The Decision

 
 In following up on "It is personal" from the last post let us go one step farther. Yep, you can go on from there. In life it is inevitable that you will at some time decide to seek more education for some special purpose. That could be for most anything such as a job, a special event or a hobby or even for the joy of knowing something new. The list is all but endless. For some that means a lifelong endeavor of study, tests and practical use of what was learned and even higher education. For those of us that are Christians it is called Discipleship. When each of us reads the bible it will say something different to each of us. In fact If you read a verse and read it again in a few month or years it will most likely have a slightly different meaning than it did before. Our lives change. Our perspectives change. The word is the "living" word for this reason. It is relevant today, tomorrow and the next day. It has been so for more than 2000 years. There are things that are unchanging in the Word as it is presented to us. The most important of them is Love. You are all familiar with the "Love is" poem I'm sure. In life they can be summed up with honesty, respect, trust and faith. Honesty is a challenge but must be present to gain respect. By the same token, respect must be given to be trusted. These are what Jesus had shown His disciples and thus their faith in Him was absolute. If any of these are missing it is all but impossible to see, experience or follow the way of the Lord. Most of us at one time or another find ourselves in positions much like the disciples when Jesus was being persecuted. Wondering if it is all real. Jesus said to him (Thomas): You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. (The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (Jn 20:29). New York: Doubleday.) Our path in life may present road blocks and even set backs. It often takes some time to realize we were held and loved through those times by our Lord Jesus. Faith is something we strive to learn throughout our lives. In turn we try to help others in their walk. That is what this blog is really all about. That is also what discipleship is all about. Bringing new life to our daily walk with Christ.

It is time once again to Shine the light on some very special people that are following me and that I am following as well. If it were not for all of you I would not be here sharing and crafting. Thank you all for sharing with all of us in blog land.

Nessa has recently rejoined as a follower. This is a very special lady who attends to the needs of very special people. She is a Dementia specialist and works daily with those suffering with this debilitating condition. There is a special place in my heart and in my prayers for her and her work. She also is a very talented crafty individual. She does mostly clean and simple but gorgeous cards. You really must stop by and see her creations. Don't forget to leave some love behind and comment. 

Conil Is a craft lady that tends toward clean designs but not always so simple. My kind of crafty designer. She has a great eye for color and colors here creation expertly. Be sure to scroll down and look at some of her previous creations to see what I mean. Be sure to say hi and leave behind some love in the form of a comment.

Veerle has a blog that you will not need a translator for. Be sure to read her "About Me" tab to learn more about this amazing lady. She is amazing when it comes to the cards she creates as well. They tend to be on the CAS side but not always. Her coloring and design are very good. I do like her visits and comments and it is hoped you will do yourself a favor and visit her. If you agree with me and like what you see, follow her and be sure to at least leave behind a bit of love and encouragement. She will love it and I will appreciate it.

Remember these are folks just like you and I. They put their love and time into crafts we all love and appreciate. Sharing for some takes a big step forward. A little help in the form of a comment or shared tips is always welcomed.

Now it is my turn in the wash tub. Got my soap, water and Cherokee to get the spots I can't reach. We are set to go. I just heard the door close. I think he left. Must have heard what I said. Wonder if he thought I was going to get washed up! I already had my shower.

Anyway, its time for me to share my card. This thing took all day to create. so I hope you like it. Tons of fussy cutting and lining up pieces ..... Yeah, I know! Stop with the wind and show the card. Here is the front.

 
The image is from Impression Obsession (G1893) and is colored with copics. The colors used are: 

atyou Spica - 03, 05, 08, 09
Copic markers - RV11, G16, BG57, R39, R27, C3, E23, YG23, G05, Y13, BV01, RV10, BV00, B00, Y02, G46, T5, E55, E33, E99, B0000, BG01, C2, C4, E34, W1, E08, T7, E35, E37, C1, G24.

The die cuts are Spellbinders Herloom Legacy. The card black stock is from my stash. The center potion was fussy cut out to accommodate the background which is from my stash. I finshed the inside with the same die cut set.

 The butterfly dies are from the same Memory Box "Fluttering Corner" set from last post. You may be seeing more of this one. Love it. The center portion was die cut for two pieces. The white card stock was used as the base and the stash paper die cutout was trimmed, yep, fussy cut, to give a contrast then wet glued on top of the white base. I haven't decided what to do with the inside if anything in the way of a sentiment. I may leave it that way and include it in a gift box to a charity. That is pretty much it.I hope you liked what Is here this week. Until the next post, remember to LOVE THE DETAILS and God Bless one and all.

IT IS PERSONAL

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.

Joseph Campbell

http://www.brainyquote.com 

All we do in life is an example of who we are and what we believe in. In the last post that translated to hugs. Hugging is about as personal as you can get. There are far too many things involved with who we are individually to attempt to get deeply into what is personal. Instead we need to be aware that what is personal to you or I may or may not be the same for someone else. Where am I going with this? The better question is, “what do you consider critical in selecting a friend?” Can your “magical” connection be influenced with what they consider personal? Are you able to see the whole person and accept them as they are? In our relationship with God and Jesus do we allow doctrine and semantics to get in the way of a true and “personal” relationship. Why do you think Jesus came to help the lowly and down trodden instead of those who were not in need? Each of the people He helped had made a personal connection and had a relationship with Him. Each experienced Him and knew Him in a personal and unique way just as they themselves were unique. As in life, a relationship cannot exist for long if it is stagnant. If a relationship is based on how alike the participants are, it will not survive except as a “mutual admiration society”. Differences in the way we perceive someone or in what Christ means in our lives is not going to to be the same for each individual. Mark 8:34 - He called the people and his disciples to him and said, "If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me." (The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (Mk 8:34). New York: Doubleday.) Following Jesus is not dependent on anythings but the love of Jesus and acknowledging his sacrifice for us. How we share Him and what He means in our lives is all that should matter to us. It is a personal walk and a personal experience. No two are alike.

It is time once again to acknowledge those I am following and those who are  following me. If I haven't gotten to you yet that is because I am following over 150. Couple that with me being a terrible typer and I may even be slow to visit as well. Thank you one and all for your support. You are the reason I am in blog land. Be sure to leave behind some love if you visit these crafty folks.

Karen is from Tasmania. If you like clean and simple you will love Karen's cards. Her cards are not always simple, per se, but they are always clean and beautifully done. Karen does some excellent work and puts a lot of love into what she creates. Go visit and see for yourself.

Tracey is a CAS card creator of amazing talent. I am always amazed at her vision of subject matter. She does a fantastic job of coming up with different designs and keeping it interesting. On CAS cards that is amazing. Check this blog out and leave some love behind.

Jacqueline Is a very talented Christian card maker. She has a second blog that I also follow. The first blog is where she creates her cards from scraps. Beautiful work too. The second blog is where she makes inchies cards. You must see them to to know why I am so enamored with her inchie cards. Very special talent. Stop by and see for yourself.

Thank you Ladies for your gorgeous work and sharing your talents with us.

The cards I made for todays post, Yep, I made a pair of cards, are special. The first one is something I have done from a stamp purchased last year at the stamp show. It is an Impression Obsession image.

      Copic colors used: E07, E13, E23, E57, B02, B04, C3, C4, RV 11, RV13, Y08, R46, T2, G3, YG07, YG09, YG17, YG93, YG95.

The black gems are KARS and were part of the goody pack sent by Maria from http://rieslingmama.blogspot.com/. 

The second card is mostly die cuts. The envelope was done as well. The die cut is from Memory Box and is called Fluttering Corner. 

The envelope is from Maria as is the card stock. Thanks Maria.The color of both is not true because the actual color is light lavender.

I am not sure but I think the lace is from Martha Stewart and is an edge stamp. The sentiment is Sweet and Sassy. It is a Cory Ten Boom statement. This is closer to the actual card stock color. 

Hope you like the post today and always remember to LOVE THE DETAILS. May the good Lord bless and keep you all until the next time.

   

He is RISEN

Where I live if someone gives you a hug it's from the heart.

Steve Irwin

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com

Nothing transmits the joy of love better than a Hug. It stays with you throughout the day and sometimes the night as well. A daily hug cures a lot of problems without actually solving them. How is that possible? Have you ever had a day start out less than perfect or even lousy and then find yourself being hugged by someone and told everything will be OK? How did you feel afterwards? If the hug was sincere you probably felt less stressed. Even long distance hugs can work that way when they are from someone you love or who loves you. The problem is still there. It didn't get solved or go away. It just seems less of a problem for the moment, right? You feel reinvigorated. Think about this. How would it feel if  that hug came directly from Jesus? OH WOW, Right? I have news for you. Jesus loves to hug. Have you ever gotten a hug from someone and they told you Jesus loves you at the same time? You just got a hug from Jesus. Has anyone ever told you over the phone they love you and were hugging you right now. You just got a hug from Jesus and might have even felt it. Sincere love comes from one place. Jesus and His spirit within us. 1 John 4:8. "Anyone who fails to love can never have known God, because God is love." Those are some of my favorite words in all of scripture. They exemplify the true persona of our father in heaven and His son Jesus. Fear and dread were what I used to have for Him. For those who do not know Him it still is what they experience. When you love and hug it is a double hug not just one. That means if you hug anyone out of compassion and/or love you are hugging in Jesus' name. He is there too with the biggest hug you will ever get anywhere. I don't know of many who will refuse a hug. Do you? Hug someone today and daily. Spread a little bit of Jesus today.

A hug IS what you get when you accept Jesus into your life. It is the welcome to new life greeting. He is risen and hugs are in order.

It is time once again to visit a few of my favorite bloggers. These are a few more of those that are following me, I am  following them or both. Either way they are all exceptional artists and are worth visiting and saying "HI" by leaving behind some love in the form of a comment. 

Riette is a Christian stay at home mom who home schools her children. Way to go Riette. She creates simple and beautiful cards (often CAS) that are definitely worth a stop and look see. Riette is my most recent follower and I am honored she chose to do so. Thank you so much.

Karen Letchworth is a talented Christian who does some amazing cards as well as other things crafty. I am never sure what I will see when I visit her blog but it is always worth the visit. Stop by and see for yourself. Her creations are often very unique.

Irit is from Israel. She is the only one who does not visit my blog due to it's Christian content. That is OK. I understand and respect her beliefs. She did send an email and explained this and thanked me for joining her followers. I love her creative multi-craft talents and visit her site as I can. She is a many times published crafter and is a design team member on several sites. She is worth the visit no matter what form of crafting you do. She often includes tutorials.  You may find yourself joining her followers as I did. 

Many shout outs are given by many people and they are usually for those that are or have become a follower of the given site. Since I do not solicit followers I am not following that procedure and have included those I follow but are not following me. This is to let those that stop and check out my site know that they do make a difference and are noticed. You are appreciated. Consider this my HUG to you.

Jill and I went to the Allentown craft show this past week and bought some goodies. I put most of them away since I only got a few items and didn't actually take any photos of them. (Sorry Guys) I did buy a new stamp that I did, however, fall in love with at the TJ booth. I am a sucker for the realistic stamps and just had to have it. I stamped it as soon as I could and did two colorings of it using my Copic markers. This is the stamp I used:

 The first image was mostly just enhanced with a Copic Multi Liner 0.05 pen to bring out more detail.  Couldn't resist doing that. Smiley Face.

 The eyes were YG00 & YG41 and ears, nose, eye tear duct area and mouth are E02. 

The next coloring is also highlighted with Copic Multi liner to give some extra detail but not as much. 

The eyes are G05, The fur is YR24, the face and ears are E31 and the nose, mouth and tear duct are E15.

Both images will be made into cards but I want to do at least two more before that happens. The coloring for them will be revealed when the cards are done.

I hope you enjoyed your visit. I also hope you Love The Details. Your visits are very much appreciated. Stop again soon. Until then may the good Lord bless you and yours exceedingly.