Love: John 13: 34

Happy Sunday and thank you once again for joining us at Stampin' Sisters in Christ for another challenge based on scripture!

This week the ever lovely Linda chose the verse and the challenge. The verse she chose comes from the book of John 13:34 .

"I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another."

This is one of my favorite verses. For many years my husband and I worked in the Worldwide Marriage Encounter movement. We presented weekends and shared our story with thousands of couples who were striving to improve their already good relationships. This verse was and is one of the cornerstone verses that is used throughout the weekends.

I made this card with the verse in mind but also for my parents. Their 60th wedding anniversary is coming up and when I saw this stamp at TCM I knew that I needed it for their card. I loved the vintage look and the kiss is perfect.

My parents have a wonderful relationship and right now my dad shows his love through his 24 hour a day care for her. He LIVES this commandment - he is my hero! I have been so blessed with not only parents lifelong devotion to each other but also my in-laws with 67 years of marriage. Loving each other is more than just words to them - it is how they live - daily! 

The challenge for this week is to use something new on your project - it can be a new product, technique, embellishment - even a color combo that is new for you - show us what you got!! The stamp was new and so was the flower.

Our sponsor this week is Clear Dollar Stamps with a gift voucher for  $15 in clear stamps!

Be sure to stop by my SSIC design sisters to see what they have to share this week:

Chris Olsen: Twinkles Glow With Stamps

Grace Nywening: Th-INK-ing of You

Linda Lucas: Lovely Linda's Craft Central

Lisa Hjulberg: The Craft's Meow 

Peggysue Turner: Roses By My Window

Rebekka Reed: Diamond in the Rough
Kristine Breach: Ink Something
MariLynn DeGroot - Mississippi McGyver
Sabrina Jackson - SJ Butterfly Dreams
Randi Barret: A New Creation (On break)

It is always great to see you, thanks for the comments!

Recipe:

Stamps: TCM - LaBlanche "Kissing Lovers" Fanciful Tags - GKD 
Paper: GKD Ivory, SU - Ruby

Designer Paper: K&C and Company - Julianne

Other: Nestabilities, Ribbon, flower, pearls, UTEE, Distress inks to color

Challenges:

Creations by Gill M -Green and Pink Plus Flowers

Inspire Me Fridays - anything goes

4 Crafty Chicks - Anniversary

The Rubber Cafe - Weddings / anniversaries
Mark's Finest Papers - use a 3 d flower 

Floweret - Spring and Green

I Did It Creations - Hats  

Butterfly Beauty: Ecclesiastes 3:11

Happy Mother's Day on this wonderful Sunday. I am so glad that you could join us for another challenge at Stampin' Sisters in Christ.

This week  Sabrina chose the verse for this week's challenge. The verse she chose is Ecclesiastes 3:11 .

"He has made everything appropriate to its time, and has put the timeless into their hearts, without men's ever discovering, from beginning to end, the work which God has done." NAB - St. Joseph Ed.

I just had to sit down to read this entire chapter. Really good! It starts off with there is a time for everything - this was made into a song by the Byrds called, "Turn! Turn! Turn!" perhaps some of you remember it. Then it talks about everyday life. Going to work and enjoying the results of that work. How wonderful then to appreciate the beauty of God's work! The beauty of the butterfly and the flowers in a meadow. The love of a child and that love for a child. The simple beauty of enjoying the moment.

I think we often look at the result of work as just being a paycheck and then paying the bills. A lot of us hope for a little extra to be able to "purchase" some fun and beauty in our lives. Perhaps we overlook the rewards that are around us every minute of every day; we just have to recognize it and acknowledge that all are gifts from God.  

The challenge this week is to make a card and put all things "beautiful" on it (flowers, pearls, bling, butterflies, birds, lace, etc.)

I made this card as soon as I received my order from TCM! I just had to make this card. I did struggle with it though. You see all those butterflies? Well there was just 1 until my finger got some ink on it and I smeared it in 2 different places. I could not start over so - - 2 more butterflies! I colored the flowers in the meadow with pen nubs and Distress inks. I just love that technique! I stamped the wings on the little girl on some vellum and popped it up and added bling here and there and everywhere. The sentiment is from a set that I purchased at Simon Says Stamp called Good News which has some great Christian Symbols and Sentiments on it. 

Our sponsor this week is Simon Says Stamp with this wonderful stamp set, gee I think I should enter this challenge!

Be sure to stop by my SSIC design sisters to see what they have to share this week:

Chris Olsen: Twinkles Glow With Stamps

Grace Nywening: Th-INK-ing of You

Linda Lucas: Lovely Linda's Craft Central

Lisa Hjulberg: The Craft's Meow 

Peggysue Turner: Roses By My Window

Rebekka Reed: Diamond in the Rough
Kristine Breach: Ink Something
MariLynn DeGroot - Mississippi McGyver
Sabrina Jackson - SJ Butterfly Dreams
Randi Barret: A New Creation (On break)

It is always great to see you, thanks for the comments and enjoy your "gifts"!

Recipe:

Stamps: Butterfly Kisses and LaBlanche Two Meadows from TCM & Sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp called Good News

Paper: LaBlanche white from TCM and SU Yellow and Black
Designer Paper: none

Other: Distress Inks for coloring, ribbon, bling, bling and more bling!

Challenges:

Flutter By Wednesday: Open Challenge

Paper Crafting Journey - 2W, 1E - 2nd wk - Challenge #9: Bling
Allsorts - 1E - Use at least 3 Different Stamps
Crazy 4 Challenges - #C4C86 - Lots of Flowers 

Send a Smile for Kids - 2W 2E - May Flowers

Sweet Stampin - 2E, must Stamp - Childhood Memories 
Claudia & company#81: butterflies 
Fab n Funky Challenges - No DP
Top Tip Tuesday - Open challenge - anything Goes

Inspire Me Fridays - Always anything goes 

Frieda at the Gate

Have you heard that Lisa (co-founder of SSIC) has opened her own store? Did you know that Nina Bracket is now going to be designing for her? Were you aware that Little Frieda is just at her store? Oh Yeah! 

For this card I used 3 stamps sets from TCM (The Craft's Meow). First I stamped the gate and roses, then colored the image and distressed the entire pane. I sponged distress inks over the panel several times wetting in between sponging. Then I cut it out rather raggedly and curled over the edges to make it look REALLY old! Frieda was stamped, colored with Copics and cut out. I also fussy cut the flowers again and popped them up a bit. I left the background panel plain, other then distressing, and placed the embossed lace stamped image just behind Frieda. Added the sentiment and the buttons and there she is!


On May 1st TCM will have some new additions too - can't wait to see what she will have for us! I am so excited and you should be too.




Card Recipe:
Stamps: The Craft's Meow - Little Frieda's Flowers, TCM Just for You, Fence with Roses
Paper: TCM specialty for La Blanche stamps, GKD, Smokey Slate & Tan Leather
DP: None
Other: Copics to color, Distress inks, Distressing tool, buttons, embossing


Challenges:

Card Patterns: Sketch

Try It On Tuesday  - Something Recycled in Your Project (the buttons)

Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT Challenge -  Anything Goes

Make it Monday - Anything goes

Simon Says Stamp and Show... - A Tim Holtz Technique

Mark's Finest Papers: Collage card  

Garden Gate

To see the Stampin Sisters in Christ and Craft's Meow post please scroll down.

I had so much fun with this card! Sometimes taking some time to learn a new technique and just experiment a bit is a fantastic way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I had received this stamp from The Craft's Meow last week after watching a video about these stamps from La Blanche. I followed the video pretty much as it was shown.The paper that is used with this stamp is amazing, such a clear image! The entire image was painted using distress inks. I clear embossed the entire image also. If you watch the video you will know exactly what I did and used. Such fun! 





Card Recipe:
Stamps: Fence with Roses - The Craft's Meow
Paper:Spamped the image on the specialty paper for these stamps also GinaK Pure Luxury Cranberry Crisp and Black. SU - So Safron
DP: None
Other: Impressibility to emboss the yellow panel, some black tulle, gold button, distress inks, nubs for painting


Challenges
Gingerloft - Butterfly Die
2 Sisters Challenge - make your own embellishment - tulle and button
Simply Create - Do it yourself - This was a totally new technique
Flutter By Wednesday - Anything goes with a butterfly
Make it Monday - Anything Goes
There She Goes Clear Stamps - Markers Down - did not use any markers - only distress inks and nubs.