Let Freedom Ring!

My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. 

This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.

Lamentations  3:20, 21

With a great sum obtained I this freedom.

Acts 22: 28

These verses may be taken out of context, but I wanted to get across the idea of REMEMBERING those who have ‘given’ us this wonderful FREE country – and many having paid a GREAT PRICE – for us to be able to inhabit it.  We celebrate this week our country’s Independence from tyranny and oppression back in 1776 – when it was thought that war for us was done.  Not so.  Unfortunately, many wars have been fought since and many of our loved ones are serving and sacrificing in War yet today.  Our country may not be ‘perfect,’ but it is surely the best place to be of all the choices there are!

                                             

I have long been a fan of CookingWithCricut.com and PaperCraftingWorld.com and am now a Design Team Member for the weekly PCW Challenges.  I am soooo excited to be involved here with this!  This week’s challenge was to make something Patriotic and use a Star and the colors Silver or Gold.  Please visit all of the blogs that are listed there, get some inspiration and then link a project You have made at PaperCraftingWorld.com!

I made this Military Sympathy Card for the families of Dear Friends of mine who lost their nephew/son/husband/father just a few weeks ago in Afghanistan.  I used a PCW Flag Frame cutting file, a quote that I liked on the front, a Bible verse and a poem inside that I found several years ago written inside the front of a used book that I purchased.  I have used it several times since in Sympathy Cards.  The Gold Star on the front is indicative of their loss – they are now a Gold Star Family…

 

   

For this week’s post – my FIRST here on the PapercraftingWorld.com Design Team!! – I also wanted to make another card using PapercraftingWorld.com cutting files.  I used the Scallop/Oval Card and the ‘I Heart USA’ files.  I inked the edges of the white cardstock with Night Sky ink.  I cut the Gold inset, the Navy inset border (that I ‘modified’ for this) and the Red for the phrase out of Sparkle Cardstock.  I used Pop-Dots to raise the phrase.  I ‘hand-stitched’ around the oval inset with a Gold gel pen.  (The Betsy Ross in me just HAD to stitch something!)  I added a red gem to the center of the heart.

My son, a Marine Capt. (USNA/2005), has just returned stateside a couple weeks ago from Afghanistan and has had two prior deployments to Iraq.  Whatever your plans for this 4^th of July – and I know many spend the day with friends and family and have a good ‘Day Off’ from work - please do take some time to remember the reason for this holiday – and the Many who have gone before and those still going to ensure that we continue to live in the ‘Land of the Free – Because of the Brave!’ 

 

Most Sincerely and Thankfully –

Lynden – a Blue Star Mother!

A Blue Star ornament I made for a Friend

Variations on a Theme...

 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing of birds is come,

and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

Song of Solomon  2:12

Recently I happened to pick up the stamp featured here On Sale.  Flowers – specifically Sterling Roses – are ‘special’ to me.  With the last name of ‘Blossom,’ it seems appropriate, wouldn’t you say?!  This stamp caught my eye and I thought it would be fun to use it in a variety of ways.  I’m sharing some of these with you here –

Sterling Rose

First, I made these 3 ‘any occasion’ cards.  I cut the frame for them with my Cricut/SCAL2.

Then I made 2 other cards using a different frame cut with my Cricut/ SCAL2.  The cardstock is light gray.  The frames are black, and on the second one I inked it with silver, as well as the edges of the card.  I stamped the first light lavender inset with Dusty Concord (Tim Holtz /Distress Ink), then without reapplying ink, I stamped the second inset – which made it fairly faint.  I then stamped it with Silver (Color Box).  I added gems (Recollections) on each of the frames.  These will be used as Sympathy Cards, which I unfortunately need at this time for the families of friends who recently passed away.

I decided to experiment with the stamp, some inks and some Glimmer Mist sprays.  Here are some of the combinations I came up with –

I stamped with Light Lavender ink (Studio G), sprinkled with Light Lavender embossing powder and heat embossed.  Then I inked faintly with a slightly Darker Lavender ink.

I stamped with Fired Brick (TH/DI), then spritzed with Burgundy Glimmer Mist and then with Gold Mist.

I stamped with Tea Dye (TH/DI) and then with Dusty Concord (TH/DI).  I spritzed with Deep Violet Glimmer Mist.  NOTE:  The spray ‘blotched’ more than I liked…so…I added a bouquet of mini-flowers with leaves made from brown-ish daisy petals and gem (Recollections) centers.    ;-}

I stamped with Bronze (Color Box) ink, sprinkled with Bronze embossing powder, heat-set it, and then lightly inked it with Tea Dye and Crushed Olive (TH/DI).

I stamped with Dusty Concord (TH/DI), then spritzed with Deep Violet Glimmer Spray, then Silver.

I stamped with Fired Brick (TH/DI), spritzed with burgundy, then silver Glimmer Mists.  I made a flower with 2 petals from a hyacinth blossom and added a pearl center.  I made leaves from petals of another flower.

My flowers all come from the ‘$ Store.’  The gems are from Michaels – on sale.  I’m quite a Thrifty Scrapper in all I do.  How do You make beauty from very little  - adding 'An Elegant Touch…' to all that You do?...

Digital Photo Restorations !

…and [her] hands shall restore their goods.

Job 20:10

I have certainly ‘come a long way, Baby’ since I timidly turned on my first laptop in 1998!  I have researched and ‘taught myself’ to do some amazing things and now with my Macbook and Photoshop Elements 10, I am constantly amazed at what I can accomplish!  I decided to share another aspect of my creativity here – some of the Many ‘Befores and Afters’ of Digital Restorations of Vintage Photos that I’ve worked on during the past few years – some for a former employer and some for current friends and clients.

*  This was an approximately 3” x 3” photo which had lots of old glue/water damage and was a bit worse for the wear through the years…

*  This was a photo printed on cardboard, which had then been roughly cut to fit into an oval frame…

     

 

  *  This was a small 2” x 3” photo, which had been cut and damaged with time…

 *  This photo had been folded and was faded and damaged…

*  This one was really faded and the client wanted it restored and colored to what she remembered her dress as being…

*  This is a 1920 Marriage Certificate that I recently restored for a client…

*  This photo was very faded…  I offered a finished photo in Black and White or Sepia -

*  This photo was quite faded and scratched…  I offered this in Black and White, Sepia and with or without the 'original' matting -

*  This photo was faded - and notice the ‘something’ (?) that was on the roof just above the woman’s head…  I offered it in Black and White or Sepia -

 
*  My client wanted her father isolated and removed from the group in the photo…

*  The emblem on the windshield needed to be 'removed' in this photo…

*  This photo was attached to a cardboard that was damaged through time – notice the corners…now fixed -

These are just a very few of the several hundred photos and items I’ve worked on in the past several years.  I scan the damaged photos, digitally restore them and then reprint them -   If you or someone you know would like me to work on restoring photos, please contact me and we can discus the details and possibilities!  I’d love to hear your thoughts on my work and I’d be happy to restore photos and items for you!

CD Case Birthday Card

A friend loveth at all times…

Proverbs 17:17a

I thought I’d share a Birthday ‘card’ that I recently made for a Very Special Friend for whom I wanted to make something unique.  I love to Re-purpose items and so I decided to make it using a CD case.  I included a number of Friendship Quotes inside, attached to an accordion-folded base so they pop up when the case is opened. 

Photos -

The paper is on the inside of the case - the flowers are glued on the front outside -

The view when it is opened - I wrote my note and signature on the bottom right section.

Another view from the top -

What other uses have you found for CD cases?  Actually just last week, I organized my stamps that go on clear mounts in empty clear CD cases.  It makes it easy to find them when I need them and conserves on space.