Grace enough

Well howdy Y'all!!!!    I am channeling my inner Minnie Pearl today.   Such a warm and gracious southern lady.    Always smiling and welcoming of those around her.   Ready to put one at ease with her lovely charm and quick wit and wonderful personality.    Ready to smile and laugh and say, "How-dy", with the "how" part drawn out just a bit and the "dy" part said just a bit quicker with just a little bit of a higher tone.    I wish I could imitate her, I would do a video just saying her famous "how-dy".   I guarantee you would love it!!!!    She was a lady of grace, she knew all about the grace of God too.    I said last post that we would talk about Grace this time, so here goes.

Do you think your sin is greater than God's grace?  If that were true, God would not be great enough to meet your/my every need!!!  If that were true, then we would be saying that "some" sin is just too big for God to handle! If that were true, then Christ would NOT be enough!

Quick definition of Grace and Mercy:
Grace-God giving us what we don't deserve; salvation-eternal life.
Mercy-God "not" giving us what we do deserve; penalty for sin-eternal death.

Romans 5:20,21 But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I'm reminded of one of my all time favorite hymns at church.  I went on a search for the meaning behind this song.   When we can understand a bit of the history behind a great old hymn of faith, then we can understand more about what it should mean to us.  A couple of  sentences summed up the overall meaning behind this hymn.    1."In total this great song encourages us to remember that the main issue with the world is not economic, or political, or social – it is spiritual!"    2."You cannot out-sin God's GRACE!!!!!"     Now, these here are "shoutin' words!"    These are words that can stir the soul to the point of making decisions that have eternal rewards.


Read these words slowly, taking them in and pondering them very carefully.

        "Grace Greater than Our Sin"  

    Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
    Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
    Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
    There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.
       
        Grace, grace, God’s grace,
        Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
        Grace, grace, God’s grace,
        Grace that is greater than all our sin!

    Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
    Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
    Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
    Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

    Dark is the stain that we cannot hide;
    What can we do to wash it away?
    Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
    Brighter than snow you may be today.

    Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
    Freely bestowed on all who believe!
    You that are longing to see His face,
    Will you this moment His grace receive?

Marvelous Amazing Grace, isn't it!!!!!!!     God loved us while we were still sinners!!!!    This, my friend, is Grace!!!!!   Who does that????  Who looks past what the eyes can see, and looks to the depth of one's soul and sees the lost, hurting, lonely, scarred, shame filled person and says "I love you so much that I made a way for you to be in right relationship with Me"????     God does that, Jesus Christ does that!!!!!   Woohoo!!!!    Praises!!!!  Amazing Grace, Infinite, Matchless Grace!!!!!

I'm here to tell you that NO SIN, absolutely NO SIN is too big for God!   The Creator of the universe and all that lies within the scope of the universe can forgive even the most egregious sin.  The death of Christ on the cross covered the penalty for every sin that has ever been or will ever be!   Now.....that doesn't mean that every sin has been forgiven!    Sin has to be acknowledged by the sinner and there has to be some remorse in the sinners heart and soul.    We have to come to a point that we are ready to start fresh and be renewed.    We have to have a renewal of the heart and mind and ask Jesus Christ to free us from the bondage of sin.   If you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, then His blood is sufficient!!!!   Christ is ENOUGH to cover any sin!   God is enough!!!!!    GRACE is enough!!!!    At some point, before the end of the day (the end our lives), we just have to say, "Jesus is enough!", and mean it.  God's Grace is enough!!!! 

Do you believe that God's Grace is enough?   Do you honestly and truly believe that God's Grace IS enough?   That is a question that we all MUST answer.  I can't answer it for you any more than you can answer it for me.  We must know that our lives will reflect what we really do believe.  I pray that y'alls lives and mine will reflect that God's Grace through Jesus Christ our Risen Savior is enough!!!! 

If you haven't yet experienced the Grace of God through Jesus Christ, it's not to late.    You have to recognize and confess that you are a sinner in need of cleansing.   In reality, we ALL are sinners in need of Jesus!!!!    You have to believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is the only One that can cleanse you.    You have to accept Jesus Christ as Lord of your life and ask Him to help you live daily through the Holy Spirit to become what He has destined you to be.   Living for Christ is not easy.    Jesus told His followers in Luke, that in order to follow Him, you must take up your cross daily.    Most of us have no idea as to what taking up your cross daily means.    It is MUCH more than a bad day at work; it is MUCH more than unruly children; it is MUCH more than being stuck in traffic; it is even MUCH more than an unwanted diagnosis from the doctor.    What Jesus is talking about is this:    Are you willing to live in such a way that your life brings persecution on you for being a Christian?    Are you willing to die for your relationship with Jesus Christ?    Are you willing to have everyone in your life turn away from you because you accepted Christ as Lord and Savior of your life?    Those are a few examples of taking up your cross daily and following Christ.    We live in a time when people are being persecuted for being Christian.    Christianity is under attack and will always be under attack because it is the ONLY way to see God.   I didn't say that, Jesus did.   But we see persecution every time we watch the local, national, and world wide news?   Why is that?    All the other world religions have dead and powerless founders/leaders.    People fear the cross and what the cross represents, because our Lord and Savior, JESUS CHRIST IS ALIVE AND WELL!!!    Look again y'all, the the tomb is EMPTY!!!!     Christ IS alive!!!!!     People fear what they don't know.    We are told as Christians, that we must tolerate sin.   We have been told that for so long that we don't even acknowledge sin anymore.    We give sin creative new names that seem to take away all personal responsibility.   In the end, we will still BE responsible for our sin, regardless of what we have tried to cleverly rename it.    Grace can cover that!!!

The final question is this:  Is God's grace, thru the cross of Christ,  enough for you?   Is God's grace, thru the cross of Christ, enough for me?    Our lives WILL reflect our chosen answer.    Choose GRACE!!!

So, last week I watched a This and That Thursday video put out by +Heather Kraafter  of the +Kraaft Shaak and Kraafters Kommunity found over on Google+.    She was showing how to color with the Twinkling H2o's, I think that's what they were called.   I really enjoyed that 10 to 20 minutes of watching that video.   I loved it so much that I wanted to do my own version with the supplies that I have.   I don't have the twinks, but I do have a sparkly set of watercolors, so that's what I used.   I really enjoyed this.   I would suggest that you go over and find that video and watch it.   Her painting is gorgeous!!!!!   Looks like a postcard, not kidding!!!   +Heather Kraafter painted her pic on a 6x6 inch piece of 140 pound water color paper.  So, one thing leads to another, right?    I done my own "thang", which we all should do.    And this is what I came up with.  

I call this, "The Big Winter Squash, Barley Clown"!     Hahahaha......don't want to be confused with the cartoon of a rhyming nature.    Anyway, as you can see for yourself, it not great at all, but I was happy as a "squirrel with a nut" when I got through with it.

Just a closeup of the "winter squash", pumpkin.

This pic really tickles me.  I don't know if you can see it or not, but I see a smiling face in this one.  Half way up the pic, on the left is what looks like an eye and then to the far left, just almost out of the image is what looks like a mouth coming up the big branch and then the branches look like antlers.   I know, leave it to me, huh.

Then this is the bottom of the tree and grass.  I used the shimmery watercolors I had and then toned that down just a bit with a regular set of kiddie Crayola water colors.   Whatever works, right?

This is the big winter squash. hahaha   Overall, I was satisfied with this little painting.    Just freehand sketching and coloring.    Don't get much "funner" than that, y'all.

Ok, so after cutting the 6x6 piece of water color paper, I was left with the rest of the sheet of a 9x12 sheet.    As a crafter, I refuse to be wasteful, so..........what was I to do with the rest of the sheet.    I got out one of my cutters and started cutting 3x3 pieces.    With it cut into smaller "canvases", what was I gonna do with them?     Hummmmm.........................this is what I done.

 I took each little piece of water color paper and use my paper masking tape and taped it evenly on all sides, to my mini clipboard.    That gave me the frame. I drew my little acorn and  I then used my kooi noor markers and color pencils to color it.   I used my clear wink of stella to put shimmer on the little swirly doodles.

Then I done a mini version of the big Barley Clown pumpkin.    Considering these are cut at 3x3 and then masked off with the tape, the little images are actually about 2 inches.

This is a feather I drew and colored and it was really dark in places and I wasn't happy with it, so I used one of my white pens and put little white dots on.    Now, this is where "ignorance is bliss" comes in.   I used my wink of stella on the feather and it caused the white spots to bleed just enough that it toned down the really dark places on it.   BINGO!!!!!    It was exactly what my feather needed.    

After drawing out a few, I thought of some of the smaller stamps that I have.   Why not use one and see how that turns out.    Well, I think that is a great way to go if you're like me and can't draw too well.

So, next I got to thinking about some of the smallish dies that I have.    I took a cracker box and cut it down to about 5x5 piece of card board and centered this small oak leak on it and cut out.   I taped the water color paper down and placed the cut out leaf over it and traced the image and then colored it and used my wink of stella and I think that is just the bees knees.    It worked awesome.   

I also cut out some acorns.   I place the leaf and acorns down and traced around them and done the usual coloring them.    By cutting images out of the center of a piece of chipboard/cardboard, I have 2 ways of using the image.    I can lay the big piece down and use it like a stencil and trace the inside of it.    Or I can take the cut out and lay it down and trace around the image.

Then I went back to drawing, and drew this ornament.    I was using my kooi noor pencils and markers on this one as usual, again something happened I wasn't quit expecting.    When I used the wink of stella on the upper left hand of the ornament and coloring over the little navy blue starburst, the wink of stella activated the marker and it bled just a bit, but the way I was using it and brushing downward, that blue just lightly colored the yellow making it look like a natural shadow.    Again, "ignorance is bliss".    Because I have no idea how one product will work or not work with another, it's just hit or miss for me and a learning process every time I play. 

On this and the next two or three, they are just Christmas ornaments that I stamped and colored them the same way that I colored the others and used wink of stella to finish them off.

These have been really fun to make and I don't have but about 20 minutes each, at best in them.    I am gonna make the little easel backs to put on them, maybe put some on card fronts, I don't know what all I'll do with them.    But there is always something to be done with scraps.

Sure hope y'all enjoyed this and that maybe you can find inspiration to do something with some of your scraps.   It's funny how you can see what someone else has done and then run with your own idea.    I am sure I will be doing more of these.  

I hope and pray that y'all seen something here today that you like.    If you did, share it with someone.    We all need to know about Grace and we all need to tap into our inner artist, which actually comes from the same God that supplies Grace.

Sweetpea loves you Ladybug!!!    See you soon.

So I will leave you with one last thought this evening, God loves y'all and so do I!!!  Hugs, Patty

WOW, Don't pass out anyone, but I'm back.....

Oh how good it feels to finally be back at it again.    I have sooooo missed writing and putting my arts and crafts up to show y'all.    It feels right to be here and I just hope and pray that it can continue for a while.   When I'm not here, I miss y'all so much.    Anyway, I have a project I want to share today.   I have been waxing nostalgic and I want to share a fun memory with y'all  and also a Word of Scripture.   Don't quite know in what order, so here goes.

Many years ago, probably 41 or 42 years ago, my youngest brother and I was shucking corn.   Although he is my youngest brother, he is still a couple of years older than me.   So, I was in my early to mid teens and he was closer to mid to late teens.   Anyway, a farmer that all my brothers done a lot of farm work for had gifted us with two huge grass sacks full of corn.    That was a huge blessing for us.    That particular day, my brother, myself, and our mom was the only ones at home.     Brother and I went to the picnic table out back and I got a big dish pan from inside and we just started shucking corn.      The picnic table was sitting in the spot at the back of the house where the coal pile was when I was very young.    You could look on the ground and still see little tiny pieces of coal that was embedded in the ground and the grass didn't grow very well in that spot and it made it the prefect place for a picnic table.

It wasn't the most fun or glamorous job at all, but we decided we would make the best of it and get it knocked out.    When we got a pan full of corn, I would run it up to the house and swap out a pan with mom and we done that for what seemed like hours.    We thought we had it bad, but mom was the one that really had it bad, processing all that corn for the freezer, but she never complained and was always happy to put food in the freezer for her family.    She could hear my brother and I as we talked and laughed and just shucked corn.

We decided we would make it fun.    Everything always boils down to who can do something faster, doesn't it.    In other words, a race.    Kinda like drag racing.   hahaha, yeah right.     Anyway, when we got an ear shucked, we would pick a kernel of corn off and squirt it at the other one.   We both had corn innards on our face, in our hair and all over our clothes.    We was covered up with corn guts.    So, after that went on for a while with us laughing and shucking corn and mom telling us to behave every once in a while, as we got closer to being done with shucking the corn, I decided that this time that I was gonna dodge his corn kernel.    In all my laughing, I wasn't paying much attention to where I was setting at on the picnic table.   I started out in the middle on one side and brother was in the middle on the other side with the pan between us.   I had moved and squirmed around so much that I wasn't sitting in the middle anymore.     I hadn't realized that though.

Sooooo, he shucked an ear of corn and was hurriedly picking a kernel off to shoot it at me and just about that time, I leaned backward, thinking there was some picnic table behind me to catch me, but nooooo, there wasn't!    I done a fancy gymnastic flip off that picnic table but....fortunately, the ground caught me!!!!!    My right wrist warped the edge of the picnic table on the way down.    The right side of my face buried up in the coal grit on the ground as well as both knees and I was a fright to behold, but....I managed to dodge the corn kernel that my brother squirted at me!!!!    hahaha

The side of my face all skinned up from the coal and both knees a bloody mess and a swelled up wrist.   This was just a few short weeks before school started back in the fall and my wrist was sore up until about Thanksgiving of that year.   I didn't want go to the Dr with it.    It was black and blue for a while and I couldn't pick up a drinking glass with that hand for a long time.    One of my jobs at home was to  help with the dishes before and after a meal and I couldn't even pick up a dish to hold it and dry it.  When school started back, I got excused from PE class until my wrist got better.    It was hard to pack school books and even hold pencil to write.   But, it did get better.

And this is a good and fun memory from way back when.    A time when mom told us to do something and we did it, without any sassing or back talk.    A time when the kids was always out back playing with something or building something.    A time when mom would go to the back door and yell "dinner" and her kids would come running from every direction and be ready for a good, hot meal.   These are some good, precious memories.    Sure hope y'all enjoyed this and I hope that you remembered this brother!     I love you and all the rest of my brothers; bruises, knots, scrapes, bumps and all!!!!!    I wouldn't have wanted anyone else as my brothers, because I had the best and still consider each of you "The Best"!!!!!

I have done a bit of crafting over the past few months that I haven't been around much.    My foot is finally better, Praise God!!!!!    I got the boot off one month ago yesterday.    I was very leery at first, if I could even walk without the boot.    But I managed to take it slow and my foot got stronger every day.    It actually started swelling, a LOT!    That was scary, not knowing if it was normal or not, so back to the Dr I went with what looked like a watermelon around the bottom of my leg and foot.    It was normal.    Praises for that!    I got some of those new Zip Sox compression socks.   Let me tell you, those are the bees knees!!!!    I wore them for less than a week, and the is swelling gone!!!!   Woohoo!!!    Yay!!!!!   Par-tay!!!!    I just have to say that God is sooooo good!!!!!    Now, as of right now, I still can't run, or jump on that foot, (wouldn't be doing that even if I didn't have an issue with my foot, hehehe) or go up on tip toes to look in a tall cabinet and I have to be careful about the shoes I wear, but......I am doing what I want and need to do.    I am getting out of the house, easily.    I walked to the mail box yesterday, on the gravel driveway; the first time in over 6 months and I can tell you, I don't need to do that just yet.    Stepping on the gravel makes my foot unsteady and puts stress on my ankle.   But, I am so happy that I can do what I need to do!!!!!

While managing my foot, I did do some crafting.    That always makes me feel better about life in general.    It gets me closer to God in a very real way.    I know there are many of you out there that know exactly what I'm talking about.    So, I did take a few pics.

How many of y'all know that I love purple?    Well, I make no apologies for that, I just love purple!!!!!     Lydia, in the Bible, was a seller of purple fabric.   Purple was an expensive color.    It was also considered a sign of royalty.    Since I am a daughter of the Most High God, and joint heir with Jesus Christ, that makes me royalty, thus my adoration of all things purple.    I told you all that to show you this first pic.

Hahahaha......it's purple!!!!!!      Oh my goodness, isn't that the coolest cast you ever seen!!!!!    I loved it!!!    Not the cast, but the color!!!!     I rocked it too, I'm telling ya!!!!      Hahahaha!!!     Yes, God is good!!!!!

Ok, so I was in a tag swap with a group of ladies earlier this year and this is the tag that I made for the month of July.    I think it is my favorite of all the tags I have ever made.     I REALLY enjoyed making this one.     Click on each pic and it should make them larger to see the detail better.  

This is a huge tag and I made the envelope to put it in.    You can't tell from this pic, but it is double.     The images on this tag came from everyone's fav place, Pinterest.   I printed them, cut them out, inked the edges and then roughed the edges up to make them look old.    There is lots of different sprays and beads and baubles and all kinds of stuff on this tag.

This is a paper clip I made.    The first one I ever made, as a matter of fact.   So, I was thrilled to put it on this tag to keep it together.    I put a bit of ribbon and a bauble that looks like the White House on it.

I used the paper clip to hold the big tag together.   It worked perfectly.   Now, to make more.

This is the inside.    It has a little bit of everything, including the kitchen sink on it.   More of the images that I distressed.    There is mica flakes, beads, art sugar, liquid pearls, embossing paste, shimmer sprays.......

I love this clear blue stone over the words in the song that emphasizes God!!!   I wanted to draw attention to God.   Everything we do should point to God, so that is one of the ways that this piece points to God.

and I forgot to mention glitter!    Ahhhh, glitter.....enough said.    hahahaha

I loved the mica flakes!!!!   The song looks just like it was torn from the old songbook with the ragged  and stained edges.

You can see how large this tag and envelope is.   It was big and I loved it!!!!    The very last thing I done, and I didn't get a pic of that, was to put the tag in the envelope and tie it with ribbon and then use some of my sprays on the outside of the envelope.   That just tied everything together and made it look finished.

I had a ball with this tag and one of the reasons that I did, is because of who I was making it for.   +Sylvia Tabor is who got this tag and she was thrilled with it and that made it all the more sweet for me.

I made several more tags and will post pics of them soon and more of the fun stuff I have done.

I have such a long post with so many pics and stuff I wanted to share that I will wait about sharing my devotion on God's Grace.     Just be thinking about Grace.    What it is.    How one goes about finding Grace.    And, is Grace enough?     Think about those things and I will share with you what God has revealed to me about His Grace.

It has been so good to sit down and chat with y'all today and share some of the fun stuff that's gone on!!!!    I wish I could have a cup of coffee with each of y'all and just share.    Come to think of it, I just did.   Actually, a cup and a half.   Now, if y'all will sip on a cup of coffee while looking over this post, then we will have had a "cuppa" together.     God bless each and every one of y'all as you go thru this day.   I don't know where y'all are, but here in beautiful Tennessee, it is a lovely day, and I hope it's just as lovely where ever you all are.

Ladybug, Sweetpea loves you soooo very much and can't wait till the next time we are together.   God bless you!!!

If you enjoyed what you seen and read today, tell someone about it.   Let them know that there is a place to come to and feel like you're home.   I also would love to hear from you.

Well, the only thing left to say is this:   God loves y'all and so do I!!!!   hugs, Patty

Just catchin' up.....

(Before y'all get into this, I want to say that part of this has been setting in draft for about 3 months or more, so, that is why it may sound a little more strange than usual.   hahaha)

Good morning y'all!!!!!!      Do y'all ever feel like time just flies on by, or that maybe you've just missed a week or two or even a month or two or three?    Well, I don't know about y'all, but I just feel like this year is flying by!!!!!!     I really do.     It seems like the busier I am the faster it flies on by.    But, busy is good.     Busy is very good.     I have gotten busy and have neglected my blog again.     I really hate when that happens.     I have so many projects that I want to share and just some fun stuff in the mix also.      But.....I'm gonna try to share all that I can this go around and maybe get a little caught up on some of it.

These first pics are of the cards that we made in March for our Card Ministry at Church.    I think they are fun and beautiful, as usual.

This goose one was a really nice masculine card.   We all know how hard it is to come up with pretty masculine cards.    I really love the wood grain embossing on the background and then the dots on the little green piece.    This one was a fun card to make.

The kites was also a very fun card.    I think most of us have memories of flying kites as kids and this one brought back memories of trying to fly kites in the woodsy area that I grew up in.    I could fly a kite really good, to the top of tree, and that was where it stayed till the wind blew it down, by then, it was time for a new kite to just get blown into the tree tops, again.    And to think I actually thought flying a kite was fun.    hahaha     So, if I tell someone to "go fly a a kite", it's with those memories that I say it.    hahaha   All but impossible, but, still fun to try anyway.

I really like this one also.    It was a fun card.     It is of the kookaburra.    It's a very colorful bird and we all enjoyed coloring this one.

This next pic here is of a meal that a friend and I had here while back at Burdett's Tea Room here in town, back in February.     Every table in the tea room has a hand crocheted table cloth and it is very warm and inviting.   It's such a special place to catch up with a friend or meet a new friend and have a nice meal.   Lots to look at while waiting for your food to arrive or to just enjoy looking afterward.   This was a very delicious meal.   I love to try the different scones and I usually take my scone home with me for an afternoon snack with a cup of coffee.   And as  usual, I took my scone home.     It was a strawberry and basil scone.     I'm just being honest, it was not my fav part of the meal for sure.     I think I got the scone that had most of the basil in it.   I'm happy I at least tried it, but I won't be getting this one again.    The rest of the meal was scrumptious.      That is some of the best home made pimento cheese salad I have ever eaten.    Delicious!!!!    The broccoli salad was just divine, as was the Waldorf salad.    The best part of the meal is always the friends that I dined with.      That's always the best part of any meal anyway.

The funniest thing about the basil scone was when I texted my friend and told her that I did not enjoy the basil scone.    She said she really enjoyed hers.   (That's why I think mine was one that just had a lot of basil in it.)     We started texting each other using the word "basil" as our new "it" letter word.    Hahaha, go figure!    You know, like..."what the basil did you say?"  or, "well, that's just basil", or...."oh basil!", or "you watch out now, I'll wash your mouth out with basil."    We went on all night long, or should I say, she did.    My cell phone would go off and I would look at it and it would be another basil joke.    I laughed all night long.    She should be a comedian!!!     My sweet friend, the Jesus in you has made me a better person!!! 

So, now on to more beautiful and fun cards.     This is a fun card.      It is really sparkly and shimmery.     It doesn't show up really well in the pic though.      My friend that does the Card Ministry at church let me borrow her die for this and I cut several card fronts and put them aside for further use.     I seen someone making a card using a used dryer sheet and I wanted to try one too.      It really is a neat card.

The dryer sheet was covered with adhesive on the back to stick down to the card front.     Then it was covered with really fine glitter and the excess knocked off and then the frilly card front glued down.

You can see the glittery shimmer on the card and I must say that it really is a very pretty card and I will be making more.

The final touch to the card was placing a few flat backed jewels on top of some of the little flowers on the card front.    Overall, I really love this card a bunch and can't wait to make a few more of them.

I just used this card recently for a bridal shower at church and told the bride to be that is had a used dryer sheet in it and she couldn't believe it.    No one could believe it was dryer sheet.     It looks so nice and shimmery in person, that it's really hard to tell that it is a dryer sheet.    So, now that you seen that card, the only thing left to say about that is, "Ladies, save those used dryer sheets!"     You know how we can't seem to part with anything.    Well, sooner or later someone will come up with a craft project or a card project using whatever it is that we have a problem tossing.    That's ok.    I think it's actually pretty great.

This is a cross box that I made.   I got the image from the Silhouette library.   I think it is gorgeous.   It is on a pad of paper that is 9x12.    I added some red jewels to it and then in the very middle, I had some micro beads that I put down and then used glossy accents to hold them in place and to adhere them together to make it look like one stone.   I love how it turned out.    It will be a fair entry.   

See, this is the center of the box, and I just love it!

This is another tag that I made for a special bride, earlier in the year.   I used my postage stamp die and my heart rosette die and other round rosettes to make this tag.    I embossed the whole front of the card and that made it really hard for the rosettes to stick to it like they would have, had I not gotten so embossing powder happy.    But I do love learning from my mistakes, though.    I do love the way it turned out.

This was another happy little accident.     I was gonna cut her name from vinyl and put it on the front of the envelope that I had made to put the tag in.     Well, I got the letters cut, but the vinyl would NOT stick to the card stock.   Go figure!  So, I put them down long enough to use them as a mask, and I put color around the letters and made her name pop like that.   As you can see, the envelope was purple and I used a darker purple to ink over the name, and I must say, I really LOVE how it turned out.    Then I took the little flat back red stones and just scatter glued them over the envelope and finished it off with a big sheer bow.     That was one of the most beautiful tags and envelope  that I have made.    Some of the tags I make just have more stamping on the back, others I make with the gift card sized holder on the back.

Ok, so I wanted to make some stencils.    I went to Wal Mart and dug around till I found something that I thought would work.    I found these plastic dividers and knew they would do what I wanted, so I got my goodies and headed home, happily.    If you click on the pic, it should bring up a larger pic that will allow you to see the product and the settings I used on my Silhouette.

This is what I ended up with.    And they work as well as any of the purchased stencils have.   I love them.    They have gotten a lot of use too.     When I was making a lot of bookmarks for church, these got used and used and used and I'm always pulling them out for other stuff.    I will be making more.    It was easy, fun and cheap.    You know I'm all over that!!!!!   Lots of y'all are too.   hehehe

Well, that's about it for today.     This is a blog post that I have had sitting in draft form for more than 3 months, so I pulled it out and dusted it off and just added some more projects to it.

This is the Fourth of July weekend.     The day set aside each year for us, in the United States of America to celebrate our freedom and all that we hold dear.    Freedom is the one thing that all humans on the face of the planet desire to have.   We all have that in common.    Freedom is a God given desire.    The Scripture tells us that God is no respecter of persons.     He doesn't care if you are a head of state, a president, a pauper, or a nobody,we ALL need freedom from sin!!!    The president, or head of state, or ruler is no better in God's eyes than the pauper or the prisoner.     While we as humans desire freedom; and there have been hundreds of thousands of men and women over the many centuries have died for others to have freedom; true freedom comes ONLY from Christ Jesus, as Savior and Lord of our lives!!!     We can be in chains and still know the freedom that Christ gives.    We can be behind bars and still know the freedom that Christ gives.     We can even have our lives taken from us at the hands of evil people and then be in the presence of the One and Only Freedom Giver, Jesus Christ. 

Romans 14:8 says this:  "for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's."   

This is what Paul said.    He knew first hand at having his personal freedom taken from him.    But he had determined in his heart, that NO MATTER WHAT, live or die, he would be living for Christ or he would die for Christ.    In Philippians he said something to this effect:   To live would be for Christ, to die would be gain, because he would be with Christ.  

No matter what kind of bondage you are in.    The bondage of sin is the one that you have the ability to change.    Not in your own power and strength, but thru what Jesus Christ has already done for you.    You just need to claim the victory that is yours by accepting Christ as your personal Savior.     That will break the chains of bondage on your heart.     That is where true freedom comes from!!!!    Christ is for everyone!!!!!!     He has never tuned anyone seeking Him away and He never will!!!!!!  

So as we celebrate Freedom as a nation this weekend, let us also be reminded of the greater Freedom that is ours, if we have a personal relationship with Christ.    If we don't already have that relationship with Him, then this is the perfect time to start your walk with Christ and walk in the Freedom that only Christ gives.

Thank you Jesus, for the the freedom that You give to all people who call on Your Name!!!!     Let us remember You this weekend while we are remembering the freedom that this great nation fought so hard for.    May we fight equally hard, within ourselves, for the freedom that You alone can give to those of us who desire it.    I pray that You will put the desire and need, for You, into each and every heart that does not already have the freedom that You so freely give.    Thank You Jesus!   Amen and Amen

I hope and pray that y'all seen something here today that you liked.   If you did, tell someone.    Share it with others.    I also love it when you leave me a note.

Ladybug, we hope to see this weekend sometime.   Sweetpea loves you and looks forward to another visit real soon.

Everyone, enjoy your weekend, stay safe, and thank a Veteran or a Soldier for the freedom we enjoy as a nation.   Thank Jesus for the freedom from the bondage of sin that we enjoy as Christ's Followers.

Always remember that God loves y'all, and so do I.    hugs, Patty

The End of June, Questions and Projects

So, here it is the end of June.     What??????      Where did June go????      I guess it slipped on by just like January thru May did.    I really can't say that I wasn't busy, because I was.     I worked on several different craft projects.     I have a few pics to share of some of the items I have worked on recently.     Got a few more projects in the works.     I love staying busy and having fun in my craft room.

Oh yeah, I've still got my Herman Munster boot.     Don't have any idea how long I'll be wearing that contraption, and don't really care, if it means no surgery.     So, I'll be kicking around with it for as long as necessary.     One thing I have learned.     It is harder walking up hill in my Herman boot, that it is walking down hill.      And, it's not necessarily the best thing to chase a spider in.    Because, if said spider decides to run in the toe of said boot, it's not easy to get said boot off really quickly.     (Don't ask!)     So, I don't like spiders.     Did I say I don't like spiders?      So, as long as I am sporting this highly fashionable boot, I will be calling on my "honey" to stomp any spiders I see.    hahahaha       Oh, he has come to my rescue many, many times over the last, soon to be 36 years.     He is my hero!!!!!

I always talk to y'all from the place that I am at when I make a blog post.     I just try to share with y'all in a very real way.     I try to share with y'all what God is showing me in my own life.     I also know that what ever I am dealing with, I believe others are dealing with the same issues. 

With that said:    Where do you belong?     To whom do you belong?     Do you try to fit in?     Those are difficult questions with equally difficult answers.    We spend most of our lives wanting to fit in somewhere; trying to be a part of something.      Maybe a special club or a group that we have been trying to be a part of.     I have never met a person in my life that hasn't wanted to be a part of something, belong to something or belong to someone.     I have met self proclaimed loners.     Even they have a desire to be a part of something.    Most organizations have hoops to jump through and secret handshakes and a list longer than a giraffes neck of all the pre-requisites.     The sad thing is this, even after we become a part of the Kingdom of God, we still try to fit in to all these groups, clubs or organizations.    Why  is that?     Why do we have such a need to find our place and fit in and be a part of something temporary?     Why are we not focused on the bigger picture and being focused on what we are a part of, through the blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ?     So what, (so stinkin' what), if I don't measure up in the eyes of some people!    My husband says, they are people that "have their nose out of joint".     You know the people.    You have seen those people, more than likely you have encountered those people.    You know exactly what I'm talking about.   The ones who have a permanently upturned nose, because they look as if they smell something bad.    The sad thing is, the harder they try to exclude us, the harder we sometimes try to break their barrier.     Why?    Why?    Why have I spent so much of my time trying to find validation in groups, organizations, or individuals that wouldn't spare a cup of water for me if my life depended on it?     Why have I tried so hard to find self worth in the worldly?     I have asked myself that over and over only to come up without an answer.  

The fact is this.   The day I accepted Christ as my Savior, that is the day I became a part of the Heavenly Kingdom of God!!!!!!     That is day that all the worldly stuff should have taken a back seat. I say should have, simply because it didn't.   I was still looking for belonging in the temporal.    I had not realized yet, that I was a part of something that no one could ever exclude me from.    Jesus is the One that opened the door for me.    Jesus is One that welcomed me into His kingdom.     Jesus is the One that made it possible, for a sinner such as I, to be a part of all that God had given to Him.    Jesus is the One that died on the cross for me, then arose from the grave and thus opened the door to His Father's Kingdom, to sinners such as I.

So, after a few years of still looking for groups and cliques and organizations, God finally showed me that my self worth came from Him and ONLY Him and not from this world.     My self value is based on what Jesus Christ thinks of me!  Not on what the world thinks of me and all the flaws and faults and short comings that they can see.     But on what Jesus Christ alone thinks of me.    There is not a group or an organization on the face of the planet that is equal to the Kingdom of Heaven!!!!  

Jesus Christ alone loves me enough to provide a way for me to have a relationship with Him!!!    Who does that?????    Has anyone ever provided a way for you to have a relationship with them, and no strings attached?     Have they????     I haven't walked in anyone's shoes other than my own, but I dare say, that no one has done for you what Christ has done for you.     Jesus loves me right where I am and He helps me to get past where I was and directs me to better.     The day Christ came into my life, I was in the pits of hell.     No other person would meet me right where I was and provide a way out.     He did!!!!    Jesus did!!!!    Jesus pulled me from the pits of hell and has been cleaning me up ever since.     That will soon be 38 years ago.     Have I reached a state of perfection?    Absolutely NOT!!!!!!    I can confess that I am not where I was 38 years ago; but I am not where I want to be either.    I struggle every day to do better, for the cause of Christ!     I struggle every day to do better, for the sake of Christ!     I still have sin in my life; I recognize that, and I seek God on a daily basis to help me make it through another day without being an embarrassment to my Lord and Savior.    I struggle with my temper; I struggle with the words from my mouth; I struggle with fear; I struggle with anger; I struggle my thoughts and I struggle with sooooo much more.     I am not proud to admit that, not at all.     I would love for people to look at me and think, "Wow, she really has it all together", but that's not the case.     I don't!     And I must tell you, that when my friends have actually told me that; I am very quick to tell them otherwise!!!     Oh no, not me, I don't have anything all together!!!!!!      God is so good!!!!!    Praise God, He is NOT done with me!!!!!

I said all of that to say this to you; that if at any point while you was reading what I have written, you said to yourself, "that reminds me of me"; I want to tell you that God is not done with you either!!!!    If you desire better, He will help you achieve better!      All the clubs, groups and organizations of this life will never give you what God can give you!     Eternity with Him!!!!!    God will never ask us to do something that will go against His standard for our lives.      He just won't!!!    God will always provide a way out of every situation that the enemy of this world throws at us.     Unfortunately for me, I haven't always chosen God's way out of some of the situations I have been in, even recently.     I have learned from some of my mistakes.     At the end of the day, I am still a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven!     At the end of the day, I still belong to God, through the love of Jesus Christ, in and for my life!     At the end of the day, Jesus made the way for me and NO ONE else!!!   And, at the end of the day, I don't have to try to fit in, Jesus made me acceptable when He said, "It is finished."  I fit in because of Him!    SO DO YOU!!!!!!!    If you are His, you already fit in!    If you are not His yet, it's not to late.   Just ask Him to make Himself real to you in your life and I promise you, HE WILL!!!!!    Confess to Him that you are a sinner and that you WANT to change and that He is the change you need.     Repent of your sins.   That means acknowledging your former ways and regretting what you have done or haven't done.    Then ask Him to fill your heart and soul with Himself and to lead, guide and direct you the rest of the days of your life.    Friends......it AIN'T easy!!!!!     It's not!     There are lots of people that will be wanting to see you fall and will be happy when you do.    There will probably be people in your former life that you may need to walk away from.  There was for me.    But, there will be more people that will be rooting you on.     There will be people that will be pulling you along, and there will be people that will be praying for you.

So..........I ask you these questions again.    Where do you belong?   (In the Kingdom of God!)     To whom do you belong?   (God!)     Do you try to fit in?    (You don't have to try to fit in in the Kingdom of God, if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, You belong, you already fit in!)    I hope you have answers now that maybe you didn't have before you started reading this.    Just know that God loves you more than you can ever begin to imagine and your self esteem and freedom comes from Him alone!!!!

So, what about some of those projects?     Ok, lets do it!

Ok, so the first picture is of my dragonfly clips I made.   I cut two dragonflies and layered them and dotted them with glitter glue and then adhered them to the mini clothes pins.    They are so cute!!!!!    I just love them!

These are some post in note holders I made.   They turned out really nice and I liked them a lot.

This is what they look like open.   It is really easy to replace the post it note pad when it is used up.

This is an altered picture frame.    I went to a mystery craft event at the UT Extension Office and this was one of the crafts.   To paint the frame how ever we wanted too.     I got my frame really muddled looking at the event, but I done some more on it when I home and got it looking like I had wanted and then I put one of my stamped and die cut images in the frame and decorated it with some jewels.   I like how it turned out, a lot.

I had a bridal shower to go to at church and I made the bride a tag as a keepsake.   That is what I have started doing and they really love the keepsake.   This is the front of it.

This is the back of the keepsake tag.

This was just a stamped image that I water-colored.    It's not great, but I was kinda happy with it.   

This is a tag that I made for a friend.    I was sooooo happy with the way it turned out.     I just love when the final image looks like the initial image in my head.    This did, and I have to say it really is beautiful.

This is another tag that I made for another friend, and as with the other one, this one came out like I had hoped it would.     It looks just like the image in my mind and it too, is beautiful.

 This is an artist trading card of a half face.    I pencil drew it and then sprayed a fixative on it and then sprayed different colors of Lindsay's Stamp Gang on it and then stamped it with a wonderful sentiment.

This is my state flower artist trading card.      I stamped the image and then used my water color pencils to color it.    After coloring it, I just sprayed it with water and swirled it around and let it dry.    I then colored the flower with clear Wink of Stella, which gives it a wonderful shimmer and then I stamped the word Iris on it.    I really enjoyed doing this atc.

This final project was My favorite scripture artist trading card.    The paper itself was a gift from a friend at Christmas.    She had made the paper by doing the shaving cream with different spots of ink and dipping your paper on the colored shaving cream.    She sent me a stack of these beautiful papers and I knew it was for a special project, I just didn't know what the project would be.    I stamped one of my fave Bible verses and then added a feather trimmed with a gold thread and a ruby stone.     I also put a cross on it.   I think it turned out really great.

So, there you have it some of what has kept me busy for the last little bit.    I hope and pray that y'all enjoyed seeing some of my projects.    None of it is really fancy, but I had a fun with all of it and look forward to more fun in the near future, maybe tomorrow.    hahaha

Ladybug, Sweetpea loves you a lot and looks forward to visiting again!  

As I leave y'all this evening, I ask y'all these questions again:     Where do you belong?     To whom do you belong?     Do you try to fit in?      I hope you have clear answers to those questions and that you know that God desires for you to spend the rest of your life in His watch care and then enjoy eternity in His presence.     God loves you!!!    Have a great night and a wonderful, safe 4th of July weekend coming up this weekend.    For those of us that live in the United States of America, let's remember what that day actually means.    I pray, that we as a nation would put God first in everything we do.    In order to do that, we must give God first place in our individual, every day lives.    I have a friend that says, "make good choices".     I pray that we will make good choices in every aspect of our lives.

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

Where have I been??????

What a question to ask, huh?    Well, I asked myself that too, only to come up with no answer.    It just seems like at times, we have to just get still and calm some of the noise of life that goes on around us and life seems to be getting louder every day.     So, I reckon I just went internal for a while.   Certainly not meaning to ignore my blog or those of y'all who are faithful readers and followers.    So, I do apologize for my absence, but, I really needed the time away from it.    I hope to be back with fresh new insight and fun crafts and more stories and just all that you have seen here in the past, only better, maybe.    The funny thing is, I have a blog post that has been sitting in "draft form" for almost 2 months and I have looked at it many times and just haven't been able to hit the "publish" button.     I will go ahead and post it at some point, but I just felt the need to do a totally new post today instead.  

One thing I would like to remind myself and all of y'all from time to time, is to remember those around us that are hurting.    It just seems the list is growing exponentially on a daily basis.    Friends have lost loved ones; friends are dealing with sickness, surgery and recovery; a sweet cousin just getting over major surgery; another special cousin just getting back to work after major surgery; friends have lost jobs; friends have lost homes due to fire; all the unrest going on across the nation and world..............and the list goes on and on.    I also have to say that there is a lot of good stuff going on in friends lives also.    New babies are always that special gift from God and when there is twins, that is a double blessing.     So congrats, to a long distance friend that is enjoying the double blessing of Grandma!    One of my cousins just became a wonderful Grandmother and I'm so thrilled for her!    Another special friend becoming a Grandma thru her daughter being a foster parent.    Friends with new jobs.    Friends making plans for new change coming their way.     Congratulations to all for the great things going on!!!!!     Praise God!!!!!      Folks, if you are not on the list in any way, if you have nothing heavy going on in your circumstance right now, thank God for that blessing, because that's what it is, a blessing.     On the other hand, if you are in one of these circumstances or anything that I didn't mention, I challenge you to just hang on.    God knows about your circumstance.     He is going before you even as I type and making the way for your circumstance to change for the better.     But, until "better" gets here, remember our friend Paul, and all his writings that was inspired directly by God.

In the midst of our circumstance or our season at hand, you and I can be content and have joy and peace while going thru it.  That is what Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me" is all about.   It's not about having bigger, better anything, or moving on up to bigger house or better job or nicer car or fancier clothes; but being satisfied and joy filled and contented with what we have in the circumstance or season of our lives, by leaning on what Jesus Christ has done for you and I; who, by the way, is much bigger than any situation or circumstance you or I can ever be in. When looking at this verse, and all scripture in reality, we must look at in the context in which it was written.   Paul was speaking about adverse times when he spoke these profound words.  He wasn't speaking of the good times; moving on up the corporate ladder and finding his joy because he was on a higher rung today than he was yesterday; and being able to wave down at his buddies as he left them choking on his smoke as he speed-ed on up that ladder.  Not hardly, at all!!!!!!   Paul was coming from a place of having been in chains and behind bars and little food and being led from here to there by people who had no regards for him, all for the sake of Christ.    He had found the key to contentment.   And that was leaning in on his source of strength, Jesus Christ!!!!   My friend, if you don't have joy and peace and contentment in your life, let me just say this, the only place you will ever find it is in the same place Paul found it, Jesus Christ!     The world just can't offer what it knows nothing about.     Unrest, tension, and problems can only breed unrest, tension and problems!     When we desire better for ourselves, we must go directly to the source of "better", and that is Jesus Christ!!!!     So, y'all, lets go to the source, Jesus Christ, and lift all those around us to the Throne of mercy and grace and thank God for all the blessings and ask Him to help those going through difficult circumstances to just hang on, because God is already in our tomorrow going ahead of each one of us working our days out!     Thank you Father God for all the blessings!!!!!     Thank you Father God for knowing all about each one of us, and loving us anyway!!!!!!    Thank you Father God for your mercy and grace that you so freely give!!!!!!      I look forward to seeing how God is going to work in the tests of our lives and turn those tests into "test"imonies, all for HIS glory!!!!!     Praise God and Halleluiah!!!!

While I have been absent, I have still been doing things, crafty wise, that is.    There's always something going on.     I've worked on an ongoing project of making bookmarks for church and that has slowed down for now.     It has been a most pleasurable time while making them and I loved every second of it.   God is so good and He has blessed my efforts and for that, I am so very thankful.    Some of us at church has been working on some craft projects that we will be selling in what we are calling, "The Country Store", first annual fundraiser.    It has been a great time of getting together and crafting.   Lots of fun and laughter and fellowship has been had by all who was blessed to be a part of it.    We all have been working on projects at home too.    I can't wait to see what all we come up with to put in The Country Store.   We pray for God's blessings on the efforts that have been put forth for His glory!  

In the midst of all of this fun and happy stuff going on, I have been dealing with, or should I say, not dealing with very well, an issue with my foot.    I have got achilles tendonitis in the back of my heel on my left foot, making it almost impossible to walk.    Ibuprofen and rice ice bags have been my best friends for the past six weeks.    I finally got in to see the podiatrist this week and walked out with something on my foot that I have lovingly called a "Herman Munster" cast off shoe.     I really hope he doesn't come looking for it, because I will NOT let him have it back till I'm done with it.   hahahaha    

I have had a great learning experience with this so called "Herman" boot.     The Dr actually told me that I could take the boot off when I am setting down.     Ok, I can do that, right?     Well, yes I can, easy enough.    But, I am not to be walking without it.    I have been in enough pain that I don't WANT to be walking with it.    So, I take my boot off while setting down.     Guess what, my bladder does not know anything about this Herman boot, nor does it care, not even a little bit.     So when mother nature calls, I commence to putting my boot on while talking to myself and encouraging myself that I can get this boot on and make the call of nature in time.     I feel like Houdini getting in and out of this contraption, really!     So the lesson learned is that my bladder does NOT know that it's relief depends solely on me getting this boot on, quickly!    So, while sitting down, I keep said boot on, because it IS impossible to put it on quickly enough to satisfy my finicky bladder.    hahaha     Ok, I'm sure that wasn't what you wanted to hear about today, so for that I apologize.   Just wanted to share a little bit of my "I Love Lucy" moments.    Sometimes I feel like I am in a sit com, with no viewers (thank God) hahahaha!    So, I just wanted to share a funny moment of my day.    In all seriousness, I would appreciate prayers on this matter, because if the boot does not help, surgery will be in the works, and I really do not want that.     So I appreciate your prayers.    God is good and I believe that He will take care of this.

Anyway, I have a pic or two to share with you before I call it a night and put my boot to bed.   hahahaha

This is some of the bookmarks that I have made with a fish and starfish theme.

Some more of the sand dollar bookmarks.   I love the the sand dollars, they make me happy.

This is a "flip flop" album and journal.   It is made with 5 sheets of 12 x 12 heavy cardstock with lots of scoring and folding and then cutting pieces of designer card stocks and papers.    It is an awesome album to make and so much fun!

This is the same one, just the other side, decorated with lots of beautiful designer cardstock and papers.   I just love this and may make some more later on.

Anyway, I just wanted to show you that I have been crafting and I do have a lot more to share later on.   Keep your eyes peeled, because I will be back with some special shares that I can't wait to show y'all.

Ladybug, Sweetpea loves you and hopes to get back up for a visit real soon.

Well, I think I have kept y'all here just about long enough for now.     I hope y'all have read and seen something here today that has tickled your funny bone and I hope and pray that y'all will come back soon for another visit.    In the mean time, always remember that God loves y'all  and so do I.     hugs, Patty