Sweet Saturday Surprise

SSS12

Hello friends! So glad you stopped by today. Here is this weeks fun sketch from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps http://www.sweetstopsketches.blogspot.com/ be sure and check out the very creative cards on Korin's blog "The Sweet Shop" cute stuff there! Also be sure and check out Christian Paper Crafts at http://www.cpcmag.com/ I was chosen as CASE artist for this Saturday. Honestly I was so taken back when I saw my name because I truly thought it was another Natalie. (even went to check out "her" gallery and blog only to find out it was me!!) I'll be laughing about that for awhile. Should you participate in the challenge be sure to label your creation CAS12 if you post it on your blog or gallery. Anyway I just hope you'll check out the Community over at CPCmag and join us for great online fellowship and fun challenges both artistically and spiritually! Well, it's really late or early depending how you look at it! My clock says 12:01 a.m. so it's officially Sunday and I'll be up in about 6 hours for church, this grammie is tired, we took care of Jakob and Addy so their parents could go out on an overdue date after the baby shower!!
Have a wonderful day in the Lord and may God speak to each of your hearts today as you gather together as believers worshiping Him and encouraging one another.

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!!

Altered Keepsake Box

Thanks for visiting and a special Happy 4th of July to you all, I hope your day is filled with lots of love!

I'm finally blogging, let me tell you I've had "blog block" lately! It's not like I've not been doing anything, it's just when I sit down to write, I get a big fat nothing!! I kinda still feel that way but at least I have something to share that I made for my new little granddaughter, Addyson. The ladies at church are giving her a shower next Saturday so I've been busy finishing up an altered keepsake box/birth scrapbook. I've had this planned for about 3 months and I've finally put it together at the crop last weekend.

Here are the ingredients and directions!

I used the Tim Holtz tin organizer for clear stamps (it's discontinued, so once it's gone that's it!) I used 4 Adirondack Alcohol Inks: Shell Pink, Cloudy Blue, Currant, and a Pearl (mixative) That's it for the tin. I applied Shell Pink all over with the applicator and then made a pattern on the foam piece (as best as I could) to form a flower (cloudy blue, currant) and then added the pearl mixative in the center. ( see the photo)

(silver tin box, originally for clear stamp organizing - blue flowers are not showing up well in the photo you may have to click on it to enlarge)

The tin has the d-ring binder section which comes with the plastic sheets for the stamps which I used for my scrapbook. The size I cut my base paper was 6.25 x 7.5 and that worked perfectly to fit and not cover the holes already punched. My pattern paper was from Daisy Bucket and my cardstock was Bazzill, I also used chipboard to make a top and back for the "scrapbook" then covered it with the pattern paper.

inside first page

For embellishments I used buttons and my punches to make flowers, a older stamp from my stash, a Thickers glitter letter A, I kept it simple and it's purpose is just for the hospital stay and memorabilia so I didn't want the scrapbook to be too thick, (it has 6 double-sided pages), it needs to leave room for the outfit from the hospital.

The two boxes were from my Heidi Swapp chipboard letters which I emptied out sanded, painted and decorated with paper and then used the "A" for Addy which I painted and distressed. I believe they can keep the hospital ID bracelet and perhaps the booties & cap that were given by the hospital and made by a volunteer.

two boxes (repurposed & altered)

(sample of two album pages)

Well that's it! I hope I've inspired you to be creative, although I know most that look at this blog are already so very creative and I'm in awe of you and your talents!
I pray you have a safe 4th of July and that it's a day of reflection of what our forefathers did for us and that we are indeed thankful for their sacrifices. Remember these words: "...and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all" God's richest blessings to you and your families.

All things "Sweet" and No Calories!

(sss09)

Isn't this a sweet sketch!! I love it. You can find samples of it by Korin's Design Team over at The Sweet Shop http://sweetstopsketches.blogspot.com/ If you play along you have a chance of winning a new digi set "Celebrate America" so please go visit!

Be sure and give Korin a big hello from me :-) She is one busy lady. Here is another sweet sketch by Korin but you will find it over at Christian Paper Crafts Magazine http://cpcmag.com be sure and check out the gallery of all the "Faith" based/Christ-centered papercrafts. There are some very talented ladies over there.

I've not been able to get to my craft table due to family responsibilites (new baby granddaughter!!!!)

(Addy isn't she SWEET!)

The fact that my craft table is overrun with supplies that desperately need to be put away is another reason that I can't get to my craft table and I think I lost my creativity in there somewhere!!! However, I'm attending a crop this weekend at Scrapper's Edge (our lss and where I work 2 days a week) and I hope to get my creative juices flowing again!! Hope everyone is having a delightful day and thanks for visiting!!

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up! Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

Father's Day dedication

Just a quick post....

Just want to wish my husband a very Happy Father's Day! Babe you're the best and I love you so much! What a wonderful day to share with you. Sundays are so busy because of our responsibilities with church but I think dedicating our new granddaughter Addy to the Lord and praying for our daughter Kelly & son-in-law Ray as they have committed to raise her up in the ways of the Lord, truly made it a special day for all of us. God has blessed us in so many ways! I'm so glad that we are on this journey together!

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. Deut. 6:5-7

Tickled Pink!

Thank you for visiting and I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything but it's been a very busy time around the Houston household!

We are rejoicing over the birth of our new little granddaughter!

Addyson Ann was born on June 11th at 7:56p.m.

Weighing in at 8 lbs 8 oz and was 19.75" inches in length

Not too happy about being out of the warmth of her momma!

Less than 1 hour old.

It's so nice at the hospital they let us come into the nursery and take pictures, ask questions, sweet talk to baby, even hold her before she's had her first bath.

Jakob being introduced to his little sister by his daddy (Ray)

My daughter Kelly with Addy (less than 24 hours old!)

There will be lots more to come!

My hands have been a little bit busy being grammie.

This has been one busy week with my birthday, graduations, babies being born (yes, babies!) My brother Joe's son and his wife had their second child (a daughter, Mia Faye) the day after Addyson was born. That made my mom a great-grandmother twice in one week with a total of five! Both babies are local so my mom was at one hospital on Thursday, then on Friday the other hospital. It's going to be fun getting together and comparing notes!!

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Pregnancy & Baby update

Hello and thanks for visiting!

I've been away due to having company and being a little under the weather the last couple of days. Needless to say I'm behind in my "crafty-ness" although I've been able to be creative in other venues! The next couple of weeks I expect to be away from my home most days to help my daughter Kelly, who is on bedrest and in the last couple of weeks of her pregnancy. Having a little toddler and being on bedrest I think would qualify as an oxymoron. Bedrest...toddler... what do you think?? So, I'll be helping with Jakob and letting dd get some rest before the new baby girl arrives.

Here is this weeks Sweet Shop Sketch (SSS06) check out the wonderfully creative and fun cards at sweetstopsketches.blogspot.com

I'm hoping to play along this week at some point but I do have some more pressing matters, such as taking care of a very pregnant daughter and my very precious grandson!!

FYI: Kelly is doing well, her amniotic fluid is increasing which the doctors were pretty sure would happen with bedrest. All tests show that Baby girl is healthy and the next dr. appt. is Thursday a.m.

You are near to all who call on You, to all who call on You in truth. Psalm 145:18