Truly Grateful

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  Colossians 3:17

Last night was our weekly Community Group Bible Study class.  Rather than have Sunday School classes, our church focuses on building relationships and personal spiritual growth through community.  Fourteen to sixteen people meeting in homes once a week for an in depth study of the previous Sunday’s message.  Part of the meeting is devoted to sharing what is going on in our lives and prayer requests.  This gathering is the highlight of our week.  We have very special relationships with these fellow believers and I am always blessed when the evening comes to an end. And also very grateful. 

Last night my contribution to the prayer list was to pray for our leaders as they make difficult decisions this week and also thanking God for our group and how he has blessed us with honesty and integrity.  We do not deserve his blessing, but through his grace, I gratefully receive.

So, as I pondered just what to do for the Paper Craft Crew Sketch Challenge, I knew that Truly Grateful would be perfect as it aligned with the way I am feeling this week.  Visit this terrific challenge and check out the amazing creations of the designers and gallery participants.  Maybe you will want to join in too. 

You can reach this weeks challenge, PCCCS057 here. The first sketch is the original and the second is the same sketch rotated.  That is the one I used for my card.  I love that we can play with the sketch a bit to suit our design.

And here is my card.  I embossed the wheat with Early Espresso embossing powder to give it a little pop.  The burlap banners are hand cut from the gorgeous ribbon in the Holiday catalog.  I used a strip of Adhesive Sheet on the back to give it some stability.  It also helps with fraying.  I absolutely love, love the DSP embossed with the Pretty Print Embossing Folder because a little white shows through- pretty cool, I think. 

And the sentiment is stamped on the 7/8” Cotton Ribbon in the Annual Catalog.  Love this effect.



Recipe: (all product available 24/7 at Diane’s Demo Site)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky, Very Vanilla, Champagne Glimmer Paper, Sweater Weather DSP Stamps: Truly Grateful Inks: Crushed Curry, Early Espresso, Chocolate Chip Accessories and Tools: Early Espresso Embossing Powder, Versamark, Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy, Pretty Print Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Brights Candy Dots, Designer Naturals Buttons, Linen Thread, 7/8” Cotton Ribbon, 1-1/4” Burlap Ribbon, Chalk Talk Framelits, Adhesive Sheets

Thanks for staying with me on this long post.  I leave you now with a sweet photo of Princess Bella.  I am working with a new photo program and blurred it a little.  I think I like the effect.  Of course, I had the perfect subject!


Blessings,
Diane

Stampin' Up! Convention Swaps

I wanted to share my convention swaps with you and for those who aren't familiar with swaps...here's the 20:  Attendees at any demonstrator function can choose to swap card fronts or entire cards, 3-D items, tags, etc. with one another to get new ideas for workshops and personal stamping.  For instance, although I will swap with anyone who asks, if given a choice of cards, I will choose one that features a stamp set that I do not have so I can add that one to my current catalog card collection (and it will probably be on my next order!).  All projects use only current catalog or promotional products.  It is also a terrific way to get to know other demonstrators.

I made one general swap card front and also made a tag for an organized tag swap. My cards feature the new In Colors, which I absolutely love, love.  I used A LOT of supplies for these projects...but they were still came together pretty fast.  I really wanted my swaps to be an example of my best work.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):  Stamps:  Chalk Talk, Tape It, Daydream Medallions, Shop Around, Notable Notions; Paper:  Coastal Cabana, Crisp Cantalope, Pistachio Pudding, Whisper White, Cardstock Vellum; Ink: Baked Brown Sugar, Crisp Cantalope, Pistachio Pudding, Coastal Cabana; Accessories:  Adorning Accents and Designer Frames Embossing Folders, Large Oval Punch, Basic Pearls and Rhinestones, Vintage Faceted Button, Small Butterfly Punch, Champagne and Silver Glimmer Paper, Paper Doilies, 7/8' Burlap Inspired Trim, Paper Snips, Big Shot, Linen Thread, Adhesives

I will post some of the terrific swaps I got in return in a day or so.

Thanks for staying with me and Blessings,

Diane