Let Hope Be Your Anchor

It's Spring Break for our schools and today's Hand Stamped Sentiments Sketch Challenge is inspired by our trip to the Oregon Coast.

This pattern of the Waves of the Ocean DSP reminds me so much of the ocean waves right now...big, beautiful, swirling swells!  I paired the DSP up with my favorite returning stamp set Sailing Home.

I stamped the lighthouse in Coastal Cabana, the anchor in Granny Apple Green and the compass in Smoky Slate.  These die cut images were perfect to go along with this weeks sketch.  And this sentiment...it's my absolute favorite!  I heat embossed the sentiment in white on Smoky Slate.  Isn't this stitched Smooth Sailing Die perfect for the sentiment?

Sadly, this is a short trip to the Oregon Coast for us, but it's been a great one!  Tomorrow we head back to reality...back to baseball and back to the daily grind of every day life.  The good news is that we are on the downhill slide to summer break and it will be here before we know it!

Happy Stamping!

Products Used:

Seashells and Friends

Hello friends!  It's been a bit since I last posted here...I was enjoying my last week of summer break!  My school year started today, which I was not ready for, but it did feel good to be back in my regular routine.  

I usually try to stamp a bit each morning before heading in to work and this weeks Global Design Project Color Challenge was just what I needed to get back in my groove!

 

These soft colors had me dreaming of morning walks at the beach, collecting seashells.  I inked up Friends Are Like Seashells and added a Sailing Home lighthouse to complete the beach scene.

A soft Balmy Blue background was brushed on Basic White with the Blending Brushes, as well as a few Balmy Blue bubbles and some Pear Pizzazz seaweed.  The lighthouse and shells were layered with a few Artistry Blooms Sequins tucked in for just the right amount of bling.  The sentiment was simple stamped...no heat embossing, fussy cutting or die cutting...who am I?!?! 

I layered this pretty beach scene on top of the light wood-grain In Good Taste DSP, then added it to a Basic White card base.  I love the clean, fresh air feel!

It was good to be back to work and see all of my co-workers, but I am exhausted!  Trading my summer yard work for mental work is a big change that my brain needs to adjust to again.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy Stamping!

Products Used:

Ocean of Thanks

Hello stampers!  How's your week shaping up so far?  It's been a pretty productive one for me, which is a good thing!  With baseball season eating up so much of our time, I feel like I've fallen behind on some of the things around our house. We're getting ready to head out for our final baseball tournament of the season, which means even more time to catch up once this weekend is over!

I've been starting off each morning with a little bit of stamping...this makes my heart so happy!  This weeks Freshly Made Sketches sketch is so simple...one of the many reasons I love playing along with them so often!

I had bits and scraps of Come Sail Away DSP left over from my last class that were perfect for this sketch.  Thanks to the Smooth Sailing dies, there is very little stamping on this card...in fact the only stamping is the sentiment.  I love being able to show my customers that you don't always have to fill a card with stamped images to make it amazing!

I love the subtle embossing of the wheel die!  And the Subtle Embossing Folder gave my card front just the right amount of texture, which matched up beautifully with the striped strip of DSP!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Sahara Sand, Mossy Meadow, Seaside Spray, Soft Suede, Smoky Slate, Vellum, Come Sail Away DSP

Ink ~ Night of Navy

Stamp Set ~ Sailing Home

Other Supplies ~ Stitched Shapes Dies, Smooth Sailing Dies

Off I go to pick up groceries...I have 5 boys to feed this weekend!  I need a second job just to keep my kids and their friends fed during the summer!

Happy Wednesday!

Let Hope Be Your Anchor

"Hope is a strong anchor and trustworthy anchor for our souls."

 - Hebrews 6:19

This is one of my favorite bible verses and one of the reasons I was so drawn to the awesome new Sailing Home stamp set.  I love all of the images in this set, but this sentiment is my favorite!

I used some of the pieces from the make and take from OnStage, as well as a few other pieces from the Come Sail Away suite to complete this card.  The ocean always calms me and this suite has the same effect...love it!

We visited Pacific City OR over spring break and I snapped a picture of my boys praying together on one of the rocks.  This picture speaks a million words and warms my heart in so many ways. As soon as I saw this suite in the catalog, I knew I would use it to create a page for this picture.  Again, this sentiment was meant to be...

Scrapbook pages are not something that come easily to me and it took me FOREVER to create a layout.  Even after I had all of the pieces laid out, I still wasn't totally happy with it.  It wasn't until I crumpled up with Crumb Cake layer that I was content with the page.  It's always so amazing how crumpling up a piece of paper can add just the right amount of texture to a project!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Night of Navy, Balmy Blue, Come Sail Away DSP

Ink ~ Night of Navy, Soft Suede

Stamp Set ~ Sailing Home

Other Supplies ~  Smooth Sailing Dies, Night of Navy/Sahara Sand Bakers Twine, Sail Away Trinkets

I'm so excited to share this suite with my customers in June.  We will be making this card in one of my classes and I know they will all love this stamp set as much as I do!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy Stamping!