Love birds

Not long ago I bought a stamp set of cute little love birds that I got a discount on but I had not had a good occasion to use any of the stamps until this week when I wanted to make a card to go with a gift for a wedding shower.  This stamp was perfect!

I stamped and heat embossed the image on blue card stock, on yellow card stock, and on the shimmery golden card stock that I used for the label.  Then I enhanced the little boy blue bird with some markers and cut it out.  Did the same for the little girl bird on the yellow card stock and added a little bit of silvery glittery pen along with some color and cut it out and glued it onto the label stamp.  I added the boy bird with some foam so it pops up a little bit.  Colored the branches and the hearts with markers and I think it turned out really cute.  I love the paper in the background, with the muted circles of various colors.  I hope she will enjoy the little birds as much as I enjoyed putting them together!

5 from 2

I had a 12 in. x 12 in. piece of flower paper that had big beautiful peachy-orange roses on a white background, and a sheet of orange gingham that seemed to match very well, so I decided to challenge myself and see how many cards I could get out of the paper.  This is the result:

 I was interested to see how different the flowers and gingham looked when using three different shades of green paper as an enhancement. All three matched bits of the leaves, but created a really different look each time.

For these I used a pale green as the solid green base:

And for these two I used a darker green that had more blue in it:

And for the last one I used yet a different green color as the base and it looks completely different.

I still had a small piece of the flowered paper and one of the gingham but I decided that five was enough for one day!

I like trying new little challenges on myself that help me stretch my creativity but I still am weak in courage to try more unusual color combinations, but who knows what I may try next!

 

Grace in the wilderness

Jeremiah 31:2 The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness…

The paragraph in which this verse is found has a title in the Bible I am using: "The Lord Will Turn Mourning to Joy.”  This chapter in Jeremiah talks about how God will restore His people spiritually when they have repented of their sin.  As I thought about that promise of forgiveness and restoration, this phrase “grace in the wilderness” came alive in a new way.  When I repent and receive forgiveness, there are times when God has to give me grace as I live through the consequences of my sin.  That would be a “wilderness” which does not mean my sin has not been forgiven.  For those times of wilderness, God will give the forgiven person grace to help them through the natural consequences of sin that has been committed.  In the following verse (v.4) this truth is affirmed when God says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore [notice what He says next!] I have continued my faithfulness to you.”  God, out of love, applies His grace and faithfulness to every repentant sinner!

Some of God's "I Wills"

Jeremiah 33  Top Ten I WILLS of God’s promise of peace to His children

1. I will answer your calls to me, v.3

2. I will heal them, v.6

3. I will restore their good fortune, v.7

4. I will cleanse their guilt, v.8a

5. I will forgive their sin and rebellion, v.8b

6. I will provide good and prosperity, v.8b

7. I will restore the fortunes of the land, v.11b

8. I will fulfill my promises, v.14

9. I will provide a savior, v.15

10. I will have mercy on them, v.26

In the wilderness

Isaiah 40:3 In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Although this verse is usually referred to in terms of John the Baptist’s prophecy about Jesus, this morning as I read it I was really struck by the picture of where the way of the Lord is prepared.  The wilderness is a place of dryness and desolation, or as the dictionary definition says, “a wild and uncultivated region … uninhabited …; a tract of wasteland.”  I was reminded in that picture that God does His “best” work in us when we call to Him out of the middle of our life wildernesses.  When things feel desolate and unbearable is when a person most likely sees that desolation and senses his need for help.  When we recognize our desolation, the way is prepared for the Lord to intervene in our lives and His is able to make His way to us.  Another reminder that I don’t have to have everything in my life “in order” before I can call on God.  It call be a mess, but the way is prepared for God’s intervention.

Hello roses

I've been working hard at trying to find good uses for some paper and stamps I've had on hand for quite a while and I was very pleased with the outcome of what I tried yesterday afternoon.

I had a pink card base and when I was looking through a pad of flowered paper I had, I thought this rose-covered paper would be really pretty.  The black background really pops the roses off the paper.  When I added a backing of green and of creamy yellow I thought it made the roses look really pretty.  I have a set of label stamps and matching dies that I bought way back in 2015 and the small label was just right for the front so I embossed it on green cardstock and added a tiny silver "hello" sticker to the center.

For the inside of the card I used another stamp I have had since 2015.

I liked this card so much I think I am going to try some other variations with other sheets of the flowered paper pad.

Since I have used some old stamps I think I'll enter this in the Retro Rubber Stamp "anything goes" challenge for this week.

I even know just who I am going to send this card to!

Determination

II Kings 18:3-8 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord … he removed the high places … he trusted in the Lord … he held fast to the Lord … he rebelled against the king of Assyria and world not serve him … he struck down the Philistines.

King Hezekiah is a good example of what one does when determined to do what is right and honorable in following the Lord.  He did not just decide to do what was right, he acted on his decision.  He got rid of everything that might keep him from following through on his decision.  He removed things that would tempt him to sin (the “high placed” and idols).  He rebelled when he couldn’t do anything else, and refused to let outside influenced control his actions.  He destroyed (“struck down”) things that could cause him present or future distraction and trouble.  And he was proactive in his pursuit of doing what was right.  These verses tell us he not only trusted in the Lord.  He held fast to the Lord.  This tells me he was not naïve about the potential he had to give up and give in to the things that could tempt him away from his determination to follow God.