Becoming

Life is a test of our ability to adjust to the good that we must see and perform so that we might become what we never thought we could be. - A thought from my book

Getting a post together has been difficult of late. I have started walking again and that is usually in the morning when it is cooler. That is when a large portion of the writing took place for the posts. My evenings are my scripture study and prayer times. My days are a combination of taking care of whatever needs to be done and, because Jill wants to walk, more walking. Other things have also taken up the time that would normally have been used for the post prep time. This has posed a problem. The business of life is a forever and automatic must. The walking has been a commitment for several years. Health and weight loss are the prime purpose, 209 lbs to the now 178 lbs. ( In the 2 years the walking had stopped the weight was up to 190 lbs again). The blog and the messages for them is the most recent commitment but this is also one of the more important ones. This was not the one chosen by me but by the Lord. It helps to put into words the encouragement and thoughts to make us think and ponder the things we are to see and become in this life in preparation for the life we are eventually going home to. Why bother if it is so much hassle? Because it is being obedient and it is a reminder for me as well as those who actually read the message. I have noticed many who have burned out doing posts and quit altogether. Others are taking "breaks" from blogging for many reasons. For me, preparation for writing these posts is not easy. Prayer, meditation and study are the rule, not the exception. They must reflect the life we are to lead and the process of becoming who the Lord would have us be. It is ever ongoing. It only ends when we are called home to be with our Lord.

 I am going to try to visit everyone on my list of favorites in the next few days to comment and see what you have been up to, or not, for the past few weeks and months. None of you are forgotten or far from my thoughts. 

It is time once again to say thank you to those of you that have become a part of so many lives through your creative efforts. These shout outs are my way of saying thank you for bringing the joy of your art to us all. If you visit these artists, be sure to leave some love behind in the form of a comment.

 Anja is from Germany. Her artwork is extraordinary. I am often amazed at the beauty and detail of her work. It is not always traditional but always beautifully eye opening. If you want a real treat stop by her blog and be prepared to be jealous.

 Annie is a mixed media artist with great talent. She is always innovating her media and mixing her images into amazing cards and art work. I never know what to expect when visiting Annie. It is nice to know there is a surprise waiting.
 
Aneta is from Iceland. She loves working in pastels and often creates shabby and vintage, two of my favorite styles. her cards are usually very feminine and extraordinary. If you like these styles you will love visiting her blog.
 
I came upstairs the other day and found a little bit of humor sitting on my keyboard from Jill. I thought I would share it with all of you.

It is from cafepress. Someone sent it to her and she shared it with me. Great sticker fun. I hope she isn't trying to tell me something. LOL.

Before we call it a day I would like to share a card I got from Em from Creative Em for father's day.

Thank you Em. It was kind and thoughtful of you to send such a beautiful card. 


That will do it for this time around. I do not want to be MIA as much as I have been. As I said, I will be trying to go down my list and visit everyone on it. I will also try to do a post once every other week or as close as possible to that. You are all so much appreciated. Thank you again and remember to Love The Details.

Obedience

Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me, must follow me, and my servant will be with me wherever I am. If anyone serves me, my Father will honor him.

The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (Jn 12:25–26). New York: Doubleday.

There are times in our walk when we find the going a slow, sluggish drudgery. It is interesting to note that we have holidays for events, people or things we wish to remember or honor. Most of the truly important ones are to honor those who had dedicated themselves to the welfare of others and paid with their lives. Others are for those that have spent their lives caring for us and guiding us in our life on earth. Our mothers and fathers, whether by birth or by some other means, are an important part of who we have become. It is only proper that they are honored. There are failings in life that we can only blame ourselves for. Honoring those we care for means becoming blind to those times in their lives where there were failures. The question that arises then is, "What about my failures?" It is much harder to confront our failures than someone else's. How do you deal with it. Periodically I pull back from everyone and everything and assess where I am and where I am going. I come before God and place everything before Him and ask "What am I here for? Am I going in the right direction and what do  you have for me to do?" I know many of the things in life that have been failures but also recognize that the failures are also an opportunity to learn. Those that have gone before are lessons and we will become the lesson in turn. As fame, wealth and personal greed becomes more important than caring about others, crime and the attention to self grows and God, Christ and the Holy Spirit are abandoned. It becomes especially important that the Christian live in a heroic manner as the disciples and the apostles did. If there were heroes it has to be them. After all, they gave their lives willingly for Christ and us. They were not looking for martyrdom but they were dedicated. They are our example to follow and to learn from.

Now it is time to say thank you to a few of those that make it such a pleasure to be a blogger. Those that are following my blog and those I am following even though they are not following me. If you visit please be sure to leave a bit of love behind in the form of a comment.


Angie at I would rather be Stamping is a Christian that really would rather be stamping. Once you visit her blog you will understand why the blog name. Her cards are very well done and always a delight to drool over.

Kecia at Stamping Deets is a first grade reading teacher and a Good card artist. She has a refreshing style all her own. I thoroughly enjoy stopping by and seeing what she has created. They are always clean but not always simple. I would say that is a different style wouldn't you? stop b y her blog and have a look for yourself.

Jan at Cards by Jan a Christian who lives on a farm in Canada. It is always a pleasure to stop by her blog and see what she created. She is talented at card making and enjoys sharing her creations. Be sure to stop by and see what she has done.

 The image for today is from Serendipity called 431LUM Violets Large.

 These are the Copics used to color the image.

Last week we had an experience that I think is a thank the Lord in more ways than one. I was talking to a dear blogger friend in my upstairs craft and office when I heard a cracking sound and immediately knew a tree limb was about to fall somewhere. That somewhere was directly over out rear dining area skylight. I gritted my teeth and listened as the cracking got louder and the ensuing bump and thud shook the house. Jill was already coming up the stairs asking if I was alright. I excused myself from my Skype conversation and looked out the upstairs back window to see a huge tree limb had fallen. The limb was a good 8 to 10 inches in diameter and possibly 20 feet long. It not only missed the skylight but also missed the roof. Here are some pictures of it.

The limb broke off is center of the picture.

Notice the tree trunk. It is at least 4 feet in diameter.

 Can't believe it missed both the roof and the skylight.         

The stub is between the two leaves at bottom right. The view is straight up through the skylight in the dining room.

A magnified view directly straight up from the dining room through the skylight. The limb had to move 15 feet toward the back of the yard to totally miss the roof and the skylight. I told Jill I would liked to have seen the angel that pushed that limb that far to miss the house so completely. By the way there was no wind when this happened so the wind was not what moved the limb that far. Thank you Lord for protecting us and the house. AMEN.

That is it for this post. Thank you for stopping by and allowing me to share God's wonders with you. Remember to always LOVE THE DETAILS and praise Jesus for everything.

Sacrifice

The heroes of Flight 93 won the first battle in the War on Terror, and they should never be forgotten.

Jim Ramstad

http://www.brainyquote.com

With Memorial Day here in the States just a few days away it seems only fitting to transition my talk today in this direction. After all it is in the same vein as the last several posts and appropriate in every way. Memorial Day is a day of remembering of all of those who gave their lives in service to those of us that remain behind. It is also for the living who have sacrificed so much to insure the continuation of the freedom we take so much for granted. That includes the military, police and fire personnel who are daily putting their lives on the line for all of us. At times even the ordinary citizen steps forward to do the unexpected and puts others before themselves for the greater good of all. Flight 93 is a prime example of that unprecedented valor when they realized what was happening and chose death rather than allowing that flight to reach its target. There are many heroes out there that are never recognized as such because they are still alive. They are without question heroes since they chose to take the path that put them in a position of being or potentially being in harms way for the health and benefit of others with no thought to their own safety. Just because they were not tested does not make them any less the hero. No matter how they are serving or if they are private citizens I salute you. You are the unsung heroes to all of us.

"Put yourselves to the test to make sure you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Do you not recognize yourselves as people in whom Jesus Christ is present?—unless, that is, you fail the test. But we, as I hope you will come to recognize, do not fail the test."

The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (2 Co 13:5–6). New York: Doubleday. 

Remember that all of the disciples and apostles were true to the calling and the ethic that all the teachings and examples of Christ are that we should forsake ourselves and be aware of the need of others. Just about all of them died in one way or other and all for the sake of others.
 
It is time once again to say thank you to those that follow me and that I am  following even if they are not following me. If it were not for all of you I would not be doing this blog. Thank you for sharing your talents with all of us.


Tammy is a military wife with a young boy that loves baseball. She has her hands full with this bundle of energy. She makes some awesome cards for us to enjoy and her talents are easy to see in her craftiness. Be sure to stop by and leave her a comment which I guarantee she will appreciate.

Janeen is a prolific card maker. It always surprises me that someone can do that many cards and not repeat or run out of ideas. Visit her and leave a bit of love by commenting on some of her crafty creations.


Janis is a cat lover. If you like thinking out of the box or are a cat lover you will love this crafter. I like her crafty style and humor too. she always includes a cute cat image and saying in her blog. If you visit, leave behind a b it of love with a comment.


I have a duo of cards for you that were done with the peacock image from last post. I know, I know there was only one peacock. I did a second one and turned both of them into cards. They are both done in step cards, one side and one center. First the center step card.

Both of the step cards a my design since they needed to be adjusted for the image and how I wanted to use them. My thanks once again to Em Fairley of Creative Em for this image. Love Detailed images. The papers are from Once Upon A Time Stack Mat and Old World Stack Mat. The peacock was colored with Copics: RV02, RV11, RV17, Y08, YG07, YG23, YG41, G03, G16, B02, B06, B29, E34, E59, E70, T0, W2.  The sticker embellishment on either side of the image is from Stamp on it stickers.

The Next card gave me fits since it is a side step card. Again the design is mine and that is for me to drive myself crazy trying to get the effect I wanted. It was only partially successful. The side image was actually an image from Digital Tuesday that had to be duplicated and colored with Copics twice as closely as possible so they matched.They were then cut to look like one image when the card is lying flat and unopened. (Should have taken a photo of it in that position but didn't.) That mostly worked but not completely.

 

Not sure where the tag is from. The side sticker trim is from Peel Offs And the sentiment is from Momenta.

Peacock Copics are RV02, RV09, R27, R35, R39, B0000, B02, B04, BG07, G16, G17, G46, YR23, YG99, E93, W0.

Side step image is: RV02, RV09, R27, G46, YG17, B32, E07, E49, E57, C1 and C2.

Here is an elevated photo so yo can see the rear image actually goes into the valley.

 
My photography is not the best with this card but hopefully you get the idea. It does look much better in person.



Thank you one and all for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed your visit and will join me on my next post. Remember to always LOVE THE DETAILS.

The Action

Making the decisions in life means now we must take action.

It is easy enough to sit back and get the training needed to do the things close to our hearts. It is also very easy to sit back and do nothing but train and not use what was learned. There are those that literally school their whole life away and never practice what was learned. What use is a life that is spent gathering knowledge that never is shared or passed on? What use is a life that does not allow life itself to become a part of the other lives around it? That is what we might call being a hermit. They often do not get past the personal stage of a journey in Christ. Last post was the next step, becoming a Disciple. Now we are going to become Apostles. Within that there are the teachers, leaders, organizers, prophets, prayer warriors, healers and so on. You have learned much from all of your studies and have begun to put all of it together. What now? Now it is time to become the messenger and in many cases the witness. That can take a whole host of forms. They all mean getting the word/message out in whatever way is suited to you. Most important of all is your daily life and walk. How you live, what you say and what you do will be a beacon to what you think. I have said it before and believe it completely. Your life will reveal your heart and your walk with Jesus, Holy Spirit and God. What does your life, public and private, say about your walk with Christ? If the bible and scriptures are your guide you are based in good practice. Being a good witness and messenger means when someone observes you, you are the image of Christ. Christ was perfect and we are not but every effort should be made to avoid the mistakes and pitfalls that are placed on the path during our journey. There are always decisions but they are worthless without positive action. Living as we should is the beginning. We are the example of what we share and tell others about. Anything that is opposed to that will turn others away. "Now all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were described in writing to be a lesson for us, to whom it has fallen to live in the last days of the ages. Everyone, no matter how firmly he thinks he is standing, must be careful he does not fall. None of the trials which have come upon you is more than a human being can stand. You can trust that God will not let you be put to the test beyond your strength, but with any trial will also provide a way out by enabling you to put up with it."
The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (1 Co 10:11–13). New York: Doubleday.    

It is time to say thank you once again to those that Are following me and to those that I follow. Not all follow me but I do follow all who are mentioned here. Thank you for sharing. Don't forget to leave behind some love in the form of a comment or maybe even become a follower.

Linda has a very unusual and entertaining site. She is from Montreal, Canada. If you like humor, neat vids and pictures that will give you a pleasant break from the work-a-day happenings, drop by her blog and you will be pleasantly surprised. Sorry! She is not a card maker and does not post awards or any of that sort of thing. I like her blog anyway.

Kristi is a very talented card crafter. I just came from her blog and She has posted several cards for mother's day and all are exceptional. She is a sweetheart and appreciates each and every visitor to her site. Love all of her crafty cards. Stop by, say hi and leave some love.

Jill is a Seahawk fan and lives in Oregon. I have been following her and her card making for some time now and enjoy her card creations tremendously. She is a down to earth sweetheart in every way. It is always a pleasure and a treat every time I visit her blog. Drop by and see for yourself. 

Angela is one card maker you must visit. Her cards are clean and always a pleasure to behold. I have never visited her site and come away not liking what was created. I highly recommend stopping by and checking it out. You might even want to join her following. Do leave a comment.

This post will be a sharing of two cards and an image I got in the package Jill got for mother's Day. Yeah, yeah! It was Mother's Day not doofus Day. These were included for me. I guess they wanted to avoid the kicking and having a fit because I didn't get anything. It worked didn't it? LOL

The first image is of a card sent by Em of Creative EM. Em is a pastor and also a Stampin' Up! representative in England. The card she sent for me is a very good example of her talent and creative eye. I just love the pastels in this card. I think you will agree.

The image she gave me is of a peacock. I colored it with copics and made it as close as possible to the real thing. It is a Stampin' Up! image. Loved doing this image. It will be made into a card. 

The last images are an envelope and card created by our good friend in France, Jacqueline of My Grid Projects and Jacqueline's Craft Nest.  This is extraordinary work as all of her cards are.

 The card

  

The Envelope

 

Both of these ladies are extraordinary in their talents and  generosity. Thank you both for your gifts and willingness to share.

That is it for this post. I hope you have enjoyed your visit and thank you for stopping by. I will be spending the next day or two trying to catch up with as many of you as possible. Remember to always LOVE THE DETAILS. May the Good Lord Bless and Keep you all Safe and Healthy until the next post.

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.