ODBDSLC200 - Spring Colours

Wow! This week it is Our Daily Bread Designs' 200th Shining the Light challenge (ODBDSLC200)! The challenge this week is to use spring colours for your project (and ODBD stamps only).
When I think of spring colours I think of bright flowers, blue skies and green grass - so I've gone with bright colours - mainly pink, blue/green and green.

I also thought this would be a great opportunity to make a birthday card for my little girl who turns 3 soon. Everytime I ask her what sort of cake she wants for her birthday she tells me "cupcakes" - so I thought this card was perfect for her :-)

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, 4 May EST (or 8 am Monday, 5 May AWST) to join us. For this challenge you must use only Our Daily Bread Designs stamps. 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.

We would love to see your creations!!

I've used Our Daily Bread Designs Cupcake single stamp for the main image and coloured it with Copic markers. I added a little Stickles Glam Pink to give it added sparkle! 

The sentiment is from Our Daily Bread Designs All Occasion Sentiments (I love this stamp set because it really does have a sentiment for every occasion)! I've cut it out with the larger tag from the ODBD Recipe and Tags Dies. The edges are also coloured with Copic markers. 

I've used ODBD Heart and Soul Paper Collection for my pink background paper that has been lightly coloured over with Copic marker RV02 to give it a little more "pink" colour. The heart is from the ODBD Ornate Hearts Dies and I've used ODBD Christian Faith Paper Collection. This paper is also coloured over lightly with V01. I've cut out some white card with ODBD Beautiful Borders Dies and also coloured with Copics.

I saw someone else make these butterflies from the ODBD Ornate Borders and Flowers Dies and thought I'd give it a go. Each wing is the little corner piece from the die set and I've just bent the corner a little and glued them down. I added some stickles on the wings for sparkle and some rhinestons for the butterflies' body.

My children can be very trying at times, especially because the youngest one has found her voice lately (I mean screaming at the top of her lungs in tantrums when she doesn't get her way! - and she doesn't just do this at home!) but I constantly go back to these two Bible verses to remind myself that my children are a blessing and what a great gift (and responsibility!) God has given me to raise my children so that they too may come to know God.

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD."
Psalm 127:3

and

"You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up."
Deuteronomy 6:7

Children are a blessing and while God did not promise that raising them would be easy, they do bring so much joy and wonderfullness (is that a word?) to our home. It is so wonderful to see the world through my children's eyes - so many things that we, as adults, either take for granted or just don't see - my children are amazed at and see the most intricate details. My little girls are growing up so fast - we should always remember to be grateful for every moment we have with them (in good times and trying times!) :-)

I am entering this card in the Bloggers Challenge - Bling it On.

Materials List:

Copics:
   Cupcake Top/Icing - RV02, RV04, RV06, RV09, BV23
   Sprinkles - V04, V09
   Cupcake base/case - Y11, YG21, YG23, YG25, YG67, G2, BV23
   Ground - W00, W3, BG000, BG01, BG05, BG09 and colourless blender
   Happy Birthday panel / Beautiful Borders - BG01, BG05, BG09
   Heart and Soul Paper Collection (background) - RV02
   Pink butterfly - RV02, RV04
   Ornate Heart - V01
   Purple Butterfly - V04, V09
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Cupcake Single, All Occasion Sentiments
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Ink Worn Lipstick
Cardstock: X-Press It blending card, ODBD Heart and Soul Collection Paper Pad, ODBD Christian Faith Collection Paper Pad, Creativ textured yellow
Dies: ODBD Recipe and Tags Dies, ODBD Ornate Hearts Dies, ODBD Beautiful Borders Dies, ODBD Ornate Borders and Flowers Dies, Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Large Circles
Other: Papercraft rhinestones, Stickles Glam Pink, Purple, ribbon from my stash (coloured with RV02), X-Press It 1 mm glue pen, X-Press It high tack foam mounting tape, X-Press It double sided tape, Helmar 450 quick dry adhesive.

PowerPoppy - Azalea

I first discovered Marcella Hawley's work through Flourishes and I was soooo excited to find out that she has recently started her own shop and blog called PowerPoppy! I couldn't wait to order some of her first sets (released April 2014) and I have eagerly been awaiting my mail.

It finally arrived on Thursday (mail does seem to take a while to get to me here in Regional Western Australia from the US - but its always worth the wait)! I was tickled pink with her little touches to the packaging (more on that in a moment) and I couldn't wait to start colouring the some stamps!

Here is my first card using an image from the PowerPoppy Azalea stamp set.

I'm in love with these stamp sets already but was impressed with the additional touches to the packaging also:

Love the washi tape that she used on the envelope!

I thought the way she has wrapped these stamps is just gorgeous! Such a beautiful personal touch!

The Azaleas are coloured with Copic markers and then I've flicked out some Copic B00 from the edges of the flowers and pushed it back in with the colourless blender. I die cut the flowers and then added some gelatos (already mixed with a little water) to give the background a, let's say, interesting look to it. (This is the first time using my gelatos and I definitely need some practice! I'm not sure I entirely like how the blue background turned out...but its growing on me... and there is always room for improvement!)

For my "sunbeam" background I've used some scraps of left over paper to cut the triangles from and stuck them altogether on a piece of A4 X-Press It doublesided adhesive sheet.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

1. As You Like It - Favourite item to recycle and why 

My favourite item to recycle is scrap paper. I only throw the smallest scraps away and keep everything else - you never know when it may come in handy - like I've used scraps to create the triangles for my "sunbeam";

2. Catch the Bug April challenge - Bingo

I've used die/punch, player's choice (twine) and flowers; and

3. Word Art Wednesday - Challenge #129 Anything Goes

Materials List

Copics: Y11, W2, R00, R11, R22, R35, RV66, YG01, YG13, YG25, G28, E42, E70, E55, E27, B00 and colourless blender (0).

Stamps: PowerPoppy Azalea, Stamp-It sentiment

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Ink Walnut Stain

Cardstock: X-Press It blending card, Basic Grey Hipster, Bo Bunny The Avenues, Bazzill Flamingo

Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities Majestic Elements Adorning Squares

Other: AnnaBelle Stamps 3 mm sprinkles #8 Waterfall, Beutron craft button, AnnaBelle Stamps dark brown hemp twine, Hero Arts lace, X-Press It A4 double sided adhesive sheet, X-Press It double sided tape, X-Press It high tack foam mounting tape, glue gun, X-Press It clear gel glue.

ODBDSLC199 - Sketch

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter celebrating what Jesus did for us at the cross and His resurrection!

This weeks challenge at Our Daily Bread Designs (ODBDSLC199) is a sketch challenge! Here is my card:

And this is the sketch:

The Our Daily Bread Designs products I have used are Sing to the Lord stamp set (bird image and verse) with the ODBD Blooming Garden Collection (on the harp and yellow background), Christian Faith Collection (on the chair) and Chalkboard Collection (black background with the border behind the bird) DP.

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, 27 April EST (or 8 am Monday, 28 April 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!!

 To make my card I stamped the bird image from the ODBD Sing to the Lord set on X-Press It blending card. I coloured the image with Copic markers in the colours of the Western Yellow Robin (even though the bird is not quite the right shape). The card was cut to size then I stamped just the flowers from the image around the outside with Memento Lulu Lavender ink. The outside edge is then inked with Distress Ink Shaded Lilac. This piece is up on X-Press It high tack foam mounting tape and then backed with ODBD Chalkboard Collection DP and Bazzill textured Raven, which is also up on X-Press It high tack foam mounting tape.

The yellow DP (from the ODBD Blooming Garden Collection) piece has been inked with Distress Ink Squeezed Lemonade and then had white gesso added in random places (hard to see in the photos). I then stamped the verse (from ODBD Sing to the Lord set) in Memento Tuxedo Black, distressed and inked the edges.

The music DP comes from Kaisercraft Timeless Classics - again the edges are distressed and inked with Shaded Lilac.

The chipboard pieces are from FabScraps called Harp and Chair. I used X-Press It TripleTac glue to adhere ODBD Christian Faith Collection (on the chair) and ODBD Blooming Garden Collection (on the harp) face down. Waited for it to dry then rubbed off the "white backing" from the papers with water and my fingers to reveal the images again. I love this technique and it is also explained on the side of the TripleTac container. The chair is then sponged with DI Shaded Lilac and the harp with Squeezed Lemonade. I have also added some Lindy's Stamp Gang Yellow Rose of Texas to the harp. I have then covered both with a layer of X-Press It clear gel glue to give them a shiny appearance. Finally I added some Liquid Pearls "White Opal" to the chair - I'm not entirely sure what you call it but I was going for the "antique, upholstered look".

I love the sound of the harp and I love how the chipboard piece sits right at the front of the card... such that if it had real strings you could strum it to make music :-)

There are so many things to be grateful to God for - this card reminds me that both birds and human alike can "sing" praises to God!

I am entering this card in the Fashionable Stamping Challenges #71 - Flying Things challenge.

Materials List

Copics: 

   Bird - N0, N2, N4, N6, N8, YG21, Y02, Y06, YG91

   Flowers - V000, V12, V15, V17, Y23, E34 and colourless blender

   Branch - E30, E34, E27

   Leaves - YG21, YG17

   Background - W0, W1, W2, W3, W5, W7

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Sing to the Lord

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and Lulu Lavender, Distress Ink Shaded Lilac and Squeezed Lemonade

Cardstock: X-Press It blending card, Bazzill textured Raven, Kaisercraft Timeless Classics, ODBD Christian Faith Collection, ODBD Blooming Garden Collection, ODBD Chalkboard Collection

Dies: None

Other: Atelier gesso primer, PrimaMarketing Say It in Crystals, Fabscraps "Harp and Chair", X-Press It high tack foam mounting tape, X-Press It TripleTac glue, X-Press It clear gel glue, Tim Holtz paper distresser, X-Press It double sided tape.

Reach for the Stars

I enjoyed colouring this image by Penny Black while on Easter break. Here is my card:

My image is stamped on X-Press It blending card with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I coloured the image and background with Copic markers. The background is a little hard to see in the photo but it is a mixture of a few Copic colours randomly blended together. I've then added some Copic opaque white to highlight parts of the tutu and then randomly placed some dots in the background. I used #05 Lemon AtYou Spica glitter pen on the stars and also added a few random dots in the background around the stars. The outside is inked with Distress Ink Tattered Rose and then adhered to Bazzill textured Flamingo with X-Press It double sided tape. The image is then raised up with X-Press It high tack foam mounting tape.

Photo (with flash) showing the AtYou Spica on the stars and dotted around the stars.
And the Stickles Star Dust on the flowers.

My little tag is Jodie Lee Designs "Fairy Belle Collection" DP diecut with Our Daily Bread Designs Recipe and Tags Dies.
I've handwritten "Reach for the Stars" with a Copic multiliner (black 0.3 mm).

I've also coloured some Papercraft pearls with Copic marker YR01 before adhering them to the top right and bottom left of my card.

I added a bit of colour to the ends of the petals of white paper flowers and some buds with Copic markers R12, YR01, R00 and YR00. I then dripped a few drops of Copic colourless blender various ink from the tops of the flowers which drew the colour further down the petals. The flowers have then been spritzed with a little Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist "Vanilla Breeze" and, once dry, had some glossy accents and Stickles Star Dust added to some of the petal tips. 

I added X-Press It clear gel glue to the surface of the green paper leaves - I dribbled it down the middle of the leaf and then used the nib of the glue bottle to spread it out towards the leaf edges in a randomish way. I thought it gives the leaves a little more shine and adds some darker green patches (which I think makes them more life-like).

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

1. The Shabby Tea Room - Week #215 'Pastel Goodness';

(Must use pastel colours plus flowers and polka dots)

2. ABC Challenges - J is for 'Just As You Like'; and

3. Scrapbook Boutique - April challenge.

Materials List
Copic markers:
   Jacket and sash - B91, B93, B95, B97, B99
   Tutu - YR00, R00, R11, R22
   Tights - B60, B91
   Shoes - E50, R00
   Stars - Y11
   Hair - E50, E42, E35, E37
   Skin - E00, E11, Y000, R20, E000
   Flowers and leaves - R20, R22, YG01, YG17
   Rabbits - W00, W1, W3, W5, W7, W9
   Ground - B0000, Y000, W1, W3, W5, R00, colourless blender
   Background - B0000, Y000, R0000, YR0000,  YG01, W1, colourless blender
   Embellishments - Paper Flowers - R12,  YR01, R00, YR00
   Embellishments - pearls - YR01
Other Copic products: Copic opaque white, AtYou Spica #05 Lemon glitter pen, black 0.3 mm Copic multiliner, Various Ink - colourless blender
Stamps: Penny Black Reach for the Stars
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Ink Tattered Rose
Cardstock: X-Press It blending card, Bazzill textured Flamingo, Prima Marketing Jodie Lee Designs Fairy Belle Collection and Delight Collection
Dies: Our Daily Bread Designs Recipe and Tags Dies
Other: Papercraft Pearls, AnnaBelle stamps natural hemp twine, Inkssentials glossy accents, X-Press It clear gel glue, X-Press It double sided tape, X-Press It high tack foam mounting tape, Stickles Star Dust, Green Tara Paper Leaves (3.5 cm, green), Kaisercraft paperblooms Coconut mixed sizes, Green Tara mini white rose buds, Ribtex blossoms by Vivaldi, Green Tara 38 mm sand colourled burlap trim, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Vanilla Breeze, glue gun.  

Aussie Birthday card

I made this card about a month ago but never got to post it on my blog. 

The image is La-La Land Crafts Koala Luka stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black on X-Press It blending card and coloured with Copic markers. For this image I tried adding some extra facial features with just the copic markers as I coloured. The koala is coloured and then I have put some colourless blender onto a soft toy (you can use any piece of fabric / cloth) and pressed it onto the coloured koala for the "texture".

The sentiment is Stamp-It Kids Birthday stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa. 

I have covered a gumnut and two leaves from The Dusty Attic "Mini Gum nuts & leaves" chipboard pieces with Distress Stickles Frayed Burlap and Stickles Eucalyptus. These are glued on with X-Press It clear gel glue.

The DP is from AnnaBelle Stamps paper collection. All edges have been inked with Distress Ink Walnut Stain. The card base is made from dark blue Quill XL Multiboard.

Materials List

Copics: 

   Hat - E43, E44, E47, E49

   Shoes, socks and hat band - E40, E41, E42, E43

   Shirt - B91, B93, B95

   Skin - E00, E11

   Hair - Y11, Y21, E53, W2, W3

   Leaves - YG93, YG95, YG97, YG99

   Koala - N0, N2, N4 (and colourless blender with "soft toy")

   Koala nose - N0, N3, N5, N8

   Ground - E43, N3, YG91, B91 and colourless blender

   Background - W0, W1, W2, W3 and W5

Stamps: La-La Land Crafts Koala Luka, Stamp-It Kids Birthday

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and Rich Cocoa, Distress Ink Walnut Stain

Cardstock: X-Press It blending card, AnnaBelle Stamps paper pack, dark blue Quill XL Multiboard

Dies: None

Other: The Dusty Attic "Mini gum nuts & Leaves" chipboard pieces, Distress Stickles Frayed Burlap, Stickles Eucalyptus, X-Press It double sided tape and X-Press It clear gel glue.

ODBDSLC198 - He is Risen with pastels

The challenge at Our Daily Bread Designs this week (ODBDSLC198) is He is Risen with pastels. Create a card or project displaying a cross, verse or sentiment about the true meaning of Easter (not commercialised - no bunnies).

Here is my card:

I've used Our Daily Bread Designs Sheep, The Cross, Vintage Flourish Pattern Die, Fence Die, Beautiful Borders Die, Christian Faith Collection and Heart and Soul Collection paper pads.

To some, my card may not look like a "real" Easter card at first but, for me, it reminds me of Jesus in the following ways:

1. The ODBD Sheep image reminds me of Jesus (and Easter) when I look at it because I immediately think of Jesus as the Lamb of God. Jesus is called the Lamb of God in John 1:29 and 1:36. These verses point to Jesus being a sacrifice that would atone for the sin of the world. 

"...he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God 

who takes away the sin of the world!" " 

John 1:29 

And I love how the card worked out with the words "Lamb of God" being visible on the ODBD Christian Faith Collection paper pad just above the ODBD Vintage Flourish Pattern die!

2. Lead me to the cross (from the ODBD The Cross stamp set)- the cross is where Jesus died for our sins. This phrase reminds me of a song by the Newsboys (you can listen to it here). The chorus of the song says:

Lead me to the cross,

Where your love poured out

Bring me to my knees

Lord, I lay me down

Rid me of myself, I belong to you

Oh lead me, lead me to the cross

How thankful am I that Jesus has died on the cross, as our substitute, for my (and your) sins! But this is only half the story - Jesus then rose from the dead! In the resurrection Jesus is our representative, raised for our justification - that we might be right with God. To quote the words of my pastor a few Sunday's ago "the resurrection is God's approval of what was done on the cross was right. And if we are in Him - we are raised with Him."

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, 20 April EST (or 8 am Monday, 21 April 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!!

A little more on how I made my card:

For my background paper I used ODBD Christian Faith Collection but it was a little too "dark" for my pastel coloured card so I swiped some Distress Stain Picket Fence across it and then used a baby wipe to get a more even coverage. I also did this to the paper (ODBD Heart and Soul Collection) that I used for the fence but not the Beautiful Borders (same paper as the fence just without the distress stain).

The one on the left has the Distress Stain Picket Fence swipe over it, the one of the right is the original.

I have then used Distress Stain Shaded Lilac to ink around the edges of my paper and dies. And also used it to "colour in" the pattern (dashed border) around the edge of the ODBD Vintage Flourish Pattern die while the paper was still in the die.

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

Materials List:

Copics: 

   Sheep - E30, Y21, E70, RV91, W3 and colourless blender

   Flowers - RV10 (and prismacolor pencil)

   Grass - G40, G82, G94 (and prismacolor pencils), Copic multiliners 0.1 and 0.3 mm

   Sky - B0000

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Sheep (you can also get this image in The Shepherd set), The Cross

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Ink Shaded Lilac, Picket Fence

Cardstock: X-Press It blending card, Bazzill textured Fawn, ODBD Christian Faith Collection, ODBD Heart and Soul Collection

Dies: ODBD Custom Vintage Flourish Pattern Dies, ODBD Custom Beautiful Borders Dies, ODBD Custom Fence Die

Other: Pebbles chalks, Prismacolor pencils, Copic multiliners 0.1 and 0.3 mm, Papercraft pearls, doublesided tape, X-Press It high tack foam mounting tape

Just before I go, today I also want to share with you a little Easter project my 2 and 5 year old girls worked on last weekend. (And I thought the project fitted in nicely with this week's ODBD challenge theme of Easter and pastels!)

I saw this project on pinterest and if you're interested the original link is here. Ours look no where near as neat as theirs but my girls and I had so much fun :-)

We weren't as technical as the ones on the link... and we did it slightly differently. The water balloons that I had bought were so tiny I couldn't get the easter eggs in them! So we ended up using normal size balloons - I just didn't blow them up very big. We put 3 small, solid easter eggs in each one. For the glue we used a mixture of PVA glue and water (probably about 2/3 PVA to 1/3 water). And we used 100% acrylic for our "string". Once they had dried, getting the balloons out was a little tricky as the balloons were not blown up to their maximum so they didn't "pop" but rather "hissed" down which meant they kind of got stuck to the "string". But after some poking with tweezers etc. we got them all out. Most of all we got to spend some time in the back yard together getting messy, enjoying each others company and talking about the true meaning of Easter!

Thanks for reading - have a Happy Easter!

Scrapbook & Papercraft Expo - Brisbane

I am soooo excited to be able to travel to Brisbane this year to the Scrapbook & Papercraft Expo! (Brisbane is about 4 000 kms away from where I live - on the other side of Australia!) 

It's on from Saturday, 7 June to Monday, 9 June 2014! 

They have just launched the 2014 preview magazine - check it out (and much more) on their website.

I also very, very excited to be doing my standard Copic certification on the Friday while I am over there (just waiting for official confirmation that I am "in")... more details about this on the Copic Marker website.

Only 51 days to go!!! (can you tell I'm excited?!)

Australian Natives

This post has almost nothing to do with cards but I wanted to share some of my other passions with you - plants (and photography - but I'm working on those skills!) I love plants and really enjoyed the botany units that I did at university - loved learning the scientific names, different parts to a plant and how to work out what species they are from flowers / leaves!

We moved into our house here about 4 years ago and one of the first things I did was rip out most of the front garden (don't worry - it was nothing marvelous :-) ) In its place I planted Australian natives and some South African natives. They're mostly all from the same family, Proteaceae, with the Banksias and Grevilleas being Australian natives and the Protea and Leucadendrons being endemic to South Africa (although sometimes you find some Leucadendrons being sold as Australian natives).

One of the plants I put in was a Banksia ericifolia 'Red Rover' (a dwarf form of Banksia ericifolia). On the tag it said "prolific flowering"; however, it has taken 4 years to get one flower! So needless to say I was VERY excited to discover that the Banksia had finally decided to flower. It is a gorgeous flower and I really hope that I will see more in the years to come (I haven't given up hope yet!) Here is the flower:

Banksia ericifolia 'Red Rover'
This flower stands about 26 cm (10" tall)

I've since read that there are a few nutrients that I can add to the soil to maybe help with the flowering - I will give that a go and see if I get any more flowers!

I have a few more natives flowering in my garden at the moment (it's Autumn here and most of the other plants I have flower closer to Spring).

This one is a gorgeous little shrub that I grew myself from a cutting I took about 8 years ago! It is Correa pulchella (otherwise known as Pink Australian Fuchsia or Salmon Correa). It is meant to grow to about 1 m (3.3 ft) in height but mine is well above that and I think that's because it is supported by the Banksia that is it growing underneath.

Correa pulchella (Pink Australian Fuchsia)
Two photos: showing how the flower hangs on the shrub (left photo)
and what the flower looks like from underneath (right photo).
These flowers are only about 2 - 3 cm (1") long.
The more "spikey" looking leaves that you can see are from the Banksia ericifolia 'Red Rover'.

Another Australian native favourite of mine are Grevilleas. This first one is Grevillea fililoba 'Ellendale'. I love both the flowers and the leaves on this one. The leaves are actually the skinnier ones you can see at the top and top right of the photo (not the larger ones going across the middle of the photo - those belong to Grevillea 'Lemon Supreme' which is not in flower at the moment). This Grevillea is more of a climber than a shrub as it has branched itself across about 5 other plants in my garden... but I'm not going to chop it back... it still gives the other plants plenty of space and it flowers throughout most of the year :-)

Grevillea fililoba 'Ellendale'

The second Grevillea that is currently in flower is Grevillea 'Moonlight'. This one is a fast growing tree that flowers all year long! And as you can see the bees and ants love this one too.

Grevillea 'Moonlight'
This photo shows the 4 "stages" of the flower:
The buds (right at the bottom of the photo), the flower, the seeds (just below the flower)
and the "stick" that is left once all the seeds fall off (to the left of the flower).
(Although you can't actually "see" the seeds - they're inside the seed cases :-))

I then have quite a number of different Leucadendrons in my garden. They don't have a showy flower as such, but have coloured bracts (modified or specialised leaves). The flower is rather small and usually covered by the showy bracts and forms a hard cone once the flower is finished. The only one really in "flower" at the moment is Leucadendron 'Red Gem'. This one has gorgeous red bracts and really stands out against the green leaves of the surrounding plants. It also looks gorgeous when the sunrise light just touches the bracts :-)

Leucadendron 'Red Gem'

So I mentioned at the top of my post that this had almost nothing to do with cards :-) Well, I do want to mention some of my favourite flower stamps! Probably my favourite ones, and the ones I discovered first, are Flourishes floral stamps, particularly the ones drawn by Marcella Hawley. I especially love her "Bloomin' Aussie Florals" set as it has two Australian flowers - Golden Wattle and Sturt's Desert Rose. This is what the set looks like:

I was going to link it to the Flourishes website but it seems to have disappeared off there with only the cut files left. Perhaps because Marcella has started her own website and shop called Power Poppy?! I am so excited about this new adventure of Marcella's and am eagerly awaiting my first order from her store to arrive as I write this! 

I also love the flowers that Our Daily Bread Designs has on offer. Most are not native to Australia but I love to colour them with my Copics just the same :-) My two favourite flowers from their sets are the Lotus and Fuchsia. 

And I am sure there are many, many more wonderful flower stamps out there! Let me know what your favourite flowers and flower stamps are in the comments section!

ODBDSLC197 - Rain or Water

It's April already - and nearly Easter!! A wonderful time of year when we can remember what our Saviour has done for us!

The challenge this week at Our Daily Bread Designs (ODBDSLC197) is rain or water - use an image with water, use a technique with water or have your main colour as aqua.

I have used aqua (Distress Ink Peacock Feathers) as my main colour and I have also added some splashes of water to my background. Here is my card:

For my background I covered a white piece of card with Distress Ink Peacock Feathers and then added a few splashes of water with my fingers to create the splotches. I then stamped the image from the Our Daily Bread Designs Footprints in the Sand set with Distress Ink Salty Ocean in the bottom right corner and embossed with clear embossing powder. I then spritzed some glimmer mist over the top for some sparkle :-)

I've added a piece of white card die cut with one of the ODBD Beautiful Borders dies on the left side and then layered with some white ribbon from my stash. The verse is from the same set as the image, Footprints in the Sand, and I have diecut it with ODBD Vintage Flourish Pattern Dies (new in the April release!) and layered with the next largest die from the same set.

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, 13 April EST (or 8 am Monday, 14 April 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!!

The verse I've used is Psalm 77:19, which is part of a larger section, Psalm 77:16-19, that describes the majesty of God and how it was displayed in the parting of the Red Sea (you can read about this in Exodus 14). The whole section reads:

"The waters saw You, O God;

The waters saw You, they were in anguish;

The deeps also trembled.

The clouds poured out water;

The skies gave forth a sound;

Your arrows flashed here and there.

The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;

The lightnings lit up the world;

The earth trembled and shook.

Your way was in the sea

And your paths in the mighty waters,

And your footprints may not be known."

The psalmist is declaring that it was the God of the thunderstorm and earthquake who parted the mighty waters to bring His people out of bondage. For us as Christians today, the display of God's power extends to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And this is exactly what Easter is all about! Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but it does not end there. Jesus conquered death and rose again! The power of the cross - our sins are forgiven and we can have eternal life with Him!

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

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

1. Word Art Wednesday #126 - Anything Goes; and

2. Sister Act Card Challenge #51 - Anything Goes.

Materials List:

Copics: None

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Footprints in the Sand

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Ink Peacock Feathers and Salty Ocean

Cardstock: X-Press It blending card and Bazzill textured Cajun

Dies: ODBD Vintage Flourish Pattern Dies and ODBD Beautiful Borders Dies

Other: white ribbon (from my stash), water, Tattered Angels glimmer mist - Turquoise blue, clear embossing powder.

For God so loved the world

Our Daily Bread Designs has been celebrating their 6th Anniversary and the last of 4 challenges (ODBDSLC196) celebrating the Anniversary are nearly finished - but I thought I'd make another card before it closes. You can see my first one here.

The challenge is to use your favourite ODBD stamps (and only ODBD stamps). I have so many favourites I found it hard to pick which ones to use when making my first card! For my second card I have used a stamp from one of the April release sets - The Cross. I have also used ODBD Christian Faith paper collection and ODBD Vintage Flourish Pattern Dies - both also from the April release. Here is my card:

 

You can see that both the purple and yellow inked white centre pieces are popped up on foam tape. I have also added some hemp twine behind my flower.

I was a little bit excited about putting this flower on my card. Previously I've been adhering all my flowers and embellishments either with glossy accents or X-Press It clear gel glue (and occasionally X-Press It Triple Tac) - and while these all do work, they all take AGES to dry and I have to hold them for a long time (usually while I "surf the web" with my other hand - on the upside I've learnt a lot watching craft videos on you tube while waiting for things to dry! lol)! So I finally bought myself a hot glue gun today - and I LOVE it! 30 seconds and it's stuck fast! I'm not sure why I haven't invested in one earlier!! So - this is the very first flower I have glued using my hot glue gun!

The verse on my card is the first part of John 3:16. I'm guessing it's probably one of the most well known verses in the Bible (as even non-Christians seem to be able to quote it). But I wonder how many of the people who can quote the verse, actually know what it truly means? The whole verse says:

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

What a verse! God loves us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His own Son for our wrong doings! We only have to believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and then rose again - there are no works that we can do that will "get us" into heaven. No matter how "good" we are or "kind" or how "nice" a person we are - not one of us are perfect enough. We are ALL sinners. It is by God's grace, through Jesus' magnificent, perfect sacrifice, as the Son of God, that we are saved. Jesus has paid the penalty for our sins - no matter what our sins are!! Believe in Him - for He is the ONLY one who can save you. Is Jesus your Saviour??

(On a side note - many people also assume that Jesus was speaking this verse, but I heard a sermon not that long ago that suggested that these words may have been from John. Jesus' speech ended at John 3:15 and John then spoke from 3:16 onwards (at least to the end of the chapter). I found this interesting and something to think about; however, it doesn't change the meaning of the text and we must always remember that "All Scripture is inspired by God..." (2 Timothy 3:16). The interpretation and application of the verse don't change whether the words were spoken by Jesus or John.)

The Our Daily Bread Designs sets that I have used on my card are:

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Word Art Wednesday #126 - Anything Goes;
2. Sister Act Card Challenge #51 - Anything Goes.

Material List:
Copics: None
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs The Cross
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Ink Dusty Concord and Squeezed Lemonade
Cardstock: X-Press It blending card, Bazzill textured Lemonade and Pansy and ODBD Christian Faith paper collection
Dies: ODBD Vintage Flourish Pattern Dies
Other: AnnaBelle stamps hemp twine natural and dark brown, Creativ flower, glue gun, X-Press It high tack foam mounting tape, dark purple ribbon (from my stash).