Time is a companion

"Time is a companion that goes with us on the journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived."

I made this card for my co-worker, Keith. He has a birthday tomorrow. I also made it for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge #19 and the Ways to use it challenge to do something with time.

The quote is from my Tim Holtz set that I used for this calendar. I thought it went really well with Psalm 118:24. I have used this set several times, but today was the first time that I really looked at the words, and I was blessed by what it says. My goal or resolution for this New Year is to live in the moment. Not worrying about the past or the future. Happy New Year.

Gearing up for a New Year

I can't believe that 2009 is almost over. 2010 here we come. I made these two calendars for the Stampin Sisters is Christ Challenge. This last month went by so fast. There were so many things that kept me too busy to create or update my blog. Both of my daughters had birthdays in December. I had so many Christmas programs, parties, activities, year end projects at work... I just hope that things slow down just a little this next month. For the bottom calendar, I used a scripture from the book of Psalm 118: 24. It wanted to remind myself to rejoice and treasure each day. I find myself worrying about tomorrow and fretting about yesterday when today is all I can do anything about.

Christmas Caroling

Kristina

(in her long wool coat getting her

bottles of lotion to give away to the residents)

Joshua

(in his brown carhart jacket, studying the

words to the old Christmas carols)

Kaleb

(decked out in his Christmas sweater,

and singing JOY TO THE WORLD)

Johanna

(with her arms filled with bottles

of lotion to give to the residents,)

I am so blessed to have a great family. Not just my close family, but my church family. Christmas is a time to give, and the church family that I have is one of the most giving. Last night 40 people from our congregation went to the local nursing homes to carol. We have been told by nursing care workers that the gift that would mean the most to the residents is hand lotion, so our church family came prepared with lots of bottles of lotion to give away. It was an amazing time. What touched my heart the most was in the Alzheimers unit. There were residents that I know had lost a lot of memories, but when we started singing the old Christmas carols, they could still sing along. Music is such a powerful gift.

One of the reasons

This is one of the reasons I haven't uploaded anything to my blog this past week or so:

MY SON'S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

Triple challenge card

This card is for 3 challenges in one. I got behind on doing challenges by making the pins for my daughter's color guard group. This is for today's Ways to use it challenge to use a tag. It is also for the teaparty to show our most favorite gift. What better gift than the gift of God's Son? It is also for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge to put a gift on our card. I used porcelain paper technique to do the tag.

Color Guard Pins

My daughter is going to compete at the State Competition for Color Guard. The tradition of our school is that each girl gives the other girls little gifts. We decided that I would make them little butterfly pins. Their outfits are yellow dresses with rust colored flowers on the shoulders. We thought that these butterflies would go with that. I used my new Layers of Color butterfly stamp to make these porcelain paper butterfly pins.

Layers of Color Butterflies

I got this absolutely wonderful butterfly set as a gift from Laura at Layers of Color. Aren't those butterflies fabulous? I feel so blessed. It was the set that she offered as a prize for the Stampin' Sisters In Christ challenge a couple of weeks ago. I loved this set from the minute that I saw them. I know I am going to use this set alot. I used the porcelain paper technique on the butterfly

Pendants

The technique lovers challenge this week was to make necklace pendants out of washers. The two purple ones were made using washers. The one next to the purple ones was done using a chipboard letter O and the top one was done using a pop top of a soda can.

Card for Allison

This is the hardest card I have ever had to make. It is for my sister in law. Her husband died suddenly this morning of a heart attack. We are all still in shock. It is hard to make a card than conveys what I really feel. I feel sad, I feel sorry that she is going through this hard time. So hard to make a card say that. I chose the sentiment because it made me think that death is so sad for us, but for the loved one who has gone to be with the Lord, who is in the Master's hands is happy. It is just our perspective of the same event. My sister in law sent my husband a rather poignant poem last night. He didn't open it then, because he is really bad about opening e-mails that aren't work related. He did read it this morning and it made both of us cry. It was a poem called Slow Dance. According to the e-mail, it was a poem written by a teenager with terminal cancer. Her dying wish... she wanted to remind everyone to live their life to the fullest.

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids

on a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain

Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erractic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down,

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Do you run through each day

On the fly?

When you ask "How are you?"

Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done

do you lie in your bed

with the next hudred chores

running through your head?

You better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short;

The music won't last.

Ever told your child,

"We'll do it tomorrow?"

And in your haste,

not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,

Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time

to call and say "Hi"?

You better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short

The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere

You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,

It is like an unopened gift...

Thrown away.

Live is not a race.

Do take it slower.

Hear the music

Before the song is over.

Go tell the people that you love that you love them. Be truly thankful for the time God gives us with them. I hope you have a good Thanksgiving Day.

Scalloped Circle Layered Rose Tutorial

I punched out 10 scalloped circles out of several different shades of pink.
I placed the circles so that the different colors alternated.

I then brought all the circles together and made a stack.

I used a compass point to pierce through the entire stack.

I placed a brad in the center to hold the stack together.

I scrunched up the top circle.

Here is what the flower looks like to start.

Then I continued scrunching, one layer at a time

The finished product. I used my fingers to fluff it up a little.

Paper roses

I made these two paper roses cards. The roses were made using a scalloped circle punch. The pink rose card was for the color challenge, and the peach colored roses were for the teapot challenge.

Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge #14

The Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge #14 was from
Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

We were to make a thanksgiving card. The story behind this card starts with the cornicopia sticker. On Sunday we had a thanksgiving fellowship meal at church. Our senior pastor's wife worked so hard getting everything ready. She had everything thing decorated so nicely. She had these stickers on the placemats. When my kids saw them, they all looked at me and said that they knew that I was going to make a card out of them. When I read the inspiration verse, it made me think of my kids. I was very proud of them on Sunday, because when all the other teenagers ate the food and then went to play, my 3 oldest kids were in the kitchen washing dishes. In past years the ones washing the dishes have been the elderly ladies at the church. I talked with my kids in the morning about how it wasn't right that the older ladies to have to do the work. Our pastor's wife in particular has been having a hard time with pain in her knees. I was proud that they helped. I hope that they will continue to DO GOOD. After the meal, when we were all cleaning up, I went around and rescued the stickers before the placemats went into the trash. I plan on giving this repurposed card to my pastor's wife to thank her for all the hard work she did getting the meal together.

2 more long and tall cards

Two more long and tall cards for the limited supplies challenge.

New Moon

I made this for two challenges, the Stampin' B challenge to make a card with red, black and white and a moon on it. It was also for the limited supply challenge to make a long tall card. I gave this card to my daughter. She used it as a thank you card. Her friend took her to see the movie New Moon.

Color Guard Link

I thought I would share a link to my daughter's color guard solo.

Bird house shadow box

For the SCS ways to use it challenge, we were to make a card expressing Thanks. I decided to make this card to go along with my card that I made on Tuesday. I shared the story about the family of cardinals, and how God has provided food for them. I decided that they might like a nice warm home with winter coming on. I was inspired by Laura Campbell's birdhouse shadow box. I stamped my cardinal stamp twice. The inside one I tried to color more like the female cardinals. The paper that I used as the wall paper inside the house is paper that my friend Peggy sent me. I did faux wood technique on the front of the house. I added fall leaves and quilled spirals. The Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge #13 was to make a shadow box. I had only made a couple of cards using this technique before this week. This is my 3rd one this week. I am having so much fun with this technique. I am so glad that Peggysue challenged me to make one.

Quilled snowflake

This is for 3 challenges. The SCS sketch challenge, the DDC challenge which was to use plaid and a button, and for Kelly's Word of the Week challenge. Her word this week was limbus. It basically means border. I have several white limbi (the plural of limbus)around each panel.

Butterfly Shadow Box

I liked the card I made earlier for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ #13 challenge. I wanted to try a different style of shadow box that has the dimension of the shadow box on the inside, not out to the sides like the SCS tutorial that I used on the first one. My flowers each have a cut out and popped up layer on top of the bottom layer. I added glitter to the centers of each flower. The middle flower is suspended half way between the front and the back. I added two butterflies and the sentiment. This card is also for the Pink Persimmon Sketch Challenge.

Sir Joshua's Dragon

My son Joshua made this dragon sculpture in his art class at middle school. I think he paid a lot of attention to the little details.

Thankful for Cardinals

Today I feel especially blessed. I get to be the guest hostess of the Teapot Tuesday Challenge at SCS. I chose this teapot with cardinals. I love looking at and listening to cardinals. On Saturday my kids noticed a father cardinal with what looks like 3 of his babies in the tree outside our dining room. We have several large oak trees in our yard that this year were just exploding with acorns. The cardinals were there to eat the acorns. It was amazing to see God's provision for not only the cardinals, but the squirrels, ground hogs, blue jays, and deer. Last week we had a 7 point buck laying on the ground under the tree after having eaten his share of the acorns. It was a visual reminder of

Matthew 6:26

"Look at the birds of the air;

they do not sow or reap

or store away in barns, and

yet your heavenly Father

feeds them. Are you not

much more valuable than they?"

The opposite of worrying should be thankfulness. With Thanksgiving just a few days away I am trying really hard to be extra thankful. This card is a reminder to me to be thankful for the blessings that God provides, that I may not even recognise.

I made my card a shadow box card for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge #13 Peggysue, used 1 Corinthians 13:12 as her verse for the challenge. Right now we are seeing through the dark glass, not fully seeing what Heaven is going to be like. But when that day comes we will see face to face. We will see clearly, no shadows.

Black Magic - Happy Mistake

I titled this card black magic - happy mistake, one because I used the black magic technique, second because this card came about from a mistake that I made with my first card. The technique lovers challenge today was to go outside the box. My flowers are what are outside my box. I had everything cut out and colored and I decided to outline the black magic panel with my gold edging pen. I was almost done when the pen let out a huge blob of gold ink. Fortunately none of it got on the top panel and I was able to remove it before it was affected. When I went to put the card together a second time. I decided to add the purple panel turned sideways. I really like how this card looks compared to the first, hence my happy mistake.

Origami Christmas Tree

I made this origami Christmas tree for the Stampin B's Challenge to make something other than a card. I found a guy on youtube who has a tutorial on making these. Here is the Preliminary Base. Here is the Basic Fold. And Here is the Assembly of the Tree. I topped my tree with quilled roses made out of coffee filters. I also added beads and ribbon. My squares were 8"x8" decreasing each time by one inch. So I had 7"x7", 6"x6", 5"x5",4"x4",3"x3" and 2"x2". I made a bunch of these 6 years ago out of plain green paper, I wanted to give it a fresh update. Helen, I look forward to seeing yours.

Brick Wall and butterflies

These cards were made using brick wall technique. You stamp and image and then cut the image into blocks and reassemble them.

Furfuraceous Snowman

Kelly's word of the week this time was Furfuraceous. It means to be made up of flakes or covered with flakes. A snowman is made up of snowflakes. I also covered the ground on my card with flakes. Not snow, but styrofoam (scraped off a box with a knife), salt and glitter. I also used this week's scs sketch challenge.

All gave some... Some gave all

This is for a couple of challenges. First it is for Mothermark Tuesday Teaparty. This week my friend Charlene was the hostess. She told us the story about a poor little bear who was left in the attic and needed some love, so I made this little tear bear to be his friend. Second of all it is for the CCEE challenge to use at least 4 layers on a card and ribbon. Lastly it is for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge #12 We were challenged to make a card that expressed thankfulness to our servicemen and women, especially in light of what happened in Ft Hood this last week. I made my flowers in red white and blue to make it patriotic, and I added a sentiment using my computer. The song by Billy Ray Cyrus about All gave some but some gave all, always gives me chills.

Paper towel flowers

If I ever run out of cardstock it is nice to know that I can still use paper towels. Monday's technique lovers challenge was to make flowers out of paper towels. So much fun.

A card for Noah

The limited supply challenge last Friday was to make a card for a little boy named Noah who is dying of cancer. He likes angel images because he is going to be with the angels soon. I have had this angel image for several years. I colored the robe with prisma colored pencils and added glitter to the wings.

Quicker Sticker card

The way to use it challenge for last Thursday was to use stickers on our card. My stickers are the 3 tulips.

Thankful Cardinal

I made this cardinal for the limited supply challenge. We were to make a thanks or thankful card with a bird on it. My friend Vicky asked me about my tutorial. I thought I had it on my blog already but I didn't. I made this tutorial last year.

Materials: Aleene's tacky glue; red, gold and black cardstock; white opaque marker; circle punch; heart punch; scissors

Punch two circles- one red and one black. Punch two hearts- one red and one gold.

Taking the scissors cut a pie piece out of the black circle.

Using the opaque white marker make a dot on the pie shaped piece. This will be the cardinal's eye.

Take the scissors and cut a D shpae off of the red circle. Save the D shape.

Cut the D shape in half.

Place the pie shaped piece of black on what was left of the red circle and glue.

Glue the punched heart to the back for his tail.

Glue the gold heart as his beak.

The D shape that you cut in half, take one of those pieces to make the wing.