Happy Father's Day!

If your looking for my Give Away check it out here!

Just wanted to share a Pocket Card that I made for my hubby for Father's Day. I wanted to make something a little different for him this year. I wanted to try something that I don't normally do well in the card department. That is Vintage Style! So my friend Barb sent me some amazing Graphic 45 Papers - (Proper Gentleman) and it was perfect for what I had in mind.

 My hubby always loved to ride bike and it was something that we both enjoyed doing together while dating. Well life since than has been so busy that we didn't keep it up, but the past 2 years my hubby became a Spin Instructor at a local gym and he really enjoys it! So when I flipped through the papers in this kit, I was thrilled to see a vintage style image that depicted bike racing. I wanted to make him a card that showed my appreciation for his love of bike riding. Also, for his commitment and dedication in taking better care of himself. So this is what I came up!! Now the inside is just a Golf Club Ticket and my Father's Day message. Kind of personal, so that is not seen here but you get the idea. I just punched a hole in the message and added ribbon. He loved the idea that I purchased him an afternoon of golfing with my son. They had a lot of fun together.

Close up of embellishments.

With every race there is a need for a stop watch. So I added this Stop Watch cut out to the card using pop dots. It was also distressed with walnut distress ink. I loved this ribbon that I had horded for a long time and just had to use it here. So I tried to play up on the colours in the ribbon. The colours of brown and deep red were a must in my paper selection as well.

 I think he is a star to work so hard at all he does, but especially this sport. I go to Spin class with him sometimes and it is really a difficult exercise to do! Anyone who does this on a regular basis really is a star! Lol.  So I wanted to add stars to this creation.  I wanted to pick up on the yellow in the Graphic 45  embellishment.  To balance things out and to bring your eye across the card surface, I added yellow stars. The journaling note was from Basic Grey and I added the Graphic 45 Die cut over top.  The word "Dad" was then stamped next to the sentiment "No. 1" on the journaling note to complete the sentiment. All areas were distressed using my walnut ink and blending tool. All in all, it came out great for someone who freaks out over this style! Lol. It was a lot of fun and I think it was because I knew who would be getting it. lol.

This card was also made with these challenges

 in mind and will be submitted to each one below:

Mark's Finest Papers: Speedy Fox Challenge - Vintage

Splendiferous Creations: Bloggers Challenge

Dream Valley Challenge: For That Special Guy

Card Makin Mamas: Challenge #47 - Father's Day

It was a lot of fun making this and it really did help me to get some mojo back. I am happy to say that my hubby loved this pocket card and smiled big when he saw it! I really am proud of him! For being a great Dad and for always providing for us. For always being my friend and for loving me through good and bad. Love you Babe!

That's it for now! Trying to finish up on some Moxie Fab creations before the deadline is up. Not sure how that will go due to this being our very last week of homeschooling. Yahoo! It has been a fun and challenging year, but it will be great to have a break soon. Lol. I am sure my son thinks so as well! Summer here we come!

Until next time, take care of yourself and each other.

Blessings

Dana

Dino-mite Gift Tag!!

Giving gifts is always a fun thing and I think wrapping them can even be more fun. I love to change things up a little. With every Father's Day there is always a gift ready to be given and this time I wanted to add a funky cool tag. I found some printable bookplates at www.ActivityVillage.co.uk and used the Paint program to edit the file. Once that was done, I than loaded the file into my word processing program and increased the size. Then it was printed on coloured cardstock and paper pieced together. This is a great resouce for printables and especially for the homeschooling family.  Such cool graphics and so fun!

This dinosaur was shaded with STAEDTLER watercolour pencils. Shading was added beneath the legs & arms to provide more depth and dimension.  Hero Arts Mini Letters were used to stamp Dinomite Dad on the leg of the dinosaur. Ranger white gel pen was used to add white highlights in various places and to add some whimsy.

This Dinosaur tag is being submitted to the following challenges:

All Sorts Challenge: #159 - Paper Piecing 

Crafts 4 Eternity: R#76 - Dashing Dads
Wags'n Whiskers: #81 - Paper Piecing

Thanks for dropping by today. I trust that you are enjoying the Dads, and special father figures in your lives today. These are such important people and deserve to be loved on in a big way. Trusting that the weather is great in your area and that great memories are being created. Until next time.

Hugs & Blessings

Dana

If Your Wondering.........

If your wondering why my post are before todays date, it is because they were suppose to go out for the dates indicated on each one, but it didn't work like it should. So, I decided that that while I am recovering from Bronchitis for the second time that I would share those post with you.

 I have been sick for almost a month with this stuff and have done little crafting. So please forgive me for my lack of inspiration and creativity. I am hoping to get back into it again within the next little while. My good friend Barb sent me some great stamps and I hope to play with them in the next few days. I am working on some Father's Day cards as well. I trust that you all understand. Thanks.

Hugs & Blessings

Dana

My Treasures - Layout

Today I am sharing a layout that I did a long time ago. I loved using this "Super Stud Collection" from Bella Blvd. I have always struggled with matching up paper and embellishments that were bought at various times. So purchasing page kits where everything matches is so much faster and easier to put together.

The sun and clouds were cut using the "Winnie Pooh Cricuit Cartridge". The sun was given more dimension bye adding pop dots to the center. These elements were distress with Ranger Distress inks and for a touch of whimsy, stitching was added around most elements on the page.

Several portions of the cardstock was spritzed with teal blue spray mist. It was also splattered with a old tooth brush in various places.

 The journaling reads the following:

"The love between a Father & Son is a treasure to behold! When a Father Guides with concern & care, Disciplines with one's welfare at heart, Gives attention to share affection, Encourages to nuture the Self within, and Helps make one a better person - then and only then has He Loved with all of his heart!

The journaling was typed on a note card that was stamped in black. I used a wooden heart to place emphasis on the word "Heart" in the journaling. Stitching was added to the heart with a black Marvy journaling pen.  I hope that this layout has inspired you to get back into scrapbooking if you have had a break for a while like me. I am happy that I started it again and I do have other layouts to share later. Just wanted to remind you that my 200 Follower Give-Away is still up for grabs as well.

Thanks for dropping bye today and look forward to seeing you hear again.

Hugs & Blessings

Dana

I Know The Plans I Have For You!!

Recently, I had the privilege of creating this card below for Katie. The daughter of some good friends of ours. This was really a labor of love. We have known her and her family for almost 7 years and the love that they have for God, family and life really is a blessing to see . This family really has been an encouragement to us over the years and Katie always was our babysitter until our guy got to big for that! So to have them ask me to make a card for their daughter meant so much. 

Katie just graduated from university and was heading to Guatemala on a missionary trip just 3 days after her convocation. So exciting, but yet so fast! Wow! She is now there working for the summer and really enjoying what God is doing in her life has she teaches at one of the local schools. 

When I was asked to create the card, I was also asked to incorporate scripture in some way. Well their favorite verse, like so many, myself included, was Jeremiah 29:11" For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." This verse holds so much power and greater still, how much God has for us and cares about all that happens in our lives on a daily basis. Today and tomorrow! This verse has been a strength to me during very difficult times and I knew that it would mean something special to Katie as well. 

So I printed the verse using my word processing program and played around with fonts, size and so-forth. I had the family pick some styles and colors from other cards that I have made in the past, and they seemed to like my distress cards the most. They love purple and yellow. So that is what I did here, along with adding the color brown. I never thought that brown would work with these colors, but it worked great. The flowers were stamped in a deep purple using the STAEDETLER watercolor makers. I actually brushed it over top first then stamped the image on paper. Once dried, I went back in and used that same color to add shading around the center of each flower piece. 

Close up of layering of flowers and use of distress inks. 

I used pop dots to add more dimension to each flower and added brown silk ribbon for a bow. Pearls and sentiment were added to complete the creation. I am happy to report that when the mother came by to pick up the card she actually cried. I was almost in tears myself because I didn't expect that response. I really wanted to do a beautiful job for this family and I was so happy to later find out that Katie loved it also. 

I have to be honest in saying that it meant the world to me, because after submitting 18 - Yes! I said 18- cards to the Gallery Idol contest and all of them rejected - I was very sad indeed. Not because of rejection so much, but because there were so many and because I worked hard on those creations and thought maybe at least one would get picked. I guess I really don't know what they are looking for. Sometimes I think that politics can play a role in the paper crafting world as well and I am wondering if that was the case here!   Maybe I am wrong, I sure hope so, but one can never truly know. Oh well! I am just super happy that some of my Flickr Group friends got in the running!   I read another lady's blog about the feeling of defeat when she didn't get picked as well. I guess lots of folks were disappointed! I am not really sure if I submitted correctly or not and if that played into the equation. Your wondering maybe what I mean by that!  I was under the understanding that you could submit cards that were previously made and seen elsewhere. It was once you were selected that all submissions had to be new. So I submitted a bunch that I had made before that fit the categories that cards were being asked for. So maybe I misunderstood there submission deadlines. Not sure!!

Okay, so where am I going with this!?! Lol. I say all of that, to say that it was this reaction from my friend Cheryl that reminded me of why I started making cards in the first place. Admit it! We all like to have our work recognized and rewarded because at the end of the day, free scrappy supplies is a plus. Especially when you don't have to pay for them and it helps you to save money. But truly, and I mean truly, it is the ability to use the gift that God has given me to reach out to others, to minister to those around me that means the most to me. I kind of started to lose sight of that somewhat, due to trying to spend less money on supplies and to win things. But God through His wonderful mercy and grace has shown me through the tears and happiness of a good friend that my work is appreciated, that I do have a ministry that cheers the hearts of others. That it is God and God alone, my audience of One, who remains in the center of my caring for others and if that is in a card that is being sent to bring a smile, to say hello, or just to say someone is special, than and only than, have I used my creativity to make the world a better place. 

Praying that today is a day filled with sunshine and happiness. No matter the place or time, why not bring a smile to someone today to make their hearts happy!!

Hugs & Blessings

Dana