Chinese Whispers

I recently participated in a scraplifting game called Chinese Whispers on ScrapJazz. Here is my scraplift for the game.




Journaling says: Kendra loves a good thunderstorm. She also loves being on the church roof. combine the two and she's one happy girl!!


I used her favorite paper line - Basic Grey's Scarlett's Letter. I also used some diamond Stickles for a bit of sparkle.

National Scrapbooking Day

Did you know that there is a day dedicated to the art and craft of scrapbooking?? Well, the first Saturday in May has been set aside as National Scrapbooking Day! I didn't get to go to any crops yesterday but I was able to complete one of the challenges at AC Bailey. I used a sketch from Triple the Scraps for my design.

A couple weeks ago, Kendra wanted to show a friend that lives out of town a new outfit. So we went into the church courtyard and did a mini-photoshoot. Here are a few pics from that day.



A Merry Heart...doeth good like a medicine. Prov. 17:22

A warm smile is the universal language of kindness. ~~William Arthur Ward

The papers I used are part of the Summer Cottage line from Daisy Bucket Designs.

For the challenge we were to use 3 elements to add texture to our layout. I handcut the flowers and attached several of them with pop-dots, ribbon on the title and over the journaling card, and I used photo turns on the journaling card. This layout also has a fair amount of my favorite -- diamond stickles!

Rooftop View

Kendra loves to be up on the church roof. Our neighborhood has a few ... uh, unsavory characters in it so she doesn't feel very safe being outside once she leaves the porch. So, the church roof, is her safe place to be outside. She especially loves it up there to watch rainstorms. She's taken some neat pics and some from unusual perspectives. Here are a few from 3/31/08.




Journaling reads: Kendra loves the church roof. It's her safe hideaway. She's especially happy up there when it's raining. She's taken some amazing pics from up there. Love the perspective.

I used Basic Grey Color Me Silly papers & fibers.

Kendra's Birthday Ensemble

Kendra decided she wanted her class ring for her 18th birthday gift. We've ordered it but it won't be in for another two weeks. At least it will be here by the time of her Graduation party. I hated for her to not have something to open -- maybe that's a "Mom thing" so I made her a little ensemble using her favorite scrapbook paper line. She's really into black/white/red right now so this line is perfect. It's Basic Grey's Scarlett's Letter.





I made her a gift folder with a pic of the ring and a note, a bookmark (our bookworm can never have too many) and spruced up a plain gift bag a little. It didn't take long, was easy to do, and she seemed pleased with it.

Inside the folder





The back of the folder:



The birthday girl with her gift.

Cards

I made a few more cards this weekend. Several of them are already on their way to Germany for Military Spouse Appreciation Day. It seems like I ended up using lots of purple. Not my usual color and none would win any awards (that's OK too) but a great use of scraps. Eva, do you recognize some of the ribbons? Thanks!!



This one shows I can't even sew straight when I'm just drawing the stitches! Some things never change! :/



The following four use 3D stickers from K & Company that also have glitter or bling on them. I think they're so pretty and are great for cards.

His Presence

This week's word is His Presence (OK, yes, it's more than one word.).

I chose these verses:

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving,

and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
Psalm 95:2

Serve the LORD with gladness:

come before his presence with singing.
Psalm 100:2

Pray

Here is a layout I made using a picture I took of Kendra on Easter Sunday. I was really excited when it was chosen for the Project Spotlight for the week of 4/21/08 on Scraps-n-Such.

The journaling says:

Lord, we thank You for our daughter, Kendra. And we thank You that she has turned her heart to You. Thank You for receiving her, cleansing her and directing her path. We praise You Lord for what You've done in her. Now, in Your name, we bless her with courage, with faith, and with integrity. Lord, we call her a woman of strength, love and grace. We ask, as her earthly parents, that You would rain down favor on her that she would know that she is loved and treasured; That You will bless whatever she touches. Here is our daughter, Lord, and we give her back to You. Lord, we love her. Keep her and bless her. In Jesus name, Amen.
(Adapted from "The Flywheel")

Change & Joy

The week that Dad fell and ended up in the hospital, the Scripture Challenge word was Change. On the front of my card I wrote "Change can turn you upside down." I didn't know how right I was. I made the card 3 days before Dad fell. Here it is:



The back says:

God NEVER changes.

Malachi 3:5 For I am the Lord, I change not...

However, He wants us to change as we become conformed to His image.

Romans 8:28-29 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Next to this verse in my Bible I wrote a quote from an unnamed preacher, If it's good it's conforming us to God. If it's conforming us to God, it's good.

I missed the next 10 weeks of cards due to all the life events that have happened between now & then. I'm going to try to make them up gradually until I'm caught back up.


This week's word is Joy. On the front of the card I wrote the lyrics to the chorus The Joy of the Lord is my Strength. Here's the card:



The verses on the back are:

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth 3 John 4

...Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Psalm 126:3

A Few Cards

Over on Scrapjazz, one of the ladies has a card project to benefit the spouses of some of our soldiers for Military Spouse Appreciation Day. I told her I'd send her a few cards. Most of the cards below will end up in Germany to the wives of a combat unit recently deployed to Iraq. The pink & black ones are my favorites.

On Scraps-n-Such Jessica posted a Sketch of the Week Bonus Sketch on 4/19/08. Here's the card I made with her sketch. I love how it turned out. It's ending up going to a friend in England.

Circle Journal #2

At Faithfully Yours we are just starting a new Circle Journal. Each of us chose a theme, made the pages for our own journal, and sent it on its way. I really enjoy circle journals and can't wait to get started.

An interesting note about the first journal I did. The round finished and my album was waiting here for me when I got back home from Columbus after Dad died. Guess what theme I chose for that journal? Words of Comfort! We started these journals 6 mos. before. Only the Lord knew I would need these Words of Comfort 6 mos. later.

Anyway, for this journal, I chose Marriage Advice. With two young adults in the house, marriage and how to chose a marriage partner are frequent topics of conversation. So...my journal asks the ladies to do a page of advice they received and then a page of advice they would give now. It's understood that any potential marriage partner should be a Christian and that you should have similar beliefs, convictions, standards, etc.

Here are my pages. I used the Foof-a-La Red, Cream & Black line for all of mine.

This is the Title page:



This is the Introduction page & the Map page. Each participant will put a brad on the map showing where they live.




These are the Getting to Know You pages. Each participant will put a small pic, their name, username, how long they've been married & their favorite Scripture verse on the back of the tag that has their intial on it.



This is my LO of advice Dad & Mom gave me and then what advice I would give. I used a sketch from Triple the Sketch for this layout.



Journaling for the left page: My parents were perpetual sweethearts. Watching their marriage and how they treated each other was a constant example of what a godly marriage should look like. Dad always said, "Make sure yo marry the right person. During the day you can keep busy but if you’re married to the wrong person the nights can be awfully long."
Mom told me, "Don’t marry someone you can live with; marry someone you don’t want to live without." There are two pieces of advice Mom gave me for after I was married that have always stood out in my mind:
1. If your husband asks you to go do something, GO! Don’t let dirty dishes or housework keep you from saying, "Yes." The dishes & housework will be there when you get back but if you repeatedly turn him down, he’ll quit asking you to go.
2. Never say anything negative in public about your husband. Mom was extremely loyal. I remember her saying, "I live with your Dad, I know he’s not perfect. But I’m sure not going to tell someone else that or listen to them talk negatively about him."

Journaling for the right page: My top advice for marriage would be:
1. Put the Lord first in your relationship. Marriage is a wonderful thing but also a hard thing. You need to have the Lord’s help for a successful marriage. Ecclesiastes 4:12 "And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken."
2. God designed you to be a help to your husband not someone who is in competition with him. Genesis 2:18 "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." Leave the competition in the sports arena and business world and kick it out of the home.
3. In the words of a wise man named Dr. Donald Worch, "If you do after you’re married what you did before you were married in order to get married, you’ll stay married." While it sounds a bit confusing, when you think about it, it makes perfect sense.
4. Be a team. Approach projects, challenges, joys, dreams, & activities together. Some things we do just for the sake of our relationship (aka Us). Sometimes "Us" goes to the scrapbook store and other times "Us" goes to Bass Pro Shops. Remember you’re both in this together and face things side-by-side – you need each other. Ecclesiastes 4:10 "For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."

Each of the ladies will sign this page before they send it on to the next participant.