The Nickel Nook

I Need A Little Help, Please...Oh, and a Card to Show You Too!

2012-01-30T20:08:00.001-06:00

Happy Monday, my Friends! I have a masculine card to show you today. I'm debating whether or not to link this up to the Card Crafter's Circle Challenge. I would actually be ON TIME!! lol The challenge is "Feel Good With a Friend", and the cards that are on their right now are really girly for the most part. Sometimes we do have friends and relatives of the male variety that need a card "just because", right? :o)
Now, you may be wondering what kind of help I'm requiring from you today. I'm really excited about the next mini album I have decided to make! The only problem is...I just can't decide what to make it out of! Obviously I won't get a thing done until that decision is made! lol I don't know if you have noticed but I set up a little "Vote" in my sidebar. If you could please vote on your choice of what you'd like to see my next mini album made out of, I would really appreciate it! I thought it would be a fun way for you all to be involved...and for me not to have to decide! haha I do have the theme and colors picked out already, so I have done some of the work! Thanks so much for your assistance. I'll leave the vote open until Saturday because after that I have to get to work on it! Hope you all have a wonderful week! :o)

Papers: K & Company - Eco Modern,

Unknown Cardstock;

Ink: Stampin' Up - Basic Black;

Punches: Stampin' Up - Modern Label,

Double Cog Punch;

Stamp: Hero Arts.

Linking Up To:

Card Crafter's Circle Challenge #7 - Feel Good With a Friend!

Oops...I did it again!! LOL

2012-01-26T16:46:00.000-06:00

Isn't that a song? "Oops..I did it again!" lol Well, I did it again with the Card Crafter's Circle Bears Challenge. I was sure I had just enough time to post this card...but I was too late...again! haha One day I will be on time again! I am entering it in two other challenges that are listed below the photo.
I was sneezing and sniffling too much to do any detail colouring (the cold part of my flu is making a return appearance), so I used the Chalkboard Technique instead. You can see my post explaining the technique HERE.
I hope you're all having happy days! :o)

Papers: Unknown Cardstock;

Stamp: Penny Black - Good Catch

Ink: Stampin' Up - Basic Brown;

Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities - Lacey Ovals;

Punches: Stampin' Up - Modern Label,

Martha Stewart Corner Punch - Modern Garland;

Unknown: Ribbon, Chalk and Bling

Linking Up to:

Scripture Thursday Linky Party #13 - Love

Word Art Wednesday - Challenge #12

Hymn and Scripture Challenge #2 - Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

2012-01-22T09:17:00.000-06:00

Happy Sunday, my friends! Welcome to the second Hymn and Scripture Challenge! This is another favorite hymn of mine! I should warn you that you'll probably be hearing that for EVERY hymn that gets posted! lol Just like you've always heard it for EVERY Scripture verse I post...they're all my favorites too! :o)
Please remember to click on the button in the sidebar and follow the links to go see Patter's page and read her devotional. Also, all the other beautiful pages are linked up there!
This hymn is so full of wonderful encouragement! There are so many of us that feel "weary and tired" on a regular basis, right? Let's face it...life here on earth can be really dark and difficult sometimes. However, if we "fix our eyes on Jesus" like the Scripture says, suddenly the trials of this life just don't have the same power they once did to bog us down. There's a freedom that comes with the realization that the things of this earth just don't matter. Ever since Jesus endured the cross for us...with joy?!!...He has been sitting at the right hand of the throne of God. That's where we'll meet Him one day...and what a day that will be, my friends! So let's focus on Jesus, put our problems in their place, and face our days with JOYFUL ZEAL!! :o)

Papers: Unknown Cardstock;

Punch: Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page;

Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities - Curved Rectangles;

Brads: Recollections Metallic Brads;

Flowers: Unknown Mulberry Paper Flowers,

Recollections Mulberry Paper Mini Roses;

Bead Sprays: Art Angels Designs HERE

Music Note Paper: Free Vintage Digital Stamps HERE

Butterflies: K & Co Abrianna Grand Adhesions - from Marsha

I'm not really what you'd call a country music "fan" but I do like the way Alan Jackson sings the old hymns. This is a lovely video...I hope you enjoy it! :o)

Just A Little Birthday Card!

2012-01-18T19:55:00.000-06:00

Hello, again! My second post in two days! Can you tell I'm trying to make up for lost time? This is my entry for the Card Crafter's Circle Challenge #5 - Happy Birthday. You can find all the details HERE. I'm making it just under the wire for this one...but at least it's not too late this time! lol I made a simple gate-fold card. I did it rather quickly so I could pop it in the mail. The card will definitely be late! The recipients birthday is tomorrow and it will take almost a week to arrive! If you missed yesterdays post, please scroll down and take a peek. Maybe I can keep this going and be back tomorrow with another project! :o)

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Go Mega!

2012-01-17T16:38:00.001-06:00

Hello, my friends! Did you miss me? I've sure missed all of you! What a week it has been! I've been very sick...so sick that I wasn't able to be on the computer AT ALL for DAYS!! YIKES!! Today is the first day that I've felt up to starting some blog rounds, and popping in for visits. There's still many of you I need to come see, although I know now that I will never catch up on all that I missed! I also missed out on some fun challenges...but I'll just try to catch the next ones!
Speaking of challenges, Mary and I are still determined to finish up the 52 Week Challenge from last year! :o) The only description I was given for the "Go mega" page, was to "think really big for everything". Now remember my page is only 8 inches. I could have pulled out a 5 X 7 "mega" photo but that would have filled up the whole page! Since I finally felt up to doing something I really wanted to play a bit. I found my biggest stamp, which measures almost 7", and had lots of fun paper piecing it. I found my biggest flower at 5" and layered it up. Then I added my biggest buttons and staples. Finally I included the biggest letter sticker for the start of the sentiment of how I was feeling about today!
I hope you're all having a happy, happy day! I also hope you're keeping warm wherever you are! When we got up this morning it was to windchills of -48 degrees Celcius (-54 F)...and they say it's supposed to get colder tonight! Yay for winter weather finally arriving! :o)

Papers: K & Company - Watercolor Bouquet;

Stamp: Spring Flower Chic - unity stamp company;

Ink: Stampin' Up - Basic Black;

Buttons: Stampin' Up;

Staples: Fastenator and Beach Staples;

Sticker: the girls' paperie - kitch;

Unknown: flowers, brad, kraft, sentiment,

markers, dimensional paint, twine.

Hymn and Scripture Challenge #1 - Amazing Grace

2012-01-07T17:22:00.003-06:00

Hello, my dear friends! Welcome to my very first post of 2012, and my very first post of the new Hymn and Scripture Challenge! I'm very excited about the new twist added to the Scripture Challenge this year. Patter has decided to include the study of old hymns in her lessons. Those of you who have been visiting me for a while know that I LOVE the old hymns, and I have occasionally used them along with my Scripture Challenge pages.

All of the information about the new challenge can be found by clicking on the button in my sidebar and following all the links. There's still lots of time to follow along and join right in for the fun! For the past two years I have used a 6 X 6 inch format and it's worked really well. However, if I'm going to be working with a hymn and Scripture verse, I don't think 6 inches will give me enough space. So this year I've decided to work on an 81/2 x 11 base. I think that will give me more options for design. I don't really know how this will all transpire just yet. I guess we'll just see where the Lord leads me with this one...in other words...the usual! lol I do know that I really enjoyed putting this page together, and playing with some new toys.

As for the song...oh my! This one has always made me cry! Hymns tend to do that to me for a couple of reasons. One...because I still hear my Dad singing them right into my ear! Secondly...because of the words and the meaning behind them! Please click on the picture and take the time to read the words of the song and the Bible verse. This is going to be a really wonderful series and I hope you'll all join me for it! I'm excited to share it with you...with ZEAL!! :o)

Papers: K & Co - Ancestry, Recollections - Cardstock;

MM Slice Design Card: Think Pink, Je t'adore;

Die: Tim Holtz Ornamental

Sizzlits Decorative Strip: Circles & Triangles;

Punches: EK Success Border Punch - Scalloped Scallops;

Inks: Stampin' Up - Basic Brown, Baja Breeze;

Stamps: Nostalgiques Typewriter ABC Set;

Flowers: Prima ;

Brads: Recollections;

Bling: Imaginisce Hot Rocks Metal Accents;

Unknown bakers twine.

* Please take the time to watch this video of Wintley Phipps singing Amazing Grace!
Patter warned that we would need tissue. I certainly did! It's beautiful! *

I'm Not Saying What It Is Or You Won't Come Look! :o)

2011-12-29T17:07:00.002-06:00

Surprise!! It's a Christmas card! lol I have been seeing everybody post about how tired they are of seeing Christmas cards. Well, as this is only the third Christmas card I've made, it certainly isn't HERE that you've been seeing them all! I really wanted to participate in the Card Crafter's Circle second Challenge and that is to make a Christmas card. The funniest thing happened though. As I was posting this, their second challenge actually ended, and they started their third challenge. So after I got over my giggles...I think I lost a few hours, or was it perhaps a day! lol You can see their new challenge HERE. Fortunately the new challenge is "Anything Goes", so I'm just going to post my Christmas card! Too funny, right?!
Guess what? I won the Card Crafter's Circle very first challenge with my Birthday Christmas card. Isn't that fun? I won some great digital stamps that you'll be hearing about soon. So considering the feelings of all of you, I made a card that didn't look very seasonal. I used a wonderful digital image from my friend Pamela over at Free Vintage Digi Stamps , and a colour combination that I always love! You'll notice that the sentiment does include New Year's greetings as well, so there you go! A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR to each one of you dear people! Have I told you lately how much I appreciate you? :o)

Papers: Recollections Cardstock;

MM Slice Design Card: Noel;

Sizzlits Decorative Strip: Circles & Triangles;

Distress Stickles: Antique Linen

Ink: Stampin' Up - Cherry Cobbler;

Unknown Gold Ink;

Zig Water Brush.

Also entering this card at:

One Crazy Stamper: December Challenge - Christmas/Holiday Theme

ABC Scripture Challenge - Zeal

2011-12-28T19:27:00.000-06:00

Hello, my dear friends! I hope you all had a WONDERFUL Christmas! It came so fast that I didn't even get a chance to post any special greetings to you! I want you to know I prayed that each one of would have a special day of BLESSINGS! Our girls were both home and we had a fabulous time of JOY and laughter...and scrumptious turkey! I really enjoy a good turkey! :o)
So, here it is...the final Scripture Challenge page of 2011! Patter gave us such a fantastic word and the Scripture the Lord gave me for this word is actually going to be my verse for 2012! Isn't that FUN? I'm even going to find a way to post it on the top of my blog! The dictionary defines "zeal" as: "eager desire; enthusiastic diligence." I have always loved Romans chapter 12...the whole chapter...but these two verses (11 & 12) are perfect as we end one year and begin another...

"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

These verses are mine today and in the days to come, and perhaps you'd like to claim them along with me! Let us be enthusiastic and diligent in living a life that honors and serves the Lord. Now verse 12 has three parts, and these three parts are definitely connected. I know from experience that when we are JOYFUL in hope and FAITHFUL in prayer, it is much easier to be PATIENT in affliction. God is so GOOD and I can't wait to see what He has planned for 2012. Let's all face it together with ZEAL!! :o)

Papers: K & Co - Ancestry, Recollections Cardstock;

MM Slice Design Card: Vintage Findings;

Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Die: Baroque, Baroque Mini;

Sizzlits Decorative Strip: Circles & Triangles;

Pearls: Gift From Tracy;

Flower: Recollections;

Trim & Pin: From My Stash..

ABC Scripture Challenge - Yield

2011-12-17T19:53:00.000-06:00

WHEW!! I'm getting this page posted just under the wire! I haven't been late with a Scripture Challenge page yet and I'd hate to start with the second to last page of this year! lol It's hard to believe that the final word for the ABC Scripture Challenge will be posted tomorrow. Patter has some very exciting plans for the 2012 Scripture Challenge and I sure plan to participate again. It has been such a blessing to me, and I hope to continue to encourage you throughout the coming year. Please consider participating yourself...you won't be sorry!
So, on to today's word which is "yield". The Scripture verse I chose is found in 2 Chronicles 30:8, and I used the King James version. It says: Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified forever: and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you.

My page is very simple. It's a road sign that simply reminds us to submit to God and follow His path for our lives. No more stiff necks for us, my friends! :o)

Papers: MM Vintage Findings,

Recollections Cardstock;

Alpha: MM Creative Letters - Chunky;

MM Slice Design Card - Basics 1.

A Christmas Birthday Card! :o)

2011-12-15T17:19:00.007-06:00

Happy Thursday, my friends! Well, guess what I discovered? I can actually color WHILE I listen to my music! Who knew I could do two things at once! :o) Originally I was going to paper piece it but that doesn't work with my music. If I bop instead of sway an extremity disappears, and that's just not good! lol I've had lots of fun working on this card. A nativity scene depicts what Christmas is all about for me...it is the birthday of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you: he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luke 2: 10-11

Papers and Stamps: Recollections;

Prismacolor Pencils; Gold Stickles;

MM Slice Design Card: Summer

I'm entering this in:
Stampin' Sisters in Christ: Make a Birthday Card
One Crazy Stamper: Christmas/Holiday Theme
Card Crafter's Circle: Celebration

Could it be a Christmas Card?

2011-12-13T16:19:00.000-06:00

Hello, my friends! I would like to show you the one and only Christmas card I have made...so far! Well, there are still 12 days to go until Christmas, right? My list keeps getting longer each day without one thing getting crossed off. I'm really not sure how that's happening but I'm not even worried about it. I'm just enjoying my music, and what gets done...gets done! I'm a happy girl in my own little JOY OF CHRISTMAS bubble! :o)

I actually made this card several weeks ago but I forgot to post it. My friend Alexandra from Art Scrap & More made a sketch that I thought was super cute! You can see her post about it right HERE. Speaking of Alexandra...she also had a giveaway a little while ago. I was the fortunate winner of her mini album prize; a Little Yellow Bicycle decorative edge Christmas mini album and paperpad! Thanks again Alexandra! I'm going to have lots of fun with that! Probably not until after Christmas though, when I'm not so busy listening to all this music! lol

Here's Alexandra's sketch:

Here's my card:

All Items from my stash.

*Use of tag was inspired by Alexandra :o)

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Use a Transparency on a Page

2011-12-09T17:07:00.000-06:00

Hello, my friends! I have another Challenge page for you today, and it contains a couple of really fun firsts for me! The challenge was to use a transparency on a page. So guess what I did? I made my own transparency! Does that work? I actually didn't look into it before I tried it! lol Guess what else I did? I used digital images for the very first time! Yay! All the images on this page are digitals from a wonderful site I just discovered called Free Vintage Digi Stamps. You can find them right HERE. I know you want to, but please don't go there until you've finished here! :o)
It's so nice to be back on track with this Challenge. There are only eight more to go. Remember I'm doing 8 X 8 pages, so that gives you some perspective on this page. Here the background is the transparency. You know that I just have to do a cream and black page every once in a while...and it was high time. I had plans to make a really fancy "couture" flower for the pop of red. However, the light was fast fading here and I really wanted to get this page posted today. So I decided this pretty Prima would just have to do! I hope you all have a weekend full of JOY!! :o)

Papers: Recollections Cardstock;

Border Punches: EK Success, Martha Stewart;

Digital Stamps: Free Vintage Digi Stamps;

Transparency Sheets: from stash;

Flower: Prima.

ABC Scripture Challenge - Exercise

2011-12-03T17:03:00.001-06:00

Well, when I saw the Scripture word was "Exercise" I immediately thought of my treadmill again! Oh, no! lol I posted about the value of exercise recently. (ABC Scripture Challenge Value Page HERE) What I neglected to mention is that we actually purchased a new treadmill; a very nice, new and improved treadmill, because the old one was worn out. However, what I also neglected to mention is that I have not yet "bonded" with this fabulous new treadmill. I'm taking my time getting to know it and easing into a relationship. That being said, my Scripture page goes in a different direction. There are other meanings of the word exercise, you know! lol
Patter has a fabulous devotional about how important it is to EXERCISE our spiritual muscles daily. Please take a peek at my page and then go read her devotional HERE.

Jeremiah 9: 24 says:

"...but let the one who boasts boast about this:

that they have the understanding to know me,

that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,

justice and righteousness on earth,

for in these I delight,”

declares the LORD.

Isn't that lovely? So if kindness, justice and righteousness are things that delight the Lord, I think those are some EXERCISES we should be practicing daily as well, don't you? I would love to delight my Lord! :o)

Papers: K & Company - Sweet Nectar, Recollections;

MM Slice Design Cards: Grandma's Attic, Bon Appetit;

Flowers: Red - Gift from Joy,

Yellow - Flora Doodles - Gift from Debbie;

Lace: Gift from Dunja;

Pearls & Bling from Stash.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Potpourri Page

2011-12-01T16:35:00.000-06:00

Yes, my friends, I am finally posting another 52 Week Challenge page! It's been a LONG time!
This was a fun one that involved a little bit of planning...and then some quick additions in the end! lol Remember I'm only working with an eight inch page! The challenge was to use at least one of each of the following:

letter stickers - the title;

rub-ons - the silver snowflakes;

punches - wave border punch, snowflake punch;

chipboard - the glittered flourishes;

stencils/masks - light bulb banners;

decorative scissors - pinking shears on ribbon;

ribbon - bow at top of page;

brads - gold one at top of tree;

stamps - snowman and tree.

I hope you like my little snowman scene! Big white flakes were falling outside as I was putting it together, so I didn't have to look very far for my inspiration! :o)

Papers: Recollections Cardstock;

Stickers: Making Memories Shimmer Alpha Stickers;

Chipboard: Making Memories Shimmer Flourish blue;

Stamps: Inkadinkado Pattern Play Holiday;

Ink: Stampin' Up - Basic Black, Color Box - Celadon;

Stencil: Provo Craft - Xmas Lights;

Transparencies: Deja Views Clearcut Shapes Winter;

Punches: Fiskars Boundary Waters Border Punch,

unknown snowflake punch;

Rub-ons: Cosmo Cricket Metallic Rub-Ons - Holiday Phrases;

Glitter glue, Marvvy Markers.

House Mini Album Tour Continues

2011-11-27T05:00:00.005-06:00

Hello my friends! I'm back today with another group of pages from my little House Mini Album. This is also my last post as Guest Design Team Diva for Creative Scrapbooking Divas. Since I took a break from posting last week, this isn't the last you'll see of this mini here on my blog; there are still a few pages left to go. So let's get to it...

Our Home Is Filled With Gratitude and Thanksgiving! This page was decorated with my favorite Martha Stewart punch, some stickers and a bit of bling. It's a fold-out and it's just held down in one corner with a photo turn.

The inside was actually kind of a mistake! lol I intended to stamp the center medallion and some of the other accent pieces, leaving the middle space empty to write my Scripture verses. As I was doing this I was listening to some great music and I totally zoned out and got carried away with my stamping. Rather than redoing it, I decided to cut out the leaf tags and use those for my verses instead! :o) The fold-out is one page from a Squash Book design. I didn't bother with a template for this one. If you'd like to know how to do this fold you can probably tell by looking, or just google Squash Book and you'll find LOTS of instructions!!

Our House Is Filled With Abundant Blessings! What could be better after a "Gratitude and Thanksgiving" page than a Blessings page! This is literally my overflowing bag of blessings! I used a small paper bag and folded up the bottom to form a tag pocket. I added a bead charm I made and a butterfly charm I received as a gift.

I wrote verses on strips of paper and stuffed them in my bag. God is so good! He gives us abundant blessings! Please take the time to click on the pictures and read the verses!

Our Home Is Filled With Love! I had just a regular fold-out planned for this page but then I saw a variation that Donna did in her video and it was just the twist I needed! Thank you Donna! I'll put a link in the supply list.

You can't really tell the difference in the photo when it's closed, but when you open it up you can see that the front is cut in a heart shape.

Our Home Is Filled With Comfort! When I think of "things" that provide us with comfort, one of the first that come to mind is a warm blanket, so I made one for my page pocket.

Then I filled it with tags that also bring comfort; a pot of soup, a pot of tea and a cup of tea, and a warm bubble bath.

On the back of the tags I added more Scripture verses. The Lord is the greatest comfort of all!

That's it for today! Thanks so much for your interest in my mini! Please let me know if you have any questions! Thank you to the Creative Scrapbooking Divas for having me as their guest for this month! I wish you all a Very Happy Day! :o)

Materials Used That Haven't Already Been Listed:
Gratitude and Thanksgiving
Punch: Martha Stewart - Wildflowers;
Stamp: Stampin' Up - Day of Gratitude;
Fiskars Leaves Template;
Alphabet: MM Shimmer Stickers.
Blessings
Paper Bag: Celebrate It:
Love
Flowers: Prima - Pastiche Small;
MM Slice Design Cards: Wedding, Basics 1;
Fold-out Design: Donna's Video - Click HERE
Stamp: Inkadinkado - Scrapbook Sentiments,
and Friendship;
Ink: CTMH Garnet
Comfort
MM Slice Design Card: Bon Appetit

ABC Scripture Challenge - Weary

2011-11-17T21:15:00.000-06:00

Hello Friends! Do you notice anything missing from my Challenge page this week...like perhaps my Scripture Challenge Word? lol Can you believe it? I didn't even notice until my husband came home and saw my page, and then he asked me what the word was. I just stood there with my mouth open in shock! haha I also forgot to add my little "w" in the top right hand corner. I had my photo ready to post...it never occurred to me I had missed putting something on my page that I have added for the last 22 pages; as well as all of 2010! "Well, okay...it will just have to wait until I can fix it because I am just far too WEARY..." and then I laughed! :o)

I do a lot of praying before I post these Scripture Challenge pages so that I share with you what the Lord wants me to share. I want to share my Lord with you! If I can do that by giving you just a little bit of encouragement to help you with your daily struggles...well, that's all I want to do! One thing I've learned is that living with pain makes one weary! We all have our pains and burdens, don't we? They can wear us down and tire us out! What a comfort it is to read the words of Jesus himself say, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) He knows just how we feel and understands our weariness. When we go to Jesus we can receive the rest we need. He alone can give us the strength and energy to face all the pain and burdens of tomorrow...and we can do it with great JOY! :o)

So tomorrow, after I'm rested, I'll find some way to fit WEARY on my page. It may be wonky and odd but I'll always remember this one! lol

Papers: Basic Grey - Indian Summer, Recollections;

Border Punch: Fiskars; Flowers: Prima.

*Note: I wanted my page to look "weary" so I used

these flowers that I received free with a store purchase.

They were rather worn and broken and weary looking.

House Tour Begins! :o)

2011-11-13T05:00:00.008-06:00

Hello and Happy Sunday to you all! Thank you SO MUCH for your sweet comments on my mini album! I'm overwhelmed by your generous response to what you've seen so far! I sure hope I don't disappoint you with what I've done to the inside and I certainly appreciate you coming back to take a look! This is my second week posting as November Guest DT Diva for Creative Scrapbooking Divas. You can find their blog by clicking on the bright pink button in my sidebar.
I hope I didn't throw you off with my title because you won't be seeing any photos of my house in this album! Actually, you won't be seeing any photos at all! lol This album is a Faithbooking project. I didn't actually know there was such a term as "Faithbooking" until I found the CSD blog. You know how much I enjoy using Scripture verses on my projects and pages...well, enough rambling, right...let me show you what I did!
This is what the first page looks like when you take off the cloud-like closure:

Isn't that sun cute shining over the house? Can you guess what my house is filled with? The first page is:

Our Home is Filled With Light. I had lots of fun with this page. I spread it over two pages because the first one is quite small. Here are a couple more pictures of it. I added Stickles to the sun, pleated vellum for the lamp shade, and a doily lace punch under the lamp.

On the tags I wrote some of my favorite Scripture verses about being a "light". The tags have a second generation stamping of a chandelier in the background. If you click on the picture you'll be able to read a couple of the verses I've chosen.

Our Home is Filled With Peace. Now this word has nothing to do with our nest being empty and our girls being gone! lol Thankfully our home has always been a place of peace. I heat embossed "Peace" on a tag pocket. There are four tags with lots of room for verses. Some fiber, ribbon, and buttons for embellishments.

Here is a look at the page with the tags pulled out. I used two different styles. Again, please read some of these tags...the verses are fantastic! The next page is made to follow this one.

Our Home is Filled With Quiet. Again, this has nothing to do with our girls being out of the house! Well, on second thought, it has become significantly quieter since then! ;o) This page also has a pocket on it. I decorated it with some dies that I cut with my Slice Machine, and a border punch.

Here's what this page looks like open. To me a cozy chair, a fireplace, and flowers are all "quiet" things.

Here's another photo that includes the tag from the front pocket as well. The pull-outs on this page actually open, so there's lots of room to write on them. The verse on the tag to the right about living a quiet life is very special to me. Years ago when I had my website it was front and center on my homepage. I guess you could even call it one of the "theme verses" for my life!

Here is a template for the pocket that I made for my Quiet page.

Instructions for pocket:

Score in half both ways along score lines - at 4 1/4".
Cut along diagonal cutting lines. *Note: if you want to use a border punch along angle cut it should be done now.
Apply glue along glue lines. *Note: I advise using a wet glue for this purpose. My favorite is Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive; it's easy to apply in a very thin line, it dries very quickly, and the tags won't get stuck in it.
As soon as you have applied the adhesive, fold along the horizontal score line and have A meet B. Hold for a moment until the glue is set.
When glue is all dry fold in half along vertical fold line.

I sure hope that makes sense. Let me know if you have any questions. This design can be adjusted for any size pocket you need. My tags are cut 7 1/4" X 4" and folded in half to measure 3 1/8" X 4". This size may need to be adjusted depending on how thick a line of adhesive you use.

One more little tip I'll share with you is how I made these little flower clips.

I layered two Prima flowers and attached them together with a brad. I punched out a 1/2" circle from blue cardstock. I laid a white paperclip on the circle and then sandwiched it together with the flower using a Zot adhesive dot. It works great! I put one on the corner of each of my folio tags. They serve as a little pull to take the tags out of the pocket.

Okay, friends...that's it for today! It was another super long post. Thanks so much for coming! I hope you'll come back again next week to see what else my little house holds! Have a very happy week! :o)

Materials Used That Haven't Already Been Listed:

Light:

Dies: Sizzix Scallop Tags;

MM Slice Design Card: Home Sweet Home, Summer;

Ranger Stickles - Gold;

Punch: Martha Stewart - Doily Lace;

Stamp: Inkadinkadoo - Chandeliers;

Ink: CTMH - Moonstruck;

Stash: Buttons, Vellum.

Peace:

Stamps: Recollections - Feelin' Groovy;

Bling: i-Rock Compact - Jewels;

Stash: Ribbon, Fiber.

Quiet:

MM Slice Design Cards - Home Sweet Home,

Vintage Findings;

Bling: i-Rock Compact - Crystals;

Flowers: Prima;

Martha Stewart Border Punch;

Brads: Recollections.

Another Special First For Me! :o)

2011-11-06T05:00:00.081-06:00

Hello, my friends! Guess what? My big project is complete! It's actually not really that big...it's mini since it's a mini album! lol It's a special mini album that I made for a special event. I was invited to be the Guest DT Diva at the Creative Scrapbooking Divas Mansion for the month of November! So I made a special house mini just for them. When you're finished here pop on over there and take a look. I even answered some questions for them! :o) You'll find their bright pink button just to the left of this post! Today I'm going to share a little bit about my process of putting this mini album together. First though, here's a peek at the finished product:

This album is entitled "OUR HOME IS FILLED WITH..." I'll share more about that in later posts, but for now we'll just talk about the construction. The first thing I did was gather up some supplies that I decided I wanted to use.

Then it's time to cover the base pieces with the paper. I covered my house pieces liberally with my ATG adhesive, laid my chosen paper over, and used my craft knife to trim around. I did this on all the pieces of the album. Some careful planning was involved due to the varying sizes of the album pieces. Next, it's time to smooth all the edges of the album. I've discovered a quick and easy tip when it comes to the sanding all the edges...I use my Dremel Tool. I used to use my sanding block and emery board, but when I saw the Imaginisce d-stress tool it reminded me of my Dremel sanding tip and I tried that. It works like a charm...so quick and easy! I just have to remember to keep it on a LOW speed, or I have a completely new shape! lol
Usually I ink all my edges but this time I wanted to try something different. I thought white would look nice so I painted all the edges with white acrylic paint. When using acrylic paint on paper products, try to use a good quality paint because it has less water in it. Also, use a dry bush and don't ever add water. I applied the paint and set the pages up on some paint bottles until it was dry. When you paint with acrylic paint it leaves quite a "tooth" or a texture. My solution for this is to take a little piece of brown paper bag and give it a quick sanding. This does a fabulous job of removing all the tooth but not taking away any of the color. It leaves it as smooth as the paper.

For the front cover I used one of the great house stickers as it fit the shape perfectly. I backed it with cardstock and popped it up on dimensionals. I then punched out a few tiny flowers and glued them along the fence. A few tiny bling and it was finished.

Since I bound my album along the bottom, and it's made to open forward, I really needed to make a closure of some kind. I also want to have the flexibility of adding more to this album as time passes, so it couldn't be a solid closure. Here's what I came up with:

The title is a label placed in a Grungeboard book plate that has been heat embossed in white and backed with a tulle ruffle. I took a long piece of tulle and tied random knots along it's length. A loop is sandwiched between the title and a chipboard circle with velcro adhered on the back. The other end of the tulle is looped through another chipboard circle with the other side of the velcro. This end of the tulle is then tied in a bow and can be tightened or loosened as needed. This fastener can just be wrapped around the album and placed above the house to look rather cloudish!
So that's my mini album construction! Thanks so much for sticking with me for such a LONG post! Hey, wake up...it's over!! lol Next Sunday I'll start showing you the inside pages! If you have any questions please leave a comment! In the meantime give some thought to what your house is filled with and have a JOYFUL week! :o)

Materials Used in Book Construction:
7 gypsies Home Sweet Home binderie board kit;
My Reflections Paper Packet - Sweet Home;
My Reflections My Stickease Assortment - Sweet Home,
Bind It All & 1 1/4" O-Wires, ATG gun & Adhesive,
Folk Art Acrylic Paint - Wicker White,
Dremel MultiPro Tool & Sanding Tip;
Flowers: Stampin' Up Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Mulberry paper,
Crystal Fire BeJeweler & i-Rock Hot Rocks Metal Accents;
Title Band: Dymo Letra Tag & label, blue tulle,
Grungeboard bookplate, chipboard circles,
Stamp'n Stuff Embossing Powder - detail white opaque,
Recollections Brads, Self-Adhesive Velcro, Unknown Bling.

ABC Scripture Challenge - Value

2011-11-04T14:33:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday to all of you! I know I've been a little bit quiet lately but I've still been busy with my big project. It will be posted on Sunday, so I hope you all come back and take a look at it! :o)
I'm happy to have a Scripture Challenge page for you today! Today's word is "value" which is defined as "relative worth, merit or importance." There were several different directions to go with this word but I really liked this verse in 1 Timothy 4:8. It says: "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." Now, I don't know about you but I got quite excited to read the part where it says "...physical training is of some value BUT..." Does this mean I don't really have to get on the treadmill today? lol No, we can't stop reading there...we have to keep going and read the WHOLE verse. What it says is that there is value in excercise but there is much greater value in the pursuit of godliness. They both benefit us in this life, but only godliness will benefit us in the life to come. Again, I will remind myself that I still need to get on the treadmill! However, I need to do it with a book, music or tv show that will also promote the pursuit of godliness. I do appreciate it when the Lord leads me to an action verse! It reminds me of what I need to be doing every day! So I'm off to put the finishing touches on my big project, and then get on the treadmill with some worship music! I wish you all JOY as you pursue godliness in your own lives! :o)

Papers: K & Company - Julianne 6 X 6 Paperpad;

MM Slice Design Cards: Vintage Findings,

Grandma's Attic, Home Sweet Home;

Ribbon: Celebrate It;

Bling: i-Rock Hot Rocks Metal Accents.

Another Altered Birdhouse

2011-10-25T16:34:00.000-06:00

Happy Tuesday! I should actually be calling this post "Another Procrastination Project"! lol I have a big project that I should be working on and I seem to be having a bit of trouble keeping my focus. This little birdhouse has been sitting in my studio since I altered my last one. Now that the cooler weather is moving in, I thought this poor little bird needed his home! This is the first time I've used a couple of new toys. First, I now have my very first Stampin' Up punch; the Boho Blossom Punch. So I didn't have to fussy cut these flowers this time...just stamp and punch! Yay for me, right? Secondly, I used the Ranger Perfect Pearls Mist on the finished flowers and the fence. I love it! I did just a light spritz and I love the shimmer it gave! I cut the Scripture verse a little bit short so that the whole bird would show but I'd like to share it with you here. Psalm 95:1 says: "O come, let us sing to the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation." Okay, now I think I better try to get some work done on my big project. On second thought, I think I need a coffee break, and then I should clean up the mess I made, and then I have to make supper...maybe I'll get to it tomorrow! lol Hope you're all having a happy week! :o)

Here's a close-up of the glimmery flowers:

Papers: Susan Winget - Nature;

Ink and Stamps: Stampin' Up;

Punches: Stampin' Up, Martha Stewart;

Die: Tim Holtz On the Fence Die;

Spray: Ranger Perfect Pearl Mist - Perfect Pearl;

Brads: Recollections Mini Brads;

My Stash: Wooden Birdhouse, Wire,

Mushroom Bird, Cardstock, Spanish Moss,

Miniature Watering Can.

ABC Scripture Challenge - Useful

2011-10-21T16:34:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday! You would not believe the week I've had, my friends! I could tell you story after crazy story of what has gone on in my life this week, but I won't! lol You know how I can ramble, and you wouldn't even believe half of it! I'll just say that I'm incredibly happy to have this page completed for posting! :o)
Most of you have probably caught on my now that I really love my Bible! When Patter posted "useful" as the Challenge Word I knew right away that I would use this verse in 2 Timothy 3:16: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." Isn't that a great verse? The Bible is so full of instruction and training that can guide us in making right and good choices in our life. Did you know that the Bible is FULL of much more than just instructions for teaching us? The Scriptures are also USEFUL if you are: worried, sad, have lost someone, are feeling discouraged, in pain, scared, in doubt, lonely, tempted, lost, sick, hurting, or searching. At the other end of the spectrum, the Scriptures are also USEFUL if you are: happy, joyful, thankful, at peace, full of praise and gratitude, or in love. The Bible is full of history, poetry, wisdom, songs, and life lessons; and I encourage you to see how USEFUL it can be in your life! It's my God-breathed guide book for life! :o)

Papers: K & Company - Olive Tree, DCWV Mat Stack;

Dies: Sizzix - Tim Holtz - Styled Labels,

MM Slice Design Card - Basic Shapes 2;

Brads: Recollections Gemstone;

Chipboard Letters & Mosaic Tiles: Gift from Debbie;

Marker: Marvy Le Plume II No. 72 pine green;

Hemp & Bling: Unknown

I Did It! A Fall Project Completed :o)

2011-10-15T15:45:00.001-06:00

Yay, I got a Fall project done! Can you believe it's a card? I really don't know what's going on! I seem to have become a card-maker! How did that happen? lol I truly think it's a case of "monkey see, monkey do"! Not that I'm calling all of you...my dear, sweet friends...monkeys! haha Or if I am, I'm right there with you! ;o) I had lots of fun making this one and I hope you like it! I'm even going to enter it in THREE challenges which is something I've never done before! They are:

One Crazy Stamper: Halloween or Fall

Stampin' Sisters in Christ: Anything Goes
Stamptacular Sunday Challenge: So Distressing!

I've been on the look out for some skeleton leaves for a little while now and not had any success finding them in my area. A little while ago, when I was going through some of my old stamps, I came across this really nice leaf stamp that looks just like the skeleton leaves. I don't know where it came from, and it has no information on it. So I had some fun with it today and heat embossed with white onto some white vellum. I'm really happy with the results. I took a closeup photo so you could see them better. I'll be doing some more playing but it gave me just the look I wanted for this card. What do you think?

Well, I think come Monday I better get back to work on a layout before I forget how to do them! :o)

Papers: Basic Grey - Indian summer, Recollections;

MM Slice Design Card: Basic Shapes 2;

Stamps: Unknown Leaf Stamp, Stampavie -

Sarah Kay - Chloe watching the trees in the autumn wind;

Ink: Ranger Distress Ink - Fired Brick;

Martha Stewart Punches: hydrangea, branch, rose leaf;

Unknown: brads, pearls, lace, vellum, embossing powder.

Good Intention Tags! lol

2011-10-14T16:33:00.000-06:00

That's not really what these tags are called! I just had very good intentions of getting a Fall project completed today, and that didn't happen. I'm happy to have these tags to post instead! :o) I was in touch with my prize winner and told her that I've decided not to post a photo of her her little "Share" package before she receives it. Surprises are so much more fun, aren't they? However, this is a little bit of a sneak peek! Perhaps that would have been a better name for the post..."Sneak Peek Tags"! Before beginning on my non-existent Fall project I thought I should work on the giveaway. I got out some tags to wrap some lace and trims around. Well, I just couldn't use plain old tags! I decided to dress them up a little bit so they could be used once the lace and trims were gone. Here's what I did with the tags. Maybe tomorrow I'll get to a Fall project! :o)

All Stamps and Inks: Stampin' Up!;

Regular Office Shipping Tags;

Everything else from my stash.

Happy Thanksgiving - And a Fun Announcement!

2011-10-10T19:19:00.000-06:00

Hello Everybody! Happy Thanksgiving! I've been so busy this weekend with all my fun family festivities that I haven't crafted anything to post! So instead, here's a photo I took showing some gorgeous Fall colors! :o)

Now for the "fun announcement" part of this post! If you'll remember back to my ABC Scripture Challenge "Share" post...I encouraged you all to leave a comment and come back today to find out why. Well, I put all the names of those that commented in a bowl, plus one extra who emailed me a comment because her blogger didn't work. I had my daughter, Liane, draw the name. Whose name did she pick?

Yes, Jonia! It was you! I get to SHARE a special package of goodies with YOU! Congratulations! I don't have a picture yet, so I'll post what you've won very soon! Putting this together has been lots of fun for me and I've decided that I'll be doing it more often. I won't be doing big announcements...they'll just be quiet little ones like this one. Just sharing with those of you that leave me words of encouragement that mean so much to me! Thank you very much, my friends! :o)

ABC Scripture Challenge - Trouble

2011-10-05T20:24:00.000-06:00

Now you're probably wondering why I made such a happy and cheerful page when the word was "trouble", right? Well, first you have to read the Scripture verse I chose. James 5: 13 says: "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise." Isn't that lovely? It deserves a bright and sunny page! I even wheeled music notes across my background paper to denote the "songs of praise", and of course I had to include a happy bird!
We're all going to face troubles in life...there's just no way around it. However, when you put your trust in Jesus, you have help to get you through the troubled times. In John 16:33 Jesus says: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." So if you have troubles in your life today - PRAY! Your troubles aren't too big for the Lord...He's overcome the world! Then feel the peace that only He can give you. After that you can move on to being HAPPY and singing songs of PRAISE! :o)

Papers: Basic Grey - Hello Luscious 6 X 6 ;

MM Slice Design Cards: Noel, Basic Shapes 2;

Stamps: Stampin' Up - Music Notes Wheel,

Language of Love;

Ink: Stampin' Up - Basic Brown;

Punches: Martha Stewart - Rose Leaf,

Branch, Cosmos;

Decorative Pins: The Nickel Nook;

Unknown Bling, Fiber.

Black, White, and Read All Over Challenge

2011-09-30T17:32:00.000-06:00

Here's the completed challenge that I mentioned in yesterdays post. This is Diva Pammie's challenge over at the Creative Scrapbooking Divas. You can read all about it HERE. The rules are:
*MUST use colors black, white, & red only, with red only being about 20% of the layout.
There was an Option A, but I went with...
*Option B: Use a pattern paper with a newspaper print or feel to it. Not a letter, but dictionary pages are okay.
My problem with this challenge was that I had no paper with a newspaper print or feel to it...so I had to make it from scratch. It was lots of fun to do and I think it looks pretty good. I opted to decorate a frame. I was inspired by a wonderful project we did in my Splurge Group, and also by Diva Jessica. The first thing I did was adhere a piece of white cardstock to the wooden frame. I suspect it may have been smarter to stamp the cardstock before adhering it, in case a big mistake was made, but that didn't occur to me until later! lol I trimmed the extra paper away, cut out the center, then filed and sanded all the edges smooth. Then I gathered all the various word stamps that I wanted to use and just randomly stamped them with black ink. I made sure to stamp off the edge all around the piece. When it was all finished I did a light inking of gray ink over the stamping so it looked more news-printy, and an inking of black around the edges. I then made some red flowers with my new Slice Design Card. Looks like about 20% to me...give or take! I had a great time with this challenge! A couple of the words could be a lot straighter but that's okay, right? :o)

Ink: Stampin' Up: Basic Black, Basic Gray;

MM Slice Design Card: Basics 2;

Stamps: CTMH, 7 gypsies, Prima,

Inkadinkado, Pink Paislee, K & Company,

MME Lost & Found, Kimberly Poloson;

Unknown: Cardstock and Brads.

3D Project Challenge

2011-09-29T17:32:00.000-06:00

Happy Thursday, my friends! Today I'm playing along with my friends over at Creative Scrapbooking Divas. The challenge is to create a 3D project of your favorite holiday. Well, Christmas is my FAVORITE holiday, of course, it's when Jesus was born! :o) I bought this Sizzix die a little while ago and hadn't used it yet, so this was the perfect time! I used some lovely glittery papers that were gifted to me. The die actually cuts out a wonderful ornate window, which I filled in with decorative vellum - also included in the paper pack. I added a few decorative non-paper embellishments and a glittery ribbon. There you have it! You can find the challenge HERE. I've also added the Creative Scrapbooking Divas button on my sidebar. They're a fun bunch of busy ladies over there! I hope to finish another Diva project tomorrow but we'll see how it goes. I'm actually having trouble finding the paper I need for the next challenge in my stash. Can you believe it? It was hard enough to find Christmas paper! Does this mean I have to go shopping? Oh, no!! lol :o)

Papers: Papermania - A Silent Night (Gift from Sarah);

Die: Sizzix XL - Box w/ Ornate Window;

Ribbon: Offray - Gold Metallic;

My Stash: Cinnamon Sticks, Dried Apples,

Other unknown Christmas Bits.

"CELEBRATE" CARD!

2011-09-24T21:03:00.001-06:00

Hello again, Everyone! Can you believe I have ANOTHER post already? I know...it's incredible! lol This is a fun one for me. A little while ago I had a post on my sidebar about a giveaway that my friend Dunja was having. Her blog is "Dunja's Cards and More" and you can find it HERE. I didn't win her grand prize but Dunja was so sweet that she added a second prize. I was fortunate enough to win that one! Yay for me! So I received this lovely package all the way from Germany! It includes ribbon & lace, owl charms, and the sweetest little stamp!

I just had to make a card right away using the stamp. I also used some of the gorgeous pink lace! It doesn't show very well in the picture, but I first colored her sweet tutu with a silver pencil, and then I applied the diamond stickles. I also had to stickle the stars a bit! Isn't she adorable? :o)

Papers: K & Co - Sweet Nectar;

Stamp: Nellie Snellen - Dawn;

Prisma Colored Pencils,

Odorless Mineral Spirits & Blending Stumps;

Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities - Labels Fifteen;

Flowers: Gift from Silvia;

Ranger Stickles: Diamond, Gold;

Unknown: cardstock, brads, pearls, leaves.

There's one more special gift I would like to share with you. I received the most amazing parcel in the mail this week, and it came all the way from South Korea. My dear friend Joy made it for me. She has posted really wonderful photos of it over on her blog Art Angels Designs. She is such an amazing talent, you really should pop over and take a look at it. It even includes my family photo...you'll see that my girls really are all grown up! lol To see my incredible gift just click HERE. Joy also sent me some other wonderful goodies, including some fantastic stamped images. So I'm off to do some more coloring! :o)

ABC Scripture Challenge - SHARE

2011-09-23T10:37:00.001-06:00

Today I have a VERY SPECIAL page to SHARE with all of you! This page is made entirely of wonderful treasures that people have SHARED with me! My dear sweet friends certainly don't need any lessons on how to share, do they? Each package has been a such a blessing to me and arrived at just the perfect moment! It's what living a life of JOYFUL ANTICIPATION is all about! The Lord is waiting to gift us with blessings when we need them most! He has used all of you, and others, to help me through some of my toughest days! I thank you for your sharing spirits! In 1 Timothy 6: 17-18 it says: "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share."
The verse on my page really spoke to me. Sharing is one thing, but then it brings in the word "sacrifice". When thinking about sharing scrapbooking goodies, why did my Webster's Pages come to mind? lol Hmm...perhaps that's something for me to think about? Perhaps sharing shouldn't always be easy?!
Okay my friends, if you're still with me here...you're REALLY going to want to leave a comment on this post! Then come back on October 10th to find out why! That's our Canadian Thanksgiving so it seems like a good time for a post! ;o)

Those who had a "SHARE" in this page:

Joy, Leslie, Lynn, Sarah, Susan, Tracy.

(alphabetical order lol)

Happy Birthday to my Daughter!

2011-09-22T12:01:00.000-06:00

Today is my SWEET daughter's birthday! An amazing thing happened...she actually received her card on time! Good for me, right? lol We visited her a couple of weeks ago and gave her all of her gifts and enjoyed a fun celebration. It's amazing how my daughter can keep getting older by I just don't age along with her! Do you want to know my secret? It's very simple really...one little word...DENIAL!! lol This card was made using some more of my new toys! Now I'm off to work on my next Scripture Challenge page which will probably be posted tomorrow! A JOYFUL day to all of you! :o)

Cardstock: Recollections;

Paper: Webster's Pages - Hollywood Vogue;

Stamps: MME - Lost & Found two - Blush "Princess";

Ink: Stampin' Up - Basic Gray;

Bling: i-rock - black hot rocks;

Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities - Lacey Ovals.

September Sketch Challenge - One Crazy Stamper

2011-09-16T14:29:00.004-06:00

Happy Friday, my friends! Today I'm posting a card for a "new to me" sketch challenge. You can find all the details HERE. I have a button to their blog on my sidebar as well. As I've mentioned before, I really enjoy working with sketches and this challenge included a great sketch. Here it is:

Here is my card in yellow and navy:

Papers: Recollections Cardstock;

Stamp: Stampin' Up - Happiness Shared;

Ink: CTMH - Moonstruck;

Fiskars Punches: Circle Punch, Corner Punch - Lace;

MM Slice Design Card: Basics 1;

Flowers: The Nickel Nook;

Lace, Vellum, Brads, Bling: My Stash.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Make Your Own Patterned Paper

2011-09-09T14:39:00.000-06:00

Wow! Two posts in two days! If you haven't seen my latest Scripture Challenge post then keep going after this one and take a peek! I've been busy! :o)

As I copied the challenge for the title of this post, I realize that my page isn't very "patterned". We'll just say I went for more of a "stylized" paper! lol I've got some new toys that I just had to play with! I know that everyone is busy making Fall and "Back to School" pages, but I just HAD to make a Summer page! It's been 34 degrees C here all week! For those of you down south, that means 94 degrees F, and that's very unusual for us this time of year. I came across this fun old photo of my girls...too cute, right? Things have sure changed! Now they spend their summers jetting off to Mexico and Hawaii...and leave their Mom at home! lol :o)

Papers: Recollections Cardstock;

Mask: Heidi Swapp - Logo Flower;

Tim Holtz Ranger Adirondack Color Wash - Meadow;

Spellbinders Nestabilities - Labels Fourteen;

MM Slice Design Card: Summer;

Markers: Marvy Le Plume II ;
Sizzix Dies: Stampin' Up Embosslits Beautiful Wings;
Bling & Fiber: My Stash.

ABC Scripture Challenge - Remember

2011-09-08T21:13:00.001-06:00

Isn't this a beautiful verse? It really spoke to me when I was studying the word "remember". Sometimes I really wished I did 12"x 12" pages for my Scripture Challenges because I could sure fill it up fast with wonderful verses! lol "I REMEMBER the days of old, I MEDITATE on all Thy works; I MUSE on the works of Thy hands." I really love that! First of all, I'm not so old that I actually "remember the days of old"! lol I just want to make that clear! ;o) However, no matter what our age is, we can still remember the past. What's important here is the idea of meditating on God's works; really thinking about what He has done for us! How much more beautiful to take time each day to just "MUSE on the works of His hands"? Just think about what that means for a minute, okay? Just a moment or two...in quiet contemplation...to muse about God and what He has done for you. He has: created you, provided for you, forgiven you, loved you, sheltered you, fed you, taught you, forgiven you again, healed you, sent His only Son to save you! Isn't that amazing? What else has He done for you? I think it's worth a little musing every day, don't you? :o)

Papers: K & Company - Julianne 6X6 paperpad;

MM Slice Design Cards: Vintage Findings, Fa la la;

Punch: Martha Stewart - Wild Flowers;

Bling: i-rock Hot Rocks - Metal Accents;

Marker: Marvy Le Plume II - no 72 pine green

Flowers: The Nickel Nook

Just having some fun!

2011-09-01T11:02:00.001-06:00

We did a little swap in my Stampin' Up Splurge Group last night. This is what I made for my friends. I took a picture of them all together and it gave me all kinds of fun ideas? Does it give you any ideas? :o)

Papers: Recollections Kraft;

Stamp: Stampin' Up - Punch Potpourri;

Ink: Assorted Stampin' Up;

Unknown Sentiment;

Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Fifteen;

Bling: I-Rock Crystals.

An Altered Birdhouse!

2011-08-26T17:11:00.000-06:00

When Christian Paper Crafts posted their Bible Verse Thursday #121 yesterday, I was totally inspired to create! I love the verses from Psalm 84 that they used! You can read Abby's post HERE. After seeing the challenge, I immediately thought of all the wooden birdhouses that I have and knew that I had to alter one. It will be a perfect new addition for my sunroom. It was a really fun project to do and I've already started another one. Hope you like it! :o)

Papers: Tim Coffey - Blossomwood Collection;

Die: Tim Holtz - Hanging Sign;

My Stash: acrylic paint, embossing powder, raffia,

Spanish moss, miniature rusty garden tool,

miniature grapevine wreath, mushroom bird,

miniature wooden pot, eyelets, jump rings.

ABC Scripture Challenge - Qualified

2011-08-22T19:24:00.000-06:00

Hello my friends! Do you ever feel like you are just not QUALIFIED for some of the roles you have in life; roles such as wife, mother, or friend? Or perhaps it's your role at work. Do you sometimes feel inadequate for the position that you hold? After you're finished reading my post, please go to Patter's post HERE and see what she shares about this.
The really cool thing is this...God has a plan for our lives that includes certain roles that we are meant to fulfill. Since God created us for those roles, He also will equip us with everything we need to fulfill those roles in a capable manner. When we need guidance and direction both the Lord and the Scriptures are available to help us, and with that help we can be fully QUALIFIED! :o)

Papers: Basic Grey - Basics White Paper Pad;

Making Memories Slice Design Card - Summer;

Micron Pigma Pen .05 - Black;

Ranger Walnut Stain Distress Ink;

Unknown: Swirl Clip, Brads, Cardstock.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Wrap photos with string or ribbon and add a tag

2011-08-16T16:28:00.000-06:00

This was such a fun page to do...once I figured out what I was doing! :o) This page is for my brother. The only picture he can draw is a VW symbol...seriously! lol When I saw this stamp set in the clearance bin I knew I HAD to get it. The photo is of a little model on a shelf in a tea room in a railroad museum. It looks just like the Beetle that my brother has in his garage! Yes, he will be reading this post! ;o) I hope you all enjoy it because he won't so much...if you know what I mean?! But that's what older sisters are for, right? :o)

Papers: Recollections Cardstock;

Stamps: Recollections - Feelin' Groovy;

Inks: Stampin' Up - Real Red, Tempting Turquoise,

Ranger Walnut Stain Distress Ink;

Bakers Twine: The Twinery - Cappuccino Brown;

Die: Tim Holtz Alterations Ticket Strip

ABC Scripture Challenge - Portion

2011-08-13T16:15:00.000-06:00

YAY! I am now back on track with my Scripture Challenge. I don't know if any of you noticed but my last couple of Scripture Challenge pages were actually a little bit tardy! *gasp* I know! However, with this page I have caught up and am back on schedule! :o)
Since so many of you received encouragement from my "New" Scripture page I thought I would share this verse for my "Portion" page. This particular Scripture verse is a very well used one in my Bible. It's been underlined and marked with an asterisk or two! I've found it very helpful when I'm in pain. We all know that this flesh of ours fails us time and again...and again and again! lol The verse even mentions our heart, if we want to go there? ..."but God is the strength of my heart and my portion FOREVER." Again, He's the only thing that REALLY lasts for eternity! Now THAT I find encouraging! :o)

Paper: Papermania Rose Garden - Gift from Susan;

Making Memories Slice Design Cards: Wedding, Basics 1;

Punches: EK Success - Scalloped Scallop Edger Punch,

Arrow Border Edger Punch, Martha Stewart Doily Lace Punch;

Flowers: Prima Iced Got Flowers? - Rosy Red;

Birds: Michaels Dollar Bin; Ribbon: Offray;

Unknown Pearls and Markers.

Summer Project- Flip Flop Card

2011-08-08T16:10:00.001-06:00

On Saturday the fun ladies over at Creative Scrapbooking Divas held a "Dog Days of Summer" Blog Hop! You can find it HERE. This card is part of my participation in the hop. I bought this Sizzix die a little while ago and I hadn't had a chance to use it yet. This gave me the perfect opportunity! Happy Summer Days to all of you! :o)

Sizzix Die: Card, Flip-Flop;

Ranger Distress Ink: Walnut Stain;

Punch: McGill Multi Tag Punch;

White DMC Embroidery Floss;

From My Stash: Papers, Button.

ABC Scripture Challenge - Others

2011-08-04T16:56:00.001-06:00

Everyone seems to be familiar with the GOLDEN RULE. Whether you consider yourself to be "religious" or not, we're all very familiar with the concept of treating others as we would like to be treated. Did you know that it comes straight from the Bible? These instructions come straight from Jesus! For some reason it's an action that we often think of and put into practice more during the Christmas season when the spirit of "good will toward man" is more apparent. I would like to encourage each of us to do something kind for someone else right now in the middle of summer. Not only will you make them happy, but you'll also please God! How great is that! :o)

Papers: K & Company - Sweet Nectar, Unknown Cardstock;

Making Memories Slice Design Card - Vintage Findings;

Stamps: ProvoCraft - Circa 12pts; Stampin' Up - Little Friends;

Ink: Martha Stewart; Pencils: Primacolor;

Spellbinders Nestibilities: Labels Fourteen;

Marker: Marvy Le Plume II no. 9 pink;

Ribbon: American Crafts;

My Stash: Buttons, White Gel Pen.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Swirls (and a Thank You!)

2011-07-29T16:12:00.000-06:00

I came up with a great plan for my page this week which included a photo of a bouquet of flowers. Do you think I could find my batch of flower photos ANYWHERE? lol So I decided to make you a bouquet of flowers instead...which is much more meaningful...and it was a lot more fun too! I want to thank all of you for your wonderful support of my Junque Journal Contest entry! I am so grateful and overwhelmed with all your sweet comments and votes! Then the voting site went down, and some of you couldn't vote, and tried over and over! I know it had to be very frustrating for you! To show my appreciation I wanted to make you a special page. So this one's for you, my friends! Since the challenge this week was swirls I added some of those with green glitter paper! I took the picture in my sunroom and it seems to have done something strange to the heat embossing in the corners. They are actually pretty glittered swirl, not funny blobby messes! lol Thank you again! I appreciate each one of you very much! :o)

Stamps: Autumn Leaves,

American Crafts, Hero Arts;

Dies: assorted Sizzix dies;

McGill Multi Tag Punch;

Stampendous Embossing Powder - Star Dust;

My Stash - brads, bling, cardstock.

Happy Tuesday!

2011-07-26T12:52:00.001-06:00

Hello, my friends! Have you noticed all the beautiful butterflies on everyone's projects lately? It seems to be a trend with no end! In fact, the butterflies seem to be getting bigger and more beautiful! I use butterflies very often myself but most of them have been quite small. Then it occurred to me that I have a Slice Design Card with a butterfly that I can cut out in a larger size. I had just decided to start playing around with it when I found this lovely card sketch by my friend Alexandra. Isn't that wonderful timing? I must say I really like this sketch for many reasons! One of my favorite reasons is because it will make a perfect addition to a mini album. It holds the two shipping tags and the inside can hold photo mats or journaling spots. I made mine 5" square. Isn't it fun? :o)
First, here's the sketch:

Now, here's my card:

Papers: We R Memory Keepers - Tiffany's;

MM Slice Design Card: Vintage Findings;

Other: Diamond Stickles, Avery Shipping Tags,

Offray Ribbon, DMC Embroidery Floss,

Unknown Cardstock and Flowers.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Make a Page That Documents Your Daily Life

2011-07-23T17:13:00.000-06:00

Hello my friends! I'm back to the rules for the challenge this week, so I have my usual 8 inch page to share with you. I'm afraid I have a very busy and full page with no photos! Yes...I had to get creative again! lol It's actually a fairly good depiction of an average weekday for me. My day starts very early with my "coffee" and laptop. Now I'm sure we all agree the "computer" should be stamped all around the page...over and over...because I spend quite a bit of time online! lol However, I did only have 8 inches to work with! I do try to do a bit of "cleaning" before I get to my studio. I didn't have any paper-crafting stamps, but I still do a lot of sewing so I thought the vintage sewing machine would work for "create". I added the "calls" because I talk to my girls on the phone every day. I do "cook" supper for my husband every day, and then my evenings are reserved for him! Isn't that a "cute" little picture? lol These days when it's so lovely out we like to enjoy the yard. I had to add some birds because we have lots of them. As I was planning this page I realized that all these things started with "c" but I still had to add the "Smiles & Laughter" to the page because that's a huge part of my day. Also, I put the sun right in the center of the page because my days are filled with sunshine! God is good! :o)

Stamps: American Crafts, Fiskars,

Stampology, My Mind's Eye, Inkadinkado;

Brads and Cardstock from my stash.

ABC Scripture Challenge - NEW

2011-07-16T19:05:00.000-06:00

Most of you that come here on a regular basis know that I live with pain. I don't usually share about it unless the Lord is nudging me to do so. Well, He's nudging! lol It was brought to my attention last Sunday during share time at church just how many people are in physical pain. Chances are some of you reading this also suffer from some sort of injury, or illness, or disease that causes your body to hurt. For some this pain is just temporary and you know it will heal given time. For others, the pain is there to stay. Sometimes this pain is just an irritant in life; you know it's there and it's annoying but you'll survive it. Then again, for others, the pain can be constant and excruciating! It takes over your entire life and dictates all that you can and cannot do! The good news is that the pain really won't last forever because these bodies are only temporary! One day we'll get a NEW body, a perfect body; totally free of pain! Wow!! :o)

I used butterflies for symbolism. I ran this thick acrylic one through my Big Shot and cracked it so it looks like stained glass. Then I inked it up. It looks really cool! Here's a close-up picture below.

Papers: Papermania Summer Bloom Paper Pack;

Sizzix Dies: Stampin' Up Embosslits Beautiful Wings,

Tim Holtz Alterations - Vintage Cabinet Card;

Maya Road Acrylic Butterfly Key Chain;

Flower: Maya Road Gingham Fabric Blossom - green;

Embossing Folder: Crafts Too - Spots and Dots;

Stamps: 7gypsies - Alphabet, Hero Arts - Quotes Background;

Inks: Colorbox Chalk - olive pastel & orchid pastel;

N: MM Metro Mini Shimmer Alpha - pink;

Bling: Kaisercraft - split pea;

Marker: Marvy Le Plume II no. 72 pine green.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - No Rules, Anything Goes

2011-07-15T13:45:00.001-06:00

Can you believe the Challenge this week? Mary had no idea that "no rules" was my theme this week when she posted the challenge! How fun is that? I certainly had fun creating my project...and I did break a couple of my rules. I have used an 8 X 8 page for all 37 of the 52 Week Scrapbook Challenges previous to this. Also, this bright green is not a color I typically work with. I was inspired to make this Heart Hanging by Katharina over at Whiff Of Joy Stamps. The chipboard base is cut from an 81/2 X 11 size. The color I chose was inspired by the flower from my stash. Then I chose to keep the whole piece rather monochromatic in coloring. Some inking, a little stitching, a whole lot of fun! I hope you like it! :o)

Papers: My Mind's Eye - Home;

Ink: Walnut Stain Distress Ink;

Stamp: Stampin' Up Music Notes Wheel;

Brads & Dies: Recollections;

Bingo Card & Seam Binding: MM Vintage Findings;

Flower, Flower Center, Lace, Ribbon,

Chipboard and Cardstock: My Stash.

More Joyful Blessings!

2011-07-13T10:20:00.043-06:00

Hello, my friends! I have recently been gifted with several wonderful blog awards! Some time ago I received quite a number of them but I never did post them. I think I was quite intimidated by all the rules and regulations! lol So this week I have been reading this wonderful book from the library called "Cut Loose". It's all about breaking free from the confines of scrapbooking rules and allowing the "rebel" in you out! Well, I'm going to do a little bit of that with this post and I hope that none of you will mind! A couple of these awards have some rules attached and I'm afraid I'm just not following the guidelines! I hope that I don't offend anyone by doing it this way. If I do offend you, please tell me and I will correct it right away, okay? I just thought it would be more joyful this way!

The first award was from Mary. You can find her blog post HERE Thank you so much Mary!

The second award was from Debbie. You can find her blog post HERE Thank you so much Debbie!

The third award was from Linda. You can find her blog post HERE Thank you so much Linda!

One rule I will follow is the one about passing the awards along, but I'm going to do it a little bit differently. If you are a regular commenter on my blog you simply must choose at least one of these awards as your own! It's up to you if you want one, two or all three...and it's up to you if you want to follow the rules, or not! As far as I'm concerned...gifts should never come with strings attached! HAVE A HAPPY DAY! :o)

Christmas in July Cards

2011-07-12T16:56:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas in July to all of you! I attended a Blog Hop on Monday held by The Creative Scrapbooking Divas. They've just started a fun new blog and you can find them right HERE So for part of the fun of their Blog Hop they invited us to participate by making a Christmas project. So I did! The card on the right was "lifted" from a Papercrafts Book that I just bought. I used my new Sweet Nectar paperpad and made it all summery! Isn't it fun? I also had to make a more traditional one of course, and what else would it say but "JOY"! I hope you've all had a great day! :o)

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - 5-3-1

2011-07-08T13:34:00.000-06:00

For this weeks challenge I've got another fun blast from the past! I think my girls will enjoy seeing this one! lol As for the challenge itself I've used five stamps, three border punches, and for the one I had the photo, but I just had to add the one flower as well! I really wanted to add that pop of red to go along with the red bathing suit! This one was fun...just like all the rest! :o)

Stamps: Plaid All Night Media Scrapbooking Stamps

Life's a Beach;

Punches: Fiskars-Boundary Waters,

Martha Stewart-Doily Lace, EK Success-Beach Scene;

Flower: Prima and Kaiser;

Cardstock: Unknown.

ABC Scripture Challenge - Motive

2011-07-07T16:58:00.000-06:00

Can you believe I'm already halfway through my second year of doing a Scripture Challenge? Did you know I started this blog because of last years Scripture Challenge? Somehow I came across Patter's blog while I was snooping around the internet. I thought it was brilliant! I could combine my new found interest in scrapbooking with my love for the Lord and His Word. My prayer has always been that these Scripture Challenge posts would be an encouragement to those that see them! Now, when I say "prayer", I mean it literally, as I pray for all of you as I work on these posts. My "motivation" is to post what God wants me to post, and only what will glorify Him. However, I do have a confession to make. There was the time when the comments weren't coming and I whined to my husband that nobody liked my page! lol My husband said, "But Nancy, WHY are you doing this?" (Yes, I know, he's very clever sometimes!) His question reminded me that I'm not doing it FOR the comments. When we try to do things solely to please our fellow man it's a never ending struggle! We are far too critical of each other, and we just can't please each other, can we? One thing I that I know for sure is this; if I do what the Lord wants me to do He blesses me richly! Each of you that visit my little blog and leave a sweet comment for me are a wonderful blessing from the Lord and I appreciate you very much! :o)

Papers: K & Co Julianne 6X6 Paperpad,

Unknown Cardstock, DCWV The Metallic Stack;

Sizzix Dies: Tim Holtz Baroque and Mini Baroque;

MM Slice Design Cards: Bon Appetit, Noteworthy;

Flowers: Prima, Floral Embellishments;

Leaves: Prima Heirloom Paper Leaves Frost;

Bling: Imaginisce i-rock Crystals;

Doily: from my stash.

Contest Entry!! My Junque Journal

2011-06-30T19:19:00.003-06:00

Well...I can't believe I actually managed to get this done on time!! Whew!! I won't tell you when I decided to take part in this contest. Then to try to figure out how to post it so you could see some of it. Can you believe I was actually wishing I was a video maker? Only for a second though! lol There's no way I could take pictures of ALL of the pages...I would have lost you all for sure! So here is my very first Slideshow! This is my entry for Julie's contest over at The Scraps of My Life by Julie. Apparently the winner is the one with the most votes (voting starts tomorrow). There's more info on my Journal under the Slideshow. I hope you enjoy! You can find Julie's blog HERE if you feel inclined to vote for me :o)

This free slideshow design personalized with Smilebox

This is an actual working journal to keep track of all my sewing projects! It's so loaded up with pages! I just couldn't have you all falling asleep during my first Slideshow though, could I? lol It's filled with pockets and tags and all kinds of goodness and I had so much fun putting it together. I used two paper collections: Material Girl by Cosmo Cricket and the Crafty Stack by DCWV. I had been hoarding both of them for a while for a project just like this. I was going to use a swivel clasp for the charm, but instead I used a chain of safety pins and loaded it with snaps and scissor charms and beads and such. Please let me know if you have any questions! :o)

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Use Floral Paper and Striped Paper Together

2011-06-23T15:13:00.000-06:00

I didn't try anything too crazy or unusual for this challenge. Obviously, I used the floral paper to make the flowers and the striped paper for the background, a few embellishments...and it was finished. This is actually the second page I made for this challenge. For my first attempt I tried a floral for the background and made flowers and photo mats out of the striped. I didn't find that page very pleasing to my eyes, so I scrapped it and tried again! This one is better! :o)

Papers: MM Eliza Collection:

Dies: Sizzix Vines w/Leaves & Fruit,
Sizzix Build a Flower 2, Cuttlebug Decorative Corner;

Ink: Stampin' Up Pumpkin Pie;

Brads: Recollections.

ABC Scripture Challenge - Lonely

2011-06-18T16:10:00.001-06:00

Do you ever feel like the whole world, and everyone in it, has abandoned you? Now that's a BAD day, isn't it? That horrible dark loneliness can be overwhelming, can't it? Sometimes people just have to leave us because of sickness, death, or new jobs in new locations. Other times people don't really leave us...they just leave our nest and they move on to the next stage of their lives. We can certainly feel lonely during the initial period of adjustment. Then again, at other times, it's not other people abandoning us at all. It's simply our perception because of our bad attitude and our grouchies! (that's another name for those crazy hormones! lol) So it becomes a self-imposed loneliness. Regardless of whether it's temporary or permanent, self-imposed or out of our control; none of us wants to be lonely. It is depressing and it steals our JOY! So guess what? We don't have to be lonely! In Hebrews 13:5 God promises that He will never leave us or abandon us! (forsake means abandon) Well, that certainly works for me! :o)

Papers: DCWV Ciao Bella, Unknown cardstock;

Punches: Martha Stewart Wildflowers, Rose Leaf;

Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Fifteen,

SU Sizzix Embosslits Beautiful Wings;

Alpha: MM metro mini shimmer alpha pink;

Bling: imaginisce i-rock crystals;

Marker: Marvy Le Plume II pine green;

Seam Binding: My Grandma's Sewing Basket;

Pin: The Nickel Nook

Flowers and Leaves: my stash.

THERE'S A PEACE IN MY HEART

(Anne S. Murphy 1908)

There's a peace in my heart that the world never gave,

A peace it can not take away;

Tho' the trials of life may surround like a cloud,

I've a peace that has come there to stay!

Refrain:

Constantly abiding, Jesus is mine;

Constantly abiding rapture divine;

He never leaves me lonely,

whispers, O so kind:

"I will never leave thee," Jesus is mine.

All the world seemed to sing of Saviour and King,

When peace sweetly came to my heart;

Troubles all fled away and my night turned to day,

Blessed Jesus, how glorious Thou art!

Refrain

This treasure I have in a temple of clay,

While here in His footstool I roam;

But He's coming to take me some glorious day,

Over there to my heavenly home!

Refrain

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Fill Up A Page With METALLICS

2011-06-15T17:05:00.000-06:00

I came up with this brilliant idea for my metallic page. I went to gather my supplies...and I couldn't find them ANYWHERE!! I've recently reorganized my studio and I know that what I was looking for is in there somewhere but I just could not find it! So I moved on to Plan B and I will just have to astound you will my brilliance some other time! lol
Today is our 26th Anniversary! My DH is not really the kind of guy who appreciates receiving cards or gifts from me! He tells me that he's much happier if I spend my money on myself. I always do my very best to make him happy! lol I created this page in honor of our special day and had it ready for him along with a pan of brownies when he got home from work! We'll take a photo and slip it in the frame later. Will it be of us...or the brownies? We'll see! ;o)

Papers: Grafix Metallic Foil Board;

MM Slice Design Card: Vintage Findings;

Sizzix Dies: Tim Holtz Tattered Florals,

Heart w/ Wings, Frame;

Crafts Too Embossing Folder;

Fastenater Metal Staples;

Making Memories Curling Tags;

Tailorform Nailheads, 24 gauge wire.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Dust Off the Decorative Scissors

2011-06-08T20:19:00.002-06:00

Since I used so many photos on my last page, I used a colored image on this one. This is another wonderful Stampavie Sarah Kay stamp called "Gardeners Need Many Helpers". Isn't it sweet? The page and all the embellishments are created with paper, vellum and an assortment of decorative scissors. Well, I did use some brads and pearls! :o)

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Favorite Movie Quote

2011-06-04T15:40:00.000-06:00

It would be impossible for me to pick a "favorite" movie quote, so I adapted the challenge slightly and went for several of my "most used" movie quotes. I was determined to use ACTUAL photos on my page this week no matter what the challenge was, but it was rather difficult trying to find photos that would work with these silly quotes!
My girls and I have always LOVED to watch movies together! Our favorites were the goofiest movies because they always gave us the best quotes. My husband would rather be out in the yard working than watching a movie. So when we started repeating these crazy quotes (in the required voices and accents), he wouldn't have a clue what we were talking about! Of course that sent us all into fits of laughter! Soon he would be adapting our quotes to suit his own purposes and it got even crazier! Believe me, "Your Father's a freak!" has been applied to Daughter and Mother many times over! lol Girls, I went through my entire stash but could not find a turtle of any kind to add to my page! Please trust me when I tell you that you're both "Turtley enough for my Turtle Club! Turtle, Turtle!" haha I just had to add that in here! :o)

Movies Quoted: Mr Deeds, The Black Knight,

Master Of Disguise.

ABC Scripture Challenge - Know

2011-06-03T19:43:00.001-06:00

I find it such a comfort that God really and truly KNOWS me. Isn't it amazing that He knows each of us even better than we know ourselves? He did create us, after all, fearfully and wonderfully! (Psalm 139:14) I love how I can approach His throne of grace and He just knows my heart! I, in turn, have a desire to know Him.

The first part of Psalm 46:10 says "Be still and KNOW that I am God..." Isn't that fantastic? What assurance that provides! With all the busyness of life these days, it's sometimes hard to find time to just "be still". However, it's during those quiet moments of stillness spent with the Lord that we can get to know Him better and hear what He has to say to us. I encourage each of you to just Be still and KNOW that He is God! :o)

Paper: Webster's Pages, Unknown Cardstock;

Dies: SU Sizzlit - Little Leaves,

MM Slice Design Card - Noel,

Spellbinders Nestabilities - Beaded Circles;

Trim: Making Memories, Fancy Pants;

Flowers: Recollections, Floral Embellishments;

Flower Centers: Gift from Joy;

Bling: Kaiser Scrapbook;

Marker: Marvy Le Plume II No.8 Violet.

A Little Birdie and a Sneak Peek!

2011-05-27T14:04:00.002-06:00

Here's another "just because" project! It was also inspired by my library book. I will be continuing through the book Tracy, because I've now ordered my own copy for keeps! lol This cute little fellow is hanging from a shelf in my sunroom. I think he likes it there! :o)

Papers: Susan Winget - Nature;

Prima Flowers; Vintage Findings Flourishes;

Sizzix Die: Bird w/wing; Stampin' Up Basic Brown Ink;

Birdhouse and Seeds Charms: Gifts from Lynn;

everything else from my stash.

Now for my little sneak peek! I received my latest order from my favorite online store and I'm SO EXCITED about a few of my newest Tim Holtz items! I just couldn't wait to play with them! Can you guess which ones? lol I have some fun things planned for the JOY, LOVE and HOPE! Wish was also available, but that's not really my thing. Do you think if I asked really nicely Tim Holtz would make one that says "PRAYER" just for me? lol I think "friends" and "family" are available as well. Maybe eventually I'll have them all!

If you're looking for the best place to buy Sizzix dies, and a lot of other great items, just ask me where I get all of mine! Mike and Susan have the best prices I've seen, and their customer service is fantastic! I'm seriously addicted to their store...and it frightens my husband! lol :o)

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Banners or Pennants or Both

2011-05-25T12:17:00.000-06:00

I decided to use both banners and pennants on my page! As always, I had so much fun putting this one together! I made it in honor of my girl's latest adventure! I must confess I am very glad that the day is over, and that it ended the way it did! I know that you are all used to seeing their baby pictures here, but they actually are old enough to be jumping out of planes! At least they tell me they are! lol Since it just happened and I never have ink in my printer, I didn't have any photos to put on my page. So I did my usual improvising! Andrea also sent me a couple of her actual photos of the event to share with you. I didn't have any parachute stamps, so I used the top of a hot air balloon. The pennant flags are quite small and a little tough to read but I stamped "celebrate life" in them! It's so fun to see them living life to the fullest and with JOY! :o) (The birds are special...just for Liane! lol)

Papers: Provo Craft Little Sizzles Paper Pads;

Stamps: Tim Holtz - Lost and Found,

Stampology - Family, Michaels - Three Ring Circus,

October Afternoon - Kite Tales,

My Mind's Eye - Madison Avenue "Pretty";

Stampin' Up Ink: Basic Black, Basic Brown,

Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Tangarine Tango;

Alphabet: MM Slice Noteworthy Design Card;

All other items from my Stash.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Copy a Scrapbooking Idea Out Of A Book

2011-05-18T17:06:00.000-06:00

The challenge this week was to copy an idea out of a book or magazine or the internet. We were also encouraged to try a new technique. I'm happy I still have my fun book from the library...the one that inspired me to make my tag from a couple of posts back. There are still so many more pages to inspire me in this book! So that's were this page came from. The book is "Delight in the Details" by Lisa M. Pace. The new technique I tried was glittering my own chipboard and brad. I'd never done that before. I cut out the chipboard flourishes, spread Glossy Accents over them, and generously covered them with glitter. Once they were dry I was good to go on the rest of the page! :o)

Stampin' Up Embosslit: Beautiful Wings;

All other materials are Making Memories Vintage Findings

except a few unknown items from my stash.

ABC Scripture Challenge - Journey

2011-05-17T08:38:00.000-06:00

Patter shared some really wonderful thoughts regarding the "Journey with Jesus" that we take as Christians. Please take a look at her post HERE.
You know, sometimes people think that if you decide to follow Jesus it means that life will always be easy, that it's some kind of "guarantee" that you'll never face hardships or hurdles along your journey. That just isn't the case. We all have bumps and detours along our life's path. What we do have is God's promise to guide us in the right direction, give us strength to stay on the right path, and His help when the road is rough. In Isaiah 41:10 it says..."So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed , for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Then there are those occasions when we veer "off the beaten path" and choose our own route instead, thinking our plan is so much better than the Lord's plan. That always leads to disaster, doesn't it? As soon as we are ready, our heavenly GPS lovingly guides us back in the right direction. That road always leads to peace and to JOY! How great is that? :o)

Papers: MM Vintage Findings, Unknown Cardstock;

Punch: Fiskars Arrow;

Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities - Wonky Squares;

Stamps: 7 gypsies - travel,

Tim Holtz Visual Artistry Collections - The Journey, Lost and Found;

Ink: Close To My Heart - Moonstruck.

I Made a Tag...Just Because!

2011-05-13T11:23:00.003-06:00

This is my second tag! It's got a chipboard base and was inspired by a book I borrowed from the library. It was so much fun to put together! I hope you have fun looking at it! Have a happy Friday, and spread a little JOY wherever you go this weekend! :o)
*Addition: Due to the issues that Blogger had, I found out after posting this that it worked for the Christian Paper Crafts "Fun On Friday" Challenge. The challenge this time was to make a gift card holder. Since my tag has a pocket on the back that can hold a gift card I'm entering it in the challenge. I don't have a picture of the back of the tag but it's just a pocket made of green textured cardstock.

Papers: Basic Grey: basics white paper pad;

Inks: distress ink - broken china, peeled paint, vintage photo;

Die cuts: Recollections Boutique Fleur Die Cut Pack,

K & Co. Handmade Die Cuts;

All other items from my stash.

Fun on Friday - New Challenge Post

2011-05-06T16:58:00.001-06:00

My friend Jonia does a lot of really fun posts for the Christian Paper Crafts Creative Blog, so I finally went over there and took a look! What a fun place! They had a "Fun on Friday" challenge that really worked with some new toys I wanted to play with. Can you believe I made ANOTHER card? lol The challenge was to use pairs on your project, and I used several of them. I used two colors - black and white, made a pair of flowers, used two special flower centers, punched two corners, stamped a pair of tiny leaves, and used two different kinds of pearls. You can find the CPC blog challenge info HERE. I think I'll be playing with them again! :o)

Papers: Recollections;

Die: MM Slice Design Card - Noel;

Punches: Martha Stewart Wild Flowers Corner Punch,

EK Success - Retro Flower;

Bling: Kaiser Craft Pearls - Black,

Imaginisce Glam Rocks - Pearl;

Beaded Flower Centers - Gift from Joy;

Ink: Stampin' Up - Basic Black;

Stamp: Hero Arts - Everyday Sayings.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Ripped Up and Grungy

2011-05-03T15:44:00.000-06:00

When I read this challenge to my husband he laughed and said, "You can't do that one, Nanc!" He actually is very supportive! Really, he is! lol Just because I want him to keep his yard, garden and garage mess out in the yard, garden and garage doesn't mean I can't create an artsy mess, right? Also, just because it's a "grungy" page doesn't mean it can't be happy and joyful page too, right? I just had to use these photos of my girls when they were little. This was back in the day when we just loved to sit and watch them make a BIG mess. We would sit and watch and laugh and laugh, and enjoy every single second of it! My girls always looked so healthy with their rosy pink cheeks! it was probably the staining from the Alphagetti or the rawness from scrubbing off the dried-on mess!! haha :o)

Paper: Recollections - Kraft;

Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities - Labels Fourteen,

MM Slice Design Card - Fa la la;

Chipboard Letters: Scenic Route;

Delta Texture Magic: White, Cashmere;

Folk Art Acrylic Paint: Wicker White, Raw Umber;

Ink: Fired Brick Distress Ink,

Stampin' Up Basic Brown;

From my stash: cheesecloth, jute, buttons,

cardboard box flap.

ABC Scripture Challenge - Identity

2011-04-30T14:03:00.000-06:00

Patter does some wonderful sharing on this word, and you can find it and her beautiful page right HERE. Please go take a look there as soon as you're finished here! Patter asked the question..."How do people “know” you?" So this question got me thinking about how I really want to BE KNOWN. Many of you who come to visit my blog know me only by my blog postings. If you've been coming by for a while, you might know me quite well. My words and my work are a very accurate depiction of who I am! I'm a fairly open book! lol I have two two frequently recurring themes on this blog. The first one is that the Bible is my guidebook for life. The second one is that I'm all about the JOY!! So when it comes to my "IDENTITY", those two things play a big part!
This Basic Grey paper was perfect for my page! It looks like someone has been keeping a file on me, doesn't it? At least it did until I added all the embellishments! I started by making a list - in red - of the different roles I have in life. Then I found Scripture verses that relate to each role. This is what I aspire to BE KNOWN AS in my life! I am already a CHILD OF GOD, and as such I will have the Lord's help to become what He would have me be with the rest! :o)

Papers: Basic Grey- Basics White 6 X 6 Paper Pad;

MM Slice Design Cards: Basics 1 and Basics 3;

Flowers: Prima Summer Mix;

Stamps: Stampin' Up - Notes & Details;

Ink: Martha Stewart - red chrysanthemum;

Trim: Making Memories - Passport;

Marker: Marvy Le Plume II - No. 2 red,

Sharpie Pen - fine in black;

Unknown: brads, black cardstock.

Playing in Paradise Challenge 12

2011-04-27T11:53:00.002-06:00

Really fast post since I have only 10 minutes before the challenge closes! Here's a card! Any questions please ask! :o)

A Little Cuppa!

2011-04-20T15:58:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow we are heading off to do a little bit of celebrating with our oldest daughter! She recently got word that she has been accepted to her Grad Program...YAY for her!! Only two more years of university, which will bring the total to eight! Yikes, right? She loves it! She always likes it when I make things for her, and since she has become quite a tea connoisseur, this teacup is quite appropriate. I'll have to put a little gift in it as well! :o)

Papers: DCWV;

Flowers: Recollections, The Nickel Nook;

Dies: Sizzix;

Paint: DecoArt Pain Pen - Gold;

Other: tulle, unknown stamp.

ABC Scripture Challenge - Hands

2011-04-16T17:48:00.000-06:00

Well, the Lord knew that I really needed a happy word, so look what He gave me for my page this time around! Who'd have thought a verse for hands would be full of JOY?! You KNOW I had to use that verse for mine! lol Did you know that we've got a multitude of nations that come and meet right here on my blog? Woohoo! So let's all clap our hands and shout to God with cries of JOY!! How happy is that? :o)

Papers: Papermania Rose Garden - Gift from Susan;

Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities - Beaded Circles;

MM Slice Design Cards - Farm Life & Basics 3;

Ink: Color Box Fluid Chalk - Olive Pastel & Orchid Pastel;

Bling: Kaiserscrapbook Rhinestones - Split Pea,

Basic Grey Opaline half pearls;

Ribbon: Offray; unknown trim.

ABC Scripture Challenge - Gift

2011-04-05T11:24:00.000-06:00

God is so generous to us! When it comes to gift giving...He is the Master! First of all He gave the ultimate gift when He gave us His Son, Jesus! He was the best gift I've ever received! :o) However, His gift-giving just goes on and on. I love the verse in James 1:17. The first part of it says..."Every good and perfect gift is from above..." I started making a list of all the different kinds of gifts God gives us, but it was getting way TOO long for this post! lol
For my page I chose Scripture that focused on the gifts of talents that God has given us. He has given each of us our own individual talent. We are instructed to use those God-given talents to serve others, and "faithfully administer God's grace." I'd say it's the least we can do when He has been so good to us! :o)

Papers: My Mind's Eye Home Glitter Pad Pink;

Dies: Sizzix Tags, Scallops Combo #2,

Tim Holtz Alterations Tattered Florals;

MM Slice Design Card - Noteworthy;

Stamps: Jazz It Up Alphabet;

Ink: Martha Stewart - forget-me-not, stem green;

Punch: Martha Stewart - Poinsettia Vine;

Ribbons: Offray, Celebrate It Holiday;

Markers: Marvy Le Plume II - lt. blue, pine green;

Unknown: cardstock, brad.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Make a Boy/Girl Page

2011-04-01T15:24:00.000-06:00

Alright...procrastination over! Would you believe that this is the only thing I could come up with for the "boy" part of my page! In all of my supplies, I found only this one stamp set with a boy on it. That is the entire extent of my boy supplies! I don't really have many "girl" supplies either....just girly! lol I don't know if this is quite what was intended with the challenge but I really had lots of fun...again! I also got to do another new technique. Paper piecing is going on my favorites list! Boy, that list is getting really long! :o)

Papers: DCWV Songbird Stack,

Provo Craft Little Sizzles;

Stamps: October Afternoon - Kite Tales & Tree Swing;
Tim Holtz On the Edge Die - On the Fence;

Provo Craft Decorative Scissors;

MM Slice Design Card - Basics 1;

MM Vintage Findings - Felt Flowers;

Jute Rope.

Procrastination Project - "Wonderful"

2011-03-30T17:04:00.001-06:00

Yes, it's true! I am procrastinating my 52 Week Challenge project this week! lol I don't have some of the supplies I need and I haven't come up with a plan yet. However, the week is not yet over! In the meantime, I was in desperate need of some creative distraction so I made a card. Yes, you heard me correctly! It's not even a regular, ordinary card either. I did my very first coloring! I used colored pencils, odorless mineral spirits, and blending stumps for the very first time. Okay...I am now totally hooked on ANOTHER creative medium. Please keep in mind this is my first colored image. I'm sure I will get smoother with more practice! :o)

Papers: Autumn Leaves - Wink Collection - fashionfolio;

Stamps: Stampavie - Looking at you by Gillian Roberts,

Wonderful by Kolette Hall;

Punches: Fiskars, EK Success;

Trim: MM Vintage Findings, Unknown;

Dies: Sizzix Stampin' Up Embosslit - Beautiful Wings,

MM Slice Design Card - Noteworthy;

Marker: Marvy Le Plume II - Aqua Grey;

Unknown: daisy lace trim, brad.

ABC Scripture Challenge - Forget

2011-03-24T16:28:00.000-06:00

So...I say I'm going to try really hard to work on using my Webster's Pages, and now that's ALL I'm using! lol My challenge next time will be to use a different paper line, okay? These papers are just so lovely for the Scripture Challenge. There always seems to be a page that is just right for the verse I use. Also, some of you may be wondering why there's always a random letter up in the top right hand corner. Since this is an "ABC" Challenge this year, I've been putting my alphabet letter there because I like the way it looks as I go through the finished pages.
Now, on to the word "forget". This Scripture verse has been long underlined in my worn and well used Bible. I guess as a mother, an adoptee, and a child of God, it holds special meaning for me. How wonderfully reassuring it is to know that my Lord God will NEVER forget me! He will never forget you either! :o)

Paper: Webster's Pages petite papers WonderFall;

Stamps: Stampin' Up - Notes & Details, Tiny Tags,

Martha Stewart Flourishes, Unknown Alpha;

Ink: Color Box Fluid Chalk Ink - Olive Pastel,

CTMH - Cranberry;

Embossing Powder: Stampendous Star Dust;

Stampin' Up Versa Marker;

Marvy Le Plume II - Pine Green.

Les Fleurs

2011-03-17T11:35:00.000-06:00

This is just a little something extra! I have no 52 Week Scrapbook Challenge this week or next week, as my hard working "challenger" is taking a well deserved break. So I thought I would share this page with you. I had created it and posted it in an online gallery for an "aged & distressed" challenge. I was very happy to use a couple of my new stamps and another Webster's Page! :o)

Papers: Webster's Pages, DCWV Textured Cardstock;

Stamps: Stampin' Up Vintage Vogue & Bliss;

Inks: Stampin' Up Basic Brown & Rich Razzlebarry;

Pearls: Gift from Tracy;

Unknown: Ribbon, Lace, Alpha Stamps, Doily,

and Kraft Cardstock.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Do a Page of Your Neighborhood (at least five photos)

2011-03-10T16:56:00.000-06:00

I have a terrible confession to make regarding the challenge for this week...my photos are all fakes! lol Yes, I totally cheated on this page! I'm afraid I had several "issues" preventing me from doing this challenge the way I would have liked. First of all, I didn't have five photos on hand. Secondly, I still have no ink in my printer so I couldn't print any out. Thirdly, and the last excuse I'll share with you, there is too much snow in my yard to get out and take pictures! lol My intention is to take some pictures on the weekend, with the assistance of my husband and his shovel. I do have one more confession to make though, I had a great time putting this improvised page together! :o)

ABC Scripture Challenge - Easy

2011-03-08T08:08:00.000-06:00

Hello, my dear friends! Life isn't always easy, is it? Sometimes we have to deal with pain, with illness, or even with loss of a loved one. Sometimes we find ourselves frustrated as we wait for plans to fall into place. Other times, life's circumstances separate us from those we love, and we have to cope with missing them and worrying about them. Then there are the periods of time when work can become a terrible stress in our lives, yet it can't be avoided. Life can weigh us down and wear us out if we let it! It doesn't have to though! In these verses in Matthew, Jesus tells us to come to Him when we are weary and burdened and we will ..."find rest for our souls." Doesn't that sound fantastic? Another verse I want to share with you is found in 1 Peter 5:7. It says, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." Isn't that lovely? He cares for you! I care for you too, and I want you to know that I prayed for each one of you as I created this page! Most of you know how much I enjoy praying for you! :o) I tried to make a page that was restful and calming to look at. So of course I had to pull out another Webster's Page! lol I hope when you look at it and read the verses, you know that the Lord is ready to help you with your burdens. You just need to ask! :o)

Papers: Webster's Pages petite papers Garden Gala;

MM Slice Design Card: Wedding;

Punch: Martha Stewart - Hydrangea;

Pearls: Crystal Stickers by Mark Richards;

Sizzix Embosslit: Beautiful Wings by Stampin' Up;

Sizzix Sizzlits Die: Little Leaves.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Make a page with a "List Journal" on it.

2011-03-03T15:10:00.000-06:00

Okay...I love to make lists! The first thing I usually write on my list is "make a list". That way I can start by crossing something off and begin with a sense of accomplishment! lol I didn't do that here, of course! Since I have so many lists, I really wasn't sure where to begin with this challenge. That is until yesterday when I was doing my usual blog rounds. On the Scrapbook & Cards Today Blog there was just the inspiration I needed. If you're not familiar with their magazine or blog, you really must take a look...it's a definite favorite of mine and it's all Canadian! You can take a look at that post HERE, but don't go there until you've finished this post! :o) So I made my own scrapbooking Bucket List! A list of a number of things that I'm planning on working on in the next while. I even included a few of them on my page! :o)

Papers: Unknown Cardstock & Printed Paper;

Punches: Fiskars Flower Punch,

Martha Stewart 3 Dot Punch Around the Page;

MM Slice Design Card: Basics 1 & 3;

Stamp: Stampin' Up - Notes & Details;

Ink: Stampin' Up - Basic Brown;

DMC Embroidery Floss: 839,959;

Template: Crafter's Workshop;

Brads: Unknown.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Use a Whole Collection of Paper on One Layout

2011-02-25T16:35:00.000-06:00

This was another tricky one for me but I had lots of fun! First of all, I don't have that many "whole collections" of paper. I have a couple that are lined up for certain projects, and then I have a couple that I'm hoarding! lol To un-hoard them and cut into each of the 12" pages for one 8" page...well, I just couldn't do it! However, I had already cut into this collection from Three Bugs in a Rug for a mini album that I've started, so it was my choice for this challenge. Then the next challenge was how to use the whole collection on my 8" page. There are only nine double-sided papers but they're all very bright and busy! So I just started playing and this is what I ended up with. Coincidently the colors in the photo just happen to be a perfect match...isn't that fun? As for the caption of the photo...this was the special name my girls had for one of their Great Grandmothers..."Little Big Grandma." :o)

Papers: Three Bugs in a Rug "Simple Pleasures" Collection;

Ink: Color Box Fluid Chalk in Olive Pastel;

Punches: Fiskars Squeeze Punches 1" Circle,

1" Square, EK Success Flower Punch;

Bling: Jolee's All That Bling.

ABC Scripture Challenge - Delight

2011-02-23T15:53:00.000-06:00

"DELIGHT"...doesn't the word just make you smile? It's on my "FAVORITE WORD" list! I know I've mentioned that list in previous posts and one of these days I'll share what I'm planning to do with it. As I was looking up all the Scripture verses that contained the word delight, I was excited to find many of them also contained the word "REJOICE" as well! Yes, of course this word is also on my list...it's just like JOY! This verse in Zephaniah 3:17 is just so beautiful! The Lord will take delight in ME? Wow! He will quiet me with His love? Yes! I know it because I have experienced it! He will rejoice over me with singing? Can you imagine that? No, really...think about it for a minute and just imagine it. How wonderful is that? The Lord REJOICING over us with singing...I love it! I also had to add the verse from Psalm 37:4. We in turn can DELIGHT ourselves in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our heart! How incredible is that? God is so GOOD! I have been praying for some friends that are have some struggles just now. I'm hoping they will be encouraged by these verses! :o)
Behind the writing I wheeled the music notes very lightly in yellow ink. Again, I'm continuing with my un-hoarding (is that a word?) by using some of my Grandma's seam binding. I haven't bought any of the new and this is the first time I've used any from my stash! This is truly vintage! Okay...that's enough from me! :o)

Papers: Papermania-Summer Bloom-Gift from Sarah;

MM Slice Design Card: Basics 3;

Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page - Loops;

Flowers: Gift from Sarah;

Stamps: Stampin' Up Music Note Wheel;

Inks: Stampin' Up Daffodil Delight,

Color Box Fluid Chalk Gray Whale;

Pearls: Basic Grey Opaline half pearls;

Vintage Seam Binding: My Grandma's Sewing Basket;

Heart Charm: Gift from Lynn;

Unknown: Cardstock.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - White on White

2011-02-16T17:10:00.000-06:00

This was a really fun challenge for me! It turns out I have no white papers other than plain white cardstock from Michaels. So it was fun to try to make this page pretty and full of texture using just that paper, and a few other "bits & bobs", of course! Yes, that is a picture of me that was taken just a FEW years ago! lol I had to keep the color scheme going, right? :o)

Papers: Recollection Cardstock,

Provo Craft Paper Lace - Gift from Leslie;

MM Slice Design Cards: Noteworthy, Wedding;

Sizzix: Sizzlits Scribbles Swirls,

Flourishes Embossing Plate;

Flowers: Prima Fancies White, The Nickel Nook;

MM Vintage Findings: Safety Pins,

Flower centers, and Envelope;

Ranger Stickles: Frost;

Ink: Color Box Fluid Chalk in Gray Whale;

Stamp: American Craft - Thanks;

Pearls: Crystal Stickers;

Ribbon: Offray;

Decorative Pin: The Nickel Nook;

Vintage Button.

A VALENTINE FOR ALL OF YOU!

2011-02-14T19:18:00.000-06:00

EXCLAMATIONS OF JOY! Don't you just love that? I sure do! This page was inspired by my Pastor's sermon at church yesterday and by these verses found in Philippians chapter 1. Now just because this page was taking shape in my mind during the sermon...that doesn't mean I wasn't listening! ;o) Believe me, if the word's being spoken are about JOY , I'm all ears!
So this page is for you, my friends! The verse that comes before this one says..."I thank my God every time I remember you." I do thank God for each of you but I couldn't fit that on the card! lol I pray for each of you with JOY because you truly are in my heart! Originally I was going to write each of your names in the heart on the page, but the fear of forgetting anyone changed that idea! So, my dear friends, please know that you are in my heart and you are my EXCLAMATIONS OF JOY!! :o)

Papers: DCWV Caio Bella, My Mind's Eye,

Martha Stewart Punch: Filigree Heart,

Flowers: The Nickel Nook,

Brad: Recollection,

Ink: Stampin' Up,

Unknown: pearl strand, crepe paper,

alphabet stamps.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Zentangle

2011-02-10T18:13:00.000-06:00

One reason that I love these challenges from Mary is because they can be a challenge! lol I love that and I love learning new things! Zentangle is completely new to me and I must confess I am fascinated! It is also another addicting technique! I will definitely be doing more, and then I hope to create something special!
Zentangle is traditionally done in black and white, although it can also be done in different colors. You know how much I like color, so I used different ones for the Zentangle flowers. My piece is very simplistic...you should do a search and see this artform at it's best. It's incredible! How could it not be with a name like Zentangle? :o)

ABC Scripture Challenge - Confidence

2011-02-08T14:19:00.000-06:00

Okay, my friends, this is a big week for me! Perhaps I was inspired by the word for this challenge! CONFIDENCE!! That's a huge word, isn't it? Do you see what I have done? I have actually USED a Webster's Pages paper! YES, I DID!! You may not know this, but it has been next to impossible for me to track down any of these gorgeous papers in my neck of the woods! Then I connected with this lovely woman here on my blog, and she just happens to have a store. She just happens to sell Webster's Pages and have some in stock when I asked! She even happens to ship to Canada for some great prices! Yay for me! (I'll put all her store info at the bottom of this post) My first inclination was to hoard it forever and ever!! lol However, after what I did with my Glimmer Mist for my last post, I thought I would take a HUGE final plunge and use one of these pages as well. Once you've used one...you might as well use the rest, right? We'll see! lol
Now...getting back to CONFIDENCE...Aren't these verses full of wonderful hope? I just love the line "What can man do to me?" Absolutely NOTHING...that's what! If our hope and trust and confidence is in the Lord we are BLESSED indeed!! :o)

Webster's Pages petite papers - WonderFALL Collection;

Making Memories: Vintage Findings Epoxy Foil Alpha Black,
Sequins;

Inks: Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink,
Color Box Chalk Ink - Olive Pastel;

Stampin' Up: Notes & Details Stamp,
Beautiful Wings Embosslit;

Ranger Glossy Accents;

Unknown: brads, marker.

* Here is the link to Tracy's wonderful store.
It's called Stay True to God *

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Add a "Mini" to a Page

2011-02-04T15:09:00.000-06:00

Since I'm doing 8 X 8 pages for this challenge, my mini had to be quite mini! So I used an ATC Sizzix die and made a 10 page album to document 10 of the many things that make me smile! Originally I made my baby roses in white but they were a little bit too stark. So then I gave them just a little misting of Frost Glimmer Mist. I'm sharing this beause I have been hoarding my one and only bottle of Glimmer Mist. I decided I really should stop hoarding and start using, right?...right? lol Well, I'll try to anyways! :o)

Thank you for the sweet little heart charm Lynn!

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Using Masks or Stencils

2011-01-26T13:52:00.000-06:00

For this week's challenge, I opted to use a stencil that I came across in my painting supplies. When I bought it a number of years ago, I never suspected that I would be using it with chalk instead of stencil paint! :o)

ABC Scripture Challenge - Bible

2011-01-25T18:51:00.000-06:00

First of all...I must say that I believe that the Bible is the true and inspired Word of God! With that being said...oh, where do I begin? I consider the Bible my "Guidebook For Life"! It gives me answers and directions. It shows me solutions to my problems. It is my Word FROM God and my praise and worship TO God! It offers information and advice on finances, relationships, moral dilemmas, salvation, raising children, marriage, the church, religion, and more. It is filled with words of comfort and joy...don't forget the JOY! lol If you want to read the BEST BOOK I've ever read, please read the Bible!...and guess what?...the ending hasn't even happened yet! :o)

Papers: Basic Grey 6X6 Paper Pads - Jovial, Basics White;

Stamps: CTMH - Good Work;

Inks: Stampin' Up - Basic Black, CTMH - Cranberry;

MM Slice Design Card: Farm Life;

Unknown: flowers, brads, diecut.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Song Lyrics

2011-01-21T16:24:00.004-06:00

As you probably know, I love music, and I have about a million "favorite" songs. The challenge this week was to make a page which included "meaningful song lyrics". So I thought my greatest challenge, with this challenge, would be trying to pick one song from my ginormous list of favorites. However, that was all taken care of for me! After a lovely email "conversation" recently, I haven't been able to get this particular song out of my head. Even after listening to other music...this song pops right back! lol The song is from the Bible verse found in Nehemiah 8:10. There may be more verses to it but I could only remember these two. Considering the happenings in my world these days, this is the perfect song to have in my heart and on my lips! :o)

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Make a Title Using Different Letters/Fonts

2011-01-13T16:51:00.000-06:00

I have such a HEART OF GRATITUDE these days, and this challenge page was created as a result of that! My dear, sweet online friends have been such a JOYFUL DISTRACTION to me over the last few days! I really wanted to make a page dedicated to them today! I may have some physical limitations that keep me close to home lately, but I sure never feel lonely! Here's what I've been up to....I've had coffee in the UK with a group of dear friends. We enjoyed lemon bars and chocolate. Much laughter & crafty discussion followed! It always does with this group! lol I exchanged several wonderful emails with a Kindred Sister who has become my new Pen Pal. I watched a youtube video that was a lovely dedication of "Positive Sprinkles" just for me! It was so humbling and sweet! You all leave such kind comments for me on my blog! I am so overwhelmingly grateful to all of you and for each and every one of you! You are a reminder to me that God knows what I need and gives it to me before I even ask for it! I thank Him every day for bringing each of you into my life! :o)
Okay...mushiness over! All that being said...you'll notice my page has no pictures on it! So now I want each of you to send me a picture, please & thank you, so I can do the next page right! haha

ABC Scripture Challenge - Anchor

2011-01-07T15:18:00.000-06:00

WELCOME to the first Scripture Challenge of 2011! I am so happy that Patter is continuing with the Challenge again this year! It has been such a BLESSING for me as I've worked on my Scripture pages, and I hope you've enjoyed seeing them too! Since this is called the "ABC" Scripture Challenge, I've decided to add the letter to my page.
I had so much fun putting this page together! I LOVE the ocean! Yes...I do live on the Saskatchewan prairie and I'm nowhere near an ocean! lol However, I have been fortunate enough to have visited several oceans, and I LOVE the ocean! Standing and gazing out over the ocean...well, it's one of those moments when you experience a glimpse of God's majesty...when you feel the awesomeness of His power. We know, though, that the ocean can become very scary and dangerous in all it's power and strength, with blowing winds and crashing waves! That's kind of the way life is too. I'm going to stay firm and secure by hanging on to the Lord as my ANCHOR! That way I'll be able to handle the big storms of life! :o)

Papers:DCWV Mat Stack Neutrals, Assorted Provo Craft bitty Scrap Pads;

MM Slice Design Cards: Noteworthy, Vintage Findings;

Fiskars Border Punch: Boundary Waters;

Ink: Martha Stewart forget-me-not;

Dymo Label Buddy;

Unknown: sandpaper, marker, jute.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Journaling Strips

2011-01-05T17:28:00.000-06:00

I have always loved pansies! My living room used to be decorated in pansies until we had to buy new furniture. Then we had to redecorate the entire room, of course. I don't really think my husband minded getting rid of the flowers but he might have minded some of the bills for the new furniture! lol When I saw this photo in my picture pile I just had to play with it today! Spring IS right around the corner...YES, it is! There was no real journaling to go with the photo though, so I just used the definition of pansy. I love that the Latin word for pansy means "to ponder". The word "ponder" is very high up on my "Favorite Word" list. I'll have to tell you about that list in a future post! :o)

52 Week Challenge - Make a Triangle

2010-12-29T20:42:00.000-06:00

Well...I'm back to some old pictures for this challenge! Not only that but these are some fun pictures that I look at now and think..."why am I just standing there taking pictures?" lol Liane was a very active little girl and so excited about having a baby sister. Andrea was just taking too long to start running around with her, so here she's just being a helpful big sister! I only had the two pictures so I added a piece of embossed cardstock to form the triangle. Then I remembered the embellishment, Mary! :o)

Scripture Challenge - Represent

2010-12-28T17:47:00.000-06:00

Can you believe this is the final Scripture word for 2010? Guess what? Patter's starting a new Scripture Challenge on January 2, 2011! YAY!! It's called the ABC Scripture Challenge for 2011 and we'll be working our way through the alphabet! I am so excited to be continuing with this! I must say that I have been thoroughly BLESSED during this entire challenge! There is nothing that compares with opening the Bible and receiving a word from God! I would like to encourage all of you to join in for 2011. I've added a button here on my blog. Just click on it and you'll be taken to Patter's site where you'll find all the information!
Okay...on to today's word which is "represent". As followers of Christ we are His representatives. Our purpose is to show Jesus Christ and His love to others through our words, our actions, and in everything we do. This is not only how we honour the Lord, but how we let others know about how wonderful He is! He is just too good to not be shared with others! :o)

DCWV Ciao Bella "Hello Beautiful" Stack,

Tim Holtz Sizzix Hanging Sign Die,

MM Slice Design Card: Bon Appetit!,

Recollections Gemstone Brads,

Gold Stickles, Glitter Glue,

Unknown Dimensional Foam Tape.

52 Week Challenge - Photo Corners & Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T14:49:00.000-06:00

I did not think I would get this challenge done on time! Whew!! I was a bit ahead of schedule and my company will be here any minute...but I did it! This picture is from quite a number of years ago and my tree has changed quite a bit since then...even the actual tree has changed! lol

I am also using this challenge to wish all of you a VERY JOYFUL CHRISTMAS!! I thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog! I appreciate each and every one of you! :o)

Scripture Challenge - Worth

2010-12-18T19:18:00.000-06:00

As I was looking through the Bible for verses that contained the word "worth", I knew this one in Matthew was the one for my page. It's always been a favorite...but I think I say that every time, don't I? lol God created His sweet little sparrows, and He loves and cares for each and every one of them. Yet each one of us are worth more to Him than MANY sparrows! If He knows when a sparrow falls to the ground, He certainly know what's happening with us in our lives! As often happens with my favorite verses, this one also brought a wonderful old song to mind. It's called "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" and it's based on these verses in Matthew. I'm including the lyrics for you here. It's just the song I need to be singing these days! :o)

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,

Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home,

When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He:

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain:

I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free,

For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,

And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;

Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,

When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,

I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Paper: My Mind's Eye - Wonderful Winter,

MM Slice Design Card: Vintage Findings,

Stamp: Papermania - Henbury Lane - Gift from Sarah,

Ink: Martha Stewart,

Handmade Flowers: The Nickel Nook,

Markers: Marvy Le Plume II.

Playing in Paradise Sketch Challenge #03

2010-12-17T04:12:00.002-06:00

I am very excited about today's post! Last month, after participating in the Sketch Challenge #02, I was chosen as the Paradise Player! That was lots of fun! Since I was the Paradise Player, I was invited to play along again this month. Now here's the exciting part! The sketches for this month were actually designed by Becky Fleck herself! I really love Becky's work and totally loved these sketches she did! There's more! There will be a random draw, from those that participate, for a chance to win a copy of Becky's book Scrapbook Page Maps 2. You can find all the details about Becky and her book HERE. The link to the Scrapbooker's Paradise blog and where to enter your sketches can be found HERE.
Here is the layout sketch followed by my layout:

Here is the card sketch followed by my card:

This shows the detail of the card.

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Use an Envelope on Your Page

2010-12-15T16:57:00.000-06:00

These pictures are of a beautiful bouquet of roses that my sweet husband gave me a little while ago. I thought they were the perfect photos to work with for this challenge. I needed an envelope for the journaling on my this one...it got really mushy!lol This page really looks "Valentiney", doesn't it? Perhaps I've been inspired by all the new collections that have just been released! :o)

52 Week Challenge - Some Things Old / Some Things New

2010-12-08T20:42:00.000-06:00

For this challenge we were supposed to use a variety of our oldest supplies and our newest supplies.
Old supplies: rub-ons (originally purchased and used years ago for decorative painting and wood crafts), and decorative scissors. New supplies: flower stamp used for background stamping, new daffodil from Sarah, new leaf sizzlit, and flowers made from new Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch.

I just LOVE this picture! When my girls were both home in November I showed it to them and they had so much fun...each teasing the other about the way they looked in it! lol I just think they're both adorable! I guess the photo itself could be one of the old things since it's another one that's over twenty years old. So I warned my girls that this photo would be one of the next ones I would play with! You have to click on it to get a good look...it's priceless...at least to a Mother! :o)

"Okay girls, say cheese!"

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Punch Art

2010-12-02T15:47:00.000-06:00

This challenge had me a little bit stressed! I don't have a huge number of punches and I really couldn't come up with any kind of "plan". So I put all my punches in front of me and this is what happened! You may have noticed that there isn't a photo on my page. I decided that this is going to be the Title Page of my album that will house photos of my Snowman Collection. The only circle punch I have is the 1" one that I used for the head. The body is made up of squares that I used a corner rounder punch on. The top hat is an arrow punch, the mittens are a funky heart, and the carrot nose is a teardrop. For the boots I used the file tab punch, cut it in half and then rounded the cut corner. The eyes are the teeny, tiny 1/16th" punch. The others are rather obvious. Maybe I have more punches than I thought! :o)

Punches: Fiskars Squeeze Punches, McGill, Martha Stewart

Scripture Challenge - Help

2010-11-29T16:46:00.000-06:00

It's so interesting that this is the Scripture Challenge word at this time! Since God has His hand in this...I'm going to go ahead and open up to you here. I can't tell you how many times I've cried out for help in the last few months. Some of you already know that I've been having some struggles with pain lately. Now pain is not a new thing to me but it had been under control for a number of years. Something has changed recently and the control is GONE! So I'm going through a period of "readjustment"! lol Now...I want you to understand that I'm not talking about this because I want anyone to feel sorry for me or anything like that, okay? Believe me when I say my life is VERY GOOD! However, my pain is extreme and frequent right now and I am often asked how I manage to do the things I do. I want to share that with you now. When my first conscious thought of the day is HELP! at 3:00 a.m. because the migraine has woken me...the Lord is the one who hears my cry! He is gracious and loving and He alone can give me the strength to get through the day! He brings me JOY in the midst of the pain! He has gifted me with the most LOVING and husband a girl could have and two very entertaining daughters who always bring me lots of LAUGHTER! He has also sent me so many wonderful friends, who bring me ENCOURAGEMENT through lovely visits to my blog and wonderful emails! He is my God; He will strengthen me and help me; and I will carry on, one day at a time! If you're going through a tough time and need some help, consider calling on the Lord! I know I couldn't do it without Him! :o)

Papers: Papermania-Summer Bloom-Gift from Sarah,

Flowers: Pink- Gift from Sarah,

Blue - The Nickel Nook,

Leaves: Prima,

Slice Design Card: Noteworthy,

Pearls: Crystal Stickers,

Tag: Making Memories Sweets - Funky Vintage,

Pen: Marvy Le Plume II No. 58 peacock green.

Playing in Paradise Sketch Challenge #02

2010-11-26T14:23:00.001-06:00

To some of you the colors and theme of this layout may look a little bit familiar. I did a similar one back in October for my first sketch challenge. Would you believe that shop still hasn't announced a winner?! So I've moved on to a new one! lol Scrapbooker's Paradise Blog has a monthly sketch challenge. You can find the details HERE For this one I decided to make the companion page to the last layout. I couldn't do the exact sketch since I only had these two pictures to work with, but I hope it's close enough! I've discovered that I really enjoy working from a sketch. I have a few days left so maybe I'll even get to the card sketch yet...yes, I said another card! :o)

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Flourishes

2010-11-25T17:08:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends! I hope you're all having a wonderful time of celebration! In Canada, we had our official Thanksgiving holiday in October. However, for me personally, EVERY day is one of gratitude and thankfulness, and I am celebrating right along with you! So in honor of today, I chose this picture of my "Miracle Angel" for my challenge this week. Each and every day, we are surrounded by miracles, and that's something I'm very thankful for! This is a little angel doll that I designed a few years ago. I didn't go too crazy with my flourishes. I used my Stampin' Up Baroque Border wheel to fill my page with flourishes for the background. Then I took three raw chipboard pieces, inked them in black and used several coats of UTEE on them. Then I added some bead flourishes. That's about all I had room for. I framed my photo with the same lace I used to trim the angel's dress, and added the beads on top. Then I added some flowers I made. Just so you know...I thank God daily for all of you...MY DEAR FRIENDS!! :o)

Sarah's Cards

2010-11-24T15:58:00.000-06:00

My dear friend Sarah makes so many lovely things! She's inspired me to make quite a few of them myself! She recently made a really cute butterfly card. I had asked her how she did it and she was sweet enough to show me exactly how in a wonderful YouTube tutorial. You can find the video HERE and you can find Sarah's lovely Blog HERE. I didn't have that wonderful butterfly punch, so I used my Slice to cut out my butterfly shape. Using the Slice opens it up to all kinds of possibilities! I meant to have this card up a few days ago, so since it took me so long...I have two cards to show you! They are so much fun to make! Thanks again Sarah! :o)

Inside of cards read as follows:

Happiness...is my wish for you!

Hope...your day is filled with JOY!