Encouragement during COVID-19

I cannot believe how many cards I have made and mailed during these weeks of "safe at home!"  It has been a great way and time to use up lots of supplies and bring some cheer to others at the same time.  I have made about 60 cards so far and enjoyed every one of them.  Each morning I have made a short list of people to whom I will send a card, then in the early afternoon, after my household chores are done, I go into the craft room and make cards specifically for those on the list.  I have made it a point to think about the person who will be getting the card and pray for them as I put the card together.

That is what I did on these two round cards I made yesterday. 

This first card is for a 101-year-old friend.

I used a flower stamp I have had since about 2010.  I heat embossed it with gold embossing powder, then colored the petals and leaves with watercolor pencils.  I wasn't sure how the colors would work because the card base is that dark brown, but low and behold, the colors show up and look really pretty, I think!  I die cut the hello sentiment from pale gold card stock and added some embossed gold on the edges.  I wanted it to look a little bit rustic so I left some of the excess such as you can see just to the right of the sentiment. 

I am going to submit this to the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog since the current challenge is "Anything Goes."

The second card was another brown circular card, but this time I covered it with paper and it completely changed the looks of the card.  See what I mean?

This little girl playing in the rain is so cute!  I had some tear drops I'd been waiting to use for "just the right situation" and this was definitely the time!  I propped her up on foam tape and she is so cute there on the front of that card!  I hope my friend who will get this card will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it for her.

This might of yours

Judges 6:14 And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”

God told Gideon to go rebel against the enemy and fight in “this might of yours,” "in this thy might."  He did not say, “Gather yourself together, train, get your supplies, and go.”  Instead, He told Gideon to go in his might.  What kind of “might” did Gideon have?  He was hiding his threshing job in a wine press.  He was timid and afraid, almost of his own shadow.  He was discouraged and disheartened by the oppression of the enemy.  He was from an unknown, just normal, household family.  He was afraid of even his neighbors (see 6:27) much less the powerful enemy.  In other words, Gideon’s “might” was almost nil!  God did not want him to go in any strength or power other than God’s power and strength.  If he trusted in that, Gideon could (and did) succeed.  So he DID go in his might and he DID trust God to add the extra “might” he needed and he DID succeed in defeating the oppressing power of the enemy.  All because he went in “his might.”

Year after year after year

I Samuel 1:7 So it went on year by year.

What is it that went on year by year?  There are several things that are either mentioned specifically or implied that happened regularly, yearly, for who knows how many years.  Elkanah, Samuel’s father, went to offer sacrifices year by year.  He cared about his family and was very sensitive to childless Hannah.  Year by year Hannah felt her pain of childlessness.  It was a pain that did not disappear in spite of her faithfulness along with Elkanah, year by year.  She was deeply distressed and weeping (see v. 10) year after year.  There was not an overnight answer to that distress.  It went on for many years, we don’t know how many.  The beauty of the story, however, lies in the fact that Elkanah and Hannah remained faithful to God through the pain of childless years and in God’s time, He answered Hannah’s prayer.  After Samuel was born, we read of another “year by year” when Hannah cam to see the child she gave back into God’s service, year by year.  She remained faithful through it all, year by year.  Sometimes we can see God in the mundane, the things that never seem to change even though we wish they would.  That's what Hannah learned.

My birth certificate

Psalm 87:6 The Lord records as he registers the people, “This one was born there.”

When I read this verse I immediately thought of my birth certificate.  When I was born, the certificate was filled out and signed by the doctor, recording the time and place I was born.  It has been my proof of citizenship for my entire life, even though I cannot personally remember the event.  

So it is with my relationship to God.  At the time of my salvation, the Lord recorded my “birth” and now He can look back, so to speak, and be reminded that on that specific date, at that specific time and in that specific location I gave my life to Him and was born again.  It is recorded and even though I cannot tell you the specifics, He knows, and that is what is important. 

I have my “birth certificate” and it is my proof that I am His child.

Belated birthday hippo

I made a cute little hippo card for my brother-in-law.  With all that has been going on lately I did not get a card to him in time, so I am ashamed to say this is belated, but I hope that when he gets it, he'll enjoy the "Hippo birdie to you" sentiment on the inside of the card.

Notice the sweet little red birds accompanying this birthday hippo?  There is one on the inside of the card as well.  Adding these little red birds made my card fit perfectly with the challenge #260 over at {Pin}spirational Challenge Blog.  I have been following this challenge blog for some time and have never gotten around to entering it, but this coronavirus has given me the time and inspiration to do a little more creative thinking!

Sympathy card

It seems especially sad to know people who have to go through the sorrow of the death of a loved one when everyone is already saddened over all that is happening with the COVID-19, so I wanted to make a really nice card for our friend whose father died this past week.  One nice effect of having to be "distanced" during these days is having time to make and send cards to encourage others.  Keeps my mind off my own situation and focused on others.

I got this idea when I saw the Retro Rubber Blog challenge of making something using squares in some way.  This is the card I made:

I used a stamp set I got back in 2016 to stamp the corners on each of three card stock squares and added tiny dark blue Jewel Dazzles to the end swirls on the corners, then backed them all in a row on blue-grey metallic card stock, and then on dark blue card stock.  I mounted the three square banner with foam tape on top of a strip of navy blue ribbon.  The sympathy stamp is from that same 2016 set.

I think it made a very sedate but warm card in the end. 

I am also entering this card in the Double Dare challenge #54, in which Thing 1 is  titled "It's Hip to be Square" and Thing 2 is to use an old stamp set.  I've followed this blog for some time but never entered it before.