52 Weeks of Caring Cards in 2015: Week 1

Hello friends!
I hope you are having a fabulous start to 2015!  Today I begin 52 Weeks of Card Card posts and I'd like to make these as 'how to' as possible, because new card makers email me all the time on how to put a card together or advise on color choices or stamp placement.  As I put in my last post, this Inspired Stamps blog will focus on papercrafting.  So Tuesdays (today's our first one!) are devoted to creating Caring Cards.  Thursdays here are our Design Team Thursdays and Fridays will focus on New Stamp Releases---yes EVERY FRIDAY we will have new stamps in the etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/GodblessyourART)

My blog over at www.GodblessyourART.blogspot.com will show more of the mixed media and art journaling artwork.  So Wednesdays, there will be Memorizing Scripture in a Grateful Calendar posts, and Fridays will be Bible Art Journaling posts each week! 

Today is my first post for the 52 Weeks of Caring Cards.  I want to encourage YOU to join me in this endeavor and feel free to post  your cards on our Facebook page or leave a link here in the comment section, as I'd love to see what you are creating!

My goal is to not only MAKE 52 Weeks of Caring Cards, but to MAIL OUT 52 Weeks of these Caring Cards!  I hope you will bless someone you know for the next year with cards that show you care...it can really mean a lot to people!

So here's my first card, going out to a beautiful woman in my Bible Study whose father-in-law she was caring for just went to be with the Lord this past week:

 This is how I made it:

I used a white card base of 4 x 5.5".  Then I cut the brown cardstock that will serve as a mat to the BoBunny patterned paper to 3.75"x 5.25", and the patterned paper to 3.5x 5".  I inked all my edges as shown:

I wanted you to see the difference in the inked edges and the plain patterned paper so I took a photograph of both here next to the brown mat:

It just gives the paper so much more depth with inking!

I use a tape runner and put them all on the card base (set it on my art journaling bible!).

I used one of my Inspired Stamps' stamp sets called DRAW NEAR for the sentiment and inked/matted it.

I made a bow in a ribbon I had in my ribbon stack and cut it long so I can tuck the ends behind the brown matted paper to secure it with a little adhesive.

I got out my CTMH Opaques and looked to see which looked best with the card...best way to put any embellishment on a card is to lay them out and see what you like best next to the patterned paper.

I used a stamp from my Inspired Stamps' stamp set: CARD MINISTRY BASIC SET

Here's a front photo of my finished card, all ready for me to write a personal note in and mail out tomorrow:

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Please leave a comment if you plan to create some Caring Cards this year to share with others!  I'd love to see what you do!

Blessings,
Antoinette       Free Shipping on all US orders over $25:  use coupon code: 25freeshipping

www.etsy.com/shop/GodblessyourART

Red White and Blue cards from the Inspired Stamps Design Team

Hello friends!
NEXT WEEK IS OUR JULY NEW STAMP RELEASE!!  We are so excited to share the new stamp artwork with you next Thursday, but today we want to wish all of you from the USA a very happy Independence Day, in particular our military!!  We are very proud to be an American company and our stamps are made in the USA, too!

We have all our Military/Independance Day stamp sets on sale right now in the online store: www.inspiredstamps.com

Kary starts us off with a gorgeous card  using Inspired Stamps sets: THINKING OF YOU and HYMN GIRLS: DECEMBER :

Deneen is up next with this wonderfully paper-pieced card using HYMN GIRLS: JUNE and our 1"Circle Sentiments stamp sets:

Jamie created this beautiful card using HYMN GIRLS: PATRIOTIC GIRL WITH STAR and the 1"Circle Sentiments

Shanta made this lovely card using HYMN GIRLS:MAY and a verse from DRAW NEAR stamp set:

Chere has this creative card for you using HYMN GIRLS: FEBRUARY:

Belinda is last up with this adorable card using HYMN GIRLS: JUNE and Psalm 118:24

Thanks to all the DT!  I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Blessings,
Antoinette

www.inspiredstamps.com

Day 14 of our 31 Days of Art Journaling your Bible Study: White Pen Journaling

 

Hello Friends!
Today I have journaled using my white pen in the pages of my art journal, which I showed you a few days ago.  Above is one page and here is the rest (Using HYMN GIRLS: APRIL plus DRAW NEAR and HYMN: Mushrooms and Leaves):

 

 

I really enjoyed using the white pen for the journaling on these pages!  How is your journal coming along?

Tomorrow I will be back with our next 2 page spread!

Blessings,
Antoinette
www.inspiredstamps.com

Day 11: background matted in cardstock; tag

Hello friends!
Another sneak peek of our new HYMN GIRLS: APRIL and one of the words that comes in her 3x4 set that will be in the online store on THURSDAY (along with a lot of new releases!)  The word TRIALS is on this set and because it's that wonderful photopolymer material, it can be bent to fit over the top of her umbrella.  Yes, Bind and Stitch (our stamp for stitching is also used as you can see above)!

I made the tag and the background paper using cardstock and inking it with dylusions spray inks:

 When the colors dried I got this great redish purply color!  ohhhhhhhhh...fun!

 

I also didn't have matching ribbon, so a few spritzes of the green and blue onto my white ribbon made it quite quick to coordinate my ribbon!!

 

Here is my tag.  The leaves come from a new set coming out Thursday (HYMN: mushrooms and leaves) and I use it all the time already!  Then I stamped the words from the DRAW NEAR stamp set.  I cut up the rest of the paper I had sprayed and added a black cardstock matting to 2 pieces and put them into my art journal:

 

full background, just ready for my JOURNALING my Bible Study which will come during my time there tomorrow:

 

I love the tidiness of the pages and these dylusions inks BEG for a black background to make them pop...will have to play more with this idea on more pages!

Leave us a comment!  We love to hear from you!

Blessings,
Antoinette                              shipping most orders SAME DAY they are placed!

www.inspiredstamps.com

Character + Scripture Cards from Inspired Stamps DT!

 Hello friends!
Today we have some wonderful character creations from the Design Team!  Before we get to these cuties, I want to remind you of our RETIRING SETS that are marked WAY DOWN...all of these are $7.99 or less and you can see them all here:
http://www.inspiredstamps.com/servlet/the-CLEARANCE-%26-RETIRING-STAMP-SETS/Categories

We also are heading to our 3rd week of HOW TO MEMORIZE SCRIPTURE, which will be up by SUNDAY this week.  Here is the first post:
http://www.inspiredstamps.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-to-memorize-scripture-and-how-your.html

Here is Kary's great card followed by the other DT (Inspired Stamps:  HLO: Sundress Girl and DRAW NEAR scripture):

Belinda (HLO: Thankful Boy and THANK YOU scripture):

 Chere ( HLO: Girl Studying and HIS PLANS FOR YOUR scripture):

 

Deneen (HLO: Reading Girl and LABELMAKER VERSES) :

 

 Jamie (HLO: Patriotic Girl with HEART and JOSHUA 1:9 Single Scripture Stamps):

Thank you all for your beautiful designs!
Have a blessed weekend!
Antoinette and the DT          
                                   We are back to shipping most orders the day they are placed!

www.inspiredstamps.com

What's your card-making style?

Hello friends!
Today we are wanting to know WHAT'S YOUR CARD-MAKING STYLE?  Do you like bright colors or neutrals?  Are you full of bling and layers or do you like cute and simple?  Do you like to color an image or stick to sentiments or Scripture?  LEAVE US A COMMENT AND LET US KNOW!

Kary starts us off today with her style, followed by the rest of the Design Team's Creations!
Kary used HLO: Reading Girl and a verse from the set DRAW NEAR:

Deneen used our very popular TIME set of stamps:

Chere use AMAZING GRACE for the background in white and BE STILL SILHOUETTES for the image :

and Gaby used our OWLS set and HOME set to create this scene:

These are gorgeous, ladies!  I love seeing what you all come up with each week!  What a blessing you all are!

LEAVE US A COMMENT and let us know YOUR style!
Blessings,
Antoinette and the Thursday DT!

Shop our online store for these stamp sets and many more:

www.inspiredstamps.com

Shipping most orders within 1 business day of you placing your order to get your stamps to you ASAP!