Happy February and a Project

Good evening, Y'all!!!   Tell me something, if you can.    WHERE in the world did January go?????    I went to bed last night and it was Christmas Eve, and I get up this morning and it's February 1st!   Wow, Wow,Wow!!!   That's what it feels like anyway.   We are already a full month into 2014.   But, when I stop and remind myself that I am not the keeper of time and God is, then it's ok.   The one thing I am responsible for is trying to make good use of the time that God has graciously alotted me.   I have had to opportunity to study and dig deeper into the Word of God in preparation for teaching Sunday School Class for the next four Sundays.   I have had the opportunity to speak with and share with dear friends.   I have had the opportunity to pray for those around me that are sick, hurting, and have lost loved ones.   When we lose someone close to us, we may not know how to deal with that loss.   God does.   So, if you have lost a loved one or a dear friend, ask God to help you deal with that pain and loss, and He will.   There are many ways of making good use of the time that God has graciously given us, and these are just a few ways that I have been using my time.    I have also been crafting, that is also time that I get to spend with the Lord, so I really enjoy that time.

The project I want to share with y'all today is another challenge.   This particular challenge was to create a Valentines card and NOT use the typical red and pink colors.    Ok y'all, I'm gonna let y'all in on a secret, I love PURPLE!!!   There was a little lady in the Bible that was the seller of purple cloth.    That is where my love of purple comes from.    As Paul Harvey always said, "now you know the rest of the story".    So, y'all, I love purple and that was the color I chose for my card.   I had a fun time with this project.   Challenges can get you out of your comfort zone.    So, I did take a few pics and wanted to share them with you.

The above pic shows all the items that I used on this card other than the card stock.   I really enjoy using my Cuttlebug for a lot of things.   It does speed the process up if I am just doing a small project, like this.    I  am going to let y'all in on a really good tip.   If you have a manual cutter and can use the sizzix dies, check out the Sizzix website on a regular basis.    See that red box with the clear lid on it, it is a set of alphabets, Pep Squad is the name of it.   That is a $150.00 dollar set of alphas that I got for $4.99.  Yes, you read that right, I got that for 499 pennies!    They have such wonderful deals from time to time.    I really probably should not tell y'all, you won't leave any deals for me. ggggg  

The above two pics are close ups of the products I used.    If you click on the pics, it will give you a larger shot so you can get a better view of the items.    The heart on the end is a sizzix embosslit.    It cuts and embosses in one pass thru the machine.

So, this is the front of the card.   The cardstock I used has thread fibers in it.   You can't tear the cardstock, it has to be cut with scissors.   I cut two of the silver hearts and used one on the outside and I put my "u" on it.    I used the lower case of the alpha for all my letters.   I cut the key hole section from plain white cardstock.   Then I put a base coat of the Inka Gold Metallic Rub on it and then buffed it.   It needed something else, so I finally decided on the Ferro Special Effects Paste.   It really was a hit or miss, but I really liked the way it turned out.

On the inside of the card, on the backside of the front, is where I put my keys with a little knot of purple seam binding tied around each key and then glued them down.    Did I say I love purple?    The keys are cut from black glitter stock.  Can I just say, I love the black glitter stock.   It is fab.

This is the inside of the card, the bottom portion, where your verse or sentiment is usually placed.   I wanted to leave room for a personal message to my "Valentine". ggg    I also used my clear star Sakura gelly roll pen to add a little sparkle to the purple letters. 

Ok, so this is a close up of the key hole section.    The Ferro Special Effects Paste looks like cement, kinda.   It actually has ground stone in it and you can really see it close up.    I just love the stuff, and I wondered when I bought it, if I would even use it.    YES, is the resounding answer.    When it dried really good, it has the look and feel of really old metal of some sort.

You can see the black in that key hole and that is a scrap of the black glitter stock.    I didn't know what to put that special effects paste on with, so I just stuck my finger in it and started smearing it on.   hahaha     I wouldn't recommend you doing it that way.    (My finger hasn't fallen off yet, so I guess it will be ok.)   ggggg

I used liquid pearls to make my little nail heads on my key hole and also for some little bling spots on the front of my card.     Up in the top two or three pics, you will see a tube of Aileens tacky glue.   It is actually pen-like.   You can sort of write the glue on the back of something and it really sticks like "stink"!    I love it.    I hope you have enjoyed seeing this project.    It was a very satisfying project to finish.   I made a dimensional envelope to put it in along with an easel.

February is known as the month of Love.    There is no greater love, known to man, than the love that Jesus Christ has for you and me!    If you know the love of Jesus Christ personally, you know how precious that is.    We all have people in our circles of influence that need to know that same love.    God has placed those people in our lives for a reason.    Are we willing to share the love of Jesus Christ with them?    It's one thing to know Christ, it's a totally different thing to share Christ.    Share the ultimate Valentine, Jesus Christ with someone you love.  I promise, neither of you will regret it.

That's all I have for y'all this evening, Valentines.   So, meet me back here in a few days for another great project and hopefully y'all will have told someone about Jesus Christ and you can tell me about it.    That's the plan, my friends, until then, God bless each and every one of y'all.

Hugs and much love to all of you, Patty