Memorial Day

The Purpose Driven Life

The Six Phases of Faith by Rick Warren

"Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, "Let it happen, then, just as you believe!" Matthew 9:29 (TEV)

"When things don't happen on our timetable, we tend to run ahead of God and create detours to make it happen. You may end up making the wrong decision. God takes our belief and he blesses us through it, and that makes life a great adventure. It is critical that we cooperate with God as he builds faith within us. Because of its importance, I want to review the six phases of faith and t his will also let you see them all in one place."

Phase 1—Dream: Do I have a dream planted in me by God? If you don't have a dream, start praying, "God give me your dream." If you can't write down the dream God has given you, you need to be praying. If you don't have a dream, you're not living, you're just existing. God placed you on this earth for a purpose.

Phase 2—Decision: Do I need to make a faith-decision that will help that dream become a reality? Some of you have a dream from God, but you haven't made a decision to follow it. You're still on the fence. God's word for you is "Go for it!" Some of you may need to make the decision to give your life to Christ. Some of you may need to make the decision to join a church. Some of you may need to make the decision to get involved in ministry.

Phase 3—Delay: What has caused my dream to be delayed? If your prayer hasn't been answered, that's okay. It just means you're in God's waiting room. Now is not the time to detour. When things don't happen on our timetable, we tend to run ahead of God and create detours to make it happen. You may end up making the wrong decision. Wait, wait, and wait for God to work his hand.

Phase 4—Difficulty: What difficulties have I faced waiting for the dream to be fulfilled? You are being tested, but it's not going to be the last time. You'll go through many, many tests in life. God says, "I know exactly what you're going through. I see it. I'm watching. Don't think I've forgotten you—I haven't."

Phase 5—Dead End: Have I come to a dead end yet? Some of you are there ready to give up. But the truth is—you're right where God wants you. You're getting prepared for deliverance. God's word for you is "Hang on! Keep on believing! Don't give up!"

Phase 6—Deliverance: Do I expect and trust God to deliver me? "According to your faith will it be done to you." (Matthew 9:29 NIV) God is faithful. What he tells us to do, he will do. But it doesn't happen overnight. You go through the faith-phases of Dream, Decision, Delay, Difficulty, and Dead End . . . and then comes Deliverance.

Organize Your Stuff Challenge - week # 21

Week 21 of the Organize Your Stuff Challenge posted this question - "Question of the week: If you handwrite your journaling/doodle on your pages, what are your favorite pens to use?" I'm ashamed to say I don't hand write anything. All my journaling is on the computer and I know I need to change that. I love finding papers with my father's and grandmother's handwriting, but I just can't stand my own. I might have to challenge myself to do just one layout with some hand journaling and see how it goes.

My CTMH markers are stored in an Exclusive Inks Organizer with my ink pads. My set of Prismacolor pencils are stored in their original tin and are kept on top of the 3-drawer organizer that houses my embossing stuff, paints and chalks. Even with the pencil tin on top, the organizer fits nicely in an Expedite cubbie. The only other pens (Sakura glitter gelly roll and write 'n rub foiling pen) I own are stored in my PC tool caddy. There is plenty of room in the tool caddy to house some new journaling pens though ;)

I'll have to purchase one of the Zig markers that a few fellow Peas have mentioned to be a great journaling pen. Once I attempt a layout with handwritten journaling, I'll post for your review. Be kind though, I have handwriting issues.

Completed Deck Base

Here's my completed deck base for Tena Sprenger's 52 Card Pick Up class at BPS. Lots of cut cardstock, corner rounding, hole punching and edge distressing. Printed, punched and distressed the dividers, added some coordinating ribbon to the hinge ring and I'm ready to start filling the pages with tons of ideas. Technique days start on Monday and I can't wait to begin.

Deck Cover

Part of the assignment for orientation week from the "52 Card Pick Up" class over at BPS was to decorate the front cover of our card deck. I challenged myself to only use products from my current supplies ... and I did it! Stepped-out of my comfort zone and brushed the edges with craft paint, as well as embossed the numbers in silver.

Part 2 is cutting and prepping 47 deck cards, adding tabs to dividers, creating a back cover and putting everything together on a hinge ring. Check back tomorrow for the finished product.

supplies used:

CTMH ~ Hollyhock, Bamboo & Desert Sand cardstock, Notebook PP, Fresh Shapes DE chipboard, silver embossing powder, Lots of Dots Irresistibles, White Daisy Organdy ribbon, Bitty Sparkles and Adhesive-Backed Pearls

other ~ black craft paint, Li'l Davis canvas alpha stickers and clear bracket

Big Picture Scrapbooking

I'm so excited! I'm taking the 52 Card Pick Up class with Tena Sprenger over at Big Picture Scrapbooking and it starts on Thursday. Here's a description of the class ... just in case you want to join me.

"Want to play 52 card pick up? No, not that crazy card game you played as a kid where you ended up picking up all the cards off the floor! Enroll in 52 Card Pick Up with Tena Sprenger and pick up 52 fun and inspirational tips and techniques to add to your paper crafting arsenal. Tena is a 2004 Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame Winner, sought-after scrapbooking instructor, and co-author of Artful Memories and Lifelines for Northlight Books. She can't wait to share her top 52 scrapbooking recipes, tips, and experiments she has picked up over the years! In this returning ten-week, creativity-packed course, each student will create a funky chunky 52-card deck of tip and technique cards to house on a 2-inch hinge ring.

Be prepared to think outside the box and get a little messy: Tena loves to use art supplies, glitter and glue! When class is over, everyone will have a 52-card deck chock full of inspiration and how-to tips to hook on their scrap tote or bulletin board to refer to for an instant creativity jumpstart. Just think: the deck is fabulous, and the inspiration will fuel your creativity long after class is over! Tena's expertise and energy will inspire you to infuse your scrapbook pages with creativity! "

The Purpose Driven Life

The following is today's daily devotional from Rick Warren's website, PurposeDrivenLife.com.

God builds your faith by giving you a dream by Rick Warren

"Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes." Ephesians 3:20 (LB)

"If a dream comes from God, it will be so big in your life that you can't do it on your own. If you could do it on your own, you wouldn't need faith."
Faith is like a muscle: it can be strengthened. It can be weak or it can be strong, depending on how much you use it.

How does God build your faith? He uses a very predictable pattern that we will look at this week; and, if you understand it, you can cooperate with him in developing greater faith. It's like when the father, seeking help from Jesus for his son, said, "Have pity on us and help us, if you possibly can!" (Mark 9:22 TEV)

Jesus replied, "What do you mean, 'If I can'? . . . Anything is possible if a person believes." (Mark 9:23 NLT)

The first thing God does to build your faith is give you a dream. When God wants to work in your life, he'll always give you a dream—about yourself, about what he wants you to do, about how he's going to use your life to impact the world.

There are many examples in the Bible of this.
God gave Noah the dream of building an ark.
God gave Abraham the dream of being the father of a great nation.
God gave Joseph the dream of being a leader that would save his people.
God gave Nehemiah the dream of building the wall around Jerusalem.

How do you know when a dream is from God or when it's just something you've thought up yourself? The Bible tells us that God, "by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes." (Ephesians 3:20 LB)

In other words, if a dream comes from God, it will be so big in your life that you can't do it on your own. If you could do it on your own, you wouldn't need faith. And if you don't have faith you're not pleasing God, because the Bible says whatever is not of faith is sin. (Roman 14:23)

God starts to build your faith by giving you a dream. He may be speaking to you now, but you just don't recognize it for what it is. That dream you have—the idea, the concept —that thing you've been thinking about doing that would be of real benefit to other people, where do you think that idea came from?

God will never tell you to do something that contradicts his truth. In other words, he won't give you a dream of leaving your family and kids and moving to Hollywood to be a movie star. If you've got that dream, then you can know it is not from God.

God starts with a dream as he works within your life to build faith.

The Big Picture by Stacy Julian

Stacy Julian's "The Big Picture" is back in print at Creaking Keepsakes for only $9.99. I ordered my copy and I can't wait for it to arrive!

Stacy Julian, founding editor of Simple Scrapbooks magazine is best known for her liberating and revolutionary approach to scrapbooking. In The Big Picture, Stacy's fourth book shares ideas, inspiration and solutions for all scrapbookers, regardless of their style or expertise.

"If you've ever looked at your piles of pictures and felt overwhelmed, behind or uninspired, you'll find a true friend in Stacy Julian. The Big Picture is all about helping you discover your potential, not only as a scrapbooker, but as a creative human being."

CTMH Art & Soul

A new Art & Soul® episode is posted on my CTMH website. You can view the latest webisode here: This One’s for the Guys.

"We’ve gathered techniques and projects for the guys in your life. This episode highlights how to give your paper a leather look, a great gift idea for Father’s Day, and using overstamping for “x-treme” movement and depth. You’ll also get tips on making Fancy Fuzz™ even fancier, and see just how the quick-title tool works in Studio J™. Watch now for some awesome (and manly) inspiration!"

And since you're here, why not check-out the reduced-price items sprinkled throughout the new CTMH Summer Idea Book. Available just from the Summer Idea Book release and only while supplies last, these items are going fast.

Here's a sampling of the reduced-price items:

~ 9" x 9" Simply Snapshots
~ Bits & Pieces, It's Your Day and Hello Birdie card kits
~ Ribbon Rounds - Black, Heavenly Blue, Sorbet & Ricrac collections
~ Bulk Ribbon - Cranberry grosgrain
~ White Daisy Variety and Summer Posies packs
~ Voice Recorder
~ Mini-Medley accents: Autumn Garden, Holiday, Spring Blossom & Winter Cozy
~ Edge Anchors - Rustic
~ Rub-ons: All-Our Adventure, Love Letters & Nature's Ambiance
~ My Creations - 3"x3" kraft mini album and Artboard
~ Ribbon Rounds Organizer

Stretch your dollars and get the biggest bang for your buck, all while earning the Miracle kit at a fabulous discount!

National Scrapbooking Month promo - MIRACLE

The Miracle kit is flying off CTMH's shelves! Click here for an inactive web page that shows all the kit contents and the easy way to earn it at a great discount (or even FREE).

The Miracle kit contains:

Cardstock ~ Colonial White and Bamboo cardstock create a smooth, creamy background for your photos

B&T Duos® Paper ~ organic florals and soothing stripes bring Sweet Leaf, Olive and Crystal Blue to the layout

My Stickease® ~ peel and stick My Stickease® adhesive artwork for instant beauty and sophistication

Printed Die-Cut Shapes ~ a bold bracket and lacy curve accent the page design (no scissors needed) and the shapes are cut to just the right size required for these layouts

Irresistibles™ Die-Cuts ~ add your choice of ink to make the embossed resist designs appear

Flip-Flaps™ ~ make your page interactive by attaching six extra photos using the enclosed Flip Flaps™

Brochure ~ put it all together with an easy-to-follow instructional brochure to create two gorgeous, interactive two-page layouts in no time

additional contents: Mini-Medley Accents Colonial White Collection, 12″ Colonial White Waxy Flax and Sponge Wedges

Prescriptions for Total Happiness

Stacy Julian shared this during a class at BPS (Big Picture Scrapbooking). Just some food for thought.

Prescriptions for total happiness. Nine requisites for contented living, by Johan Fongurta.

Health enough to make work a pleasure.

Wealth enough to support your needs.

Strength to battle with difficulties and overcome them.

Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them.

Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished.

Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor.

Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others.

Faith enough to make real the things of God.

Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.

Organize Your Stuff Challenge - week # 19

Chipboard - that's the focus of week 19 at the 2Peas Organize Your Stuff Challenge. I love chipboard! It's easy to use and extremely versatile.

I pulled all my chipboard off the Clip It Up because it was taking up too much space. Cleared-out the large bottom drawer on the scrapbooking side of my desk unit and incorporated any home office material into the bottom drawer on the other side. Legal-size hanging folders now store all my chipboard, including alphas, shapes, pre-printed themed packages and raw sheets.

As you can see I have plenty of room to expand. Not sure that's a good thing ;)

Organize Your Stuff Challenge - week # 18

Week 18 of the organizing challenge over at 2Peas ~ tools, tools and more tools, plus adhesive. Yikes! I knew this week would eventually confront me and I wasn't looking forward to it. But once I got started, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I had imagined. My most-often used tools are kept in a Pampered Chef tool caddy. I decided to pull the caddy apart for a thorough cleaning, some purging and re-organization.

Here's the final organized caddy holding my micro-tip scissors and Coluzzle/exacto knives, bone folder and scoring tools, finishing files and piercer, mini misters, water brush, glue and bonding pens, Tombow Mono applicator and refills, Spritz stamp cleaner and Liquid Glass. Doesn't it look great!

All my distressing stuff is stored in the CTMH Distressing Kit pictured below. It holds a ton of texture tools, brushes, sanding blocks, sponges and daubers. Next, I removed the insert from my Making Memories tool kit to allow room for the MM slot punch tool set. The metal tin sits in the top drawer of my desk for easy access, the CTMH distressing kit is over in the Expedite and the caddy will now have a place of prominence on my desktop.

Once decorating week rolls around, I might cover the outside of the caddy in paper or attempt to spray paint the whole unit. The white is just too stark and plain. Maybe some rub-ons? Another week down, only 10 more or so to go. Are you keeping up with me?

Oak Creek Campground

We were blessed with gorgeous weather for our first camping trip of the season. Oak Creek has become our favorite campground. Despite the chilly water temperature, the girls spent most of the weekend in the creek, catching salamanders, cray fish and minnows. PJ bingo on Friday night was a blast and our table seemed to be especially lucky, winning numerous games plus the 50-50 raffle.

Our PUP made it through winter storage with only minor tightening required on a few connections. The new gravity chairs we earned from Cabela's are awesome, as Don and I spent quality time testing them. We didn't get a chance to try-out the new cast iron waffle maker, so waffles are definitely on the menu for our next adventure.

CTMH's May Stamp of the Month

May's "Cherish the Moment" SOTM is perfect year-round and a must-have in your stamp collection. Use it in addition to your regular journaling or in place of journaling where just a quick reference to an event is needed.