Scrappy Mo’s Christmas Challenge, More Distress Oxides + WOYWW

Hi there one and all, yes! So hard to believe but it’s time for yet another Scrappy Mo Christmas challenge, 2nd last for the year. October’s challenge will end on 31st. Also doing my weekly WOYWW join over too at Queen Julia’s Stamping Ground for What is On Your Workdesk Wednesday... Here!

To my desks.. yesterday desk 1 and desk 2 are not Christmas cards but rather oxides blending. Needed a birthday card and an encouragement card and so thought I’d do a two-fer Silhouette cards, albeit too late to actually join in with challenge. Der! 😆 the first one is the spotlight technique with the Floral silhouette by Woodware. Oh, I really, really, REALLY love this stamp. Oxides were as shown, I’d die cut a scrap bit of card with a circle die for spotlight mask. I used Darkroom Door mesh stencil over oxides, spritzed on top side, ie finest side, not underneath and gently tap around to imprint into masked circle. Flatter back side does not work as well. If miss a bit, carefully resist and press down in the area very gently..

Second desk I’m just doing a masked strip and the double masked with a Kaisercraft spots stencil in white on top, as you can see with these I’m using make up brushes with oxides, either use these or foams, and wash well after use. Don’t have enough to do otherwise. Also don’t have enough Oxides inks so just pull out desired coloured in regular DI and mix in. Work just fine.

Here are the finished cards.

I’ve used Sweet ‘n Sassy greetings on both, “Floral greeting” on birthday, and “Wait on the Lord” on encouragement card.

Now to Christmas cards. Well, I’ve now a total of 81 Christmas cards, so calling a pause to catch up on other tasks.

Still ideas floating in my head but will see how many more I need. In 2018, I was blessed to have an amazing trip around world catching up with bloggers, WOYWW in September chez Margarets, and these lovely poinsettia images which are on a vellum background on seven cards were bought for $1.99 with Marilyn in Hobby Lobby, as were the four nativity ones.

So that’s these eleven cards, used some assorted dies and embossing folders. The embossed verse from Luke 2 is my favourite Stampendous stamp, added peel offs down the side.

As stickers and the border EF on one of cards are NBUS, I’m linking over for the NBUS Challenge, which thankfully 😅 hasn’t ended yet, as well as Mo’s.

Here are two more cards, made with Beccy's Place  Digi images so will join over with her challenge too. Greetings are Karen's (from WAW) digis. Dies are SB Magnificent circles, and Courture Creation EF. Now to Aust photos courtesy of holidaying family member. It’s north of here, another lot of grey nomads. **Keep praying for crops to be harvested before the rain please and not go black and mouldy. Ta.

This is Woody Head, so right on beach, here’s the view! 

Ah, chill, relax!

There are some very interesting sedimentary rock platforms, all natural nought added.

Next is a weathered piece of timber.. aren’t the striations amazing!? Then Smooth Serenity thornless rose

and an orchid, an Oncidium, Wilsonara, Eye Candy.

Has another stem coming through too. 

Last pickie is a noisy flock of rainbow lorikeets who visited to say hullo when I was at a friends. They’re pretty generic around here.

Thanks so much for popping over for a peek and a chat. You’re all very much in my prayers and thoughts that you’ll all be well and you and dear ones will be kept Covid free. 

Prayer hugs,

Shaz in Oz.x

Thought of the Day:

 "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galatians 6:9

A dear sister in the LORD sent this verse to me this week, when I really needed it. It cheered me up. I like lots are, am often very VERY weary,  and its so easy to quit sit around and do nothing. But we dont, we get on with it. Praying to the dear Heavenly Father for grace for the day, strength for the way. I pray this today for YOU!

Linking over to these challenges:

**Word Art Wednesday - anything goes. Both cards  http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com.au/

** Di's Snippets Playground .Latest Snippets Challenge here - Christmas card stencilled recycling rectangular die cut, left over from a frame.

** Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge. Saturday challenge here 

** NBUS challenge the Christmas holly silhouettes is NBUS “NEVER BEFORE USED SCHTUFF”over here at Darnells.

Christmas Stencilled Oxides Snippets + WOYWW

Well, yes, it’s Wednesday in a blink!  Am hoping to make this short but probably won’t 😆 so thanks ahead for your patience as lots to share! Wednesday time to pop over at Julia’s Stamping Ground, where we see desks, of marvellous inspiration worldwide. 

Desk one was yesterday morning, the night before I’d started on another card batch baking. I’ve one made, took two goes to be happy, but will show next week, it’s going to be nothing like this little ink duster scene, it’s just background. *** BTW for those who asked last week, the ink dusters are by Inkyliscious, UK, I’ve three double ended so with six ends.  Do all colours, my preferred brushes. Easiest to use I think from subtle to deep, used hand cut mask for hills.

BTW for those who asked last week, the ink dusters are by Inkyliscious, UK brand, I’ve three double ended so with six ends, my preferred brushes. Easiest to use I think from subtle to deep, used hand cut mask for hills. 

(Edit to answer further queries: These brushes are in colour families - Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Purple, Black. Clean off excess ink on scraps, do NOT wash. Pink use red brush, brown closest to yellow {for beige} to black. Do NOT use with oxides)

Edit 2: Re Oxides, yes I recommend them. But don't get loads. I've about ten, no intention of getting more. When short of a colour in blending I just use equivalent colour in Distress Inks and it all goes in together just fine. They blend easier, but not better than DI. 

Will add to DI eg NEED Duck Egg Blue yummo! But not adding more oxides

Next desk is late yesterday arvo, quite staged, two piles of completed cards, and on right is the lovely Mo from Scrappy Mo has sent her candy my way. In June, I was quite ill in hospital in Coronary Care Unit, had done my card for Mo’s challenge, but not published. I really wanted to enter every single challenge this year. So of course 😉 I just quickly wrote up my phone in Hospital and entered. I forgot to decline candy and won it! I emailed Mo, saying not to send it cos was so sick thought would never craft again. But dear Maureen said  she didn’t want to redraw she’d wait and see. And Lord in His mercy made me better again. So here it is in Oz! I’m pretty sure the Penny Black heart flower die is a bonus. I can see two gorgeous cards styles for these dies as for NBUS entries. Thanks SO MUCH, Mo!!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Now first lot of completed cards are seven in all, these are ones started on last week’s desk.

I did a trial on side of scrap card first, find this helps crystallise ideas. That Holly stamp is a Sweet n Sassy Silhouettes stamp, I am ashamed to say it's a NBUS! No idea how old probably 3 or 4 years! Second lot of cards are snippets, the rectangle is a die cut window left over from another set of ten.

Not happy with this stencilled TH holly stencil, so only did four. The verse is same one on set above, is Stampendous. 

The verse is beautiful - “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

Have quite a few Aussie pickies today.

First the roses still in spring flush, perfect this year, these are incredibly fragrant, Sutter’s Gold.

This is a zygo cactus, was off great granny’s plant..

.. and hippeastrum as we call them, or Amaryllis.

The obligatory sea shots are in our harbour it was really blowing this day so it was a place of shelter. 

Lastly are two photos out far  western NSW, near Texas, Qld.

Two family members are out there harvesting wheat out on far west border of NSW and Qld  .. they’re grey nomads and were  caravanning out there some weeks back, and the wheat farmer asked if they’d come and give a hand at harvest? 

So they did!

As our borders are closed, they’re VERY short of labour. With good rains, they’ve some of the biggest crops ever! Two years so different.. last year was fires and droughts, this year huge crops. God is good. 

**Praying hard the rain keeps away and these wheat crops are harvested dry as rain is predicted today and in days ahead, in this black soil country. Wet it becomes glue. Ugh.

Pray with me for them, please?? 

There are three emus in the wheat field there, they’re vegetarian, so having a great feed. 

(Edit: click on photo and zoom in, emus are visible even on mobile if zoom in, black dots in centre and to right, but obvious emus when zoom in).

This was their sunset the other day, with silos as silhouettes.

This is wheat harvesting photo from net to give you idea. Big boys toys these, so much fun if you love them! Mind you trucks BiL driving is much bigger, its only on farm, and is B-Double .

Well, that’s it for today. Thanks so very much for popping over for peek and chat. I’m praying for you, for your families and may the Lord God keep you all safe. We are blessed, those closed borders make it hard for farmers but means we are lot better off. No cases here in our town or area of NSW since April. Cities have some cases, but not country.

Prayer hugs, Shaz in Oz.x 🙏🤗

Thought of Day:

I think sometimes we forget exactly what the Lord Jesus when He was still on earth promised ..

“These things I have spoken unto you, 

that in Me ye might have PEACE.

In the world ye shall have tribulation: 

but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

 So if things are tough, we should not wonder, God is simply doing as He promised..

IN Jesus, we have peace... IN the world we have troubles!

 However He promised to be with us in it and through it. 

“Be of GOOD CHEER! For I have overcome the world.”

 In the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ we will make it through! 

He didn’t promise ease, but He did promise His presence.

Linking over to these challenges:

**Word Art Wednesday - anything goes. Both cards  http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com.au/

** Di's Snippets Playground .Latest Snippets Challenge here - Christmas card stencilled recycling rectangular die cut, left over from a frame.

** Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge. Saturday challenge here 

** NBUS challenge the Christmas holly silhouettes is NBUS “NEVER BEFORE USED SCHTUFF”over here at Darnells

Christmas Card Distress Ink Masking + WOYWW

 Hi everyone, 'tis Wednesday so it’s time to pop over at Julia’s Stamping Ground, where we see desks, of marvellous inspiration worldwide. 

Couple of desks shared but none of today as scheduled, busy!

This is Tuesday's desk, and am working on another design for my Christmas batch baking. Saw a video by Eileen Godwin, it was nothing like this because don’t have her products, but it was the trigger for this layout. I stamped and gold embossed seven cards with verse, then masked off the side section 5cm wide, and inked it up with DI Bundled Sage, edges but deeper, then layered with same ink the key stamp the Holly from Sweet n Sassy Christmas Silhouettes set. I tried to remember to second generation stamping on these background layers but my brain doesn’t always work on that! 😆 added the background stamp SU French Script in DI deep green.

Then transferred to stamping platform for the layering of inks (Memento Dew Drop) and Tombow markers on the stamp to do two highlight images. Then the fun! To peel off mask. There are seven in this batch so will share when all done next week. I’ve now done 50 cards and would like to do 100, had done 30 before last two weeks, want to give some away as presents. A good early Christmas pressie. 

Now to cards, first ones are from last weeks desk.

Used a MB mask for star in white texture paste, I ran this through my machine with embossing mat to flatten the paste some, to make it much easier to colour ink over top. 

Also it was meant to inlaid, but I just ran die cuts through once added, to make all one level. This is a lot less work, same effect, plus they're well adhered.

Had to stop inking, ordered DI Chipped Sapphire reinker, also needed a larger DI Seedless Preserves. The small cubes  are good for small project but was doing ten of these backgrounds.

These cards are full of snippets so off to the playground, YAY! I love using die cuts and snippets.

Aim to get most of my Christmas cards done by middle of November, I think with mail, I will need to mail very early. Some mail is very slow.

Second card is one for a birthday end of November, but it takes six weeks to get to Norway so better get it in mail this week

Of course, if send early it will only take a few weeks! 😉 This Dragonfly stamp is by Stampman, ( a pressie from Anne in France, thanks!). Used oxides on background, our family lassie loves these colours, not my fav but they are hers. Added a bit of masking at either end in white chalk ink with TH Mosaic mask, just for interest. 

Now to Aussie photos. My garden is still having its spring flush.

This arrangement I did to take to an elderly couple who are pretty much shut in, this was same lady who I made the bookmark for last week. They are really doing it tough. And who doesn't love red, very fragrant roses?  The white flower are the old fashioned gerbera. And used bottle brush for greenery with our Italian lavender.

These are two water pickies taken last week on my walk, stopped at a lookout on walk, and as school hols quite a few on beach looking north and south.

EDIT: Sorry, Mary Anne on WOYWW, I can’t comment on Wordpress, used to be able to but they’ve made it impossible these days. Love your masks.

Well, that’s it for today, and thanks so much if you popped over for a peek and chat. May God bless you all and keep you all safe and well too. 
My love thoughts and prayers are with you all, that you will be kept safe in God’s hands. 
Love and prayers, 🙏🏻🤗 

Shaz in Oz.x 

Thought of the day:

There are so many gems in Psalms.  

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? 

and why art thou disquieted in me? 

hope thou in God: 

for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

Psalm 42:5

Psalm 42:5

I love this refrain found in this Psalm in verse 5 and 11, and yet again in Psalm 43:5. 

When we were young we learned the times tables by rote so we can still mimic them today as required.

So God our loving Heavenly Father reminds us that when we are in trouble, our thoughts disquieted within us, that He is our hope, our Anchor,  our Joy when times are tough. 

If you like me were to look back over 2020, we could say with vehemence that it has been quite a year! 

I had no idea on January 1st, 2020 I’d be really ill again in the middle of the year in cardiac care unit. When it happens you think: “No! this is not me.”

But it is ...

Ah! And my God is the One Who is my Peace in such storms, confusion and pain! 

Yes! 

Life hurts! 

However, there is One Who goes before, behind and is with us in it all. 

This is the constant refrain and promise of God’s Word, for all who are willing to believe and seek that assurance through simple trusting faith in our 

Lord Jesus.

*****

This past week I wrote a post on my Christian blog of colour coding the bible, I’ve in the last three months colour coded two whole bibles and a large print New Testament and Psalms.

The latter took 70 hours, the whole bible well over 100 hours each. If you’re interested to see photos and explanation please see this post HERE.

Linking over to these challenges:

**Word Art Wednesday - anything goes. Both cards  http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com.au/

** Di's Snippets Playground .Latest Snippets Challenge here - Christmas cards

** Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge. Saturday challenge here

** NBUS challenge the Christmas scene is a CCD die is NBUS “NEVER BEFORE USED SCHTUFF”over here at Darnells

** Christmas card has glimmer mist over at Simon Say Wednesday challenge it’s make it sparkle! 

https://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/simon-says-make-it-sparkle-4/

Oxides NBUS Christmas + Birthday Cards + WOYWW

 Okay, another has week gone... be warned from hereon in there are Christmas cards, it’s hit me suddenly less than three months, so the multi card baking has begun.

Here is first batch .. 15 were stamped in April, did two designs here and here.. but definitely today’s was favourite, so did the others making a total of fourteen in this pile here. Techniques shown Here.

Cos it’s Wednesday it’s time to pop over at Julia’s Stamping Ground, where we see desk of marvellous inspiration worldwide. 

My desk as was this morning, there was part of a 2am batch baking going on left. If I can’t sleep I get up and craft or pray read etc., or all three, always go back to sleep after that. This was technique saw on here. Googled night sky video, as that’s what I wanted, and found it there. Colours are DI Chipped Sapphire, Seedless preserves, Salty Ocean. I used MB stars mask, long disc. .. sorry! Have almost finished first card but not quite, are ten or twelve backgrounds though. On right of desk are two new stamps, Kaisercraft, splatters stamp and fine mesh stamp plus new pads same brand tried the white very nice, love the size, in between big standard ones and ink spots size. Here is card made for birthday in September, for a very special family member, the digital image was google freebie.

Used last week’s Grand Calibur dies for this also with A4 spots EF. Alphabet with EAMON on side is NBUS will need to check brand as I’ve forgotten (yay, off to NBUS challenge!). Had for years unused!

Next card is also a NBUS Stamp by Stamptrap. This birthday was a couple of days ago. Inks are Distress Oxides masked strip. Now Aussie pickies, firstly my Italian lavender. Under our tiny lemon tree, I think it’s the biggest lavender I’ve ever seen. It surrounds the whole tree.

 This one above here is one of its babies. The bees love it.

This is a bunch of our very fragrant sweet peas.

This rose is five large blooms on one stem, called Smooth Serenity because it’s a thornless rose.

This was taken on my walk this afternoon, as you can see it’s quite warm, but not hot really, everyone is enjoying the weather but we do need some rain.

Well, thanks for popping over for peek and especially if you stay to chat. I shall try to return your kindness, you are very much appreciated.

May the LORD bless and keep you blessed in all things, and those you love also.

Prayer hugs, 🙏🏻🤗❤️

Shaz in Oz.x

Thought for Day:

This bookmark is a special gift made for a dear friend who’s really had it really tough this year. 

Psalm 142:3

When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, THEN thou knewest my path.

A beautiful verse to remind us when it's tough going, our God holds us even closer. 
May this verse bless you also.

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus!

Linking over to:

**Darnell's NBUS (NEVER Before Used Schtuff) May challenge here  

**Word Art Wednesday - anything goes. Both cards  http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com.au/

** Simon Says Wednesday Challenge is Anything Goes. 

Edit: First comment by dear Jan below alerted me to fact that yet again Blogger ate ALL my photos. Truly the new blogger is "hair-tearing-out" sometimes. So half hour redoing one by one saving as go... even in upload a number still needed multiple adding. Sigh.