Throw Back Thursday!

Good Thursday all my craft friends! I have one more day and then next week is Spring Break for the kiddos and we are planning on going camping.....YIPEEE! It is well over due, we haven't been since the first of the year, so we are chomping at the bit! :) If it's the season in your neck of the woods, I hope you have something special planned as well! :)

I have some things on my desk that I am working on, but nothing done save a little something, something I will share today. So, I am going to share a favorite piece that I did years ago as a Throw Back Thursday project.

I've mentioned before that I got into this whole art adventure by way of the Zentangle art form. I happened upon mixed media journaling and the like quite simply by accident. I was looking for something else on the internet and came across what is NOW my favorite thing to do! Since that time, because I went into mixed media full force, I haven't really done a whole lot of Zentangle, save doodling here and there in some mixed media projects. While doing my Pick A Stick Challenge for this month, we had to do some Zentangle and it kind of resurrected it in me. So, I pulled out a Zentangle tile and went to town!

As I am no CZT or even close, I couldn't begin to tell you what patterns these are, but hey, they all looked good together, so I just put them on there! LOLOL It really didn't take me long to do this tile because I was so excited about doing it after so long. It was fun and I will have to try to do more of these in the future. They really are relaxing to do as I am sitting around watching one of my favorite channels....Food Network! 

So, now for the Throw Back Thursday.......This was something I shared at the beginning of 2015 on my Google+ sharing. I don't think it ever made it to my blog, but some of you who have been my pal on Google+ for a couple of years, may remember it? I love, love this piece (can we say that about our own work?) and I don't think I will ever part with it because is really has deep rooted meanings for me!

The tree of life has been my mantra and in my spirit on several levels for a couple of years and I could talk about it every day! If we, who are called by His name, are rooted and ground, the fruit of that relationship will be full and blessed! It is my desire to continually seek a deeper relationship with my Father that I be the light He has called me to be! You can't be that unless your have a relationship with Him! God's Word says "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, CONTINUE to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness!" (Colossians 2:6-7) Yes!! That is the fiber I am talking about! That fiber is the very thread that holds it all together! Are you rooted and grounded? Seek Him today and allow those Living Waters to inundate you with amazing love, grace, mercy and LIFE!

So guess who was waiting for me this morning? Yep, Mr. Tigger! It wasn't too long after this shot that he assumed his position in my lap to warm me up as I filled the atmosphere with God's holy Word! I love my little buddy and companion! He sends a shout out across the waters to Oreo today! Meow! :)

Well that's my throwback today! What do you need to drag out and dust off! You never know what you may find! :)

Make it a blessed day today my friends!

March Pick A Stick Challenge & WOYWW #356

Good Wednesday all my crafty friends! It's skid in time as I bring to the table my March Pick A Stick Challenge from the Pick A Stick Group over on Facebook!  It also happens to be WOYWW #356 from over on Julia Dunnit's blog, Stamping Ground and obviously this is what's on my desk this morning! So far, CHALLENGE has been right! Phew! I may have even grown a few inches here lately due to all the stretching I have been having to do! LOLOL  It has been a lot of fun and I have so enjoyed seeing how everyone else has been stretching as well! Come over and join us if you will!! :)

This month's challenge was as follows:

The challenge this month turned out to not be so bad because mainly I got to use that marvelous gesso to COVER up a HUGE mess!! LOLOL I took photos to a point and then I forgot to take more...hee hee hee (one track mind at that point!) so then you will just see what I came up with.

Step 1 was to use something old. Well I decided to use a spread towards the back of my journal that had old run off sprays and paint on it. Perfect, since I couldn't think of anything else! LOL Step 2 called for some random stamping, so I had a few different stamp sets on my art desk, but the first one I saw was my February Layers of Life Kit from Unity. I had an idea whereby I would incorporate two or three, as it were, for one here. I did the random stamping and then took some scrap paper for Step 5 and stamped the same flower stamp on it and then decided to cut it out to use on top for Step 8! Yipee, check, check,check!!! LOLOL

Moving on to Step 3 YUCK and YUCK!!! I have never been successful with the whole transfer and image thing...not sure what I consistently DO WRONG!! So after a big gulp of coffee, I had to give it another go. So I took an image I had in my stash that I liked and got my gel medium out and tried to proceed with the transfer! Well as you can see from this picture, IT WAS A BUST! That was the biggest mess I could possibly make,to be sure! All I can say is THANK GOD FOR Step 4!!! LOL Step 4 was use......hello....BIG MESS COVER UP! LOL
gesso to cover up something

Step 5 was addressed earlier so on to Step 6, which was use your favorite color. Well I have a few which are all in the "fall color range." So I took one that I love in that range, which is burgundy or wine, whichever you want to call it, and scraped it on here and there with an old credit card. And then I moved to Step 7 which was use paint or ink and then close the book. So I got out my fave Daler Rowney Pearlescent Ink in Waterfall greene and did the whole drippage thing using some water and then closed it shut! It was quite the site when I
opened it back up, but I kind of liked it. Now, I deviated a little and added a little bit of Glimmer Mist Spray in Lily Pad to try to get some sparkle, but it didn't give me that much.

Step 8 was to add a picture, which was the stamped images I previously did on the scrap paper from Step 5. I actually colored the flowers using my Caran d'Ache crayons, but it was not vibrant enough for me so I ended up painting over that with my lovely Silks Acrylic Glazes. I loosely Mod Podged them down for placement because I knew I had two steps to go.

Time for Step 9! I loved this step because this actually brought me back to how I started art and art journaling in general!  I drug out all my old journals, dusted them off and pulled some ideas from them. With March going into April, it got me thinking about flowers, so That is why I used the stamped flowers as well as did the Zentangles in flowers. I thought it would be fun especially since I had planned to use Step 10, which was print out your own photos and cut them up, So I used my own photo and cut it out and put me amongst the flower garden!! I did some shading with my Stabilo pencil here and there and voila!!!

Lot's of fun and can't wait to start April's challenge where my brain will further stretch be perplexed! It's all good! LOL

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods and some of you are getting a glimpse of the light at the end of the Winter tunnel! We have had lovely Spring weather here and the trees are budding out and of course some of the sweet flowers are raising their little heads! The smells are in full blossom and it's still pleasant to sit outside in the evenings! I am enjoying it while I can because in Georgia, it doesn't last long! Can you say MOSQUITOS???? LOLOL

Have a blessed Wednesday full of the joy of the Lord, which is the gladness of heart that comes from KNOWING God, abiding in Christ and being filled with the Holy Spirit!

Tag It Tuesday (or Wednesday, hee hee) Time!

Happy Wednesday, AGAIN, all my crafty friends! :) As noted in my earlier post, I'm pulling up the rears again! :) St. Patrick's is over, but here in good old Dublin, Georgia, we have St. Patrick's all  month long! That being said, I feel safe to share my March Tag It Tuesday Challenge from over on Sheri Whitfield's blog Cards and More by Sheri, which is, of course, St. Patrick's Themed! 

Sheri's requirement this month was for us to use the Pantone color "Green Flash." Well, I got as close to that color as I possibly could and hopefully, I will be okeedokes! LOL

Many moons ago, I really didn't like the color green. I don't think it was the "green" necessarily as it was the shade of green. I still only like shades of "hunter" or "sage" green. I'm not a kelly green fan or bright green. That's my daughters' favorite color! But never the less, I had a great time making this tag. It was actually a quick tag because I already had a green tag as it were that I had gotten in a RAK. So I really didn't have to do too much to it!

I did take my liquitex clear gesso and give it a good coat because I wasn't sure what I was going to put on top, but I didn't want to lose the green color of the tag. I then took a vintage beige acrylic paint and scraped over here and there. After that I took my luscious Daler Rowney Pearlescent Liquid Acrylic Ink in Waterfall Green and placed it on my craft mat and dipped my old credit card in it and gave some markings to my tag. I then took my toilet paper roll and dipped it in that same ink and placed all around the tag as well. I also grabbed a couple of different bottle tops and dredged in the ink and beige acrylic and dotted around the tag.

I didn't really have anything that was "clover" looking for the St. Patrick's feel, so I thought I would use one of my favorite Julie Fei-Fan Balzer stencils (TCW281) Mini Lotus Blossom and some Silks Acrylic Glaze in Sunflower and have a "suddo" clover look! LOLOL Not really, but you get it! LOL And then I edged the tag out with the Pearlescent and some Distress Ink in Peeled Paint.                                                                                              I found this digital on one of the freebie vintage sites I follow and thought it was perfect. I wanted the clover behind the Saints head to stand out, so I printed the digital twice and cut the clover out of one and glued it to some manila paper and then I took my archival ink pad from Wendy Vecchi in Fern Green and patted it all over the clover and then covered it with Fern Green embossing powder and heat set it. I lost the veins in the clover when I did that, so I just took my Micro pen and drew them back on the clover. I then took the second digital and cut around the top part of the saint and his staff and slipped the embossed clover in and glued it down using Aleene's. Not really sure how effective it is to the reader, but up close you can see it good. I just wanted the saint to pop off a little.

I Mod Podged the Saint down and then shaded using my favorite Faber Castell Big Brush Pen in Nougat and then added a little zip and bling using Finnabair's Art Ingredients Glass Glitter in Copper and glitter from the Abloom set. I added a little jewel and ribbon and voila!

Even though this month's green is not necessarily the shade of green I like, I look forward to seeing more and more of it reveal itself in our community as it paves the way for a beautiful summer! I hope you all are having a happy spring wherever you are and that you are expecting a fabulous weekend full of family and friends!

Blessings!

WOYWW #355

My look these days!

Hidee Ho Wednesday all my crafty friends! You know the old adage "the further I go, the behinder I get?" Yep, that's me! It seems that, lately, my stretches in between blogging is s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g!!! LOLOL As my norm I am bringing up the rear with all my monthly challenges! Oh bother, as Eeyore would say!!! LOL Looks like at some point in my life, I'd figure out that time is NOT on my side!!! LOL But, as I have noted before, I try to let the other things in my life, you know, like family and my job, take precedence over my artsy fun time!

March is crazy for  me because of our month long St. Patrick's extravaganza in our town. I happen to live in Dublin - Georgia, that is, and we take St. Patrick's pretty seriously here! So, for the whole month everyone is crazy on edge with all sorts of festival activities. Last weekend was what we call Super Saturday whereby most of the shenanigans blossom and end. We had fun this year with lovely unexpected weather. It was supposed to rain, which was terrible because my daughter is in the band at her school and they were supposed to march. But alas, it was fabulous weather and all was a go! I hope you all had a wonderful St. Patty's Day! :)

So I will share a quick pic peek of what was on my desk this morning for WOYWW #355. Pretty much it is all the digs for my monthly challenges. I will be sharing one of those challenges with you today in another post, so hop on over to see that post later today!

To the left is my very FULL art journal whereby I am working on my March Pick A Stick Challenge and I hope to show that to you tomorrow! That journal has been the best journal. It is Diane Reaveley's small art journal, to which I love! She really knew what she was doing when she designed her journals and they are so much fun to work in. I really want to get the square one that she came out with last year, but as all things do, it must wait until my wallet get's a little fuller! :)

Down from the journal is my March Tag It Tuesday Challenge tag to which I will be sharing with you in my next post today (I know right? Two in one day when I find it hard to blog in general.....geesh!) And pretty much everything else on that desk top is crafty goodness that I used in both projects and love and am so thankful for!!

Tigger's fave spot....my lap! :)

While at church last week, I was really convicted (as I so often am) about my priorities. In general, I am very good with making God first in my life. My normal routine is up by 5:00am to do a cup of Joe and spend time with my Father in Heaven and allow Him to minister to me whatever His will is for the day! I usually have my trusty sidekick Tigger right there with me in my lap keeping my legs warm and being the faithful listener as I read and speak God's Word into the atmosphere of our home. (He's the ONLY male that will sit and listen to me with full attention...ha ha ha ha!) But God spoke to me about other priorities in my life that still involve HIM! The main one was, if God was to look at my checkbook register, where would it appear all my money was going? Uh oh!!!

I will say that even though I was most certainly convicted, I am not too bad in that area because I usually NEVER have money to spare, hee hee, but it would seem when I do, I am hot and heavy on checking out the "sales" on my favorite crafty websites. While I don't know that God is necessarily unhappy with me for my crafting, I know that I should be more wise with what He has given me! God can't bless us with more, if we aren't good servants with what He gives us initially!

God's Word is very specific in that He states, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matt 6:33) What things? ALL things! God most certainly wants to bless us, but we need to be about His business first, thereby paving the way for His eternal blessings. It's about obedience! God can't, and I daresay won't, bless us further if we can't be good stewards of what we already have.

So as I looked at my work desk this morning and marveled at all the crafty goodness I already have, I knew I needed to heed God's ministry to me and enjoy what I have....more is not necessarily needed! I probably have enough crafty goodness in my art closet to float a boat! LOLOLOL This is my conviction, so don't take it as yours, unless it ministers to you as well. I believe "treats" are ok from time to time, but too much of anything can give you a cavity! LOLOL

Make it a great Wednesday my friends and many blessings to you! :)

Hey, it's Wednesday! :)

Happy Wednesday all my crafty friends! Boy, has this week flown by or what? Geesh, a person could get whip lash with how fast time is flying by anymore! That may have something to do with my age, but we won't talk about that....it would take too long...LOLOLOL!! Here's hoping that you are having a FABULOUS day so far! :)

It's Wednesday and although I am not a regular on the WOYWW circuit, I enjoy doing it. Mostly because, mid week, I don't have finished projects, so it's a good post when you don't have anything finished to post! LOLOL So today is WOYWW#353. You can pop on over to Stamping Ground's blog and find out all about WOYWW and see all the folks participating, visit their blogs and enjoy all their craftiness as well! :)

Not a whole lot going on on this work desk accept a lot of MESS! That being said, besides the mess still left on my desk from my last project, I do have a few tags that I have been working on as I look forward to finishing my Tag It Tuesday Challenge over on Cards and More by Sheri's blog. The theme for this month, using Pantone colors is green!! It's a bright green too, so I don't think I have quite hit the mark yet! I've been playing, but I think I will have to go in another direction. But hey, these can be great starter backgrounds for something else right?

The other pretty on my desk is a die cut with a lovely sentiment stamped on it from my good friend Wanda Hentges over on Arts by Wanda! Wanda is such a sweetie and is an amazing card creator! She is so gifted an talented in general, but cards are her specialty for sure! Pop on over to her website and check out all the lovely creations that she designs for various Design Teams. Wanda gifted me some things last year and in the box was a huge bag of odds and ends which included many die cuts. This one is beautiful and I have to find just the right project to put it on!

The sentiment "There is always something to be thankful for" really spoke to my heart! I try to ALWAYS be cognizant of ALL that my Father in Heaven is to and for me and ALWAYS remain in a place of thanksgiving before Him. Our Pastor noted on Sunday that often times people find it hard to have a conversation with God, but if you can't find something to say to Him at any given moment, the least you can say is THANK YOU!! For what you may say? For ANYTHING and EVERYTHING! I would be NOTHING without my Father in Heaven so I am ALWAYS thankful and greatful!

In God's Word it says in Psalm 95:2 "Let us come into His presence with Thanksgiving; let us shout with songs of praise to Him." God is the Father of petitions, but I believe He firstly loves for us to come before Him with worship, praise and exaltations before we lay those petitions at His feet! God inhabits the praises of His people! He is SO worthy to be honored and praised and a heart that flows out of thanksgiving and praise is a heart earnest before the Lord! It's not that He doesn't or won't honor those petitions, but He desires our passion and praises first! It's out of those praise that He can then bless you!

There is indeed ALWAYS something to be thankful for and today, my prayer is that you "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; given thanks to Him and praise His name!" Psalm 100:4

Blessings for a beautiful Wednesday! :)

Colorful "Peeks!"

Heyo all my crafty friends! :) It's a B-E-A-utiful Tuesday here in Georgia! Springtime snippets are in the air and Mother Nature is starting to "peek" through some color here and there as we get excited for the buds to come to full fruition and gaze once again upon God's masterpiece canvas! I't so exciting to see how He can artfully incorporate every color of the rainbow and then some we have never even thought about from His pallette into our lives! I continue to be astonished by the beauty of His hand! I'm so thankful that I am able to behold His goodness in that form!

That got me thinking that I wanted to do a colorful project! Now, color for me is still not Carolyn Dube project...ha ha ha, but my attempts at "colorful" are still muted down at best! I'm trying though! I'm getting better at it!! So today I will share a project that had been on my mind to do and was sooooo fun, quick and easy!

I started with a wood canvas that I won a couple of years ago on a blog hop and had never used it. I pulled out my Art Basics Heavy Gesso from Finnabair's line with Prima and coated the canvas with two coats. I then just pulled out several stencils and applied some of my homemade texture past through them on the top and sides

While the gesso was drying I pulled out my "lost things" bucket and just started pulling out items that I could use in the project. Gosh, the things you pull out that you've stuffed in there over time is really amazing. I will pull things out thinking, "did I really save that?" LOL But for the most part I'm glad of the things I save! If you don't have one, you should, they can be invaluable in future projects. By the way, a really good friend of mine, who knows how much I love to craft and create, got very ingenuitive herself this past Christmas and had actually made me a "lost things" bucket of her own out of an old pickle jar. She had been throwing stuff in that jar all year long that she though I might like or could use in my projects. She decorated the outside, attached a handle and gave it to me for Christmas! Wasn't that most rockin gift ever????????

The older I get, my memory seems to fade here and there...hee hee hee...so when I do canvas projects, I always place the items on the canvas like I think I want them and then take a picture with my phone because goodness knows, I will never remember how I had it ten minutes later after I've gesso'd them! LOLOL

I then put on two coats of the heavy gesso on the "lost things" as well.When I do collage projects like this, I like to keep out two or three pieces of the "lost things" that I don't want to cover with gesso that I add on at the end of the project as "focal pieces," I guess you would say.  So I went ahead and designated the ones I wanted, put them to the side and then began to dry the pieces with my heat tool.

After I gesso'd my pieces, I then reassembled them on the canvas and then pulled out all the fun color! I really only wanted to used my stash of spray inks so I pulled out some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists in Sunflower, Sweet Pea and Blue Skies and then my Lindy's Stamp Gang sprays in Tibetan Poppy Teal and Cattail Copper Brown. Now, back on the fact that I am not as colorful as I should be, those are my "go to" colors like......all the time!! I know, I need to snap out of it and get shocking don't I??? Baby steps, baby steps! LOLOL I also pulled out my Archival Inks in Cornflower Blue and Watering Can and stamped using one of my fave background stamps around the background.

After spraying layers and layers of color until I got it just the way I wanted it, I then reassembled the pieces, adhering with some good old Aleene's! When I was done, I added some bling here and there, and incorporated some Art Ingredients Glass Beads in Butter. I also took out my Viva Inka Golds in Gold and Steel Blue and rubbed on here and there. I finished by spritzing some Perfect Pearls Mist in Biscotti in spots. It's so hateful that I don't have quality photos because the color and shimmer really are gorgeous in real life. Voila! My spring color "peek!"

Doing these kinds of projects are so much fun to me because I can take loads of stuff and put together, never know what the outcome will be! I actually had a different vision when I started this project, but hey, I like how it turned out in the end a lot better!

That's how God operates in my life as well! I take a whole lot of stuff in my life and throw it together sometimes, calling myself "running the show," but God tell us in His Word "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord!" (Isaiah 55:8) I am so glad, because just like that canvas, I am always happier with the way it turns out as opposed to my idea of things!!! I love how my GREAT BIG GOD operates on my behalf! ALWAYS looking out for me ALWAYS wanting what is best for me and His vision and plan for my life! I will praise Him allllllll dayyyyy longggg for that! :)

Trust His vision for you life today, won't you? Blessings to you! :)

Catting Around!!

Happy Friday all my crafty friends!! Yippeeeeeeee, it's the end of the week and another glorious LAUNDRY DAY is amongst us!!!!!! LOLOLOL Just kidding....although somewhat true! LOLOL I do look forward to the weekends for many reasons, but not for the laundry that is for sure!! I hope you have big plans of family and fun!

Today will not really be a "crafty" show and tell day! I am going to be posting pictures of my shadow today at the request of my fellow online art crafter/friend and cat lover Zsuzsa!!! This guy is our little miracle! We found him as a kitten, along with his sister, in some fields at a birthday party and, of course, my girls begged me to bring them home. Being the pushover mom that I am, I relented and home they came. They were the cutest pair ever! We had so much fun with them and our dog accepted them like they were family! But then.....dunt dunt dahhhhhhhh.....my husband proceeded to bring a puppy home that he found at the dump!!! Well once again, pushover mom relented! Well as all things do.....that pup grew up! He was fine at first because he was a pup, but the older he got, and larger, he got aggressive with the cats so we moved them to my husbands cabinet shop to be the resident "shop cats."

Well longer story short, the neighbors had some aggressive bulldogs and one evening my nephew, who worked at our cabinet shop, arrived to find the one cat had been mauled to death and they just about killed my little shadow here whose name is Tigger! We rescued him from those beasts and brought him back home. The deal was though, I was not leaving him out to the other mongrel we had in the yard, that boy was going to be inside where I could take care of him! We already had one cat inside, so we were used to an inside cat, but the "other cat" was used to being the ONLY cat inside so now we had a war on the inside as well! LOLOL (To this day, they aren't buddies!) Well we doctored that poor baby up and he is now the most spoiled rotten cat on this earth! So for you cat lovers and for YOU ZSUZSA, meet Tigger!

I don't move that he doesn't move with me! He likes me to carry him around on my shoulder, like a baby! And he is CONSTANTLY calling me! My husband laughs and says, "well, you wanted him inside, now you got him!" I just say that's jealousy!!! LOLOLOL He is the most loving, fun to play with and cuddle up cat ever! His favorite spot, like his over the seas cat pat Oreo, is under the covers. If you can't find him, that's where he will be. He also loves laying right in front of the heater, lounging as if he's at a spa. I don't get those luxuries! Something wrong with that picture by the way!

He loves to play and his favorite toys are the rubber bands that my husband uses to keep his pants down in his boots. You will see him hopping and flip flopping around the house as he bats those rubber bands from one end to the other!! As I said, he is my shadow, so I can't go anywhere without him....NOT EVEN TO THE BATHROOM.....or this may be the scene: MOM, MOM, MOM, MAMA, MOTHER......PLEASE LET ME IN!!!!!  And I'm not joking either!!!  It's quite comical because in between all those shenanigans are two teenage girls doing the SAME EXACT THING!!! Life as a mom, in whatever form we come in!!! LOLOLOL

But at the end of the day, he's just my little Tig Tig buddy and I love him like one of my kiddos! Every time I turn around my girls are wanting me to bring home another one, to my LOUD, I don't think so's! "But Mom," they say, "You could be like the cat lady down the street, wouldn't that be fun?" Folks, she has like 30 cats and they ALLLLL live inside! LOLOL I'm thinking that's a big NOPE!!!

What about you? Do you have a baby that you can't claim taxes on? They are so much fun to love and so good for our souls! Wouldn't give a million dollars for him!!

You have a blessed weekend! :)

Rooted and Grounded!

Good Wednesday all my crafty friends! It's another AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL day in Georgia! I tell you, we don't usually have an "identified" spring here in Georgia....it usually goes from winter straight to summer (uggghhhh!), but we really are having some beautiful springtime weather right now! I hope Mother Nature is blessing you where ever you reside! 

Today I am going to share a quick tag with you that I just love! The symbolism for this tag has a deep rooted meaning for me as a believer in Christ! Trees are amazing structures and hold so much meaning to me. I love the out of doors and nothing is more soothing to me than to go on a big hike and where I can gaze upon beautiful trees and hear the wind as it rustles through them. Hiking always gives me the opportunity to convene with the Creator of those amazing structures, Father God!  The Tree of Life is beautiful reminder to me that I am "rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." (Colossians 2:7) The Tree of Life has been my mantra resonating in my spirit for about two years now. I LOVE it! :)

I was so excited to do this tag that I zoomed through it! I really love when that happens though because I know, for me, that it was a "God thing!" I was stoked when I got my January Unity Stamp Layers of Life Kit in because the stamp, once again, confirmed what had been resonating in me. I stamped the beautiful tree with VersaMark and then heat embossed using black embossing powder. I then simply sprayed Tattered Angels in various colors and then flicked water here in there for some textured look. I did some "faux" stitching around the edges with my Micron Pen and used it as well for my sentiment. I highlighted with my white Signo Pen. I edged the tag with black ink and voila! :)

The core of who I am is in Christ and I want to always be reminded that my roots run deep enabling me to be all that God has called me to be! As I grow in Christ allowing the proper pruning where He sees it's needed, and then being obedient to His call on my life, I know that the fruit will be evident in my walk. I want to honor Him in all I say and do!

Have a blessed day! :)

Pick A Stick Challenge!

Good Monday all my crafty friends! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!! Here is Georgia, is was just AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL! It was a spring time weekend for sure! Beautiful blue skies and gorgeous temps in the 70's! We took full advantage of that spending lots of time with my family members! It's a good day when you spend it with your loved ones!!!!!

Well, to keep on course (hee hee), I am submitting my Pick A Stick journal challenge (#PASC216) by skidding in at the last minute!!! LOLOL Can you see the smoke from my skid marks??? LOLOL This is the second month for this challenge that some pretty crafty ladies over on Facebook started this year! I'm enjoying it, albeit continuously late! :))))) Peg Adkins Robinson drew sticks this month and sticks were as follows:
1. Add a die cut
2. Journal
3. Foil
4. Cut or rip your page
5. Add Metal
6. Use Gelli print or scribble
7. Use a knapkin
8. Add dots, stars or shapes
9. Add wings
10. Draw in wet paint

I began this journal spread with a coat of gesso. The first thing on the list was add a die cut, so I proceeded to make some die cuts based on the number seven item which was use a napkin. I had a beautiful napkin that was gifted to me through a RAK that I just loved. So based on knowing that I was going to use that, I decided to do a butterfly die cut along (that took care of number one and number nine!) with flower die cuts. I heat embossed the butterfly with Wendy Vecchi's Watering Can embossing powder and then I took some deli paper and and painted with Silks Acrylic Glaze in Sky Blue and then cut and adhered to the back of the butterfly.  I then took another set of flower die cuts from Sizzix and cut out flowers using book page.  Number three called for foil, but I don't have any foil, so I took an old candy bar wrapper (thanks for the idea Peg!) and cut it open and die cut a couple of flower pieces from it!!! Yay me! LOL  I then used some Lindy's Stamp Gang sprays and Tattered Angels Mists and sprayed the parts of the flowers and then put them all together along with the candy wrapper pieces.

Number four called for ripping or cutting your page so I took out Tim Holtz's distress tool and distressed the edges, which to me, constituted as "ripping!" LOLOL I then wen to number five and pulled out some metal pieces that will go in the center of my flowers at the end.

After gessoing the page I adhered part of the napkin to my page and then cut out some pieces and some of the flowers from the rest of the napkin as well as some scrap gelli paper pieces (number six) and mod podged to the rest of the page.did some journaling here and there with some favorite sayings which was number two in the list. The page was a little loud for me, so I knocked everything back with some more gesso and that made it have some flowers in the background and then I would choose to bring out some of the other flowers by further painting them and then using the die cut flowers as well to bring some of the flowers to the forefront. I then added those metal pieces that I pulled out for number five.

I enhanced the little birdie that was on the napkin with some silks acrylic glaze and then did some background stamping as well for further texture. For more texture number eight called for adding dots, stars or shapes. So I added dots with some gesso through a dot stencil from Crafters Workshop. I finished by distressing the edges with Distress Ink in Peacock Feathers and Vintage Photo, added my sentiment and voila!!! Now, I know what you are saying.....what happened to number 10???? Yea......I forgot that one! Ooops! I didn't realize it until I went to do this post! So, I guess I don't get a gold star this month! LOLOL

I really enjoy doing these challenges because it really gets me out of my comfort zone and it makes me use products and bits and bobbles that were maybe on the back shelf that need to be pulled out again! It's great fun!

I look forward to next months challenge and I hope you will come along! You can ask to join on the Pick A Stick Challenge Facebook page! :)

Blessings