Sushi Dolls #1

Happy Wednesday, my friends!
I've been a very busy girl today and I finished a couple of projects. One I'm showing you now, and you'll have to wait a couple of days the see the other one.
I am so excited to now be designing for Susi aka Silly Shy Sushi! Susi has recently started designing her own digital images called Sushi Dolls. They are just the cutest digis ever! I've added a button link in my sidebar so you can all go take a look and buy some for yourself!
I used the digi called "Abby Birthday Balloons", and I think she's super cute! This image is from one of two brand new sets that Susi has just finished. One set is called Birthday and the other is called Valentine's Day. I'm not sure if they're even listed on the blog yet,  but they will be very soon! Until then you can go take a peek at Susi's previous two collections! Here's my card:

Materials Used:

Papers: Crate Paper - Emma's Shoppe, Recollection - Cardstock;

Image: Abby Birthday Balloons - Sushi Doll - HERE;

Prismacolor Pencils and Odorless Mineral Spirits;

Punch: WRMK - Mini 8 Punch - Flower,

Stamp: MME Indie Chic - Ginger "Pictures" Stamps;

Ink: Stampin' Up - Soft Suede, Martha Stewart - Pink;

Flowers: Gift from Steff;

Ribbon: Offray;

Pearls: My Stash.

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Linking Up To:

One Crazy Stamper - January - Anything Goes

Oozak - Challenge #10 - Anything Goes + Pink and Bling

Hymn and Scripture Challenge #18 - O Holy Night

Happy last day of 2012, my friends!
Hasn't this year passed quickly? I'm afraid the end of the year kind of snuck up on me...even though I knew it was coming! lol We've been so busy having happy holidays! Yesterday there was a new post from Patter concerning her plans for the Scripture Challenge in 2013. That's when I suddenly clued in that the Challenge posts were finished for this year. I have gotten a little bit behind on my pages but decided to do the last one first, and then go back and catch up with the other two. The new challenge begins on January 13th, and it will continue to be a Hymn and Scripture Challenge. I have added a button in my sidebar. Just click on the button and it will take you to all the details of the Challenge for 2013. Why not pop over to Patter's blog and take a look. It would be wonderful if you could join in!
Okay, onto my page...
O Holy Night is such a beautiful song! I based my page on the opening line "O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining" and created a night time page. I cut a bunch of stars, and used the star border punch that I got for Christmas. I wanted the entire music page included this time. To fancy it up I did an emboss resist using a Tim Holtz angel image. It's actually a beautiful iridescent emboss but I couldn't get a good photo of it. I added some Diamond Stickles to the stars and sky, and used some iridescent ribbon.
The Scripture verses are part of the familiar passage in Luke where the shepherds are watching their flock and the Angel of the Lord appears. It says:

But the Angel said to them, 

"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy

 that will be for all the people. 

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you:

He is Christ the Lord."

Do you see that little three letter word in there? It says "all" the people. I love that! It doesn't matter who we are or what we've done or where we live in this great big world; a Savior was sent for ALL of us! He is Christ the Lord, and He is the reason for Christmas! I hope you all had a blessed and joyful one! :o)

Materials Used:

Papers: Recollection Cardstock;

Punch: EK Success - Stars;

Dies: MM Slice Design Cards - Basic Shapes 3, Fa la la,

Spellbinders Nestabilities - Labels Twenty-one;

Stamp: Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous - Joyful Song;

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Faded Jeans;

Embossing Powder: Stamp N Stuff - Kaleidoscope;

Ribbon: Offray;

Glitter: Ranger Stickles - Diamond.

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I'm linking this page to:

Hymn and Scripture Challenge #18 - Here

Word Art Wednesday Challenge #60 - Here

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Here is a beautiful version of the song by one of my favorite Artists - Josh Groban!

The music is set to scenes from the movie The Nativity Story.

A Very Merry CHRISTmas To You All!

To each one of you,

my dear sweet friends:

I wish you a very blessed Christmas Season!

I pray that your days will be full of JOY and LAUGHTER 

with family and friends...and perhaps strangers!

My hope is that you will find time, in all of the busyness, 

to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas 

~ to remember the precious gift that was given to us so long ago ~

Jesus Christ the Lord, our Savior!

Here's a card I made just for you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Nancy :o)

(Sorry for the shadowy photo...snow, snow, snow! lol)

A Die for a Sketch - Challenge #7 Reminder

Hello, my friends!

I hope you are all enjoying this wonderful Christmas season as much as I am! Just remember to take time during all the busy preparations to think about the real reason for the season and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior! That, along with making special memories with family and friends, is much more important than having everything perfectly prepared! :o)

Today I have another card to share with you for A Die for a Sketch Challenge #7. I've used a fun image from our fabulous Sponsor Bugaboo Digi Stamps, and it's called Christmas Teddy 2 Ornament. Isn't he sweet?

For some reason the green ornament on the right didn't photograph well. In person it actually looks just like the smaller green ornament. For this card I decided to have some fun with my VersaMarker and my Martha Stewart embossing glitter. I colored all of those areas individually with the marker and then heat embossed them. Here's a photo of the sparkle:

Materials Used:

Papers: Basic Grey - Eskimo Kisses, Recollection - Cardstock;

Dies: MM Slice Design Card - Fa La La,

Spellbinders Nestabilities - Labels Fourteen;

Image: Bugaboo Digi Stamps - Christmas Teddy 2 Ornament;

Prismacolor Pencils and Odorless Mineral Spirits;

Stampin' Up - VersaMarker;

Martha Stewart Embossing Glitter: sugar cube, turquoise, peridot,

florentine gold, tourmaline, and sterling;

Stamp: Papertrey Ink;

Ink: Stampin' Up - Old Olive;

Ribbon: Offray Gold Glitter;

Brads: My Stash.

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Here is the great sketch for Challenge #7:

This challenge is open until January 5th, which means there will be lots of time to enter after your Christmas celebrations! There are only a few entries so far, so your chance of winning the prize from Bugaboo is quite good! What is the prize? I'm so glad you asked. It is 7 wonderful images! Have fun...and don't forget to stop in and visit Bugaboo. There's a great sale going on right now! 

Creative Inspirations Debut

Hello, my friends!
I'm really excited about this post...and I confess I'm a little bit nervous too! This is my first project and my first post as a designer for Creative Inspirations! I shared with you all a little while ago about this great online store and all the reasons I like it. You can read that post HERE if you'd like a reminder. I'm so pleased to be creating for Sue and her shop, and I'd be very happy if you would all go visit the store! Under the link in my sidebar I also have a link to Sue's blog. You must pop in there too and see her fabulous work! Thank you, Sue, for giving me this opportunity! :o)
My first project is this sweet little layered Christmas Tree Mini Album that Sue cut for me using mat board and the Cosmo Cricket "Be Good" collection. There are quite a few photos and a long product list. One list will contain all the items that are available at Creative Inspirations, the other will be a list of things from my stash!
Here is the cover. After adhering all the papers, I went around both sides of each piece with the gold paint dabber. I also made my first swivel clasp charm to hang from the binding ring.

Here are pages 1 and 2. I decided to decorate all the back pages "upside-down" so that when you flip them over they are actually right side up! lol  On page 1 there is a ticket stamped with the date. 

Page 2 has a little swivel ornament set. It's actually some diecut tags. 

These are just the right side to document special seasonal events.

Page 3 had two ribbon bands that hold an assortment of stamped tags. 

There's also another ticket stamped with "Merry Christmas!"

Page 4 holds a stamped label. It opens up and has lines with a heading that says "Dear Santa". 

A wonderful little spot to list all the gifts received for Christmas. 

The bottom of the page also holds one poinsettia and a gold painted chipboard bird on a branch.

Here is a close-up of the pretty poinsettias that I made. I was totally inspired by my friend Jann and her wonderful video. You can watch it HERE. I didn't have the all the supplies that Jann used but I was able to work with what I had. Sue sent me some wonderful embossed Core'dination papers. I cut out five petal flowers using my Slice, and then snipped and shaped the flowers until they looked right. I inked them up, painted them with Rock Candy Crackle paint and sprinkled them with fine glitter. They are so pretty! For some reason the centers look like little globs, but they're actually individual little circles that I made using liquid pearls. I also used some white liquid pearls to create the snow.

Thank you for sharing your wonderful technique, Jann! :o)

Page 5 holds a large label that has pine cone branches stamped around the edge. 

A few pine branch punches with buttons creates a nice embellishment. 

Page 6 holds another mat that's been stamped with snowflakes, and two more of the poinsettias.

Page 7 is another Baroque mat page. This one has been stamped with a tree.

Page 8 has a seam binding band that holds a little booklet of  the Baroque die. These are large enough to add photos on the front and the back. There's also a little dangly charm set hanging from the binding ring. These charms are also made from tags and have sweet star eyelets.

Here is the back cover. The seam binding from the previous page is tied in a bow. 

I've glued on a sweet little Christmas wreath and a banner that says Merry Christmas. 

Another ticket filled out with my info is adhered to the bottom.

Here is a close-up of my swivel clasp charm. It holds buttons, mini ornaments, and some jingle bells. 

At the bottom is more stamped tags that look like ornaments. The only jump rings I had were a bright silver. So I turned them red with the help of some alcohol ink.

Well...there you have my Christmas Tree Mini Album, and my first DT project for Creative Inspirations!

Thank you so much for looking at this long post!

Please let me know if you have any questions. Also, make sure you stop by the store!

There are some great sale items, and a fabulous free gift with a $60.00 purchase!

Sue is always happy to answer any questions! 

Hope your weekend is full of JOY and LAUGHTER! :o)

* * * * * 

Materials Used and Available at Creative Inspirations:

Papers: Cosmo Cricket - Be Good Collection,

Core'dinations Core Impressions - Cosmo Cricket Classics Collection:

Dies: Tim Holtz Alterations - Base Tray, Tiny Tabs & Tags,

Tattered Pinecone, Bird Branch, Regal Crest,

Movers & Shapers - Baroque Mini, Ornamental Mini, Styled Labels;

Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Walnut Stain, Forrest Moss, Festive Berries;

Stamps: Basic Grey - North Pole, 7gypsies Oval Stamps - naked & scroll,

Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous - Odds & Ends, Mini Holidays 3;

Additional Ranger Products: Distress Crackle Paint - Clear Rock Candy,

Adirondack Paint Dabber - Gold, Adirondack Alcohol Ink - Watermelon.

Items From My Stash:

Papers: Recollection - Cardstock;

Die: MM Slice Design Card - Basic Shapes 2;

Plus: Darice Bells and Mini Ornaments; Offray Ribbon;

Unknown Pearls, Brads and Eyelets;

American Crafts WOW Glitter - White.

* * * * *

A Die For A Sketch - Challenge #7

Happy Wednesday!
It's the 5th of the month again already, and that means it's time for a new challenge over at A Die For A Sketch. I'm happy to say that we have six talented new Design Team Members! You'll find all their links in my sidebar. Please give each of their blogs a visit when you have time!
I'm also very happy to report that we have some fabulous companies sponsoring our challenges from now on. So not only do you have the opportunity to participate in a fun challenge with very simple rules, and earn a Top 3 Button, but you also have the chance to win some fantastic prizes!
This month our generous sponsor is Bugaboo Digi Stamps, and the winner will receive 7 wonderful images! Wow!!

Here is this month's great sketch:

Here is my card! The Design Team was given a Bugaboo image to work with, and this image is called "Winter Birds - Snowman". Isn't it cute? It was so much fun to color!

I thought I had some white flock to add to the bird's hat but I didn't, so I used Liquid pearls instead. The snowflakes and the Snowman are covered with glitter but I had a really hard time getting it to show in a photo. Yes, it's still dreary and snowing here! I've also stitched around the card with a red thread that has some wonderful glitter to it. This is the best I could do:

Materials Used:

Papers: Recollections - Cardstock,

Hot Off the Press - Christmas Creative Pad;

Image: Bugaboo Digi Stamps

Colored with my Prismacolor Pencils and OMS;

Sentiment Stamp: Gina K Design;

Ink: Momento -Tuxedo Black;

Medium: Ranger Liquid Pearls - White Opal;

Brads: Recollections;

Fine Glitter: My Stash;

Thread: DMC Red Metallic;

Dies: Sizzix Sizzlits - Scribbles Swirls,

MM Slice Design Card - Fa la la.

* * * * * 

Pop on over to A Die For A Sketch and take a look at what the rest of the Design Team has made!

 Then make a project: a card, a layout in any size, or a gift bag. Link it up by January 4th!

You have a wonderful opportunity to win Top 3 recognition, or to win a great prize!

The only rules are to use the sketch and a die...and have lots of fun! 

I hope you all have a wonderful week full of JOY and laughter! :o)

Hymn and Scripture Challenge #16 - Praise to the Lord, the Almighty!

Hello, my sweet friends!
I hope you're all enjoying your weekend so far! It's still dreary and cold here with the best kind of snowfall happening. Soft and fluffy big flakes just floating around in the air...it's so pretty! I'd like to thank all of your for the lovely congratulations on my daughter's engagement, and for all the other sweet comments you've been leaving for me lately! I appreciate each one of you very much!
Today it's time for a new Hymn and Scripture Challenge page. I really LOVE this beautiful hymn, and it truly  is a long-time favorite of mine! I just had to create a red page for this one. I have always called red my "happy" color! It's also been a little while since I've done a vintage style page, so here is my happy vintage page! :o)
I've inked my song page up so much that you can't read the words but here are the first and last verse:

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!

O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!

    All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;

Sing now in glad adoration!

Praise to the Lord! Oh, let all that is in me adore Him!

All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him!

    Let the Amen sound from His people again;

Gladly for aye we adore Him. 

One thing I know for sure about praising the Lord is that it can turn an unhappy, grumpy, pain-filled day into something else entirely! If you think about it...many of our miserable days are because we are in a selfish mood, right? We're too busy dwelling on how things are not going the way WE want them to go, or we're wondering why WE have to be sick or in pain, or we're upset because somebody hurt OUR feelings! 

When we turn that selfish attitude away from ourselves and focus on praising God...something amazing happens! No longer does the day seem so miserable! In fact, it can suddenly become downright JOYFUL!! God is so good...all the time! How can we be grumpy when we concentrate on praising HIM for ALL He has done for us? My Scripture verse is found in Psalm 67:3:

"Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee!"

I must confess that I was in a particularly selfish mood yesterday, I was actually quite miserable! lol You wouldn't think it would be the best time to work on this Challenge page...but it was the perfect time! I put on some fabulous praise and worship music, and got to work with an attitude of prayer. I had a fabulous time making this page! I started with the decorative paper and just played. I wanted "praise" to be the focus. I found some chipboard letters that a friend sent me but they were the wrong color. So I peeled off the top layer and inked them up to match my page. I used the kraft packing paper that I had saved from a parcel and cut out LOTS of flowers with the Tim Holtz Tattered Floral Garland die. You all know I love to make flowers! It was the first time using this die and I really like the finished flowers. The packing kraft was quite thin so I could really layer them up. When the entire page was finished I sprayed it with the Perfect Pearls mist. I was hoping that the thin kraft would curl up a bit with the wet mist, and it did! 

Here is a close-up of one of the smaller flowers:

So, after all that fabulous time of singing and dancing to the worship music while I concentrated on creating a page of praise to my Lord, this girl was a HAPPY girl! I suggest you try it the next time you have a grumpy pain-filled day! It works every time! :o)

Materials Used:

Papers: My Mind's Eye - Life Stories, Kraft Packing Paper;

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Festive Berries and Walnut Stain;

Die: Tim Holtz Alterations Dies - Styled Labels,

Tattered Floral Garland - Sizzlits Decorative Strip;

Alphabet: Altered Gift from Debbie;

Word Strips: Dymo Label Buddy - Red Label;

Mist: Perfect Pearls Mist - Biscotti;

Ribbon and Brads: My Stash;

Decorative Pin: The Nickel Nook.

* * * * *

Linking Up To:

Triple The Scraps - Hymn and Scripture Challenge #16 - HERE

Word Art Wednesday - Challenge #56 - God's Goodness/Anything Goes - HERE

* * * * *

Here is a really lovely version of the song with all the words included. 

I hope you can take the time to listen to this beautiful hymn! Enjoy!