October is Gone......

and where did it GO!!!!!!    I'm  telling y'all, I DO not know where this month has gone.    I don't even know if my calendar had October in it.    It must not have, that's the only thing that I can think of that would make sense about it being gone so quickly.    When I look for calendars for 2015, I'm gonna make sure there are at least 12 months in it.    I just know I got cheated with the one I got for 2014!!!!!     It must have been a defective calendar!!!!!     Ohhhh that's good, that's what it was, it was defective!!!!   That's what I'm calling it anyway!   hahahahahaha

Well, hubby had vacation last week, and let me tell you, it was a royal stinker!!!!  He got up Saturday morning with a little tickle in his throat that progressed to an out and out "bad" cold.    I stayed as far from him as I could, but not far enough.   My Wednesday started off fairly normal, but by evening time, I was feeling pretty rough and by Thursday it had knocked my socks off.     Here it is more than a week later, and I still feel like I been knocked down by a bowling ball.     Just trying to stay in and away from people, so as not to spread it to others and also, not to pick up something on top of this.     I have sneezed and coughed so much that I am sore from head to toe.    A cough or sneeze quickly becomes a scream, it hurts so bad.   gggg    There is no holding it in either.    As the saying goes, there's more room out than there is in.    So I gladly let it out, I just worry what the neighbors think!!!!     hahahaha     I started thru the kitchen the other day and I felt a sneeze coming on and I stopped and grabbed my side with one hand and my head with the other and then sneezed/screamed and I thought my hubby was gonna get down and roll and then I started laughing too.     I needed about ten arms to hold every where that sore and hurting.    He said he had wondered how I was making that noise and couldn't imagine, I think it had something to do with the way I was trying to not make such a noise, that I was having the opposite effect.    I don't know, just so happy I'm not as sore as I was.  

I haven't had much desire to make anything or do anything either.    I can't concentrate or hold a thought long enough to do anything.    I was fixing lunch yesterday and hubby came through and asked me a question, and I totally forgot what I was doing and what I needed to finish doing for lunch.    I was baking some fish and I forgot to sprinkle the breadcrumbs on it.  Drats!    I can't make a full thought and retain it.    Hopefully that will get better.

I did need a haircut, so, yesterday I got one.    Remember I said I can't hold a full thought or even make a full thought.    Went to the beauty shop.     The next person finished was a man beautician.    I said, ok, this will be interesting.    Nothing wrong with that at all!!!!!    The best haircuts I've ever had was from a man.   Just not thinking well.    He called me back and said what can I do for you?    I commenced to telling him what I wanted.    I don't even remember what I said.    I usually tell them that I don't want the "little boy haircut" that they love to give me.     Understand, I don't remember what I told him!!!!     When I got up from the chair and looked on the floor, I said "where did all that hair come from?"    He said, "your head".    I didn't think I even had that much hair on my head!!!!!    So, now I'm wondering even more about what I told him.     When I got home and went to the bathroom and looked at my hair, I said, "oh (crap), I must have told him I WANTED a little boy haircut!!!!!!!"    I looked it and actually tried to pull some of it to stretch it, that didn't work.    If I had been thinking clearly, I would have known that, but alas, I wasn't.    I finally laughed and said, "oh well, it's hair and it will grow back!"     Well this morning, I shampooed it and blowdryed it, and I actually think it's one of the best haircuts I've had in a while!     I still don't know what I told him, wish I did, so I could remember it the next time and ask for the same cut.    hahahaha     A new day and a new perspective makes all the difference!     And he done a FANTASTIC job on my hair!!!!!      Yay!!!!!

I made a card here back and wanted to share it with y'all.

This was an image that I got with a card of the month kit from Crafters  Companion and the kit contained the Spectrum Noir markers to color the image.   I really love the big sunflower and leaves.    I cut the embossed layer on my Silhouette Cameo and then embossed it on my Cuttlebug.    I have a little die to cut the lady bug out with.   And I covered it with glossy accents to make it firm and shiny.

The little lady bug makes me happy.    It just does.  

I really think the sunflower is a beauty.    I would love to have a stamp of this very image.

I used some very thin ribbon that I got at the Dollar Tree on this card.    I just cut strips and trimmed the edges to a point and folded the pieces in half and taped them down.    Then when I popped on the sunflower it covered up the tape or glue or whatever I put the ribbon down with.

I took a little stamp and used it on the corners of the base card.    I used the same ink to ink the edge of the card front.    I also used it over the embossed area of the card front.    It was a sage green ink.

I was really happy with the over all result of this card.     I really enjoyed coloring the flower and the leaves.    I should have put some bling on it some where.   Oh the shame, just the shame of it all, at not putting any bling on it!!!!!   I will have to give myself a beating with a wet noodle!!!!    hahahahaha    Oh, bling!!!!!

 As I leave you today, I leave you with this scripture:    1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Paul's conclusion in this letter to the Thessalonians was to remain faithful to God during the times they were living in.   He was encouraging them in Chapter 5 to build one another up, to help one another, to respect those who work hard, to live in peace with each other, to be kind to each other and a lot more encouragements like that.   And then Paul says "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."     Oh no, did he really say to "give thanks in all circumstances"?     Well, yes he did.     That is totally opposite the nature of most of us, isn't it?     Am I really supposed to thank God when I loose my job?    Am I really supposed to thank God when when my child gets in trouble?    Am I supposed to thank God when family and friends are being diagnosed with serious health issues?     Am I supposed to thank God when it looks like our country is crumbling down around our ears?    These are just a few of the scenarios that each and every one of us have going on in our lives at any given time.     And there are soooooo many more things that are, have been, or will be taking place in our lives.    Do we thank God, that we get to go through these difficult times?  
Paul isn't telling us to be thankful "for" these painful scenarios.    He is telling us that when bad things happen, and they will, that we can thank God "in" the midst of those things, because we know that God will see us through those times.    We can, at all times, thank God for the clear evidence that He is at work in our lives.    We may not know why we are going through stuff, but we can count on God to be with us through it.

I don't know what any of y'all are going through.     I would suggest that maybe you challenge yourself to look at it differently.    Don't thank God that your are going thru something, but do thank God that He's "in" the trenches with you.    Each day brings it's own set of circumstances and what ever those circumstances are, just know that God is "in" it with you.     Our circumstances change.    God can change our circumstances, but until He does, He will be "in" it with you.

Hi ladybug!!!    It was good talking to you the other evening.    You are an "amazing" ladybug!!!!!  Sweetpea loves you!

Have a great rest of the day y'all!!!    I hope you enjoyed your visit here today.    I pray that you will come back soon.    Share with someone, what you have seen here today.   God loves y'all, and so do I!!!    hugs and love, Patty

Grungy Card 2

Good evening Y'all!     I hope you are enjoying this fine evening.    In my neck of the woods right now it is a very pleasant 71* outside as of 8:39 pm tonight.    I love it!    Up to 100* over the weekend, I'll take the lower temps any day!!    I still have humidity hair, and I guess that's not gonna change any time soon.    I know you know what humidity hair is.  

It's when you spend all morning with every hair appliance known to women to straighten your hair.   You get it straightened just perfectly and add a few perfectly placed little rats to give you that perfect height.   You take that one final look at your perfect masterpiece, just after you have sprayed a little hair spray on to keep in place.    You hit the door for that trip out town, just knowing you have this great looking head of hair.    You make stop after stop, just hoping everyone that you come in contact with notices your finely coiffed head of hair.    You have on your nicest smile, and you quickly smile at everyone you meet, but some of the ones you are smiling at are looking a little strangely at you.    Oh well, they must be having a bad day.    You sure hope their day gets better, you pray.    On you go, errand after errand and you are still stylin' and profilin' that snazzy head of hair.    Upon arriving at home, you walk by a mirror and catch a glimpse of someone.   You wheel around and run back to the mirror for a closer look, only to find that someone has replaced that beautiful head of hair that you was sporting so proudly, with a bad fake wig that looks like Bozo's head of hair!     That my friends, is humidity hair!    Yeah, you know what I'm talking about, don't ya'!    hahahaha

This is Grungy Card # 2.   I mentioned it when I put up # 1 the other day.

So, this is my Iris, from Crafters Companion, that I have shared a few times already.   But, I love this stamp and I never get tired of using it.    I stamped it on a background that I cut out on my Silhouette.    The image was created by Penny Duncan.    You can find her blog on the right side of my blog.    I love her designs.    I am trying to use her backgrounds more in my card making.    I loved the loops on this file and used them to run my 1/8th in grosgrain ribbon thru and I really liked the look.   You can also see that I added flat back pearls in the top and bottom corners.

After I colored the  Iris,  with my Spectrum Noir markers, I used my Sakura Gelly Roll Clear Star pen on the image to add a little bit of blingy goodness.   It's not real flashy, just very subtle.   It looks really nice in the hand.

I just used it more as a highlight than anything else, but it definitely looks nice.

I had it finished, I thought.   Then I took my liquid pearls and put a few dots of it around the loopy border and I think it really set it off.    The grungy part of this card is the edge of the bottom layer of the card.    I grunged up the edge with a shimmery mauve ink pad.    It doesn't show up as much as I wish it did in the pic.   Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this peek at grungy card # 2.    Three is on it's way shortly.

As I leave you this evening, I leave you with this scripture: Matthew 5:44  "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

In the setting here, Jesus had just called Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, to be fishers of men.   And a bit later he called James and John.   Jesus was going throughout Galilee teaching, preaching and healing the sick and diseased among the people.  Word spread all throughout Syria and people started bringing all their sick, hurting, afflicted, hopeless, demon possessed, paralyzed, and seizure ridden people to Jesus and He healed them.   Where ever He went, crowds followed.   So He seen the crowds and went up on a mountainside and sat down.   His disciples came to Him and He began teaching them.    This is where the Beatitudes are.   Jesus taught them many different things.  

Can you imaging being in that class, with the Master Teacher of all time teaching with "authority" of the Kingdom of God!    That is one class I would sign up for in a heart beat!    Of all the things He taught them, He also taught them to "love your enemies."    Can you imagine such a teaching?    Well, that's what He taught them.

Oh, let me tell you, it is so easy for us to love those who love us.   It is easy to pray for those who pray for us.   It is easy, isn't it.   Jesus asked them what was the reward in loving "only" people who love them?    The reward comes from loving those who persecute you and who are your enemies.   Jesus was asking them to not treat them as enemies, but to treat them as people God created, and as "potential" followers of Christ.

Fast forward to today.    He is still asking the same thing of us today.    I have to confess right here, right now, and just be very real with y'all about this.   I have not arrived yet at the place where I can love those who hate me, and pray for those who would persecute me, in the manner that is pleasing to my Lord and Savior.   It is a definite struggle for me.    But...I keep on trying!     I keep asking the Lord to help me with this.    I keep humbling myself in prayer and asking for help.   I struggle every day with this, and you know what, I know I am not the only one with this struggle.    It goes against every thing that we as human beings "feel".   How is it possible to get past the "feelings"?    Well, I won't get past the "feelings" on my own.    As Christians, we are called to live, based on what we know, not based on what we "feel".    Our feelings change, from one minute to another, one day to another.    What we know, never changes.    We know that Jesus Christ gave His life's blood for us to have a right relationship with God.    God never changes!!!    We do!    Our "feelings" change.    In essence, we should treat people based on God's feelings and not ours.    Jesus taught His disciples that all people are created by God, His own special treasure, His own peculiar treasure.    With that knowledge, we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.    Easy?     No!    Possible?    Yes!!!     God never asks us to do anything we can't do.    God never sets us up for failure.    When we fail, it is because we haven't called on God for help.    So, if you are like me, keep on crying out to God for help!     That's where the reward is.    When we are calling on God, we are growing closer to our Creator, becoming more Christlike.    Therein is the reward.    Becoming more Christlike.    All Praises to God!!

I hope y'all have a great night of rest and a wonderful day tomorrow.   Good night y'all!  Till we meet again, take care.

Ladybug, sweetpea loves you with her heart and looks forward to seeing you soon!

God Bless Y'all and remember God loves y'all and so do I.   hugs, Patty

Sharing a Couple of Cards

Good morning y'all.    I pray that wherever y'all are today that you're excited to be a part of God's plan!     I know I am.    I don't know what kind of plans y'all have for today, but I will assure that if you invite God to be a part of your plans, your plans will be much better.    Don't believe me!     Try it!     I, again, am reminded of a tv commercial from way back in the day that said, "Try it, you'll like it".     So, that is the challenge for the day.     Invite God to be a part of all that you do.     Then, thank Him for blessing you in an amazing way, by being present in you life and plans today.

I have a couple of cards I want to share with y'all today.    I made these cards for some friends at church whose mother went home to be with the Lord after a lengthy illness.    God heard the prayers of all who had been praying for her.    She is now healed and in the presence of her Maker!    Praises for that!

This first is a Magnolia Blossom from Crafters Companion, by Sheena Douglass.  I love this big blossom and I loved the challenge for me to use my Spectrum Noir Markers to color it.   

For the blossom itself, I used just one color, my lightest color purple, and outlined the stamped image.   That's it.    I definitely enjoy the way it turned out.

The biggest challenge for me was the leaves.    I really had a time with them.

But, I think I finally got them blended pretty well, using three colors.

Then, after I got it colored and I always use a very light color and outline the image all the way around.     For some reason, I like that look.     Then I stamped my sympathy sentiment and used my Cuttlebug and a Spellbinders die and cut out around the image.    This particular die has become my "go to" die for the images that I have used my SN markers on.    I just like it.   I have tried to find something else, but I haven't found anything I like as well as I like this particular die.   I lightly inked around the edge of the image with a pale green ink pad.     I took another ink pad, a shade or two darker, and inked all around the front edge of the white card base, about an inch all around.     After I mounted the image to the card base, it looks like it is layered with another piece of cardstock.

Then my second card was another of my Iris images from Crafters Companion, by Sheena Douglass, again.     I love her images.    They have lots of great detail and there is also great videos showing how to color them.    I sure need all the help I can get.   ggg

I have colored this image so many times now, but I still never get it quite like I want it, but I think I am almost there.     I love the Iris and my friend that gets this one love Irises also.    

I used the same Spellbinder die to cut this one out that I used on the Magnolia. 

I used the same sympathy stamp on this one also.     I think I may be getting the hang of blending the three colors for the leaves.    I also forgot to mention that over the Memorial Day Holiday weekend, Crafters Comapnion had a half price sale.    So, I ordered two packages of the cardstock they recommend for using with their SN markers, and I do really like it!    I do think it has helped me get just a tad better with my blending and it has a wonderful feel to it, plus it is a lot thicker than the cardstock I had been using from Wal-Mart.

This is a close up of the edge of this card.     I inked the edge of my cutout with my small ink pad in a lt. purple.    Then for the outer edge of the card front base, I used parchment color.    I really like the way this one turned out.

I hope and pray that they give a little comfort to my friends as they go thru this painful transition.    I just pray for their hearts to mend a little every day.     I know they will lean on God also.

All of us know people who are hurting, sick, or just plain trying to deal with a boat load of junk.    Put those people on your prayer list.    I have several family members and friends and church family on my list that I pray for daily.    It not only helps them, but it helps me to pray for these folks.    It will help you too, to pray for the people that you know, who needs your prayers.

Galatians 6:9 says "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season
we will reap, if we do not give up."

One of the best ways we can do good, is to pray for those around about us.    We may not know someones story, but you can bet your bottom dollar, every one has a story.    Some are not easily shared, just because of the nature of the story and the pain that goes along with it.    Just because you may not know a person's story, doesn't mean you can't pray for them.     God knows all of our stories.     He has seen us thru them whether we acknowledge He did or not.    So, don't grow weary of praying for the people that you know who needs it.     The time will come when you need the prayers of the people who care for you.    We all hope and pray that those times don't come, but they will.     It is a wonderful thing to know that your prayers has helped someone thru a trying time and then when you need prayer for the situation you are facing, just knowing that your brothers and sisters in Christ are ready to pour out their heart to Father God, on your behalf is equally wonderful.    Your "due season" will be blessed by God.    Hang in there, don't give up praying for those that need it, which is all of us.

Sweetpea is sending many hugs and much love to Ladybug today!!!!

May God Bless each and every one of y'all in such a special way today!     Come back again real soon and see what I have for y'all.    Stay dry and keep on crafting.    Until next time, God loves y'all and so do I!    hugs, Patty

Happy Sunday....

Hello to all of y'all and "Happy Sunday"!    Do you fell blessed to have the breath of life in you today?   I sure hope so.   I always say that every day I open my eyes after a night of sleep and rest is a "good" day.   If my feet hit the floor, then that's a "great" day.   So, if your feet hit the floor this morning, then my friends, it's a great day.

I got to go to church this morning, that makes it even a greater day.   It's always great to be with our Christian brothers and sisters and spend a bit of time with them and just be in the presence of God and study His Word and worship and praise Him for all He's done in our lives.

I know that each one of us has prayer needs and requests.   There are many in my church that are sick and need lifted in prayer.   Some are going thru illness and have uncertain days ahead of them, and some are in life transitions, and still others just need encouragement.   So I ask you to help me pray for all who need prayer, which in essence is all of us, the planet wide.   We all need prayer.  So my friends, just know that I have been, I am, and I will continue to lift all of you in prayer.   I do have 2 special prayer requests that I ask you to pray specifically for.  Both are young men with illnesses that God is taking care of even as I type this.   One is "K" and one is "M".   Please lift these in prayer.   God knows who they are.

I wanted to share a project with you today.   I think I have mentioned having a small collection of Spectrum Noir alcohol markers.  Well, I keep plodding along and trying my best with them.   I have decided that practice may not make perfect, but it sure can't hurt.  hahaha

This is a kit from Crafters Companion.  They are listed on the left hand side of my blog page.   They have issued 3 projects of the month so far.  My prayer is for them to keep doing that.  You get everything to make a card, all the pieces for it, plus, this one had two markers in it.  I got another kit that had six markers in it.  And then another one that had three markers in it.  

So, I colored my butterfly, best as I could, anyway.   The butterfly was to be purple, so I used the accent pieces that came with the kit to cut different colors of accent pieces.  I used purple and pink cardstock instead of what came with the kit.   I will use what came with the kit on another card.    I also used some clear, square, faceted stones, but I colored them with my SN alcohol markers and got the perfect color stones.  Yay!!!

As you can see, I used my Cuttlebug and an embossing folder on some of the accent pieces.   I love the look of that.   Then I took one of my little ink pads and rubbed it over the top of the embossing to make it pop a little and then I inked the edges a bit, too.

I put a light coat of faux stickles, glitter glue, on top of my butterfly.   For some reason, the camera did not pick up the glitter like it usually does.   My bad.

I still have a time with getting my coloring and blending to the point of seeing a lot light areas amid the darker areas, highlights.   It just looks like one big blob, but hey, I keep trying.  And I keep asking if any of y'all have any suggestions, besides, just "give up".   hahaha   Well, I ain't gonna quit, at least not just yet anyway.   Clicking my purple sparkly shoes together and saying; I "will" get it right, I "will" get it right.............

I hope you have enjoyed taking a peek at my project.   I have more in store, so just keep checking back every once in a while, ok.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.   I hope and pray that you will take a minute of two to thank God for all He has done for you in your life.   We must remember, always, that the ground at the foot of the Cross is level for each and every one of us.   No matter your status in life, rich, poor, popular, unknown, millionaire, pauper, free, behind bars, saint, sinner,  we all come to God the Father, the same way, by way of the Cross.   There is no other way known by God, to come to Him, except by and thru Jesus Christ.   I hope and pray that if you don't know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, that you will repent of your sins and ask Jesus Christ to forgive you and to cleanse you and to become Lord of your life from this day forth, to be a living sacrifice for Christ, pointing others to Him, by the way you live.    Living for Christ will not be the easiest thing you've ever done, but....it will be the most rewarding thing you've ever done.

I pray for y'all to have a wonderful rest of the day.   I challenge you to do this:  the next person that you see, with your own eyes, tell that person: "Jesus Christ loves you, and so do I."

Ladybug, I hope and pray today has been a most spectacular day for you!  Sweetpea loves you bunches.

Be blessed, y'all!   God love y'all and so do I.   Till we meet again, right back here, take care.   hugs, Patty

Wishing everyone a Happy Resurrection Sunday and a Project

Good afternoon Y'all!   I pray that y'all are enjoying this wonderful Saturday, the day before Resurrection Sunday or Easter Sunday, as we commonly call it.   I'm sure that there is a lot of cooking taking place in homes across the world in preparation for the celebration.    I know that some of my family are cooking and getting ready for the get together at my Mother's tomorrow.   I don't know who all will be there, but I do know there will be a lot of fun taking place tomorrow.   My husband and I will not get to be there, because I am not over the vertigo issue I've had this week and my husband has had to work this weekend but he will be off tomorrow.    I am sad that we won't be there, but I know they will have a great day anyway.   More than likely I won't get to go to church tomorrow.   With my husbands work and sleep schedule, he doesn't get up early enough to get to go.   But that's ok, because God knows our hearts and our motives.

We did have our Easter Cantata at church last Sunday, Palm Sunday.   It was an amazing piece of work.   Our choir is made up of about 15-16 people and you would have thought you was listening to a choir of 100.   I was in the presence of the Lord!!!   God certainly can use a small group of people that are willing to serve Him and I know they made a "joyful noise unto the Lord" last Sunday.   It has never been about the number of people who serve the Lord, but it has always been about the motive of the heart and the willingness to serve Him.   They certainly served Him in a mighty way on Palm Sunday.

During this week, I haven't got to do too much creatively but I did manage to get a card put together that I had been waiting to finish.  It took me just about all week to get it done, but I did and got it off in the mail yesterday to my friend up in Ky that gave me the Glenn Robertson prints.   I hope she gets the card and enjoys it.   I also hope I got it put together correctly.  hahaha   I hope you enjoy the pictures.

I used an embossing folder on the purple background.  It stands out a bit and I liked the way it looked.

I used a spellbinder die to cut around my Iris.   The Iris is a stamp from Crafters Companion.   I really like it a lot.

I took a couple of small pieces of cardstock and made the layer and then the stamped image and popped it on with pop dots,

The finishing touch is an easel to set it on.

I colored this Iris with a combination of Spectrum Noir markers and my water color pencils.   It most assuredly is NOT perfect, but I liked the outcome enough that I was willing to give it to a special friend.   I hope you have enjoyed looking at my project.
      
I pray that everyone has a Happy Easter in remembering the cross is empty, the stone is rolled away from the tomb, and our Master is not in the grave.   The grave clothes are lying in the corner and the napkin that was on his face is folded neatly and placed where His head had lain.   The folded napkin represents that the Master is coming back to His place at the table.    And HE did!!!    He was with His friends and followers for 40 days!    More than 500 people were eyewitnesses to the fact that He's Alive!!!  He's Alive!!!  He's Alive!!!   After 40 days, He ascended into Heaven to be with the Father, just waiting for the Father to say, "Go get them Son, bring them Home!"  There isn't an obituary any where for Him!    There's no grave marker!    There's no head stone!    Those things are needed only for the dead and NOT the living!   He's Alive!!!   He's sitting at the right hand of the Father pleading on behalf of each one of us.   When the accuser comes before God and tries to accuse any of God's own children, of something, our Jesus is sitting beside Abba Daddy saying, "I covered that!"  "Look again Father, My blood is covering that!"   "Nope, that's not so Daddy, I took the stripes to cover that!"   To know that we have a friend that would take the stripes that actually had our names on them, is almost beyond comprehension!     The best part of the story, the napkin is still folded and awaiting the Master's return and "He is coming again"!!!!!!!!!!

I am so thankful that the enemy can't accuse me of sin anymore and get away with it, aren't you?   If you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the enemy can't accuse you any more either!    Jesus Christ is our risen Lord and Savior!   That has to be the focus of our lives, otherwise the enemy, the accuser will steal our joy.   Lets not let him steal one more second of our joy.   There is a lot of pain and sickness in this life but we don't have to deal with it alone.   We have Jesus Christ that knows all about it and then we have each other.    May we find strength in our Lord and Savior and in our brothers and sisters in Christ!

Happy Easter, Happy Resurrection Morning!!!!   I pray that even if it's raining tomorrow, the "Son" is shining in your heart!

Ladybug, Sweet pea sure loves you and hopes you have a wonderful Easter!

God loves Y'all and so do I!   Happy Easter!   hugs and much love, Patty

New Project

Good morning folks!   It is an awesome and beautiful morning, here in my neck of the woods!   I pray that it is where where ever y'all are!    If it's not beautiful outside, just hang on, a few days can make a big difference.   Now, for me, with all the beauty on the outside at this particular time, my allergies are kicking up and I'm not enjoying that too much.   I just pray that it doesn't get me completely down.

Anyway, I have been telling y'all that I am behind on getting projects posted, so I thought I would get one up that I done here back.   I think I have mentioned that I want to start a nice collection of alcohol ink markers.   Well, I love Crafters Companion and placed an order a while back for a sample kit.   This kit makes a lovely tag.   In the kit you get two of the new style Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers with dual tips.   If you haven't tried these and you want to, just click on the website in my list on the left hand side and you can look for it in "what's new".    It is only $3.95 with free shipping.   Well worth the price!!!!   So, I got it a month or so ago and got my tag made.   I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the markers!!!  Here are a few pics I took.

The above pic is of everything that came in the kit.  I forgot to take the pic "before" I colored my butterflies.   Oh well, hahaha.

This is the finished tag.   Now, I'm not the greatest at blending yet, and probably won't ever be, but I'm gonna keep trying anyway.   You color one butterfly and leave it flat and then you color the other butterfly and trim it out and then glue the bottom of one body to the top of the other body and let that dry and then bend up the top wings a little to give a little dimension to the butterfly. 

This is just a little close up of the butterfly.  You can't see the dimension in this shot at all.

Now the above shot is of the ribbon.   If you remember in the very top pic, the ribbon was white.   This is where I took the chisel tip of the markers and colored the pieces of ribbon with the markers.   If I do this again, I will color the ribbon from the back side instead of the front side.  The blue done very well.  The darker the color, the less alcohol is in the ink itself, so it went on really nicely.   The yellow went on really well also.   But, being new to alcohol markers, and not having an understanding of them, I colored the ribbon yellow from the front side and with the higher alcohol content in the yellow, due to it being a lighter color , the black dots started streaking.   That is TOTALLY MY fault!!!   I didn't know what I was doing.   DO NOT hear me blaming Spectrum Noir!!!   I have a whole more to learn about these markers and what I have seen so far, I LOVE THEM!! 

This is the two markers that came with the tag.   I am so thrilled with them, that I have decided to purchase a few of the starter six pack markers.   I had four 50% off coupons a couple of weeks ago and went to Joann's and got the first four sets of my collection.   The ones at Joann's are of the older generation, they are four sided instead of eight sided.   But, I still love them.   I hope to be able to develop my blending and shading skills.

As I leave you this morning, I leave you with a favorite passage of mine.  1 Peter 2:24 says "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds (stripes) you have been healed."

We are going into the Easter season.   Our cantata is this coming Sunday morning on Palm Sunday.   When I read the Scripture above, it is a reminder that Jesus Christ has done for me what no other human on the planet could do for me.   He took my sins upon His body.   The stripes of pain that He bore on His body was what healed and cleansed me completely.  Jesus took the punishment for my sins so that I could be in a right relationship with God the Father.   We think about the cross and the tomb a lot of times when we think about what Jesus Christ has done for us.   Look up at the cross!   Jesus is not there!   Look in the tomb!   Jesus is not there!   HE IS RISEN!!!!   HE'S ALIVE!!!!  HE'S ALIVE!!!!   Praise the Lord, Hallelujah, HE"S ALIVE!!!!

I hope and pray that is the song of you heart and soul today!  He's Alive!!!!   I hope and pray that you know the healing and cleansing power of Jesus Christ.   If you don't, there's no time like the present.   Ask Jesus Christ to come into heart and life and to heal, cleanse, forgive you of all the past junk and live from this day forward with Jesus Christ at the front of everything you do.  It isn't easy to be  follower of the Way, but it is very rewarding.  The early Christians were called "Followers of the Way".   Jesus Christ is the "Way", the "Truth" and the "Life"!  And no one comes to the Father, except thru the "WAY!"

Have a wonderful rest of the day Y'all!   I'm happy you came to see me today and I hope you enjoyed your visit.   If you did, tell someone about it.

Ladybug, I hope you have a wonderful day today!  Sweet pea loves you and misses you!

God loves y'all, and so do I.  hugs and much love, Patty