Fall, Crafts, Fall Crafts and a Tip

Well, it's Fall in my neck of the woods, but it's still HOT!!!!!     I reckon I am ready for the winding down of the year of 2017.    Makes no difference if I am or not, it's happening and it seems like it happening faster than ever.    The older we get, the quicker those years just clip right on along.    I guess the fast pace of the years rolling on along means that we get to meet Jesus faster.    If that's the case, hey, I'll take it.     With as hurtful as people are, with people being bound and determined to do everything they can "to make a statement", the main statement I have to say at this time, "I am ready for Jesus to split the Eastern Sky!"    How about you?     Keep your eyes looking up, He's  coming soon!!!

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I have been crafting like mad here lately.    I really have.   I have impressed me with all I have done.   Hahahaha     Well, I don't know if I have actually impressed myself, but I have enjoyed being industrious.    It seems like I had slowed down to a snails pace with being creative, but I have gotten back to speed for a little while, and I am LOVING it!!!!

Along with all the crafting and talking about Fall, I have done some Fall Crafting.   Hahaha    I have also done some Christmas crafting.     I done some water color paintings.     I done some finger crochet.    I have reworked some jewelry that I had made a couple of years ago and wasn't really happy with it, but I am now.     I have done some small canvases, multi media style.    I have the supplies to make a revamped denim and lace top.    I can't wait to get started on that.   Hopefully I can have it finished by Christmas anyway.    I have made some of my tiny quilled flowers to put on cards and other crafting projects.    I done a small 5x5 inch crackle piece.    I made a barrette for my hair and I love it!!!     I found a snowflake button and have done some reconstructive surgery on it into make a pin.   I have completed the projects for at least 2 swaps I am in and will be working on more .    I made 3 more of the sizzix stars and painted and decorated them to look like old layers of peeled paints.     I can't remember what all else I have done, but I will be sharing a few pictures along of all the stuff I have done and I will start the sharing tonight.

So the first project I want to share with y'all is a tip that came in the form of necessity.    I was working with some of my 6x6 inch paper pads and trying to save all the scraps by placing them inside the pad, only to have them fall out every time I picked the pad up.    After picking scraps up more times than I care to remember, I said to myself, "You have got to do something!!!"     I listened to me and I did something.    hahaha    I do not know if this is a new idea, but I haven't ever seen it.    Maybe because it's so simple that noone wanted to share it, (because it is so simple.)    hahaha   But......on the slim chance you have the same trouble I have with keeping scraps together with the paper pad they belong to, here are the pictures and some descriptions of what I done.    

 So, this was the little paper pad I was working with and dealing with the little scraps.   Picking them up off the is not all that fun.   Hahaha     So..................

 I dug out an envelope.............

 and opened my paper pad to the very back of it........................

and folded the flap of the envelope to the back and put score tape on the envelope................................

 and peeled the backer off the score tape off and stuck it to the inside of the back of the paper pack and this........

is what it looks like.    No more falling scraps and all the small pieces are there just waiting to be used for just the right project.      I positioned the envelope to be less than a 16th of an inch lower than the back, just so that any of the full length pieces wouldn't be crushed.     It worked so well that I done all of my little pads  like that and will do my large ones very soon.    It does make keeping up with scraps a breeze and no more wasting time picking them up off the floor.

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Conformed or transformed- which are you? Have you ever thought about that?    It is something that is on my mind a whole lot here lately.     Without even looking in a dictionary for the descriptions of these words, I'll tell you my take on them.     Conformed, in my mind, is being just like everyone else, even if we don't want to be.   Going along with the flow, so as not to disturb the status quo.    Going along to satisfy the egos of those around you.     You know what I'm talking about.    Laughing at the off color jokes, saying all the faux curse words, going places with friends that you really don't want to go, maybe even drinking or doing drugs..............you see what I'm talking about.    "Just going along to get along."     Now, like I said, this is my personal opinion of what conformed is about.

Now, what about transformed?     Well, again in my mind, transformed is kinda the opposite of conformed.     Transformed is not being like everyone else, but being different and standing up and living up to values that God and you have chosen for your life.     Not going along just to get along, but stepping up and standing up for the things that move you.     You may walk away when the joke telling starts.    You don't want to sound like everyone else with the words you choose to use.     You are not afraid to leave a situation that is not appealing to the choices you have made for your life.

Does any of that make any sense at all.    

Lets look at Romans 12:2.     And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God. King James Version

Let's look at this same verse in the New Living Translation.    Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.    Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

If we are just going along to get along, how pleasing is that to God?     I love the New Living Translation in just plain simple language.    To conform is to copy.      Do you want to copy or mimic everyone you ever come in contact with?    If we are going along to get along, that is exactly the hoops we will find ourselves jumping through.    We are even expected to jump through hoops at church sometimes to, you know, going along to get along.    Don't talk about any of the obvious problems, because we love the customs of the world and want as many of them in our churches as possible, because after all, we want to conform with what the world wants.   Right?

What does God want for us?    God wants us to be totally different from the world.     God wants us to think differently than the world thinks.     God wants us to have thoughts that are higher than this worlds thoughts.     We have to have a renewing of our minds if we are going to know the will of God for our lives.    We are not going to renew our minds when we are thinking the way the world thinks.   We have to set our thoughts on the things of God.     It is only when we start thinking about God and how He thinks, we will start knowing His will for our lives.     

You know what, we don't have to live loud lives for the people around us to recognize that there is something transformed and different about us.      God may have not called you to preach or to teach, but He has called to you to be transformed, to learn to recognize the will of God in our lives.    The will of God in our lives is good, pleasing and perfect.     No.....we will never be perfect, but Jesus was and is perfect.   The will of God in our lives reflects the perfection of Christ in our lives through His shed blood.    That is what makes us good and pleasing and perfect in the sight of God.

I don't know about you, but I will take the transformation of Christ in my life any day over being conformed to this world.     We have been called out to make a difference.     If we are not making a difference in our circle of influence, maybe we need to seriously look at what Romans 12:2 and decide if we are conformed or transformed.     

I don't care what Hollywood says, I don't care what the so called sports figures says, and I don't care what the thugs out there say, but I do care what the Word of God says.     This scripture calls us out from the world.     So, we will either go along to get along or we will make a difference.    I pray that we will choose to make a difference in our circle of influence and in our churches.

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All this stuff about all the sports figures not wanting to salute the American Flag, you should be ashamed of yourselves!!!!     But hey, you are just taking advantage of the freedom that American soldiers, men and women, have fought and died for. for you to have the freedom to disrespect the American Flag, the American Soldiers and the United States of America!!!!     I have spoken about how I feel a time or two on my blog and I'll say it again.    I've never spent a penny on buying a ticket or shirts or any other kind of ephemera of any sports team, and I never will!!!     I've never put a bite in any of their mouths, and I never will, in the form buying something.    I will feed anyone that's hungry, but I won't feed them better than I am accustomed to eating.    hahaha     Yes, this behavior is upsetting, especially if you have people in your family that have served in the military to help keep America free and safe.    Take a walk thru some of the military cemeteries and just see the countless  numbers of headstones for all the brave heroes!!!!!     Calling a sports figure a hero is a slap in the face to all the people that have died for this country.     99% of the sports figures aren't even worthy to stand on the sacred soil in those cemeteries!!!!    Wake up America!!!!

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Well, that's about all I have for this evening.    If you hung with me to this point, let me just say "thank you" for spending a few minutes with me this evening.   I appreciate your visits and I appreciate your comments.     I hope and pray that you have a great restful night of sleep tonight and that you wake up in the morning refreshed and renewed and ready to face the day that God has made for us.    Let's be purposeful about what we say, do and think tomorrow and see if we can make a difference in our circle of influence.     Tell someone that God loves them.   They may have never heard it before.      God loves y'all and so do I!!!!   hugs and love, Patty