Black and White Mother's Day

Mother's Day... we are so thankful my parents are home from Israel for a few months!   We had a fun day celebrating Mother's Day and my Mom's birthday, which was actually in March.  Her favorite store is Coldwater Creek and this is what they give you when you purchase a gift card there.  You know, to wrap it in.  Which would have been fine, except my BROTHER chose to "trump" me, by giving her the SAME EXACT gift the day BEFORE.  So then I felt OBLIGATED to at least upgrade my packaging, if I couldn't upgrade the gift.  Childish?  I'm ok with that. 

I'm on a sort of Black and White kick these days... thanks to the K&Company paper pack I got.  And I'm glad this is Mom's favorite store because then I have access to lots of these little boxes and bags to alter! 

Here are her Mother's Day and Birthday cards... the one on the left is actually a paper pack I picked up at Ross.  Did you know they sell scrapbooking/cardmaking supplies?  Who knew?  Over by the books.  For REALLY cheap:)  The card on the right has Stampin'Up! stamps and Basic Grey patterned paper (2nd Favorite!... Um, #1 Cosmo Cricket, #3 K&Company.  I know you were dying to know).

And the card Carly made for her Grammy.  She had fun heckling me for items.  I think she's pretty clever!

*side note: My brother did NOT hand make any cards.  I'm just saying.  Sibling Rivalry NEVER gets old:)

Scripture Challenge: HYMN

One of the things we love about our church is worshipping God.  Together, with our church family.  A community.  Our new sanctuary was completed this winter (you can read about it HERE if you are so inclined)... this picture is of the bell that is in the new bell tower.  Someone rings it every Sunday to call us to worship.  This verse is God's call to worship for us... it's what we were created for.  To worship Him.  Love that.

Scripture Challenge: PERFECT

A couple more verses I wanted to add, but alas, not enough room...

As or God, His way is perfect;  the word of the Lord is flawless.

He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.

Psalm 18:30

It is God who arms me with strength

and makes my way perfect.

Psalm 18:32

But mostly these days, I'm really loving Isaiah.  And this Scripture Challenge.  I have learned a lot, and a few nights ago, I made up my own... not so much to be creative and make a digital image, but because something was really weighing heavy on my mind and it seemed like the best way for me to figure out what God had to say about it.  Turns out, God isn't silent afterall.  Love that.

This picture is from our vacation last summer.  I was having trouble finding a picture for this challenge (hence my 11th hour posting!) and decided to look in pictures from our "Perfect Vacation" and smiled when I remembered this one!  We were on our cruise ship leaving from Pier 91 in Seattle, and as I was taking pictures of the Space Needle, the Blue Angels flew over!  Not sure why, but it sure was impressive to watch them!  Such precision.  Such PERFECTION.  Stedfast.  It was the beginning of a GREAT vacation where we spent every minute being in awe of God's perfection in nature.  Pretty cool.  Love these verses.

Travel Journal

A post for my sister.  Everyone knows I will do ANYTHING for my sisters.  When they ask, I hook them up.  This is for you, Laurie.... Travel journal post.  Since you are making one for your trip to Israel.  Excuse me, 2 other readers, as I address my sister here...

Ok, I started with a SU blank journal... I chose this because it comes with a "blank" chipboard cover, and cardstock pages.  So, sturdy.  You can use ANY pre-made journal and alter it, or you could get REALLY Creative and cut your OWN carstock and chipboard cover and MAKE the whole thing using a Bind-It-All.  That's pretty ambitious:)  ANYWAYS, I started by covering it with some "travel-y" looking scrapbook paper from Michael's (it's double sided, and red on the flipside) so I secured it using super sticky double-sided tape.  I put that "Alaska" plastic cut out on the front, mostly because I had it in my stash of "Alaska" items I bought at YOUR scrapbook store (remember that?  It was a YEAR before our trip!!) it was too long, so I had to cut off 1/2 of the moose!  I tied the "coins" on the top of the rings just because I thought they were fun. 

Ok, so the inside...  I cut a DIFFERENT travel paper to fit the inside cover... I did NOT fold paper over the edges (you know with mitered corners, etc) I just cut it to fit to the edges.  A ruler is a HUGE must for this, unless you are REALLY into Trial-and-Error.  Which DOES come in handy, sometimes!  Anyways, Trial an Error is how I made the pocket:)  I STARTED by cutting the paper bigger than the size I wanted the pocket to be... punched holes with the Bind-it-All (right side of paper) and RE-cut the paper after lining it all up (remember the Ruler?  This is why you REALLY need it!) then I covered all but the punched holes with clear packing tape, and taped that bad boy down.  Hind sight?  Don't bother with the pocket.  I never used them:)  HA!  I won't put them on again.  You know, for me.  ANYWAYS, speaking of the packing tape... before I put the pocket all the way on I covered the whole cover (front and back) with strips of the packing tape.  I WOULD recommend this as it makes it kind-of-water proof.  I know you can see the tape, but I was glad I did... of course, we were on a cruise, so since you are going to the DESSERT, you might not need this option. 

So, We had the luxury of knowing for the most part, what we were going to do each day.  I made a list of "Day one, Day two..." and put the dates with them, etc.  I think the dates look cool typed out like "03.25.10" but that's me.  You can do it anyway you want, or no dates at all.  I would definately have pages for TRAVELLING because you know something fun is going to happen while you are travelling with Amanda!  HA!  That's the whole point of the travel journal... you take the time to write these things down when they happen, or at the very least, each night, while they are fresh in your mind.  You will be SO happy to have those memories in a few months when you completely forget the minor details and only remember the "Big things".  Trust me.  ANYWAYS, I figured out how many days we were going to be gone, broke it down into dates, and figured out how many pages I could have for each day.  I knew there were some days we were going to be doing a TON of stuff, and some we were going to be just driving, so I shifted pages accordingly (ie, 7 pages for the day we went to Skagway, and only 3 for travelling).  Once I got that figured out, I printed out "labels" on the computer.  Then I punched them out using my SU oval punch, and backed them with the scallop oval punch.  Yes, I justified this purchase EXCLUSIVELY for this book.  Of course, I've used it a million times since, but this is what I really wanted it for.  I attached the labels...  then I made MORE labels for each of the places I thought we would see...  while we were on the cruise, we had an itinerary that we would  DEFINATELY be sticking to, so I put those on the pages on the dates they fell under... but AFTER the cruise, when we were "just" doing our own thing out west, I made labels, but didn't attach them to the book.  You could put double sided tape on them and stick them on a piece of clear acetate and tuck them in those pockets and attach like stickers when you need them!  What a GREAT idea for those useless pockets!  HA... I just stuck them on when I got home.  Well, really, last week.

I also "assigned" pages to Ben and Carly that they were supposed to write on.  Their point of view is always so funny!  Renae had given me stamps with their names on them, so I stamped their pages with those. They didn't do much writing, in the end, however.  What ended up happening with us was that "Journal time" came at 11pm at night when they were in bed, so they just shouted out to me what they thought were the best parts of the day, and I included it... sometimes they wrote, though:)  I had to get over their scribbly handwriting, which was NOT SO EASY FOR ME, but I did it:)

See, there's Ketchikan day...

Oh, YOU MUST DO THIS... each night, I wrote down the digital numbers that my camera attaches to each picture and wrote what the pictures were of... EXPECIALLY when we were on the Oregon Coast (actually, I wrote those down IMMEDIATELY because we were going to so many cool places that kind of looked the same).  I burned a CD to stick in the back of this journal after we got home, so I can always see the pictures that go with each day. 

Ok, so you get the idea that I stamped travel stamps through out the journal.... decorate it anyway you want. 

Then I attached the hair elastic to the back with my crop-a-dile.  Punch the hole first, then put the elastic through (I used the LARGE ones that go on like a headband... Target, and cut it in 1/2), then stick the eyelet through the hole (BESIDE The elastic) and smoosh.  You  might need to look at that picture for a little bit and play around with it so that your elastic will lay flat, like below. 

Lastly, here's how I put the ribbon bookmark on... just laced it through the rings.  Real fancy, huh?!  I did find the book mark helpful to "keep my place"... which is what a book mark does, right?  Real Rocket Science here.

Hope that helps you and that you have fun making your Israel Journal.  Send me some pictures!

Scripture Challenge: NEIGHBOR

Neighbor.... one living or located near.  Reading through the Bible looking for references regarding "Neighbor" brought up the words found in this verse over and over.  It's referred to in Matthew 22:39 as "the Second Greatest Commandment".  Love your neighbor as yourself.  The "First Greatest Commandment" is usually listed with it, and makes up the first part of the verse I used with my picture, above:

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart

and with all your soul and with all your strength

and with all your mind' and

'Love your neighbor as yourself' "

Luke 10:27

When the Expert in the Law (who was speaking the above passage) asked Jesus who his neighbor was, Jesus answered him with the story of the Good Samaritan.  I love that story (you can read it in verses 30-37) and have GREAT memories of my father telling it over and over again when he used to give tours at a "replica" of the Holy Land in Virginia.  Pretty ironic, since in his "retirement", he gives tours in the REAL Holy Land!!

The picture is of the back of the house of my All-Time Favorite Neighbor.  Love these people.  Loved it when my parents bought the lot in the woods behind their house and built a house for US to live in, when I was 16.  Their daughter was my Best Friend BEFORE we even moved behind them, so you can imagine how very happy I was to get to be so close to her!  (HI SUE!!!!!!)  I love this picture the most because it shows the view I had everytime I snuck through the treeline, to Sue's back door.  (Our house was to the right of the big tree in the right of the picture)  My favorite memory of Sue being my neighbor would be the time she was hanging out at my house and then went home and called me 10 minutes later to tell me she forgot her car:) 

Even though the image in my picture shows my LITERAL neighbor, Jesus it telling us that the neighbor He's talking about is everyone around us... show them mercy (v37) and love them like you love yourself. 

Random Cards #4

It's been a while since I've posted just Random Cards, but here are a few that have fallen off my desk in the last few weeks...

So last month I placed a REALLY BIG Stampin' Up order:)  I needed to restock on many items (um, CARDSTOCK) and took full advantage of their Sale-A-Bration celebration, which translates into FREE STUFF.    One of the things I've had my eye on for a while is the "Thank You" sizzlit die... cuts out "thank you" when you run it through the Cuttlebug (ah, still LOVE that thing!) then you can glue them down on a card.  I'm going to make some of these for my sister-in-law's who are currently pregnant... although, no butterflies for Randee, she's having a boy!  (Hi Parker!!) They are fun! (the letters, not Randee and baby Parker.  Although, I she's fun, too, and I'm sure Parker will be too! Digress...) The butterflies are NOT MINE!  They are from Betsy's order and apparently I did not see them in the mini-spring catalog (same idea, sizzlit die you run through the Cuttlebug... however, that one EMBOSSES at the same time, so you get dots!)  I am the Master at talking Betsy into letting me borrow her stuff!  Aren't they cute?  That die cuts out 5 different sizes of butterflies.  Anyways, the inside of the card ALSO has a cut out (Top Note, you will be seeing that soon...) and a butterfly on it.  Seriously, that card took 2 minutes.  If you get it in the mail, don't be offended:)

MORE goodies from my order... In the mini-spring catalog, there is a new stamp set called "Tiny Tags" and it is very tiny stamps that you can stamp and then punch out with the mini-tag jewelry punch.  Yes, had to indulge in BOTH.  Also fun about this stamp set, SU! is putting out some of their sets WITHOUT wood blocks, which I prefer!  So exciting for me.  This card also features the Basic Grey (Lemondade) paper my AWESOME mother-in-law got me for Christmas!  Love those 6x6 paper pads!  The "Love" stamp in the corner is from TAC, ribbon is SU! Old olive.  Cardstock, SU!

Closeup of the tiny tags...

Finally.... "Thoughts and Prayers" stamp set.  I've also had this on my list for a while.  It has really nice sympathy sentiments, but seriously?  I hated having to send this card.  I hate it when people you love are going through something that you can't even imagine.

THAT is the Top Note die, and another little butterfly floating by.  Taffeta ribbon (kraft).

Scripture Challenge: FOLLOW

Follow.  To engage in as a calling or way of life.  To copy after, to imitate. 

I REALLY liked this verse mostly because of the "story" that came after it:

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said

"I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me

will never walk in darkness, but will have the

light of life.

John 8:12

It's the story of Jesus teaching in the temple, and the Pharisees questioning the validity of his testimony.  Here's the EXAMPLE he sets for us.... he knows where he came from, and where he's going (v 14).  He keeps talking to them, trying to explain and they are getting confused and just not "seeing it"... what they needed was to FOLLOW him, and realize that HE is the light they needed.  I can totally relate to that.  The skeptic in me wants to GET IT completely, and sometimes that just doesn't happen... He lights the way for me and guides me.  And like the light house is for a ship at sea, he's all I need to get to safety.  This is the way of life He has called me to...

The picture is from another great day I spent with my little family.  Last August, we spent a week "exploring" the coast of the Pacific Northwest.  We LOVED every minute of it!  This is the Heceta Head Lighthouse along the Oregon Coast.