More cards

Good morning y'all!   I do hope that this beautiful morning finds each and every one of y'all happy, healthy, and excited to be a part God's wonderful creation.   We have been experiencing weather of all sorts here lately.   One day it may be in the 50's, close to 60, and then the next, it may be at -3*.   One week ago right now, as a matter of fact, it was at -3.   This morning it is 32*.   32* is usually considered cold in the south, so, -3* is almost unbelievable.   Never fear, I have my camera ready at all times, for just such an occasion and I got a pic of the thermometer on the deck.  

As you can see, it was really cold last Tuesday morning.    Some of my friends are talking about having more snow than they care for, some are talking about very pleasant and mild weather, some have been in drought conditions for a while, and some of us would like to see a little more snow this year.   Wherever you may be, I pray for you to stay warm, have plenty to eat, and have an abundance of love to share with whomever may need it.

As we talk about Love, of course February is the month of Love.   Last night was card making night for the Card Making Ministry at church.    There was two of us again, but we still had a great time.   The lady that started this ministry does prep work in order for us to make the cards.   She cuts all the basic card shapes and layers, and gets together everything needed to complete each card, in order for us to complete at least 16 cards of each one.   We always make 3 different cards.   So she is busy, busy, busy for quite a while, just to make this happen once a month.   But, the people that we send cards to enjoy it.   Who doesn't like to get a hand made, with love, card?   This is the 3 cards we made last night.

The one above, we used a punch and punched the hearts out.   We used the same punch on the pennants above each heart.   We just put the cardstock in the punch enough to just barely nip up into the card stock and then it fit perfectly over the heart.   Then we had a really small punch and punched the small little polka dot hearts to put on the red hearts and then added a little bling to the center.   Hey, who doesn't like a little bling?   Then we put our sentiment on the bottom and tied a little bow to finish it off.

This little cutie was a fun one to make.   The little girl was stamped and then we used water color pencils to color her.   Of course, I made my little girl with a purple dress and socks and bow.    And if you click on the pictures and make them larger, squint just a little bit and you can see the teeny, tiny, itty, bitty half pearls that we used for buttons under her chin.  hahaha   I just love this little knock-kneed, pigeon toed cutie, with her finger up close to her chin, thinking, "Do I give my heart away, or do I keep it?"   Whatever she decides to do with it, she will know that "She is the love of God's heart and God is the love of her heart".

This last one was embossed and then we cut the center out with a die and her big shot.  I love the embossing folder we used for this one.   Then the flower is one of our favorite "go-to" flowers.   If I am not mistaken, I believe it is a Stampin Up die, not sure though.   I know we love it, whom ever the maker is.

Well, that's what we done last night.   I hope you enjoyed looking at them and maybe you can get some ideas for yourself.   I have some swaps to try to get started on today.   I hope and pray that you have something fun and crafty to do today.

As I leave you this morning, I leave you with, perhaps, one of the most beloved descriptions of Love  in all of God's Word.   This is the perfect picture of what love should look like.

1 Corinthians 13:4-13   4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

We see clearly what love should look like.   Sometimes the people we love may be hard to love, but we surely must try, with the help of God, through Jesus Christ, to love one another.  I also love what Paul was speaking about in verse 11.  Sometimes, folks, we just need to grow up, act our age, and be done with childish ways and behavior.    You do what you know to do, when you learn to do better, do better.   A 20, 30, 40...year old has no business acting like they are still 8 or 10 years old.   Grow up, in your relationship with the Lord and other people.   Verse 13 tells us that of faith, hope, and love, love is the greatest of these!   And it is my friends!   The love of Jesus Christ took away my sins.   Oh, I still sin, we all do.  Do you worry?  If you do, you sin.  That's how easy it is to sin.   But, I know that I can place my worries in the nail scarred hands of my Savior.   That is Love!

That's all for now y'all.   Tell someone you love them.   Call someone Valentine today, just because you can.  More than anything else, tell someone that "If Christ is all you have, Christ is all you need!"

Have a blessed day y'all! hugs, Patty