Something missing... Prayer

1 Corinthians 10:17 – Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

This is the verse that my Stampin' Sister in Christ, Miesje choose for this week.

I love the fall because that is when I start making home baked bread. I love the smell of the bread a it is rising and especially as it comes out of the oven. A lot of ingredients go into making the bread: water, flour, milk, butter, salt, yeast, eggs... too much or too little of the ingredients and you get either a mass of dough or something that resembles a rock.

Jesus said in John 6:48
I am the bread of life.

I love communion. A time when we as believers come together to remember what Christ has done for us. To me it is also a reminder that I am not alone. I have brothers and sisters walking beside me.

The other day I was feeling particularly discouraged. Satan kept telling me that I was all alone. Now we know that Satan is the father of lies, and what he was telling me was a lie, but it started to really feel true. I reached out on facebook asking for prayers, and within minutes, I had Christian friends from all around the world praying for me and lifting my needs before the Father. Some of the problems that I had were still there, but I didn't feel alone anymore. What a blessing to live life with our Christian family. That is the number one reason I love being a part of Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenges. I know that I have family that is praying for me. If there is ever a time that you need prayer, you can leave me a comment and I will definitely pray for you.

Our Sponsor this week is Sweet and Sassy. Go check them out.

Miesje's challenge is a Recipe Challenge - choose at least 3 of the following for one card. (ribbon, button, a swirl, hat pin, brad, charm, popped up image)

My card has ... ribbon, button, charm and popped up image. I thought I would share how I did my popped up flower.


First I stamped the flower three times. On the first flower I crossed out every other petal. I reveresed the crossed out petals on the second flower and on the third flower I colored all the petals in. I cut the flowers out, cutting off the un-colored crossed out petals. I took the handle of a paint brush to curl the petals.


Here are my cut out flowers with their curled petals.



Next I cut small pieces of craft foam.

Really small pieces.

I glued the first one to the bottom flower and then one to the middle flower.

I added glue and stacked the middle flower on the bottom flower.

Finally I glued the top flower on top.

I added a button center.

This is how the card looked when I finished it. I kept looking at it and something just seemed to be missing.

I added a simple tag with the sentiment... I'm praying... Then I knew it was complete.

You should go check out Miesje's devotion at Stampin' Sister in Christ Challenge.

Check out what my Stampin' Sisters in Christ have created:

Kris Linda Miesje Pegggysue Rebekka Teresa Traci

I made this card for the color combo challenge at SCS this week. Red, yellow and blue. I had so much fun doing the resist technique, I had to try it some more.

I am blessed to have the opportunity to be the hostess for this week's Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge.
One of the songs that I have been listening to lately is by JJ Heller called HAVE MERCY ON ME. There is a line in the song that says… “I’m tired of being afraid…” It made me think about the topic of fear. Last week my daughters and I experienced FEAR as we tried to get a possum out of our garage. I had just gone to bed when I heard a terrifying scream. I jumped out of bed when I heard the scream and went to see what was wrong. My daughters had been going outside to my oldest daughter’s truck. They had opened the door between the garage and the house and turned on the light. There inches away from their feet was a possum that hissed at them. I armed myself with a broom, while my daughters grabbed a stick and a golf club and we went into the garage to make sure our unwanted guest left. When that was done, the adrenaline was rushing through my body and it was hard to fall back to sleep.
What are you afraid of?
Some fears come from our past experiences. When I was little we lived in an apartment that had tarantula spiders that climbed over the doorways and they would drop on you when you opened the door. When I was in high school I had a black widow spider in my hair. I was also bit by a brown recluse spider. When I see spiders, I know in my mind that I am bigger than they are, I am stronger than they are and I can kill them, but I am still afraid of them. Note to self don’t watch the old movie Arachnaphobia.
What happens when little ordinary fears become so big that they become the focus of our lives? Fear in the extreme we call phobias. I looked on the internet at a list of phobias. The list was too long to even count. Some of them sounded kind of funny to me. Neophobia – fear of something new. Koniophobia – fear of dust (if any of you have this fear don’t visit my house) and the one I thought I might try with my family is Mageirocophobia – the fear of cooking. (I can just see it now… I think we will have to go out to eat I have Mageirocophobia!) I am sure to those who suffer from these phobias it is not a laughing matter.
I did a computer search (King James Version) and the phrase “FEAR NOT” was used 68 times.

This is the verse that I picked to share with you today:

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind

I can’t even find the words to describe what an awesome gift this is. I often say this verse at night when I am struggling with my fears. It seems like the middle of the night is when Satan like to wage battle, using my fears against me.

There are a few more verses that go along with the one I picked.

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends, all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

My challenge to you this week is to try something that you may have been afraid to do before…a new technique, a new color combo, a new sketch, a new style…


Our sponsor this week is Paper Fashions Etc.

For my card I tried a new technique, (inspired by my sister in Christ, Linda) called resist. I also went with a CAS style.

Check out what my Stampin' Sisters in Christ have created:

Kris Linda Miesje Pegggysue Rebekka Teresa Traci

Butterfly garden

I tried my hand at another telescoping card. I made a veritable stamped garden for my butterfly to visit. I used several Mark's Finest Papers sets. I used: Just Dandy, Poppies poppies poppies, Greet the day with Gerber, Butterflies and wisteria, Black Eyed Susans for Encouragement. I love the photo of this little brown and orange butterfly that I took on Sunday. It was the inspiration for the butterfly on this card.

Stacked butterfly

This is the telescoping card I made for the Technique lovers challenge at SCS. I used my two new Mark's Finest Papers sets. BUTTERFLIES AND WISTERIA and BLACK EYED SUSANS FOR ENCOURAGEMENT. I was inspired by this photo that I took yesterday at the park. I hope you enjoy. I used more sheet music for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge to use music on our cards.

Stampin Sisters in Christ challenge MUSIC

This is the scripture that Teresa picked for this week's Stampin' Sisters in Christ devotion:

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

When reading this scripture. What was interesting to me was that we are encouraged to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. I doesn't matter what type of song we sing as much as how we sing them. We need to sing them "with grace in your hearts to the Lord,"

The world is watching us and listening to us. Will they hear songs sung together with harmony or will they hear us each singing a different song at the same time. A game that my kids and I have played before is where we each pick a different song and we all try to outsing eachother. While it is fun for us to do, anyone listening would quickly cover their ears. But there are other times, like when we did the special music at church for Father's day. We sang "Daddy's Hands" and we sang it with close harmonies. (We didn't sound the same, my one daughter is an alto, the other a high soprano, and one boy sings tenor, the other sings alto for now and I sing soprano.) What made it sound good is we were working together.

Have you ever been part of a big group of people singing the same song? Maybe at a concert? There is something powerful about singing together. I get chills when I go to the football games in the fall and all the crowd sings the National anthem. I can only imagine what it is going to be like when we get to heaven and we are singing praises to God with all the saved. I am thankful that I get a taste of what that will be like when I sing praises to God at church during worship.

Teresa's challege was to make a card with a music theme. Make sure you check out Teresa's devotional at Stampin' Sisters in Christ

Our wonderful sponsor is Simon Says Stamp.

I made mine a joy fold card. A group of ladies at my church are forming a weight loss support group. I wanted to make some cards that we can use to encourage eachother. I used my new favorite flower from Mark's Finest Papers set called Black eyed susans for encouragement. The sentiment is from that set as well.

Check out what my

Stampin' Sisters in Christ have created:

Kris Linda Miesje Pegggysue Rebekka Teresa Traci

August Mark's Finest Papers Blog Hop- Day 4

Hello! Welcome to the August 2011 MFP New Releases Blog Hop!

This week's new releases are:Black Eyed Susans for Encouragement, Butterflies and Wisteria, Forest Gifts, Fun on the Farm .For your convenience, all these sets are available TODAY at Mark's Finest Papers.

So, do you want to WIN today's Featured Stamp Set:Fun On The Farm? (If you don't want to wait to win, you can always purchase the sets right away! We'll substitute a set from NEXT month's release if today's winner has already purchased this set!)

For your chance to win: Comment on the following Design Team members' blogs TODAY before midnight EDT. There will be ONE random winner chosen from the comments on today's Blog Hop blogs. That winner will win Fun On The Farm. We will announce the winner's name on tomorrow's MFP blog post.

Emily
Nancyruth
Neva
Silvia
Faith
Claudine
Dawn
Marilynn ***** This is me*****
Patricia
Chrissy
Karen
Pam
Joanne
Kittie
Markie
Mark’s Finest Papers

When, my daughter, Kristina, saw this set she squealed and jumped up and down. She said it was the cutest set she had ever seen. She had to stamp the little piggy onto her hand. She wore it to the band party that she went to last week, and showed it off to her friends.

Since today's featured set is called Fun on the Farm, I decided to really have FUN with this set. The first card is very whimsical. I stamped the little piggy and then I masked him. I then stamped the butterfly -(my favorite one) from Mark's Finest Papers set called Daffodil and Anise. I then cut the image out, glued a rhinestone to center of wings and added cotton candy stickles to the wings. The rest of the card was fairly simple. I embossed with the dotted swiss folder, added pearls for the pig's flight trail. The sentiment I printed on my computer. I don't know if you can see it or not in the photo, but the pink paper behind the dotted swiss is really sparkly.

I didn't have any red cardstock that was stiff enough for this next card so I made it out of white cardstock and glued the red to the top and then cut it out barn shaped. I got the barn shape by stamping the barn image from the set and scanning it into my computer. I then enlarged it and used that as my pattern. I placed the top of the barn on the fold. I scored the barn to make it look like wood. I took a red marker and outlined the barn and the doors. I then took a white prisma colored pencil and drew in the white lines.

The inside of my card is a pop up card. The sentiment and animals each have their own pop up mechanism. The sentiment panel pops up sideways, while the animals pop up vertically.

Each animal also has additional dimension. The tip of the horses' nose was stamped twice and cut out. I have craft foam behind his nose. The cow has the whole head stamped twice and cut out with craft foam behind the head. The pig has his head and his nose dimensional with craft foam.

I hope you had as much FUN looking at my cards as I did making them. Have a blessed day!

Mark's Finest Papers Blog hop day 3

Hello! Welcome to the August 2011 MFP New Releases Blog Hop!

This week's new releases are:Black Eyed Susans for Encouragement, Butterflies and Wisteria, Forest Gifts, Fun on the Farm .For your convenience, all these sets are available TODAY at Mark's Finest Papers.

So, do you want to WIN today's Featured Stamp Set:Forest Gifts? (If you don't want to wait to win, you can always purchase the sets right away! We'll substitute a set from NEXT month's release if today's winner has already purchased this set!)

For your chance to win: Comment on the following Design Team members' blogs TODAY before midnight EDT. There will be ONE random winner chosen from the comments on today's Blog Hop blogs. That winner will win Forest Gifts. We will announce the winner's name on tomorrow's MFP blog post.

Emily
Nancyruth
Neva
Faith
Claudine
Dawn
Marilynn ****This is me****
Patricia
Chrissy
Karen
Pam
Joanne
Kittie
Markie
Mark’s Finest Papers


This set shows the picture of a few of my neighbors. I live on a bluff above the Mississippi river in Iowa. I can see the river from my kitchen, and familyroom windows. Living that close to the river means that a lot of wild life comes by my windows too. Last week at the crack of dawn, a doe and her two fawns were less than 5 feet from my kitchen window. The fawns were frolicking while mother ate. It is that last part that makes them kinda a nuisance. I can't grow any garden or flowers without the deer eating them. I had roses planted and they ate even the branches of the bushes. Within the last month, we have had a raccoon and a possum in our garage at night. When I go on my evening walks with my husband Derek, we often see owls in the trees right by our house.

Mark's Finest Paper August Blog Hop Day 2

Hello! Welcome to the August 2011 MFP New Releases Blog Hop!

This week's new releases are:Black Eyed Susans for Encouragement, Butterflies and Wisteria, Forest Gifts, Fun on the Farm .For your convenience, all these sets are available TODAY at Mark's Finest Papers.

So, do you want to WIN today's Featured Stamp Set: Butterflies and Wisteria? (If you don't want to wait to win, you can always purchase the sets right away! We'll substitute a set from NEXT month's release if today's winner has already purchased this set!)

For your chance to win: Comment on the following Design Team members' blogs TODAY before midnight EDT. There will be ONE random winner chosen from the comments on today's Blog Hop blogs. That winner will win Butterflies and Wisteria. We will announce the winner's name on tomorrow's MFP blog post.

Lois
Vicky
Dawn
Anne
Peggysue
Connie
Linda
Karen
Patty
Roxie
Vicki
Liz
Geri
Lynn
Mark’s Finest Papers

I stamped the butterfly twice and cut one of them out. I curved the wings of the top butterfly and glued it to the bottom butterfly.

Mark's Finest Papers August blog hop day 1

Hello! Welcome to the August 2011 MFP New Releases Blog Hop!

This week's new releases are:Black Eyed Susans for Encouragement, Butterflies and Wisteria, Forest Gifts, Fun on the Farm .For your convenience, all these sets are available TODAY at Mark's Finest Papers.

So, do you want to WIN today's Featured Stamp Set: Black Eyed Susans for Encouragement? (If you don't want to wait to win, you can always purchase the sets right away! We'll substitute a set from NEXT month's release if today's winner has already purchased this set!)

For your chance to win: Comment on the following Design Team members' blogs TODAY before midnight EDT. There will be ONE random winner chosen from the comments on today's Blog Hop blogs. That winner will win Black Eyed Susans for Encouragement. We will announce the winner's name on tomorrow's MFP blog post.

Lois
Vicky
Dawn
Anne
Peggysue
Connie
Linda
Karen
Patty
Roxie
Vicki
Liz
Geri
Lynn
Mark’s Finest Papers

There are just some sets that become favorites the minute you see them. This black eyed susan set is one of those sets. You can see from my examples how awesome it is. I know you are going to want this set too.

This last card combined the flowers from other "FAVORITE" sets. I made it for a co-worker's wedding card. I used these other Mark's Finest Papers sets: Just Dandy, Poppies,poppies, poppies, and my favorite butterfly from Daffodil and Anise. For this card. I used burnt glue for the centers of the poppies and I added glitter and ground up styrofoam for the dandylions, and the black eyed susans have several layers. The petals are cut out everyother one and curled. I placed piece of craft foam between the layers to add to the dimension.

Linda choose this scripture for this week's Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge.

Lam 3:22 -23 The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning

Don't you just love NEW things? NEW car smell, NEW hairstyle, NEW clothes... How about new craft supplies? I do. I love getting new things, but after awhile they aren't new anymore. NEW babies grow up to be teenagers. NEW cars get old. NEW clothes go out of fashion. The amazing thing about this passage that Linda choose is that God's mercies are new every morning. His love, his compassion, his care for us doesn't get old.

Thank you God for renewing your mercies to me every day!!!


Clear Dollar Stamps is our wonderful sponsor this week.

Here is Linda's Challenge:

Dig deep into your craft cupboard and use something from your stash that you 'just had to have' cause you would use it everyday....but have forgotten about...


I struggled with this challenge because, I don't have a lot from my stash that I just had to have... I have been on a very limited craft budget, so I usually only buy what I will use. I ended up choosing to use this dp. I was going to make a card using my craft chalks, then after several attempts, I remembered why I don't use them much anymore. I had two cards done and smeared the chalk... This flower is from a set that will be released this week during the Mark's Finest Papers blog hop. It is called BLACK EYED SUSANS FOR ENCOURAGEMENT.

Check out what my Stampin' Sisters in Christ have created:

Kris Linda Miesje Pegggysue Rebekka Teresa Traci

Praise the Lord

***********For this week's post, I have shared some songs. To listen to them, scroll to the bottom and pause or turn of radio worship.********


Psalm 148:7-10
Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds.

That is the wonderful scripture that my Sister in Christ, Peggysue picked for this week. Just because my name wasn't specifically mentioned, doesn't mean that I'm not included, and the same goes for you. We ALL must Praise the Lord. In good times and in bad times! Last week my boys and I were having to work outside in one of our trailers, cleaning up a mess. It was extremely hot and boring work. To get their minds off of the "Trouble" I started singing praise songs at the top of my lungs. This song was one that I was having fun singing:





The funny thing about singing praises, it not only lifted our spirits, but it made the work go faster.

This song came to my mind this week as I was studying this scripture. (I really like how David Crowder does this song.)







This scripture in Luke 19:38-40 also came to my mind.

“BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD;
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”

This song goes along with the second scripture:




Peggysue's challenge to the Stampin' Sisters in Christ this week was to make a card with a creature on it. It could be as SMALL as an ant or as LARGE as a whale. I went with ants. This adorable ant digi is from Doodle Pantry, this week's sponsor.

These digi's of the falling ants made me think of this old song.

Check out what my Stampin' Sisters in Christ have created.

Several of the Design Team Sisters are taking a short break. While they are gone, we have Teresa and Traci to fill in as guest Designers.

Kris Linda Miesje Pegggysue Rebekka Teresa Traci

Sing to the Lord

Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.


This is the wonderful scripture that my Stampin' Sister in Christ, Grace choose for this week.

When my kids were little they went through the "WHY" stage. Where every couple of minutes they would ask WHY? At first it was cute then it got a little annoying having to explain WHY all the time. I wonder if that is how God feels when we ask why.

It seems to me I ask WHY? more when bad things happen then when good things happen. When I see bad circumstances, I think "Why did God allow that to happen?" Are you like me? I think the verse Grace picks explains the reasons I can't understand. His thoughts and his ways are so different from mine.

I love this song by Laura Story called Blessings. This scripture goes along so well with this song. I hope you will go listen to it.

Blessings



The challenge for Stampin' Sisters in Christ was to make a card that shows contrast of black and white. Our Sponsor this week is Layers of Color. I just love Layers of Color images. I used a Layers of Color set to make my card. This music set called Joyful Noise, from the moment I saw it, made me happy. I have a very musical family and this is one of my all time favorite sets.
This card is very CAS for me, but I felt that the musical flourish needed nothing more. I printed the scripture on my computer.

Check out what my Stampin' Sisters in Christ have created.

Chris Grace Kris Linda Lisa Miesje Pegggysue Rebekka Sabrina

Color block MOJO 200 cards

This is the scripture that my Christian Sister Kris picked for today's Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge.
2 Samuel 6:14 And David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod.

David was dancing to celebrate the Ark of God coming to his city. There were sacrifices and trumpet music and shouting. The really interesting part to me is what happens next. Michal, King David's wife see's him dancing and gets really embarrased and angry at him. She says to him...

" How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!” 2 Samuel 6:20.

She was critical of the way David was worshiping God. When he was dancing, I don't think he even took notice of those around him, it was just God and him. He told her...

"It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD." 2 Samuel 6:21

When it comes to dancing, I'll admit that I am not the most graceful person. I never had dance lessons, and the congregation that I grew up in didn't even say the "D" word. Dancing was of the devil. Now, I know that there are some suggestive types of dancing and I don't think they are appropriate, but I have experienced seeing pure joy expressed in dancing. I have a teenaged daughter, to whom dancing is just a natural part of her. When she was little and was happy, she would just dance around the room. When she and her friends would meet, she would do a happy dance and clap her hands. She is a senior in High School now, and still will have moments of joy dancing. She will be walking along and all of a sudden do a grand jete, which is a jump in the air with the splits. My sister has a little girl who is physcially challenged, however she expresses her happiness by dancing as well. I think it was this kind of joy dancing that David was doing.

It made me think of this quote...

Dance like no one is watching, Love like you'll never be hurt, Sing like no one is listening, Live like it's heaven on earth.

Wouldn't it be great if we all worshipped God without caring about what others around us were thinking?

The challenge from Kris was to make a "Dancing" card: a card that moves. I chose to make a waterfall card.

This week's sponsor is Designed2Delight. One winner will win $10 to use at her store.

Check out what other dancing cards that my Stampin' Sisters have made...

Chris Grace Kris Linda Lisa Miesje Pegggysue Rebekka Sabrina

MFP July hop day 4

Hello! Welcome to the July 2011 MFP New Releases Blog Hop!

This week's new releases are: Little Birds With Big Mouths, Planted with Love, Lilacs in the Summer, and Adirondack Summer.For your convenience, all these sets are available TODAY at Mark's Finest Papers.



So, do you want to WIN today's Featured Stamp Set: Adirondack Summer? (If you don't want to wait to win, you can always purchase the sets right away! We'll substitute a set from NEXT month's release if today's winner has already purchased this set!)

For your chance to win: Comment on the following Design Team members' blogs TODAY before midnight EDT. There will be ONE random winner chosen from the comments on today's Blog Hop blogs. That winner will win Adirondack Summer. We will announce the winner's name on tomorrow's blog post.

Emily
Nancyruth
Neva
Silvia
Faith
Claudine
Dawn
Marilynn
Patricia
Chrissy
Karen
Pam
Joanne
Kittie
Mark’s Finest Papers

I added the sheet music In the garden with this adorable set. I added the two flowers and lace. The image was stamped with black stazon and colored with prisma colored pencils.

Mark's Finest Papers July hop day 3 LILACS IN THE SUMMER

Hello! Welcome to the July 2011 MFP New Releases Blog Hop!

This week's new releases are: Little Birds With Big Mouths, Planted with Love, Lilacs in the Summer, and Adirondack Summer.For your convenience, all these sets are available TODAY at Mark's Finest Papers.

So, do you want to WIN today's Featured Stamp Set: Lilacs in the Summer? (If you don't want to wait to win, you can always purchase the sets right away! We'll substitute a set from NEXT month's release if today's winner has already purchased this set!)

For your chance to win: Comment on the following Design Team members' blogs TODAY before midnight EDT. There will be ONE random winner chosen from the comments on today's Blog Hop blogs. That winner will win Lilacs in the Summer. We will announce the winner's name on tomorrow's blog post.

Emily
Nancyruth
Neva
Silvia
Faith
Claudine
Dawn
Marilynn (This is me!)
Patricia
Chrissy
Karen
Pam
Joanne
Kittie
Mark’s Finest Papers



These are a few cards that I have made using this fabulous set. I love these lilacs, don't you?