Distressed but not downtrodden!

 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

Distressed but not downtrodden. . .when I read the challenge to use distressing, it brought to mind the scripture from 2 Corinthians. Just because we are distressed, does not mean we are to be downtrodden, depressed, or driven to despair. We may be persecuted, but we who are trusting in Christ, will never be forsaken. He will complete the work He began and He will deliver us safely home. Instead, we are to:
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

CARD DETAILS: Crafted for two challenges at Our Daily Bread Designs, and one at Stampin' Sisters in Christ. The first is the Stampin' in Time On Assignment Challenge #44 (SNTODBD44) to use distressing, and the second, the Shining the Light Challenge #78 (ODBDSLC78) to use scripture, a quote or a song as the focal point. The third challenge, at Stampin' Sisters in Christ  (#108 John 16:33) is to create a card that either says “Blessings” or uses an encouraging Scripture.

Besides the paper and ink edge distressing of the card base and designer paper panel, the doily and the butterflies were distressed by spritzing with a mixture of instant coffee, water and alcohol. The doily was already a bit distressed and is a Hallmark French lace doily that's about 40 years old. 

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Scripture Collection 7

Ink: VersaMark, SU Craft White and Old Olive

Paper: SU Old Olive, Early Espresso, Prima Madeline

Accessories: Stampendous Peridot Embossing Powder, Spellbinders Labels 18 and Scallop Circles Dies, EK Fancy Flowers border punch, SU Crochet Ribbon, pearls and Sizzix Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations Texture Fades Regal Flourishes Embossing Folder; homemade distressing solution=coffee+water+rubbing alcohol

Challenges:

• Our Daily Bread Designs
• Stampin' in Time On Assignment Challenge #44 (SNTODBD44)  Distressing
• Shining the Light Challenge #78 (ODBDSLC78)Scripture, quote or song
• Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge 108:
•   Create a card that either says “Blessings” or uses an encouraging Scripture
• Southern Girls Challenge #28 Anything Goes
  
  
  

Seasons change and so should we!

To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Card Inside

Seasons change. . .The longer shadows, heavier dew, shorter days, a particular smell in the air and the changing colors all remind us that we have moved from summer into fall: a change of seasons! It seems that the creation adapts to change far more readily than do we. Yet the Lord calls His people to have lives that are ones of continual change. Not like new clothes, new shoes or a new house, but something far more important. We are to be changing from what we were (the old man) to what we will be: fully sanctified and conformed to the image of our Savior! We are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, to labor to put off the old ways that are not honoring to the Lord and put on the new ways of righteousness as He prescribes in His Word. Not that we, this side of heaven, will achieve the perfection that is reserved for glory, but we are still to press on in our obedience. This is not something that we can do by ourselves! Thankfully, the Lord promises, by His Spirit, to transform us! We also are to cling not to the things of this world, which are passing away, but to the things of Christ, the things of eternal value which will never perish! As the leaves the fall from the trees this time of year, we should let go of that which is hindering and holding us from trusting and obeying the Lord.

May He give us much grace as we seek to change in the ways that honor Him. Peace and grace to you, dear friends.

Front and Envelope

Close Up

Christian Paper Crafts Blog Hop. . .There is still time to participate in Christian Paper Crafts monthly blog hop or what I prefer to call a blog carvan, since you just link up your project to the wagon train that's already forming!You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on September 25 to link up. We're looking forward to seeing what you craft with our monthly Design Team Delights theme: Fabulous Fall . There are even some prizes, so you'd best be packing your wagon. . .see you on the trail!

Card Details:Stamps: Lizzie Ann Designs Harvest of Memories and Timeless Textures, Verve, Stampin' Up Words of Wisdom

Card Stock: Very Vanilla

Ink: Dusty Durango, Early Espresso, So Saffron, Ranger Distress Antique Linen, Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories: Twine, Buttons, Stamp-a-ma-jig Challenges: Christian Paper Crafts Blog Hop Fab Fall Tuesday Throwdown #67 Fall    Heart Song Inspirations Orange & Buttons  Crop Stop Challenge #38 Let's Block It Out Pile It On #38 The Colors of Fall  Crafts 4 Eternity #38 Theme Fall  Cream City Angels First Day of Autumn

Fall Faith

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

 Christian Paper Crafts is excited to host a monthly blog hop or what I prefer to call a blog carvan, since you just link up your project to the wagon train that's already forming! Hitch up and join in the fun. . .We're looking forward to seeing what you craft with our monthly Design Team Delights theme: Fabulous Fall . There are even some prizes, so you'd best be packing your wagon. . .see you on the trail!

Close Up

FAITH.. . .Sometimes this verse is misconstrued and the implication is that Christianity is a blind faith; that believing in God, let alone trusting in the One who said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through me," requires leaving our intellect at the door. Rather than being a blind faith, with no object and no grounding,  Christianity is quite the opposite. It is logical, it is reasonable, it is based on solid evidence and has at its center, a real person, fully God and fully man: the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Christianity is not mere blind faith. As emphasized by theologian D. James Kennedy, the claim that belief in Christianity produces an irrational, uneducated, unintelligent, or unintellectual view of life is completely false. And the statement that unbelief produces a rational and intelligent and enlightened view of the universe is equally false. Blind faith is faith without evidence, which would be superstition. The Bible does not call us to blind faith. The Bible calls us to faith in evidence. We submit that various truth claims, including Christianity, should be evaluated on the evidence.   -Source: Faith Facts (www.faithfacts.org)

Blog Hop Rules: Create a card, scrapbook, page, altered item, etc., using the same theme that the Design Team Delights Galley has made their projects for the month: Fabulous Fall. Our monthly blog hops will always be on the 22nd of each month and ends on the 24th at 11:59 p.m. Winners of the blog hop will be announced on the 25th of each month. In order to be eligible for your prize (member or nonmember), you must have the Christian Paper Crafts Blog Hop Badge on your sidebar. You can find out more details by clicking the blog hop badge to the left.


Card Details: This beautiful paper is from the Stampin' Up! Paisley Petals Collection. It's so beautiful that I added just a bit of bling to the acorns and leaves and completed it with God's precious Word.
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs
Ink: Versa Mark, Ranger Distress Antique Linen, Stampin' Up Old Olive
Designer Paper: Stampin' Up! Paisley Petals
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Old Olive
Accessories: K & Company decorative tape, Iron on crystals, Stickles (assorted colors), piercing tool, Spellbinders Dies Scallop Circles and Classic Circles
Challenges:

• Christian Paper Crafts Blog Hop
• Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light Challenge 77 Fall Colors or Theme 
• Tuesday Throwdown #67 Fall 
• Bows and Berries Challenge #10 Glitter 
• Pile It On #38 The Colors of Fall 

Whatever you do. . .

. . .Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

Whatever you do. . .whether it's your sacred calling as a helpmeet, as a mother, as one who ministers and cares for others, as a workman, as a husband. . .(not many men will be reading this, but this scripture applies to all!) all is to be done for the glory of the Lord. Or, as the first question in the Westminster Confession of Faith shorter catechism (designed to help us understand and systematically learn the great doctrines of the Christian faith) asks, "What is the chief end of man?" and answers, "To glorify God and enjoy him forever."

This card was crafted for the Flourishes Sketch Challenge FLLC911A. I flipped the sketch and stretched it just a bit to include the doily that went so well with the ad from the Graphics 45 Paper (click on the photo for a closer view to see what I mean). Do hope I didn't stretch the sketch too far!

Inside

Card Details:
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Serve The Lord, Stampin' Up Tiny Phrases
Card Stock: SU Basic Black
Designer Paper: Graphic 45 Happy Homemaker and Eden's Sympony, KaiserCraft Timeless Collection
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress Tea Stain and Antique Linen
Accessories: Spellbinders Scallop Oval Dies, Winton Cake Doily, torn dish towel for ribbon, vintage button, baker's twine, Zva Creative Gems, Bead Landing frame charm.
Have a blessed day!

Faithfulness Springs Forth

Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, so righteousness looks down from heaven. Psalm 85:11

Sunflowers springing forth from the earth and lifting their flowery faces to the sky seemed to be such a fitting image to accompany this passage of Scripture. Brown for the earth. . .the dust from whence we were formed, blue for the sky, the heavens to which those who are trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ (yellow for the sun/Son) will go until that Great Day when the new heavens and the new earth are ushered in! It also makes me think of our Lord Jesus who is fully God and fully man. . .springing forth from the earth, looking down from the heavens. Have a blessed day and thanks for visiting!


CARD DETAILS
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Scripture Collection #7, Stampin' Up! Provencal, Rustic Rooster
Card Stock: Stampin' Up! So Saffron, Early Espresso, Naturals Ivory, Whisper White, Cool Caribbean
Designer Paper: Homemade
Ink: Chocolate Chip Craft Ink, Early Espresso, Cool Caribbean, Ranger Distress Antique Ivory, Memento Black
Accessories: Our Daily Bread Fence Border Die, Spellbinders Scallop Ovals and Scallop Rectangles Dies, Martha Stewart sunflower sticky, SU Early Espresso Baker's Twine, SU lattice embossing folder, brads, Stampendous Antique Copper and clear embossing powder, Bic Sharpies, Prismacolor pens.
Special Notes: This card uses the sprinkle emboss technique from Stampendous taught to us at Christian Paper Crafts by Taylor Usury (The Quiet Moments). You sprinkle embossing powder on your card/paper and then carefully heat from beneath until it sets/melts. It adds nice texture and dimension.
Challenges:

• Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light Challenge: Lacing ODBDSLC76
• Sugar Creek Hollow: Sunny Sunflowers

Give yourselves fully to the work. . .

 Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Cor 15:5

Front

Fabulous Fall is about to arrive! Are you ready? To help you prepare, the Christian Paper Crafts Design Team is offering a few Gracious Glimpses each day through the Design Team Delights Gallery opening on Thursday, Sept. 15.

The Lord says we are to be thankful at all times for all things. . .and I am thankful to the Lord for those the He gifts to serve His people and to be salt and light in this perishing and dark world. I am thankful to those who exercise their gifts faithfully in His service for His glory! Blessings to you, now and for eternity!  So. . .for my Gracious Glimpse of the September Design Team Delights Gallery, I picked this project. Really, how can you go wrong with this darling burlap "canvas" as a project starter? This is part of a set that will be given as a gift . . the rest of the set is in the Gallery so stay tuned. . . .

Back

PROJECT DETAILS

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Serve the Lord

Card Stock: SU Really Rust, Core-dinations

Ink: VersaMark

Accessories: Dress It Up Buttons, Making Memories alphabet charms, Early Espresso twine, eyelet, Crop-a-Dile

Technique: Gluing, stamping, embossing

Challenges:

• Sugar Creek Hollow Sunny Sunflowers
• Flourishes Colors of Fall Challenge FLLCSep11

  Have a blessed day!

A good name is better than riches. . .

“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” Proverbs 22:1

If you think that things just seem to sparkle around our Christian Paper Crafts Wednesday CASE Artist WCA113, you’re right!

Gemscraps has been adding her special touch to pages, ever since son Tim (TJ) was born. She thought she’d scrap a babybook chronicling his first year, but that was only the start of her scrapbooking adventure: one page and she was hooked. Now, 14 years later, Gemiel Matthews is an accomplished scrapper, she hosts the Gems of Inspiration Challenge at Christian Paper Crafts and also is a breadstick at Our Daily Bread Designs serving on the scrapbook team.  She is also one of CPC’s Guest Designer for this month’s Fabulous Fall Design Team Delights Gallery which opens next week (September 15) for all Super Sisters and King’s Daughters.

Gemiel and her husband, Tim have been friends for over 30 years and have been married 15 years.  They are a military family, says Gemiel and Tim is retired from the Air Force.  Gemiel is a stay at home mom and volunteers at her son’s school and is active in her church, where she utilizes the gifts the Lord has given her to teach, encourage and help others.

Gemiel loves the color purple and serving the Lord through her love for scrapbooking. So this is your invitation to join me in honoring Gemscraps and to be inspired by her lovely gallery. So take a look through the gallery of Gemscraps and create a card, page or project inspired by what you see there. Be sure not to copy exactly: make it your own!  When uploading your card or project to the Christian Paper Crafts gallery, please use the keyword WCA113 (no spaces or commas).  When posting anywhere else online, please use the keyword CPC-WCA113. Have a blessed day!

WCA 113 Gallery

DESCRIPTION

Gemiel is a scrapbooker. .  .so I decided to do a scrapbook page for our sample this challenge. Now, it’s not the kind of page Gemiel would do as it’s digital. Gemiel faithfully scraps her heritage and her family and that encouraged me to scrap a page from my family’s history using some items I converted to digital embellishments: a bit from the family ranch and a shoe from my second horse, Skunky. One interesting note is this photo reflects my maternal family and two of my great-grandfathers. The manager of the working stock was my great-grandmother’s father, and the owner of the ranch was my great-grandfather’s father.

Title: Lambie Ranch Working Stock

Stamps:  None

Card Stock:   Early Espresso

Designer Paper:  Stampin’ Up! Beau Chateau, Shabby Princess Plentiful

Ink:  Early Espresso

Accessories:  SU Brads, Frames from Shabby Princess, Homemade accessories (bit and horseshoe)

Technique: Digital Crafting

Challenges:

• Christian Paper Crafts 
• Wednesday CASE Artist WCA113
• Gems of Inspiration GI04

Serve the Lord

"My Father will honor the one who serves Me." John 12:26

It is a blessing to serve the Lord. . .and it is a blessing to thank those who are faithful in their service to the Lord! This was crafted for the Our Daily Bread Designs Stamping in Time (SNTODBD42) Challenge to use lace. I made this flower and the faux button a while ago and am finally putting it to use. Have a blessed day!

DETAILS

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Serve the Lord
Card Stock: SU Close to Cocoa, Pink
Designer Paper: SU Retired
Ink: Craft White, Craft Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Zva Creative Pearls, Homemade Flower and button, ribbon, crochet ribbon trim, Spellbinders dies, embossing powder Challenges: Our Daily Bread Designs Stampin in Time #42 Lace (SNTODBD42) Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge 105 1 Thess 4:11-12