His Little Ones characters with Scripture on this Caring Cards Tuesday!

Hello friends!
Today we have a few cards by some of the Design Team sharing Scripture from Inspired Stamps with our His Little Ones characters!  Starting us off is Patty!

Patty used the following Inspired Stamps:  His Little Ones (HLO): Girl with present and a single scripture stamp: 2 Corinthians 9:15

Up next is Shanta with this sweet card:

Shanta used the following Inspired Stamps:  HLO: Journal Girl and single scripture stamp: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Last up for today is Belinda with this lovely card:

 Belinda used an Inspired Stamps scripture stamp from the His Plans For You stamp set and HLO: Thankful Girl.

Thank you ladies for sharing your lovely cards for this Caring Cards Tuesday!!
Have a blessed day and we'll be back on Thursday with more inspiration and Friday with more new stamps entering the Etsy Shop!!

www.etsy.com/shop/GodblessyourART

Blessings,

Antoinette

Christmas Cards!!

 Hello friends!
2 month until Christmas!!  Wouldn't it be AMAZING to have all your hand-made Christmas cards completed by the end of November?  Well, the Inspired Stamps Design Team has used a number of our stamps in their designs to inspire you to get crafting!

Up first is Kary, using one of our Summer new releases:  His Little Ones: Girl with Present and the words are from the POINSETTIA set:

 Next up is Deneen!  I can FEEL the crisp air just by looking at her beautiful card!  The background stamp is the NAMES OF JESUS stampset (a 4x6 stamp), the tree is from the ASK, SEEK, KNOCK set:

 Chere (Here) and Belinda (below Chere's card) both used our popular 1.5 inch Christmas Circles stampset:

Belinda:

Patty used the RETIRING HLO: Christmas Boy stamp, which you can find in the clearance pack through November 3 only:

And Jamie's beautiful card also used the 1.5 inch Christmas Circles along with His Little Ones: Winter Girl:

Such a beautiful display, ladies!   I know they have inspired me to get started on my own Christmas cards!

Be sure to stop by the online store and check out the 10 CLEARANCE PACKAGED stamps that are only available for purchase through November 3rd (and are at unbelievably low prices $7-$12!)

www.inspiredstamps.com

Blessings,
Antoinette and the Inspired Stamps DT

Pencil Eraser Painting How-To on Canvas!

 Hello friends,
Today I wanted to share how to do a pencil eraser painting on canvas, which I chose to do for the CANVAS sample of our Getting Ready for 52 Weeks of Gratitude that begins this SUNDAY!  Click HERE to see all about it!

The first thing I did was get my acrylic paints out onto my pallette.  Then I stamped my 5x7 prepared canvas with one of our $3.99 single Scripture stamps (2 Cor 9:15) that can be found at www.inspiredstamps.com.  I used StazOn ink to stamp it:

Next I used the yellow color and my pencil eraser and picked up some of the color, tapping it off on the side before I put it onto my canvas:

 I wanted some lighter color dots inside so I mixed the off-white with a little of the yellow (see the photo below on the right hand side for how I mixed it:

 I just kept picking up color and putting it down until I got this, which I liked so I stopped (I may go back and bring some more bluegreen/blue on the bottom):

I'd love to hear from you if you try this...it's ridiculously relaxing and fun!  Who'd have thought that?
See you SUNDAY for our 52 Weeks of Gratitude Kick Off! 
Blessings,
Antoinette

www.inspiredstamps.com

GETTING READY for 52 Weeks of Gratitude (Starts Sunday!): part 4 Art Journaling!

Hello friends!
I cannot WAIT for Sunday where we will BEGIN our 2013 Sunday Scripture Challenge of 52 WEEKS OF GRATITUDE!!  If you haven't heard of this until now, please go to our first post and we have linked ALL of the GETTING READY parts 1-4 there:  CLICK HERE   If you are joining us in any capacity (weekly, monthly, or as you can) please copy and paste this to your blog or your facebook page to let others know what we are doing so they, too, can join in the fun:

Ok, today I have a really fun post to share with you!  This is my Art Journaling post.  Art Journaling is journaling (where you write your thoughts, what you are thankful for in our case, etc.) but some or all of that message can be done with art.  Any art.  Lots of art.  Just a little art.  And art is truly in the eye of the beholder, so do what YOU LOVE.  Do you love to draw? Then draw.  Color? Then color.  Play with paint or airbrushing Copic markers or collage?  Then incorporate that.  Seriously, this is for YOU.  

I love all of the things I mentioned above plus I do miniature clay sculptures and dabble in lots of mediums, so I am going to change it up as the mood strikes!  You can too! And remember, you never have to fill a page with color.  A simple corner with color and your Bible verse can be STRIKING in its beauty.  What do you have time for?  What is your style?  Those should be your guides.

Ok, I used acrylic paint, distress inks, a tag that I embossed and one I didn't, and a sturdy piece of cardstock for this one and of course, my sample Bible verse.  I am keeping all my Gratitude Artwork in a Simple Stories binder (you can do whatever you like; this is just my personal choice):

Here is a peek into my Simple Stories Binder (from now on referred to as my Grateful Binder).  So I wanted a piece of mixed media paper to fit inside a page protector AND be sturdy enough to handle all my mixed media.  If you are doing an ART JOURNAL, you may want to get the Mixed Media bound books you can find at your local art/craft stores (Joann, Michaels, Art&Education, etc all have them).  One note about the size you choose:  start small.  Unless you are sure you want an 8x10 or larger, remember it's gonna require more material (usually) and more forethought to complete a large page than a small one.  I love to work in the 8x8 size, but that is my preference (and I love little bitty journals, too).

I started my page off by adding some acrylic paint with a dry brush (love the lines the brush bristles make!):

 I usually use a permanent ink (like StazOn) when I know I will be wetting the paper after stamping:

 I used the stitching stamp from BIND AND STITCH and the swirls from JOURNAL SHAPES

 Above you can see the blue paint and some white paint I added to give it a little more dimension

 I use the 12x12 Scrapbook papers you can get that are designed (see above) and cut them into fourths to use as masks for my color mists.  I used the Glimmer Mist over this 2 times on my page and then dried it with my hair drier. 

 Next I used my distress inks to ink around my stamped Bible verse and the page.

 I took a kraft tag and embossed it and distressed it with the distress inks (love this look!)

 A couple of options for writing out what you are thankful for.  You can make 2 art journaling pages as shown above and then a black Sharpie marker to write out on one page your grateful items in a list or fill up the page in a journal fashion OR if you want to do the journaling privately, you can attach a smaller tag to the back using twine (like I did above). You could attach a tag for each day or just the one for small private notes.

 I added a little bling, my matted bible verse on the tag, and used a metal clothes pin to 'attach' the tag to the page (so I can take it off with ease to turn it over and write on my journaling tag).  OR

You can put the page into the page protector THEN attach the tag to the outside of the page protectore with the metal clothespin at the top of the page.  This would make your book a lot more interactive and dimensional.

I'll be back tomorrow with a CANVAS idea you may want to do if you love to make canvases and want to have 52 complete with Bible Verses at the end of the year!

Be sure to leave us a comment if you plan to join us and let us know what art form (scrapbook, card, art journal, pen and paper, etc) you plan to use!

Thanks so much for joining us AND for sharing our 52 weeks of Gratitude with your friends!
Blessings,
Antoinette

www.inspiredstamps.com

We ship MOST orders the same day they are placed!  We still have a handful of January's Grateful Bible Verses left, if you are hoping to get those, please order soon!  Those are listed in the first post.

Getting Started in our 52 Weeks of Gratitude in 2013: part 3: CARD MAKERS!

 Hello friends!
As you know, we are getting ready for our 2013 Scripture Sundays: 52 Weeks of Gratitude, and today I want to focus on those who will be making a card a week for this challenge!  Be sure to click on the right hand side of the blog to see the previous posts focused on getting started, scrapbooks, and Artist Trading Cards!

With the card making, you will be making a card each week with the verse of that week.  I made one here using a corrugated cardboard base:

 So how would this be different from just making thank you cards?  How will card makers keep track of their weekly or daily gratefulness next year?  I have an idea for you and it starts here:

 Yes, that Recipe Card Box I got from Hobby Lobby is going to be very important.  But you don't have to use this particular box.  You can use a store tub you already have or any number of items to store your gratitude notes!

 I chose this one because I love the size and the tabbed dividers inside!

 I decorated it with our ELEGANT DOTTY ALPHABET and some papers and ribbon.

 Then I used Psalm 118:1 for the top (Love this verse!)

 Here it is showing top and bottom.

 Then, I decided to use the Simple Stories month 4x6 cards with the months already printed on them, but you could make your own!

 I put them in the card box.

 Next you need to decide what you'll use to document your gratitude each week or each day.  You could simply keep track on 3x5 cards.

 But I had another idea to go behind this DEC card...

 Here's a peek (above!)

I decided to make a card with some kraft lined paper that I got in the dollar spot at Michaels.  I stamped THANKFUL from the set Art Journal Words and Faces, put in the week's Scripture verse 2 Cor 2:15, and then decided I would be not only keeping track of my daily gratitude, but note to whom I sent my card and what I was thankful for that made me send it!  It will be very eye-opening to look at all the people I send the cards to throughout the year and WHY I'm thankful to them!  (A bonus gratitude!)

So, leave me a comment to this post and let me know if you plan to do cards as part of your 2013 gratitude!

I'll be back next week with the next sample:  Art Journaling!
Have a blessed weekend!
Antoinette

www.inspiredstamps.com

Getting Started in our 52 WEEKS OF GRATITUDE challenge: part 2 Artist Trading Cards

 Hello friends!

Today is part 2 of our GETTING READY series of posts that will provide ideas/samples as we get ready to begin our 2013 Scripture Sunday: 52 Weeks of Gratitude!   If this is your first time here, be sure to head over to our first 2 posts that will explain more about the challenge we are starting. 
CLICK HERE for our 1st post detailing what and why we are doing this

CLICK HERE for our part 1:  Scrapbook focus

Today I am showcasing the Artist Trading Card option.  Artist Trading cards are 2.5" x 3.5" and you can use any type of card base for them.  Many people just cut cardstock to the correct size, but you can purchase these.   Here are a few samples I found (watercolor, bristol, kraft, off-white cardstock, white cardstock, canvas, etc):

We will be using Inspired Stamps for all the stamping and verses, but this is not a requirement for you to participate with us.  You are welcome to use the verses we have for each week or use another verse or quote that you find more meaningful to you, or just print out your own typed verses.   Here are the stamps and the verses we will use for the month of  January.  Each week this year will have a different Psalm verse:
Jan 6:  Psalm 118:24
Jan 13 Psalm 92:4
Jan 20 Psalm 47:1
Jan 27 Psalm 28:7 
You can find all these stamps for $3.99 each by clicking HERE or going to www.inspiredstamps.com

If you do ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), you can create the front (I used2 Cor 9:15 for this week's sample verse and the Snowman from our SNOWMEN set) and then briefly write what you are grateful for each day on the back (The word THANKFUL comes from the ART JOURNALING WORDS AND FACES set and the lines are from the JOURNAL SHAPES set). 

 Here's a close up of the front followed by the back:

So what do you do with the ATCs?  You can store them in pocket protectors (baseball card protectors fit these), put them into a recipe box,  hang them on an ATC spinner (shown below):

Or put them into the hanging dividers(shown below):

Leave us a comment below if you are joining us for the 52 Weeks of Gratefulness challenge!  Let us know if you plan to do ATCs!!

I'll be back tomorrow (Friday) for the CARD MAKERS sample!
Blessings,
Antoinette

www.inspiredstamps.com

Getting Started in our 52 WEEKS OF GRATITUDE challenge: part 1 SCRAPBOOKING JOURNAL

 Hello friends!
Today I want to share with you what we are doing for our 2013 52 Weeks of Gratitude challenge!  The first thing you'll want to do is decide what you would like to do:  scrapbook? card-making? Artist Trading Cards? Art Journaling?  Canvas?  Journal?

Each week beginning JANUARY 6th we will be focusing on a Bible Verse that expresses gratitude to God for daily blessings. We will be using Inspired Stamps for all the stamping and verses, but this is not a requirement for you to participate with us.  You are welcome to use the verses we have for each week or use another verse or quote that you find more meaningful to you, or just print out your own typed verses.   Here are the stamps and the verses we will use for the month of  January.  Each week this year will have a different Psalm verse:
Jan 6:  Psalm 118:24
Jan 13 Psalm 92:4
Jan 20 Psalm 47:1
Jan 27 Psalm 28:7 
You can find all these stamps for $3.99 each by clicking HERE or going to www.inspiredstamps.com

Be sure to leave us a comment and let us know if you are joining us and what artform you plan to use most of the time, if you plan to mix it up.

HOW TO SET UP YOUR SCRAPBOOK JOURNAL FOR THE CHALLENGE:

You can use ANY scrapbook materials you like. I am using the Simple Stories BINDER AND PAGES for most of mine just because I love the 8x8 size and the pre-printed pages are so cute!
Here's how I decorated my cover:

Inside the front cover I put my goal sheet, which I have printed out clearly after this photo.  You may copy and use that sheet for your own personal Scrapbook if  you like!

Next I wanted to show you how I am setting up my weekly Gratitude journal.  I've found I'll stick to things better if they are simple, with the OPTION to do more if I have time.  Here is the SIMPLE design I am using this week as an example for you.  You can do this however YOU like (just one page or a page per day):

 I have the week's verse on the left (2 Cor 9:15) and stamped the lines from Journal Shapes stamp set on 2x2 off white paper squares.  Here's each of the pages shown here:

 Simple First page with just the Weekly Verse matted.  I could add journaling for one of the days in the week on this page.

Above is the 2nd page.  Super simple lines all ready for my journaling/listing what I am grateful for each day this week!
Here's a more detailed version of the same 2 pages, with a photo and my simple journaling/listing of what I'm grateful for:

I took a photo of the tree and my open Bible on Christmas morning as I finished up my quiet time with the Lord.  I wanted to thank God for that quiet time, before my family got up and opened presents.  Time for just Him and me, with His Word lit by the tree in my living room. 

I wrote out the other days thankful notes (including our Blizzard today!) in the other boxes.  Notice there are only 6 boxes and 7 days in the week.  One day will be highlighted on the large page before this (like Christmas morning was for me in this week's pages).

Tomorrow I will be back and share with you my Artist Trading Card I did for this week with the same verse, for those who might want to create the 2.5x3.5 cards each week!  Then on Friday, I'll share with you what I created for card-makers and next week I'll share the Art Journaling and other ideas for you!

I would love to hear from you in the comment section if you are joining us for our challenge!  Let me know which artform you plan to do most (scrapbook, cards, ATCs, journals, etc).

Have a blessed day and I'll be back tomorrow with the ATC option: part 2 of our Getting Started series!
~Antoinette