Thanksgiving Card

How about a little Thanksgiving card as we close out October? This one was made usiong the new scalloped circle stamp from Apple Blossom Studios- one of my favorite stamps ever. This stamps and cuts out really well, for many different uses. Also, don't be afraid to layer a stamp with your sentiment- I think it just adds a little punch.

Scripture of the Week

"As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God? " Psalm 42: 1-2

Do you thirst for God? I am just going to be honest, and transparent, and let you know- I struggle with this. I truly want to know, love, and honor God more. I want to live my daily life in a manner pleasing to Him. I want to be one of those people that others see and are drawn to the Light shining from inside me. I want all of these things. Then life happens. The day is busy, the kids are sick, the bills come early, the (whatever) breaks down, I'm tired...dang, there are a lot of different obstacles that get thrown in our way, aren't there? During those times--am I thirsting for Jesus?

As a deer pants for water...I love the word pictures the Bible paints. A deer needs water in order to survive--and they are pretty obvious about it, too. I need Jesus in order to survive, no doubt. My encouragement for you all, this week is this: are you being obvious about it? Are you making your time with Jesus a priority? More importantly, are you allowing Jesus to walk with you throughout the day as a constant companion? Deers don't drink once a week. They don't walk away and not give water another thought. They stick close to water sources. Let's stick close to our Source.

Scripture of the Week is a regular feature of A Faith Perspective, the faith based blog and column hosted by Scrapbook News and Review. Come on over and pay us a visit, we would love to meet you!

Embossed Tile

I made this tile for an article for Scrapbook News and Review. The point of the article was to show how stamps could be used off the page. Such great little tools, our stamps are, and if we can make them even more useful- well, it just helps justify the expense, huh?

This tile was a breeze to make, and turned out so cool. To do this, or stamp on ceramic or glass, just follow these basic steps:

-Clean the surface before stamping.
-Using a watermark ink, stamp your images.
-Apply embossing powder in the color of your choice. Tap off excess. Tip: use a small paintbrush to help chase away even the tiniest of stray powder specks.
-Using heat gun, start heating powder. KEpp in mind, this part takes considerably longer than embossing on paper. Just keep heating, it will emboss.

Voila! Easy, peasy and oh so fun! Now, picture this, only with 4" ceramic tiles. Add a little cork to the back, and you have a set of coasters for a great Christmas Present.

Cute As A Button

For this frame, I used the adorable 3 Bugs line: Snips and Snails. The image is from Stamping Bella.

To make the Button Filled B:
1. Use a scrap piece of chipboard from packaging to create the letter B.
2. Gather your buttons, and place them on the B as desired.
3. Use Glossy Accents to adhere the buttons to the B.
4. Fll in between the buttons using Glossy Accents.

Done, and easy-peasy.

Scripture of the Week

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Gen 1:27

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

One of my all time favorite attributes of God is His creativity. I stand amazed, on a regular basis, that He created the universe in a breath. The infinite diversity, the amazing combinations of elements and beauty. It is simply mind boggling to me! I play at being creative. I love this thing called paper crafting, it gives me a creative outlet and an opportunity to express my heart in a tangible way. Then I look at what God has created, and am blown away at the heart that it reveals.


Of all of creation, of all of the incredible things that God has created, the one things that stands at the center as His most amazing feat would be my clean heart. I know how that yicky old thing started out, and I can promise you this, it was not pretty. Oh, people who know me, or who knew me before I was a Christian would tell you I was a basically good girl, a nice person. So, how bad could it have been, right? Compared to the holy standard God sets, a stinking piece of rotting flesh. Bad, right?

But, God created the world in six days. He rested on the seventh. And a few thousand years later, He sent His Son. The result? One clean heart beating in my chest a few thousand years later. Praise God.

Scripture of the Week is a regular feature of A Faith Perspective. We invite you to check out out new home on the Scrapbook News and Review mainsite.

Thankful for Friends of Faith Blog Hop

We are organizing a Blog Hop for the weekend of Nov 14th, 2009. We would love to show the world how many faith based blogs, and bloggers of faith, are available on the internet, as well as give an opportunity for these blogs of faith to be seen. The theme for this weekend will be Thankful for Friends of Faith. We will ask that any who would like to participate create a project with a friendship theme, based on the verse: "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. " Ecc4:9-10a

Would you like more information? Would you like to join in? We would love to have you!! Check out this link for maore information.

Friday Finds

Hi, there! Hope your week has been a great one! Are you ready for some great finds? I have a few for you, this week:

Make a Crystal Ornament with Andrea

Here's a class on 4 different cards from Erika Taylor.

This tutorial will show you how to glitter flowers, from Beth Root.

Here's a Covered Button Tutorial from Connie

And, here is a class little ol ME taught that makes a few Christmas ornaments.

Splash Redux

Ever have a layout that you just cannot get to gel? One that sticks in your craw and bugs you until you just have to rip them apart and start again? This was one of those layous for me. This started out on 7 Gypsies paper, and it never felt right to me. Oh, the paper was lovely, but the layout just never seemed right. So, when I had the chance to redo it, I jumped at it. This is another project done for the July 3 of a Kind article at SNR. For this project, I did some serious masking with the raindrops over the boots and umbrella. I also added Glossy Accents to the boots and umbrella for a fun look. I liked this one much better than the last.

Scripture of the Week

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

Want to know the verse I am hating right now? OK, maybe hating is the wrong word. Struggling with, right now? Micah 6:8. Oh, it may sound innocent enough. It's even a little poetic. But have you considered it? Even tried to apply it to your life? To act justly: ok, to be fair. Not too hard. To love mercy: I have to confess, I think I like justice a little more. Be fair, don't most people? We like to see the bad guy get what's coming to him. Until we realize that we are the bad guy, then it get's a little easier to be grateful for mercy, doesn't it.

The part I have really been working through, though, is the last one. Walk humbly. Yeah, that one is misleadingly easy sounding. Put my own pride, desires, ambitions, and goals away, and walk humbly with my God. Understand that it is not by my power, my competence, or my gifts that anything of value is accomplished, but by the gifts of God, through the yielding of my own will that the Spirit is allowed to work through me. That one packs a punch, I tell you. Do you think we will ever get that one mastered?

Scripture of the Week is a regular feature of A Faith Perspective. This week, AFP was thrilled to move to its new, and last, home on the Scrapbook News and Review mainsite. If you have not seen our new digs, we invite you to drop by and visit!

Birthday Blessings

One of the monthly features of Scrapbook News and Review is the 3 of a Kind Article. In this article, 3 people take the same stamps and show how they can be used for 3 different occasions, and then for 3 different techniques. The fun part of this article is getting great ideas for thinking out of the box on how to use the stamps you already own. Take this umbrella stamp, for example. This was a card from the July issue, and instead of just using this stamp on a get well card, we used it for a Birthday card, a baby card, and an anniversary card, too, if I remember correctly. The umbrella is from Penguin Pants, they had such great stamps. It is always so sad to see a stamp company fall victim to the economy. The circle stamp is a journal stamp from Apple Blossom Studios. Yet another look at using your stamps "outside of the box"

Friday Finds

This week, I have found the coolest tutorial for you. How would you like to use your decorative corner punches to make circles? Renee has a great tutorial showing you how:

http://reneelamb.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/martha-stewart-corner-loop-punch-tutorial/

Here's a shimmer paint tutorial:

http://andreawalford.com/?p=3376

Angel Purse Gift Set:

http://melstampz.blogspot.com/2009/09/angels-landing-purse-box.html

SteppingOut

Are you ready to get all dressed up, and step out for the evening? So is this cute little number! This was made for an article in the July issue of SNR. I colored these with my BIC markers, and I have to say, I am pretty impressed with these. They really make a pretty good poor man's substitute for Copics, and they come in huge packages of color choices, too. They color very nicely, so if you are looking for an option, give these a try.