Philippians 4:8 for MOJO Monday 242

When I was in my thirties and early forties, life had many challenges that often discouraged me. One of the verses I quoted to myself frequently was Philippians 4:8. I also reminded my children of this verse and it's importance to their mental well-being from their teenage years to the present. I find that there are many beautiful, positive things in life that we can put our focus on when times are difficult. Dwelling on the problems is exhausting as well as discouraging. When I saw this verse in the newly-released May digi image collection called Value Verses from Clear Dollar Stamps, I wanted to use it for my cards of encouragement. The fonts and arrangement of the phrases make it attractive and memorable. I like the way the key words are on the right margin. It also perfectly fit the sketch from MOJO Monday #242 this week.

I had fun making the flower by using a Verve stamp and winding seam binding around the middle. You just add some very sticky glue dots to the center of any flower, start the twisted seam binding in the center and twist and adhere as you go around the circle. Love it! The leaves were slightly creased in the middle, then folded up for more dimension.

May God bless you today as you focus your thoughts on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, of virtue, and praiseworthy.

Challenges:
Basic Grey Challenge #68 - Anything Goes, using Basic Grey
Just Keep On Creating - Anything Goes (use up your stash - the ancient yellow patterned paper!)
Little Birdie Blessings Linky Party - anything using scripture
MOJO Monday - Sketch #242
Ribbon Carousel Challenge #54 - Fancy Flowers - make flowers out of ribbon, fabric, felt or burlap
Scrap-Creations- Bingo (I used the middle row going down)

6.5" x 5" Encouragement Card Recipe:
Image: Value Verses (Philippians 4:8)
Stamp: flower from Verve Hope Blooms
Ink: Close To My Heart Sorbet
Papers: Basic Grey "Sweet Threads;" CTMH "Sweetheart"(pink), retired Buttercup patterned paper, Colonial White, Topiary, and Sorbet cardstock; Bazzill maroon cardstock
Accents: Martha Stewart border punch; Hug Snug seam binding
Technique: twisted seam binding for flower center

Psalm 46:1 for Mojo Monday 239

I've been a Christian for 56 years. Now that I'm at the "grandma age" with its aches and pains or sleepless nights, I find that the first thing I'm saying to the Lord at those times is this, "You are my refuge and my strength." I take comfort in those words but I'm also acknowledging to Him that I trust Him to see me through the difficulty. King David must have cried out those words many times. I'm hoping that Psalm 46:1 will bring encouragement to someone with this card.

Abby has a lovely devotional at her blog, Little Birdie Blessings, that includes the words to one of my favorite Hymns, Great Is Thy Faithfulness. Her springtime images and this hymn remind us that no matter how long the winter, His mercies are new every morning. Springtime always follows winter. If He can do that for the seasons, I know He can do that for me after a night of little sleep or in any other of life's problems.

I used the sketch from Mojo Monday 239, but, like the circular example, I added the scalloped border to the square card.

I used the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge to cut the card and its two frames using the scalloped square key. The black frame was cut with the Layer key and the orangish frame was cut with the Decorative Layer key. All three of those were cut at 5.25" to fit in my 5.5" envelopes. The white card was random stamped with the medium flower from Hope Blooms using Cotton Candy and Sorbet inks first and second generation. The black scalloped mat for the sentiment has three black buttons, but they're really hard to see in the photos. I added the scallops, flowers, and buttons for the challenge #1217 at CCEE Stampers this week.

May you find refuge and comfort in the Lord. May you experience His strength when the day's burdens increase and your own strength seems inadequate.

Challenges:

CCEE Stampers Challenge 1217 - scallops, flowers, and buttons

Little Birdie Blessings Linking Party

Mojo Monday 239 sketch

5.25" Square Encouragement Card Recipe:

Paper - Basic Grey "Sweet Threads;" Close To MY Heart White Daisy, Black, and Sweet Leaf cardstock

Stamps - Verve "Psalm 46:1" Plain Jane, "Hope Blooms"

Ink - CTMH Cotton Candy, Sorbet, Black

Other - CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge, black buttons, Colonial White waxy flax; Spellbinders Nestabilities Lattice Rectangle; Cheery Lynn Designs tropical flourish dye; Recollections floral embellishment; ribbon unknown

John 3:16 for The Sweet Stop Anniversary

Today I'm getting ready to go to an open house at the Christian school my three grandsons attend fifty miles away. It is such a joy to watch them grow as Christians (in grades 3, 1, and Kindergarten). They have been memorizing so many verses. This is the very first verse I remember memorizing as a child and it still means so much to me. I'm including it in the Little Birdie Blessings Linky Party that started today.

The Sweet Stop is celebrating its third birthday by having us choose which of their sketches we'd like to use. I wanted to use sketch 101 because I had typed John 3:16 and needed a horizontal panel that would fit the verse and a vertical panel for the Sweet and Sassy cross image. The palette from The Color Throwdown was perfect because of the flowers around the cross. I have a friend with an abundance of yellowish calla lilies in front of her house and some years I have purplish asters at my house (although they bloom at different times - sh-h-h!) Here are the sketch and beautiful spring colored palette.

Since my sentiment covers the bottom panel, I didn't include one on the left.

May God richly bless you!

Except for the image from Sweet n Sassy Stamps and the Copics I used to color it, all of the other papers, ribbon, flower and brad are from Close To My Heart, mostly retired.

Beauty for Ashes - MOJO Monday 231

About 15 years ago I adopted Isaiah 61:3 as a life verse. After going through a lot of difficulties, I felt my life was greatly blessed. I even made a layout of photos taken in my garden which I titled Beauty for Ashes. I made this card with that verse from Verve, hoping to pass that great truth on to someone else. I used the beautiful color combination suggested by the Color Throwdown Challenge #182 using the papers from MyMind's Eye Stella & Rose-Mabel collection.

The MOJO Monday Sketch #231 worked well with this verse and these colors.

With this special scripture, I'm linking this card to Scripture Thursday #19 at Little Birdie Blessings. I'm currently encouraging another young woman who's facing many trials. I love the part of the verse that says "a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." It goes along with a hymn I think of a lot "Count Your Blessings." You hear a lot of people say that you should count your blessings, but this hymn says to do this while you're going through the trial and you'll be singing and getting help and comfort.

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

• Count your blessings, name them one by one;
  Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
  Count your blessings, name them one by one,
  And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold.
Count your many blessings, money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your Lord on high.

So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/707#ixzz1oYPDRBhv

5" x 6.5" Card Recipe:
Paper - My Mind's Eye -Stella & Rose "Mabel;" Close To My Heart Colonial White CS; Bazzill CS (brown)
Stamps - Verve "Isaiah 61:3 Plain Jane," "Hope Blooms"(flowers)
Ink - Ranger Vintage Photo; Close To My Heart Cranberry (sponged around text semi-circle, flower edges)
Other - Close To My Heart Cranberry brads, Buttons Red Collection, Waxy Flax- Chocolate, Juniper ribbon

CPS Day 11 for Little Birdie Blessing #16

CPS (Card Positioning System) Card Sketches is celebrating their 5th Anniversary with a challenge to make card using the previous patterns they select over 15 days. This is the 11th sketch, CPS#170.  I decided that the long top layer was perfect for a long scripture verse.

My daughter's birthday is late this month and I know she'd like to have a set of encourgement cards that have scripture verses. (She's been so busy right now with working, church, boys in basketball, etc., that I know she won't read this blog before her birthday.) I'm just so thankful that she values the awesome power of scripture in her life and that of her family. I'm sharing this card with Little Birdie Blessing's Linky Party #16, where I am regularly inspired.

I used My Mind's Eye Stella And Rose collection called "Mabel." The sentiment is from a Papertrey Ink scripture collection. The border of foliage is CTMH "Botanical Borders" and I used Ranger Dried Marigold and Broken China, but they were too stark looking so I sponged CTMH Cocoa ink over the edges to improve the appearance. I thought the Martha Stewart punch was great for this paper pack.

Proverbs 3:5-6 for Our Daily Bread Designs Challenge

With tomorrow being Valentine's Day, I thought I'd make a card that expresses another aspect of our hearts in addition to loving our friends and sweethearts. I recently met a lady at a craft show who looked at my valentines and said rather regretfully that she had no one to give a valentine to. That stabbed my heart because I remember having that feeling at one time in my life. I suggested friends, but she just turned and walked away. Inwardly I said a prayer for her. As a grandma, I've lived enough years to know about life's ups and downs and also to know that during both situations we need to trust that God is working everything together for good, even if we can't see it at the time. It's not easy but we need to trust Him with all of our hearts,  minds, wills, and emotions. So many times in life I've needed to keep turning a difficult situation over to Him again and again. Many of us have strong leadership qualities that make us so very independent, which helps in some situations, but inside we need to keep acknowdedging and seeking His leadership in every situation to make it work out for the best. That's why I love this verse. I need to be reminded to trust and acknowledge over and over, remembering how much God loves me and has the best plan for me for every situation.

I made this card for the Our Daily Bread Designs  H-E-A-R-T Word Challenge. We were to incorporate something beginning with those letters. I chose:
H - Heart
E - Embossing
A - Aqua color
R - Roses and Red
T - Twine

I'm also linking this card to Little Birdie Blessings to share the scripture.

5" x 6.5" Card:
Paper - Close To My Heart White Daisy, Blush, Tulip, Black CS; My Mind's Eye striped and rosy DP
Stamp - Our Daily Bread Designs Scripture Collection 2
Ink - CTMH Black, Blush (sponged on verse)
Other - Cricut Art Philosophy (hearts), Spellbinder's scalloped circle Nestabilities; CTMH Buttons (red collection) and Baker's twine (Neutral Assortment-white in smaller buttons), heart embossing folder ?