Faux Silk

One of the things I love about being on the Our Daily Bread Designs Design Team is that I get to learn new techniques from the stampers on the team.   DT member Angie Crockett did a fabulous tutorial on a faux silk technique that I just had to try on a scrapbook page.  You can view her tutorial here.  Using the technique, you can make beautiful background papers from tissue paper (ordinary gift wrap tissue paper) and cardstock.  Since I'm not sure if tissue paper is acid free, I did spray it with Archival Mist before I started.  Here's how my page turned out...

Supplies:
Butterfly Patterned Tissue Paper
Cardstock
Our Daily Bread Designs Sweet Friendship, Fleur de Lis Borders & Butterfly Stamps
ODBD Butterfly Die
Want 2 Scrap Gems
Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Lace Rectangle Die
Spellbinders Deckled Rectangles Large Die
Stickles
Tim Holtz Distress & Colorbox Chalk Inks

Check out the tutorial, give it a try, and enter your creation in the ODBD Faux Silk Challenge. 
I'd love to see what you create.

Word Art Wednesday #21

Happy Wednesday!!  Today's word art is from 1 John 4:19.

While looking for photos to use on my layout,  I thought, why not use a photo of myself?   So I found a photo that was taken on my first birthday many years ago (smile).  Seeing that photo brought to mind one of the first songs I remember learning...Jesus Loves Me.

Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so,

Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but he is strong.

Yes Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me

Yes Jesus loves me, for the bible tells me so.

In the NIV translation of the bible, today's word reads...We love because he first loved us.  God is love and God loves us.  We are extremely valued by God.  Not because of anything we have done but because of His perfect love.  It is God's love for us that gives us the power to love others.  Love...His perfect love...that flows from Him to us, empowers us to love.

Supplies:

Sei Patterned Paper

Sei Tag and Die Cut

Recollections Brads

Tim Holtz Staples

Lace

Fiskars Corner Rounder

I hope you join the Word Art Wednesday challenge this week. Check out the Word Art Wednesday Challenge Blog to see what the other design team members created with this week's art. Be sure to check out the challenge guidelines to find out how you can be eligible for the weekly prize drawing from this week's sponsor Shelly's Images.

Thanks for stopping by today. Blessings to you.

Word Art Wednesday #20

Hi!  It's Word Art Wednesday!!!!  Today's word art is from 1 Corinthians 13:13

Love...  just what is love?  The dictionary defines love as:

 (1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties   (2): attraction based on sexual desire (3): affection based on admiration, benevolence or common interests (4): unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another

Surely love is all this, but it's so much more.  The Word defines love as this:

Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.  1 Cor 13:4-8

1 John 4 tells us over and over that God is love.  God is love and He has shown his love to us by sending his son as a sacrifice for our sins.  He commands us to love one another as He has loved us. Love is the greatest because it outlasts everything.  After we no longer need faith and hope, love will still be the thing that controls all that God and his redeemed people are and do.

For my layout today I used a photo of my husband and I, back when we were dating during our college years.

Supplies:
Little Yellow Bicycle Patterned Paper and Embellishments
Gems

I hope you join the Word Art Wednesday challenge this week. Check out the Word Art Wednesday Challenge Blog to see what the other design team members created with this week's art. Be sure to check out the challenge guidelines to find out how you can be eligible for the weekly prize drawing from this week's sponsor Eclectic Anthology .

Thanks for stopping by.  Be blessed.

ODBD's 4th Anniversary Release Blog Hop

Welcome to the Our Daily Bread designs 4th Anniversary Special Design Team Edition Release Blog Hop! If you got here from Angella's  Blog, you are in the right place! If not, you might want to start at the ODBD Blog so you are sure to not miss anyone! If any links are lost along the way, you can always get the entire list of links from the ODBD Blog as well!

The bread sticks (ODBD design team members) are so excited to be celebrating this special milestone in the life of ODBD! It is such a blessing to work for a company that brings glory to God in every stamp set created, and offers us the tools we need to do the same with every layout or card we create! If you are a long term follower of ODBD, then you know that each year, the Design Team submits a favorite Scripture for the special anniversary sets, and those suggestions have been the sum total of all the "Scripture Collection" stamp sets in the store. This year, the special sets include our favorite Scriptures, but also quotes and sentiments that we feel would be great on cards, layouts or other projects. I think you will find some of the most encouraging and uplifting words available in stamps in these special anniversary sets!

So now, here are the Details of the Anniversary Hop:

• The Hop will run 8am EDT Mar. 17 until 8pm EDT Mar 18.

• The winners will be announced on the ODBD Blog on Mar 19.

• Four hoppers will win a FREE ANNIVERSARY SET and One blessed hopper will win The Complete Anniversary Bread Basket Bundle!!!

Here is what you have to do to be qualified to win one of these prizes:

• Hop to each designer’s blog and leave a comment

• Return to the Our Daily Bread designs blog and leave a comment telling us that you completed the hop, making note if there were any you could not comment on.

• Along with your statement that you completed the hop, leave some Anniversary wishes for Kelley and the gang at ODBD!

Now on to my layout.  I used the scripture I submitted, Phil 4:13 (in Scripture Collection 8), and framed it with the square frame from the Fleur de Lis Borders set.   I also used a portion of the Grunge Butterfly stamp from the God's Love set to make my background paper.  The photos were taken the day I received my 1,000 workouts t-shirt at Curves.  I'm pictured with the owner of the Curves that I attend in the bottom left photo.

Here's a close up of the scripture...

Supplies:
Creative Imaginations Patterned Paper
Bazzill Cardstock
ODBD Scripture Collection 8, Fleur de Lis Borders, God's Love Stamps
Webster's Pages Bloomers
Want 2 Scrap Bling
Heidi Swapp Flower Gems
American Crafts Alphabet Stickers
QK Font
Fiskars Punches
Spellbinders Labels 1
VersaMark, VersaFine, Tim Holtz Distress Inks


From here you will hop to Kathy's  blog.  Thanks for hoping along with us. Enjoy the rest of the hop.

Word Art Wednesday #19

It's Wednesday, time for our weekly word art.  This week we have another quote from Mother Teresa...

This week has been a really busy one for me so I don't have a layout for you today, but you can get plenty of inspiration using this week's word art from the other design team members at the  Word Art Wednesday Challenge Blog .

 I hope you join the Word Art Wednesday challenge this week.  Be sure to check out the challenge guidelines to find out how you can be eligible for the weekly prize drawing from this week's sponsor Shabby Cottage Studio.

ODBD Designer's Favorites Flower Hunt

We are celebrating the 4th Anniversary of Our Daily Bread Designs! All this week we have special events going on at the ODBD Blog, so be sure to check them out! Today we have something that we hope will be pure fun for all!  One dozen of the ODBD designers, also know as the Bread Sticks, have baked up a special game for you! We decided to shower ODBD with a bouquet of flowers, since flowers are one of the traditional gifts for a 4th anniversary. You will be collecting these flowers along the way, and creating a beautiful bouquet for Kelley, the ODBD owner,  and all of Our Daily Bread Designs!

Each designer has created a special layout, card, or project using at least one of our own personal ALL TIME FAVORITE ODBD sets. SIX of us will also have a special blog button with a special flower on it! (It will be labeled as a Designer's Flower Hunt Game, and will give the name of a flower.) Look for it in the designer's side bars of their blogs. HINT: I just might be one of the designers who has one... so look carefully! :)

To play the game:

• Visit each designer listed below
• Leave a comment
• Keep a list of each designer who has a special flower blog button. Write down the designer's name and the name of the flower they have.
• When you have visited all 12, left comments and found the 6 flowers, send an email to Grace at gnywening@yahoo.com. Simply name the 6 designers who had the flowers and the flower they had.
• Winners will be chosen randomly from all who email Grace with their list by 9:00pm DST Mar. 15th!

Now on to my project details:

We were asked  to list our FOUR ALL TIME FAVORITE ODBD sets, and to use at least one on our project today.   How can I possibly choose just 4?   Well.... if I have to, here are my four favorites, in no particular order :)

The first one is a no brainer.  Since I'm a scrapbooker, Large Scrapbook Words is definitely on my list.  I love the size of these words, perfect for any size layout, and the words are ones that I use a lot in real life and on my pages...Happy, Loved, Blessed, Beautiful, Amazing and Thankful.  The word "So" is also included in the set which gives the words added meaning.

Never Give Up is another one of my favorites.   I love the grungy look of this set, and being the mother of a teenage boy, this is perfect for a lot of his pages.  I also love that the Grunge Cross is available as a separate stamp without the background grunge and it has a coordinating die.  This makes for quick and easy 3-D embellishments on your layout.

Happy Birthday also makes my list.  Although it's designed with birthdays in mind, the scriptures in this set go so well with everyday pages.  The image stamp would make a great accent on a spring layout and there is a little butterfly that's just too cute.

And last but certainly not least... Grow in Grace.  The name of this set alone speaks volumes. The  scriptures and sentiments in the set speak of God's grace.  And I have made great use of the flower image in this set. 

For my project today I created an 8x8 layout using Large Scrapbook Words and  Grow in Grace.  I used the flower from the Grow in Grace set to create my background paper. I inked the top portion of the stamp with VersaMark ink and stamped it all over the cardstock.  If you click on the layout you'll get a larger version so it's easier to see the background.   I used 2 words from the Large Scrapbook Words set for my title and stamped them on a die cut banner.  The photo is of my mother in 1947 when she was 15. 

Supplies:
Bazzill Cardstock
My Minds Eye Blush 6x6 Patterned Paper
ODBD Large Scrapbook Words and Grow In Grace Stamps
Recollections Gems, Pearls and Crocheted Flower
Making Memories Alphabet Stickers
Tim Holtz Tattered Banner Die
Button
Martha Stewart Punch
VersaMark, VersaFine and Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Remember to check to see if I have a flower before you go on your way.  Check out the other bread sticks in the bread basket today:

Grace
Patter
Angie
Chris
Sabrina
Lori
Fran
Lisa
Connie
Sue
Debi
Gemiel   {you are here}

Thanks for stopping by and playing the game.  Blessings to you!

Word Art Wednesday #18

It's Wednesday, time for our weekly word art!!!   This week, instead of a scripture, we have a quote from Mother Teresa...

I can only speculate about what Mother Teresa's motivation was for this quote, but it does bring to mind Luke Chapter 16 and the Parable of the Shrewd Manager, particularly verse 10:

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.    Luke 16:10  NIV

I think what Jesus is telling us here is that if we cannot be faithful in the small things, the everyday stuff,  how in the world can we be trusted with the really important things?  Our faithfulness is not determined by the size or importance of the matter, but by our character and how we handle the task or situation.  So as Mother Teresa said, be faithful in small things...because that is a true reflection on how we will handle the bigger things.

For my layout I used a couple of  pictures of my 2 Tims raking leaves. We have lots of trees in our yard so that makes for an abundance of leaves. It's not a job the either of them particularly love to do, but they do it faithfully every year.

Supplies:
Reminisce Patterned Paper
Cheery Lynn Design Fanciful Flourish & SM Leaves #1 Dies
Fiskars Postage Stamp Border Punch
Fiskars Corner Punch
Tim Holtz Distress Ink
Copic Marker

I hope you join the Word Art Wednesday challenge this week. Check out the Word Art Wednesday Challenge Blog to see what the other design team members created with this week's art. Be sure to check out the challenge guidelines to find out how you can be eligible for the weekly prize drawing from this week's sponsor Whimsy Stamps .

ODBD March Scrapbook Challenge

Hi Everyone!!!  It's time for the March Our Daily Bread Designs Scrapbook Challenge!!  This month is ODBD's 4th Anniversary so there will be lots of fun things going on at ODBD all month.  If you're not already a subscriber to the Our Daily Bread Designs Blog you should sign up and become a follower here  so you won't miss out on any of the anniversary fun and lots of chances to win prizes.

Now for the scrapbook challenge....The traditional gifts for a 4th anniversary include fruit or flowers. So your challenge for March is to: create a layout of any size using fruit or flowers and ODBD stamps on your page. Use fruit or flowers as your embellishments, your patterned paper, your stamped images, etc. Think about something fun to do and have enjoy creating your page or pages.

For my layout I used a stamp set from the new March release, Sweet Friendship.  I also used the flower image from the Grow in Grace set.  The photo is of my son and his friends at our neighborhood's last day of school party in 2008. The boys are all now in high school and my son and the boy next to him are still the best of friends.

I had lots of fun creating this layout and pulled out some some supplies I hadn't used in a while...paint, corrugated cardboard, copic markers, and a corner punch.  The little blue flowers were stamped from the flower stamp in the Grow in Grace set.  I colored them with copics, cut them out, bent the petals a bit, and added some distress stickles to the centers.   I die cut the large flower from corrugated cardboard,  peeled off the top layer and painted it with white acrylic paint. I used the same technique for the mat behind the framed scripture.  Here are a couple of close up photos of my embellishments.

Supplies:
Bo Bunny and Flair Designs Patterned Paper
ODBD Sweet Friendship Stamp Set
ODBD Grow in Grace Flower Stamp
Versa Fine Ink
Tim Holtz Distress Stickles
Copic Markers
Ranger Acrylic Paint
Button, Gem, Twine, Cardboard
Tim Holtz Tattered Floral Die
Stampin' Up Corner Punch


To see all the challenge guidelines and how you can win a $15 gift certificate to the Our Daily Bread Designs store click here. Also be sure to check out Patter Cross' inspiration for this challenge in her blog post here. The challenge runs through Saturday March 31st, 6:00 PM EST.

I hope you decide to join in this challenge. I can't wait to see what you create.

March Gems of Inspiration

Happy Friday!!! It's the first Friday in March and time for a new Gems of Inspiration scrapbook challenge at the Our Daily Bread Designs Forum.  When I was growing up, people used to say…March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.  I don’t know about that these days.  Yesterday was the first day of March and here in Virginia the high was 80 degrees!!!  The daffodils are already in bloom and spring is in the air!  So much for the lion, the lamb is already here!

This month's challenge is all about spring, with a little twist.  Your challenge is to create a layout using an element that reminds you of spring, but the layout cannot be about spring.  For example, you could use flowers on a winter layout, or use a spring color palette on a birthday layout.  The combinations are endless.

For my layout, I used the ODBD Sing to the Lord set as my spring element.  Birds singing always remind me of spring.  The layout is about my church’s youth choir, of which my son is a member.

Supplies:

Creative Imaginations Patterned Paper
Bazzill Cardstock
ODBD Sing to the Lord Stamp Set
Recollections Music Brads
Making Memories Alphabet Stickers
Me and My Big Ideas Alphabet Stickers
Spellbinders Labels 1 and 8
Tim Holtz Distress Ink
VersaFine Ink
Stickles
Stampin Up and Prismacolor Colored Pencils
Gamsol

I hope you get a chance to play along this month.  I’d love to see what you create.

If you are using Our Daily Bread Designs stamps, you are encouraged to upload your page to the Scrapbook Pages Category in the ODBD Gallery using keyword ODBDGI04.  If you aren't yet registered there, sign up only takes a couple of minutes. If you do not use ODBD stamps, you can post to your blog or another publicly viewable online gallery.  Be sure and to come back here and share the link so we can see your beautiful work!

Looking for more scrapbook challenges??? Check out the monthly Let Your Light Shine Scrapbook Challenge on the ODBD Blog!