It feels like Earth is 'groaning'....

So much happening today in the world. Thankful to God for not allowing it to be much much worse than it was. It took me awhile to understand the difference between the "active Will of God", and the 'passive Will of God" ( why He allows some things to happen, and prevents others from happening...) Thankfully- it's not up to me to decide which or why or how come??? but only to trust in Him- no matter what comes my way......><>

hat pins...

Even tho' I never wear a hat- I just don't think I look 'presentable' in them - I love hat pins :) I started making a few using some of my prettier beads...and I found this great 'shaker jar' at Value Village (sorry, Goodwill...) that works perfectly for displaying them! Score another fix for my 'magpie gene' ><>

One more thing to collect :)

I realized awhile back that 'empty' Starbucks cards are a collectible item ( just go to ebay and check it out for yourself if you think I'm joshin' ya!) So, of course, I started collecting them....and when folks find out you're collecting something....they tend to give you some! I thought they would be neat displayed in a poster frame. Each one is different...and I did have to 'supplement' my collection a little with ebay...heheheh...but I like how it turned out, and it will look great in this narrow little space I have in my kitchen. Cheap at half the price ><>

This is the day the Lord has made.....

OF COURSE I will rejoice and be glad in it!!!! We have been having an 'uncharacteristicly' ( real word? I don't know. If it is, I probably spelled it wrong....) awesome stretch of Spring-like weather here in the 'non-Olympic' Vancouver. 50*-60* days - beautiful starry nights- the air is so fresh. What a joy lifter- especially for those unfortunate sufferers of 'seasonal depression' - everyone seems to just have a spring in their step (no pun intended).
This is Mt. St. Helens - I can see part of it from my home, and this picture was taken about 2 miles down the road. I will NEVER EVER EVER get tired of this view. I just find it breathtaking! What a beautiful thing God created- even after it blew it's top completely off in the 80's. And as a native northwesterner, I KNOW the rain is coming back soon....we do need it, and we need snowpack in the hills. But what a gift from God this sunny week has been! ><>

Ash Wednesday...Journeying to the Cross

One of the things I like most about worshipping at a Liturgical church- meaning we celebrate different 'seasons' and events....is changing the art work in the Sanctuary. This is the new Lent 'mobile' we made today- funny but the blue is actually a very beautiful purple (for repentance) and there's black ( our sin) & dark red ( the blood Christ shed ) It's all very stunning in real life, and spins very slowly with the air currents about 30 feet up in the ceiling. Today is Ash Wednesday- the beginning of the Lenten Season - where we prepare our hearts for the journey to the Cross of Christ- and remember that we were created from ashes and our earthly bodies shall return to ashes. Some people like to 'give up' something for Lent- out of reverance, thanksgiving, repentance, whatever....and then think about God when they are NOT doing/having whatever it is they 'gave up'. One year I gave up chocolate. Another coffee. Another dessert. And then I had an 'epiphany'.....there is not a single thing that I could EVER give up that would even come close to what God & Christ gave up for me. So for me, personally, the idea of giving something up is a half-hearted attempt to impress God. I'd rather focus on His mercy, grace, love, forgiveness, redemption & salvation with nothing in the way! But who knows- maybe next year I'll have another 'epiphany' and give up something again. Either way- God loves me :) ><>

P.S.: if you want a funny perspective on 'fasting' during Lent- check out www.skitguys.com - I love these guys!

Be My Valentine....Jesus

This is one of my favorite banners I made for church on one of those years that Valentine's Day fell on a Sunday ( like this year!) :) It's actually made from rubber stamps! I used Heart & Soul stamps on a clear transparency and my faithful helper, the overhead projector...everyone there thinks I'm just THAT GOOD at drawing :) mwahahaha. Painted with acrylics on some inexpensive tablecloth/oilcloth fabric. Voila. I think I'm going to drag it out of the archives (Sacristy) and hang it up for this Sunday! After all.....Jesus is the ULTIMATE Valentine <3 ><>

More Heart Day Fun :)

I made this fun button bouquet last year- I've managed to packrat a huge amount of buttons- vintage & new - and I saw this idea on Etsy to turn them into 'flowers'. Got the pink cup at my favorite thrift store (Goodwill). I took a length of floral wire, folded it in half, and started stringing on the buttons. Stop and twist every once in awhile and voila :) I sprinkled some glass hearts around the bottom of the cup. It just makes me smile :) ><>

*Upcycled* Sweater Wreath

I made this last year for Valentine's Day- *borrowed* the idea from Etsy- it's made from old felted sweaters cut into small squares and threaded onto a piece of floral wire. FINALLY a use for those wool sweaters that *accidentally* shrink in the washing machine :) ( althought I bought these at Goodwill and intentionally shrunk them up ) I also have a fun fall colored one, and a green one that doubles for Christmas/St. Paddy's Day. ><>

Wasting Time :)

Yesterday I spent more time 'playing' with stuff, than actually 'creating' with stuff. I found these fun glass bottles on a recent scavenger hunt to Goodwill- 24 of them! I knew I'd put something out of the stamp room in them. So I satisfied my 'magpie gene' and put shiny/sparkly confetti in them all :) Of course it took about an hour of messing around...but I like how it looks. MABYE it will inspire me to use more confetti. Probably not. Happy *Super Sunday* ><>

Who Could Resist This ???

So....I go to a *Stamp Club* once a month just to play with Stampin' Up goodies. When you have your own stamp company (Heart & Soul) you're usually too busy 'making/creating/designing/packing/shipping/you get the picture' stamps that you (I) rarely have the time to just sit and stamp. It's a *Catch 22/shoot yourself in the foot* kinda deal :) Don't get me wrong- I'm not complaining about being blessed with business & *busy-ness* ! But I do miss just sitting and stamping with a group of awesome ladies- especially Diana, my bestest Stampin' Up rep/friend! So I intentionally go every month that I can- *scheduled playtime* as it were :)

We made this beautiful card with those new little plastic pockety thingys ( there's a raspberry filled goodie in that thing!!!) I love using lots of background paper scraps up.....especially since LAST YEAR'S goal of using up scraps is carrying over into 2010 ( and probably 20 years from now :)

There's another card right below this one ><>

A Valentine *Hoot*

I love the different use of the punches/die cuts here: the slit for the little bookmark owl used the *dog bone* punch and little envelope punch in new ways (to me, anyway :) and I thought the color combo was cool too! ><>

I Love My Friends :)

This was a fun one- got to play with the Cuttlebug, sanding block, ribbon, tear a little paper...and my new favorite *pillow* stickers from K & Co. I think I could stick those babies on anything that isn't moving! Phrase is a Heart & Soul stamp. Now it's off to the post office to convince them that a *Ghirardelli* chocolate square tucked inside will not require extra postage! ><>

Oh dear....

We are having the most beautiful sunny day here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest- which we all know means 6 weeks more winter weather for us! Yep- I'm guessing that Punxatawny Phil and ALL of his relatives saw their shadows here today! But it's one of those days that's just a rare gift this time of year - so we'll take it! Thanks God for an awesome day - no matter what comes our way in the next 6 weeks!