Spring Welcome!

I love this little bird stamp from Unity Stamp Co. & although I've had it for quite some time, this is the first time that I have used it!  I am so pleased with how it turned out!

I started out with a mono-printed background made with a Darice embossing folder (Damask) and Prima oil pastels.  When I spritzed the embossing folder in preparation for printing I added a little gold Perfect Pearls powder to the water so there is a subtle shimmer in the greens ~ I just love it!

I also used a "branch" stamp, inked once and stamped 4 times for different levels of intensity in the branches.  I had every intension of paper piecing the bird into the picture but decided that looking through the branches was wonderful!!

I used 3 colors of Nuvo Jewel Drops in orange, pink and lavender on the 'buds' of the branches.
It is finished with Simon Says Stamps Thanks die and a simple sage card base.

Hero Arts is sponsoring a fun challenge called "Never Seen Ink" and this little bird (and branch actually) fit right into that category for me. Check out all the entries or enter one your self at: https://heroarts.com/blogs/hero-arts-blog/stay-crafty-with-hero-challenge-2

I hope you can hear the cheerful praise coming from this little bird.  My prayers are with you and your families as we, the residents of Earth, combat this virus.  May you be among the people who are loving your neighbor as yourself.  Blessings friends,

Beautiful Birds

I just can't get enough of these Beautiful Birds from

Unity Stamp Co's KOM Dec 2016!!

On this oversized card I first embossed them on vellum and layered it on a stamped background.  Ribbons & lace border the vellum. 

Adhesive is hidden on the back of the stamped panel as vellum & all are wrapped around it and adhered in the back.

I punched an edge on it and folded it over the dark cardstock (Island Indigo/Stampin' Up!) to help decorate the back. 

3D flowers energize the front, with centers of glossy accents over raspberry ink & sprinkled with glitter. 

So that there would be somewhere to add a note or stamp a sentiment, white embossed paper was added & rubbed with matching ink.  The single little bird was a fun for me accent!  

Thanks for stopping by to take a peek!  The following is a list of fun challenges where I've entered this card.   

https://takeaword.blogspot.com/2020/01/fowl.html

Roses in Winter

It is so difficult to express our sorrow for those left behind when a loved one passes.

 I wanted the card we shared with this family to be a soft hug and yet celebrate the beauty of a life well lived.

My plan was to use the vibrant & feminine colors of her life and gently mute them under a bouquet of roses.

The brilliance of the Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks on this card were softened beautifully under the vellum panel,  heat embossed in gold with Unity Stamp Company's large rose from the December 2016 KOM "Always Been You" collection.

"Beautiful Life, Blessed Memories" sentiment from Unity Stamp Company

I stamped and cut out 2 of the roses on copy paper to use as masks to create a layered look on the roses; turning them to add dimension and make them each look like a different image!
























The die cut "Prayers" is from the Hero Arts "Stamp & Cut" series.   2 layers ~ the first is black cardstock & attached underneath the white.  (this gives it sturdiness and dimension)

Soft and feminine, I just love the way this card turned out.

Hello Winter!

 

Hello Winter!!  Even after all these 50+ years you still amaze me and fill my heart with wonder!  I was lucky to grow up in wide open spaces and the silent enormity of Winter has always overwhelmed my heart with presence of God.  
There aren't a lot of distractions in a snow scape . . .  Sometimes it seems like endless miles of snow, bare trees, and rolling hills.   I always feel small and vulnerable; just a speck in this awesome universe that speaks to the presence of its creator.
   
The beginning of this card was simply a galaxy background. I followed it with an experimental window I then framed with an emboss only "die". The snowflake circle was left over from another snowy card and I loved the dimension it added to this cosmic background piece!

God bless you this cold & snowy season! I hope you find plenty of time to catch snowflakes and "be still" ………..

Christmas Magic! / Vintage Pick-up Truck

Good Wintery Morning! Just a quick post for the fun of it!!! The Stamp is from Unity Stamp Co and the artist is Tierra Jackson - "Christmas Magic"!!  I LOVE coloring this dozens of ways or just leaving it in sepia (which really is coloring it after-all!!)

This is water colored with Zig Real Brush colors.  

Quick and easy, I embossed the Unity sentiment in lime green and mounted it all on an ink smudged blue background matching the pick-up truck.  

Sparkly snowflakes & a few Nuvo Crystal Drops for berries

 and ta-da!!

Easy and gratifying!!  Have a Wonderful Wintery Day!!!

A Christmas Garland of Warm Memories

For me it's here!!  Not just Autumn, or Thanksgiving...  The WHOLE HOLIDAY SEASON!  I love it and I try to savor it for as long as possible!!  My decorations go up as early as I have energy for!!  and usually come down when the bright rebirth of Easter starts to send it's sunny rays through the house!

Of course I was excited when I was asked to make a garland out of some very special mittens a mother knit with love. Now that the child who received them was grown she didn't have need of the mittens but did not want to get rid of them, nor store them in a box where they couldn't be appreciated.  So the idea of the memory garland was born!

Reverse side of the Garland

    The words Warm Memories are a part of the garland, along with some fun charms, jingle bells and sparkly snowflakes.  It was then that I thought of the scrapbook idea of adding little frames for photos depicting some of the warm memories.  Since actual frames turned out to be difficult to come by, and the tiny frames I did have were quite heavy, I decided to make my own with silvery papers and large die-cuts.  I also plan to experiment with light weight medium in silicone molds!! (Stay Tuned!)

Instead of glue, I simply sewed everything to the mittens & strung them to sturdy jute cord.  This way the mittens were not damaged and can actually be used as mittens again should the desire ever arise!  Cloths pins were added to make it appear as if the mittens were actually attached to the cord with them.  I wanted the word "MEMORIES" to dangle like charms.  To make them sturdy I tripled the cardstock for each letter and then put small jump rings through the letters so they were able to move freely after I attached them to the end of several mittens!!

I finished the back of the garland and put my "Hi!" Notes Label on a snowflake!  Since the garland could be used in a window both sides are great to look at!!
 

4H Radio Auction ~ October 12, 2019

Class Saturday October 19, 2019 @ 1pm - 5pm

Hello Friends!!  If you would like to bid on the 5th/BONUS spot in the "Haunted Mansion" workshop please visit:  http://wc4h.eoni.com/     
for all the details how you can win a spot for this fun class!!  The auction is October 12th & is easy to bid on ~ call in your bid @ (541) 426-7778  and talk to a youth! Feel free to ask them what the 4H experience has been like for them!!

Thank You for supporting 

our local 4-H programs!!

I 💖 Autumn

Today I am celebrating a new addition to my Autumn!  (& every day of the year from now on!!)  And part of that celebration is a big THANK YOU! to the good friend who made this little pumpkin hauling (yes! I have plans....) truck part of my reality!!

Here is the card I made to thank her before I remembered that she STRONGLY dislikes orange (& that's
a big reason she wanted rid of the truck so bad!!!)  I thought I would share it with you all any way since I LOVE Autumn colors, including orange, rust, etc!!

This was simple to create.  I used TH Distress Inks (Fired Brick, Rusty Hinge, Spiced Marmalade & Mustard Seed) Intensely blended on heavy white cardstock and stamped with 2 of my favorites from Unity Stamp Co!!  They were embossed with clear iridescent embossing powder from Stampin' Up! and then blotted with a wet towel until I got the soft results you see here.  The intense ink was trapped and unchanged under the embossing powder! 

Then I found a pretty frame die that highlighted the star of the show ~ that gorgeous leaf with a heart!  I piled 3 of those together for dimension doing the same for the die cut sentiment.   All 3 parts are mounted on Stampin' Up!'s "Really Rust" textured paper.  

I think I will be messing around with making more variations of these!!
Happy first day of  Autumn!!
Oh! PS I used a red colored pencil to highlight the heart!!