Happy Anniversary

My Blog Give Away is still up for grabs!!

Well yesterday my hubby & I celebrated 16 years of marriage. Wow! Where did the time go! It was great to go out for dinner and just spend the evening alone.

I have been so fortunate to have this guy in my life, to be my support, my best friend, and that person who gets me.  Though life hasn't always been a day at the park, and we have had our share of ups and downs, one thing that remains true - is that we refuse to let life rob us of the blessing of each other. To try our best to love each other unconditionally and work as a team. My brother was the MC at our wedding and he said something that has stuck with me ever since, "Anything worth having is worth fighting for!" And I think that is so true. Though life may come knocking at your door with all sorts of disappointments, it is your response to those things that determines your outcome. Yes, I have been there and sometimes I have responded negatively, and that is due to dealing with frustration that comes when I can't control my situation. But we have all had our days were we feel down or gloomy, but it does pass. We pick ourselves up and brush ourselves off and start over again. Not to sound preachy or anything, but in this marriage it is our faith that sustains us and though we lose our way at times, it is that strength that God provides that keeps us going. That allows us new beginnings, fresh hope, and a clear resolve. (2 Corinthians 12:9) So in a day when marriages struggle and most end, I am ever grateful for my husband"s faithfulness, dedication, and commitment to me. Thank you sweetie for all you do! HUGS!!!

I want to share the card that I made for him. He is always so supportive of my crafty endeavours and I wanted to make him something that I normally would not do. So I read about the challenge over at Our Daily Bread, Stampin Sister's In Christ, and Word Art. I knew that I could make this card and include all 3 challenges if I put my mind to it. I love scenery stamps because I like to colour. Stamps that have loads of detail are something that I struggle with and can never seem to colour very well. My hubby knows this, so I wanted to create one to show him that he is worth the effort & time that it takes for me to create one. So I used the stamp from Our Daily Bread called the Mighty Sea to make this card below. The background was stamped using Hero Arts woodgrain stamp. It was so much fun and I am happy to report that he loved it. He said that it was beautiful! He actually got tears in his eyes when he opened it and read it. (Well it looked that way from across the table!! Lol!)

There is a lot happening in this card. The different mediums I used to colour this was nuts. From Ranger Distress inks for the sky, to STAEDTLER Watercolouring Pencils for the rocks & sea/waves, to Tombo Markers for the grass & sun, and last a white correction pen to give texture and depth to the waves. Yes, I did say a correction pen. If you ever need a touch of white and don't have a white gel pen this works wonders. To be honest I had 2 white gel pens, but found this to work better in this case.

 The waves needed to have some texture to indicate the splashes and sprays of water so I used this white correction pen to provide that effect. It looks much better in real life honestly. Lol. And here is what the pen looked like that I used. You can find them in any Dollar store and also at the Office Supply store.

This card is being submitted to the following challenges:

Our Daily Bread: Challenge 114 - Shining Light Challenge

Stampin Sisters in Christ: Challenge #146 - John 13:34-35

Word Art: Challenge # 35 - Blessings From God

Well tomorrow we are heading out for a 3 week vacation and I can't wait. Now that school is official done we can relax and enjoy the summer weather. There are some post scheduled for this month so check back in okay. I will be honest in saying that there will not be an overload of projects shared here because I just need a break from crafting and blogging. We plan to take in the sunshine and get in loads of fun.

I apologize to those who decided to stop following my blog. I do understand that things have been quiet around here, but life happens and sometimes slows us down, thus causing us to flounder sometimes. I had hoped that most of you would understand, but for those who don't, I wish you much success on your paper crafting endeavours and that you find many places elsewhere to inspire you on your crafting journey.

Hugs & Blessings

Dana