Where Have I Been? UGH!!!

HI ALL!!!

I'm so sorry to have been away so long. It's been a wild and crazy couple of weeks around here....with some sorrowful moments. I haven't had a minute of crafty time since around the 20th of May. I was in withdrawals then I couldn't find my mojo....it was gone for quite a while. I'm sorry to the challenge hostesses that I am tardy with. I am trying to make up for it all in one post...forgive me.

*The Crafters of Faith blog group challenge (should have been up the last day of May) was to create a card with the inspiration of "a basket full of flowers".

*The Twisted Tuesday Challenge this week is to use a touch of purple in your creation and the Twist is add baker's twine.

*The Crafty Gals blog group challenge today is to make a Summery/Vacation themed creation with patterned paper and 2 embellishments.

Here's what I created to encircle all three:

For the Crafters of Faith challenge I made a "pot" and filled it with flowers made with the Itty Bitty Punch pack punches from SU! I free hand cut my leaves. Then added some pearls to the purple flowers.

For the Twisted Tuesday challenge....just a few purple flowers with the same paper mat behind and some lucky limeade twine at the top.

For the Crafty Gals challenge....yes, this is Summery with the vibrant flowers but it is also Vacation-like to me. Why you say? I remember a trip we took to the Biltmore Home a few years ago. That place is so beautiful...the home itself is enormous and so detailed but being the garden lover that I am...the grounds were my favorite part. I remember large flower gardens with some of the most vibrant blooms you've ever seen. When I got my little pot together, it reminded me of those that I saw at Biltmore.

My purple flower and matted background are patterned paper and I used pearls and twine as my two embellishments.

I hope you like my first creation since my "hiatus"! :)

As you read this post and visit my blog today, I am in my crafty room getting inky. I'm on a roll! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Be sure and visit the sweeties in my blog groups. The Crafty Gals are listed in my right sidebar. The Crafters of Faith ladies are in my left sidebar. The link to Twisted Tuesdays is in my left sidebar at the top. We hope to see you there!!! :)

Until next time...

Blessings...

Melina

I'm So Behind!!!!

Yes, I'm so behind I'm combining challenges!

I am in a couple blog groups on SCS. The last day of the month I am too post a creation for a Crafters of Faith challenge. On the 5th of the month, I'm to post for the Crafty Gals blog group. Well, I've been so sick that I just haven't felt like getting things done.....and that doesn't just apply to crafting. LOL

I've felt bad for a over a month. Ugh....being sick stinks. But, I've made myself get into my craft room.

The Crafters of Faith challenge was hosted by Olga. She wanted to see a 5x7 card for Mother's with a die cut.

The Crafty Gals challenge is hosted by Tracie. She wanted to see a creation for someone we love using at least 3 layers, 2 embellishments and 1 sentiment.

Here's what I came up with for both...

You know me...the Clean and Simple lady....I barely got the 3 layers in (and they're not full layers!). My circle and scallop behind are my die cuts. I hope a name counts as a sentiment! LOL

My embellishments are melon mambo polka dot ribbon (I'm hoarding this retired stuff!) and some pretty pink flowers I got in a package from Darlene this week (hiya Sweetie! Thank you). I added some green pearls to the middles and that's it!

I've never made a 5x7 size card before. Thank you Olga for getting me out of my comfort zone! I enjoyed it. :)

Thank you for stopping by.

I hope you can stop by the other Crafty Gals blogs today and see what they made!

Until next time...

Blessings...

Melina

Crafters of Faith March Challenge

Hi!

Today is the day for some "faithful crafting". :~)

One of my blog groups, The Crafters of Faith, monthly challenge is due the last day of each month. Carolina is our hostess this month. Here's what she wanted us to do:

1. Try to use a lighthouse in your project or something that represents LIGHT in your world/life.
2. Use at least two different scrap of designer paper.
3. Since the theme is light use some bling on your card/project.

I don't have a lighthouse image :( So, I had to use THE LIGHT, well not the big Man Himself....but something HE made :)

My sun image is from Close to my Heart. I got this stamp set from a "scrapbook yard sale" for $1!!!! Woooooo! Whooooo! :) I love finding a bargain!!!

My scrap dp is exactly that, from my scrap box. I do believe both came from a Die Cuts with a View stack, since I'm a 12x12 paper stack NUT! I got stacks upon stacks upon stacks.........but all were bought on sale. I love that 40% off printable coupon to Hobby Lobby. Or even better, the weeks they put them on 1/2 off. Yeah baby!

I didn't want to cover up too much of the middle paper so I used a sentiment from Fundamental Phrases (SU!) and cut it tiny :)

 

I hope you like my cheery card!

Be sure to check out my "sisters" blogs. I can't wait to see what they created for Carolina's challenge!

That blog list is located in my left sidebar.

 

Until next time...

Blessings...

 

Melina

Crafters of Faith February Challenge

Hiya!

Happy March!

Today the Crafters of Faith blog group is posting their creations from Jackie's challenge last month. She wanted us to make our project with this in mind:

1. a loving card but no red & white combos (stick with love but without the Valentine's theme)

2. Use something of Nature on your creation.

3. Use at least 1 circle

Here's what I came up with...

I used my SU! Watercolor Trio stamp set for the image piece and sentiment. I thought the sentiment went very well with the theme.

This card has a western feel to it to me. Does it you? The little piece to the right of the image panel really reminds me of the designs on a western shirt..

I hope you can check out what the other girls made today. Their blogs are listed in my left sidebar (scroll down just a little).

Have a good one.

Until next time...

Blessings...

Melina

The Crafters of Faith are Praying for You!

Hello everyone!

Today is the last day of the month. It's also February 29th Hello! Leap year baby! :)

Today is usually the day that we Crafters of Faith post our latest challenge card. Well Jackie, who is our hostess this month needs some hugs. She has suffered some personal heartaches and hasn't been able to check in a lot. We love her to pieces and just really didn't want to post our February creations without her. So, until she is able, we will postpone our February challenge. Stay tuned though! :)

So, Kelly told us to go ahead with a card today. She said we could consider this a "freebie" :)

Yay, I love those! How easy right?!!!

I'm keeping Jackie in mind with this one

Sweetie, please know that....

Big Hugs Jackie

Thank you all for stopping by today! Please check back soon!

Until next time...

Blessings...

Melina

A Creation....Creation

Well, did I stump you with my title?

I'll explain:

I'm in a group on SCS called the "Crafters of Faith". We will be having monthly challenges the last day of each month. This is our first one! Yay! 

Kelly, our fearless leader (hi Kel), challenged us to make a card showing what Creation (you know, our Lord's handy work? ain't it wonderful?!) meant to us.

She said:

"So for the first challenge this month, I was compelled to draw from the book of Genesis since this is beginning of the group's "creation" and to include the colors yellow (sun), blue (ocean), green (foliage, grass) and/or Brown (land), and anything from the sun, moon and stars to animals, trees, birds, flowers, Adam and Eve :), etc"

So, here's what I came up with:

I cut a few circles with my nesties and Cricut. The center white circle I sponged with bashful blue, delightful daffodil, old olive and chocolate chip inks. Then I stamped the tree from the Thoughts and Prayers set and added green leave and red berries.

Creation means so many things to me. I just couldn't get away from the colors you see when you step outside and the fact that a mighty tree grows from a tiny seed. That is amazing. The things around us are so beautiful and our Lord made them all!

Thank you Kelly for such a meaningful challenge. I loved creating my Creation card :~)

Please be sure and visit all the other Crafters of Faith. You can find links to their blogs in my left sidebar. They are all such wonderful ladies. I feel blessed to be a part of this great bunch. HUGS to my "Faithful" girls! ;)

Have a great day!

Until next time...

Blessings...

Melina

Crafters of Faith Mini Challenge

Hi everyone! 

Are you having a great weekend so far? I hope so.

The Crafters of Faith (blog group over on SCS) are having a mini challenge. Our fearless leader Kelly, Hi sweetie, assigned each of us someone in the group. We were to give that someone a color challenge, at least 3 colors. Liz, over at Right Brain Madness, gave me the colors, Red, White and Black! She is wonderful b/c that is a favorite combo of mine! Here's what I came up with...

I love Nature stamps and Silhouette Sentiments (retired hostess set from SU) is a favorite meal of mine. I haven't inked it up in a while. I'm glad I went with it here.

My Moon turned out a lot better than I expected. I used a sponge dauber inked in black and a white gel pen for the details.

Until next time...

Blessings...

Melina

supplies:

Word Play and Silhouette Sentiments stamps

3 heart & circle punches

basic black and real red inks

white, basic black and real red c/s

real red satin ribbon and basic black grosgrain ribbon