Enjoy Life

Another Color Me Monday challenge! I want to showcase the new colors that we have with the new release of the September/Fall Idea book at my open house on Saturday Sept. 11th and Jeanette Lynton has three of those colors as a color combo! Sweet!! I didn't have any smoothie card stock (yet) so I inked up a brayer with smoothie ink and brayered the debossed side of an embossing folder, put the white daisy card stock in to the folder and ran it through my die cutting machine. The white flowers showed through and I sponged over them with smoothie ink.

Check out the stamp of the month from August (Something Splendid).

Can't wait 'til Monday rolls around again!

Card stock: Desert Sand, White Daisy

Ink: Desert Sand, Smoothie, Pear, Sky

Patterned Paper: Magnifique, Olivia

Stamp set: Something Special

Embellishments: Shimmer Brad, 3D Foam Tape

Techniques: Sponging, Embossing Folder, Direct to Paper ink, Paper Crumpling.

You Rock

Whew, where did the time go??

I've always been intrigued by creative challenges, but don't always have the time to play along. But once I do, I'm so glad that I did! It always brings me to a place I probably would not have gone creatively.

For this challenge, it's pretty simple. Our founder Jeanette Lynton has a post each Monday with color combinations, plus she has photos of what she's made with them, layouts, cards and some altered items. It always seems to get my engine running if I'm at a standstill in my creative flow.

Here's my version. In all honesty, these are my least favorite colors, but I am satisfied with the results and I'm glad I played along!

Check out her blog by clicking here, or on the link on the right of my blog, you may be challenged too!

Cardstock: Cranberry, Outdoor Denim, Bamboo, Crystal Blue (CTMH)

Patterned Paper: Caboodle

Stamp: You Rock (CTMH)

Embellishment: Chipboard Stars (CTMH)

Other: Embossing Folder Stars (Quickutz)

Technique: Sanding, Stipple

For Someone Else

I have several blogs I follow, many I scan through quickly and some catch my attention. This post (Taylored Expressions) happened to grab me and inspire me to make something for someone else. Someone I am sure to never meet.

I am saddened to think of women that bear children only to have them for a few minutes in their life, if at all. Complications are obvious in some situations, in others, there is no explanation why a baby dies. Leaving parents with endless thoughts of "why"?

I have a close friend who is remembering the sadness in the loss of their baby girl a year ago this month. I see her smile and she is herself but a part of her is just not the same, my heart goes out to her. It pains me to think there is nothing that I can do to comfort her, she has to do bear it herself.

With that in mind, I was compelled to participate in this card drive and I hope that you can find it in your heart to participate too. Click on this link to get all the details.

I followed the Taylored Expressions sketch challenge which freed up my 'thinking' time for a card layout. It's simplistic with many options.

I also follow Jennifer McGuire Ink. on her blog (she also has ongoing card drives, please check them out!) and incorporated a technique she demonstrated and I am very pleased with them. I made several very similar to what you see here, if not the same.

Here are the details:

Paper Pack: Veranda

Ink: Cocoa

Brads: Antique

Embossing Powder: CTMH Silver Pearl

Stamp Set: Butterfly Kiss

Hemp: Natural

God Bless You!

Pat The Rat

All the products used are from CTMH. If you love them click on my button here or on the right side of the blog and shop!

AMERICAN IDOL

We loved the season David Cook won the title and being so close to the cities, we decided to take a little trip and check out the whole thing for ourselves!! Then of course when he became even more cool and famous he actually came to our neighboring city so we saw him again when it was just him!! Woo Hoo!

Either way, we had a ton of fun. Stadium photos are so horrible, especially when you're trying to get in the picture yourself while holding the camera!! Anyway, they're special memories for us so I don't really care how they turned out!!

I've raved about my digital cutter from Silhouette America and I had to get my hands on the new rhinestones and patterns the sil cuts for them. I'm in love with the incredible amount of possibilities the silhouette has to offer, and they keep coming out with new things to try!!

This layout features the rhinestones.

Rhinestone Detail

Blessings!!

Pat The Rat

Products used:

CTMH: Notebook paper pack,

Creative Memories: Large circle cutter

Silhouette: Rhinestones

In another post I will be showing my vinyl creation for my scrapping room wall, so fun!!

Waiting Upon The Lord

My card took a bit longer than I had hoped it would to create. I wasn't happy with how it was turning out so a few tweaks here and tucks there and finally I had to decide it was done. The ultimate encouragement comes from the Lord and this verse states that ever so clearly. If you are at all like me, you run ahead of the Lord and think you can handle whatever you face each day. I tend to wait until my needs or concerns are so large that I can't imagine dealing with it without intervention from God. But, if I've learned anything, He wants to be a part of our lives in everything, not just what we assume are "God sized" things.

Blessings!

Pat The Rat

Products used:

CTMH: Veranda paper pack

Quickutz: Diamonds & Dots embossing folder.

Our Daily Bread: On Eagles Wings stamp set

Unknown: Ribbon (re-used from gift :) )

Technique: Colored Pencils and blending.

Top Stitch Creations

I've been able to sneak away and create some cards. In keeping with my desire to use my new purchases at least three times before they get put away with their counterparts, I was able to use all things new (to me) on these cards! I am so glad I decided to do this!!

The new release of our Idea Book with CTMH brings new paper, which is my favorite purchase. I never second guess a purchase of paper from CTMH as they are always more stunning in person than in the book.

As usual, my photos do not portray the paper and colors as I had hoped. I must get the lighting situation fixed. I love natural light but it's hard to find at 5 in the morning, which is when I am usually blogging! At least you can see the detail.

Here's the list of products used. You can purchase them for yourself at my website and I'll list the items not from CTMH with their websites too!

God Bless!

Pat The Rat

My design is not my own, I copied to a certain degree a sample on the Hero Arts blog.

CTMH: Top Stitch paper pack, Soft Suede Pinwheels, Bitty Sparkles, Colonial White Mini Medley Accents.

Quickutz: Lines & Dots Embossing Folder

Our Daily Bread Designs: Sentiment

Papertrey Ink: Twine

Spring Idea Book Release!

Welcoming the new year includes welcoming a new IDEA BOOK straight from Close To My Heart! It's chock full of new ideas, new layouts and of course new paper and stamps that we just can't live without!

I encourage you to contact me to get a copy of your own (johnsonp33@gmail.com). Until you do, you can check it out on my website!

God Bless You!

Pat the Rat