A Friendly Spotlight

The Challenge Your Stash group uses what we have to make a theme-appropriate card and share what we've made on the 28th of each month. Barb is the leader of the group and keeps us very organized. We take turns choosing the theme - this month it was Sue's turn.

Sue challenged us to use the Spotlighting technique on our cards.

I was afraid. Very, VERY afraid. I've never made a spotlight card that I liked... though I have seem some amazing ones made by others. I trembled in fear. (Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I was a bit concerned.)

Soooo.... what's a girl to do if she's afraid??? Put it off until the very last minute, of course. LOL! Yep, I made this card last night.

Sheesh! 

Actually, I should do that more often... because this is the best spotlight card I've ever made.

Thanks for a great theme, Sue! I hope you, Barb, and the other CYS gals like my card.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Unity Abundant Blessings stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Accent Opaque White 120# and Recollections 110# Black CS

Dies: MFT Blueprint 15 and MFT Stitched Mod Rectangle

Embellishments: Recollections Rhinestones

What's Hitting the Top Music Charts of 2020?

Eyelet Outlet Records/Vinyl Album Brads, of course. Check them out in the Eyelet Outlet store - HERE.

These things are so cute - and just think of the potential! The hits are churning in my head right now.

Okay, is it just me or can you also see using them as wheels on a vehicle? I'm jus' sayin'... my mind is thinking creatively.

But today - on my first time using them - I simply HAD to pair them with...

Elvis!

I do love my small collection of Cornish Heritage Farms Elvis stamps.

In addition to the Record Brads, I used the following Eyelet Outlet products on these three cards...

Music Note Brads

Glitter Enamel Dots

Three Designs of Washi Tape

Eyelet Outlet has THE BEST selection of Washi Tape!

Thank you for stopping by my blog today!


Products Used

Eyelet Outlet Items: Music Note Brads, Record/Vinyl Brads, Glitter Enamel Dots, and three designs of Washi Tape

Stamps: Cornish Heritage Farms Elvis-themed stamps, stamped with Gina K Amalgam Ink

Papers: Accent Opaque White 120#, Recollections Black, and SU Metallic Gold CS

Die: Gina Marie In and Out Stud Dot Square

2020 Travel the World - Week 21

I started a Travel the World Series last year. (It should be noted that I did a similar thing in 2018, only it was the 50 states.) For 50 weeks in 2019, I visited a different country (virtually) and shared facts about that country. I then selected one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. Fifty weeks; fifty countries... BUT there are 195 countries in the world so that was just a little over 25% of them. Of course I couldn't stop, so this year I'm continuing with fifty more countries, one per week.

This week's country is...

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is an island country located the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It shares maritime borders with Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia (France) and Vanuatu.

Geologically, the Solomon Islands are part of the volcanic arc extending from New Ireland in Papua New Guinea to Vanuatu.

The Solomon Islands are made up of 6 major islands and over 900 smaller islands, around half of which still remain uninhabited. 

The Islands are what they define as laid back, welcoming, and surprisingly untouched.

The Solomon Islands receive less than 30,000 visitors each year making it one of the least visited tourist destinations in the world.

The Solomon Islands’ coastline totals an impressive 3,300 miles in length. The majority is beautiful, sandy beaches, tropical trees and crystal clear waters filled with pristine coral reefs.

One of the islands in the group of Solomon Islands is named after the former U.S. president, John. F. Kennedy. Kennedy Island was given its name after an incident involving the then serving lieutenant naval officer. His crew at the time swam onto the island after their ship had been rammed and wrecked by a Japanese vessel during World War II.

The climate is tropical oceanic—that is, hot and humid but relieved by cool winds and abundant, year-round rainfall.

Much of the land in Solomon Island is heavily forested and boasts mountainous topography.

The highest peak in the country is Mount Popomanaseu, a volcanic mountain that sits 7,661 feet above sea level.



Solomon Islands’ economy is based on agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

Indigenous mammals are small and include opossums, bats and mice. There are crocodiles in the mangrove swamps and sea turtles nest on the shores from November to February. There are more than 150 species of birds including many species of parrot and incubator bird.

Most of the people live in small rural villages. They engage mainly in subsistence gardening, pig raising, and fishing

Much of traditional culture endures. Crafts are promoted by the Solomon Islands National Museum, established in 1969 in Honiara, and dances and music are regularly performed.

With its pristine reef, warm waters, seabeds littered with World War II wreckage, and lagoons with mantras, sea turtles, whales , as well as a variety of smaller sea critters, Solomon Island is ideal for snorkeling and diving enthusiasts.

Communal, familial and clan ties remain very strong in Solomon Islands. Most people consider themselves to be part of an immediate family of 200 and can trace back their ancestors at least ten generation. 

The Island’s official language is English. However, only 1-2% of the population are able to speak this language fluently. That’s because the Solomon Islands are home to 74 local languages.

I decided to let this Solomon Islands fact be the inspiration for this week's card... Some of the earliest and most regular foreign visitors to the islands were whaling vessels from Britain, the United States and Australia. They came for food, wood and water late in the 18th century and, later, took aboard islanders to serve as crewmen on their ships.

Here's the inside of my card:

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamps: High Hopes Spoutin' Off and Great Impressions Whale of a Good Time stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Accent Opaque White 120#, Recollections Black, and SU Sahara Sand CS and Paper Studio Marble Turquoise and Sand Photo DP

Embellishments: Flip Flops Brad and Ribbon from unknown vendors

Love You More than Chocolate

I recently received a surprise PM from one of the moderators of the Stamping Enablers on Facebook. Unbeknownst to me, the moderators were watching who was leaving encouraging comments on the posts of other members and they'd noticed I was doing it quite often. Sooooo --- this is so exciting! Kathleen Driggers gave me a gift coupon to be used in her store Kat Scrappiness. 

It was a lot of fun looking through the many products she sells deciding what to purchase, including some things that from her own line - Kat Scrappiness. In the end, I was delighted to get one of her stamp sets - I Love Chocolate, which can be seen HERE.

Thank you for a GREAT prize!

There are so many fun sentiments in the stamp set that I had a difficult time deciding which one/s to use first.

Here's the inside of my card:

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Kat Scrappiness I Love Chocolate stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa Ink

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White, Recollections Brown, and SU Real Red CS and DP from my scrap file

Die: MFT Wonky Stitch Rectangle

Embellishments: Enamel Dots and Heart from Eyelet Outlet and Ribbon from an unknown vendor

Blessings Or Lessons - 1

Since completing the 100 Days to Dream Your Heart Out devotional journal, I've sort of been in a Bible Journaling slump. I've done some, but have struggled with the process and had less that positive outcomes, too. I decided to try a different approach to see if I can get over this dry spell.

First, I decided to start in a different Bible. I've been using the Inspire Bible exclusively since I first started Bible Journaling. I've purchased a few other Journaling Bibles but have hesitated to switch. Now is the time.

Second, I decided to do the devotional included in one of several Illustrating Faith Bible Journaling kits that I own. I've used the kit supplies from time to time, but I've never done any of the devotionals. 

The Blessing or Lessons kit devotional has 14 lessons. I'm not going to attempt to do them daily like I did the 100 Days devotionals, but I will do the lessons in numerical order.

So far, I'm not impressed - with the process, nor my page - but I hope that will change as I get into it. In any case, I plan to persevere. As the saying goes, I'd give up chocolate, but I'm not a quitter. But I digress.

Lesson 1

Human Connections

Matthew 22:37-39

The Scripture from lesson one is one of my favorites from the Bible because it teaches about the importance of loving God (it is the "first commandment, according to Jesus' words) and loving others. It also speaks of loving self, not in a selfish, I'm #1 type of way, but a healthy regard for oneself. This is important, since the second, equally important commandment is to love others as we love ourselves. 

Jesus replied, 

"You must love the Lord your God 

with all your heart, 

all your soul, and all your mind. 

This is the first and greatest commandment. 

A second is equally important: 

Love your neighbor as yourself." 

Matthew 22:37-39

The devotional writer mainly speaks about the way technology hinders relationships. She suggests we look at our iPhone screens too much, instead of looking at the faces of those around us. She poses the question: How many experiences do we miss because we are disconnecting from human interaction?

I am not a social butterfly, but I am one who thrives best in the midst of relationships. People are important to me. Connecting with others regularly invigorates me

I have many - MANY - friends whom I have never met. We invest in each others' lives. We pray for each other; laugh with each other; rejoice when good things happen and cry on each others' shoulders. These friends are no less important (nor less of a friend) simply because I see them on my iPhone screen rather than in person.

The writer goes on to say: I know that for myself, having human connections, relationships, and experiences is what life is all about. I totally agree. My friends (both the ones here near where I live and the ones I connect with virtually) sure enhance my life.

I am thankful for each of you, my friends!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used in addition to the Illustrated Faith Blessings or Lessons Bible Journaling Kit...

Creative Devotions and Illustrated Faith stamp sets, stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Recollections Ivory CS

Washi Tape from an unknown vendor

Stay @ Home Update #7

Each Sunday (at 5:00 AM) I'm sharing how the week's 10-minute stay@home organizational challenge went. If you don't have an idea what that means and you're curious, you can learn more in my original Stay @ Home Update blog post - found HERE.

Now here's the disclaimer: Some of these daily stay@home challenges are taking more than 10 minutes, but who's counting, right? 

Here's what I've accomplished this week...

Day 1 - SUN, May 17

I have this bin where I stash a variety of things that might make it onto a card some day - images I've colored, diecut pieces, images I stamped but didn't color, and so much more. I often times pull it off the shelf and look for something to make a quick card... BUT - that's a big word for a reason - but it seems to have gotten out of control lately; too full, no organization to it at all. I found I was basically ignoring it instead of using items from it because it was just too much bother to look for something usable.

I fixed that problem today. I went through every item, sorted (and yes, tossed quite a few items, too). I added some labeled dividers to make it much more user friendly, too.

Day 2 - MON, May 18
I am satisfied with my storage system for my Embossing Folders. They are organized by manufacturer and each folder is labeled with the name/company. I have them stored in alphabetical order in this metal container. I've used this system for about 3-4 years now and see no reason to change it.

That's not to say that it doesn't nee attention from time to time though. When I get new embossing folders I tend to place them in the front of the box thinking I'll lable/store them later. Sometimes "later" is mighty slow coming. Today I did some catch up and am proud to say that each embossing folder now has a divider and is stored in its appropriate place.

Day 3 - TUES, May 19
I recently organized most of my ribbon but I still had several smaller rolls that I had left intact with plans to put them in one of the drawers in my Sterilite 3-drawer units. I took care of that today.

Day 4 - WED, May 20
This bin contained an assortment of different types of embellishments, tags, and things. It needed to be purged and organized so I decided to work on that today.

After getting rid of the things I knew I wouldn't use, I sorted what was left into themes. I then established five theme-based drawers for storing embellishments. As I continue to work my way through items in my playroom, these themes may be tweaked but for now they are: Dogs/Animals, Travel/Vacation, Birthday (but I think I'll add Celebrations to this themed drawer, too), Owls, and Sports/School.

Day 5 - THUR, May 21
I had a bin full of packaged shaped buttons. Some people would think that would be better since they were together in sets, but I tend to be a very tactile person so finding the button I want to use is easier if I can run my hands through them. 

To make that possible I took all of the shaped buttons out of their original package (except for a few that were very VERY small), purging the ones I knew I would not use. I now have a bin of shaped buttons that I can enjoy searching through.

Day 6 - FRI, May 22
I chose an easy task today - I uploaded the wood mounted stamps in my Thanks drawer to my Evernote inventory.

Day 7 - SAT, May 23
I had a bin of cards from years gone by that had sort of fallen apart - these were made before I discovered that not all adhesives were created equal. Time to dismantle and salvage. I took the images off and tossed the rest of the card.

I now have a nice stash of colored images that I can use in future projects. I'm not sure I'll ever use them all, but for now I chose to keep them all - even the ones I don't particularly like. At some point in the future I may decide to toss some of them, but they don't take up much space so for now I'm going to keep them.


Okay, that's it for this week. Stay tuned to see what I accomplish in the coming week.

Eat Dessert First

You might not know this about me, but I have a sweet tooth. Sadly, it's true. I really like candy, ice cream, cookies, etc. - pretty much all sweets except pie. I do not care for pie of any kind. 

I also don't like the calories in sweets. But I do like a sweet deal that is calorie- free. There's a sweet deal at SumMore Fun today through Monday - the Raisin Boat Guilty Pleasures stamp set is free with every $35+ order but hurry!  

I used a masking technique to add two of the "sweet" stamps from the stamp set to my card, layering one slightly behind the other. 

The quote I used on my card is also from the stamp set. 

Life is uncertain. 

Eat dessert first.

This set is one I'll use again and again, I'm sure.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Raisin Boat Guilty Pleasures stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White and Recollections Brown CS and DP from my scrap file

Die/Punch: Gina Marie Pleated Lace Square Die and SU Oval Punch

Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Enamel Dots and Fun Stampers Journey Bubble Gum Checks Satin Ribbon