In the Word Wednesday #8: When You're Tired

There are times in this life when you are just plain tired.

The holiday season, a group of family birthdays, work responsibilities, care giving stressors, the list can go on and on. Maybe you’re facing a health issue, loss of income, family tensions. Let’s face it, life isn’t always kittens and rainbows.

But, here is where a perspective check may be in order; were we promised “easy”? Have you read through the book of Psalms? Lamentations? Ecclesiastes?

Those are perhaps my favorite portions of Scripture. The authors are real, raw and oh, so very in need…

~ in need of God’s comfort

~ in need of God’s hand to move on their behalf

~ in need of GOD

And, you know? GOD always shows up.

I won’t lie; I was tired today. I woke up later than I usually do. I had plans to do XYZ, and those went by the wayside. We had to get to the grocery store. Hubby isn’t feeling great. And, I had blog posts to catch up on, I still need to practice with my tripod to start making video tutorials, dishes were in the sink, you get the point. All I wanted to do was go back to bed.

But…I put on worship music.

But…I took out my prayer journals.

But…I took a breath, opened my Bible and read His word.

Yes. I am still a bit tired; but I filled my tank and moved on.

I encourage you, right now, to put the phone down, get off the devices, put on some praise music and open your Bible. You don’t need to carve out 2 hours. If you can only read 2 verses, DO. God is waiting for you. He meets you where you are, and will lift your spirit.

I think this is especially important when you feel tired, when you feel like life is not being fair. Spend some time in the Word. God does not disappoint. 💛

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

The word of the Lord. Blessed be His Name.

I hope you all have fabulous holidays. I will be taking a break next week, and will be back on December 27 for In the Word Wednesday.

Blessings, Barb

Image from YouVersion Bible App

Crafty Thursday #9 Pleat Fold Christmas Cards

*December Host Code M6C34D2G: see below for details

Hello friends!

I appreciate you coming along on my crafting and card making journey. I have found such joy in creating cards, and I hope that I inspire you to get your hands a little inky, get some glue in your hair and create, too!

Believe it or not, I’m done with my Christmas cards! *release confetti!* Of course, I have a few spares, just in case I may have overlooked someone. I was so excited when my order with the Heartfelt Hexagon bundle, the Boho Blue Mini emboss and die machine, and the Cheery Patterns embossing folders arrived, because I was able to finish up my cards! The Hexagon punch was perfect to use with my favorite Christmas stamp set, too.

Just look at these beauties! And, they did not require extra postage! 🙂

I have loved creating with this gorgeous Winter Meadow DSP, which is staying in stock! Yay! Hurry and grab some! I was a bit intimidated by the 12×12 sheets at first, but once you slice into it, the inspirations abound. I’ve made quite a few Christmas cards with this paper, and I still have some left for other wintery projects.

Speaking of wintery projects…I am so very ready for bright colors and fun new papers…and that is exactly what will be coming via UPSanta today! So many beautiful new papers, fun dies and stamp sets, all from the new Mini Catalog and Sale-A-Bration, which both begin availability on January 4, 2024. One of the perks of being a demonstrator is getting the chance to pre-order and start playing with all the new products. There are plenty of others, too, and I’m happy to talk to you about it more!

I’m so looking forward to making new, fun projects to share, and the very first video will be…

Ah! You’ll have to subscribe to the channel to see the premier! 😁 Trust me, it will be a rockin’ good time. I’m planning to be on mid-January, barring anything urgent that comes up and I can figure out the whole tripod, 2 screen thing.

All of my personal shopping links are above in the post, if you’d like any of the products I used for these cards. Instead of an instruction sheet, I refer you to the Suestampfield blog post , who is the designer of these lovely cards.

Thanks for joining me today! Have a blessed and wonderful weekend. Let me know in the comments if you went to any Christmas parties! 🎄

Barbara

*By using the Host Code at the top of the post, I have the opportunity to earn some free products. You can host an online class and earn free products, too. Email me with any questions and we can set up an online class. stampinoplous@gmail.com

If you use my Host Code, and spend $50 or more in product, before tax and shipping, you will receive a thank you gift from me personally. Code on this post is valid for December 2023 only.

In the Word Wednesday 7.5: Beautiful Feet

I’m so very sorry that I did not get a post up last week. Life caught up, and, well..

In my Advent scripture writing today, this was the beginning of the passage to copy. It’s a beautiful passage, full of hope and promise.

Hope: that Messiah is coming. That He brings peace and happiness. That God reigns.

Promise: those who publish this Good News are beautiful in the sight of God.

I got to thinking on this. Who do I publish this Good News to in my life? Yes, I write a lot of social media posts about the things God is doing in my life, Bible verses, etc. But, in that face-to-face time…at the store, on a walk with my hubby, do I reach out and tell others?

I confess, I am not as faithfully bold in living color as I am online. I’m more prone to blabbing about weather, getting sucked into uncomfortable conversations about how terrible other people’s kids have turned out, the latest NASCAR drama or, quite possibly a Harry Potter reference will pop up. Yeah. That’s probably what you get up close.

I love Jesus. God saved me out of the mirey muck I had made of my youth and restored my soul. THAT isn’t even the Good News! The Good News is that HE WILL DO IT FOR YOU, TOO!

I prayed this morning to be more faithfully bold. And, I pray I am obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit when He whispers the words, “Tell others.” in my ear.

Have a wonderful and blessed day 💚

Barbara

Crafty Thursday #7: Gift Ideas Gone Wonky

Hello all! My goodness, it’s almost December!

I planned on having all my cards in the mail by December 1; well, I can tell you that plan didn’t have a second part, lol. So, SOME of my cards went out on Monday, and the rest will drizzle out before December 15. Still in time for Christmas, right?

Have you shopped at all? I have a few friends who are DONE. Wrapped and all, done! I’m doing my usual, shopping the week prior to Christmas. When my kids were small, I used to go on Christmas Eve. I sometimes miss those crazy shopping trips, but…I’m glad that I don’t have to!

I was gifted a few weeks ago with a big bag of Creative Memories scrapbooking supplies. I looked at them, put them aside, and looked again. I had an idea, and I ran with it this week. The results? Well…

These are my trial run notebook covers. I used small legal pads, thinking they would be a good size for a pocketbook or messenger ag. I worked up a template before cutting into card stock and paper. It seemed that it would work, so I plunged in.

I have some 12×12 vanilla card stock, and I cut that down to 12×8.5. I did the same with the paper and glued it together, letting it dry well before I scored it. I added a pocket on the inside of the cover, and I attached a velcro dot to keep it closed. I could not figure out the pen attachment. That still needs some figuring.

Here are my thoughts on the trials:

~ Gluing the paper to the cardstock was not good. It was difficult to score and fold, and I’m not happy with the edges. You can see in the picture that I tried some packing tape along the edge. If this paper was one inch wider, I could have folded it over the edges, but that wouldn’t have solved the score and fold issues.

~ The pocket needs gussets. A flat pocket is fine, but it needs a little more room.

~ I had to tape the pads onto the card stock. I thought the strap I made would work, but it wasn’t wide enough. I need to work that out on the next one.

I’ll continue working on this, since I have a few gals on my list that need one! I will post updates on my Facebook and Instagram. I hope to have this project worthy to show you soon. I don’t mind sharing the process with you, I hope it helps someone to create something, too! There are no mistakes in creating, only steps to make it a better project on the next try!

Tell me about some of your creative mishaps! Comment here, or over on FB and IG.

Till next time, happy crafting!
Barbara

Crafty Thursday #7, Corner Flip-Fold Card

Happy Crafty Thursday on Friday! I hope you all had a great day, watched the Macy’s parade, and didn’t eat TOO much. My hubby and I had a quiet day and enjoyed the parade, and old favorite movie, March of the Wooden Soldiers, and ate stuffed shells, meatballs and garlic bread. I’m making some turkey over the weekend, when I’m sure we’ll see some or all of the grandkids and kids who live here in Colorado.

*NOVEMBER 2023 HOST CODE AUJPKKWY

I received my happy mail, and oh, what fun I’ve been having! I can hardly wait for my next happy mail, coming from my terrific team leader, Lorraine. She takes such good care of us all, and I hope to build my team as well as she does for ours! My featured card today, the Corner Flip-Fold is one that I CASE’d from her You Tube and blog. (CASE: Copy And Share Everywhere)

Aren’t they cute?

I had a great time trying my hand at this fun fold. I was a bit nervous cutting the first one. One of my first (failed) attempts at a fun fold card still sits in my file basket, and I try not to look at it too often. I think that in my exuberance and inexperience, I tried one that was a bit too complicated. This one looks a bit advanced, but it’s really not that difficult at all. The biggest part was overcoming the nervousness of cutting into the card base.

I started with some of my fun new papers, the Inked Botanicals designer series paper. The patterns and colors in this series is so beautiful, and I wanted to dig in right away. This card is perfect to really let that DSP shine!

It matched really well with the Azure Afternoon and Poppy Parade card stock as the card bases. Those are both in the Brights collection, which has all the matching inks, etc. If you get the assortment package, you get 2 pieces of each color, for a total of 20 sheets. It’s a great price to try out all the color options! And, here’s a tip: when you shop, you can look in the description for the colors that SU uses in their designer series papers, so you can then order the coordinating card stock, ink, and markers. In the catalogs, there’s a color bar somewhere on the page when you shop for bundles that include DSP.

When you do your flip corner, you see some of that gorgeous paper on the inside of the card. On two I chose to let it ride, and the other two I chose a coordinating paper to feature. I love to bring some of that fun to the inside of the card as well. I even added an extra strip on one card.

I kept the sentiments simple: I didn’t use any on two of the cards fronts, and just a small one on the other two. I used my favorite stamp sets, and, yes…that cute little heart showed up again!

Speaking of papers, inks and stamp sets, Stampin’ Up has released their lists of carryover and retiring products. If you have seen anything in the September-December 2023 Mini catalog, NOW is the time to shop! Many products are retiring, and will only be available while supplies last. Some items have been marked down as much as 60%. Some bundles are being retired, but the products will still be available, but not at the great discount price. I just ordered the Heartfelt Hexagon bundle, stamp set and punch, that I’ve had my eye on for a bit. Both products will carry over, but not as a bundle. You can also shop the Clearance Rack and Online Exclusives for more terrific items that aren’t in the catalogs, or won’t be coming back. Lots of new kits are available, as well as the Paper Pumpkin subscription boxes. It’s a good time to grab a few gifts for that crafter in your life.

It’s also a pretty good time to join as a demonstrator. You’ll get a big discount on your starter kit, and a special thank you gift from me, personally. You don’t have to sell, write blogs or appear on You Tube. You can simple enjoy the discount on products. I would love to have you on Team Stampinopolous if you are a beginning stamper or want to create your own team. You can email me at stampinopolous@gmail.com for more info. I am here to help you in whatever your goals are.

I’d LOVE to see your card creations! If you go to my Facebook page, Stampinopolous, you can add your photos under the post featuring this card.

COMING IN JANUARY:

➤ Newsletter sign ups: I will publish a monthly newsletter with card tutorials, Stampin’ Up news and maybe ever a recipe or two!

➤ If all goes well, my You Tube channel will go live. With more than the 16 second trial video that’s on there right now. 🙂

As always, a free instruction sheet is available at this link. I added pictures to help you “see” the cuts and fold.

Thank you for stopping in, reading and commenting. I appreciate you all!
Till next time, be blessed beyond measure!

Barb

*This week is the last week to use the NOVEMBER 2023 HOST CODE when you order. All orders of $50 or over in product before taxes receive a thank you package of embellishments from me personally. If your order is over $150 in product before taxes, do not use the host code and enjoy your own Stampin’ Rewards!

In the Word Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

I am so grateful that you spend some of your precious time here reading my posts.

Every few days, I incorporate Martin Luther’s prayer “formula,” for lack of a better phrase. His barber, Peter, asked Luther how he should pray, and after prayer and thought, he came back with a 40 page document on personal prayer! Whoa!

Don’t be alarmed! I am only giving you the highlights!

The acronym is ITCP: Instruction, Thanksgiving, Confession, Praise. It has been a good way of keeping my mind focused on what I am doing. If you’re anything like me, your mind can wander even at the most sacred of times. I cannot numerate the amount of times, in church, my brain begins to think about what I’m making for dinner rather than what the pastor is speaking about. Sad, but true.

So, as you prepare for the holiday, no matter if you are hosting, traveling, going out to dinner or staying home quiet, spend some of your time in prayer, asking Gid what He is showing you (Instruction), thanking Him for insights (Thanksgiving), repenting and keeping a short account with God and seek what He is showing you (Confession), and praise Him for everything, even the stuff that’s not so much fun (Praise).

I hope everyone who reads this has a wonderful and blessed holiday weekend.

Doxology

Give Thanks, by Don Moen

Saturday Stampin'

Happy mail today! 🎉

Remember my order that I almost ordered the day before the sale? Well, I ordered the correct day, and got my new supplies today! Fun new DSP, inks, and card stock colors!

Supplies used:

》DSP: Zoo Crew

I wasn’t sure I would like this DSP: oh, my, it is SO MUCH FUN!

》Card base: Lemon Lime Twist, Pumpkin Pie

》Stamped With Love stamp set

This stamp set is fun, too! I love, love, love that tiny heart!

》Inks: Lemon Lime Twist, VersaMark for the tone-on-tone, Memento Tuxedo Black, and Melon Mambo for that adorable heart!!

》Modern Oval and Circle Sayings punches

I’ll be experimenting more tomorrow, and I have a few other cards to show you. Two sets of cards, using the pre-made card bases. One set was very simple, the other a bit more.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Barbara

*All Stampin’ Up! links are mine, and I make a commission

Read about the seal of the Holy Spirit on your heart

#creating #createandblessothers #stampinopolous #stampinup #cards # cardmaking #papercrafts #newsupplies #happymail

Crafty Thursday # 6: Explosion Cards Fun Folds

Confession: I really love the creativity of Fun Fold cards. L.O.V.E. it!

But…some are really hard! 😏 I’ll show you both of my attempts.

NOVEMBER 2023 HOST CODE: AUJPKKWY

This was the easier one. The inner piece is called a squash fold, and it’s fairly easy to make. More about that below; I was able to liberally use my favorite stamp set, Circle Sayings, I just love that little cupcake! I chose not to color it this time, I liked the look of the tone-on-tone vibe I had going with the fun Bright and Beautiful papers. I used Bubble Bath card stock for the base, and stamped with Fresh Freesia. I love the color combo!

One great thing about the squash fold piece is that you can make it any size so long that it’s a square. I made some fun ornaments with this fold, too. They can be given or used for Christmas, birthdays or any other occasion where you may want a fun alternative to a card. The designer series paper is the perfect weight to use for this very fun fold! You can use card stock, but it’s a bit bulky, and if using in a card, will require extra postage.

To create the squash fold: You need a 6 in x 6 inch square. Score at 3 inches on both sides, creating 4 squares. Then, score diagonally, once across. You can see the folds in the above photo. Fold the piece in half, keeping the pattern you want to show on the INSIDE of the fold. Do the same for the other horizontal side, keeping the chosen pattern inside. You will have a 2 3/4 in square. Open it back up, then fold on the diagonal the opposite way, so the chosen pattern is on the outside. It sounds a lot more complicated than it is, and I hope I’m explaining it well here. You can see in the picture how it pops out, creating the “explosion” when you open the card.

The next card is the one I had some trouble with. I made several templates before I attempted the card. The squash fold is up in the corner, and it’s not quite as easy to create as the simple squash fold. I used a thinner piece of white card stock from Hobby Lobby to create the base, as I found that a bit easier to work that tricky corner.

I’m holding it closed so you can see the front and how it opens up to the right. I put the round greeting on a square, to keep the linear look.

As you can see in the second picture, there was plenty of room to decorate this card. I probably got a bit caried away 😁 I’m not sure that I have this one down, and after a few failed attempts, my hubby told me to set it aside and try again another day. So, I listened to his wisdom and made dinner!

Creating is all about the process, and sometimes the process doesn’t quite

work the way you intend it to. My grandkids will love the card, and never know that it’s “not perfect.” Perfect cards are available in the stores; imperfections are the love you put into it.

I’m going to leave you a link to Really Robin Stamps’s You Tube tutorial on the corner fold card. She explains it so much better than I think I can, and makes it look easy. 😉

All supplies can be purchased in my online store or you can use my shopping link here. If you use my host code at the top of this post, and spend $50 or more on product, you will receive a thank you gift directly from me. The Seasonal Sale ends today, so if you want anything, hurry over to shop!

Thanks for spending some time with me today. I hope you try BOTH of these cards, and if you do, let me know how they turned out. You can post a picture of them in the comments for this post on my Facebook page.

A tutorial sheet for the Explosion Card and Squash fold (first card) is available right here.

Till next time, have a blessed and wonderful day!

Barbara

*all Stampin’ Up! links are mine, and I earn a commission.

In the Word Wednesday #5: Thankful for Restoration

Happy Wednesday, my friends!

I love reflecting on all to be thankful for, and it’s a wonderful practice all year long, not just in November. There are many verses in Scripture that tell us to be thankful always, in all circumstances.

I’d like to share with you a recent restoration that I am most thankful for. The restoration of my creativity.

Last week I shared what the last 5 years have been like for our family. It has been a season of amazing growth in my faith. Something, however, had gone missing.

Since childhood, I’ve been telling stories (no, not lying, lol). To my toys, friends, in school…I’ve always loved to read and tell stories. I’ve been known to stay up all night long reading books or writing. About 12 years ago I was able to fulfill a dream and publish my first book. See, I even have an Amazon author page! My only classes in high school that I aced were writing and art. (I was a solid low B in all my others except math, but this post is not about my math deficiencies.) Creating, be it in writing or other forms, has been with me my whole life.

When our daughter stepped into eternity, the gift of writing left. I have tried, over the past 5 years, to reclaim that somehow. I forced myself to finish the fifth book in my Lakeville series, and couldn’t do the work of formatting it for print, so that one is only available on Kindle. I lost my passion for sitting, creating, doing the work to get it done.

I was dry.

I was still journaling, but nothing creative; lots of “Help me, Lord” and lists. I tried coloring books, and other things. I was working as a teacher’s assistant and that gave me some creativity is working on bulletin boards and classroom decor.

I found You Tube videos about book binding, and from there, card making. That really caught my attention, and strangely enough, rubber stamping has never been one of the artsy things I’ve ever done, outside of the required making rubber stamps from erasers in school. In His graciousness, He restored creativity in my life. I am so very thankful.

What are you thankful that the Lord has restored in your life? I would love to hear about it.

Thank you for stopping by,

In His Wonderful Grace,

Barbara

Just a Reminder! Seasonal Sale!

Starts TOMORROW!

Get on early so you don’t miss out on papers, inks, embellishments and more! It’s also a great time to join as a demonstrator and get a nice discount off your Starter Kit!

My Shopping Link and November 2023 HOST CODE AUJPKKWY

Sales Period: November 14-16 2023

Ordering Deadlines

Phone: November 16 2023 at 6:59 p.m. (MT)

Online: November 16 2023 at 11:59 p.m. (MT)

10% off ribbons and trims.
15% off inks, including pads, refills, markers, and Blends. Bundles are not included.
20% off papers, including cardstock, specialty paper, and Designer Series Paper.
Shop online to see the full selection of discounted products available. This is a limited time offer.
Discounts are automatically applied when sale items are added to any order, including Starter Kits.
Please keep in mind that due to the high volume of orders, the distribution center may fall behind our typical shipping timeframes. We will do everything we can to return to our regular service levels as quickly as possible.

Please note: Some items may sell out due to high demand. The discount will automatically be applied to qualifying items that are in stock. Per our updated policy, backorders are not available.

Thank you and have fun shopping! Don’t forget orders of $50 or more gets a freebie gift directly from me!