"Getting Sketchy With It" Card

The wonderful folks at www.heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com have a sketch challenge this week.  Check it out and all the beautiful work posted.  Here's my slightly altered take on the sketch.

I started with a CTMH Gypsy Cardstock base.  For the circle feature, I traced a circle on the center of the card and used Liquid Glass from CTMH to glue down a circle of Baker's Twine (not sure of mfg.)  I then used CTMH ink in Gypsy and Sunshine Yellow to random stamp on a strip of White Daisy Cardstock.  The flower stamps are from the CTMH stamp set Tea Time.  The 2nd strip of paper is the backside of a patterned paper from CTMH's Sophia paper pack.  I again used Gypsy Ink and Tea Time stamps for the teapot and cup.  Both were stamped once on the small piece of cardstock and then re-stamped and cut out,  then popped up on the first images with foam adhesive tape.  I used a little jewel for the top of the teapot.  I also used the flower stamp to random stamp and added the "steam" using Grey Flannel ink.  I used a sponge to add a little bit of color to the background behind the cup and pot.  The sentiment was stamped on a scalloped circle of Sunshine Yellow Cardstock and then folded over the rectangle.  The flower and pearls are from my stash.  The card still needed a little sumpin' sumpin' so I "stitched" with my white gel pen and added a sprig of yellow Organza ribbon.  Done!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

(I wanted to announce this, this morning but life got in the way!)

The winner gets something better than a chicken dinner!  Our winner, chosen by random.org,  of the 100 followers celebration is none other than....Sheila H. who said "I discovered your blog on the H2H blog. I've become a follower. I don't have a blog, but I've e-mailed my friends about your blog. Best of luck to you!".

Thank you to Sheila for spreading the word about my blog and thank you to everyone else who helped me make this little personal goal.

Sheila-please email me your address and I will get the following goodies in the mail to you: Close To My Heart Live Inspired Stamp Set, CTMH Felicity Stamp Set, Petite Perks Butterfly Stamp Set and 2 cards made by little ol' me.

I Thank You

Belinda Kersey 7/17/07

God’s Word
“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:15-19



My Thoughts
In a choir rehearsal, we were singing a simple worship song that says “I thank you, I thank you for all you’ve done and all that you will do. You’re faithful and I’m grateful. Lord, I thank you.” The room was filled with a wonderful spirit of thankfulness as many stopped rehearsing the song and actually sang it in praise to the Lord. As I looked around the room I realized those who were singing it to the Lord with hands lifted were not those whose lives were going well or those who were in great health. The ones who were singing with the most passion were all precious children of God who were suffering in one way or another. One is battling cancer, another faces chronic pain, one lives with multiple sclerosis as I do. There were others with various trials and adverse circumstances but they chose to say thank you to the Lord. All of us had become foreigners to this world because heaven promises eternal life without the pain we are going through now.


We all cluck our tongues over the nine lepers who didn’t thank God for their healing but it’s possible they had never had the spirit of thankfulness dwelling in their hearts. It is specified the one who returned was a Samaritan and a foreigner. It is probable he had experienced persecution and prejudice two-fold because of his ethnicity as well as his disease. When he was healed he not only received physical healing, he received compassion despite what others saw in him. He knew he had much to be grateful for.


If you can only thank God for what He is doing RIGHT NOW and you can’t remember the past and you can’t see the future then you don’t have true thankfulness and contentment in your life. Even if RIGHT NOW you can’t see what God is doing or if it seems He is doing nothing, we need to reach deep inside and thank Him for His past works and praise Him for what He will be doing from this moment on.
One of the verses of the song mentions God is closer than a brother and a friend like no other. In our most difficult times in life, it would be great if our family and friends could drop everything and comfort and care for us. But we do have a comforter who will be closer than a brother could ever be. We have a friend in Jesus who will never leave our side no matter how tough our lives become.


I’ve realized those of us who have struggled and have a few battle scars tend to be oh so grateful to God for just being able to breathe our next breath. We know what He has brought us through and we know where we would be without Him. When thankfulness comes through sacrifice then it becomes a wonderful fragrance to our Lord and we are better equipped to face what life brings our way.


Your Response
Take a few minutes to thank God for Who He is and for His faithfulness even in the times when you haven’t been faithful. Thank Him for what He has done in your past and for what mighty acts He will do on your behalf from this moment forward.

WOO HOO 100!!

I made 100 followers tonight thanks to new follower Jana!!  I will get it all together in the next couple of days and have the prize drawing.  Thank you to everyone who helped me reach this fun little goal and for following my little piece of the blog-o-sphere.
Blessings on your week!

PS-This has been a blessed day for this Queen Bee! God gave me an awesome opportunity to sing and share my testimony of living victoriously with MS this morning at my sister's church and tonight I won a prize at Inspired Stamps - Thank you Antoinette!

Sweet Baby or Easter Basket

The challenge at www.heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com this week is to create a baby item.  I decided to make something that would work for baby or Easter.  This basket started life as a vintage fruit box that you used to get at fruit stands.  My husband cleaned his parents' attic and found several of these.  Since he knows me so well, he knew I would repurpose them into something!

This is the perfect size to fill with baby stuff like powder, shampoo, washcloths or even diapers and sit out on the dresser or changing table.  I used the beautiful papers from the Sophia Collection from CTMH. 

The bunnies are from the CTMH stamp set A Hop.  I used Pear ink and 2nd generation stamped them.  I then cut them out and stamped them in Pear and Hollyhock ink with the flowers from the Tea Time stamp set.  I used our foam tape (LOVE this stuff) to pop them up and placed rhinestone flowers behind them (from Michaels).  The "Happy" is from the Sophia Stickease and has $1 rhinestones added from M's.

I used Pear ink again to color the Kraft Color-ready border (so INEXPENSIVE & so FUN) and attached to the top edge.  The final touch is the gorgeous ribbon flowers from Close To My Heart.  Hope you likey-leave me some love and let me know whatcha think!

Hope for Japan

We've all been reeling with the images of tragedy and devastation in Japan. If you're looking for an easy, real, practical way to help relief efforts, then I invite you to purchase this stamp set from Close To My Heart!

Typically, our A-sized sets retail for $7.95/$8.95 CAN, but the "Hope for Japan" set will be available through April 30 for just $5--and Close To My Heart will be donating 100% of the profits to the American Red Cross to benefit relief efforts in Japan.

If we all do a little, together we can do a lot. Let's show our support and together, provide real HOPE for Japan!  I will be ordering mine this weekend, please let me know if you would like to order and have yours shipped to my house, I then can put in an envelope and send it out to you.

Wings Pocket Card

This is a pocket card I made for a swap.  I didn't fill the pocket because the host of the swap is going to fill them.  If I was filling it, I might put a few fresh rose buds in it from my rose bush or a perfect little square of Ghiradelli chocolate!  I used all Close To My Heart products:

Kraft paper
patterned paper from the Wings pack
Border Stamp from the Wings Workshop stamps
Butterfly stamp from an old Petite Perks set
Black and Vineyard Berry ink
Black Ribbon

By the way-I only need THREE more followers to reach 100 and give away a prize!  Leave a comment HERE if you help me reach my goal.