"Green" with Joy..heehee



Roses-Pulled paper off cardboard boxes

 I wanted to share a "green" paper rose  project".  I have thought of.. while pulling my labeled address off a cardboard box. How many do we get of those from our mail orders?  OK..I'm confessing..me gets a lot..ok.. there.  I use them as part of my art supplies.   This "green" rose idea is a humdinger of a deal, save money, recycle and get beautiful flowers out of it..I am going to share my 4 step process.

Step 1_ Have a pulled strip of the cardboard paper

Step 2 _ Fold in half. 

 Showing you on the ruler so you can see the width of the paper I am working with on these particular roses. The end doesn't have to be pointed like this one..it was just tore that way.

Step 3_ Start to roll in to make a firm center

Step 4_ then you twist/flip the paper strip and wind around continuing the process then hot glue

I even left some of the strip out to look like a leaf on one..or you can just take the last little section of the paper strip to use as the foundation to glue the body of the rose down.




Various sizes

 

I painted these white with acrylic paint(3coats) with a few sprays of water for a particular tag project I am working on. As you see below..I flocked with Martha Stewarts"sugar cubes" flake glitter.



I hope you enjoyed my first picture tutorial. The steps are similar to ribbon or rosette making flowers..The element of pulled cardboard paper strips is want makes this different and my "green" project.  Someone may already be doing this but here is "Antoinette's" version.  Enjoy...I hope you make many from your throw away boxes.

Gigglying Allowed...with Joy in your Heart



I love this Sarah Kay stamp..

This particular stamp figure tickles my senses of how much I love my little Ms. Pepper.She is My piebald mini-weiner dog.  She is so lovable and loves me unconditionally. Her tail wags like a mini-helicopter fixing to take off when she is happy. And don't be around when she gives me those goo-goo eyes for a treat. She has me obeying to get her treats..heeeee. I can't help myself she does the cutest little squeal and scampers happily putting me in a gigglying trance leading me to the pantry.. so bad on my part but melts me everytime.  I can only hold a firm stance and say "No" for a few seconds.  I know....I know..she is so loveable... what else can I say.



She is such a cutie pie to watch.

Especially when she sits there and acts like she doesn't see me taking her picture..and be cuteness.

Well, enough said you get the picture...I love my little Ms. Pepper and she loves me. She trusts me to feed, spoil and give her treats.

I'll get back to my card for a moment.  I am using new watercolors I found by USArtquest.  They have about six different pallets.  And I am loving these particular irridescent colors I used on the "Sarah Kay" stamped figure....I also gave added touches of watercolor to my flowers and in this instance the greenery.  Added  a couple of stickers with lady-bugs on them. The lace edge is one of Martha Stewart's hand-held dies.  I must mention my greenery are new dies I won from a "collage card challenge" I placed in a blog called AlteredPages.com. I have to thank them and the design team for taking my creativity to another level.   I have a new idea for another collage soon to be shared.

I couldn't leave the blog without sharing a little Godly nugget of joy from my heart. As this scripture gives- "Do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge God and He will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6.

It is..a daily process learning to give someone your "TRUST" when you  are building a relationship much less not see them. In my situation,God's loving-kindness and grace though I don't deserve them drew me to trust him.. He loves me as I am and I don't have to wag my tail like a helicopter(heehee like my little Ms. Pepper) to be loved. God waits with open arms to give me his love and many blessings that are in his holy word, the bible.

Be blessed my family and friends..Hugs until next time..

Thoughts and comments are like you smiling and leaving a hug until we meet again.

Be You...Pouring out Your Joy





"BE YOU"

  I am entering this card into the following Challenges:  

1. PaperPlay Blog -   http://paperplaychallenges.blogspot.com/    "Destruction" 
2. Card Makin' Mamas -   http://cardmakinmamas.blogspot.com/2012/05/challenge-45-may-flowers.html    "Flowers
3. I Brake for Challenges - "http://ibrakeforchallenges.blogspot.com/     "Florals"
4. Creative Craft Challenges2 -   http://creativecraftchallenges2.blogspot.com/  "Distressing"
5. The Pretty Little Ribbon Shop - http://theprettylittleribbonshop.blogspot.com/  "Blossoms & Butterflies"

My "BE YOU" grunge card with blooming flowers & touches of "Me"

 I had so much fun making this card. Some of you that are my friends and family on facebook got a peak on this card. As I was Blog Hopping last week for my "Heart-Art inspiration" I ran into two Blogs having challenges one called Paperplay Challenge  that starts new every Thursday. And the other once a month called Card Makin' Mamas. I decided to join the fun, challenge and the inspiration that they gave through their Blogs and Design Teams. PaperPlays challenge is called "Destruction" I know... it threw me back at first but the challenge involves, distressing, tearing, shabby, grunge. And Card Makin' Mamas is "FLowers".

 I immediatly thought of my Mom giving me two blue jean hems she cut-off and gave to me with a "blue jean heart" cut out and said..This is for you to make one of your pretty cards.


Did my tearing and decided to distress by adding Ranger crackle paint/brushed corduroy.



Gathered some chipboard letters,border edge & postage medallion. Added some bling to my letters.


 It didn't actually process in my mind on what kind of card I could make until I thought more about the "Destruction Challenge" elements.  The process grabbed at my heart..distressing...tearing..shabby, oh my...grunge..hmmmm they seem so harsh.  All these paper effects seemed ironic to my life journey in my mind because I chose to let these same elements be Godly character builders in my life. And thats where the "flowers" came more into play...blooming flowers..buds..besides I am loving the learning process of manipulating paper into beautiful flowers.




Added a pretty chipboard butterfly and bird medallion with some yarn around.

 
I  was wrestling on wanting to be myself.  So the theme became "Be YOU". I was going to be giving it a feminine girlee destruction touch, because when I dress grunge...it's an eye soar.  So..feminine grunge it is to be.




I made some flowers, flower buds and flourishes out of blue jean and put MS glitter on the lighter blue jean rosette that I also made.

I hope you enjoyed your visit with me and the inspiration I get on making my "Heart-art".  Love..Laugh...Live..
Let your Joy pour out onto others...you will find yourself smiling more..

 
The Card Makin' Mamas have so many card designers that are off the charts "Wowie" I decided to give it a shot for the challenge of making flowers which is my first love to putting on cards. And since their month of May challenge is "Flowers". I enjoyed putting together an easel card with Flower power and Destruction girlee style for PaperPlays Blog.


THanks for visiting me..I enjoy your thoughts and comments.

Blog Challenges this card is being entered:

1. PaperPlay Blog -   http://paperplaychallenges.blogspot.com/    "Destruction" 
2. Card Makin' Mamas -   http://cardmakinmamas.blogspot.com/2012/05/challenge-45-may-flowers.html    "Flowers
3. I Brake for Challenges - "http://ibrakeforchallenges.blogspot.com/     "Florals"
4. Creative Craft Challenges2 -   http://creativecraftchallenges2.blogspot.com/  "Distressing"
5. The Pretty Little Ribbon Shop - http://theprettylittleribbonshop.blogspot.com/  "Blossoms & Butterflies"

Simple Pleasures

Simple pleasures of life..taking a walk around the block with the kids or family dog. Sitting outside on the porch and playing jaxs. The days when friends came over and we would have fun jumping rope and try doing double-dutch jumps at no success but it was a blast.  We would sit on the porch and count our pick of color cars that would pass by.  Who could win in hopscotch? Fun childhood memory days. As i put this card together.

I am not even sure if I want to put a sentiment. I find it so simple yet pretty. Thinking of making it a blank card for someone to fill there own sentiments.

Guess what? ME..I have a couple of craft tips I want to share as I made this card.
 1) if you want to get a knot out of thin/small ribbon use a toothpick to wiggle and loosen it.

Something about the wood. I remember this from my Mom telling me that is what she used to get knots out of her necklaces so thought I would try it on the ribbon..and it worked so easily. Of course, after I struggled on my own and remembered.
2) the stripped ribbon is a paper ribbon. This particular strip of paper is cut about 3/4inch wide, 10 inches long. I scored it every 3/8 and 4/8 inch  until I got to the end of the paper. I did fold the scored areas to crease but flattened/straightened again  before I  put through a Xyron  2inch adhesive machine. THen voila..place it at your beginning spot and fold in scored area as you lay across your card. It really is so pretty in person.



Example of creased scored  strip



Placed ribbon left to right creasing& folding scored sections as moving towards end

I did something different with the cover. I placed a double sided paper as the inside of the card. The outside is the biege hand-diecut punch with the smaller paper design on the outside. I also folded this to be 1/2 inch wider in the back closure with a different diecut. I still need a little more work on perfecting but i love the final design of this card.  Wait until you see the inside it gives such a sweet pop of tenderness.

I hope to make many of these. I will keep working on perfecting. I hope you enjoy and are inspired.



The final look of my Simple Pleasures Card


Hugs..until next time..leave a comment. Thanks for visiting me.

Looking back with a Joyful Heart






A new kind of card I call "Pay it Forward" Since I was giving this
 as a masculine card. I decided to have aloose pull out note so if the person
wanted to "Pay it Forward" in the near future they could.



                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

As I made this card for a special friend's husband. In the process it brought back some of my sweet childhood memories.  I got my first bicycle when my Dad won  it selling the most raffle tickets for our Catholic church.  He was so proud..I was so happy.  I had to learn how to ride it and that poor bicycle took a beating, not to mention I was determined to learn how to pump a friend on the back seat. It was hilarious, laughs, bumps and bruises but sweet memories.









Enjoying my dance in the rain as crazy as it may sound sometimes when the thunder booms loud and the lightening seems fierce...I've learned to take the show in  by giving God the keys and letting Him do his work as I stay prayerful.  He has gotten me through so many times that I have finally learned how to dance in the rain. Try it..God is a great dancing partner.

Antoinette's Inspiration: The safari paper design..heehee lifes journey can be a safari..the key in there, we hold the key to unlock and release those feelings that hold us down and keep us from dancing and blooming(the pretty little safari flowers)..Hope you are enjoying and getting a smile..leave me a comment..I enjoy them..hello...are ya there?  Heeee..got cha...smile...Jesus Loves you







Just in case..you didn't get it on the first card...heehee notice the jungle.safari paper print..here is another version. Sometimes going through the jungles in life will bring rain...I mean some hard thunder booming rain...Learn to dance in the Rain...God wants to be your dance partner.

 



THanks for passing through...leave a comment..or just say Hi..I stopped by for a visit.    Until next time..be safe..look up..smile at someone new...it might be me you passed by.















Ticket to Joy

Thanks to an invitation given by "Altered Pages" Blog Challenge to create a collage using stamp pads, metal, paper. I am excited...to show off my first collage using thin copper metal with alcohol inks adding chipboard diecuts, trinkets and vellum.  I love the way it came out. I wanted to use the word "Joy" to coincide with my blog-Cultivate Life in Joy.

I cut a metal strip of the thin copper and embossed it with a Cuttlebug border folder..used my love of Martha Stewart glitter pen, inked stained the edges of the chipboard circled letters and put more glitter on edges here and there again after staining. I used alcohol inks using colors stream and yellow on the embossed copper metal strip.   I chose a  4 1/2 by 6 1/4 turquoise cardstock card to use for my background for the collage. 

I wanted to use clocks as my background to represent time..."Make time for Joy in your Life"

I placed a quote "Life is something that happens when you can't get to sleep." by Fran Lebowitz. It seemed to fit my theme of time being given to us using it to fill our hearts with Joy and cultivating it into life..mind you..you have to choose what you want to cultivate in your life even though there seems to be bundles of stress, anger, frustration...I choose "JOY"... life is to short.  I have been around the block carrying all the other junk and I have found it to be unnecessary junk that pulls me down.

Notice..I put a heart lock and an assortment of keys..we have the keys to open the lock to our heart and let joy in and overflow. The ticket with a cross on it is my interpretation of God being the true ticket to Joy in your life...the sad part is we have the keys to make the choice to let God in our heart and God will only come in if you invite Him. Give Him the ticket to come in...He loves you more than you could ever imagine and that Joy will fill and overflow in your life like never before.  It doesn't mean you won't have troubles it just means you will have God to get you through...them

Fulfilling the Heart




Sometimes situations in  lifes journey can plant you where you don't want to be.

 Those are the times perseverance can be your best friend and help you bloom above and beyond
your imagination. You will be amazed at yourself and stand out like a beautiful flower blooming as you look back.



Dream --- Believe---Hope
Live life to its fullest- Laugh with a Joy in your heart-Love unconditionally




Trust in God's word to come through for you in encouragement, fulfilling yourself and your family needs.



Treasures in the Fullness of God

Hi, Everyone
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

Ephesians 4:16-19(NIV)

  God I choose you to be a part of my life daily and receive Jesus Christ in my heart as your Son.  I am learning to become rooted and complete in your love for me because…

·         You always catch me when I fall

·         You console and fill my lonely moments

·         You hold my hand, carry me through  life storms

·         You put a song in my heart

·         You continually show me loving-kindness

·         You are there when I seek comfort

·         You fill me with Joy

I can celebrate my Birthday knowing that I am a Princess Child of the King of Kings.                        





I  have come to find that times when I prayed the hardest for an answer and did not see with my eyes a change or progress was when God was doing a greater work within the heart that mattered more and had an eternal reward.