Labor Day 2009

Hi everyone, I hope you have had a wonderful, blessed Labor Day! Ours was relaxing. We didn't do much. I ran a couple of errands, got my oil changed and the tires rotated on the VW, packed up Meghan's Birthday box, and photographed a couple of cards. Oh, and I did lots of other things in between. Tomorrow things really get into full swing, because it is the day that our Ladies' Bible Study starts back up. I have decided to go through the book The Words and Works of Jesus Christ by J. Dwight Pentecost. In this book, Mr. Pentecost has taken the four gospels together and examined the life of Christ, from birth to death. I initially just wanted to go through a gospel with the class, but then I realized how overwhelming of a task it would be to go through line by line & verse by verse, not to mention some of the theology is very daunting, and I am no theologian. I prayed quite a bit about it, and that is when the Lord brought this study to my mind. Matt & I went through this in our Wyoming church many years ago. It will be a very good study, if the ladies commit to reading the book and looking up the referenced verses. So, anyways that starts tomorrow. Tomorrow's class will be relatively short, because I do not have a lesson prepared. I will be introducing the books and passing them out; giving the class requirements; taking the ladies' names, numbers, emails, etc., taking prayer requests and praying. Then, the following week I will go through the introductory chapter with them. We will see what the Lord will do this year. I will keep you posted as we go.

In the meantime, I have a couple of cards to post. This first one is a card I made for my mother's birthday. Unfortunately, I mailed it to her late. It took me a bit to get it finished, and then I was having problems getting it photographed, because we kept having cloudy days. Finally, I got it photographed this morning. I used the Sugar and Spice stamp set by Whipper Snapper Designs, and I colored it with my copic markers.

Recipe: Stamps: Sugar n' Spice by Whipper Snapper Designs. Paper: SU's Bella Birds DP, Pti White, Bordering Blue, Barely Banana . Ink: Memento Black, Copics, Basic Grey. Accessories: Nestabilities Labels two, Dimensionals, Martha Stewart Border punch, Faux pearls, 5/8" satin whie ribbon.

I made this second card for my daughter Meghan's 19th Birthday. Again, I used the Sugar 'n Spice stamp by Whipper Snapper Designs, and I colored the image with my copic markers.

Recipe: Stamps: Sugar n' Spice by Whipper Snapper Designs . Paper: Pirouhette pink. PTI White, Elegant Eggplant, SU's Tea Party DP . Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Memento Black, Copic Markers. Accessories: Nestabilities Labels 2, dimensionals, nestabilites ovals, faux pearls, olive/sage ribbon.

Long Time...No Blog!

I'm sorry it's been a very long time since I have posted anything. Lots of things have happened, and I got sidetracked by this game called FarmTown on Facebook...when I have more time I will fill you in. In the meantime, I have made a few cards. Posted above is a thank you card that I made for a friend. I used a stamp by Leigh Hannan, which I purchased from Impression Obsession. The card really does look better in person...the photo doesn't do it justice. I used my copic markers to color it, and I popped up the carrots, the white background, and the blue background up on dimensionals.

Hello Wednesday!

I did a post last week with these pictures, but just when I was done, my internet cut out and I lost everything. I was so mad and disgusted I logged off and didn't redo my post. I know I haven't posted in ages, but I have been busy. Mostly I have been working out with Meghan, doing Algebra II with John, getting Meghan ready for college, and doing housework (as little as possible). Oh, and we are still meeting on Thursday mornings for our Christian Biography group.

Anyways, I have two cards that I like well enough to post. The first one features a verse from one of my favorite passages of Scripture. The Scripture passage is Lamentations 3:19-35, and it is written by the prophet Jeremiah, who is called the weeping prophet. I got the idea for the layout of this card from Amy Schaeffer's blog Pickeled Paper Designs. To get the antique look, I sponged Close To Cocoa around the edges of the verse, the pink and the designer paper. I used a pink Copic Marker to color the Faux Pearls a pinkish hue, and I sewed around the outside edge using a beige thread.

Recipe: Stamps: Scriptures 1 by Daily Bread Designs. Paper: Pink Pirhouette, Close to Cocoa, PTI White, DP from Michael's craft. Ink: Close to Cocoa. Accessories: Nestabilities Labels 1, Martha Stewart border punch, sewing machine, 3/8" pink grosgrain ribbon, Faux Pearls.

This next card, took me forever to do. I know that it is fall/halloween colors, but I wanted to match the oranges in the designer paper. I like the card personally, but I didn't get a very enthusiastic response for it on Splitcoast Stampers.

Recipe: Stamps: Scripture Collection 1 by Daily Bread Designs. Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, PTI White, Basic Grey Amrosia DP. Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red. Accessories: Fiskars border & embossing punch, Spellbinders labels 4, black brads, sheer black ribbon.

Extraordinary Men & Women of Faith

A few weeks ago, I started a prayer & study group in my house, on Thursday mornings at 9 am. This group different than my other studies in that we are going through biographies and biographical sketches of followers of Christ. In the scriptures, we are encouraged by the apostle Paul to "follow me as I follow Christ", and we find the principles of discipleship and fellowship in the scriptures as well. We can do this be examining the lives of various believers in the Bible, as well as those saints that have gone before us. By doing this, we can see how God works in other people's lives, and we can see how they respond to the trials, testings and mercies of God. It is a great way to be encouraged in our faith, and it is another living example of how God works in the lives of his believers.

This study is not meant to take the place of time in the Word. That must take precedence in every believer's life over any other book. Also, we are only to follow other believers as they follow Christ, and where their behavior, experiences or beliefs deviates from or contradicts the Word of God we must part ways.

The first book we are going through is Faithful Women & Their Extraordinary God, by Noel Piper. It is a book of biographical sketches, covering the lives of five women...Sarah Edwards, Lilias Trotter, Gladys Aylward, Esther Ahn Kim, and Helen Roseveare. You can get the book at Desiring God Ministries, http://www.desiringgod.org/Search/store/?search=faithful+women+and+their+extraordinary+god&submit.x=7&submit.y=6.

I decided to go through this book first, instead of a full biography, to get the ladies used to this kind of reading. Afterwards, we will go through the Hiding Place and then The Life and Letters of Elizabeth Prentiss. At the beginning of the class, we share prayer requests and pray. Then we discuss the reading for the week and how it convicted and/or encouraged us. I also encourage the women to share Scripture relevant to what they learned. So far, it has gone well, and if I get enough interest I plan on doing it in the evening for any women who are unable to come in the mornings. I would encourage any woman reading this blog to find and read biographies of godly men and women, with sound doctrine. It is a great encouragement.

Lisa

A Touch of Elegance

I made this card yesterday afternoon. It took me forever to do, because I couldn't get it right. I got the stamp, which is by Inkadinkado, from Michael's the other day. There is also a hummingbird, butterfly, and tree from the same line. If you look closely, the patterns in the dragonfly's wings and body are actually birds. The other stamps are the same. They also have patterned pictures within the image. I wanted an elegant card for this stamp, so I chose the Bella Birds DP from Su. I coupled it with the Bordering Blue Cardstock and the Barely Banana Cardstock. I also added some elegance using my Fiskars border punch and some Faux pearls. The base is popped up on dimensionals, as well as the dragonfly. I think the Bella Birds DP has just been retired. If not, I am going to order more, since I like it so much.

Recipe: Stamps: Inkadinkado Dragonfly. Paper: Borderin Blue, Whisper White, Barely Banana, Bell Birds DP by SU. Ink: Not Quite Navy. Accessories: Faux Pearls, Fiskars Border Punch, dimensionals, 5/8" pink grosgrain ribbon.

Gorjuss Girls, "Sent With Love"

I tried out my new Gorjuss Girls stamp for this card. Once again, I got to fooling around with the image first and had it colored before I even thought about the card I wanted to make. Sooo, I had to fool around until I found some colors and a card that would compliment the image. My cards actually seem to work out better if I do it the other way around. I do love the image, and she was so fun to color. The card is not my favorite. I like the red & white, but I am not so sure about some of the rest. The one thing that is driving me crazy, which I just noticed but it's too late to fix, is that my layering is a bit crooked. Oh well, better luck next time. (I guess we'll just call it the "homemade touch" lol!).

Anyways, my daughter is in my closet making a card right now, so I will have to make another one later. At this time I do not have a dedicated room for card making, and the only table I have for crafting is the downstairs downing table, which is too far to drag all of my stuff. So, we sit on the bottom of my closet floor (which is somewhat large) and stamp there, but there is only room for one at a time. We''re not doing much the rest of the day. We were supposed to have dinner guests tonite, but my hiatel (sp?) herni acted up pretty bad around midnight, and I am wiped out. I never feel well the day after it acts up. So, we postoned to next week. While I was sitting up in the throes of painful spasms, I did have an opportunity to pray and really contemplate the suffering of Jesus Christ at the cross. In light of that, my discomfort seemed pretty minimal.

Hopefully today, I will be back and fill you in on my new Bible study group I started a couple of weeks ago. Until then, I hope you have a day filled with the blessings of God.

Recipe: Stamps: Gorjuss Girls "Sent With Love". Paper: PTI white, Ruby Red. Ink: Memento Black, Copic Sketch Markers. Accessories: Nestabilities Lavels 4, So Saffron Brads, Fiskars Border Punch, 3/8" Grosgrain ribbon from Jo Ann Fabrics, Nestabilities Ovals, Cuttlebug "Stylized Flowers" embossing folder.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Happy Thursday! Here's a new card I made the other day. I found this DP at Jo Ann Fabrics a couple of weeks ago and fell in love with them. At the time, my daughter Meghan was not too impressed with them, but she came over to my way of thinking after I made a card out of them. the DP is made by Cloud 9 Designs. The stamp is another one of my favorites by Whipper Snapper Designs. His name is Chester.

Stamps: Chester by Whipper Snapper Stamps. Paper: Purely Pomegranate, Pink Passion, Lovely Lilac, Confetti White, Enchanted Forest DP by Cloud 9 Design, Palace Walls by Coud 9 Designs. Ink: Basic Black, Copic Sketch Markers. Accessories: Dimensionals, 5/8" satin ribbon, Faux pearl embellishments

New/Old Cards

I made a couple of new cards the past two days, but it's been too cloudy to photograph them. So, I thought I'd post a couple you might not have seen before. The first one is a birthday card I made for my friend in May. I used one of my favorite Fluffles stamps for this card. I got the idea for the shape from someone's blog on the internet; I just can't remember whose it was. I used my scalloped Nestabilities to create the flower shape. The one thing I would do different is to use the circle Nestabilites for my base. Then I would cut out the flower shape using the scalloped circle Nestabilites. Next, I would paste that on my circle base. By doing it this way, none of the petals would be cut off and the card would sit straight. Next time I make the card, I will do it that way.

Recipe: Stamps: Fluffles & the grasshoppers. Paper: Baja Breeze, PTI White, SU's Parisian Breeze DP . Ink: Basic Black, Sage Shadow, Regal Rose, Copic markers. Accessories: Nestabilites circles & scalloped circles, Pearl embellishments.

This next card is one I made for a good friend of mine. I used one of my new favorite stamps sets by Whipper Snapper Designes. It is the cling mount set called "Sugar n Spice" designed by Shelley Comiskey. http://www.whippersnapperdesigns.com/store/shop/anna-wight-cling-mount-sets/shelly-comiskey-sets/sugar-n-spice.html

I colored the image first, so I was limited in my card color choices. I embossed the yellow with Floral Fantasy Cuttlebug embossing folder, and I used my SU mat & piercing tool set for the paper piercing.

Recipe: Stamps: Sugar n' Spice by Whipper Snapper Designs. Paper: PTI White, Yo Yo Yellow, Taken with Teal. Ink: Memento Black, Copics markers. Accessories: silver brads, 3/8" White grosgrain ribbon, Fiskars Border Punch, Floral Fantasy Cuttlebug embossing folder, Nestabilities circles and scalloped circles.

Happy July 1st!

I am terrible at titles, hence the "Happy July 1st" title. I do however, wish you a happy July 1st. I can't believe it is July already. Ony six more weeks until we take our "baby" Meghan to college. We are flying out to Wyoming on August 15 to take her to college. The hardest day will be on August 21, when we give her a great big hug goodbye and drive to the airport to come home. To all of you who have little children and think in your frustration that they will never grow up, it comes all too soon. I remember when Meghan and John were little, having a particularly bad day and Matt telling me that soon they would be 18. I would just wail that that was still a long way off. Now I look back and can't figure out where the time went. I have posted a picture of Meghan when she was about 10 years old. I hope you like it.

The one consolation that I have is knowing that Meghan knows the Lord and that she will be involved in a solid, Bible preaching church in Wyoming. She will be attending the church that both Matt & I got saved in and spent the first several years of our Christian lives. They have a great college ministry that she can lock into, and there are plenty of godly women to disciple her.

A Little Bit of Sunshine

I am absolutely in love with this stamp set. It is the Sugar 'n Spice set by Whipper Snapper Stamps.

http://www.whippersnapperdesigns.com/store/shop/anna-wight-cling-mount-sets/shelly-comiskey-sets/sugar-n-spice.html. The little girls on this set are simply adorable. I wanted to try something different and break away from the earth tones that I had been using lately. I popped the wagon and flower pot for added dimensio.

Recipe: Stamps: Sugar n' Spice by Whipper Snapper Designs. Paper: Lovely Lilac, PTI White, DP from Michaels. Ink: Memento Black, Copics. Accessories: Dimensionals, Nestabilities Labels 1, Lime green large brads, Fiskars border punch.

God Will Carry You

I made this card for a friend that has really been tested this past year. She has had one trial after another, and sometimes in the midst of the trials one can get weary and feel a little lost. It's at those times that followers of Jesus Christ need to remember that God is by their side willing to carry them through the fires.

Recipe: Stamps: Refuge & Strength. Paper: Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss, Whisper White, 29th Street Market DP. Ink: Elegant Eggplant. Accessories: 5/8" satin ribbon, dimensionals, Nestabilities Labels 4, faux pearl embellishments (from Michael's)

Happy Father's Day

This is a card I made for my dad for Father's day. He is an outdoorsman who loves to hunt, fish, camp & etc. The fish stamp is supposed to be a large mouth bass, but I did not get the colors exactly right. It should be more of a brownish green, but I didn't have the right colors. I went onto the internet searching for photos and artwork depicting the bass, and it helped a little bit. The recipe is as follows.

Stamps: Large Mouth Bass, by Inkadinkado. Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, PTI White, SU's "To the Nines Specialty" DP. Ink: Close to Cocoa, Memento Black, Always artichoke, Copic Markers, Chocolate chip. Accessories: Oval Nestabilites, Dimensionals, Brushed nickel brads, Sewing Machine.

In Memory of Winston

I made this collage of Winston. I miss him very much; he was my buddy!

A Word of Encouragement

I made this card for a good friend of mine who has been going through hard times. She has been out of work for almost a year and her house is going into foreclosure. On top of that, she has developed an allergy to her cat, who she has had for 15 years, and she has various health problems. I have been praying for her daily, trusting that God will provide. While He has not provided a job with a consistent income yet, He has been providing for her basic needs through gifts from various people and by other means. Though she knows that people are praying for her, sometimes a card is enough to brighten a day a put a little encouragement into it.

The stamp I used on this card is by Verve Stamps, http://shopverve.com/, and the designer paper is Stampin Up's "To the Nines". The base of the card is Chocolate Chip, and I stamped the image on PTI white.

All Grown Up

Hi everyone!

It's been a long time. I need to be better about writing, and I will. Well, we have our first high school graduate. Meghan graduated a week ago, Friday, June 5th, from High School. I know everyone says this, but I can remember when she was little and in pig tails. When their small and wearing you out, you think they'll never grow up, and foolishly, you wish they would. Then, you wake up one morning and they are graduating from High School, and you wish that you could go back to when they were little, if only for a few moments. My advice to all mothers of young & younger children is to take your time. Savor the moments you have with them; really get to know your children; take lots of pictures and videos.

We take her out to Laramie, Wyoming, on August 15th, to go to college. This is where Matt & I went to school. She will also be going to the church where Matt & I both committed our lives to Christ and where we first met. We are excited for her spiritually. For some time now she has wanted a friend who is also a follower of Jesus Christ, but she has not had one. Now however, she will have many opportunities for that, Lord Willing, because Paul's (the Pastor) Church has a huge college ministry. It is in this church that we hope she will also be discipled in Christ. Another benefit of her going to Laramie is that her childhood friend lives there. She also is a Christian. So, while we will miss her terrible, we believe this is the best for her spiritually. Oh, and it is a good school too, but that is not the top priority.

The first picture above was taken right before the graduation ceremony, and the group picture has in it, from left to right: Matt, Meghan, Me, Pastor Spivey, and Joyce Beck. Pastor Spivey has known us since Meghan was about 3 years old. His wife, Patricia, is my good friend. She was unable to come to graduation, because their daughter just had her third baby. We met the Spiveys, when we were living in Wyoming, and Myrue came to preach at our church. We have been friends ever since. Joyce is a precious friend from our church here.

In these pictures, Meghan has long hair. Well, a few days later she had her hairdresser cut it off into a bob that comes a bit above her shoulders, and she donated her hair to Locks of Love, which makes the hair into wigs for children with cancer and leukemia. Below, is a picture of her around 5 years old, up in the mountains of Wyoming. I hope you enjoy it and the rest of the pictures.

Lisa

Many Thanks

We moved from our house to a townhouse about a week ago. We didn't hire a mover; instead, we did ourselves with the help of some very special friends. Some girlfriends and I started at 9:30 am and we all finished around 11:30 pm. We couldn't have done it without our friends. What made it an especially tough day was that our English Bulldog, Winston, died unexpectantly that morning. I have posted above some thank you cards I made as well as a picture of Winston.

Happy Mother's day Momma

Here is a card I made for my mother. We live approximately 2000 miles apart, and I rarely get to see her. I miss her a lot. I cased the card from one that Amy Schaeffer, at Pickled Paper Designs did. The Beehive is a Leigh Hannan stamp from Impression Obsession, and the DP is from SU's Parisian Breeze. I used a Martha Stewart border punch for the bottom, and I made the ovals with Nestabilities' Oval & Scalloped ovals.

As You Walking in Christ Jesus

I started this card with something different in mind, but it didn't work out. I was so frustrated with the base that I almost threw the whole thing away. Instead, I let it sit for a couple of days and then picked it up and tried something new. This was the result. I love the verse on the card. "As you have received Christ Jesus, so walked in Him." That is a powerful verse to all who have entrusted their life to Jesus Christ. We have received Christ Jesus in holiness, love, purity, etc., and we are to walk in those very things. It also means that if you are a born again Christian, eg. you claim Jesus Christ as your Lord & Savior, then you are to walk in fellowship and communion with Him. It is such a high calling, which is only made possible through the work of the Holy Spirit indwelling in us. (Galatians 5)

I hope you have a blessed weekend! Lisa

Passion for Crafts Blog Anniversary!

Hey everybody, Debbie, over at Passion for Crafts is having her 1-year anniversary. You should go over and check out her blog. Not only is it a great blog, but she is having an outstanding Blogoversary Candy to commemorate her anniversary. Head on over there and take a look! Below is a couple samples of her work. http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/

New Cards

I've posted below a couple of cards I did a couple of weeks ago. They are in my gallery at Splitcoast Stampers, which is at the following address. http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=147591

I made the above card using This Crazy Nest from Whipper Snapper Stamps. http://www.whippersnapperdesigns.com/store/shop/rubber-stamps/animals/birds/this-crazy-nest.htmlThe The DP is from Imaginesce; the cardstock is Certain Celery, Whisper White, Cameo Coral, Imaginesce at Michaels, Real Red; the ink is Basic Black, Cameo Coral, Appricot Appeal, Barely Banana, Summer Sun, Real Red, Certainly Celery, Bordering Blue; and the accessories are Dimensionals, Nestabilities Circles, Martha Stewart Border Punch, White 1/4" brads, 1/4" white grosgrain ribbon.

On this card, I cased the shape from somebody; I am just sorry that I don't remember who it was. I used the Quartet Birds stamp from Inkadinkado and DP from Heidi & Grace. The cardstock is Bordering Blue, Mellow Moss, Whisper White; the ink is Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, Bordering Blue, Sagte Shadow, Lavender Lace, So Saffron ; the accessories are Nestabilities Circles & Scalloped Circles, Corner punck, 1" wide pink ribbon from Walmart, Dimensionals.

One of My Favorite Bloggers

I camp out on blogs all the time looking at other people's creations. When I find a card I like, I save it to my computer under a file titled "Other people's cards". One of my Favorite bloggers is Amy Schaeffer from Pickeled Paper Designs. I have so many of her cards saved. I like her layouts, color choices and her artistic abilities. Above I have posted some of my favorite cards of hers. Also, here is a link to her site. http://pickledpaperdesigns.blogspot.com/

It's Been Ages

I have been away for ages. Lots has happened here, and I haven't felt much like blogging. Instead, I've been sitting on other people's blogs. We are in the process of moving this weekend to a townhouse. Last weekend I had my garage sale with another girl from church who is also moving. We had it at the church, because both of us live in neighborhoods that don't allow garage sales. Our friend Joyce helped us with it. We moved everything to the church on Friday and priced it then. Then we opened up at 8am on Saturday. The Lord blessed us, and we sold most of our stuff.

I've been busy packing this week. Once I move into the new place I have to come back to this house and make sure it is thoroughly cleaned & ready for sale. Other than that, my husband has been crazy busy at work. He works for a litigation firm south of here and is kept pretty busy both during the week and on the weekend. This Friday he has to take the bar exam for the South Florida Federal court. Hopefully, he will pass. He is incredibly smart but is not the greatest test taker.

In the middle of everything I have been making a few cards. Oh, and guess what? My birthday is May 8, and I am getting a set of 72 copic sketch markers. I have been wanting them for forever. Up until now I have been doing all of my coloring by either watercoloring with my SU in or using my SU markers. Soooo, I am pretty excited about my Copics. Now, I just have to learne how to use them.

Trust Me

Hi, the image on this card reminds me of the snake on the Jungle Book movie that sang "Trust in Me". I got this image from Whipper Snapper Designs. I went with a more masculine or neutral look, because he just didn't look like he should be done in girly or "sweet" colors. The DP paper is from Americn Crafts, and I used my water color markers from Stampin Up.

A Beautiful Scripture Verse

I had been looking at this stamp for months, at Agape Gifts, and I finally bought it. I love this scripture. If more people took the hidden advice, there would be a lot less nonsense said and more that benefits and encourages others. The DP paper I used is Basic Grey's Ambrosia Paper.

I just ordered my daughter's High School graduation announcements. It is hard to believe that she is 18 and getting ready to go to college. The front of the announcement has a 3 x 5 of her senior picture, and in an oval overlayed on the corner of her picture is a photo of when she was 4 years old. Boy has she grown. This is the picture of her. We were up on the mountains, during the summer and she and her brother were picking weeds and flowers.

Love Ya Bunches

I got this Changito stamp from my sister for my birthday last year, so I made a card for her. It is a 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 card, which is quickly becoming my favorite size for a card. The background color is Certainly Celery cardstock. The polka dot DP is American Crafts, & the other DP is something I picked up at Michael's. I stamped the monkies on Whisper White & used a Martha Stewart border punch on Whisper White. I used 1/4 inch grosgrain ribbon in the colors of Whisper White, Certainly Celery & Rose. The brads are white, Certainly Celery & Pretty in Pink.