A Touch of Grace

I’ve taken some time off from stamping to be with family and catch up with cleaning.  Daniel’s Spring break was the week before last, we spent a wonderful nine days at the beach.  I was very inspired and have designed and embossed a new calendar for 2009.  I am waiting for some new stamps to get in and then I’ll start watercoloring the pages.

When we returned home from the beach, I started Spring cleaning.  While it’s not a lot of fun, it has to be done.  Stephen and I both suffer from allergies which makes Spring cleaning “a must” in my house.  Needless to say I’ve missed several days of posting.

I recently purchased some clear boxes from Joan’s Gardens and have been pleased as punch with them and wanted to share them with you.  I originally planned on placing cling mount rubber stamps in them and still have every intention of doing so, but today found a solution to a storage problem I was having.   I have several brass stencils and have been storing them in clear CD cases.  Today I became rather frustrated at how flimsy the CD cases are.  I picked one up that had several stencils in it and it fell apart scattering my stencils everywhere.  I find the CD cases are not sturdy enough if I want to place several stencils in them.  Looking for an alternative storage solution, I glanced over and saw the clear boxes I had recently received from Joan.   I placed several stencils in one and have found the perfect solution.  I can place up to 20 large stencils in just one box, it’s sturdy enough to handle the weight and closes tight rather easily.  I love the size, 7 1/2″L x 5 1/8″W x 1/2″D, these boxes are big enough for large stamp sets or several small ones.

As you can see, I have placed several stencils in each box.  The quality is fabulous, as you can see in the photo, the plastic is very thick and crystal clear.  I have categorized them with SU stencils in one box, Anna Griffin in another box, and alphabets in yet another box. Voila . . . the perfect storage solution.  I think I’m going to have to place another order with Joan, I think my Nestibilities will be perfect in these boxes.

Several people have asked me how I embossed the Carrie Lou stamps when I designed my calendar last year.  So, while working on my new calendar, I took photographs of one of the pages to create a tutorial.  I’ll be working on it and hope to get it posted by Tuesday.

Better late than never applies for this post.  I had intended to have this design posted last Friday, but as I worked, it grew and grew.  What started out to be a card for the Friday Stamp Simply heat it up (embossing) challenge developed into a wall hanging.  Okay, now for those of you who are familiar with the Stamp Simply challenges, you may be asking, “what’s simple about that?”  Well, I want to clarify that the stamping and embossing are “simple”, it’s the painting that’s a little more challenging . . . LOL!  And, this IS relaxing for me AND I do enjoy it so much.  And, if one were crafty, one could also use this post in ssnotime78, keeping it white, the front and back panels are white, with a few gold dots .  .  . ahem  .  .  . does that count?

In the photograph above the panels appear to get larger toward the bottom.  They’re not, it’s the angle of the shot, a perfect perspective illustration.  The wall hanging measures 22 inches in length and was very difficult to get in a good shot.  I have taken several close up photographs of each panel and am posting them for those of you who are interested in a closer view.

My husband’s already found a perfect place for the hanging, it will be placed on a wall in our guest bathroom.  Our guest bathroom is decorated in the true southern fashion of palms and southern plants, making it the ideal place for the design.  I’ll edit and include a photograph once I get it hung on the wall.

This is the top panel, the verse is so beautiful, Trust in the Lord . . . Amen!  I apologize for the darkness of this picture.  When I tried to lighten it up, I blew out the color.  I placed the panels on a stand for these shots.  Doesn’t the magnolia look so beautiful!  I can just smell it’s sweet fragrance.  I especially love this piece, I was thrilled with the dimension I was able to achieve in painting the magnolias, they appear so lifelike.

This is the middle panel, Delight yourself in the Lord . . . Absolutely!  We have ferns in our backyard so I just had to include some ferns.  Okay, I’m seriously in love with this panel, the magnolia looks fresh picked from the tree in my front yard.  There’s so much dimension in this flower.  It looks like I placed the flower on dimensionals and placed it on top of the leaves, but I didn’t. The petals themselves look like they are on dimensionals.  Not so, the only parts I did pop up were the four tiny petals in the center of the bloom and the stamen, the rest was painted. The darker values in the petals give the flower a three dimensional realistic appearance.

The last panel, I can do all things . . .  can I get a big AMEN!  These verses are tied together in this piece.  I Trust and I am Delighted and Strengthened in my Trust.  Shout to the Lord, all the earth let us sing, power and majesty, praise to the King!  When the world seems like it’s spinning out of control, I can turn to Him and know He’s in command and everything will be okay.

I took additional photographs of the panels laying flat against white taffeta.

I posted these last three photographs so that you can see a close up of the buttery soft yellow silk ribbon connecting the panels together. I made a half inch gap between each panel.

The top panel has a loop to hang the panel on a wall or doorknob.  I wasn’t sure when I was making it whether I was going to hang it on a wall or doorknob.  My husband made the choice when he saw it for the first time last evening.  I think he’s become my biggest fan.  The silk ribbons hang three inches from the bottom.  I’m not sure if the ribbon is silk, it may be nylon, it looks and feels like silk, casting a beautiful sheen.

• Stamps:  Me & Carrie Lou, Verve (Bible Verses)
• Paper:  Canson cold pressed 140 lbs. water color paper, Gold Shimmer paper from Papertrey, Ink, DP from The Paper Company (JoAnn’s)
• Ink:  Versamark
• Accessories:  Blender Pen, Tombow Markers, water color brush,  Ranger Gold/Gold Tinsel EP, heating tool, Dazzling Diamonds, Kaiser pearls, Nesties, craft knife, self-healing mat, ruler, Krylon gold pen, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Therm O Web dimensionals, Martha Stewart ribbon, Zip Dry adhesive

The thing I like most about the JustRite products is the ability to personalize designs.  People feel special when you take the time to create a little work of art for them.  What a wonderful way to show how much you care for them.  I designed this ensemble as a thank you gift for a wonderful dinner shared with special friends.

I used the Damask Monogram Stamper (my personal favorite) for the center initial on this card.  The finished size is 5″ x 7″.

I designed a simple set of six customized note cards using the Small Letter Set. The note cards measure 4″ x 6″.

This purse is similar to the design I posted last month, I used a different designer paper and different colored cardstock.  I used gold pearls instead of gold brads.

I’m a big fan of Joan’s Gardens, supplies used in this project purchased from Joan are: Black Kaiser pearls, Zip Dry adhesive, Glue Glider Plus, Dimensionals, Nestibilities, Scor It

• Stamps:  JustRite Stampers
• Paper:  DCWV LaCreme; Basic Black, Prism (red and green papers)
• Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black
• Accessories:  Sewing Machine, black thread, Cuttlebug embossing folders, gold pearls, Coluzzle, black grosgrain ribbon, gold chain, BossKut Flourish die, glue dots, Therm O Web dimensionals, oval punches (SU and EK Success), corner punch, black Kaiser pearls, Scor It, EK Success border punch, Fiskars decorative corner punch, Mat Pack (SU), tweezers, tool kit (SU), stylus for embossing on purse, Glue Glider Plus, Circle Nestie, Marvy scalloped circle punch

Thank you all so much for stopping by.  I wish you a wonderful weekend with your family!

I can’t believe that February has come and gone already!  Where is the time going?

Yesterday my friend Sharon, notimetostamp, posted her Friday challenge ssnotime76.  Sharon’s got Cabin Fever BAD!!  She wants sunshine and warmer temps, she wants to open her windows and let in the fresh air, she wants to see and smell the Spring flowers and green grasses.  She says she’s tired of being cooped up inside and suffering from the dreaded “Cabin Fever”.  She needs to get out and get revitalized and refreshed!  For Sharon and those living in the Northwoods, Spring is quite a ways away, a dream to look forward to.  She’s challenged us to make a card or project that will bring signs of Spring, new life, fresh air, and warmer temps.

Well Sharon, I’ve painted this scene for you!  I want you to dream that you’re a fairy flittering about in a willow tree, soaking up the gorgeous Spring sunshine, dipping your toes in the fresh water, enjoying nature and all that Spring has to offer you.  Inhale that fresh air, smell those fresh flowers, skip through the green grasses, enjoy those warm temps.

Okay Sharon, did it work, are you feeling better?

The painting itself measures 3 1/2″  x 6″, it was too large to make a card and since I don’t scrapbook, I decided to frame it and save it for a future granddaughter.  I’m placing it in my guest bedroom for the time being, the colors go well with the decor.

A close up view of the picture just after I finished painting it.  You can see at the top where I painted bits of color trying to match up greens.

A picture of the stamp with the painting beside it.  I used water color paints, mixing the various hues to try to match the original painting as close as I could without knowing what colors were actually used in the original.  The stamp is an image of a painting painted by Cicely Mary Baker.

• Stamps:  Stamps Happen, Inc.
• Paper:  Arches Hot Pressed 140 lbs. water color paper
• Ink:  Versafine Black Onyx
• Accessories:  Water color painting (3 sizes - OO, O, 1); ceramic mixing trays, Cadmium Red, Zinc White, Sap Green, Aureolin, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Phthalo Blue, Phthalo Green, Ultramarine Blue, Photo Mats and Frame (Michael’s)