ODBDSLC193 - Metal or Sweet

It is Our Daily Bread Designs' 6th Anniversary this month! To celebrate we will be having a series of challenges related to the 6th Anniversary of Our Daily Bread Designs throughout March. 

For the first challenge, ODBDSLC193, since the 6th anniversary is related to iron or sweets, the challenge is to use something metal or have something sweet on your creation.

I thought this was a perfect opportunity to make a cover for a mini album that I am currently making. Here is my mini album cover (and I've chosen to use metal - can you spot it?):

For more inspiration for this challenge please visit my talented design team sisters:

Chris Olsen ~ Linda Carson ~ Diana Nguyen

Cheryl Scrivens ~ DJ Rants ~ Robin Clendenning

To see all the creations from the designers in one place or to join the challenge, click here. You have until 8 pm Sunday, 9 March EST (or 9 am Monday, 10 March AWST) to join us. For this challenge you may use any stamps but if you have any Our Daily Bread Designs stamps we would love to see you use them! If you participate you have the chance to win a $15 gift certificate toward ODBD stamps at their store or to be "spotlighted" for the Shining the Light Award (the Shining the Light Award is only for those who use ODBD stamps).

We would love to see your creations!!

I've never made a mini album before - and I'm having so much fun making this one. It is my Nanna and Grandad's 60th wedding anniversary very soon and we haven't seen them for quite a while so I thought it would be nice to make a mini album to send them some pictures of our family (I know they both love seeing photos - especially of their Great Grandchildren). I originally watched this video to get the general idea but I didn't have any envelopes (like she uses) so I made my own "envelopes" from DP. I'll show you the whole project once it's all together - at the moment it's still all in pieces! For now - here are some more photos of the cover and a bit about how I made it.

I started off with a piece of 2 mm chipboard cut to 5" x 5". I covered it with Blossom DP (and the back has a smaller piece to hide the edges of the front piece). I then stamped some flowers from Our Daily Bread Designs Ornate Borders and Flowers using white gesso (first time I've tried this technique and I like it!) over the bottom half and let dry. I used Distress Ink Stormy Sky and Mowed Lawn to ink around the edges and a little into the middle.

I stamped the sentiment (from Our Daily Bread Designs Zinnia - one of the sets from the March release) and die cut it using one of the ODBD Elegant Oval Dies (and sponged around the outside with Distress Ink Shaded Lilac while it was still in the die). I then used ODBD Daisy Chain Background Die to die cut ODBD Blooming Garden Collection DP (both from the March release) and sponged Distress Ink Stormy Sky over the DP while it was still in the die (gives dark blue centres to the daisies). I then die cut the daisies with ODBD Elegant Oval Dies. I made a border with the Elegant Ovals and inked with Shaded Lilac. Then adhered all these layers together popping the sentiment up on foam tape.

These purple flowers are from the Zinnia stamp set. I used the smallest Zinnia (which is the largest flower you can see) and fussy cut the two top layers. I coloured these with Copics and adhered them together. I also stamped and coloured a ladybug and bee - both from the Zinnia set. The largest flower, ladybug and bee are all die cut with ODBD Zinnia and Leaves Dies.

For the leaves I have used the ODBD Blooming Garden Collection DP again with ODBD Zinnia and Leaves Dies and ODBD Fancy Foliage Dies. They are all sponged with Distress Ink Peeled Paint while still in the dies.

For the challenge I chose to add some metal to my creation. Two of the leaves are metal and the smallest purple flower (one with the glitter) is also metal. All have been covered with white gesso and then inked with distress inks (seedless preserves, shabby shutters, peeled paint, shaded lilac and bundled sage). Lastly I've added some glossy accents, Stickles (Lavender and Thistle) and Distress Stickles Shabby Shutters.

If you're interested you can see the rest of my album here.

These are the Our Daily Bread Designs sets that I've used on my cover:

Another verse that would go really nicely on this cover (instead of the Friends are Flowers sentiment (although don't get me wrong - I love that one there too!)) is Isaiah 40:8 which is my favourite Bible verse (you can see it at the top of my blog) and is a stamp in the Our Daily Bread Designs Scripture Series 1. The verse says:

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever!"

I love this verse simply because it reminds me that God is eternal and His Word is everlasting. God's creations are so beautiful and breathtaking - magnificent sunsets, stunning flowers, breathtaking scenery - but God is so much more than all of this. All of these eventually disappear - sunsets are fleeting, flowers wither and die and landscapes change in many ways. But God is our rock and never changing. It's so comforting to know He is always there for us - solid as a rock.

The verse also speaks about God's plans (in the wider context of the book of Isaiah (and the Bible)). While man's plans and purposes can change constantly (and we may think we're fine without God), God's plans will prevail over all. Ultimately, no matter how "good" we think we are or "mighty" or "strong" we are nothing compared to God and cannot help ourselves. The book of Isaiah is about God's judgement and salvation. In Isaiah, God punishes His rebellious people but also has compassion and rescues them. It talks about an ideal King (the Messiah) that will come to save them, and save us. We are all sinners and deserve God's wrath; however, Jesus has already paid the price for our sins and if we believe in the suffering and rising again of the Messiah (Jesus) we will become "oaks of righteousness" to glorify God (Isaiah 61:3), having everlasting life with Him.

I am entering this project in the following challenges:
1. Word Art Wednesday Challenge #121 Anything Goes;
2. Fashionable Stamping Challenges - #67 Anything Goes; and
3. As You Like It - Favourite 3D texture -My favourite item to create 3D texture would have to be foam tape. I use it on just about all of my creations and love how something so simple can enhance your projects so much! I've used it in a few places on my project - under the ladybug, bee, sentiment, under the purple metal flower and to create my 3D flower (Zinnia).

Materials List:

Copics: 

   Zinnia - V01, V04, V06, V09, E44, E29

   Ladybug - R22, R24, R27, R29

   Bee - Y11, Y17, Y38, N1

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Zinnia and Ornate Borders and Flowers

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Ink Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Shaded Lilac, Seedless Preserves, Bundled Sage, Mowed Lawn, Stormy Sky

Cardstock: 2 mm chipboard, Grace Taylor Blossom DP, Our Daily Bread Designs Blooming Garden Collection and X-Press It blending card

Dies: ODBD Elegant Oval Dies, ODBD Zinnia and Leaves Dies, ODBD Fancy Foliage Dies, ODBD Daisy Chain Background Die

Other: Atelier traditional gesso primer, Inkssentials glossy accents, Stickles Lavender and Thistle, Distress Stickles Shabby Shutters, Prima Marketing Finnabair Mechanicals vintage trinkets leaves and Green Tara metal embellishments flower.