Golden Easter Morning with Empty Tomb

"Only the spring breeze steps as lightly as a cat."
                                         ----Theophile Gautier 


Hi, Friends......

I felt very inspired when I saw the Perfectly Rustics Golden Easter Challenge.  I knew I wanted to make a golden Easter card.  I love this stamp of the Empty Tomb.  It's another discontinued Clear Dollar Stamps one from the "Jesus Paid it All" set.  I bought a lot of inspirational sets from them when they were selling out their clear acrylics.  I am so glad I got them when I did.

"He is not here, for He is Risen, as He said." 

Matt 28:6a

I love the overall ombre effect this card has.

Closer shot of my emboss resist background.

I've been playing around making emboss resist backgrounds with my Gelatos on watercolor paper with an ancient set of Rubber Stampede Victorian Butterflies stamps.  This particular one used lemon, mango, tangerine, and a touch of metallic melon Gelatos. 
                                                           


The butterfly originally had a colorless crystal for the body.  I colored it with pale yellow and pale orange Sharpies to make it a golden orange hue to coordinate better.
The delicate metallic gold lacy ribbon is a thrift store find.  Our area has the absolute BEST thrift store!!!  Can you tell I spend a lot of time there???  :)                 

Here's a last shot at an angle that shows the golden gleam a little better.






Hope this card inspires you to rejoice in our Savior's resurrection this Easter season, and to accept the new life that is available through Him and His sacrifice for our sins on the cross.

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1.  Perfectly Rustics Design Challenge #20 - Golden Easter
2.  Totally Papercrafts Challenge #214 Easter 
3.  Jo's Scrap Shack FFC #45 Happy Easter
4.  Just Inspirational  Team A with Stitchy Bear - Embossing
5.  Moving Along with the Times Challenge - Easter/Spring

Easter Card in Pretty Pastels

In his (the cat's) castle he is king and I his vassal. 
                                  ----  Mildred R. Howland


Hi, Friends.....

I have another Easter card to share with you today.  Don't you think that pastels embody the springtime mood and make such pretty cards?  They are sure delightful to make!

Last fall, I won a very lovely prize of craftroom prunings from Audrey Yeager of Audrey's Reflection.  (THANKS, Audrey!!!!)  It was stuffed with amazing GCD Studios products, including this enchanting floral paper that I've been hoarding for an Easter card.  I'm so excited to get to use it! 

The floral and butterfly image I stamped and heat embossed in white on vellum is from a discontinued Clear Dollar Stamps set called "Elegant Accents".  The Happy Easter is from the same company (unfortunately, all their clear acrylics are d/c) from their "Easter Blessings" set.

The pretty eyelet ruffle is a thrift store find.  The other papers and cardstock are from my stash of DCWV.

It's a simple and mailable A2 size card, but I think it turned out really sweet.  Somehow, adding the ruffle reminds me of looking out a window on a spring garden full of flowers! 


Have a lovely and blessed day!!

<3
Janis


I am entering this card into the following challenges:
1.  My Craft Spot Challenge #132 - Happy Easter 
2.  Cards in Envy Challenge: Hippity Hoppity EASTER's On It's Way - A2 Cards
3.  Use Your Stuff Challenge #130 - Spring 
4.  Lexi's Creations Challenge #113 - Easter
5.  CWLC #79 - Easter 

Hop-py Easter -- Doodlebug Papers

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There are people who reshape the world by force or argument, but the cat just lies there, dozing; and the world quietly reshapes itself to suit his comfort and convenience.
                                                                     --- Allen and Ivy Dodd
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Hi, Friends.....

Here I am grounded with an injured hip, so I am making cards.  Might as well make the best of things, right?  :)   I usually do not make Easter cards with Easter bunnies and chickies, etc but I had two items I was just hopping up and down excited to try out....and I couldn't resist!!  Well, I wasn't literally hopping up and down.....you know, cuz of my hip.  Ha.

1.  Doodlebug Designs adorable Springtime collection that I won from them.
     (THANKS, Doodlebug!!!)
     [By the way, Doodlebug has a GIVEAWAY going on right now through Noon MDT April 19.  
     You could win the way-beyond-cute Hip Hip Hooray collection they are featuring!!!]

2.  A thrift store find of vellum Easter image designs.

The vellum Easter images give a soft dreamy look.

I put the vellum images through my Xyron sticker makers (1" or 3", depending on size of piece) and layered them over each other on the white cardstock to give some dimension to my scene.  I had to put some pieces of white paper behind the layered parts so the parts behind didn't show through the translucent vellum.

For the watercolor background, I swiped my waterbrush across a pink watercolor pencil and then applied it to the paper.  I made a slit in the bunny's paw for the straw and glued on a little brown insert I watercolored for the "inside" of the paw.  Next I mounted the image onto some DCWV green glitter cardstock and put that over my two panels of Doodlebug Springtime collection paper separated by washi from my stash.

Next I added the festive Easter flag and pixie straw (also from Doodlebug Springtime) to the bunny's paw and finished the card with some pretty enamel dots from Doodlebug and a shimmery sheer bow from thrift store ribbon.

Cute, isn't it?  I think my little 3 year old granddaughter will enjoy getting this with her Easter goodies.  <3

Hope you are enjoying your weekend and getting all your preparations made for Easter.  I am praying my hip will be better so I can participate fully in the Sunrise service and other special things during the week leading up to Resurrection Day.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.     John 3:16

<3
Janis

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
1.  Pumpkin Spice Challenge #67 - Easter
2.  Love to Create Challenge #110 Anything Goes for Kids 
3.  Crafting with Dragonflies Challenge #23:  Easter - Card or Anything 
4.  OLLCB Challenge #153 - For a Child  
5.  Divas by Design Challenge - Easter/Spring 

Easter Card -- Tulle for Texture

Hi, Friends....

My crafty ladies got together this week.  Since we were small in numbers and there weren't kids for me to help, I actually got to make some cards!!  Still, I kind of missed the fun of having the younger ones there.  :)

Today I am sharing my first Easter card of the season.  (I know I am getting started late!!)  I went with a butterfly theme for Easter this year as a symbol of the changed and renewed life that is available to each of us by faith through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This is an easy card.  First, I covered a A-2 size card with some mint green and white DCWV patterned paper.  Then I cut a rough rectangle of pink tulle (see detailed photo below) and tacked that down with a bit of gluestick in the center that would be hidden. Then I glued the doily over that.

I recently won a very generous gift voucher to Serendipity Stamps and had the best time shopping in their online store!!!   One of the items I chose was their Floral Butterfly Stamp and Die Set that I used here (only the solid outline die).  It is soooooooo gorgeous.  (THANKS, Serendipity!!)  PLUS....for a limited time, if you order this set, you also get the Large Hello stamp and the Small Flower Set  FREE!!  Be sure to check them out!!

I can't tell you how impressed I am with the nice folks at Serendipity.  They answered all my questions promptly and went way beyond and over the top, letting me take advantage of all the current free offers with my gift voucher.  Wow!!  Millions of thanks, Mary!! 


Here's a close-up so you can see the detail of the tulle.  It is actually pink tulle, but the color is so delicate that you don't really see the pink.  I LOVE the added bit of texture that it brings!!!!

I stamped and heat embossed a strip of white flowers across the butterfly from the Lisa Johnson Designs Spring Backgrounds that I won from the Scrapbook & Cards Today blog and from My Favorite Things last year.  (THANKS,  S&CT and MFT!!!)
 

I folded the wings upward and glued the body of the butterfly onto the doily.  Then I finished the card off with a sentiment from my stash stamped and heat embossed onto white cardstock and a simple Happy Easter stamped inside.

Love how this turned out.  Very simple design, but pretty.   Look for more butterflies in my Easter cards this year!!!

<3
Janis

No challenges this time.  Just thank yous.  :)

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CAT STATUS UPDATE:
Time to do spring chores with the outside cats:
1.  Try to catch the new tomcats that have taken up residence here over the winter, so they can be neutered.  The only one of the two new boys we'll be able to catch is little Alexander.  He is a darling sweet little orange tabby first-year tom.  I can catch him, but hubby and son can't.  :)  But can I get him into a carrier????
2.  Clip the unkempt mats from the long-haired kitties.  I have 4 fluffy cats and 3 of them have some impressive mats in their winter coats.  The fourth one keeps his coat amazingly tidy.  Wish he'd give lessons to the others!!
3.  Treat for the icky things (ticks, fleas, and worms).  Time to be thinking abt those nuisances again.  Ugh.
4.  Trim all claws slightly so when the kitties jump on my lap or shoulder outside I don't get accidentally punctured.  OUCH!!  This is why I always carry a nail clipper with me!!  :)
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