Shoulder Update & Reminder...

Well, I went to the doctor this afternoon and it turns out I have two separate issues....I have a slightly herniated disk in my neck and, for lack of a better term, very elasticized ligaments in my shoulder. He has prescribed 3 meds (a steroid, an anti-inflammatory and something else I can't recall) as well as physical therapy 3 times a week for 4 weeks and I have to go back to see him in a month. He's a fantastic doctor so I am really hoping this regimen is going to help.

Anyway, thank you so much for praying!! Before I scoot I want to remind you about tomorrow's blog hop!! The fun starts on the SNSS Blog. See you then!

Birthday Card & Prayer Request

This past week was such a crazy one around here....I can't believe it's already Monday again and how is it that August almost over?!

Anyway, I have a quick prayer request if you don't mind.....last night after I got out of the car to go into church my bad shoulder started bothering me---a lot....I have no idea what I did to it, but the pain was pretty bad through the whole service and this morning I had to put my arm in a sling--UGH.

A little background on my shoulder.....I went to the doctor a few years ago because my back between my shoulder and neck was often giving me problems...tons of inflammation and pain. He told me that I am very "flexible", my ligaments are super stretchy like a stretched out rubber band and that if he pulled hard enough he could pull my arm right out of the socket---fun stuff. He recommended that I go for physical therapy to strengthen the muscles in my upper back and arm because they are over compensating for the lack of strength in my shoulder. Well, unfortunately money and time were a huge issue back then (as if anything has changed) so I never bothered to go for physical therapy. I just dealt with the pain as it came and went.

I can tell you that I am wishing now that I had listened to him. Over time it has gotten worse which brings us to now.....I will be calling the doctor shortly to see if I can get in and have it looked at again. It literally feels like my arm is hanging on my a thread....sounds strange but that is the best way for me to describe it. Even my hand is swollen on that arm and the discomfort goes from my hand all the way up to my neck including my shoulder blade. Being that it is my right arm and I am right-handed, it's quite an inconvenience. Typing isn't bad because my arm is propped up, but getting dressed this morning was quite interesting! If you would, please pray that I can get in soon and for wisdom as to what is going on and how to fix it or at least improve it. Being in pain and discomfort sure makes for a miserable mood, so pray also that I keep my eyes fixed on Christ and not the pain. I really appreciate your prayers!

Now how about that birthday card.....My brother-in-law's birthday was last week---the big 4-0----and this is the card I made him. He's a hunter and he lives in Wisconsin so I thought he might appreciate the moose ;). We ended up sending the card out late even though I made it in time (why does that always happen??) so my clever husband decided to write inside the card, "Sorry we MOOSED your birthday!" Hehe :)

It was a super easy and fast card---perfect for those times when you forget you need a card and gotta make one FAST! I am sure that never happens to anyone but me ;).

I used one of our newer releases, Forest Silhouettes. What a wonderful set for quick masculine cards! No coloring necessary!

Thanks for stopping by today and for praying! Don't forget to join the SNSS Design Divas for our September Release Blog Hop on Wednesday!

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

Blessings,

Bountiful Blessings

I don't know about you but I LOVE fall! I love the crisp, cool air....I love the colors and the scents....I love jeans and sweaters....and I love the FOOD! This image illustrated by Chris Dickinson makes me long for Fall. It also reminds me of the bountiful blessings God bestows upon me each day.

Today's card a sneak peek of a beautiful set being released on Wednesday, but it's also for today's fun sketch over at The Sweet Stop. I hope you will join the rest of the Sugar Babies and play along!

And don't forget about the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog Hop on Wednesday! We have lots more to share with you!

May your day be bountifully blessed :)!

Love & Laughter

I have been on a white kick lately.....using a lot of white on my cards, that is. It just makes a card look so crisp and clean.

I made this particular card almost a week ago for the Featured Stamper challenge on SCS. I loved Princess Heather's card, so I decided to CASE it :).

I used Serene Silhouettes and Thankful Molly (sentiment). I sponged my Nestie shape to give the look of sky then stamped the sentiment. The image was colored with markers and then stamped on AND off the sponged Nestie shape. I added some glitter to the flowers (gotta have a little bling) and a splash of color with the matching blue cardstock and ribbon. Oh and of course a few pearls to finish it off :). This card only took me about 10 minutes to make. Gotta love that!

Thanks for stopping by today! Come back tomorrow for a beautiful September sneak peek using our Sweet Stop sketch.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3

May you feel the peace of God today!

Precious Change

Boy change can be hard, can't it? But it's something we all have to go through....and it can produce so many blessings! I love this quote that encourages us to embrace change :).

Whatever you are going through today, trust the Lord to bring you through it and allow Him to use it to change you, to make you more like His Son!

Much love,

Peek-a-boo....

Cocoa never gets old....he's just too cute to get sick of him ;), don't you think? While Janette and her girls were here this weekend, she and I made it a point to get some card making therapy in and this is one of the cards I created.


I used one of our new releases, Cocoa's Gift. It's a great set for not just Christmas but birthday's, too :). I paper-pieced the gift with some gorgeous paper from SEI. The rest of the image was colored with Copics.

On a different note, please be sure to mark your calendars for a fabulous September Release Blog Hop on September 1st. It's going to be a fun day of inspiration, challenges and prizes so you won't want to miss it! We're releasing 10 more sets and can't wait to share them with you!! Sneak peeks will start TOMORROW so be sure to stop by the SNSS Blog and the DT blogs to see what we've been making!

Thanks for stopping by today.

And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deuteronomy 6:5

Blog Candy Winner & Sweet Stop Card

Well, it's Saturday the 21st and that means a couple of things....

#1 I have a blog candy winner to announce.......

LEZLYE :)!!!!

Congratulations!!!! Please email me to claim your prize :).

#2 It's time for another fun sketch brought to you by The Sweet Stop. Since it's the third Saturday of the month it also happens to be our Sketch with a SPIN! The spin is to "Think School"----create anything that could relate to school but be sure to stick to our sketch.

We are giving away a free stamp set for every 30 participants we get, so hop on over and play along with us!!

Here's my "Think School" creation.....


I used the Autumn Lovin' Cocoa clear set for my card but this little cutie is also available as a digi, An Apple For Cocoa.

I suppose I could go two ways with this one as far as the "spin".....School means Fall and Fall means apples :) AND of course my card also fits the old tradition of bringing the teacher an apple :)....I wonder if anyone actually does that anymore...hmmmm.....well, anyway.....I gotta scoot.....

My dear friend, stamping buddy and fellow DT member, Janette Olen, is coming in tonight with her girls. They will be staying with us for a few days so I have to finish getting the house ready. I am hoping we will be able to squeeze in some long overdue stamping time ;).

Have a Christ-centered day :)!!

Still no cards.....

...but I have an updated display pic....

I am going to sit down and make a card now....let's hope I don't get side-tracked ;)!

Blessings,

What I've been up to....

I haven't stamped in a few days so I don't have any new creations to share with you today, but I have been busy with another project....I will be at the Heirloom Rubber Stamp & Paper Arts Festival in York (October 9-10) and I have been feverishly trying to get my booth designed...what a job! I thought I would share a few pics with you so you can see what I have been up to....


All of the empty spaces will have stamps once they come in.....

It has actually changed a bit since these pictures were taken. It's even fuller yet....


So between this and school, my time has been spent! I do hope to have something pretty to share with you soon :).

May your day be blessed beyond measure!

Sweet Stop Saturday

I had intended on posting something yesterday, but a friend, whom I rarely see came over to spend the day with me, so blogging took the back burner. Spending time with a friend is more important :) and we had a great day! I can't wait to get together again----Hugs, Mary!

Since it's Saturday, I have another sketch card to share for today's Sweet Stop sketch. It's a fun one, too, so I hope you will play along!

I have to confess, since we started school this week and I was busy all day yesterday, I TOTALLY forgot that I had not made my Sweet Stop card for our post today. So this morning, after I got my coffee, answered a few emails and got the family all settled, I sat down to create my card....better late than never, right :)?

I figured since I was making a card anyway, I might as well check out today's Inspiration challenge over at Splitcoast (you know how much I love their challenges :). As I was perusing the inspiration site, I found this adorable Be Happy Dishtowel. It reminded me of Basic Grey's Green at Heart paper which I have had sitting here for weeks, but had not used, so here we are :)....

This was another one of those cards where I just kept adding and adding, and I had to eventually just say ENOUGH ALREADY and just be done with it-LOL! There is a lot going on, but I do really like how it turned out and I hope you enjoy it as well! I used our Everyday Miracles set---it's such a great "go-to" set :). And I just love this sentiment. It helps keep my focus on being content.

Here's a close-up of some of the detail, just in case you wanna see it ;)...

Thanks for visiting me today! I so enjoy your comments and encouragement!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Prayers, School & Eggplant???

Let me first start with the eggplant....

I have never had eggplant, at least not that I recall, so when my neighbor brought over some of the goodies from his garden and one of those goodies happened to be an eggplant, I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with it. My husband shared that he didn't like eggplant and my kids are usually too chicken to try anything new (especially when it looks so strange) so I set out to find a recipe that they might actually try...I found one on Foodnetwork.com (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/rigatoni-with-eggplant-puree-recipe/index.html). I did have to change up a couple of things due to not having certain ingredients, but all in all, I think it turned out pretty tasty. Unfortunately, I couldn't even get my oldest to try it (go figure). My youngest ate a few bites and didn't think it was bad, but he thought it was too spicy (I think he actually meant peppery as it contained fresh ground black pepper). Aidan and I enjoyed it for lunch. Trying new recipes is always a fun adventure and I can now say I have indeed eaten eggplant :).

Now for the prayers....

Well, it's actually a card about prayers :). I created this for two challenges today: CPS sketch 179 & SCS ways to use it button challenge

The adorable image is one of our newer digis illustrated by Leah Cornelius called Prayer Bear. The sentiment is from a new clear set being released next month called Prayerful Thoughts.

Now for school....

We started our first day of school today. We start a bit early so we can get done a bit early since the weather is always so much nicer in May than in August....one of the benefits of homeschool :).

We had a really good day. The boys enjoyed our new curriculum and I think it will be a true blessing to us this year. I get told so often that I must be a patient person to be able to homeschool....so I want to share something with you that I shared with a friend today when she said that....

"I am NOT a patient person and I never thought I would be able to homeschool, but the Lord called me to it, so here I am. God grants the patience and strength when I put His way first. Some days I feel like I totally blew it. It's just like life. But, every morning is a brand new day...a brand new opportunity to do my best. ANYONE is able to homeschool if it's their calling. God never gives us more than we can handle----that includes homeschooling our children for His glory :)."

Whatever God has called YOU to do, whether it be homeschool your children, work outside your home to help meet your family's needs, get more involved in your church, witness to a friend or family member, etc.....He has given you just what you need to accomplish that task and He is with you EVERY step of the way!

"If God has called you to it, He WILL bring you through it!"

Thanks for stopping by to see me today! May your day be abundantly blessed!

Sweet Dreams

I have to keep today's post short...we're heading out to Prayer Meeting soon.....

I made this card today for the Splitcoast sketch challenge. I went a little crazy with adding more and more to it, but hey, after those CAS cards I think I needed to make up for the lack of stuff I used--LOL!

The image is a new digi called Sweet Dreams and the sentiment is from our Precious Baby clear set. I just love making baby cards and this one was no exception....although I did struggle with coloring it at the beginning, because I wanted to try some non-traditional baby colors.

I hope you like it!

Have a fabulous evening!

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3

CAS Cross

Remember yesterday I mentioned trying my CAS card with a cross? Well, I did and I love it :)! I changed a couple things besides using the cross.....I sponged instead of brayering, I added a scallop frame and I added some blingage ;) and I must say I really do love it! I think it would make such a nice note card for our church card ministry. The great thing is it would look nice in any color.

The stamp set I used is one of our older sets which, I am thrilled to mention, is being re-released very soon!! It's called Elegant Blessings. You may have noticed this cross is in our logo as well as the DT watermarks :).

I have to go make dinner for my hungry gremlins, so until next time.....

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

May your day be blessed beyond measure!

Clean & Simple--I CAN do it!

I CAN but even my family knows it's not me....

When I showed this first card to my son, he said, "What have you done with my mother?" LOL! My husband was also unimpressed, but I guess they just don't appreciate classic elegance ;). I made the top card for today's Splitcoast CAS challenge, which was a garden theme. Are you sitting down?.....it's only ONE layer!!! ACK! I know, I can barely believe it myself! When the idea popped in my head, I just had to go for it. I think it would be great for our church card ministry. Maybe I will stamp a cross in the center next time, hmmmmm.....

The image is from one of our newer releases, Serene Silhouettes and the sentiment is from April Daisy. I used a Nestie Oval to create my own paper stencil, then placed it over the card front and brayered. Pretty simple :).

This next card I made for the Featured Stamper challenge on SCS yesterday. Vicki Dutcher is the lucky lady for this week and I had a blast CASEing her. In fact, I made FIVE, count them, 1- 2-3-4-5 cards for the challenge yesterday!! Let's just say it had been a while, I had the time and I loved her gallery, so I rolled with it ;).

For this card I used our new Forest Silhouettes set, kraft cardstock and a journal pen for faux stitching. Easy peasy!

I have one final item to share with you today, well, technically two....

This precious baby is my friend Lorene's. He is almost 2 weeks old and such a cutie pie!! I wanted to stick him in my pocket and take him home with me--LOL!

And this adorable smiling face is his big sister, Lorinda. She is a trip, let me tell you. When she saw little Jamie getting some quality Kodak time, she needed in on the action ;). Isn't she so cute?!

Lorene is a dear, sweet Mennonite lady who owns a small rubber stamp and scrapbook store in Ephrata, PA where she carries much of the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps line. If you ever get to Lancaster County, PA, I highly recommend you go and see her (and her adorable children). She is super friendly AND funny :) and has awesome, low prices to boot! You won't be sorry---trust me! But stay alert while you are there! You never know what critters might be running around ;).

Today I leave you with one of my favorite uplifting quotes....

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass....It's about learning to dance in the rain!"

Much love,

Sing With Me Sunday

Today I am worshiping at home with a sick kiddo. I am listening to a CD of beautiful old hymns of the Faith done in strings and it just blesses my heart :). I thought I would share the lyrics to one that encouraged me this morning.

Jesus Paid It All

I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all.”

Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I Whereby Thy grace to claim;
I’ll wash my garments white In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

And now complete in Him,My robe, His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side, I am divinely blest.

Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow’r, and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots And melt the heart of stone.

Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

When from my dying bed My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,” Shall rend the vaulted skies.

Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

And when before the throne I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down, All down at Jesus’ feet.

Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

It brings tears to my eyes to read these precious words. Praise the Lord for his unending mercies and love for me, a sinner unworthy!

I pray that you are blessed by this hymn as I have been and that you, too, are praising our Lord and Savior for His precious gift of salvation for ALL sinners, even YOU and I!

I'll leave you with this lovely fall card I made yesterday using one of Sweet 'n Sassy's newest digis, Fall Arrangement. I drew it earlier in the week because I caught the Autumn bug :). It's my favorite time of year but goes oh so quickly. I hope this card makes you smile as you look forward to the beauty soon to come :)!

Prayers and blessings,

Surprise Blog Candy!

I am so thankful that so many of you have decided to tag along on this blog and I would like to encourage others to join you, so how about some blog candy :)?

What's up for grabs you say?


Since the photo isn't the greatest, here is a list of what's pictured:

(3) Sunbeams Clear Stamps by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps (Caitlyn, Owen & Luke)
(3) Stamping Bella Stamps (Hitchedafellabella, Savvyshoppabella, PMSabella)
(3) Basic Grey 6x6 paper pads (Capella, Green at Heart, Eskimo Kisses)
(1) Spellbinders Nestablities Set (Petite Scallop Oval Small)
(1) Sugar Nellie Unmounted Rubber Stamp (Simon & Lola by Rachelle Anne Miller)
(1) Package of pink eyelets by Making Memories
(1) Package of Karen Foster Leaf brads
(1) Package of Friendship Charmed Words by Making Memories

How do you enter to win?

1) Become a follower/subscriber of my blog via any of the methods shown on the right sidebar.

2) Leave me a comment but be sure to include your blog address or gallery link so I can come and see YOU :) & your email address so I can contact you if you win!

3) Help me spread the word :)!

Pretty simple, wouldn't you say?

I will draw and announce a random winner on Saturday, August 21st. International friends, you are welcome to enter, too!

Thanks again for allowing me to share my loves with you!

Hugs and blessings,

The Sweet Stop Sketch Saturday

Wowie, my inbox has been overflowing with new subscriber emails after yesterday's switcheroo post. Thanks so much for choosing to follow me on this blog. It means a lot to me!

Today is Saturday and that means we have another fabulous sketch over at The Sweet Stop. Sketches are such a great way to get the crafty mojo going, so if you need a boost, or even if you don't ;), I hope you will join us!

Here's my card using an adorable freebie digi image I snatched up a while back from Meljen's. I totally love her fun and whimsical images. They just make me smile :).

I paired this sweetie-pie image with a fun baby sentiment from one of our newer clear sets, Precious Baby. I think this lion works great for a baby card. Don't you? The papers are Basic Grey----I can't recall the line at the moment, but if you really want to know, leave me a comment with a way to contact you and I will get back to you.

On a personal note....do you ever struggle with patience?? Boy, I do! I have such a hard time waiting for anything. When I want something, I want it yesterday, KWIM? ;) Well, you know that song "He's Still Workin' On Me".......that's ME :). God is still working on me....teaching me each day to be more patient, to lean on him, just a bit more, to trust His way and not my own so today I want to share this verse with you....

My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
Psalm 62:5

Perhaps it will encourage you, as it has encouraged me.

May you feel God's unending love for YOU today!

Blog issues and some changes....

Hello friends!

I am indeed still here, just not doing much blogging lately...in fact even my crafty blog has been extremely neglected as of late....and this morning I come to find that all of my pictures have disappeared on both blogs.....fun stuff....anyway, it was my own doing, although at the time I had no idea it would happen....I was trying to switch over all of my blogs to the Google account I use more regularly and making the switch deleted all of my photos :(. What a total bummer!!! I don't have the time or energy to replace all those images, so my posts are just going to have to remain the way they are now.....pictureless. I apologize for the inconvenience. Hopefully from here on out you will have plenty of pretty things to look at....which brings me to the changes....

I have decided to combine my two blogs (this one and InkyDoodle) because I barely have time for even one. I plan to use this blog for both my crafty shares and personal insights. I hope this does not cause too much of a problem for my readers. It's just something I need to consolidate to make life easier. With the new school year looming ahead (we start late next week already!), my blogging time will likely be even less.

On the bright side, I do hope to have more to share concerning my spiritual journey. I know many of you have missed my posts (which, BTW, is very encouraging, but at the same time very humbling) so I really want to get back into them as time allows and the Lord leads.

Thank you for your patience and for sticking it out with me! It means so much!!

I do have to jet for now, but I will leave you with this adorable card my niece Kylie and I made earlier this week when three of my nieces slept over. She is 5 years old and cute as a button. She LOVES coming to "Aunt Korin's" house so she can make cards with me. I am sure you can imagine that I cherish our crafty time together, as well :).

Make it a good day!!

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:2-3

Much love,