My Latest Word Art Wednesday Card and Some Big News!

Well, Hello there!

I hope my post today finds you all doing well, thriving right where God has you, and at peace with whatever He has ordained for your life at this time.  I say that as I pray those very words for myself.  I desperately want to keep a quiet heart that is reliant upon Him to carry me through whatever He has planned for me.  I admittedly don't do a very good job of that and must keep going back to the "throne of Grace" crying out for more of Him. I'm so prone to wander and it's so easy to listen to the voices of worldly wisdom rather than to what my God has clearly said in His word.  That brings me to this week's Word Art Wednesday Card.

I do apologize for the very bad photo.  It's been dark and rainy here, so I ended up taking my picture using a desk lamp.  But at least the verse is clear and that's what it's all about! 

This week's verse is such a reminder to me to be careful about where I'm looking for wisdom/direction in life.   True wisdom is found only in God, and He promises to give it to those who ask. (see James 1:5)  

It's also a reminder to me to ask for that wisdom "early" .   Why is it that we tend to go to God last?  I'm so guilty of doing this.  I'll ask my husband, friends, or family before seeking God.  It should be God first, or as this verse would say it "early".   I'm so glad to have made this a card this week using the Word Art Wednesday verse, I really needed this reminder. 

Haha, you can totally see the light from my desk lamp in the corner of this picture.  I thought it looked kinda cool though. 

For this week's card I used paper from My Minds Eye and Simple Stories.  I fussy cut some flowers from the MME paper and added some black Martha Stewart micro beads to the centers. 

Lastly, I added some Doodle Bug Designs sequins.  

And now for that big news!   Word Art Wednesday is now on Instagram!   Come on over for a visit.  If you're on IG and have entered our challenge, then we encourage you to share your card on IG and use hashtag #WAWchallenge.   We'll be watching for your tags and just might feature your card on our IG page.  (please make sure your account is public if you'd like to be featured) 

Stop on by the Word Art Wednesday Blog for more big news from Karen......

As always the challenge is "anything goes"  I'd love to see your creations. 

Blessings, 

Proverbs 24: 3-4 Cards for Word Art Wednesday

Hi,Y'all! 

It's time once again for Word Art Wednesday!  I can't believe how quickly this summer has flown by, I've barely had the time to keep up with this blog and my design team commitments.  I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to feel ready for a more normal routine again.  Hopefully, I'll post more once that happens.  Hopefully, (wink, wink). 

I've really missed having time to spend in my craft room just creating, and meditating on God's word.  It's getting to be so bad that I've begun to shun my housework just so I can spend some time playing with papers.  Shame on me, I know, but doing that allowed me to make 2 Word Art Wednesday Card designs.  So, it can't be all bad, right? :) 

This is the first card I created.  I had some new products on my desk that I'd yet to play with and finally got the chance to use them on this card.  I printed the Word Art onto a piece of Heidi Swapp Vellum.  I've never used vellum before, I really enjoyed it and have so many more ideas for future use.  When I saw this weeks' Word Art selection, I already knew what paper I would use.  I've been holding onto this sweet paper from Simple Stories since the Let's Create Expo I attended back in April!  It fits the verse perfectly! 

Here is a close up of another new product I've been playing with lately. These adorable, little wood veneer hearts from The Paper Studio.   You may have seen me use them on my last Word Art Wednesday card.  You'll probably continue to see them, I apologize, but I'm kinda hooked. :)

This is the second card I made.  I still had all my goodies out on my desk and just couldn't resist making another.   I used the same paper ephemera from Simple Stories, a little washi tape, and a new product I just received from Scrapbook.Com, called Nuvo Crystal Drops.  Have you heard of them?  Maybe I'm the last to know about these, but I think this product will be making a regular appearance in my work from here on out.  I love the pretty, little almost enamel looking drops.  

You can see the crystal drops a little better in this close up. The color I used is called Duck Egg Blue.  It's such a soft blue that the drops are almost white.   I went a little crazy adding the liquid drops all over my card. They're just too fun!   And, yes, more wood veneer hearts. 

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I hope you've been encouraged and inspired to create for the King!  

I invite you to link up your creations over at Word Art Wednesday.  The Word Art is free to use, but not required.  I just love seeing what you all come up with . 

Blessings,

Quick and Simple Baby Shower Cards

Hi, There! 

If your life is anything like mine, it's busy!  One thing that keeps me busy is the many baby showers that I'm invited to attend.  I love baby showers and the celebration of new life, but when I've got several back to back showers to attend, I barely have enough time to shop for a gift let alone make a card.  The problem is that I've always been a very slow crafter.  I really take my time to make a card, usually close to an hour per card.  Well, that isn't gonna work when I've only got 10 min. before a shower to get a card made.  So, I did it! I got my act together and found a simple way to put together a baby shower card in about 10 min. 

Here's a sampling of some of my latest baby shower cards. 

What makes this process so easy and quick is to use a coordinating paper line that includes preprinted title cards.  For this trio of cards I used the "Hello Baby" line by Simple Stories. 

For each card, I simply cut out a title tag from the paper ( this particular line has 3 full pages of tags, giving me the ability to make about 15 cards. ), adhered it to the card base, and lastly embellish. 

On this card, I embellished using enamel dots, a button, fine distress glitter, and a stamped/embossed sentiment. 

Glue the layers together and you're finished! 

I didn't add much to this card.  Just an enamel heart and some distress glitter to hearts. 

This last card would be great for a boy's baby shower.

I added an enamel heart, wooden button, and some twine.  I adhered the title tag to my base using foam tape to give it some dimension. 

So that's it!  Only 10 min. per card!  It's so easy if I use a coordinating paper pack because then I don't have much to figure out, everything already matches so nicely. 

I encourage you to give it a try for your next baby shower, because who doesn't love receiving a handmade card? 

If you're not up to making them yourself,  I'll have this trio of cards for sale in my Etsy shop. Stop by and see what strikes your fancy. :) 

Blessings, 

Products used:

                    

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Card Psalm 33:11

Hi There, 

I'm back again to share with you all my favorite challenge to enter.  It's, yes, you guessed it, Word Art Wednesday.  I always enjoy getting to make a card with the beautifully designed Word Art.  I was a little bummed this week because I thought that maybe I wouldn't have time to play along,  but it worked out for me to get some time in my craft room last night. And this is what I came up with. 

Isn't this just so beautifully designed?  I really like how the phrase "Standeth Forever" is emphasized by the font choice.  It's so true too! God's word will abide forever, it will never fail, and is always true.  I'm so glad that I have a God who is true to His word, and never changes!  I don't usually embellish these cards too much because I really want the verse to be the focus.  I did choose to use a lot of gold to highlight this verse because it brought to mind another verse that tells us His word is more precious than gold.  (see Ps. 19:10, 119:72, 119:127)

Seriously, these are the most enjoyable cards to make.  I saw this quote over at the Gracelaced blog, "It's not about me as the creator, but as the created... made to reflect His creativity."

And really, that's what it's all about! 

For His Glory,

products used:
My Minds Eye fancy photo overlay,  Recollections journaling card, Simply Stories paper from the "Story of Us" paper line. 

I'm playing along in the following challenges:

Word Art Wednesday #230-231

My Lets Create Expo Haul 2016 and Hopefully, a Giveaway

Hi there,

I'm back from a very full, exciting weekend.  This weekend was my city's annual Lets Create Expo (formerly the Scrapbook USA Expo).  I'm don't know the reason for the name change, but I enjoy attending, whatever the name.  I've had the privilege of going the last 4 years.  I took some pictures of my Lets Create Expo Haul.  I just couldn't help but share them with you, dear readers.  

Here's the whole shebang!  Let me tell you, my bag was overflowing! 

The reason I like shopping the Lets Create Expo is I'm able to purchase the product for around 80% off the retail price.  The catch is it's all old product, no new releases.  Everything is 2015 or older, but it's all new to me. :)

As you can see, older collections.  I do try to choose the product that is still in line with the current trends, though.  What can I say, I've got to stay relevant. :)

I can't wait to begin creating using my new products, and to share my creations with you all! 

In other news, I would really love to do a fun giveaway to share some of the spoil. 

My problem is that I don't have enough readers to make the giveaway fun. So, here's the deal... I would love to get 20 more followers.  Once I've reached my goal, I'll do a giveaway worth $25!  You can help me to reach my goal by sharing my blog through social media.  You can follow anyway that you like... Bloglovin, email, or Google Friend Connect.  Just as long as I reach a total of 20 new readers.   I would really appreciate your help in this.  I can't wait to reward someone with some fun product!

I hope you all had a great weekend, thanks for stopping by today.

Blessings,