11/19/2014

Our Daily Bread Designs Guest Designer - Week 3

     So happy to have you stop by my blog today on my third week as a guest designer for Our Daily Bread Designs. Today, I have an easel card that celebrates winter. 
     This card is 4.25" x 5.5" overall. I started with a white card-base folded to be an easel. I trimmed a patterned-paper panel from ODBD's Christmas Paper Collection 2013 to fit the front of the card. I just love the tone-on-tone snowflakes on this sheet, so much so that it was hard for me to actually cut it. I inked the edges in red and added pearls to the center of some of the snowflakes.
     Using a red patterned-paper from the same collection, I stamped and heat-embossed five snowflakes in white. I die-cut them, and as you can see on the bottom-left, I used two of them together to give depth to the card. I added lots of pearls to each snowflake because I love pearls!  
     I added a few red and white striped strips and tucked another of my snowflakes behind the sentiment tag which I stamped in red. I inked the edges and adhered the tag with foam tape.
     Now just for fun, here are some close ups of my snowflakes. I so love this collection of snowflake stamps.



     Thanks so much for popping in today. I always enjoy your visits and comments.
  ***
Our Daily Bread Designs products I used to make my wintery card:
 
paper - Christmas Paper Collection 2013
 
stamps - Sparkling Snowflakes #ECS08
              Snowflake Sentiments #ECS06
 
dies - snowflakes
 
For more info, you can see my card on the ODBD blog at: http://ourdailybreaddesignsblog.blogspot.com/



11/16/2014

DCWV November Stack-a-holic Card Challenge

Update: So excited to find out my card won the challenge at DCWV!
     Time for another fun Stack-a-holic challenge at DCWV.
     I used The Handy-Dandy Stack from DCWV to make my Christmas card. I know that lime-greenish and pinkish are not the go-to colors for Christmas, but I have a rebellious side when it comes to 'rules' about colors and design. So, pink and lime green it is!
     In the stack, there are several sheets of random letters all over the page - different fonts, sizes, colors. I cut some of them out to make my Merry Christmas sentiment. There are enough letter styles that you could use the sheet for your favorite style.
     I added a few snowflake stickers to finish it off. The big snowflake is a shaker-sticker.

     There is still plenty of time left if you want to join in on the fun. Here's a copy of the sketch we had to work with and the address for all the details. http://dcwvinc.blogspot.com/2014/11/november-stack-holic-challenge-is-here.html
     Thanks so much for stopping in today. As we come to the time of year to think more about the things we are thankful for, I add you, my followers and visitors, to my list. Have a wonderful day,
Pamela



11/13/2014

Holiday Challenge ODBDSLC217

     UPDATE: Just found out that my black and silver Christmas card won the challenge! So excited! Thanks so much to Our Daily Bread Designs for picking my card!


     I made this card for Our Daily Bread Designs' Holiday Challenge. I've always enjoyed using non-traditional colors for my Christmas cards. For this one, I used black and silver to get a more elegant look. I think black and white would also look good. Or, what about black and green!?! I guess I will be spending more time in my studio today.
     The patterned paper (DVWV Silver Script) already had the silver script on it. I used ODBD's Sparkling Snowflakes stamps (ECS08) to stamp all the snowflakes in silver and added a "diamond" to the center of each. I used ODBD snowflake dies to die-cut the big snowflake which I adhered with foam tape.
     For the sentiment, I used ODBD's Snowflake Sentiment stamps (ECS06). I stamped "Christmas Blessings" with black ink onto silver, satin ribbon. The whole stamp reads Snowy Christmas Greetings. But, since I only have this size of silver ribbon, I used just part of the stamp. This two words that I did use fit perfectly on my ribbon. I've been experimenting with stamping onto things other than paper. I'm pleased with how the stamp looks on this ribbon.
     There is still time if you want to play along with us. You can find all the details on Our Daily Bread Designs blog at: http://www.ourdailybreaddesignsblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Shining%20the%20Light%20Challenge
     Hope you will try some non-traditional colors on your cards this year. Hope you have a wonderful day!    

11/12/2014

Our Daily Bread Designs Guest Designer - Week 2

ETA: Some of asked what the trim is behind the main panel of this card. It is a sheet of patterned paper that came with the collection. It has small, thin chevrons running across the paper. I just let a little edge peak out the sides to get this affect.
     Thanks so much for stopping in on my second week as a guest designer for Our Daily Bread Designs.
     I know we are headed into winter now, but I love this paper and the flowers on it. So, here you have my next card with pretty flowers, but they are in fall colors. That must count for something, no?
     I started this card by making a 5.5 x 4.25 card base. I cut a panel to fit the front and another panel about .25" smaller on each side. Then, I cut  a panel from a fence-and-flowers sheet as shown - I call it an envelope edge because it reminds me of the back flap on an envelope. I matted it with the same paper as my largest rectangular panel and adhered it with foam tape. The flowers were already printed on the paper. I added my own pearls and ribbon.
     I stamped the sentiment with ColorBox chalk in Wisteria which matches perfectly. Again, I used the same paper to mat the sentiment tag as the other panels. I fussy-cut flowers, added more pearls and adhered the flowers to the sentiment tag.
     To add balance to the design, I added pearls in graduated sizes in the upper left corner.
 
     Our Daily Bread Designs products used:
 
          Papers: Rustic Beauty Collection
          Stamps: No Words #F515
 
     I'm so excited to show you next week's card! It turned out really nice, but I'll have to keep you waiting and just say I created it with the winter season in mind.
     Thanks again for stopping in.
 
     My card on ODBD is here: http://ourdailybreaddesignsblog.blogspot.com/

11/05/2014

Our Daily Bread Designs - Guest Designer Week 1

     I am so excited to tell you that Our Daily Bread Designs has asked me to be a guest designer for the month of November. Each Wednesday during November, I will create and share a card on their blog and mine.

     I have never cried over a card before, but this one brought tears.  I'll get to that later, but first I have to tell you how I made the flowers on my card. I so love how they turned out!


     I began by making a 5.5 x 5.5 card base. I cut a same-size panel and adhered it. Then, I matted a matching panel with black. The rebel in me made me scoot it off to one side. I kind of like my cards being a little different from others. I cut and matted a tag shape and stamped the sentiment in black. I used foam tape to adhere the tag.
    Now for the flowers! Again, the rebel rises up in me. I used the Fancy Foliage leaf die to make my flower petals. I love making my dies / stamps / embellishments work differently than for that which they were intended. I die-cut but did not emboss seven large leaves in purple and seven more in black. In the same manner, I die-cut seven small purple leaves and seven more in black. To give shape to the petals, I rolled them gently around a pencil. I glued one black petal to the back of each purple petal allowing the black to show just a little on one side to create shadow and depth. Then, I overlapped the petals and glued them in place. I found it was easier to first glue all the petals to a piece of scrap and then adhere it to my tag. I added a blue gem to the center of each flower and tucked a Fancy Foliage vine which I cut in half around the flowers. Now, for the tears.
     As I was looking through the papers in the ODBD Christian Faith Collection, I found a sheet that had stakes like those used to nail our Savior to the cross. I was so moved by the image of the stakes lashed together and the sentiment I chose to use with it. I made a point to cut each petal with an image of the stakes showing. I've been a Christian my whole life, and to be reminded of the sacrifice of our Lord just hit me in an unexpected way. I love our Lord so much. I tear up again as I write about it now. I will be keeping this card. I'll frame it and hang it over my desk so I am reminded every day of the sacrifice made on my behalf.
     Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. You can see more about my cards each Wednesday in November at http://ourdailybreaddesignsblog.blogspot.com/.
    
     Our Daily Bread Design supplies used:
 
          Papers - Christian Faith Collection
          Stamps - Earth Verses #F494
          Die - Fancy Foliage CSBD33