Webster's Pages Giveaway!

There is a great giveaway going on over at the Webster's Pages blog

http://websterspages.typepad.com/webstershome/2012/07/prepare-to-gasp-win-our-new-perfect-accents.html

The cameos that they are giving away are so adorable and would be great embellishments on handmade cards (if you can stand to part with them!).

What is Love?

The Bible verse for this week's Word Art Wednesday card challenge is Deuteronomy 6:5:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.". (NKJV)

To continue on...... "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." (Deut. 6:6-7)

WOW!!  We are commanded to love God with all our heart, soul and strength. Isn't this hard to do? Our first love usually is 'self'.......then maybe we put God next on the "people to love" list.

The world's view of "love" is totally messed up. That view is "I'll love you if you love me." or "I love you because I can profit off of you or you have something that I need."  And when you disappoint me or are no longer of benefit to me, I don't love you anymore.  How else can you explain the broken homes and relationships that are commonplace in the world today. The world does not know what true love is.

What is True Love? Or maybe I should ask "WHO is True Love?" The answer is God....

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4:7-11  NKJV)

WOW again!   We can love only because God first loved us. When we stop to think about God first loving us and sending Jesus to die for us, while we were yet sinners and God's enemy, this should cause us to love God even more. When we love God more than anything, then the words of Deuteronomy 6:6-7 will be manifested in our daily walk. We will keep His Word and commandments in our heart. We will teach His Word to our children. We will meditate on His Word and speak it to others throughout the day. And we will love one another with a Christ-like love.

One way that we can show love to others is by encouraging them......maybe by sending them a hand-written note to let them know that we are thinking of them.

 Here is the card that I am entering in the challenge. The hydrangea was cut out of some paper that I found at Michael's last week. They had packets of 6x6 papers (12 sheets in a packet) in their dollar bins!!  These were Paula Deen brand. (I guess Paula has ventured into the world of papercrafts!) The background paper that the hydrangea is attached to is from My Mind's Eye 6x6 "Dwell" collection and the green piece with the Bible verse is the reverse side of the background paper.  A blue bow was added to the neck of the vase.  I glued the hydrangea directly to the background paper and used foam tape to attach the Bible verse.

And here is a little secret.....I found the "Dwell" collection (6x6 pad) at TJMaxx!!!!  $2.99!!!!  They have a nice little colletion of papercrafting supplies (paper, adhesives, ribbon).

I hope this inspires you to encourage someone this week with a handwritten card.

Stampin' Up Spotlight

Next week I am having a Stampin' Up workshop.  These are always lots of fun....a gathering of friends, making cards, eating, laughing..............I'm looking forward to the workshop and have started my "wish" list. 

I became acquainted with Stampin' Up a couple of years ago and I am very satified with the products they sell.  Anyway, this really isn't a "commercial" for Stampin' Up, it's a blog post to show you some cards that I've made recently with Stampin' Up product.

I made this card last week for a friend who had surgery.  The inspiration for the card came directly from a Stampin' Up catalog.  Okay, one more "plug" for Stampin' Up......the catalogs that they issue also includes some really cute card and scrapbook ideas.  Alright, back to blog mode.  Here is a photo of the "thinking of you" card

Aren't those kites absolutely adorable??  I stamped them on white card stock, cut the images out and attached them to the front of the card with foam adhesive to make them "stand out".  The polka dot heart was also punched out and attached with a glue dot.  The stamp set, "Send Me Soaring", includes the kite stamps, clouds and some sentiments (although not the "thinking of you" sentiment that I used on the card).

And here are several cards using the "Tea Shoppe" stamp set from Stampin' Up.  The inspiration for these cards came from the Splitcoast Stampers website.

(The birthday stamp is a Stampin' Up product but not part of the Tea Shoppe stamp set.)

(The 'happy birthday' stamp is a Stampin' Up product but not part of the Tea Shoppe stamp set.)

And finally........my favorite (the sentiment on this one IS part of the Tea Shoppe stamp set).

I love the quote by Louisa May Alcott, "Stay" is a charming word in a friend's vocabulary. 

I hope this post has inspired you to "get your craft on!"

Hope

I'm entering the card below in the weekly card challenge at Word Art Wednesday.

The suggested Bible verse for the challenge (which ends at midnight on Tuesday) is Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." (NKJV)

Here is the card that I'm entering.......

Supplies used:
Stampin Up Sizzix 'Stripes' embossing folder
SU striped grosgrain ribbon (retired)
Graphic 45 Papers (flower/bulb image) Botanicabella Collecton (I *LOVE* Graphic 45)
SU large tag paper punch
SU extra large tag paper punch
The Paper Studio rainbow crackle round gemstones

This is my second week of entering the card challenge at Word Art Wednesday. I am enjoying the challenges and trying to incorporate a mini-devotion using the challenge Bible verse when I post my blog.

As I read the challenge verse this week, the word that jumped out at me was 'hope'. Usually when we use the word 'hope', it is used in a way to convey our wish that something might happen....as in, "I 'hope' it rains."

In reading through the entire chapter 29 of Jeremiah, we are reminded that Israel has been taken captive by Babylon. They had turned their backs on God. Jeremiah 29 is a letter written to the captives by Jeremiah. The words of the letter are not Jeremiah's words but those revealed to Jeremiah by God. Verse 11 speaks of a future and a hope for Israel. This 'hope' is NOT a "wishful" hope (maybe they will get out of captivity) but a certainty, a done deal (after 70 years God delivered them from captivity).

Jeremiah chapter 29 is a great picture of the grace of God. Grace that God even now continues to show to sinful man as we are delivered from the captivity of sin. Jeremiah 29:13 says, "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."  It is only through the grace of God that our hearts are changed so that we want to seek him.

In a world of hopelessness we can have hope.  Our 'hope' is Christ.  Again, this 'hope' is not something wishful but something absolutely certain because of the finished work that Christ accomplished on the cross. 

My hope is built on nothing less,

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus' name.

On Christ the solid Rock, I stand.

All other ground is sinking sand.

All other ground is sinking sand.

(words by Edward Mote)

My First Card Challenge!

I recently discovered Word Art Wednesday. They have a challenge each week using a Bible verse. You can also enter the challenge even if you happen to not use the Bible verse as long as you submit something with an uplifting/encouraging quote.

The Bible verse for this week's challenge is Deuteronomy 32:2 - "Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants."

These words were part of the 'Song of Moses' in which he proclaims the greatness of God and describes the attributes of God. I encourage you to read the entire chapter. Moses spoke these words to the children of Israel; however, these same words should be heeded today by all peoples....and I'm specifically thinking about the American people.  Man cannot turn his back on Almighty God without dire consequences.

Here is a photo of the card I'm entering in the challenge.

 

The Bible verse speaks of rain, dew, and showers upon the grass and herbs/plants. I decided to go with an image of a tree instead of grass, flowers or herbs. It is only by being "watered" by God (through reading His Word, prayer, and fellowship with other Christians) that we can become rooted and grounded as the mighty tree.

The tree image is from the Stampin' Up 'Lovely as a Tree' set and the butterfly is also SU - from the retired Dreams du Jour set. I used foam adhesive to give dimension to the tree and Bible verse. I also dabbed some distressing ink around the tree and used a paper distresser for the Bible verse.

I'm looking forward to entering more of the Word Art challenges!

Starburst Card!!!

My card making friend, Marjorie, introduced me to the "starburst" card a few weeks ago.  I tried following a tutorial to assemble one shortly thereafter but things just didn't go right and I didn't spend a whole lot of time on it. 

Recently another card making friend, Cheryl, had success on her attempt at making the starburst card.  You *MUST* take a look at her cute cards! 

So this evening I finally decided to try once more.  Here is my starburst card:

The paper is from doodlebug design inc - snips & snails collection and the stamped sentiment "thinking of you" is from a Stampin' Up hostess set, Swirls & Curls Verses.  The other embellishments are from my "unidentified stash". 

I like the way the card turned out; however, it did take some time to get it assembled. 

Now it's *your* turn to make one of these!

Color Techniques (Watercolor)

Last week I attended a Color Techniques class at the Archiver's store in Franklin.  This class focused on watercolor techniques using Tombow dual brush pens, water and paintbrush.  I completed the coloring part during class time and added embellishment/assembled the cards last night at home.  The Archiver folks had already embossed the image on watercolor cardstock.....which was a good thing considering that the entire 2 1/2 hour class was spent on "coloring" the embossed image. 

I think the cards turned out cute; however, I have already decided that the watercolor technique is not for me.  The technique (especially for the embossed images below) is very time consuming.  I think I prefer making cards just by using my stamps, ink pads and embellishments. 

So without further ado................here are the finished cards!