Bible Illustrating and Journaling - John 15:4

Annie’s Ink-Lings

This Week's Scripture Focus - John 15:4
I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

What does it mean to “bear fruit?”

Bearing fruit is a sign of reproduction. It’s imitating Christ’s life in our life.

The fruit, which Jesus is referring to, is Christlikeness -- His character reproduced in us. 

How do we accomplish bearing fruit?

Keep yourself closely attached to the vine. Everything that you try to do will come to nothing unless you do it through a conscious, abiding dependence on the enablement of Christ.  We must realize that it is the life of Christ flowing through us that produces the kind of fruit the Father desires.

What is the end purpose of bearing fruit?

The purpose is that God the Father will be glorified.  In verse 8, it says, "In this is my Father glorified: that you bear much fruit . . ."   The chief end of man and the chief end of ministry is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. 

May your week be fruitful,
Annie

Pink Poppy Thanks

Annie’s Ink-Lings

I don't know what it is about poppies, but for some reason when I look at them they give me a "happy heart" boost.  Truly, it is really hard for me to resist purchasing another poppy stamp.  I have a friend who feels the same way about irises.  This sweet poppy is from the Simply Sketched stamp set from Stampin' Up.  After stamping the poppies on white card stock using a Ranger Archieval Ink pad, I heat set the ink to avoid any smearing of the black ink.  I used Copic Sketch Markers to color the poppies and finished the one off by putting small dots of black Enamel Accents in the center.  I fussy cut the image and adhered it to the card with foam tape for the 3-D effect that I like.  A few matching sequins in a somewhat triangular pattern perfectly tied everything together.

Measurements

Top-folding Card Base  11 x 4 inches

White Panel  5 x 3 3/8 inches

Pink Panel 3 3/8 x 1 3/4 inches

Green Panel 3 3/8 x 1 inch

Supplies

Simply Sketched stamp set from Stampin' Up

Ranger Archieval Ink Pad

Copic Sketch Markers #R81 Rose Pink, R85 Rose Red, and G94 Grayish Olive

Ranger Enamel Accents - Black Tie

This is an amazingly quick and easy card.  I'm planning on making one or two more of this style but using different flower stamps.  Thank you for letting me share with you today.

Blessings,

Annie

Paper Storage Tip

Annie’s Ink-Lings

I was just cleaning up my work table and putting things back in place, making ready for my next stamping adventure.  The thought came to me to share with you one of the ways that I store my decorative paper and its offcuts. When I have one or two sheets left of some decorative paper plus the offcuts, I slip all of it into a clear sheet protector.  Keeping the offcuts often saves me from having to ruin a whole sheet for just a small panel.  I also do this for 12x12 DP's. I just slip the protector sheet into my paper storage rack.  Since the protector sheet is clear, it is easy to see the design.  

Hope you find this a helpful tip.

Blessings,
Annie

Fish are Jumping Over This Fancy Fold Card

Annie’s Ink-Lings

Are you up for a challenge?  I have to say that this card was a challenge for me, but I'm oh so glad that I didn't pass it by.  I have no idea of the name of the fold, so if anyone has a glue, please fill me in.  Cathy Derouche shared her pattern with me and she didn't have a name for it either.   So, for tracking purposes I'm going to call it a Triple Fold Shutter Card.  Scoring and cutting the base was actually easy.  The challenge was choosing colors, coordinating decorative paper, stamping and die cutting all the images and then coloring them with PrismaColor pencils, creating the fishing scene, and deciding on the layout.  Yes, there are a lot of steps.  But don't let me scare you off - I loved every minute of it.  I adhered the fishing scene panel with  foam tape to give it dimension.   All the other images and the die Happy Birthday were adhered with Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky Glue.  My pastor is a fisherman and I designed this card just for him.  I'm pretty sure he's going to like it.  Let me know what you think.

Here is the scoring and cutting pattern:

Card Stock and Paper Measurements

Blue Card Base 12" x 6", scored at 4" and 8".

Large Black Panel 5 3/4" x 4 3/4"

Designer Paper Panel 5 1/2" x 3 1/2"

Large White Panel 5 1/4" x 3 1/4"

Scene Panel 4" x 2 3/4"

These are the paper sizes for the four rectangle folds:

   Black 3 3/4" x 1 1/4"

   Designer Paper 3 3/4" x 1 1/8"

Supplies

Ink Pads:  Waterproof Black Ink, Memories Midnight Blue Dye Ink, Salty Ocean Distress Ink

PrismaColor Pencils:  PC923 Scarlet Lake,PC904 Light Ceruean Blue, PC940 Sable, PC951
          Metalic Copper, PC949 Metalic Silver

Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky Glue

Tape Runner

3-D Foam Tape

Stampin' Up Best Catch Stamp set and dies

Stampin' Up High Tide Stamp set - just the water stamp

Die-Versions Happy Birthday Die

Sizzix (Doodlebug Design/Hampton Art) Stamp & Die-cut - the small frame

I would love to see your card if you take the challenge, so please share.

Blessings,

Annie

Bible Journaling & Illustrating - 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Annie’s Ink-Lings

Journaling has been around for a long time, but for some reason it didn't appeal to me.  It seemed to me that it was like keeping a diary and I was never any good at that.  However, when I discovered bible illustrating, it opened up a whole new avenue of using my creativity and my love of studying the bible.  I found that it was a new way to study my bible and connect with God.  It naturally followed that I wanted to search out the true meaning of the bible verses that I was illustrating, plus the context, the background, the customs of the times.  Likewise, it naturally followed that I wanted to write down what I was learning from my studies and, of course, this led to journaling.  I very much would like to share with you my faith and creative journey.  I will be posting pages from both my Inspire Bible and pages that I create and keep in a 3-ring binder.   If you are inspired to take up bible illustrating and journaling, these are just a few of the benefits that will be yours.

                                              1.  Worship and praise God in a new way

                                              2.  Be encouraged to read your bible

                                              3.  Learn and share the truths of scripture

                                              4.  Helps you to memorize scripture

                                              5.  For spiritual growth

                                              6.  Gives pause for meditation

                                              7.  For fun and relaxation

For this week's bible verse study, I'm sharing a verse that I  did in November 2018.

I Thessalonians 5:24

 Our sanctification depends on God and He has promised to sanctify His followers.  If He has begun a work of grace in our hearts, we may depend on His faithfulness to complete it.  His faithfulness binds Him to fulfill His promises; therefore He will do it.

I am thankful that I can always count on God's word - it is true and unchanging - just like Him.

Blessings,

Annie

Only the River Runs Free - Christian Book Review

Annie’s Ink-Lings

Only the River Runs Free, Book 1 of 4 of The Galway Chronicles

by Bodie and Brock Thoene

I am a big fan of  the authors Bodie and Brock Thoene's (pronounced Tay-Nee) a Christian husband-wife team. Previously, I have read the Zion Chronicles and Zion Covenant, both of which are in our church library.  I recently began reading The Galway Chronicles, which is also in our library. The Thoenes are known to be accurate in the historical content of their books and are amazingly gifted in bringing forth characters and developing them.   The Galway Chronicles is an awesome series of four books about the persecution of the Irish by the British.  In an endeavor to eliminate all influences of Irish heritage, the English forced an intellectual and spiritual bondage on Ireland as well as a bitter physical bondage of servitude.  Freedom had become so rare that the Irish coined a saying, "In Ireland only the rivers run free."

And, of course, it was this clash of Protestantism and Catholicism, English and Irish, that has become Ireland's story.

This is a review of the first book of the series. 

The setting for the series is Ballynockanor, Ireland, in 1841, under the rule of the British.  Queen Victoria was on the throne in England.  Some of the Irish turned on their own during this time to avoid the wrath of the British.  The story is woven with mystery and intrigue, love and romance, sin and forgiveness, and much Irish history, scenery, and folklore.

Only the River Runs Free is aptly titled, for no one, not even the land of Ireland itself, is free in this book. Joseph Connor Burke is a lost man.  Cheated out of his inheritance as the Burke after his father was murdered, he has lived a silent, hidden life apart from his native Ballynockanor.  As would be expected, Joseph has also been waiting for an opportunity to right old wrongs, to free himself from his past, and to step into the role he was destined to fill.

The Donovans are a proud, Irish family.  A tragic fire had taken the life of Mrs. Donovan, her youngest child, and the young husband of her oldest child Kate.  Mr. Donovan, still heartbroken over the deaths of his wife and youngest child, is bound to the bottle, while Kate, scarred from the fire, which still holds her heart in bondage, believes her beauty has been marred and she will never be loved again.  She is still beautiful, however, to Joseph, who is beginning to question his call to the priesthood.

This is more than Joseph's and Kate's story, however, and the other Donovans are just as engaging. The setting is well done and almost a character in itself. You will smell the green of Ireland. You will feel the land kick against English suppression. The Thoenes do a great job of meshing the political and religious issues into the plot without overwhelming the reader with details. While the characters are finding their way to freedom, so are the Irish people.

Only the River Runs Free is a highly recommended series by me!

Blessings,

Annie

Coming Up Roses on a Tri-Fold Pocket Card

Annie’s Ink-Lings

Hello Paper Crafters,

I'm sure you have had this experience a time or two.  I went to Hobby Lobby with the intent of purchasing one, I say again one, item that I needed.  With the sought-after item in hand, I found myself strolling down the scrapbook paper isle.  Imagine that!  My eyes caught sight of a paper with a  beautiful rose pattern and sitting enticingly next to it was a perfectly coordinating burlap paper.  Sometimes my mind seems to have a mind of its own, and in this case it told me that these papers were absolutely perfect for a Tri-Fold Pocket card that I wanted to make.  The soft rose paper is so feminine and I love the colors.  

Once home in my studio, happily I found that I had a 3-step rose stamp that matched the roses on the paper quite well.  I used a small panel of vellum as an overlay on the scrapbook paper on the front of the card and placed a few pink butterflies above the rose.  The pocket is trimmed with a lovely border and accented with pearls.  

Tri-Fold Pocket Card ­

Pale Pink Card Base 12” x 5 ½”, scored at 4” and 8”

First Panel

            Pink Card Stock 3 ¾ ” x 5 ¼”

            Designer Paper 3 ½ ” x 5”

            Velum Sheet 2 7/8 x 4 ¼”

Second Panel

            Light Burlap Designer Paper 3 3/4” x 5 ¼”; adhere and cover entire second panel

            Pale Pink Card Stock 4” x 2 ½” – for pocket; adhere 3 sides to bottom of second panel

            Light Burlap Designer Paper 3 3/4 x 2 ¼”; adhere to pocket layer

Third Panel

            Pink Card Stock 3 ¾” x 5 ¼”

            Designer Paper 3 5/8” x 5”

Insert Panel

  3 ¼” x 4 ¼“

                                                   

Pink Scalloped Border

¾” x  3 3/4" 

I hope you have enjoyed today's post.  I know I have certainly enjoyed sharing with you.

Blessings,

Annie

Lady in Red

Annie’s Ink-Lings

I've dreamed of visiting Venice, but the reality is that the closest I'll ever get is with the Venice background stamp I've used for my Lady in Red card.  I love how her bright red dress and umbrella just pop on that background.   I saw a similar card on Pinterest and decided that this was exactly what I needed to make for one of my friends at church who was having a health issue.  She was a bit discouraged and I thought perhaps this would be an encouragement to her that better days were to come.  This is a clean and simple card with just a bit of fussy cutting.  The design can be used for an assortment of occasions just by changing the sentiment.  So take a look and then give it a go.

Measurements and Directions

White Card Base  8 ½ x 5 ½, folded

Black Panels  5 ¼ x 4

                         3 ¾ x 3 ¼

White Panels  5 x 3 ¾

                        3 ½ x 3

White Scrap

1.  Stamp background:  ink background stamp with black ink, lay white panel over image, cover with scrap sheet, use brayer to roll back and forth over image.

2.  Stamp umbrella woman on white panel using black waterproof ink.  Color dress and umbrella with Dark Red Copic marker.  FOR HAIR – just dot a few times using the black Copic marker.    Don’t color in solid!  Fussy cut image.

3.  Stamp sentiment with black ink onto white scrap and punch out with oval punch.

4.  Adhere the first black and white panels to the card base with tape runner.  Adhere the second 

black and white panels together; center and adhere towards the top of the card.

5.  Use 3-D to mount woman with umbrella on the left bottom half of the card.

6.  Glue top half of sentiment oval to bottom right of background image and use a piece of 3-D tape for the bottom half of the oval.

Paper Trimmer

Fussy Cut Scissors

Glue Bottle

Tape Runner

3-D Tape

Archieval Black Ink (waterproof)

Copic Markers - #R89 Dark Red and #100 Black

Embossing Arts Venice Background stamp

Stampin’ Up Beautiful You stamp set

Now it's your turn - happy stamping!

Blessings,

Annie

Flower Card with a Slide-Out Panel

Annie’s Ink-Lings

After a long hiatus I'm finally able to get back to posting on my blog.  Today I'm sharing a card I designed for this week's stamping class.  The red, white, and black color combination is quite striking and is very appealing to the eye.   There is a panel that slides completely out of the card - perfect for stamping a sentiment or writing a message.  This is one of those cards that is really easier to make than it looks.

Measurements and Directions

Black Card Base 4” x 12”  (you can get 3 card bases from a 12” x 12” sheet of card stock)

            1.  Score at 3 ¼”  and 8 ¾”

            2.  Make a pencil mark at 2” along the 4” side, at both ends.

            3.  Make a diagonal cut from the 2” pencil mark to the score line. Repeat on the other side and

                        at the other end.

            4.  Fold on the score lines. 

            5.  Apply a little adhesive to one of the points.

            6.  Fold and secure over the other end.  The points will overlap and lay flat.

Card Front

            1.  Red card stock 3” x 3 ½”

            2.  White card stock 2 ¾” x 3 ¼”

            3.  Stamp sentiment with black ink on the white card panel in the upper left-hand corner.

            4.  Layer it onto the small red panel, center and adhere the assembly to the card base.

Inner Card Panel

            1.  Black card stock 4” x 5 3/8”         )

            2.  Red card stock 3 ¾” x 5 3/16”      )  Layer the panels.

            3.  White card stock 3 ½” x 5”           )

Flower

            1.  Stamp flower with black ink pad onto red card stock, cut out, sponge petals with

                        Memories Port Red ink pad, and curl the petal tips.

            2.  Layer with 3-D tape.

            3.  Fill center of flower with yellow Flower Soft.

            4.  Using 3-D tape, adhere the flower to the bottom right side of the white card front.

Leaves

            1.  Stamp 3 leaves with Distress Ink Peeled Paint ink pad onto lighter shade of olive green card

                        stock, cut out, and scrunch leaves.

            2.  Adhere leaves with glue as shown in sample.

Border

            1.  Cut a ¾” strip from black and white stripe card stock or DP.

            2.  Make a decorative edge using a small scalloped border punch.

            3.  Use Score Tape to attach borders to card front as shown in sample.

Supplies:                                                         Card Stock:

            Paper Trimmer                                               Black

            Large Martha                                                  Red

            Fussy Cut Scissors                                         White

            Pencil and Ruler                                            Light Olive Green

            Glue Bottle                                                     Black and White Stripe

            ¼’ Score Tape

            Tape Runner

            3-D Tape

            Small Scallop Border Punch

I hope you've enjoyed today's card.  Another post will be coming very soon.

Blessings,

Annie