Encouragement from Psalm 37:3-5

Some days I have big plans regarding things I want to accomplish that day. Now that I'm older and slower, that's really not very much. But on those days, it seems I get a lot of phone calls that take me away from those plans. I had two phone calls during breakfast that slowed the start of my day. There were two phone calls during the evening news. I seem to miss it every night. One of those was a long political survey. Yuck! Then there was another long call in the middle of supper. I had difficulty all day trying to open emails. Some I never could open or maybe I just didn't wait long enough. Living on a farm in the country doesn't give me the best connection with broadband.

So I found this scripture tonight that I've always loved. I truly delight in His Word and the faithful way He's always worked in my life. It speaks to me that even though the unexpected can seem to take over the day, I know I committed it to Him and thanked Him for guiding my life when I got up this morning. So I'm going to trust Him that He will help me do what I need to in His time and I have to think that each call was important (even the political one, Lord?) to someone else. I will keep on trusting His faithfulness to lead my life each day in the way He desires.

The verse is from Clear Dollar Stamps, "Value Verses 1" digital image. Because it was tall and narrow I thought the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches #157 was perfect. Since Clear Dollar Stamps is sponsoring their challenge this week, I'm not wanting to be a winner, just a "player." I used ColourQ Challenge #148 for my color inspiration for this card.

I pray that you will also delight in the Lord and see how He works in your life as you commit each day to His leading. The promise is that He will give you the desires of your heart, and He shall bring it to pass. May God richly bless you.

Challenges for this card:

ColourQ #148

Craft-room Challenge - Buttons and Bows

Divas by Design #46 - Flowers

Tuesday Morning Sketch #157

6.5" x 5" Encouragement Card Recipe:

Paper - Close To My Heart Baby Pink, Holiday Red, White Daisy Cardstock and retired sunset orange dotted dp

Image - Clear Dollar Stamps "Value Verses 1" digital (also comes as a clear stamp)

Accents - Recollections orange and pink flowers, Michaels ribbon; CTMH wide ribbon and sorbet waxy flax; unknown buttons from my stash

Tools - Cuttlebug 5x7 embossing folder

Clearly Inspired Challenge #56 - Get Wet

Last week we spent a couple of days in the Gulf enjoying sea breezes and playing on the beach. After several weeks of mostly triple digit heat where we live, it was refreshing. My grandchildren had never seen the sea before. I wanted them to see the beauty of the waves coming in, to find its treasures left on the sand, to relax with the peaceful splashing of wave after wave endlessly praising their Maker. We saw firsthand the reality of the verses from Psalms that refer to the sea and the waves singing praise or making a joyful noise to the Lord.

Christian enjoyed standing in the waves and watching little fish come up to his legs.

So naturally my mind was on the sea with this challenge to "Get Wet:"  Use wet images, wet look techniques/products acetate, dimensional glaze, etc. Here's what I came up with:

I used this July 1st sketch from Stars and Stamps - Operation Write Home. On the 2" x 4.5" piece banner, shape I covered it with the flowing words "the world is your ocean" from the Splash digital image set from Clear Dollar Stamps. I made it by copying and pasting it over and over using Photoshop. Then I flattened the layers. I used Crystal Effects to "draw" just below each row of flowing words to add more of a wet look. The fish were printed on blue swirl patterned paper, colored with Copic markers, given clear buttons as air bubbles and a light coat of Crystal Effects for additional "wet look. "

I used a third technique to imitate wetness on the background. Using a brayer, I rolled Versamark clear ink over the raised pattern on the Divine Swirls embossing folder. I set my paper to be embossed on the opposite side and carefully closed the wet side over the paper. I ran it through my Wizard, opened and removed it carefully, then sprinkled clear embossing powder over the wet, debossed design (the swirls are pushed in rather than standing up). I used a heat gun to set the embossing powder and sponged Juniper ink over the edges of the paper.

I thought this card would be a good one for one of our service men or women to send home to family, so I chose an affectionate sentiment, that is, if I can keep from sending it to my grandkids!

This card was enterred into the following challenges:
Divas by Design #44 - Anything Goes
Make It Monday #98 - Anything Goes
Sarah Hurley Challenge Blog #70 - Buttons (I used them for air bubbles.)
Use It Tuesday #35 - Emboss It ( I used embossing folder, Versamark and clear embossing powder for my background. My hoarded supplies are the clear buttons I purchased in bulk several years ago.)

4.25" x 5.5" Card Recipe:
Paper - Close To My Heart Crystal Blue, Pacifica, White Daisy cardstock and scrap of old crystal blue swirls patterned paper
Images - Clear Dollar Stamps "Splash"
Inks - Juniper, Versamark
Copic Markers - B02, BG10, BG13, BV04
Accents and Tools - CTMH Clear Button Collection, Versamark clear ink, Clear embossing powder, Cuttlebug "Divine Swirls" embossing folder, brayer, heat gun, Crystal Effects, pop dots

Our Daily Bread Designs Get Well

This week the challenge at Our Daily Bread Designs for Shining the Light is a color challenge. Pink and black/gray can be such an elegant color combination, maybe too elegant for my get well card, but maybe not if it's also a wish that God bless you. I've become a firm believer that we should bless our children and family members as well as our friends. Great men of the Bible blessed others which serves as an example for us. Here's a great article from Focus on the Family about blessing your children.

I think it's like a prayer for God's blessing for them.  I like to handwrite blessings inside my cards when I give them. I don't worry about the fact that I hate my handwriting. I've finally come to the conclusion that it's part of me so that makes it even more personal. (Of course I never told my students that messy was OK when I was teaching handwriting!)

I used the elegant sketch from the Try Stampin' On Tuesday Challenge 67. 

I used the stamps from Our Daily Bread Designs in the Get Well set. I stamped the butterfly corner swirls/flourishes twice, in opposite corners.  I stamped again on a scrap of the Baby Pink cardstock in black to cut out a butterfly to put on the corner flower embellishment. The fun part was tracing over the dotted swirls and end point dots with a glitter gel pen and adding bitty pearls to the bodies of the butterflies. The white background was embossed to go with the black patterned paper.

May God bless you as you bless others with words of encouragement!

Here are the challenges I used for this card:
Crafty Calender Challenge - Things with Wings
Deep Ocean Challenge #26 - Swirls
Divas By Design #36 - Flourishes
Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light Challenge #110 - colors pink, black and/or grey and white/vanilla
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge - Anything Goes
Try Stampin' on Tuesday Challenge #67 - Sketch

6.5" x 5" Get Well Card Recipe:
Paper - Bo Bunny "Enchanted Collection;" Close To My Heart Baby Pink, Cotton Candy, White Daisy, Black cardstock
Stamps - Our Daily Bread "Get Well"
Inks - Close To My Heart Cotton Candy, Black
Accents - Cuttlebug embossing folder "Kassie's Brocade;" Close To My Heart Bitty Pearls; Spellbinder's Nestabilities Labels Ten; Martha Stewart boder punch; Recollections floral embellishments, Sakura Jelly Roll glitter gel pen




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