I'm taking a break from my Monday Musing today to ask for your help. On March 31 I will be participating in Walk MS for the tenth time to raise vital funds for multiple sclerosis research and assistance to clients. I was diagnosed with MS in November 2001. MS was described as a disease for the first time in 1868. For 125 years (1868-1993) there was NO TREATMENT available to slow the progression of the disease.
However, with the funding of the National MS Society, in the last few years EIGHT drugs have been approved to reduce disease activity or slow the progression. Just last year, I was able to cease weekly shots when the first pill was introduced to slow progression. We still do not have a cure, so each dollar is needed.
This week atInspired Stamps we are sharing cards made with some of the fun shape stamps. I am usingJournal Shapes.This set of stamps was created with the Art Journalers out there but it can be used for any project or journal.
I created this cozy card using the words and the honeycomb shape. It was easy peasy to create the flower with the shape and then after stamping the words on the petals, I just cut it out and adhered it to the background with foam adhesive. I stamped and cut out another of the shapes with contrasting paper for the center and then added a couple of paper flowers with flower soft in the center.
There are so many shapes and words to use on this stamp set. You could even make lots of background paper with the shapes or words. Please take time to check out the rest of the teams offerings!
I recently was asked to make 15 shower favors for a wedding shower. This was the result! I used the CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge to cut out the boxes. I created it on my Gypsy so I could hide the score marks-I dislike the way they look when folded. I then used an oldie to cut out the layers for the sunflower-Stretch Your Imagination. Before folding the boxes, I used an assortment of stamps to decorate the background. The sunflower outline is by Inspired Stamps and the dots are from the CTMH set Hooray Bouquet. The Love banner is from Remarkable Wreath from CTMH.
After adhering all 3 layers of the sunflower, I used CTMH Bronze Glitter Gel to create the "seeds". The box was finished off with sheer yellow ribbon.
The Song
Remind Me Who I Am by Jason Gray and Jason Ingram
God's Word
John 3:16-18 The Message "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.
My Thoughts
This world gives each of us names and labels. People who don’t even know us will judge us by what they see. Names strangers may give me are Disabled, Overweight, Lazy or even Useless. They just see a woman in a powered wheelchair and assume that the sum of my life is disability. Because I am overweight, they may wrongly assume that I only use the chair because of my laziness not realizing that I can’t take one step under my own power because of spinal cord damage and multiple sclerosis. Some would consider me a useless individual because of my disability. Again, they would be wrong.
They do not know I have joy and strength from my Father and He allows me to serve Him through my artwork , my song and my writing. He has allowed me to reach and lead other women through paper crafts. He gives me the strength I need to be a wife and mother. He doesn’t see any of the negative things the world sees in me. If I were to listen to the world’s opinion of me, I could “lose my way” and become what they see. I could look “In the mirror (and) all I see, Is who I don’t wanna be”. But, my friend, I have a Heavenly Father who “reminds me who I am” and HE calls me Beloved!
He tells you “When (your) heart is like a stone, And (you’re) running far from home” that you are His Beloved. He calls you Competent when the world labels you Stupid. When a stranger sees Failure, your Father sees Success. He tells you in His light you will always be enough. He does not accuse you! “Lest you forget,” you are the One He Loves and you belong to Him!
Don’t let others label you. Don’t let the opinions of the world negate the knowledge of you that your Heavenly Father has. The scripture says He wants you to live a “whole and lasting life”. When you look in your mirror ask God to allow you to have His eyes, to see with His heart. Ask Him to “Tell (you) once again who (you are) to (Him). (To) Tell (you) lest (you) forget who (you are to Him).” You belong to Him, Beloved!
Your Response
Ask God to remind you who you are in His eyes. Thank Him that you do not have to conform to the world’s opinions.
I hope you will watch every second of this wonderful video. It really displays the truth of the words in an amazing way.
It's a sunny, lazy Saturday in N.TX today. I needed a card for a friend's birthday so went to my stash of card bases and discovered this one made with some leftover CTMH Magnifique paper went perfectly with the flowers I made the other day while playing with my CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge and coordinating Hooray Bouquet stamp set. Yes, I'm still in love with this cartridge! It's just too easy to cut and then stamp with the coordinating stamps.
I try to spend a few minutes ever so often using scraps of leftover paper creating card bases so I can throw together a quick card later. I just keep them all together in a tin to easily locate them. The ink colors I used are Sorbet and Lagoon. The twinkle brads are no longer available but you can put some strong clear glue (such as our Liquid Glass) on any brad and dip it in glitter to get the same effect!
This week the Design Team at Inspired Stamps is sharing 3 cards created with a single $3.99 Scripture Stamp. I chose John 14:6 for my cards. The first card I am sharing uses the emboss resist technique. I stamped the verse in Versamark ink and then sprinkled white embossing powder on it. I used my heat gun to melt the powder. Once it was cool, I used a sponge to apply layers of color over and around the scripture. Once I was pleased with the results, I used a tissue to wipe the ink off the embossed scripture. I was very pleased at how crisp the stamping looked with embossing. That's the beauty of Inspired Stampsclear polymer material!
On the 2nd card, I simply stamped the scripture in black over a tag I had used my brayer and various shades of pink on. If you click on the photo you can see the detail better. I used Glitter Gel to highlight three words in the scripture. This was definitely the easiest technique and card to make but I think it really has a great impact.
I believe the 3rd card is my favorite of the 3. I used a lovely green vellum to stamp the scripture on. Vellum does not take dye ink well so I used archival ink and a heat gun to set it. Again, Inspired Stamps stamp beautifully in any medium! Be sure to check all the other team members' blogs. You will be amazed at how versatile one 3.99 stamp can be!
Other supplies used: CTMH-all paper, CTMH color-ready seam binding, CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut cart. From stash: flower, brads, pom-pom ribbon, embroidery floss, tag.
