Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Word Art Wednesday's New Challenge, Crafty Individuals Prize, and a Freebie!

 Hello Everyone, It is  Word Art Wednesday! I hope you take the time to click over to the blog Word Art Wednesday and check out Karen Letchworth's beautiful devotion along with  Karen Murphy's Digital Caligraphy featuring this week's verse: Psalm 86:5. For inspiration, we have the Design Teams' beautiful card Inspirations. Why not make a card and enter the challenge.  You just might win a lovely $25.00 gift certificate to One of my Favorite shops; Crafty Individuals (UK Sponsor) Crafty Individuals has an amazing variety of awesome images.  After making the card and entering it, mail it and you will definitely make someone's day.


I enjoyed making this card, especially since I didn't have a snow theme - I'm in central NY and we are getting blasted right now!


My card : 5x7


I created a little 3D effect, by printing it twice and fussy cutting











The Verse:
Such a wonderful verse and Promise!



Freebies for your card-making: 





These can be rotated and resized!

Thanks for stopping by, it is a short post today, more shoveling and dinner to get done!
I hope you have a great week and Join the fun at Word Art Wednesday!
Ginny N







Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Word Art Wednesday's New Challenge, A Prize From Pretty Pink Posh and a Freebie!

  It is  Word Art Wednesday! I hope you take the time to click over to the blog Word Art Wednesday and check out Karen Letchworth's beautiful devotion along with  Karen Murphy's Digital Caligraphy featuring this week's verse: Psalm 143:8. For inspiration, we have the Design Teams' beautiful card Inspirations. Why not make a card and enter the challenge.  You just might win a lovely $30.00 gift certificate to Pretty Pink Posh! Pretty Pink Posh, has the cutest imaginable offerings. Next mail the card and you will definitely make someone's day.


My card for today is pretty simple, I did a few splashes of Gold Nuvo Sparkle Spray, but it really didn't show up.   I made this using watercolor paper for the stamp and base, in the tall thin style.




I had such a hard time getting a photo of this card, I want to assure you the digital scripture stamp is perfect! 


This verse has been my morning prayer for some time now. Life and the speed of it - I like the walk part of this verse, It doesn't say RUN!

I also have two freebies for you today,
Very colorful ones!



Aren't the beautiful!


I am glad you stopped over and I hope you Enter the challenge and win!
I hope you will be joining the fun at the Word Art Wednesday blog!
Have a great day,
Ginny M.










Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Word Art Wednesday #583+584 With a Terrific Prize



 
Hello Everyone, It is  Word Art Wednesday! I hope you take the time to click over to the blog Word Art Wednesday and check out Karen Letchworth's beautiful devotion along with  Karen Murphy's Digital Caligraphy featuring this week's verse: Romans 12:12 NIV. For inspiration, we have the Design Teams' beautiful card Inspirations. Why not make a card and enter the challenge.  You just might win a lovely $25.00 gift certificate to Stamp Simply Clear StampsStamp Simply Clear Stamps has an amazing variety of awesome images, sentiment  as well as Scripture Stamps.  After making the card and entering it, mail it and you will definitely make someone's day.


Today's verse focuses on the need for temperance in our lives, not only for our sake but also for the sake of others that interact in our lives.   When we live the words of this verse, we become a strong tower, a city on a hill, and a light to the world. 

My Card: 





I made these cards using watercolor paper and digital images, The base is also watercolor 130# (300gsm) paper.  I have found the watercolor pads of paper from the store Five-Below terrific for card making.  36 sheets for 4.99, and from that I can make 72 bases or 144 card fronts.  I tend to make larger A6 size cards, so using this type of pad really works for me, I either half it for bases or quarter it for fronts.  


I have a freebie for you today too:
Never enough butterflies! 

Thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog, It is a small way I can share Jesus and outreach through the art of card making!  Have a wonderful day!
Ginny M. 








Sunday, February 5, 2023

Just in Time for Valentines Day, Plus a Valentine Freebie

 Hi Everyone,  over at FaceBook, the Christian Card Makers Group is having a weekend challenge, this week, the challenge make a love card.  So I decided to make a few cards, I set the timer for an hour as I have other things to get done, pulled out my scrapes, and made my Digi Stamp. 

 I will have that Stamp for you as today's freebie! 

If you are interested, Here we go!


                                                                        My Digi Stamp, a couple decades ago I had this stamp in wood, it was a gem in my collection, but sadly I lost it in our house fire.  A few years later, I found the font on DaFont.com as a freebie!!!



some scrapes

The Stamp


Trimmed



I dip my blending brush into denature alcohol, and paint over a colored area - you never know how it will end up. 



A bleachy look in teh letter




Card #1



Card #2



Card #3



Card #4



Not traditional Valentine's Colors, But I like them!


and a little treat for me:
A new lightbox
, HooRay!


I am well aware of how awful my photos have been lately.  I am excited to play with this.

And My freebie for your card making and art:
In JPG format so you can adjust the size.


Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoy this digi stamp and try using your scraps, you will be surprised as to what will be made.
Have a Great Day,
Ginny M






Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Word Art Wednesday 581+582, Plus a Freebie Digital Card Kit!

  It is  Word Art Wednesday! I hope you take the time to click over to the blog Word Art Wednesday and check out Karen Letchworth's beautiful devotion along with  Karen Murphy's Digital Caligraphy featuring this week's verse: Psalm 139:23-24. For inspiration, we have the Design Teams' beautiful card Inspirations. Why not make a card and enter the challenge.  You just might win a lovely $25.00 gift certificate to Top Flight Stamps  ! Top Flight has an amazing variety of stampy goodness. Next mail the card and you will definitely make someone's day.

Today I have my sample made into a card kit for you.  Simply bring the digital image into your word processor or Publisher and size it for an 8.5x11 sheet of paper, I used cold pressed watercolor 130#, and my printer set on high quality, I had no problem printing this out.  I also used the same paper for the card base. !


My Card:




The Gold Acanthus were bits from an Anna Griffin card kit.  I love buying these kits at yard sales, or   at online auctions. I love the beautiful flowers and papers and incorporate them into my card-making, planning, and bible journaling. 




I made a super discovery a few weeks ago, you can blend with just about any Die Ink! Using a blending tool, you can get really great results!  With my acanthus I blended, teal, blue and brown.


I used 3 colors with a blending too.  
Bare leaves here


One coat of memento Paris dusk,


a layer of Adorandack "stream" and then a layer of Holtz twigs.  This was really very fun to do, I had no idea what the leave was going to come out looking like.  Each color and layer had a mind of its own!








The card kit for you!

  Simply bring the digital image into your Word processor or Publisher and size it for an 8.5x11 sheet of paper, I used cold pressed watercolor 130#, and my printer set on high quality,  I had no problem printing this out.  I also used the same paper for the card base. !

I am glad you stopped over and I hope you like this kit!
I hope you will be joining the fun at the Word Art Wednesday blog!
Have a great day,
Ginny M.
































Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Word Art Wednesday, a New Anything Goes Challenge, Engravings and a Freebie

 It is Wonderful Word Art Wednesday! I hope you take the time to click over to Word Art Wednesday and check out Karen Letchworth's beautiful devotion along with  Karen Murphy's Digital Caligraphy featuring this week's verse: Psalm 139:23-24. For inspiration, we have the Design Teams' beautiful card examples.

Why not make a card and enter the challenge.  You just might win a lovely Avery Elle $25.00 gift certificate! Mail the card and you will definitely make someone's day.


I've actually made two samples for this verse.  The first is a lovely vintage engraved image.  This image reminds me of happy hours working in a letterpress shop.  I did not do letterpress, a lovely albeit expensive and consuming hobby - I worked with type and selling it to the printers amongst many duties.  Learning the art of letterpress is an amazing lifetime pursuit - personally, I am happy to stick with my printer and rubber stamps, you can't beat the economy of time, craft space, and money with our hobby!

Here is my first card:




My second card is much more  Clean and Simple:


Both of these images are printed on 130# watercolor paper, it is cold pressed from believe it or not the store Five Below.  36 sheets for $4.99 130# cold pressed paper.  I love it, my printer, my stamps love it and I can use it for bases or stamping/printing. 

This week's beautiful and versatile verse:


I love this verse, it has helped to keep me on the Narrow Path for 42+ years. I Love the Christian life the Lord has blessed me with and I always want to honor Him.  In every way possible and this verse helps me to keep my eyes on Him.  He is always quick to answer this prayer.  Try praying it for yourself and see!

My freebie for you:

Try coloring in soft pastels


Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will share your beautiful artwork on Word Art Wednesday - you don't have to use this scripture, but we love it when you do!
Have a great week,
Ginny M













Friday, January 6, 2023

1 million views! Card making, Magenta Stamps, Alcohol Marker Painting, Sharing my Faith

 Hello Everyone, thank you for taking a few minutes out of your day to stop over to my blog.  I continue to be surprised by the number of visits I have had.  I have been blogging for over 10 years now, and my "stats tell me that there have been over 1 million visits to 1200+ posts.  That to me is astounding.  Honestly I'm not that interesting and I know my  "stamping" is a little old school, and even older my main subject,  my true love, the Word of God. If you are reading this, you most likely know It is the one thing in this world that will stand forever as the truth. Making sure our life is lived according to its plan is the only thing that matters - we too are eternal beings, and what we do now or I should say give now, determines how our personal "rest of the story" plays out.  

I love card making to share the Word, and I love helping you in your crafty world to do the same.   

Today I have a wonderful verse made with a delightful vintage Magenta Stamp This is considered a bookmark stamp and I have made a lot of bookmarks with it!  It heat embosses beautifully! 

I originally made the card for a  challenge at Christian Card Makers that I hosted using one of your oldest stamps.  This one was from I think 1992.  Magenta Company is my long-standing favorite stamp maker.  They are a family-owned business that began back in the 1980s.  I've worked on their design team and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.   Magenta has stood the test of time and weathered the storms that most companies from their start era have sadly not. 

A newer stamp company that I also really love is located a mere 35 minutes from my home in NY- Altenew.  They are pretty awesome at innovating new techniques and of course, flower designs - never too many beautiful flowers!

Beeswax Rubber Stamps,  is a  Husband - Wife owned business out of California that is fun and funky, like Magenta, it offers its stamps in 3 forms - naked rubber, cling mount, and wood mount.


My Card:



I've alcohol marker colored this, with a slightly different method.






I stamped the image using a  Maker Forte's Eclipse black.  This is a super crisp black made for alcohol marker coloring.. I have found that using this ink and Magenta stamps, Hammermill super smooth white, 100# 271 gsm paper works really well. It also makes a good card base.  I have learned the hard way about the super heavy card stocks and postage costs. My cards tend to have a lot of layers - I don't mind paying for 2-ounce postage, but if the card does not have enough flexibility, it will have to go as a parcel and that will be almost $4.00!

Another trick with Magenta wood mounted stamps: because many of them are finely detailed, to get a super image you do need to pay attention to the paper and ink you are using and give the paper time to absorb the ink.  I have other posts in my blog about using these art stamps - but the quick trick: super smooth paper, good ink, and a  weight.  I have a little antique iron I keep on my desk that weighs 2lbs, I stamp, leave the stamp on the paper, and put the weight (iron) on it for a minute. 



It works, using a speedball lino press works well too, But they are harder to find and pricer.  I have also used a fabric-wrapped brick.


I stamped my image, let it dry and then painted it with denatured alcohol, you can also use 90% rubbing alcohol.  I then added color with a marker a little at a time. 


It gives the coloring a more painterly look.  Of course, you could use watercolor too - but then there is the paper issue, watercolor paper is textured and not as user-friendly with engraving style detailed stamps.  I also used a stump, to blend my Prisma colored pencils with the alcohol 
 It is so fun to try this!!







I mounted this on two layers, Gold foil, and a Black mat

added to the card from, printed out my verse - a wonderful verse for times like these and found on    Word Art Wednesday





Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your time here - if you go over to Word Art Wednesday, why not join the Challenge?  You might win a very nice prize!!

Have a great day!
Ginny M








Word Art Wednesday's New Challenge, Crafty Individuals Prize, and a Freebie!

  Hello Everyone,  It is  Word Art Wednesday! I hope you take the time to click over to  the blog  Word Art Wednesday  a nd check out Karen ...