Cards by Traci

Hi Friends~

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend.  I am feeling better emotionally, still working on my body to feel better.  I was looking at some photos in my computer and realized I have some cards that I never shared here on the blog.  I hope you enjoy taking a peek at them, and if you have any suggestions on how you would improve them, I would love to hear them.

This is the first card that I have made using Copics.  I used some SU! Markers and two Marvy Markers also. I also used Prisma Color Premiere Pencils to blend the colors.  I used Gina K. Luxury 120 lb. white paper and stamped the image with Jet Black Stazon ink. I fell in love with the stamped image.  It is called "Bird's Nest" by ink-a-dink-a-doo.  I used the largest Nestabilities to cut out the circle for the stamped image, and traced the outside of the circle to form the pink background after I cut it out with my Tim Holtz scissors.  The gorgeous flower in the corner is a 2-tone Pink Mulberry flower which is hand made.  I bought this on sale from a family owned business in the UK named Wild Orchid Crafts.  They have so many types of flowers in various colors, leaves, embellishments.  All of the mulberry flowers are handmade!  I live in Florida, and I received my delivery in about 1 and 1/2 weeks! I will be a customer forever! The inside is decorated with the same Basic Grey-Bitter Sweet paper and some flowers.

This card is much lighter here than it was in real life, or appears in my photo area in the computer.  This was the first image colored completely with Copics.  I really like how you can get different levels of shading by using the same color marker over the same area.  I also like how her jeans look a bit faded in the front.  This was made for my niece, Emilie.  These flowers are from prima.  The card's base is on SU! yellow...I forget which one...they have so many yellows! 

I used the following Copic's colors: R95, R83, B95, E33, E00, E93, C95, C97.  I also bought one Prismacolor Premier (PM88).  I used it to color the basket.  I used the Oval Spellbinder, and stamped the Hero Arts "Happy Birthday" stamp.  I used a marker to add faux stitches.  I have no idea who made the stamp of the girl...if you know the company or her name, I would love to know!  Thank you!

To see my last card for this week, please click here:  Psalm 124: 8   I used the Our Daily Bread Designs Collection 3 set which has this beautiful Psalm stamp on it. It has many different Verses on it.  A wonderful stamp set.  I also used the "Don't Worry" set from Our Daily Bread Designs.  This set has several Scriptures about what to do when you are worrying.  As well as a beautiful flower, and a butterfly. I cut a Spellbinder's Oval and stamped the Scripture on it, then I surrounded the Scripture with ultra-fine aqua glitter.  I stamped the flower in SU! Caribbean Ink on white paper, and cut enough of them out by hand and formed an oval around the Scripture.

 

"Our Help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of Heaven and Earth."

(Psalm 124:8)

Here are a couple of examples of Scripture from the "Don't Worry" set:

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"  (Luke 12:25)

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."  (Matthew 6:54)


The last one is a quote from Corrie ten Boom:
"Worry does not empty tomorrow of it's sorrows;
it empties today of its strengths."


I pray that you each have a week full of time with our Lord, Jesus Christ.  I will be back with the winner of the He IS Able Card Sets Give-Away! on Thursday.  So, please make sure to leave a comment of some sort.  Maybe you can tell us your favorite Scripture, and I'll see if I can make a couple of different cards with that Verse!  Also, please share your prayer requests in the comment section, and the Prayer Team as well as myself will be praying for you!


Remember, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)


He IS Able!
Traci Starkweather

"Cards by Traci"- Christmas 2011

Hi Friends~


I'm sorry I didn't post yesterday.  I went shopping for one of my Grandson's upcoming birthday party on the way home from the doctors and lifted a box that was much heavier than it looked.  Those of you who have been here for a while know that I have a disability that stems from my back and impacts other areas, too.  Well, I lifted this box, and let me just say...I am ready to sleep because I am taking every medication that I am allowed to take.  My back is hurting very much.  I told you I would share some cards...so share I shall...

This is one of the Christmas cards I sent out.  Yes, Christmas!  I saved the photos, but thought I never even took any!  LOL  The base of this simple card is SU! olive cardstock.  I then used my pad of My Mind's Eye "Lost and Found Christmas" papers. Gorgeous papers with a Distressed look to most of them.  I used a template to cut the design paper in a wide scallop edge and attached it with a glue tape gun.  I used Hero Arts Gold Embossing Powder for the sentiment...and if you want shiny writing-- theirs is the best, in my opinion!  I have several different gold powders from different companies, but they have a more matte look to them.  I don't know what company made the beautifully ornate "Merry Christmas" stamp.  The bow matches the sheen of the words.  The ribbon is from Better Homes and Gardens Floral and Nature Crafts.  It ties so easily, it laid rather flat.  So on some of them, I attached a gold star "crystal" in the center of the bow.  I'm sorry about the lighting.  I can see here that the greens don't match well.  They did in real life.  These were so easy to make...and that was a good thing.  Because I didn't really start popping them out until about the 2nd week in December!  LOL

I made this card in two different base colors, SU! ivory and SU! white.  I used a fabulous "Dream Weaver" metal die cut.  I didn't use it that way, I used it as a template to color in.  First however, I embossed some by hand--on a light table with a stylus.  It took forever!  I don't know what happened.  It was as if I forgot that I have a Cuttle Bug that embossed...or that I have Embossing Powders that emboss.  Or, if I only wanted to color them with markers...I didn't even need it embossed!  Have you ever had a few days like that?  LOL  I ended up using the "Dream Weaver" piece as a template.  I used SU! olive and always artichoke markers on the leaves.  I used Stickles Red for the berries, and Stickles Gold on some of the leaves to add a bit of highlighting to it.  After this point, I outlined with a very thin black pen, every detail on the card.  The Holiday Greetings is part of the die cut.  So, I just traced the letters. 


I will not suggest you ever try this way of making cards.  It completely ruined the markers I used.  The metal cut up every nib, and I can't use those markers again.  It was also so very time consuming, without the finished-polished look.  Granted, I made some mistakes.


 What would you have done if you bought that Die Cut, and wanted to use it as the focal point of a card?  I send A2 cards, and it fits that exactly.  I am asking for suggestions to try out for an A2 card.  I have most materials on hand.  I would LOVE to see what ideas you come up with.  I really appreciate your suggestions.  I have just passed my 2 year anniversary of making cards, and I don't see any improvement even though I have added so many items to my art room.


Thank you so much for sharing your creativity with me.  I am excited to hear from you.  The only way I will get better is to learn from others.  I watch techniques on blogs...but it is YOUR opinion I would love to read today! 


Don't forget to leave a comment before each Tuesday at 8pm to be eligible to win that week's He IS Able Blog's Card Set of the Week.  The recipient will be randomly chosen, and the number of cards/envelopes will be randomly chosen also.  You could win anywhere between 1-5 cards each week!  God Bless!  And, thank you SO much for being here.


He IS Able!
Traci Starkweather

Cards by Traci and Let's Give Thanks!

Dear Friends,


I hope that you had a fantastic weekend!  Please remember that everyone is invited to participate in our challenge this week.  It is a challenge to Praise the Lord for the entire week...through Thanksgiving!  I first shared it at the end of Michele's powerful post on Friday.  (I hope you read her post...it was wonderful!)


I thought it would be fun to share some cards with you today.  I usually put the sentiment (words) on the inside of the card...that is a bit different from most of the cards you see on blogs.  I do this, so that I can use a card for many different reasons.  If I put the sentiment on there in advance, I would be forced to use it for that occasion.  And, we all know what it is like when you need a card for a certain reason, and all of your previously made cards are marked "Happy Birthday!" 


The first card I made has a background from Hot Off The Press called Floral Backgrounds.  I just love this book of design papers!  I do not know where the stamp was from, but it could work for Birthdays or Sympathy cards...or many other uses.   I colored it in with Marvy Markers, Sakura Gel Pens, and a few SU! Markers.  It is a fun stamp to color...but a bear to cut out...there are spaces that are so fine and thin!  I added some flowers from the Our Daily Bread Collection called "Sing for Joy."  I added pink Stickles to the centers of the flowers. 

Sadly, I needed to make a Sympathy card yet again this year.  I made this for Dear Joan's family, as they went through the passing of her Father-in-Law.  I used Stampin' Up! white card stock as the base for this card.  I put it through my Cuttle Bug machine in a Texture Folder by Tim Holtz named "Sun Rays."  I really like how deeply the sun is embossed on this card.  I took yellow ink from "Judiths" and applied it ink to paper. That is when you just rub the ink across the paper.  Just like it sounds!  In an embossed case, the ink really only hits the raised areas.  I love this cross.  It is from an ink-a-dink-a-doo set called "Spiritual Sketches."  A friend of mine gave me this set, and I LOVE it. (Thank you!) It comes with a stamp of a Bible, a candle wrapped in a plant, and some words like "Rejoice."  (One of my very favorite words!)  Some people believe flowers should only be on Easter crosses.  I wanted to use this one for THIS card...the combination of the cross and flowers.  I thought it was perfect for a Sympathy card.  I colored it with SU! Markers.  And, I cut it out and used dimensionals to attach it to the card base.

You know, one of the reasons I love  our "Praise Days" is because there are so many people that are so down.  They don't see many, if any, reasons to be thankful.  When we share what we are thankful for...we are encouraging others.  We aren't bragging...that isn't the heart that I feel we should be sharing with.  Perhaps one of these people will see something on your list, and realize they have things to be grateful for.  So, let's all praise the Lord.  In fact, I have challenged you not to do it once...but each day or as often as you want through the American celebration of Thanksgiving.  (This Thursday)

This was a card I made back in October.  My very special, very wonderful MIL passed away 2 days before her birthday, in October three years ago.  It is a hard time for all of us, as we miss her so very much.  I know, however, that she is with our Lord Jesus and with her parents.  Mom collected elephants for years and years.  She has a couple hundred of them in Dad's home now.  They are from all over the world, some realistic, some not, made of just about every substance you can think of.  We all think of her whenever we see an elephant somewhere.  Anyway, October came around, and I wanted to make a card for my husband, Dave, reminding him that he is loved very much.  And remind him that his Mother loved him so much when she was here on earth.  This is the card.  And, he has kept it because it is special to him. 

I never wrote down what this card used...but I think I remember most of it.  I used an SU! grey card stock paper for the base.  Then, a square of SU! black.

The next layer was a scrap of a pink marbled paper that I have been saving for about a year.  And, the next layer didn't photograph very well, but I  should have known it! It was from a book of papers that were glossy and this one was made of pink and white and light grey colors.  I stamped this image (All of the images you see) with black Versa Mark ink.  And, I colored Mom and son elephant with colored pencils.  I used some grey and black on the bodies and a bit of pink in the ears.  I went over the crease lines in the elephants with a black glaze marker from Sakura. The glaze markers leave a raised line.  By the way, this super cute stamp was made by Rubber Stampede and it is called "elephants." This card has nothing on the bottom of the front. It had the look I really loved for this card.  It had the impact on Dave that I wanted.  (I think he knew anyway. *wink*)

I wanted to remind you of some of the Scriptures that Michele listed on last Friday's post.  They are beautiful, and worthy of being memorized.  I also challenged everyone to list their favorite of the Scriptures listed in the comment section, and to try to memorize it.  I am only listing a few of them here:

1 Chronicles 16:8 - Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples.

1 Chronicles 16:34 -O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His loving kindness is everlasting.


Psalm 28:7 -The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.

Psalm 34:1- I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.


Psalm 69:30- I will praise the name of God with song, And shall magnify Him with thanksgiving.

Thank you so much for being here today!  It is always a pleasure knowing you have visited.  Please feel free to join us in the comment section to read each other's list of things for which they give thanks to the Lord, and to add something of your own, if you wish. 

If you leave any comment, you will of course be eligible to win this week's set of cards!  Remember, they are made by our Michele!  Thank you, Michele!

He IS Able!

Traci Starkweather

Win 2 Cards Each Week in Our He IS Able Card Give Away!

Dear Friends,


So sorry that I was not here on Monday.  I have had such a bad migraine for so long.  I went to the doctor in the morning, and made a few errands with my Mom, (Who so nicely drives me around.) and then I had to sleep the afternoon away.  I didn't even check my email yesterday.  That means I had a really BAD headache! 


Today we will announce our winner of the "He IS Able Card of the Week."  Let me tell you a little something.  We have a nice number of guests who stop by the blog...however, only a few of you leave a comment.  Leaving a comment is the way you are made eligible for the free card, envelope and postage...and it makes our day!  Now I'll say it the other way...if you don't leave a comment...any comment...you are not entered into the random drawing. 

We have a great supply of these amazing cards on hand right now, We are Going to give 2 Cards to the Winner of the "He IS Able Card of the Week Give-Away" until further notice!  They are made by such giving people and they make beautiful cards, too!  So, please leave your comment, or prayer request...anything you want to share, before Tuesday night each week at 8pm!


The winner for this week is Grace!  She was actually the only person besides myself who left a comment.  However, Grace asked that I use the card to give someone else a lift up and a few words of encouragement.  Grace you are so wonderful!  The winner next week will win 2 cards and postage.  I can't wait to read everyone's comments!


Today, I also want to share a few things that I have made recently.  I went to the Southern Woman's Show and it had a CHA section.  (Craft Hobby Association)  While I was there I did a "Make & Take" for only $5.  I made this pendant.  It was the easiest new hobby I have ever tried!  It is made with pieces of glass. This one is square, but they come in all shapes.  Then you choose 2 scraps of design paper that you like.  I chose this floral...and an iridescent purple piece.  After all, purple is my favorite color.  All you do is put a thin layer of 3D Galaxy Gloss on the glass with a brush like a nail polish brush, and then press your piece of paper on it.  You push out any wrinkles, and cut the excess paper off when dry.  Then you put the other paper on the other side.  When you are done you take a beil (the piece that you put a chain or ribbon through) and put one big dot of the gloss on the beil, and push it down on the pendant.  A clothespin will hold it in place for an hour or so to set! 

 

I would like to show you a card also.  It was made for my Father-in-Law.  We send him a card each month...he is so far away from us.  He is such a special Godly man.  When we visit him, I read the Bible to him before bed and we discuss it.  We get so excited...we go back and forth sharing what we know.  It is a special time I will always cherish!  This was just a fun card for him...no reason, except that we love him a lot!

 

This card base was made with SU! Hunter Green, Ivory and a Sand colored paper.   I used a piece of webbing for a folding lawn chair for the background!  I tucked the corners under the Hunter Green paper.  And, put dimensional glue dots along the webbing.  I loved using this as an embellishment on this simple card!  I don't have a clue where the stamp is from...it isn't marked.  I did use Creative Inspirations Paints on the truck and dog...except for the gold.  The gold was colored with a Sakura Gel pen...so was the red break dot!

I think that soon my cards will show improvement.  My dear husband  gave me a bunch of Copics for my birthday...which was Sunday.  I was so surprised, and so happy. I am going to watch every video I can find on using them.  I have already seen many on how to shade faces.  I would like to know how to color trees, and birds, things of nature mostly.  And, I'd like to know if you color differently for Vintage cards or perhaps you just use different colors.

 

Josh had his birthday a week before I had mine.  He leaves in a mere 13 days for his life in the Air Force.  I plan on working on scrapbooks and cards the whole time he is away!  God is good!  He has blessed me with a sense of peace. I know I will still worry, and wonder what he is doing.  But, I know that He will watch over Josh much better than I ever could!  I am trusting in Him, in as many areas as possible.  It is wonderful, whomever left an anonymous comment telling me how to rededicate Josh to the Lord.  Your advice helped so much!  My prayers for friends and family seem more passionate, and I believe with all of my heart that their outcomes--or even better ones will be true.  He knows what is best for us.

 

Thank you all so much for being here!  Congratulations to our winner again!

Remember, every winner from now on will receive 2 cards and postage until further notice.  If they are regular sized envelopes, the extra set will not be included...that would double the amount of postage needed to mail it to you.  I'd rather give you the free cards to use to share about the Lord with friends and family!

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot of men."  (Matthew 5:13)

 

He IS Able!
Traci Starkweather

Praise Him! And There Are Some Cards by Traci, too!

Happy 1st Day of Autumn, Friends!  I hope you are getting to feel some of the benefits of autumn where you live!  Is it a bit cooler than it has been this very hot summer?  Are you able to smell the apples as you walk through the neighborhood?  Have you taken your sweaters out of winter storage?


Of course, here in Florida, we don't do any of that! We may be fortunate to smell apples around the neighborhood--but not off of trees. Only if we have baked a couple of pies! I really miss autumn in Connecticut...where I grew up until I was 15.  There was an apple orchard right up the hill from us and the apples would flood the streets when they would fall out of the trees. They would be more than 2 or 3 deep across the road. Try riding a bike in that! LOL

Ecclesiastes 3                A Time for Everything

"1 There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace."

I have a few cards to show you today.  The first card is the card that I made for one of my brother-in-laws.  He lives in a very secluded area in the beautiful woods...and just loves nature!  I had to use flash photography before the sun was up...sorry for the spot of light.  It is a very casual card...but it really fits him!  Happy Birthday!

I used 2 colors of Stampin' Up! paper on the cover.  The right side was embossed using a Cuttle Bug and the folder is called "leaves," I believe.  I went over it lightly, with a brown water color pencil--without water!  The left side has a stamp named "Pine Tree" by Judith's.  I embossed it 3 times with Gold Embossing Powder by Embossing Arts, Co.  There is a gold embossed Birthday sentiment on the top left corner. 

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I took this photo on an angle.  I love this set of stamps!  You have heard me say that I love Our Daily Bread Design stamps the most!  Well, today you will see why!


This set is called, "Light of the World."  It comes with the Light House stamp with the rocks and grass at the base, a "STAMPED FOR YOU BY..." stamp and 3 Scriptures!  I painted this with Creative Inspirations Paints which have so much shimmer or glimmer to them!  They seemed perfect for the water!  I enjoy them so much, I used them for the whole thing!  I made this card for my August Card for my FIL, and one for the President's birthday.  They were similar, but had different Scriptures.  This is my Father-in-Law's card.  The Scripture I sent the President seemed very appropriate...it was when they were going through those dreadful arguments about the deficit.  The Scripture I used for the President is part of this set--here it is...

"The LORD is my Light and My Salvation:  Whom Shall I Fear?"

(Psalm 27:1)

The Scripture for my FIL's card:

"Your Word is a Lamp To My Feet and a Light for My Path." 

 (Psalm 119:105)

The final Scripture in this beautiful set is:

"YOU are the Light of the World.  Let YOUR Light Shine Out for ALL to See!"  (Matthew 5:14-16)

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This card was made for a weekly ODBD challenge.  Just click on Our Daily Bread Designs on the right side bar...and on the blog, on the right side--there is a button to see the current challenges!  They are wonderful!  We were challenged to lace something on card.  You can see these two birds are busy grabbing some string that is laced through the above bird's beak and down through the falling flower.  They want it to make their nest.  Now, the bird (facing to the right) and the flowers are part of this ODBD set called "Sing to the Lord."  Now, you may think these 2 birds look alike, and "They must be the same stamp!" Well, you are right!  I stamped them on water color paper, and took out my light table. I turned one over, and traced the details with a black thin SHARPIE.  That way I have a bird facing each way!  This set is wonderful!  It comes with three Scriptures.  I painted this set with Creative Inspirations free hand...the sprigs for the field are from "Judith's."  My trees look like I am in Pre-K, don't you think?  I watched a painting show on TV the day before...and this man had been painting for many-many years.  He made broad stroked limbs on the trees.  I forgot to go back to fill in the big limbs with smaller branches!  LOL

Here are the 3 Scriptures included in "Sing to the Lord:"

"I will sing of the Lord's great love forever!"  (Psalm 89:1)

"Sing and make Music in your Heart to the Lord!"  (Ephesians 5:19)

"Oh sing to the Lord a new song; for He has done marvelous things!"

(Psalm 98:1)

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If you enjoy this blog...please tell your friends and family.  If you don't, or have ideas for the blog...please let us know...or use my email on the right side!  It is always nice to get feedback...that way we can do our best to suit this blog to what you would like to hear about.   People that enjoy this blog often sign up as Blog Followers...there on the right!  I send a message to these people a couple times a year to give them the head's up on something special happening on the blog.  Or, just email me your email address, and I will be sure to send you a private email with announcements of big give-aways!

This is still one of our "Praise Days" on the blog...so please...tell of something for which you Praise the Lord in the comment section!  It often encourages others!  Make it a habit to praise Him everyday!  God Bless!

He IS Able!

Traci Starkweather

Cards by Traci and Lyrics About a Very Special Friendship!

Dear Friends~ 

Today I would like to share a few cards that I made at the SCS VSN (Virtual Stamping Night) Mini last Friday night. Saturday I posted them to my Gallery there.  The VSNs are so much fun!  They have a group of volunteer hostesses and leaders, and they choose a theme for each VSN...which is about every 3 months.  They had a mini--it started at 5pm and the last challenge was posted at 10pm.  They have a weekend long VSN on another date in that month. The big VSN will be August 26-27! They have fun challenges, teach new techniques of all types, challenge you to use a certain item/color, and they still give you a lot of room for your originality. The catch if there is one...is that you have 45 minutes to complete your card!  They also tell you what special items you may need to complete the challenges.  Basically, it is a blast!   And, you can join SCS for free...if you want to be a Fabulous Fan Club Member there is a nominal feel.  I hope you will make it to the August 26-27th VSN!  You will end up with a huge stack of cards ready to go at the end!  I don't know the theme!

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OK--You have seen this stamp of mine before by Inkadinkadoo.  I just love it.  I just wish it was the whole poem.  It is so moving.  As I said, the Mini VSN took us to the Rodeo...who knew I would have so much fun! The theme of this card is the Queen's Wave. No, not THE Queen...the Rodeo Queen. I believe they have a pageant...and the Rodeo Queen goes around waving to this person, and that camera...waving all the while. Well, our theme was to do something about "waving." This card has small waves!  I enjoyed painting this card. I love using Twinkling H20's they are so shimmery! I added a couple of little shells that I had on the lower corner.  I should have put 3...they say that you should use items in the quantity of 3's, 5's etc...it is more appealing to the eyes. 

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It is a Grand Start to the Rodeo!  At a rodeo they have a huge parade at the beginning with horses, and flags and cowboys and girls, and rodeo clowns.  For this challenge we were to show part of this special festivity!  I had so much fun making this card for the VSN Mini! I didn't have a horse stamp...so what is a girl to do when the theme is rodeo?! After a moment of thought, I took my carousel horse, and cut the pole off! Did you know that in Biblical times the white horses were considered the best in the land?  They were given to the king and queen...so I left her white! I just colored her hair, and flowers and decorations.   The flag pole?  A coffee stirrer--and red, white and blue twill for the pennants!  Part of the challenge was to use red, white and blue...accomplished with the flag.  I love how she came out!  I tilted her up a bit, so it would look like a small jump or gallop.  She is special!  I also glued on a section of a golf decal...an award, and put it over the horse's neck...like at the races...for she is the winner of the rodeo, of course! ______________________________________________ You may be wondering why these cards are being shared while we have been talking about "Friendship" this week.  Well, I am glad you asked!  LOL  I wanted to remind you how a card can really make a person's day.  Especially a card that isn't for a birthday, anniversary, etc... An unexpected card is THE best!!  Occasion cards are so sweet, and I am always grateful for them.  But, it is something EXTRA special to receive a card because someone is thinking of you.  They want to remind you that you are a great friend, that they are loved, that you have something funny to tell share, or perhaps something that could change their life. The He IS Able Card of the Week that we give away each Wednesday is a great way to share the most important information news, the Good News with anyone!  It is a great opportunity for you to use the card for any of the above reasons...but especially to share about the love of Jesus, or your relationship with Him, or perhaps something interesting you found out in your reading of His Word that day.  I made these cards to use for upcoming family holidays...but we have many   He IS Able Card of the Week Cards to give away.  We take all of the comments from last week until Tuesday at 8pm, and one comment is randomly chosen.  The writer of that comment, whether a prayer request, comment, or question,,,whatever they choose to share...wins the card! The cards don't all have Scriptures on them...you of course, could share your favorite Scripture on the inside!  I have one more card to share... _________________________________________ I can't wait for the VSN at the end of the month...I hope you will join me in the fun! This was probably my favorite challenge! Talk about BLING Galore! The theme was "All That Glitters..." And, we were to use sequins some where on the card...not everyone decorated gowns...some decorated flowers or rodeo decorations.  In the description of the challenge, the Hostess shared about some of the dresses the Queen sometimes wore. Elmers did the trick! Even her shoes had some extra pizazz as I used Glossy Dimensions over the Sakura Pink Metallic Gel! I really like her crown and make-up for the big day! I think she enjoyed having a face...she doesn't usually! LOL  I also put a large tiara on the side of the card.  I am not sure but I think it may be a "Unity" stamp.  I put some larger "Gems" on this, and a rhinestone.  I didn't have the sentiment stamp that I wanted...so I stuck to the old scrapbook rule---use your own handwriting!  My niece will love this...both Sparkly and pink!  ______________________________________________ I'd like to finish off with the lyrics that I wish I could find on Wednesday.  I am the worst at searching on the computer! I apologize about the numbers being in the wrong places. Please think on these words as you go through your day...and weekend.  Be blessed, my friends! What a Friend We Have in Jesus What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer! Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged— Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy-laden, Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge— Take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a solace there. Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear; May we ever, Lord, be bringing All to Thee in earnest prayer. Soon in glory bright, unclouded, There will be no need for prayer— Rapture, praise, and endless worship Will be our sweet portion there. He IS Able! Traci S. p.s.  Please remember to check out the Comment Section for prayer requests to be lifted up to the Lord.

"Cards by Traci" and about StampFest Orlando 2011!

Hi Friends~


I hope that you are all ready to start our 2nd year as a blog, with us.  I would really love for you to become part of the blog if possible.  Share your story, share how you serve Him, or how you have your children serve Him.  Anything about Him...anything about you!  Just email it to me, if you would like to share it on the blog.  Ok?  Ok!


I promised to tell you about StampFest Orlando today...and I have a few cards to share with you, too.  I was VERY excited about what I saw there.  But, I couldn't go last year...to any show...so what I saw may not be all that new.  I was very excited about some of the companies there...I know of them through their DT (Design Team) members.  And, I was a bit sad about some of the companies NOT there...for the same reasons.  You know, you get to be friends with some of the bloggers, and you love their art...and there they are at a show...or not!  Let me show you some of my cards first, and then I will tell you some of the things that I learned and will be sharing here down the road. 


You know I really find the best paper matches by accident much of the time.  The tulip paper and the deep pink paper were stacked touching together in my scrap box of papers.  How could that have happened when I have one box for solid scraps, and a folder for design paper, you may ask?  I tell you, I have no idea...I just cleaned it out!  My Mom let me use her stamp of tulips...I love the image.  I am really starting to see why so many people mat (is that how you spell it?) in black.  It really makes the image pop! I colored a zillion butterflies of different styles...and this one has Stickles on it's wings and body.   I put a "Happy Blessings" sentiment on it...and the outside was done!  Easy!

 

"The Lord is my light and my Salvation:  Whom shall I fear?"  Psalm 27:1


I like this card.  I made it for the Our Daily Bread Weekly Challenge.  This challenge is due on Thursday nights.  This challenge is due next week.  It is super easy...just use an ODBD stamp on your card.  I wanted to use some of my new toys on this card...so I did.  The bg paper is DCWV-Luxury Stack.  I like it because it reminds me a bit of Heaven...there are even crosses in a row at the very top...which have a little sparkle on them.  I thought that Heaven may have some art pieces of crosses...to remind us of all He has done for us.  I know this isn't Biblical...it is just in the paper and imagination.  The stamp from ODBD is from their "Light of the World" set.  It is awesome, light houses and Scriptures!  I thought this was pretty cool.  The sun is an embossed Tim Holtz folder called "Rays."  I used the "ink to paper" method that I learned at SplitCoastStampers last week.  (That is when you take 1 or more ink pads and run them across the paper...not on a stamp...but the pad itself. Any questions?  Just let me know. I'll do my best to describe it in detail.)  What was a bit different about this example is that it is raised up, so it grabs the ink differently...making the "rays" of the sun a bit more like they are reflective...not all straight lines.  I used a lot of ink on this one card.  The bottom color was TH (Tim Holtz) Wild Honey Distress Ink.  Then S.E.I.'s "Cumquat" in the middle area...and then Brilliance-Sunflower Yellow towards the top of the sun.  There is Brilliance--Rocket Red for the Scripture!  I have the best little set of phrases and a couple of crosses and a dove...from Inkadinkadoo!  That is where the cross came from.  I tried to heat emboss it with crystal...no can do!  All brushed off for some reason.  So, I stamped it in Studio G-Silver.  A few times!  That was OK...but didn't give off the glow I think He will have...so I put some Stencil Collection's Hologram Glue over the cross.  I like it.  I think it works.  It's totally a different look from my regular cards...like above.  There is one more...

This is Dave's Father's Day card.  It doesn't have a bunch of kids on it or anything like that.  He loves to go out in the woods and spend the day or the night. I made it about something he loves to do.  Our children are all grown...so it was more of a thank you card for his being a wonderful father to our "kids."   He loves to go on hikes, and bring a book to read and just be alone with the trees.  I used SU! white glossy paper for this card. And, the first thing I did was heat emboss the tree image with black embossing powder.  I let it cool, and then I started doing the "ink to paper" technique that I mentioned briefly above. You just move the ink pad straight over the cool embossed section.  Dave isn't into bling.  He likes the simple, but beautiful things in life.  So, I made the most CAS card I think I could.  CAS?  Clean and Simple.  I used the 3 colors but I think it should have gone with the darkest color first, and then the middle color, and then an orange-red.  OR, that the lines should have gone horizontally...like a sunset or sunrise.  What do you think?  How would you have placed the color on the card...if you used this super easy technique?  You could probably whip out 50 cards similar to this in a day if you needed to...keep that in mind, you never know.

 

So, what did I see at StampFest Orlando 2011...  I am not going to show you photos of their work...I don't have permission.  But, I am going to show you how to make an incredibly simple, super-bling flower that doesn't look so over the top...SOON!  And, I learned how to really get the best benefit from Tim Holtz distress inks.  Seriously, you could spend a whole day on how to use them in different ways.  I learned how to make very cool looking tags...and it was really quite simple.  It's all a matter of knowing the ways to use what you probably already have!  The FAVORITE thing I learned how to do would have looked the most difficult if I didn't watch her make it.  I learned how to make an ATC (Artist Trading Card) which are small.  Smaller than most average size tags.  And, you make them with napkins as the main objects!!  Of course, I had to buy the ATC cards, the glossy adhesive, and a stack of assorted occasion napkins!  I didn't need to buy the paints though...that saved me $20 on Saturday...so I bought more stamps!

 

It was very exciting meeting my fellow Blog-Woman...Gerrie.  She is the brains, humor and lots of talent behind the "Queen of Grunge" blog.  If you like the "Wizard of Oz" you will love her blog.  If you like punny writing, you will love her blog.  If you like the most unique, interesting, great art...you will love her blog!  And, she did NOT pay me to say this!

(I was just being silly. We do not take any money from anyone to say or do anything on this blog.)

 

I'd say that my favorite booth was probably, or at least really possibly the Stampers Anonymous Booth...which had so much Tim Holtz stuff in it.  And, it was a huge booth.  I bought some game spinners I have been looking for, some special sponge holders he has...that are velcro...so you can just swap out the sponges when switching colors...ingenious! I wish I realized that while I was there!  I would have bought a zillion of the sponges!  I don't recall what else I bought at that booth.  It was fun.  It was hot.  It was crowded.  And, I spent my money way to fast.  I even started out by writing down what things I wanted and the price and vendor on paper when we started.  I was not going to spend any money until I saw everything.  Usually, I run out by the end.  And, usually, I start at the end of the room...everyone goes to the front of the show first.  (There's a trick for you!  It was learned from years of going to Disney Attractions.)  Well, my plan lasted me 2 booths!  My list was history!  And, my fun began.  Keep your eyes here, because you are going to see some wonderful techniques and stamps used!

 

Praying you will have a wonderful weekend!  Oh, Our Daily Bread Designs is sharing it's new stamps today!  Their link is located on the right side of the blog.  They usually have a wonderful blog hop for stamps!  I'm heading there to see what they have!  Thanks for spending some time with me today.  Monday, we will be hearing a tiny bit about the Beautitudes!

He IS Able,

Traci S.

Ash2Ash Give-Away Announced and Traci's Cards!

Hi Friends~

I thought I would share a few cards with you today that I have recently made.  We had over 19 birthdays this month in our family! I have most of them done, but I am coming into the home stretch now...and then it is time to start June birthdays and two Father's Days cards and a graduation ...at least!  I know some of you are getting ready for June festivities also!  We did not have any comments from people who are not a part of the He IS Able Blog Team, so the very cheery card on the side bar, made and donated by Michele will be available to the person who leaves a comment before 8pm on Tuesday and that person will be randomly chosen.  The Winner will be announced on Wednesday.

 KEEP READING THERE IS AN ASH2ASH GIVE-AWAY ANNOUNCEMENT in this email...somewhere...

You saw this top card a while ago.  It had the lily and the ring, and the distressing around the edges...and then it was all empty!  Well, most of you know that I don't usually write the Sentiment on the card unless I know what the card will be used for specifically.  That way I don't usually get caught off guard without a card when I need it.  I spoke with a friend who suggested, I lift up the ring and stamp "thank you" a couple or few times.  Well, I decided to show just how thankful I really am! I stamped it a few extra times! Do you think it is easy to know what this card's purpose is?  lol

I made this card yesterday.  I don't know if I showed one similar to it to you a few months ago or not.  I used Basic Grey Wisteria's paper (I love it!) for the background, and I cut the page that was solid with the flowers in half vertically.  This card has the flowers on the left side...there is a matching card with the flowers on the right side!  The dark purple paper has very small swervy lines going across it.  The butterfly is an old sticker I still had.  Two easy cards very easily made.
I like the way this card came out.  I used a technique I learned from Our Daily Bread Designs two weeks ago.  It uses embossing in a unique way.  I used some Stampin' Up! kraft paper as my base, I used a scrap of Wisteria paper by Basic Grey on top of it.  Some sheer purple and sparkly blue Offray ribbon are on the right hand border.  It was tacked down with Crafer's Companion Glue Runner on the top and bottom only.  Then I had already stamped 5 pages of these butterflies out.  (I like to color them while a passenger in the car, waiting at the doctor, or watching TV.)  I did not put the pink and lavender Stickles by Ranger on yet...and the flower was not on yet, either.  I took the card as it was and placed it with the cover only on the inside of the D'Vine Swirls Embossing Folder by Cuttlebug.  Then I gave it a pass through my dear Cuttlebug machine...and take a look at all of the swirls on this cover.  It seems like they are left in the air from the butterflies.  It embosses the image on anything that went through the machine.  If you look carefully on the purple (bottom) butterfly, you can see her wing has swirls on it!  I then added the flower, and carefully added small dots of Stickles on the butterfly.  You do not want to put the Stickles on and then put them through the machine!  You would get a mess and a ruined card.  You'd get a very glittery EF.

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving...

Who covers the heavens with clouds,

Who provides rain for the earth,

Who makes grass to grow on the mountains."

Psalm 147:7-8

I didn't know I was on a butterfly kick until I was putting this together today!
This card has many similarities to the card above.  There are several different things, also.  I used a SU! Kraft card base. I used
 the same embossing procedure.  There are two butterflies...Brocade blue and Crushed Curry, both with Studio G Apricot and Lapis glitter glue...put on after being embossed.  The ribbon is a twill ribbon from Paper Wishes.  The floral bg paper...one of my all time favorites...is from Hot Off The Press from their book called "Floral Backgrounds."  Pretty fitting don't you think?  I used 3 small flowers from Paper Wishes.  Can you find the 2 white flowers on this also?  They are the same shape and size as the blue.  They are standing on the bg paper!  One over the Brocade Blue butterfly's right wing, and one over the left Crushed Curry butterfly's left wing!  The big blue flower on the bottom was actually several Prisma flowers together.  I put 4 of them together before the embossing procedure.  They came back stuck like glue.  So, I needed to come up with something.  I used several more flowers and I glued half of each flower to the bottom (now flat flower)  In the center I put glass pearl beads and glass clear beads to add some sparkle.  I glued them down with the Stencil Collection's Hollogram Glitter Glue.  I don't believe you can have too much sparkle!  I folded the top of the petals in after the inside was dry, and put a book over it.  They opened up slowly after the book came off.  Like a real flower opening.  I don't know what kind of flower it would be in real life...but I would take one bearing pearls!

 It is my hope that these paper butterflies and flowers will remind you of the beautiful Creation He has put all around us.  We have birds singing and nesting in our yard, squirrels trying their best gymnastic moves to get to the bird seed.  We have beautiful purple and white and pink and red flowers in bloom around our yard. 

If you listen, you will really hear the trees sing in the wind. I hope you will go look at all of the beautiful things of nature...and see them with love for His creations. Why did he make lady bugs? Why do they have spots? Why do the trees each have their own fingerprints...on the inside? He put them there! Enjoy your walk...and...

Psalm 96:11-13:

"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

let the sea resound, and all that is in it;

let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.

Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy."

Announcing Our Ash2Ash CD Give-Away!

And, we know that Ash2Ash knows how to make a joyful noise to the Lord!  As a special treat, we have a link to the You Tube version of the Title Cut of their newest CD...Rise Up!  Be sure your volume is ready...and check out this video!

This is what Ash2Ash shared with us...
"Our mission is to lift up the name of our Lord Jesus Christ by sharing God’s love through testimony and song. Our Prayer is that our music will touch the hearts of the lost and strengthen Christians in their faith."

Rise Up is our fifth CD, and more contemporary than our past CDs. We are hoping to reach more youth with it and I know that YouTube, Twitter, FaceBook, etc. are ways that the youth of today are communicating so much more, so we are hoping to reach them through those channels as well."

OK-- we were going to wait to announce it...but...We will be giving away the Ash2Ash CD--"Rise Up!" on June 1st!  It could be a great graduation gift, Father's Day gift, or you could keep it!  I loved the whole CD!  All you need to do is leave your name and a way to reach you. And, Great News!  Anyone, anywhere in the world is eligible to play!  That's wonderful!   The winner of this CD will be announced on June 1st!  Is that a great way to start a month?  Now, go to Ash2Ash and check things out!  And, don't forget to leave your name or user name and email, so we can put you in the drawing!  Yes, you can email it to Traci, if you don't want to post your email.

Have a blessed day!  We will see you on Friday.  Please leave a comment, so you will be entered to win the beautiful butterfly card...to bless someone with the "Card of the Week."

He IS Able,
Traci S.

Cards by Traci--Mother's Day 2011

Hi Friends,

Good news!  Dave fixed my camera and it is working with my computer again! I am so relieved.  It is hard to post the "Card of the Week" when your camera and computer won't let it happen!  That is why this week we are having a wonderful "Mystery Card of the Week!"  You will be very pleased with the Mystery Card, I assure you.  Please make sure you have a comment posted before Tuesday 8pm Eastern Time to be eligible.  One of the comments will be randomly chosen, and the writer of it will win the card, extra envelope and postage...Anyone-- anywhere can enter for this random drawing!

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before Him with joyful singing.

Psalm 100:1-2

So, today, after quite a while, I have some cards I would like to share with you. Do you make cards?  Scrapbook? Do any other paper crafting?  We'd love to know.  I have decided not to work on Josh's scrapbook until he leaves for boot camp.  I may be able to finish it in the 4 years he will be with the Air Force.  It will let me cherish our time we had together while he is away. It will occupy my mind.  I hope I can get it done in 4 years...I am very behind in doing it.  I think I have 17 years to catch up on!  LOL

I am also going to get caught up on the wonderful ABC Scripture Study
 (Challenge)  that Patter Cross is leading.  (You don't need to make a scrapbook, that was my choice.  You can make cards, bookmarks, any form you would like to make it in.)  So, any of you who are behind in scrapbooking, don't fret...how about doing it with me?  Or how about joining this amazing journey that Patter is taking us on?  It is an Alphabetical Scriptural Study.  She gives a word for each letter of the alphabet.  She gives us so much to think about, she is a wonderful writer, who is so devoted to our Lord, Jesus the Christ!  She gives us several Scriptures to think about with that word...but we can choose any Scripture to do with the word that she shared with us.  It is great...trust me. I get joy with each Scripture I choose for my page.  It will be a wonderful book for one of my grand-children to learn from. Come on, join in the fun!  At least check it out!

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of ones youth.

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;

They will not be ashamed

When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Psalm 127: 3-5

OK, I would like to share a couple of cards that I made for Mother's Day.  I always make my parents two cards, a funny one, and a more serious one. The first card I made for my Mom goes under the first category. She likes to collect frogs.  I saw this stamp, and knew the image was wonderful for her.
Here it is:
The background paper on this card is from Hot Off The Press (HOTP) from the Earth's Palette paper. I used my Loew-Cornell and Reeves colored pencils to color this cute little frog.  I used the signa-uniball white pen around his eyes.  This is a great pen!  The green crystals are from Mark Richards "Elements Elements" from Paper Wishes...where I ordered my HOTP papers, too!

Here is a close up of "froggy."  I think this may be my best coloring I have done to date.  I know I am happy with the outcome...except I

don't think I will ever get an image straight on

a paper!  Here is the close up of the "froggy."  Any advice?  I would love to hear it!

The other Mother's Day card I made used the stamp from
Clear Dollar Stamps.  It is called Pansy and it is great!  It comes with a beautiful sentiment, that I didn't use on this particular card.  I used a page of Hot Off The Press paper for the background.  The paper was from the series called Cardmakers Ultimate Creative Pack. I used Premier PrismaColor yellow marker and the purples were from different Copics sketch markers.  On this one card there are 18 different pansies! And yes, they were all completely colored. I had colored the pansies while watching TV a couple of months ago...not knowing how I would use them.  Well, on this card, I used a raised double stick tape by Scotch...it is about 1/4" thick.  Well, I stacked the pansies in different numbers for each flower that shows.  I put the thick tape between the layers.  So, each flower inside the card and out, is a different height. I put a bit of the Stencil Collection's Royal Hologram Glitter on the center of each pansy.

Here is a shot from the side of the card.  I hope you can see some of the layers to make-up the pansies.

One more card.  I just love this card!  Dave made it for me, without me even knowing.  He knows that things are better if he doesn't use my art materials...since so many of them need to be used in certain ways.  He did sneak one piece of DCWV paper out.  He cut some dead vines off a bush that Josh gave us as a potted plant for our first or second anniversary.  When I quickly asked him which adhesive he used...he said, "Plain Elmer's Glue...from the junk drawer! It dries clear!" Good job, Honey! He used an old calligraphy pen he had and tried his hand at writing with it.  He did a better job than I have done with my pens!  I love that he took the time to make this special card for me. I love him so.

My parents, Josh, Dave and I, my 2 sisters, and a brother-in-law all met for a nice dinner at a local restaurant.  Josh gave me 2 magnets to use on the refrigerator..."Proud Mom of an Air Man"...and a yellow ribbon with "Proud Parent of an Air Man "along with a "Proud Mom of an Air Man" hat. And, my sister gave me a matching Tshirt with a bunch of pins that you can win that say "Proud Mom of an Air Man."  And, an Air Force water bottle.  I am so proud of Josh, and these presents were a wonderful surprise.  I feel so supportive and close to Josh.  He is maturing before my eyes.  And, when he read the Air Man's Creed to me...I saw a change in him...he didn't joke around, he stood up taller, he meant what he said.  It was such a blessing to know that he really believes in this big change he is taking.  I am so blessed.  Like the Scripture said, "...the fruit of the womb is a reward..." Indeed!  Praise God!

Make a joyful noise to the Lord,

all the earth;

break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,

with the lyre and the sound of melody!

Psalm 94:4-5

I hope you can think of many reasons to break into joyous song--singing praises to the One who is worthy!  Sing your thanks to Him! It doesn't matter if you have a singing voice or not. I certainly don't.  He wants us to go before Him and sing His praises...as we will do one day in Heaven! Thank you for being here with us.  Please remember to leave a comment before 8pm...you may win the "Mystery Card of the Week!"  Winner to be announced on Wednesday!

He IS Able!

Traci S.