super duper Goodwill find :)

I hope you all had a blessed Christmas- no matter how it looked for you this year. I have a lot of friends and family who had a hard time being *merry* ~ it's tough when life zaps you during the holidays. My theory is that there is always something to be thankful for :) 

I found these little gems when I popped into my local Goodwill hoping for some after Christmas markdowns.....they are ( I believe) printing blocks for fabric or paper, handmade in India from wood and copper strips! I think they are lovely and it makes me wonder if the maker was a Believer :) Cool, huh?

Advent Sanctuary mobile

This could be my favorite one yet! I've always wanted to add lights to the mix~ and this year I found an LED battery operated star on a timer :)  We'll see how it all plays out.....it's not easy winching it up and down, so I'm hoping I won't need to do it more than once. I love the Advent season :) Some churches go 'blue' and some 'purple' ~ we have blue Paraments and purple candles in the Advent wreath.....so me being 'me'......I try to crowd in as much purple as possible :) May your Advent season be a time of preparation and anticipation of the celebration of Jesus's birth! 

Blessings to you

Praying that you all have a thankful day, no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. There is always something to be thankful for :) I'm thankful for my Lord, my family near and far, and the smell of a bird roasting in the oven~

Advent Tea Calendar

And I'm back with another Pinterest find  (here's the original pin)

Here's my 'take' on the idea! I found the mini bags at Michaels.....but I would probably just make my own next time. Each bag has a different tea in it- it gets a little expensive doing it that way ( PLUS they are mostly decaf - for a few of my friends) so I would recommend going together with a friend and splitting the cost. Or just make a bunch- they get progressively less expensive that way :) Another hint - next time I would make sure the tea bags are all individually wrapped.....I had to print some labels for some teas so folks would know what they were drinkin' :) I made the box from  12" cardstock and the lid from a transparency sheet. I also tucked in some chocolate truffles here and there to make the bags *stand at attention* :) I can't wait to give these to some special people in my life! 

leaf rose :)

Hi y'all :) Sorry I've been AWOL for so long. I really have no business having a blog apparently. I wanted to show you what I just made :) I got the idea and the directions from this Pin http://www.pinterest.com/pin/9992430399170967/  Mine doesn't look as lovely as the original, but it's all I could do. And it looks a little more like a Poinsettia than a rose. But you get the drift. Hopefully it will dry nicely and I can keep it! Have a great fall day my cyber friends !

VBS amazingness :)

VBS started today! As mentioned earlier....here's a photo of the decorations that our *resident scenery wizard* came up with.....the WORKING fountain was carved from huge blocks of dense styrofoam that was being thrown out by some local builders. So much fun for the kids. And having a *water feature* at church makes me think we should have one in the entry way all the time :) I'll get back to you on that one....heh heh.  

Bubbling over :)

This was this month's card club offering :) I have so much vellum stashed hoarded and I got the inspiration from a card on Pinterest. The Heart & Soul sentiment fit perfectly, I thought :) And sequins are always a good thing! Ttfn~
*note to self*....some of my punches are a little persnickety and work better if I punched more than one layer of vellum at a time.....

like a rushing wind

So the Sanctuary mobile for Pentecost this year has a decidedly different look than what I usually put together :) My worship team leader also makes amazing backdrops, props, etc ( can't WAIT to show you what he's come up with for VBS!!! but I digress....) He created this dove & fire piece a few years ago, for something else, and I wanted to incorporate it this year. They even lowered it today during the children's message for *dramatic effect* :) 

scrappy day

I am a big fan of kraft paper :) also of using up things from the scrap drawer. I bought the triangle punch from SU awhile back and this is my first card with it. The center *sunbursts* are actually brad cover punches that I got on clearance. A little badda~bing and it's all good to go :) 

birthday brights

I made this awhile back for card club- lots of punches and 3D flowers :) The image is partially stamped Heart & Soul. I loved the neon-on-black :) I layered 3 strips underneath the top embossed black piece and punched randomly to let it show through. That's all for now !

He is Risen!

This is the Easter mobile I did for the Sanctuary this year. It's funny how things work out (not really- I give the Spirit credit for anything good I have a hand in :)  The base of the centerpiece is a bicycle wheel, and I always cover the rim with fabric first, so you can't see it from below. This year I forgot to, and realized it just before hoisting it up in the rafters. I grabbed some pink fabric left over, and took care of it. And guess what! when it's way up in the air, the light reflects off the pink and makes it look like a glorious sunrise! If it weren't for that *mistake* I never would have found that out :) yay Spirit! 

the old rugged cross :)

We have a lovely tradition at our church for one of the Easter services ~ everyone brings flowers from home and transforms this ugly stick cross into a beautiful reminder of the ugliness/beauty of the cross :) Here's the *after* 

He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

more washi tape fun

Here's another project with the same tape as the last card. Trying to use it up, but I think it just grows more when I put it back in the drawer!!! Not sure what co. the sentiment is. Added a little square bling to each strip :) of course.

On another note.....I had the honor of accompanying the choir on the congas last night at the Good Friday service....and for my first time provided the sound effects for hammering the nails to the cross :( Really hard for me to do.....but I made it through without crying, which I figured would be impossible. Didn't make it through the whole service without sobbing.....so incredibly heartwrenching to revisit what my Savior did for me......

Indeed!

Ever had one of those projects that looked better inside your head than outside?  This is one of those- it fit one of my life mottos~" it seemed like a good idea when I thought of it"....but the funny thing is, the more I added to it, the more I liked it. I had gotten this washi tape awhile back on clearance~ not my *go to* color by any means....but I can't resist a smokin' deal. Then I found the background paper at Goodwill ( in a note pad) and just went to work bringing them all together. My first time at using sequins on a card ~ we'll see how well attached they are :) I computer generated the words. As we march on toward Holy Week, I'm feeling grateful and blessed....how about you?

oh hail!

We had one of the best hailstorms I can remember yesterday! It was just deafening- so of course I had to go out in it and look :) This is the pile that fell off the roof- the gutters were just overwhelmed and this is where it ran down the valley. It was pouring off in sheets. Being the weather watcher that I am, I loved it all- but mostly because I wasn't trying to drive in it :) 

Joy

I made this for a dear friend that I wanted to thank for doing something really sweet for me :) These are the colors of her kitchen, and I'm hoping that she puts it in the windowsill and feels loved whenever she sees it :) The verse is vintage Penny Black and the flowers are SU :) ><>

Ribbon Bookmarks

Well THESE were just too much fun to make! And easy. And CHEAP! They slip in the spine of a hymnal, Bible, or wherever else you may want to mark multiple pages. I made these for my daughter who is in the *home stretch* of her Family Ministry Degree ~ she'll have lots of things to keep track of when she starts her new career.....and we're just waiting on the Lord to find out where that's going to be :) Speaking of 'waiting on the Lord' ~ there is no greater peace than knowing He has a plan for her life and will place her exactly where she needs to be to glorify Him :) Wouldn't these be a great fundraiser or Sunday School project? I simply cut a little piece of black vinyl, folded it over and rounded the top. Then I tucked the ribbons in and zig zagged the edges. A little Fray Check on the ends of the ribbons, and voila. Easy peasy :) I'm going to take a white marker and leave little messages of love on the tabs. She'll love them ~

Happy St. Patty's Day!

O'Recycling again :)

Here's the card I whipped out for my friends....I'm really only Irish for the day :) although, of course we all have ancestors from the 'Old Country', so who's to say I'm not some % Leprechaun? The background paper is some recycled worship folders from my church, the brown is recycled from another project I did awhile ago, and the verse is a one time only stamp I made when I needed more 'filler' on the sheet before I sent it to the rubber presser. Which means it won't be offered in the Heart & Soul catalog. But you could certainly reproduce it and print it out on your computer! Oh yeah, the gold thread is embroidery floss that I got in a huge bag from the Goodwill :) Top O' the morning to ya!

bonus deal :)

We're getting a late shot of snow here in the Pacific Northwest! Not everyone is as excited about it as I am, of course :) It's 'fluffier' than the wet heavy kind we normally get....not very good for building snowmen, but beautiful and sparkly just the same. The forecast is for freezing rain tonight and tomorrow.....I probably should hit the stamp room and be creative! ><>

happy whatever!

Another *splurge* .....the Martha Stewart balloon punch. I got the idea for this card from another card on Pinterest, I'm sorry I can't link you back to the original one, and my apologies to the original card owner. Mine is different, but the idea is the same. I love *fussy* line drawing- especially with that tiny little Micron pen. And I just got that fun ball of yarn with sequins in it and couldn't wait to use it. I'm proof that you should never throw away your scraps :) 

Big Bang Prayer :)

I'm a huge BBT fan :) So it kinda made me happy in one episode when Sheldon's mom made him say grace before they ate :)  I liked the prayer so much that I recreated it for our own dining room ~ computer generated the words, and used that awesome SU medallion stamp~ makes me smile every time I see it!

sending love :)

Well, THIS was a splurge and a half. Got a gift card from the hubby, and bought myself this little envelope die cut. I think I'll only have to use it about 500 times to justify it's purchase :) Lots of hearts punched out, and the verse is one I specially made just for me. How selfish :)   Made this as a kit for card club- was thinking of Valentine's Day, but it would also make a great get well card too! ><>

ahhh. 2014.

I hope you all had a wonder~full Christmas! I've been enjoying having my daughter home from college for a few weeks, fully aware that when she graduates next Spring and becomes a full time church worker, her Christmas's at home may not be possible. After all, it IS the busy season for church staff :) I'm also grateful for a new year. Even though 2013 had some unexpected heartaches for our family, it also held tremendous joys. And through it all, the Hand of God was wrapped around us. For that, I am forever grateful. Happy New Year!