Word Art Wednesday - Divinity Designs

Hello Delightful Friends!

Spring is just a few days away, HOORAY! I'm looking forward to the warmer weather, although here where I live, Springtime is still cold with wind & rain but at least it's not freezing ⛅⛈ but you must always carry an umbrella!

I have two of my granddaughter's playing softball and we still have to bundle up until late May. The coastal areas are always about 10 degrees cooler than where I live.

It's time for another challenge with Word Art Wednesday and our sponsor this time is Divinity Designs.  The prize is $25 to be used in their online store.  I've used their Scripture stamp on my card this time, rather than using the Scripture Art available this week through WAW.  This stamp is from the Scripture Collection #4 (it includes 6 Scriptures in this set) check out the monthly new releases and the talented Design Team.  

In order to win the sponsor prize, you'll need to share your crafty project (Anything Goes - Family Friendly) at Word Art Wednesday, you can share up to 5 new projects per week of the challenge (2 week challenge)

Here is my card:

Scripture Art available to upload at Word Art Wednesday (I may put this on the inside of the card)

Other ingredients:

If the stenciling looks familiar, you can see it in my last post, it is one of the quads that was not completed.  I was so glad the Scripture Stamp fit in the space; I couldn't plan it any better!

The die featured is from Pink Fresh (Stitch Scallop Rectangle)

Paper: Taylored Expressions - Bleu Cheese, Sugar Cube

Ink: Mint Julep, Spearmint, Dried Fig, Salt Water Taffy & Oreo (Taylored Expressions)

Stencil: Create-in-Quad Layering Stencil - Mistletoe (Taylored Expressions)

Thanks so much for visiting, hope you'll leave a comment!

Encouragment Card - Word Art Wednesday #56

Hello Delightful friends and family! 

 I have been completely MIA from my blog this month!!  I'm having computer woes! I need to invest in a new computer but it's just not the top priority financially right at the moment. So... I'm a bit hit and miss here because it's too frustrating to work on a computer that's ready to give up the ghost and slower than dial up (no kidding)!  However, I've been very busy making lots of cards for our Ladies Ministry Christmas Party coming up on the 8th, I'm making 25 cards for that, plus finishing up the cards for my 2 sisters and my sister-in-laws birthdays this month. It's been a very busy month. 

My oldest daughter is heading to Mexico for a week long vacation and it's her birthday tomorrow, so I doubt she will see this but I still want to say,  "Happy Birthday, AMY!!!"

 

I'm so thankful for the Lord's goodness and I believe this Scripture I've used works perfectly for this weeks Word Art Wednesday challenge. So without further ado....

 

 

 

Most of the ingredients are from this months Taylored Expressions Key Ingredient Kit. The stamp is from the set called Faith in Bloom. The dies are Chevron Border (Taylored Expressions) and Spellbinders Oval Scallop Nestabilities. I've used Memento Nautical Blue to stamp the image and the sentiment.  Super simple card to make.  I'm hoping in the very near future to make room for my sewing machine so I can start to embellish the cards with some stitching, I just love that added touch!

 

He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness and honor. Proverbs 21:21

 

 Please keep us lifted up in prayer.  Our church fellowship has some members with very serious physical problems and need a touch from the Lord.  There are three members with late stages of cancer; one young man (24 yrs) just had a lung transplant (he was born with cystic fibrosis) so this is a miracle in itself for him to be given such a precious gift but it also means that someone else's family is suffering the loss of a loved one. Also, substance abuse in our area is very high and the effects of this in the families is heart wrenching.  It's very difficult to see so many families hurting.  When one member hurts, we all hurt for them and when it's multiplied over, it can at times be very overwhelming, especially for the pastor so please pray for my husband and I to be strengthened by the Lord, who is always so faithful.  To God be all the glory.

Thanks for visiting and thank you for your prayers!

 

Simply Bloom!

Lazy days of summer!!

Yes, it's summer, late morning here in "sunny" Blue Lake, the temperature is a "scorching" 61 degrees according to my back porch thermometor! Is it a lazy day? Rarely! There is always something that needs to be done! Today is errand day, so I'll be in town for most of the afternoon. Where it will reach a scorching 57 degrees (on the bay) this afternoon maybe it will hit 60 degrees. My computer says the temp at the airport is 54 degrees. Of course this means we will be getting the inland "tanned" people flocking over to the coast to get out of their high 90s weather. I would love a little bit of that heat, perhaps they will bring it with them! I'm not bitter, I'd just want to see some blue skies! But to be real we don't get the higher temperatures (75-85 degrees) in Blue Lake until late July through early September, so I'll wait patiently for it.

Besides, this is the day the Lord has made and I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!

In the meantime over at Christian Paper Crafts (http://www.cpcmag.com/ ) today is Fun on Friday (FOF13) and the challenge is to make a card with flowers everywhere on it, from embellishments to paper.

So, here is my card! Very simple and easy.

I made my own pattern paper on the cardstock

Here are the paint colors and stamp pad I used

This is a sample of the stamps they are from Inkadinkadoo and the plain cardstock I used as the base. The rust color cardstock I used to mat the strip of coordinating stamped paper.

I titled this post "Simply Bloom" because that's what the Lord desires of us, just to bloom where we are planted. We are His field and He cultivates us to grow into a beautiful garden.
1 Corinthians 3:9 says that we are "God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building". I love to think of each of us being a beautiful flower in the field created by God, individual and precious, and as He cares for us we grow into a reflection of His workmanship. Are you allowing Him to tend to you? Or are you "self" sufficient? For me, I need Him to water, provide the right kind of soil, and provide the sun (Son) to shine down on me to help me grow into that creation He desires. He has His work cut for Him! The weeds of distraction try to keep me from Him but I'm so grateful He continually tends to my root system to keep me strong.

Thanks for visiting today and may you bloom for the Lord in all you do!

PS The sun is peaking through the overcast skies, I will see blue skies today, WHOO-HOO!!! See how much God loves me, I really wanted to see the sunshine today!! He knows the very desires of my heart!!

Quick post! (edited on 5/6/09)

Hi all,

Here are two cards I've been working on and I really need a need a better camera, sorry that the photos aren't the greatest. I've paper pieced the stamped image (Unity Stamp Co, Blessing From Him set)

(I'm using these cards for the new technique for CPCM NTYW04)

(really poor quality photo, sorry!)

(Close up of the corner) Love the blue on the "Peace" it's a new product for me called "Smooch" pearlized accent ink, Azure. It looks like a fingernail polish container and the brush is very small.

Here are the supplies I used.

Pattern Paper: KaiserCraft - Cocco line, doublesided (1.Periwinkle, 2. Mocha)
Bazzill Bling cardstock (brown)
Stamp: Unity Stamp Co "Blessings From Him" set
StazOn Jet Black Ink
Queen and Company "Winter Rhinestones"
Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink "Azure" (on the dove)
GelWriter (green) on the leaves in the doves mouth
EK Success corner rounder
Inside of card I used the font "Tracy" to type out the Scripture from Philippians 4:7
I printed it on white cardstock.
Finished card size: 4.75" x 7"

Eccl. 3:11 is the Scripture on the front.

Finished size 6"x 6"

I also used the "Smooch" pearlized accent ink on this card, it's the "pumpkin" color on the tree and the bird.

Here are the supplies I used.

Paper: Paper Accents Recycled Card Stock "Brown Bag" and white card stock;
Basic Grey - Eva Line "Decadent"
American Crafts Brown rick rack/ribbon, 6.75" long
Stamps: Unity Stamp Co. Something Within (Scripture); Unity Stamp Co. Owl Always Love You set, branch and flower; Inkadinkadoo, bird stamp from the All Occasion set
Inks: StazOn, Saddle Brown ; Ranger’s, Peeled Paint Distress Ink;
Clearsnap, Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink, pumpkin.
Adhesives: Scrapbook Adhesives, E-Z runner, 3-D foam Squares; Xyron create a sticker
Cuddlebug, Swirl Embossing Folder.

Have a wonderful evening!!

Natalie

Fruitful? Or Needing Some Pruning?

Click to enlarge!

My lovely wisteria bush that is beginning to really blossom. Can't wait for a couple more days to see the changes.

The above picture is our flowering plum (or cherry) I can never remember, I would remember if it had fruit but all it has is blossoms then leaves, no fruit :-(

After typing that I thought about the spiritual application in that!! Oh the analogies I could go into but it's late! So,I'll try to put it in a nutshell....

It is of utmost importance that our Christian walk is not just for "show" there needs to be substance, which would be the fruitfulness in our lives.

(Read Galatians 5:13-26)

Is there fruit in our lives available for others to pick?? Are our branches heavy with fruit to share? Good questions to ask ourselves. Or do we need a little pruning?

I'm so grateful that the Lord gives us the privilege to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith or not. The best and only way to examine ourselves is in the light of God's Word. I encourage you to read His Word and meditate on it daily. Cultivate your relationship!

Have a super excellent and fruitful Monday,

Natalie

But also for this very reason giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowlege of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:5-8

Whatever!

It's a beautiful day today (see the blue sky!) Chilly but sunny!

(click to enlarge)

The buds are beginning to open! Just as our lives are a beautiful blossom in this world and hopefully a fragrance of life to those who don't know Christ.



I love this scripture:

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.
The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)

Join me today and let's "wallpaper" our mind and hearts and meditate on that Word so that we can bloom for Jesus!!

Loving God's instruction!

Have a blessed day,

Natalie

Welcome Spring....or Not!

There were dark menacing clouds this morning, as I looked out my front door. However, that didn't dampen my spirit! I'm still feeling revived and refreshed from the Ministers' Wives Event!!! It was fun reliving the conference with some of our ladies this morning as I was sharing a little bit of the teaching I heard and the encouragement I received! I brought back a real nice canvas book bag for the ladies that are so faithful in teaching the kids in Sunday School and Kids Church. Thanks Annette, Stephanie, Sharon and Susie for your faithfulness every week!!! (and they loved the bag!)

I can't believe the turn in weather! How fickle spring weather can be! Snow level is down to 2,000 feet.

We are a little above sea level but we still feel the effects of it. Brrrrr with a capital "B" we even had a hail shower as I was getting ready to walk over to the church. I don't know why I'm surprised I can remember when I was in high school that it snowed the last week in March at sea level, it was a memorable day, I was getting my braces off! It's rare to snow in Eureka (where my orthodontist's office was located) which is right on the coast but it actually snowed at the beach, it was a strange sight!

My camera's not the greatest but you can see the hail leaving it's mark here in my backyard.

Well, this afternoon the hail is all melted but the cold remains! I think I'm going to snuggle under a blanket with a magazine and just rest a bit before the evening service. It would be nice not to have to go out in the cold but... I'm the pastors' wife! I'm called and I've been encouraged! I guess I will sneak over there and turn up the thermostat :-) I know the ladies won't mind that at all!

This is certainly not the most exciting post and if you've managed to read to the end, I just want to say "bless your heart!" Keep me in your prayers, I've got to get my part of the "tax stuff" together for our appointment on April 3rd. But if I hurry and get it together then I can get back into my scrapbooking mode and create!!! I'm missing that a lot. Have a wonderful day and stay warm and dry!!!

Embracing His Grace,

Natalie

And the peace of God which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7