Poultry in Motion

Just for fun, I decided to play along with this week's Less is More: Humour challenge.



I used a variety of techniques to color my chickens (Art Impressions-Rhode Island Rocketts).  The background shading is watercoloring using the same color ink as the paper (CTMH Bamboo).  The white highlighting was done using a paint brush and pigment ink (CTMH White Daisy).  The beaks and feet were colored with Copics (E21, E53, R00).

  Here's a close up of the wavy banner.  I don't expect the wave to last in the mail, but it makes for a fun picture. The sentiment is also from Art Impressions (Poultry in Motion).

This one is going in my "Blank" folder for now. I've used this as an anniversary card in the past, but I think it could also be a fun birthday card.  Or for any occasion which calls for kicking up heels!

Until next time,
Becca

Cool Dude

Okay...I have to admit, I stole this idea from Kath's Blog and I have been waiting for the next Heart2Heart challenge to create it.  I added stitching (using Tamytha Jenkins' idea) just so it could qualify for this week's challenge!!



I used four different CTMH sets for this: Perfect Fit-Dad (mustache), Puns of Praise (glasses), A Typeface (DUDE), and Charm Uppercase (C and L, retired).  I could have just as easily used the "DAD" stamp out of Perfect Fit-Dad because I plan to use this for Father's Day. But I just liked "Cool Dude" better.

Hee, hee!

Until next time,
Becca

OWH Blog Hop with Color Dare Reprise

I saw the cutest dress on the cutest little girl last Sunday!  As soon as I saw it, I knew it was the inspiration for my OWH Memorial Day Blog Hop card. Partly because it was so cute, and partly because it was a wonderful reprise of a Color My Heart dare.  This year, a few of my CMH Design Team friends decided to join in the hop.  We used OWH Sketches yesterday as part of our normal Friday challenge (see this post), and then did a second card today.  My card is based off the following:

OWH Sketch 127
Color Dare 26:

Supplies used are all CTMH.  Stamps: Love Doily, For Every Occasion (sentiment, retired). Paper: For Always. Ink: Honey.

I hope you will pop on over to the Color My Heart blog to see the wonderful cards my DT buddies created as you're hopping along.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Until next time,
Becca

Color Dare Meets OWH

This week we are doing something special at Color My Heart with our Creme Brulee and Juniper color dare.  We are getting ready to support Operation Write Home with their Memorial Day Blog Hop.  The design team decided to use an OWH sketch of our choice to promote our participation with the hop tomorrow.

I am using Sketch 160. 

The stamp is so old I thought I should include it in the picture to prove to you that it really is a CTMH (well...DOTS) stamp.  It didn't have the copyright date on it, and I think the company started doing that in 1990, so it's older than that.  It's one of my all-time favorites.  I stamped it in Memento Rich Cocoa because I wanted to watercolor over it.  I squeezed the lids of Creme Brulee and Juniper to pick up excess ink, then used my watercolor brush to paint.  I added more water or less water to get the shade variation.  One of the coloring tricks I have picked up over the years is to shade the background, particularly when you have flowers with white petals.  It makes them stand out against the background and look "whiter."  I really watered down the Creme Brulee ink to get it that soft, buttery shade.

The patterned paper behind the daisies is from a retired paper pack called Key to my Heart.  It has the multi-colored pattern on one side and monocromatic identical pattern on the other. 

I hope you will come back tomorrow and, if you've never heard of OWH, that you choose to support them in some way.  As both the wife and mother of soldiers, I can tell you that the cards they have sent back to me from their deployments were worth more than gold.

Until next time,
Becca

Blooming Beautiful

It's been a long time since I've posted anything besides my Color My Heart Design Team projects.  This week has been busy, so today (when it's 100 degrees and muggy outside) was the perfect day to stay where both the air conditioning and overhead fan are keeping me cool and make a card for the following challenges:

Heart2Heart: May Flowers
CASology: Bloom
CAS-ual Fridays: Stamp on Patterned Paper

I'm not sure if you can read the sentiment (CTMH Scrapbook Sentiments-Women).  It says, "Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art. ~Eleanor Roosevelt"  Is that too perfect, or what?

To create my flower (CTMH-Something Splendid), I took a mostly solid image stamp, embossed it in clear on patterned paper (CTMH-Lucy), then sponged over it in a darker color (CTMH-Cotton Candy with a little Tulip along the outside edge).  The flower center is created with puff ball ribbon (see this post for tutorial) surrounded by pearl accents.  UPDATE:  I finally found the actual tutorial post, so let me give credit where it's due...the amazing Stamp Talk with Tosh.

So fun to create something beautiful just because.

 

Until next time,

Becca

Color Dare from Here to There

Aaaack!  I totally ditzed.  I got my days all mixed up and...

Whatever.  Here's my card for this week's Color My Heart dare using Cranberry, Honey and Outdoor Denim.

Stamps used are Adventure USA (current) and It's Your Day (retired).  The paper pack is retired Superhero which I altered by squeezing my Honey ink pad together to pick up excess ink, using a watercolor brush to get it wet, and painting over where the paper is normally tan to make it Honey.    This is a great technique if you need to alter your existing paper to coordinate with scrapbook photos rather than going out to buy a whole new paper pack.

Okay...I am so late posting this and running behind on my day.  If you have questions, please ask and I'll reply in the comment section.  Sorry to be so scattered!!

Until next time,
Becca
P.S.  Now that I've had a chance to catch up, here are a few more details on how I made this.  First off, the outline stamp of the USA is not solid in the middle which means it doesn't hold shape when you peel it off the carrier sheet.  I had to fuss to get it to look like the US rather than something resembling a blob and finally came up with a great solution.  Peel off the stamp and lay it down on a piece of paper with the fine line/image side up.  Turn the carrier sheet over.  With the USA carrier sheet image backwards, line up your stamp with the carrier sheet until it matches up and stick it back to the carrier sheet lightly.  Lift up your carrier sheet, lay down a large acrylic block, press the image onto the block, and it will now transfer to your block with the fine line/image side ready to stamp.  I know...every once in a while I do something brilliant.  Don't get used to it! :)

I stamped the USA onto glossy paper in Outdoor Denim.  I then flicked watered-down Honey (For a great video tutorial, go here) all over.  Since it still wasn't filled in enough, I then used a sponge dauber to add more Honey.  I didn't let the ink dry in between, so that's why the outline is a little sloppy.  I sortof like it, but if I wanted to have a clean outline, I would flick the ink first, let it dry, then stamp the outline over top.  I did wait to have the background dry before stamping the road in Cranberry between Oklahoma (where I live) and Washington State (where my family lives).  The bendy nature of acrylic stamps worked to my advantage in this instance.

I wanted to leave a pocket to attach my paperclip, so I sewed the white background to the Superhero matte, then I only attached the Superhero border along the sides and bottom edge.

Okay,  I think that just about does it.  Again, let me know if you have questions in the comment section.

The Government Samaritan

It started as one of those Facebook video links espousing a viewpoint with which I disagreed.  I rarely get involved in those comment strings because they degenerate into name calling and grandstanding.  This one, however, was posted by a person who sometimes sees things differently than I do but manages to be both thought-provoking and gracious.   

Though the comment string degenerated as expected—and the ending comments strayed from the original link—my friend challenged me to think about government assistance in a new light.  Here are a few of the comments which went back and forth between the two of us:

Him:  Why should we ever assume that the government is not part of God's strategy to provide help to the poor?

Me:  I assume that God intended for the church to do this, as opposed to a government, because His desire is that all people be saved. A government doesn't minister to people in Jesus’ name. A government doesn't feed people in Jesus’ name. A government doesn't clothe people in Jesus’ name. And if people can get their physical needs met apart from Jesus, they will not get their spiritual need met. They can gain the whole world and lose their soul.

Him:  I do agree with you that it is the church’s job to take care of the poor. But the reality is that we haven’t done it. Period. No excuses, no “what-ifs”, no “should-haves” – we have dropped the ball. So it has fallen to the government, to a great degree, to take care of the poor, needy, disenfranchised, neglected and forgotten of our nation. That’s the way it is, and we have to work with it.

Me:   You didn't ask if the church had done their job properly. Your question was, "Why should we ever assume that the government is not part of God's strategy to provide help to the poor?" Do you think God looks at the welfare program and smiles? I don't. I think He looks at it and His heart breaks. Is not my heart to break for the things which break His?

Him:  That's an interesting question. Let's look at the parable of the Good Samaritan. The lesson to be learned is not that God is disappointed in the church (priest and Levite) for not helping the man. Sure, it's a challenge to the church to step up, but it's also an admonition to see and accept the "outsider" and be thankful for his service.  Does God's heart break that the church dropped the ball? Maybe - but no more so than when I mess up. And it is all viewed through the blood. I heartily believe that God is pleased that the hungry are being fed. The naked are being clothed. The sick are being cared for. No matter WHO is doing it.  And I believe that pleasure far outweighs any disappointment.

One of the other commenters basically said it is our Christian duty to vote for those who support government programs which assist the needy because of how the poor and disenfranchised will view Christians in general.

I pondered these thoughts for a couple of days.  Since the comment string turned into something of a bloodbath, my friend put an end to it while I was still contemplating.  After two days of tossing this around, I am still not sure where I stand.  But here’s more to think about.

Is God really pleased that the poor are being cared for no matter who is doing it?  I just have trouble with that.  One of the reasons God hates idolatry is because He created us to be His image bearer.  We—the church, the called ones— are to be His hands and feet, to show the world what God looks like and how He acts.  If we abdicate this responsibility, are we not setting up the replacement as an idol, as something less than what God intended?  Is it possible that the priest and Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan figured they could walk by the person in need because there was a government program in place to care for beat up travelers?  I know I’m guilty of thinking that way.  “Good thing there’s a homeless shelter.  Hope that guy gets there because he sure looks like a mess.”

Ouch!

I think it is vitally important that we disagree within Christian circles.  It’s exactly this kind of debate which takes us out of our comfortable theology and makes us dig deeper.  But while I think THAT we disagree is important, HOW we disagree is imperative.  They shall know we are Christians by our love.

Until next time,

Becca