feel free to comment or ask questions! Thanks for joining me! Keep an eye out for more posts very soon!

Thinking of You Card and Envelope

Hello! Thanks for joining me again to take a look at what's been happening on my craft desk! I wanted to join in the fun at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge for Create your own background! I have been wanting to try to create my own stencils using some Inkjet Transparencies I found in my stash, but quite honestly, have been too chicken to do it. Once I saw Caryn's wonderful creation I knew this was the chance I'd been waiting for and took it...and am I glad I did! So much fun and I love the results! So, here you go... 
Like I've said, I started with some old transparency film I found.

I used two of my Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Circles and die cut random circles from the transparency. I even kept the pieces that were cut from the plastic in a little baggie to use as masks on later projects.

 After I was satisfied with the pattern I started using my Tsukineko Sponge Daubers to fill in the circles using Tim Holtz Distress inks in Dusty Concord, Tumbled Glass, Tattered Rose, and Antique Linen. These are not usually colors that I reach for ( I love bright colors) but I think the combination is eye pleasing.

 I used a little washi tape to keep my stencil in place, but then ended up moving around quite a bit to cover the whole background. Here is the final background. I think it is happy and fun!

 I selected the Simon Says Clear Stamp Sending Happy Thoughts for the beautiful Thinking of You sentiment along with Versa Mark ink and Zing White embossing powder. I added a few pearls from Michael's Recollection line, and used foam adhesive to attach the sentiment.

 Lastly, I created an envelope for my card because I didn't have one big enough to fit it! The measurements were 4.5"x 6". Ooops. :) Thanks for joining me! What is something You've been wanting to try, but find yourself too 'chicken'?

So very proud of you!

The Simon Says Stamp Company has a couple of challenges you can join! There is a Monday Challenge and the Wednesday Challenge, and occasionally they even have challenges/contests on just their regular blog! I am always finding new ways to create from this company and their wonderful design team!
Anyway, since I had so much fun with the Lawn Fawn challenge last week I thought I'd give another challenge a try. The Wednesday Challenge blog's theme is Back to School. I must admit I do not have any stamps that is specifically 'school themed'. So, I decided an alphabet stamp would most likely work best. I love the way this card turned out. It's so happy and cheerful!

I started with an A2 size card and used Versa Mark Ink and clear embossing powder to randomly stamp Avery Elle's Avery's Alphas stamps all over the background.

 I then used Tim Holtz Peacock Feathers, Picked Raspberry, and Mustard Seed Distress Inks with sponge daubers to blend the inks over the background. After it was blended to my liking I sprayed a little water in my hand and flicked it over the ink. The little droplets of water create a speckled look.

 I then finished up my card by using Avery Elle's What's Up Stamp set for that fantastic giraffe and Avery Elle's Fill in the Blank set for the sentiment. To make the sentiment stand out a little I added some Clear Stickles over the YOU. Lastly, I used Clear Glossy Accents over the 'glass' part of the glasses.