Sweet Fragrance

He has made everything beautiful in His time. Ecclesiastes 3:11a

 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. Malachi 3:3

The Lord ordains the circumstances of our lives to shape and fit us for our eternal home. . .for the Christian, the one whose sole (and soul) hope of heaven and the life to come is the Lord Jesus Christ and his works and righteousness, that home is heaven. As we are pressed and refined, we are told we will come forth as gold, with the dross burned off, the chaff blown away.

This card reflects the gold and that sweet fragrance that is present when we respond to trials in a way that honors the Lord. Of course, this is not something we can do in our own strength, but in the strength the Lord supplies through the work of the Holy Spirit as He applies God's Word to our lives and we walk in obedience.  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:5-7.

CARD DETAILS
A new technique, a new stamp set, some new fluffly flocking. . .and a CAS (Clean and Simple Card) for a couple of challenges:

• Moxie Fab World: Fanatical About Botanical Challenge
• Flourishes Bring Back Beauty Challenge: The Beauty of CAS (BBB13)
• Through the Craft Room Door #7--Embossing Heat or Dry  

Stamps: Flourishes Herbs Set #106 
Card Stock: Stampin' Up! Crumb Cake 
Ink:  Stampin' Up Old Olive and Crumb Cake, Encore Metallic Purple 
Accessories:  Stampendous Pearlustre Champagne Embossing Powder, glue pen, flocking, twine, button, Zutter Round it All. 
Techniques: Sprinkled Embossing 
Special Notes: This was my first attempt at sprinkle embossing, where you sprinkle embossing powder over the surface of your card and then heat from beneath to set. It adds a nice bit of texture and shimmer to the card which is not really visible in the photos.