Back again for another great challenge over at the Perfect Sentiments challenge blog! This week we're going to create a card with a sentiment of congratulations or any sentiment that acknowledges an accomplishment or encourages someone to pursue their dreams/goals.
Our sponsor this week is Pattie's Creations! The winner will receive a free digital image. Be sure to stop over to Pattie's Creations and have a look around!
Our "Twist" this week is to use this sketch as inspiration for your card design. Feel free to rotate or flip the sketch to make it work for you as long as we can still see the basic outline of the sketch in your design.
Here's the sketch:
Here's my contribution for this weeks challenge. I'll be adding this one to the "Maine Mom" box which is getting filled up! I know Mom will have many "card worthy" people that she'll consider for this one!
Hope you enjoy! Until next time.
Theresa
For more inspiration check out my fellow design team members
What began as a typical week with a typical challenge became not so typical when I sat down to write this weeks blog post.
I made this weeks card for the Perfect Sentiments challenge but didn't know that the two simple words used as my sentiment would create such a stirring reminder in my heart today. Please let me take a few moments to share with you the story of a mans life and the legacy he leaves behind.....
"Pastor Vondel Allen" is known by many who grew up in my old home town in Maine as a pastor who had an extra special heart. I remember Pastor Allen as I traveled through life as he played a key role in several of my life experiences.
The first time I walked down the aisle at church to accept Jesus into my heart, Pastor Allen was there at the front of the church, holding out his arms for me to welcome me into God's family. (Please know his patience when I came the 2nd & 3rd time as well!)
When I was 17 and pregnant and afraid to tell my parents, Pastor Allen was there with me to deliver the news and support me.
9 1/2 years later when I buried my son Anthony, again, Pastor Allen stood by my side, offering words of support and encouragement at a time when I felt all hope was lost.
I learned today that Pastor Allen was in the hospital and expected to soon journey home to be with our Lord. I took in the words when I heard them and let them settle on my heart. Could it be that this man of God would be gone from this earth soon? All the lives he and his family touched would be forever changed because his life would be ending. It was difficult to allow this thought to settle in my mind and my heart. God's perfect plan included Pastor Allen.
Then, for a moment, I sat back, reflecting on the times he was present in my life and wondered to myself "how many others were touched by him?" The tears came and my hands rested on my Bible, seeking to find something within its pages to bring peace to my aching heart. I remember back to my sons grave when Pastor Allen spoke gently to me about God's plan for each of our lives. He encouraged me in my grief by reminding me that one day all who believe would be called home to spend eternity with God and we would all celebrate the One who created us to walk through our lives here on earth.
10:20pm::: I've just learned that Pastor Allen has been lifted into his heavenly Fathers arms. I rejoice in the beauty of this mans heart, and of years of selfless dedication as a servant with a genuine love for his true Father. I am better to have known him and so are others who can call him husband, father, Pastor and friend.
I was listening to some music and this song came across my mind.....I like to think of it as God's way of reminding me of the importance of saying "thank you" to those who touch our lives. For Pastor Allen, his wife Paula and children......"Thank you......Mine is a life that was changed....."
Just think: Of stepping on shore and finding it heaven Of touching a hand and finding it God's Of breathing new air and finding it celestial Of waking up in glory and finding it HOME!(author unknown)
Theresa
Card details:::This weeks challenge card was to create a card with a sentiment of thanks on the front. The "twist" was to use some form of distressing on your card...paper tearing, wrinkling, inking, distressed edges etc. Our Sponsor for this weeks challenge at Perfect Sentiments is Stictchy Bear Digital Stamps with a $10.00 voucer to their store.
There are a few things that I especially love to use when crafting.
Spellbinders Dies
Bible verse stamps
Flower Images
How fortunate for me that I was able to incorporate all three of these into some cards which go in the "For Sale" basket! I purchased the bible verse set at a recent
craft show, they're from Our Daily Bread. The Spellbinders die is one of my favorite to use, I just love the shape of these and the different sizes. The flower images are two stamps that I purchased a few years ago but still pull down to use quite frequently. Just goes to show that "new" isn't always better!(The grass is from the set "Inspired by Nature" from Stampinup)
I did a mass production one night of these, 6 of each verse. I'm not a big supporter of mass production as my passion is really one-of-a-kind creations but people often enjoy
buying multiples of these types of cards to have on hand so mass production was the only way to go!
These are 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" in size. I used SU's "Cameo Coral" paper that I had on hand as well as the matching ink. Stamped on whisper white and
mounted on some basic black paper, topped with some Martha Stewart rose ribbon and these come together quickly!
The batch is already half gone so if you want a few (along with other creations I've made) be sure to drop me a line and let me know!
Time really passes by quickly doesn't it? Today, as I remember the life of my son Anthony I realize a little more than usual just how quickly we journey through our lives. Things are moving so fast it
seems, as we rush through each day taking care of "things" that have made their way to the top of our list. Things such as work, cleaning, paying bills, spending time with family...this list could go on quite a bit because we fill our days with all kinds of things don't we?
I had the blessed opportunity the other day to sit and listen to a beautiful lady share the story of the life and death of her own son. She voiced things that resonated with me which I've pondered over the past few days.
After the loss of a loved one, there seems to be this "acceptable" period of time that a person can grieve and talk about their loss and then one day, they wake up and realize that no one wants to listen anymore. Their voice is shut down as they are cut short, ignored and unfortunately, often turned away from because it's not comfortable for the other person to hear and they just don't have the time to listen.
If you've lost someone whom you love, you can probably relate to this at some level. I know that when this lady was sharing the story of her son, even though the details of her loss were significantly different from mine, I was drawn to her words, her expressions and certainly to her tears. Several years have gone by since her son died and she still needs to share his story. I get this but often feel that others don't.
Anthony passed away in 1995 at the young age of 9 1/2. Yes, he was taken too young and his death,
placed a deep grief upon my heart which I still feel today, although the sting of my grief is certainly not as intense as it use to be, but it never goes away.
I still share Anthony's story with others, I want people to know who he was and the impact he had on my life. I want to describe his beautiful heart and the effects of disease on his body. I want to let everyone know that although he never spoke, he had a voice which came from within him. I want people to stop and listen to me....to allow me the opportunity to share his story and on ocassion, to shed a tear because I miss him so much, even after all these years have gone by. His life was a piece of my life and now it's missing and that makes me very sad, especially on days like today when I sit for a spell and think about him.
I created this shadowbox for my sister Debe (surprise!) I have wanted to make something for her home that was in memory of Anthony because he was a special part of her life as well. I've been working on this for over a month, each piece had to contribute to the whole perfectly. In a way, I see this shadowbox as a means for carrying on Anthony's voice. I know Debe will understand this as I do.
If someone shares with you about a loss they have experienced, can I encourage you to stop, be still and listen to them? Sometimes, all a person needs is to talk with someone who genuinely cares for them to feel their voice matters. You play an important role in their lives. Be that someone special who listens and loves.
Back again for another great challenge over at the Perfect Sentiments challenge blog! I love how this team presses on me to step outside of my comfort zone and try enw things! This week, the colors used for this challenge are ssstttrrreeetttccchhhiiinnnggg me to go to the unnatural side!! lol!! But, I am obedient and will readily accept the challenge and I will love what I create!! lol!
This weeks challenge is to create a card with a sentiment for Easter. The "twist" is to use three or more of the colors from the attached color story in the design of your card. (Be sure to put your sentiment on the front of your card!)
Here's the color story:
Here's my card inspired by the color story:
I'm use to Easter cards being somewhat clean, elegant, and typically done in purples, creams or neutral colors.....pretty much everything that would be related to an image of a cross. That was the "unnatural" part of this challenge for me. I enjoyed creating this card, the colors are actually quite vibrant and joyful, they feel like the fun side of Easter....hey...even this ole girl can have fun every once and a while!!
Our sponsor this week is Shelly's Images with the prize being one free digi image!! Please do stop
over and check out Shelly's blog, she's been a consistent sponsor of the challenges at Perfect Sentiments and we love her for that!!
Hope you enjoy! Until next time.
For more inspiration check out my fellow design team members
"I think I can, I think I can".... Wally Piper's The Little Engine That Could is one of the greatest tales of motivation and the power of positive thinking ever told.
In this well-loved classic by Wally Piper, a little train carrying oodles of toys to all of the good boys and girls is confronted with a towering, seemingly impassable mountain. As nicely as they ask, the toys cannot convince the Shiny New Engine or the Big Strong Engine--far too impressed with themselves--to say anything but "I can not. I can not." It is left up to the Little Blue Engine to overcome insurmountable odds and pull the train to the other side
Fast forward to adulthood.......all grown up, feeding our intellect, maturing our social skills, forming families and chasing our dreams. I am consciously aware that although I may achieve these life successes, I struggle with growing into the person that God intended for me to be......does this resonate with you?
The little engine that could mentality takes a beating as we journey through life by way of lost relationships, hurt feelings, disappointments and fear. We become increasing fearful of taking the risk, realizing our passions and stepping fully into the life of an "on fire Christian". We convince ourselves that we aren't good enough, smart enough, capable enough of going after our passions in life because there always that chance that something will beat us down again and let's face it....that becomes a tough thing to face after a while doesn't it?
I went to Maine recently to spend time with my father and mother with dad being in the hospital
and very sick. I cried as I sat in the room with him, watching his weakened body muster up enough energy to sit on the side of the bed or take a few steps. I wanted to gently push him down into the bed and whisper in his ear, "stop pushing yourself...it's too painful to watch." I would have traded places with him in an instant but this was his struggle to bear and there was nothing I could do to make things better.
During my visit, a couple stopped by to see dad and brought him a card which had a magnet in it. This simple gesture brought tears to his eyes and as I read the magnet I began to understand why he was so touched. It simply said "Never never never give up." My dad understood this statement and from what I could see, he was living this statement with each painful move and each brief step.
I also began to understand that my father wasn't necessarily reading this and saying to himself "I think I can, I think I can". Rather, I knew that he believed that because of his relationship with his heavenly Father, he was able to look forward and "Never give up"....just as he had been doing all along. I have learned many life lessons from my dad and this one would be of great value to me when I returned home and continue to move forward in my own life.
Do I experience the faith that my father and mother do? Do I cling to Jesus even during those times of struggle? Can I firmly say that because of the promises given to me by my heavenly Father that I need not ever give up?
How about you? Are you able to never give up? Do you find restoration in the arms of your heavenly Father?
I think I can.......I know I can.....Never give up......how blessed are we to know that God has never given up on us, even during those times when we give up on ourselves!
Hello all! Welcome back to the world of creativity with another challenge by Perfect
Sentiments! Our host this week is the fabulous Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps and More and the prize is 5 Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps of the winner's choice!! Now there is a reason to jump in on this challenge!!
It's Christmas time over at Perfect Sentiments this week! No need to put your Christmas tree back up.... just create a card with a sentiment for Christmas! [Your sentiment must be on the front of the card.] The "Twist" this week is to use some ribbon, lace, baker's twine, seam binding, etc. on your card.
When I began designing this card, I had to chuckle as I remember my sister putting the counter up on her facebook which showed the count down to Christmas. The chuckle comes form her putting it up months in advance of the season....she finds this normal!! I do love creating Christmas cards and when the time comes around for them to be needed, it's always nice to have a little stash to pull from!
I had this beautiful stamp set called "A Cottage Christmas" and is from Waltzingmouse Stamps. I didn't get to use this set very much during the holidays which gave me the perfect reason to pull it out for this weeks challenge! I embossed the images onto watercolor paper using glitter gold embossing powder, and when heated up, it sparkles and shimmers and really defines the image. I used my Prisma pencils to color in the open areas of each image and then used my Gamsol to soften the colors.
For my sentiment, I couldn't get any of my dies to work with me and knew I had to come up with a solution because the image had to go at the top of the card [confession::: I did a little "too much" blending on the chimney stack and had to cover it
up!!] I used my Spellbinders Labels Five to put the sentiment on. You'll notice that it doesn't look like Labels Five but if you look closely, I cut the image with the entire die and then inverted the die on one of the ends to create this new shape! I got some creative mojo going on for this one!! woohoo!!
My bow is made with a simple gold ribbon on my new bow maker that Mark made me {aka....gifted hubby!!} This bow is a triple eight bow and is simple to make with my new toy! I mounted the top image onto a brown cardstock and then placed this on top of the watercolor card base. The finished card measures 5 3/4" x 5 3/4" and fits nicely into a 6" squared envelope.
One more card to add to the "Maine Mom" box....I know she'll enjoy sending this one out once the holiday season arrives!
Hope you enjoy! Until next time.
Theresa
For more inspiration check out my fellow design team members
