Watercolor Splats

Bitsy has a birthday party this afternoon and we needed to make a card for it -- so we did that yesterday. I wanted to try the "watercolor splats" that Nichole Heady demonstrated on her blog for MIM #161. Since the card was for Bitsy's friend, I let her choose the ink colors (no input from me). I loved that what she chose looked like a rainbow. She's also the one who made the big dots - which is why they look like they're more in a row than random. We also tapped the water brush against my finger to make some teeny, random splats as well.

I had a great time making this card and have decided that I definitely want to invest in some more sponge daubers.  I kinda, sorta thought I could use a few more; but now I know I need more. 

Added plus, the card matches the gift wrap! I need to talk to Bits and see if she wants to add the gold distressed stripe detail so the card really will match the gift wrap. That would be fun. And it actually is a happy accident (channeling my inner Bob Ross). I didn't know we had any more of this gift wrap left. 

So, the card is made with (all ingredients PTI unless otherwise noted)

• Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Plum Pudding
• Stamps: Wet Paint
• Ink: Hibiscus Burst, Melon Berry, Limeade Ice, Aqua Mist, Plum Pudding, Versamark (Tsukineko)
• Embossing Powder: White (Stampendous, I think...I've had it in my stash forever...I need to ditch it and buy new)
• Other: waterbrush (Aqua-Flo by Hero Arts)

links are not affiliate links. Just showing you what I'm talking about. :) 

Life has Changed

I'm pretty sure the five of you who read my blog are aware my Daddy died suddenly on March 20. To say we are crushed with grief would be an understatement. I have found great comfort in the Word of God and the prayers of friends.  The photo at left is a stack of cards that have been in my mailbox (or given to me, as is the case with the envelope on the very top) since that day - such sweet words of prayer, thoughts and encouragement from friends. I am very thankful for them.  Some of them are store-bought sympathy cards. Some of them are handmade. Some of them are blank notecards with handwritten notes. All of them are a treasure to me and have been a salve to my broken heart.  

These cards have also reinforced my thought that a note during a difficult time is appreciated by the person affected and I need to be more intentional about sending these kinds of notes. That's a good reason for me to get busy stamping - time to make more cards.

Another thing that has come to mean a lot to me after my Daddy's passing is the guest book from visitation.  Rather than use the traditional guest book, our family decided to go for something more personal. As we discussed the funeral arrangements we were all pretty appalled that a guest book was $100. No, we weren't "pretty appalled" we were astounded. Daddy would have been horrified - and livid if we'd spent $100 on a guest book. I said, "I want something more than names on a line. Friends have been sharing memories on Facebook. I want something like that." So, I suggested that we do a 6x8 Project Life album with lined journaling cards. Thankfully, my family (mom and siblings) liked the idea. We laid out both 3x4 and 4x6 journaling cards and  invited people (by way of a sign the funeral home printed for us) to share a memory of Daddy, or share a passage of Scripture or words of encouragement for the family. They could also just sign their name on a card if that's what they chose to do. People were packed around the table where we had this set up.  I saw many pick up a card and then take a seat to write.  I look through that book every time I'm at Mom's.  I love it.  I used the Project Life Heritage Core Kit as the accent pieces in this album. The colors in it are perfect for the somberness of the occasion - and an added plus is that my Daddy was a genealogy buff. I like that this kit gives a little hat tip to that part of his life.

 It has been three weeks today. As I look outside, it is a beautiful spring day. Not a cloud in the sky so the sunshine is almost blinding. The birds are singing. It is a glorious day.  And then I realize that the beauty out there today doesn't even begin to compare to the gloriousness my Daddy is experiencing in Heaven. I'm so thankful to know that he is in the presence of God!  It is the greatest comfort of all.

Crafting and Caramel Sauce

I've been wanting to make some cards with a watercolor background for quite some time. Dawn McVey posted a "Make It Monday" video for PTI featuring watercolored backgrounds and heat-embossed sentiments. I loved the look. So, one night after everyone but Harrison (it was his "special time") went to bed, we broke out the watercolor paper and one of those $1.99 kid's art kits I got at Michael's during the holidays. We set out to painting some backgrounds.

There's a "drop" at the top that is a little darker. That was an accidental drip of water from Buddy's brush. :) I left it and didn't try to blend it in.  The sentiment is from Wonderful Words: Birthday. The word "birthday" was stamped in Versamark and then heat embossed with white powder.  "Happy" and "to you" were stamped in Versafine Onyx Black. This was then mounted onto a panel of Tropical Teal and all that mounted onto a Rustic White base.   We gave this card to a good friend for his birthday - along with a jar of the best salted caramel sauce. Seriously, if you love caramel, you have got to try Brown-Eyed Baker's Salted Caramel Sauce. I like it in my coffee. And on a spoon. ;)  My friend, Kimberly, introduced me to the recipe. And for the record, I never use a thermometer when I make it. If I do, it burns - every. single. time. I have to go by how it looks and smells.




The next card Harrison wanted to make with me was his own. He chose these two colors - both in the "clay" family.  I painted the top part of the card - it is splotchy (which is the look I was going for). He painted the bottom, darker, smoother part of the card front. I stamped "Celebrate" from Think Big Favorites #13.  First, I tapped the stamp in Versamark, followed immediately PTI's Canyon Clay so that when I stamped onto the paper, the Versamark was on top and allowed me to heat-emboss with clear embossing powder.   We mounted this onto a Canyon Clay panel which was then put on a Rustic White base. Harrison was very pleased with how his card came out. :)

Then I got busy die cutting the word "birthday" from Wonderful Words: Birthday. I know several people have done it, but the first place I saw "stacked" die cuts was on JJ Bolton's blog. It was this layered "hello." (how fabulous is that?!) I knew as soon as I saw it that I wanted to do it, too.   Instead of a rainbow, I decided to do an ombre of blues: two layers each of Spring Rain, Blueberry Sky, Enchanted Evening topped with one layer of Rustic White. It is mounted on a Rustic White card that has been stamped with Circle Scribbles in Blueberry Sky and Enchanted Evening. I moved a stamp block that had some ink on it - and hit the "birthday". Arrrrrgh!  But, I decided to take a cue from Bob Ross and have a "happy accident." I stamped the scribbled lines on the word since everything was already glued together - the ink blobs just blend right in. The sentiment was stamped in Enchanted Evening. I love how this looks from the side...oops you can see how my "b" is lifting a little in this picture. Do me a favor, squint so you don't notice that part. ;)

My next crafting project is getting my pocket scrapping caught up. I'm anxious to get 2013 done so I can get into 2014 and break out my PTI Monthly Moments kits. I've been really inspired to make some fun changes by things I've seen the design team do. They're encouraging me to break out of my "boring" engineer-y box! :) 

Right Now: March 2014

Here is my Right Now as documented March 17, 2014:

• feeling: a little sad
• on the to-do list: sand chalkboard, remove wallpaper in the kids' bathroom
• my guilty pleasure: Papertrey Ink
• favorites: The Confident Mom Household Planner
• dreaming about: a new stove
• grateful for: the new refrigerator

When I wrote this some things had happened with some close friends that was heart-wrenching. However, now, my "a little sad" has taken on heaps of sadness and I am broken-hearted. I had no idea how three days later, my world would be shattered as I got a phone call from my mother. My daddy died at home sometime during the afternoon of March 20. She found him when she got home. We are still reeling and at some point I might be able to blog about it, about the comfort I have found in God's Word and in praying, and in the prayers of friends; of the hope I find in the Gospel. But right now, it's too raw and still too personal.

Girl Scouts and Our Faith

My girls are involved in Girl Scouts. We are reformed, evangelical Christians. I know, I can hear it now - "But, Girl Scouts support Planned Parenthood! Girl Scouts have been at pro-choice rallies in their uniforms! Girl Scouts are SO LIBERAL!"

I had a very long discussion at Sam's Club a few weeks ago when my girls' troop had a cookie booth.  I was approached by a young lady (in her 20s was my guess) who wanted to talk to me and ask me a few questions. She was very passionately pro-life (I'm sure she still is, but since this conversation happened a couple of weeks ago, I say she "was").  She was bothered by the fact that I, someone who identifies herself as I do, allows her children to participate in Girl Scouts. I understand her concerns. I've thought through them. Where do I stand?

Well, here's the deal, pickle:

• Our troop doesn't participate in Planned Parenthood rallies - and if they did, I would leave the troop.
• My children are not persecuted for our family's faith. If they were, I'd leave the troop. 
• We have the opportunity to be blessings to families much, much less fortunate than ours. There are some little girls in our troop whose families are barely making ends meet; where an uncle takes care of a girl and her siblings because the dad is gone and we suspect the mother is in prison. And we serve these families with great joy because we love Jesus. 
• Ultimately, though it comes down to this with me and Girl Scouts: I cannot hold a secular organization to my religious principles. If someone chooses to boycott everything that doesn't agree with their religious or personal values (and this can swing both ways, liberal friends) then they won't do anything or go anywhere. Not sure they'd be able to buy groceries, even, to eat at home. Now, that is not to say we shouldn't take a stand about something where we are passionate (pro-life lady didn't buy GS Cookies - it would've violated her conscience, I get that) or something that Christians are specifically told to avoid...we should.  This doesn't fall in either of those camps for me (the Bible doesn't say we should not participate in Girl Scouts). But, let me say that again in case you missed it the first time: I cannot hold a secular organization to my religious principles. I'm too much of a sinner to boycott every business whose leadership is committing some other kind of sin. 

As long as my troop continues to operate the way it does, we are not persecuted for our faith, and my children are interested, I will allow them to be in Girl Scouts.  The second any of that changes, we're gone. But for now - my conscience is not violated by my children participating in this activity.  If that bothers you, let's talk, please.  We may have to be like me and the young lady at Sam's - we may have to agree to disagree. Hopefully we can do it as civilly as she and I did.

And if you want some Girl Scout cookies - we'll sell them to you. Next year. I'm *done* for this year! (we sold over 1300 boxes)