Monday, April 29, 2013

Playing with a diecut

It is cold, rainy and 7°C here. It's gone from beautiful sunny warm weather to puddles and warm coats again. So I have to create my own Spring! As I don't have any machines I am so thankful to have received lots of diecuts in the past, which I have saved to use.


So thanks to Sue who sent me some in this shape. I used a Darkroom door daisy stamp for the flowers and the Fabric design background stamp from Hero Arts. The strip that the bird is resting on is also a diecut.

Hope you are enjoying the sun where you live!
Jacqueline

Thursday, April 25, 2013

The Wonder of Watercolor challenge

I have changed what I originally posted as I wasn't happy with posting oldish cards, so here is a new card for the challenge on the Moxie Fab World blog called The Wonder of Watercolor, the link of which is here.




I used an acrylic blog with different distress ink colors and then sprayed with water before coloring the cardstock. I then randomly stamped with leaves and flowers. I have used a darkroom door stamp and a Postcard stamp from Stampendous.

Now I wanted to share the second part of the message I shared last week about understanding Grace - so are you ready?

Quote

The world tells us that our value is connected to our ‘doing.’ Growing up, we’re constantly compared. When asked why we were not doing as well as our brother or sister, we felt we were doing our best and we had no answer. So we resolved to try harder, but no matter how hard we tried, someone still wasn’t satisfied. We were still getting the message, ‘Something’s wrong with you.’ This leaves us burned out, confused and turned off. It drives many of us into counseling, when all we need is the assurance of God’s unconditional love! Your wrong behaviors won’t be changed until you know you’re loved by God apart from what you do. And that’s what Jesus made possible through the cross. Why is this important to believe? Because until you know who you are in Christ, you’ll stumble along believing that your acceptance with God is performance-based. Your acceptance with God is based on performance, but not yours—Christ’s! Jesus loves you unconditionally and is committed to working with you. And the best part is, He doesn’t condemn you while He’s doing it! He understands your temperament, your struggles, and even the faulty foundation upon which you’ve based your self-worth. He not only understands—He cares. Once you enter into a personal relationship with Christ He begins a process of relieving your pain, revealing your true value, and releasing your gifts. Bit by bit, He restores everything the devil has stolen from you. And while all this is happening, you are positioned securely ‘in Christ.’ Therefore you’re always acceptable to Him. 

1 Kings 12-13, Matthew 18:10-20, Psalm 53 , Proverbs 6:9-11

Unquote

Hope it blesses you!
Jacqueline


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Another Watercolor project

Hello and hope you are enjoying Spring! We signaled the first Swallows of the season this weekend, such a lovely sight. I have another entry for the Moxie Fab Wonderful World of Watercolor. The link to this challenge is here.



I used the fabric pattern stamp and tumbled glass sprayed with water for the background. I used distress markers for the bird which is also water colored. The sentiment is part of a wine label.

Jacqueline

Thursday, April 18, 2013

The Wonder of Watercolor challenge - Moxie Fab

Who doesn't want to play with watercolor? And then to be challenged again by Kath to come up with something.. well, can't let that pass me by!  If you want to join in, here is the link. Actually, playing with inks and water is becoming one of my favorite techniques in card-making - so much fun and I love the results. Sometimes you can have an instant card with a couple of stamps and water color.



So this card was born from a mistake - well the two projects I made didn't turn out how I wanted, so two mistakes make this right as I just put the circle and butterfly punch into my watercolored projects! I painted the panel bundled sage before attaching my circles and butterflies to the card. Of course everybody knows what 'papillons' means, right?

Thank you, Cath, love your challenges!

Jacqueline

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Recycling

We are enjoying beautiful sunny weather! The rosemary bushes and the Cherry tree are bursting with flowers, and the hum of bees is just such a welcome sound!



The card base panel for this card was a nice find. I found it in the cupboard between my clothes, it was a bag which was supposed to make the clothes smell nice, but the smell was completely gone, so I got the idea of using it. The white die fitted just nicely inside the frame in the middle on which I stamped the Newspaper tulips from Hero Arts with distress markers.





Then I have had something on my heart for a while now and I thought it would be nice to share. It's about the GRACE OF GOD, which we can never meditate on enough! I heard a while back that it takes someone a good three years before he or she can really understand what the Grace of God really implies. I found a nice devotional which put it into words in such exact proportions, I thought I would share it.

Quote

God loves and accepts you as much on your bad days as He does on your good ones. In a performance-based society, that’s easy to forget. But you mustn’t! God’s acceptance is based on your standing in Christ, not the state of your life at a given time. ‘For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His (not our) goodness.’ Think of the cross as a trading post. There God took every sin you’d ever commit and laid it upon Jesus. And the moment you place your trust in Christ, God takes all of Christ’s righteousness and wraps you up in it. From that point on, He sees you only one way—in Christ. How liberating! Liberating, because now you realise that your worth isn’t based on what you do but on who you are in relationship to Christ. God actually assigned value to you by allowing Jesus to die for you. ‘But I can’t believe that God doesn’t care about what I do.’ You’re right! And your rewards in heaven will be based on your stewardship here on earth. God wants you to do good works, but He doesn’t want you to depend on them; He wants you to do them out of love for Him. Once you understand your position, who you are in Christ, you begin doing the right things for the right reasons.
1 Kings 10-11, Matthew 18:1-9, Psalm 40:9-17 , Proverbs 6:6-8
Unquote
Next week I will be back with another 'Why God accepts you' - next week.

Enjoy the Spring!
Jacqueline


Saturday, April 13, 2013

Tuesday Trigger - Magical Magnolias - celebrating Spring!

When I saw the beautiful inspiration trigger this week on the Moxie Fab World blog I immediately thought of these tulips - so I had a go. Here is the challenge link.
 

I even tried to get some unsharp tulip image with my distress markers; don't know whether that was very succesful. I just love to do these challenges and have fun too.


So, using distress markers and water I stamped and restamped with the same ink which gives a lighter imager and then I painted suger spun distress color into the tulips after stamping.
With the beautiful weather we are having and going to have next week, I'm celebrating Spring!!

Jacqueline
p.s. - I changed my blog name back to the original again - I just couldn't get used to it.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

A home decor project

I have been busy making these for family and my Etsy Shop. The size is 12" by 8".  This one was made a while ago, never posted but I believe it was sold.


Made from the several scraps I had in my little box tray. I am running out of scraps from stamped projects to make many more. So what I do is wait a while and when the box is full I start making them again.

This is one of the most enjoyable works of creativity I know of. It's like making a puzzle.



I want to share this photo of my youngest son with his financé, Roxane. They are such a nice couple and Michaël just passed for his driving license a couple of days ago.


 Then, I have to show you the Cherry tree in the garden, it is so pretty at the moment and the bees are busy, which means cherries in May/June.

Thank you again for all your kind comments on my blogs!.
Jacqueline

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Case this sketch - 22

Happy Sunday! The weather is beautiful today, although cold. We are going in the right direction for Spring. But weather it rains or is sunny, the Lord remains the same FOREVER! That is good news.


I am joining in with this sketch which can be found on this challenge blog. Haven't done a blog challenge for a while, and I saw this on Virginia's blog.
I just recently bought a new stamp set from Hero Arts - three tags, from the Art of the Card set AC019. 
They look like this :


I thought they would be versatile to use in all sorts of ways. For the sketch challenge I used the Attention stamp and just decorated it with little scraps of PP. 

I used the Newspaper Tulips stamp K5576 from Hero Arts which I stamped with distress markers. The stamp which I stamped direct to the card base is a French stamp definition of Spring, called Printemps.

Have a lovely day!
Jacqueline



Friday, April 5, 2013

Some news to share


 I'm popping back in today to share a link with you. I was so honored to be asked by Paperie Designs' Studio to give a little interview and share some of my favorite card designs and techniques. If you might be interested in looking it up, here is the link. Thanks!

She titled my interview 'Jacqueline's Jewels' and it was just the title I was looking for, for my Blog! I have wanted to change it for a while now and this was just 'click'.  So thanks to you Tasnim.

Tasnim also mentioned that I was the 91st person to be featured on their blog - and Psalm 91 was my first encounter with God 35 years ago 'This I declare, that He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I am trusting Him. Ps.91:3.

Thanks for your friendship!
Jacqueline

ps - I made some little Easter chickie's from a pattern I found via Godelieve's Blog here, which can be found on Pinterest. Here is the link - you might be interested for next year.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Tuesday Trigger - Friendly flowers

What a beautiful Tuesday Trigger inspiration photo this week. Very inspiring don't you think? If you want to play along,  here is the link to the Moxie Fab World Blog.




So I knew which stamp I wanted to use, but it hasn't been delivered yet, but my mind wandered to this beautiful Hero Arts stamp called Floating Garden.
 


I colored direct to the stamp with distress markers, lightly sprayed with water and stamped.


Then I got another little idea. I stamped on an oval and adhered to a vellum diecut.



Then I got another idea and stamped on a circle and adhered to a doily. The little wooden bird comes from a lovely friend of mine, so happy to use it!

Thanks to Cath for another inspiring challenge!
Jacqueline

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Using up the scraps in a grid-tag design

Hello! Nice to be back. I am finally feeling better after having had the flu for two weeks, feeling low and not having the strength to do much.


Today I want to share how I found another way to use up the scraps that accumulate over the weeks. I have a template tag size 8cm x 4.5cm (so the scrap isn't big) which I put on the scrap and cut around it. Then I just placed three of the ones that formed a pattern next to each other, and add a couple of embellishments
and my card is ready.


Adding just one more:



I am so happy when I find a home for these precious pieces of paper and butterflies!

Hope you are well!
I remain so so thankful for those that still visit me and leave me such precious words of encouragement and friendship!
Jacqueline