Masterpiece Monday is the day where I share some of our designer artwork featuring Layers of Color art stamps. Today I’m showing you a few magnificent samples of two of our new release stamp sets, Merci Bouquet and Her Majesty’s Urns. Enjoy these delightful examples and then please visit the stamp set galleries of Merci Bouquet and Her Majesty’s Urns where you’ll find more inspiration!

Merci Bouquet and Her Majesty's Urns Artwork

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Merci Bouquet Friend' Merci Bouquet art stamp set

Merci Bouquet Friend' detail - Merci Bouquet art stamp set

Merci Bouquet Friend' detail - Merci Bouquet art stamp set

Laura's card

Laura's card - detail

Denise's card

Laura's card

Laura's card - detail

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I like to share the stories behind creating the stamp designs, the story behind these wonderful stamps is simply my love of gardening and bringing flowers inside to arrange and enjoy for days. I’m always on the lookout for fabulous and affordable urns, (which, as you’ve probably found out, are hard to find, so when I do it’s a treasure). And I really wanted some delicate flower stamps that I could use to make  French toile-style backgrounds and borders. I’ll show how to do this technique soon, as I’ll be featuring both these sets all week.

But on December 3rd we’ll have a special day set aside to give you some delightful examples of the Three French Hens from the 3rd day of the 12 Days of Christmas that we’re celebrating with a very special blog! Come back on December 3rd to find out more!

"Sanctified" by Linda Lucas

Sanctified
by MercyMe

Let there be no condemnation for all who are fully known in Christ.
Unspeakable grace for all the nations, by way of holy sacrifice.
We worship with the sound
of broken shackles falling to the ground.

[chorus] Sanctified i have been set free, grace divine has swept me off my feet.

No greater love has ever been known,
than He who came to find the lost.
No greater sacrifice has been shown,
than He who laid upon the cross.
Let all creation sing,
for He has come and He’s changed everything.

[chorus] Sanctified i have been set free, grace divine has swept me off my feet.

And i know that i will never be the same.

[chorus] Sanctified i have been set free, grace divine has swept me off my feet.

This is my second Faith Art Friday. A day of the week set aside to ponder the connection between The Creator, and us as artists who create. And a day to create art just for the purpose of glorifying God.

But Friday, only five minutes away as I write this, is after a long two days of joyous cooking and family times during the Thanksgiving holiday. So here I am, it’s late and I promised I would share, but my creations have been eaten tonight and I’m overdue for sleep. How fitting then that God should point me to this excerpt to share with you right now…

With God’s help set realistic expectations. God deserves our best efforts, but does God expect us to perform perfectly? Of course not. Can God use something or someone that is imperfect? Can He use a song that is sung or played imperfectly? Of course He can. The major source of frustration in my life stems from me walking into situations with expectations that are unreasonable and too high. Psalm 62:5 tells us, “My soul, wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from him” (KJV). Our expectations need to come from God. We need to give our expectations over to Him and exchange them for what He expects, not what we expect. While we might be expecting artistic perfection, that might be the furthest thing from God’s mind. Try to keep the big picture in mind. God cares about all the details of our artistic endeavors, but He’s also in the business of saving souls. What’s more important? That our efforts come off perfectly or that God’s name be praised and that lost people come to know Him through our ministry? Try to keep things in His perspective.

If God doesn’t demand perfection, what does He expect? He expects us to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with Him (Mic. 6:8). God expects us to grow spiritually. The end result is His responsibility. Our job is to cooperate with the process. We put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect (the end product), when God is more concerned with the process (that we walk humbly with Him).

So what’s realistic to expect when we minister for God? Every time we use our gifts for Him, we need to go into it wanting to do the best we can but trusting God’s will to be done, not our self-centered, lofty expectations to be met. People look at the outside and expect the appearance of perfection, but God looks at our hearts (1Sam. 16:7). He looks at the inside, at our motives and intentions. We can control our motives and how prepared we are to minister with our talents. We simply have to do our best and trust God for the result He wants.

From , “The Heart of the Artist” , by Rory Noland

My hope is that your Thanksgiving was special and continues to be throughout this holiday weekend! May you give it all to God and praise Him for all He’s given you!

The artist’s story behind Granny’s Jewelry art stamp set…

Ever since my talented friend Heather made an incredibly beautiful gift for me that was decorated with costume jewelry, I’ve been looking for some to put on my artwork. She got hers at the dollar store, but my dollar store didn’t have any. And on I searched from thrift stores to E-bay. But all I could find were baubles that were much too pricey to stick to a card. Granny’s Jewelry stamp set is where I ended my search! They say that necessity is the seed of invention, (or something like that, LOL!) I spent hours researching vintage jewelry then sat down at the drawing table and created classic pieces that now I can use to adorn my cards and crafts to my heart’s content!

Today I’ll share more ideas on using this unique stamp set so you too can make your own custom sparkling trinkets!

Stamp with metallic ink, like Brilliance on black card stock and add gemstones and pearls. If the sticky doesn’t  work from the back of the gems, (which is often the case) I use the tip of a pin to dab on a touch of glue, pick up the stone and place it where I want it.

Gold metallic emboss stamping on black card stock with added rhinestones or nail bling.

Two stamp designs are stamped together with silver metallic embossing powder, then pearls with flat backs and colored Stickles glitter glue is mounded up to look like a precious jewel in the centers. Stickles by Ranger is the best glitter glue for mounding and they have a large range of colors. The newest colors in their designer series are soft romantic shades. I could totally see my Grandma wearing something like this. Imagine what a beautiful touch it would be on a card for your Grandmother!

Stamped with gold metallic embossing powder on ivory card stock with varied sized flat back pearls. I also chose to cut this one out, including in between the wings and placed it on foam tape to give it “flight”.

I LOVE copper! So this one is embossed with copper metallic embossing powder and cut out. The royal purple glitter glue is Stickles and the amber jewels are stick-on rhinestones.

VersaFine Onyx Black ink with rhinestones on a metal edged tag.

The hole on this tag is decorated with Granny’s Jewelry stamped in purple hue pearlescent embossing powder then flat rhinestone stickers were placed around the design. Flat rhinestone stickers are hard to capture in photographs, but believe me, this is a delicate, sparkling and easy effect.

This remembrance ribbon stamp can be stamped with pink ink, as it is here, or yellow for remembering our American troops. This example has flat rhinestone stickers.

If you’re fresh out of gemstones, or you want a very specific color to match your project, then here’s an idea for creating treaures like this  bee-jeweled ornament…Color in the jewel areas with colored marker or pencil and cover each spot with Glossy Accents. You can try other dimensional glues, but I found that this one is not runny and mounds just like a jewel would. The tri-jewels are stamped with black ink and accented with copper Stickles glitter glue.

For fun and really dazzling effects, try stamping all over with metallic ink, like Brilliance, and coloring in the spots with multiple colors of Stickles glitter glue. Stamp them in a row, or all around a curved edge for a necklace look!

You can use card sentiments like, “You’re a Gem!”, You’re One of a Kind”, You’re Dazzling Darling!” “Pearls of Wisdom for your Birthday…”, “You’re a Treasure!”,…and I’m sure you can think of many more thoughtful gems to add to your cards and layouts.

Imagine this jewelry adorning your romantic and vintage art, adding pearls of beauty to your shabby chic lovelies, putting on the glitz for your hip projects, or blessing someone special with bling.

Any questions, or if you want to share your creative ideas with Granny’s Jewelry, please let me know! Please visit the Granny’s Jewelry art gallery for more beautiful bling ideas with this stamp set.

May God sprinkle your day with jewels of joy!

LOL! That tile makes me laugh! I’m featuring three stamp sets this week, and the names are too long to write all of them completely in the title so I shortened them. I like the silliness of how it worked out!  Masterpiece Monday is the day where I share some of our designer artwork featuring Layers of Color art stamps. Today I’m showing you a few magnificent samples of three of our new release stamp sets, Granny’s Jewelry, Flutterescent and Flowering Gems. After getting a yummy taste of these wonderful ideas, please head on over to the galleries to see the rest of the fabulous artwork!

MM Granny's Flutterescent Gems

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Laura's medallion - Granny's Jewelry art stamp set

Laura's card - Granny's Jewelry art stamp set

Linda's card - Granny's Jewelry art stamp set

Linda's card - detail - Granny's Jewelry art stamp set

Laura's card - Detail - Flutterescent art stamp set

Patter's card - Flutterescent art stamp set

Linda's card - Flutterescent art stamp set

Linda's card - detail - Flutterescent & Gothic Crosses art stamp sets

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Adding bling to cards and artwork is hot right now!

These stamp sets are perfect for adding sparkle, in fact two of them are specifically designed for bling! Granny’s Jewelry and Flowering Gems are what I have named, “Gemstone it!” sets! The stamp designs have varied-sized circles in the perfect spots for adding gemstones, glitter, pearls, clear dots, decorative brads, or rhinestone stickers.

Granny’s Jewelry is a very unique and exciting design because it’s created for you to make “jewelry” embellishments for your projects! It’s such fun, you should try it! I designed them after vintage jewelry like my Grandmother would wear. You can make a real jewelry look without the high cost of using actual antiques by stamping with metallic ink, metallic embossing, or Brilliance inks then adding your favorite gemstone options. Try it on dark papers so the paper shows through like the deep recesses of jewelry parts. Cut them out and apply to ribbon as well. And if you’re fresh out of gemstones, try Stickles by Ranger (they build up round like jewels), or color in the dots with markers or colored pencils and cover with clear dots or Glossy Accents by Ranger. So many fun ways to “Gemstone It!” Later this week I’ll show you more examples and how-tos for this dazzling stamp set!

Hope you’ve enjoyed today’s inspiration! Be sure to pop into the Granny’s Jewelry, Flutterescent and Flowering Gems stamp set galleries for more great new ideas!

May God bless your week with sparkling moments of joy!

As a believer and an artist…

I used to seek out other like-minded people to learn about sharing my Christian faith through my art. For years I didn’t find anyone who shared my interest and so I prayed often, asking God to point me in the right direction and to assist me in learning more about how I could worship Him with the talents He gave me. Then one art project at a time God showed my heart and hands how to express my faith through my art. And one new friendship at a time He encouraged me and showed me that I’m not alone. So, on Friday’s I’ll be posting here about my passion for sharing faith through artwork in hopes that I can encourage and inspire you while glorifying God with the gifts He’s given me.

“In Christ I am a New Creation” Created with II Corinthians 5:17 on my heart.
By Laura Kirste Campbell

The following are excerpts…

God is the original Creator and He made us in His image. As artists we have a special place in God’s heart. The bible itself is a work of art. And it mentions many artists, even by name. There are musicians, writers and visual artists all adding beauty and joy to people’s lives. Scripture shows us how the arts can be extremely powerful. They can awaken us to truth and can change lives (1 Samuel 10:6), especially when produced with the anointing power of the Holy Spirit (1 cor. 2:4). We Christian artists can’t do what we do apart from the One who gifted us.

The arts move people because the arts speak to the heart. They excel at identifying with people’s pain and ministering the truth of God’s Word with sensitivity. Through our art we can encourage others with God’s word (Psalm 119:103). Art history confirms that paintings and sculptures have evangelistic powers of reaching hearts with visual stories of biblical history. As people long for God, we as artists can help point seekers to Him. Psalm 40:3 says that when we worship, it causes many others to turn to Christ. If we use our talent to create art to worship God instead of aiming to raise up ourselves, our art is glorifying God and pleasing to Him.

Our art can be more than an expression of celebration about Christmas, Easter, baptism, birthdays, and anniversaries. It can also celebrate God’s faithfulness, our loving relationship with Him, and answer to prayer (Phil. 4: 4-9). What better way to celebrate than to let the arts run free with creativity aimed at honoring God! Express what’s in your heart about God with your artful gifts.

We need to strive to become all that God sees in us, be all that He wants us to be. We must be as passionate about our godly character as we are about our craft or our art. (1 Tim 1:5) As church artists, godly character, our walk with Christ, our spiritual growth are all a vital part of creating the kind of ministry experience in which God releases the power of His Holy Spirit. We need to be known not only for our talent, but for our walk with Christ. We’re not just artists, we’re ministers too.

“Look at the Birds” Inspired by Matthew 6:26. By Linda Lucas

We’re in a golden era in church history when God is calling thousands of artists to use their gifts for Him as never before! God is raising up a global community of Christian artists who are fully devoted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in their lives. If that desire is in your heart, follow Him. What an honor and privilege to glorify God with our art and our lives!

(I give credit for the above ideas and excerpts to Rory Noland and his book, The Heart of the Artist, published by Zondervan, 1999.)

Next time you begin to work with your craft, take a moment to pray with heartfelt sincerity asking God to move through your mind and use your hands to create art that glorifies Him. Read your bible then create art with a passion and desire to express your loving relationship with Jesus Christ. Come share how God is showing up in your art! May all the praises and glory go to Him, Our Creator!

Your Creative Sister in Christ,

I LOVE glass drops!

They remind me of when raindrops puddle in the center of Nasturtium leaves. They glisten and magnify the leaf veins beneath. So beautiful!

I’ve collected three sizes of glass drops and made them into pretty little things with Layers of Color art stamps. They make quick and easy gifts.

Pretty Little Thing

I decorated a bottle with this pretty little thing. It could also hang from a drawer knob or table lamp switch.

Pretty Little Thing Tutorial

1. Take a glass drop (this one is approx 1 1/2″), set the flat side down on a piece of cardstock and draw around the outside edge. Cut this circle out and then cut another out of felt for the back.
2. Stamp on the cardstock using Layers of Color Backyard Birds and Merci Bouquet (flowers). Add color with colored pencils then put PVC clear drying glue on top of the entire picture and press it to the flat side (back) of the glass drop.
3. Paint glue along the edges and dip the glass drop in microbeads, and allow  to dry.
4. Then crisscross  ribbon across the back, glue it in place and glue the felt circle on top of that creating a neat back.

Easy peazie lemon squeezie!

Close Up

One more pretty little thing using Merci Bouquet and another bird from Backyard Birds.

Pretty Tiny Thing

This pretty tiny thing is made on the glass drops that are normally used in floral arrangements. This is a tiny drop under 1″. You can put a magnet on the back or a pin back, or add it as an ornament to your artwork. The tiny wild rose from Layers of Color Merci Bouquet fits perfectly inside this size glass drop.

Pretty Glass Weight

Glass Weight Tutorial

This pretty glass weight is made from a glass drop that is approx 2 1/4″. It takes less than 10 minutes to make!

1. Stamp the butterfly design with VersaFine Onyx Black using Layers of Color Butterfly Collector on colored cardstock.
2. Set the glass drop on top of the stamped image, draw around the outside of the glass drop then cut out the circle.
3. Glue it to the back of the glass drop and glue decorative trim to the edge.

Voila, a pretty little gift in a jiffy!

Side View

Now you can grab a bag of glass drops & Layers of Color art stamps, invite some friends over, and have a gift making party!

Enjoy!