I Am Not What I Was, Thanks to the Cross

It's the 7th of March - already - which means it's time to post my card for the Crafters of Faith group. Shelly is this month's hostess. These were her instructions.

Since Easter is before our April posting, I would like to concentrate on the sacrifice Jesus made for us- him becoming the Passover Lamb- suffering, dying and rising again for us!  

John 19:28-30 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said, "I thirst". A bowl full of vinegar stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished", and bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 

The Mosaic Law required the the sacrificial lamb be spotless and have no broken bones. Christ is the sacrificial lamb of the new Passover. The passion, crucifixion and death of Christ, offered for our redemption, is proof of God's love for us and of the enormity of our sins that offend God and separate us from Him. 

Please make a project using a cross and on your card, use purple somewhere- a small amount or the entire card- it is up to you. 

I was shocked to find that I only had one stamp set with a cross in it in my entire stash - at least that's all I found. It is the Our Daily Bread Cross of Christ stamp set.

I used Versafine Ink and Clear Embossing Powder for the cross and then used a sponge to add Ranger Distress Ink all over the piece. Of course the cross didn't take the ink because of the glossy finish of the embossing.

It's a pretty simple card, but I hope Shelly and the other Crafters of Faith will like my card.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Stamp Set: Our Daily Bread Cross of Christ 

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Dusty Concord and Wilted Violet, and Versamark

Embossing Powder: SU Clear

Paper: Recollections White and SU Elegant Eggplant and Orchid Opulence CS

Embellishments: Michael's Rhinestones and Ribbon from an unknown vendor

Personal Challenge 2018 - Week 10

I'm back today for another card in my 50-week States of the Union personal challenge. Each week I research one of the 50 United States (in the order they attained statehood) and do some research. I use one of the tidbits of information as inspiration for my card.

This week's state is...

Virginia

Date of Statehood: June 25, 1788

Things I've discovered in my research on the state of Virginia...

Jamestown was the first English settlement in the U.S. It was also the first capital of Virginia.

Eight United States Presidents were born in Virginia: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson.

Six Presidents' wives were born in Virginia: Martha Washington, Martha Jefferson, Rachel Jackson, Letitia Tyler, Ellen Arthur, Edith Wilson.

The State flower is not really a flower, but  the blossom of the dogwood tree, which is also the state tree.

About 1/2 of all the people in the United States live within a 500 mile radius of the Capital of Virginia.

The state’s academic calendar is largely determined by amusement parks.

In Virginia more people work for the United States government than any other industry. About 1/4 of Virginia's workers.

Thousands of people watch more than 100 wild ponies swim in an event that’s been taking place for almost a century. Every year, "Saltwater Cowboys" corral more than 100 wild horses in aswim from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island in Eastern Virginia. At the island, the ponies are then paraded around and auctioned off to raise money for a local fire department. 

Virginia claims to have actually had the “First Thanksgiving,” predating the famous Plymouth feast by almost two years.

Virginia is for lovers of vanity plates. According to a 2007 study by The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, out of the 9.3 million personalized plates on the roads of America about one in 10 are in Virginia. It total, at the time of the study, 16% of all license plates issued in Virginia were personalized. Illinois actually holds the record for the most vanity plates on the road, with about 1.3 million, but Virginia still boasts the highest rate.

Virginia handles 70% of the world's internet traffic.

The 1987 classic film "Dirty Dancing" was filmed almost entirely at the Mountain Lake Lodge in Pembroke, Virginia, and you can still make a pilgrimage to check out the iconic sites of the fictional "Kellerman's Resort." The lodge is still open and offers Dirty Dancing packages for visitors along with a Patrick Swayze monument.

The Pentagon is the largest office building in the world and has TWICE the office space of the Empire State Building. Construction on the Pentagon began on September 11, 1941, exactly 60 years to the day before American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The Pentagon has 68,000 miles of internal telephone lines. That's enough phone line to stretch from Florida to Washington state more than 22 times.

Spitting on a sea gull is strictly forbidden in Virginia. In case you needed to be told not to do that. 

Overage trick-or-treating is illegal in Virginia. The maximum age for the Halloween pastime is 11 years old.

 It’s against the law to keep a skunk as a pet here in the state. 

Police radar detectors are illegal.

No animal may be hunted for on Sunday with the exception of raccoons, which may be hunted until 2:00 AM.

No one may wash a mule on the sidewalk in Culpeper Virginia.

It’s LEGAL for a man to beat his wife on the courthouse steps, but he must do so before 8:00 p.m. (Stafford County).

I've decided to go with this bit of Virginia information for my card's inspiration... It’s illegal to flip a coin to determine who pays for coffee (Richmond).

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Stamp Set: Unity Cup of Love stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers and an Amazapen Gel Pen

Paper: Recollections 110# Cream and SU Early Espresso CS and Maxxie Coffee Addict double-sided DP

Embellishments: Foof-a-La Button and SU Grosgrain Ribbon
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A Classic Birthday

For me, some of the most difficult cards to make are:

1. CAS ones (especially with a lot of white space)

2. Monochromatic ones

3. Masculine ones



What about you? What cards are most challenging for you to make?

Since I had a "free" day here on my blog - no design team post, personal challenge post, etc., I decided to tackle one of my three most challenging cards to make - a masculine one. To do so, I used a fairly new stamp set: Unity Slowly Driving Classic.

I'm definitely not crazy about this card, though I am crazy about the amazing stamp set. I just don't do masculine cards well.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!


Supplies Used

Stamp Set: Unity Slowly Turning Classic stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections Black and Stampin' UP! True Thyme CS and DP from the My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Paper Pad

Embellishments: Ribbon from Making Memories and Stampin' UP!

Love Is a Four-Legged Word

There's a new challenge at International Art & Soul. The theme is Emboss and Use a Die, which might have been a little challenging for me... BUT the stamp set and embossing folder I used were easy to choose. I often times make dog/puppy cards, since my daughter has a thing about dogs. She'll be receiving this card for sure.

In case you can't figure out where I used the die, the image and black layer behind it are die-cut using rectangular Nestabilities.

I hope you'll participate in the challenge...

International Art & Soul

March 4 - 17

Theme: Emboss and Use a Die

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Stamp Set: Newton's Nook Fetching Friendship stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections Black and White and SU Mellow Moss CS and all other papers from my scrap file

Die: Nestabilities Rectangles

Embossing Folder: Darice Pawprints

Embellishments: Heart-Shaped Brads from an unknown vendor

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You Make Me Smile

I love oversized/large sentiment stamps. For one thing they make a bold statement... but they also make it pretty fast/easy to make a card, since there's never any coloring to do. Some of the very best sentiment stamps can be found at The Project Bin. In fact, that is the focus of most of their stamps. The Project Bin tag line reflects that: A Way with Words.

When I found out that Sentiment Only is the theme at Sweet Stampin' this week, I immediately thought of The Project Bin. I pulled out my bin - yes I have a bin of their stamps - and looked for the one I would use. Found it!

My Card Featuring The Project Bin #bff:

I hope you'll participate in the challenge at:

March 3 - 9

Theme: Sentiments Only

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Stamp: The Project Bin #bff stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink

Papers: Recollections Black and Ivory and Su Rose Red CS and DP from the Simple Stories Emoji Love Paper Pad

Embellishment: AMuse Studio Ribbon

Thank You for Your Service

One of the things we need to do - OFTEN - is thank our military personnel. Today's post is about doing just that. And while my card features the fabulous Army Men Brads from Eyelet Outlet, this post is not just about Army. It's about all of the men and women serving in all of our military branches.

THANK YOU for your service!

Eyelet Outlet Products Used:

Army Men Brads

Enamel Dots (Glittery Gold)

Foil Washi Tape (Gold/Stars)

Pearl Strips (Black)

The Army Men Brads are flat enough that I could even add one to the inside of my card:

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Eyelet Outlet Products: Army Men Brads, Black Pearl Strips, Glittery Gold Enamel Dots, and Gold/Stars Foil Washi Tape

Stamp Set: JessicaLynnOriginal Military Brentwood Owl stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Papers: Recollections Black and White and SU Garden Green CS and DP from my scrap file

Tulips Kiss Winter Goodbye

Oh my goodness... I love the Spring Zen stamp set from The Project Bin! It is one of the newer stamp sets that Denise has created and it is so much fun. I used it to make today's card. It stamped beautifully, was fun to color... and the best part is it can be used for Easter and/or Spring, since there are so many stamps to choose from in this set.

Tulips are my favorite springtime flower so I had to use that stamp first, but I'm pretty sure you're going to be seeing a lot of cards made with this stamp set on my blog in the next couple of weeks.

I. am. so. ready. for. spring.

It doesn't really show up in the picture, but after I colored the tulip, I completely covered it with sparkle - using a Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Marker.

Here's the inside of my card:

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Stamp Set: The Project Bin Spring Zen stamped with Memento Cottage Green Ink and colored with Copic Markers and a Spectrum Noir Sparkle Marker

Papers: Recollections Green and White and SU Flirty Flamingo CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: AMuse Studio and Michael's Rhinestones