Friday, September 23, 2011

Praise Him! And There Are Some Cards by Traci, too!

Happy 1st Day of Autumn, Friends!  I hope you are getting to feel some of the benefits of autumn where you live!  Is it a bit cooler than it has been this very hot summer?  Are you able to smell the apples as you walk through the neighborhood?  Have you taken your sweaters out of winter storage?


Of course, here in Florida, we don't do any of that! We may be fortunate to smell apples around the neighborhood--but not off of trees. Only if we have baked a couple of pies! I really miss autumn in Connecticut...where I grew up until I was 15.  There was an apple orchard right up the hill from us and the apples would flood the streets when they would fall out of the trees. They would be more than 2 or 3 deep across the road. Try riding a bike in that! LOL


Ecclesiastes 3                A Time for Everything

"1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace."

I have a few cards to show you today.  The first card is the card that I made for one of my brother-in-laws.  He lives in a very secluded area in the beautiful woods...and just loves nature!  I had to use flash photography before the sun was up...sorry for the spot of light.  It is a very casual card...but it really fits him!  Happy Birthday!



I used 2 colors of Stampin' Up! paper on the cover.  The right side was embossed using a Cuttle Bug and the folder is called "leaves," I believe.  I went over it lightly, with a brown water color pencil--without water!  The left side has a stamp named "Pine Tree" by Judith's.  I embossed it 3 times with Gold Embossing Powder by Embossing Arts, Co.  There is a gold embossed Birthday sentiment on the top left corner. 

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I took this photo on an angle.  I love this set of stamps!  You have heard me say that I love Our Daily Bread Design stamps the most!  Well, today you will see why!


This set is called, "Light of the World."  It comes with the Light House stamp with the rocks and grass at the base, a "STAMPED FOR YOU BY..." stamp and 3 Scriptures!  I painted this with Creative Inspirations Paints which have so much shimmer or glimmer to them!  They seemed perfect for the water!  I enjoy them so much, I used them for the whole thing!  I made this card for my August Card for my FIL, and one for the President's birthday.  They were similar, but had different Scriptures.  This is my Father-in-Law's card.  The Scripture I sent the President seemed very appropriate...it was when they were going through those dreadful arguments about the deficit.  The Scripture I used for the President is part of this set--here it is...

"The LORD is my Light and My Salvation:  Whom Shall I Fear?"
(Psalm 27:1)

The Scripture for my FIL's card:

"Your Word is a Lamp To My Feet and a Light for My Path." 
 (Psalm 119:105)

The final Scripture in this beautiful set is:

"YOU are the Light of the World.  Let YOUR Light Shine Out for ALL to See!"  (Matthew 5:14-16)

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This card was made for a weekly ODBD challenge.  Just click on Our Daily Bread Designs on the right side bar...and on the blog, on the right side--there is a button to see the current challenges!  They are wonderful!  We were challenged to lace something on card.  You can see these two birds are busy grabbing some string that is laced through the above bird's beak and down through the falling flower.  They want it to make their nest.  Now, the bird (facing to the right) and the flowers are part of this ODBD set called "Sing to the Lord."  Now, you may think these 2 birds look alike, and "They must be the same stamp!" Well, you are right!  I stamped them on water color paper, and took out my light table. I turned one over, and traced the details with a black thin SHARPIE.  That way I have a bird facing each way!  This set is wonderful!  It comes with three Scriptures.  I painted this set with Creative Inspirations free hand...the sprigs for the field are from "Judith's."  My trees look like I am in Pre-K, don't you think?  I watched a painting show on TV the day before...and this man had been painting for many-many years.  He made broad stroked limbs on the trees.  I forgot to go back to fill in the big limbs with smaller branches!  LOL

Here are the 3 Scriptures included in "Sing to the Lord:"

"I will sing of the Lord's great love forever!"  (Psalm 89:1)

"Sing and make Music in your Heart to the Lord!"  (Ephesians 5:19)

"Oh sing to the Lord a new song; for He has done marvelous things!"
(Psalm 98:1)

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This is still one of our "Praise Days" on the blog...so please...tell of something for which you Praise the Lord in the comment section!  It often encourages others!  Make it a habit to praise Him everyday!  God Bless!

He IS Able!
Traci Starkweather

6 comments:

  1. Today I would like to Praise God for allowing me to have a personal relationship with Him!

    When I was Jewish, (just my opinion), I never knew we could talk to Him about anything. I thought those times were for our Day of Atonement and the New Year. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, two very solemn days for Jews. I thought we could pray to Him for earthquakes and things horrible like that only!

    But, share with Him on a daily, several times a day level...about anything? It is one of the greatest joys of my life. He chiseled the cement off of my eyes when He allowed me to go to Him! I am forever grateful to Him for making me a new creature in Him, and so much more!

    He IS Able!
    Traci S.

    p.s. Your turn...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello,

    I am thankful for Christ dying for my sins and loving me so much that he would do this for me. I am thankful for a God that loves me – His love endures forever.

    I am so thankful for my family and friends and this includes my family in Christ, which would be all of you! I am thankful to live in a country that I can still speak about my Lord and Savior and pray for our nation. I am thankful for Christians everywhere who are spreading the word of Christ.

    2 Corinthians 9:13-14
    Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. (NIV)

    Love in Christ,
    Michele G

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  3. Merciful Love
    Through prayer God reveals himself above all as mercy—that is, love that goes out to those who are suffering, love that sustains, uplifts, and invites us to trust. A person who prays makes God present in the world.
    — from A Retreat With Pope John Paul II

    I received this in an e-mail and felt compelled to post it.
    I am thankful for life. I am so very blessed to have people around me who believe as I do in God's everlasting love!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't have time to really comment today but am asking for prayer. Rods and my family has really come under attack and we need prayer covering. In the past I had asked for prayer for my mother-in-law who has cancer. A few weeks back they took her off chemo and she has decided not to get up any more. She is ready to go. Also Rod's brother is drinking a lot and there are lots of problems in that area that need prayer.

    Last Sunday my Mom had a medium stroke. She was just moved to a rehab care facility yesterday. The stroke could have been worse but she is having trouble breathing, like someone suffocating her and very frustrated. She is 45-60 minutes away from me and it's hard for me to be there all the time. I feel guilty when I'm not there.

    I'm asking for prayer for Rod and myself right now too. The stress is high, my tears won't stop and standing in the gap right now is rough. I get home exhausted emotionally and functioning like I should be. I need the strength to take care of him when he comes home from work, I'm too tired to care whether I eat.

    If any of you would be interested in sending my Mom an uplifting card, a word of encouragement, scripture to let her know you are praying Traci has my address and you can write to Donna Enevoldsen, in care of me and I will get it to her. Let her know it's from this prayer group. Thank you for praying and for listening.

    (Please don't worry about sending Rod's Mom cards as she isn't really with us at this point.)

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  5. I love each of the 3 cards you posted here, and I think you are very clever in the way you created the mirror image of the bird. Also that I think the 2 cards I have received from last week's drawing are wonderful. THANK YOU!
    seamom

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  6. Catherine, lifting you and your family up to God, praying for prayers of peace the kind that pass human understanding the kind that only comes from the Holy Comforter. Prayers for healing for your entire family, prayers for people to intercede on your behalf for you and your family to stand with you and to speak to the mountains and tell them to MOVE. God is so much bigger than all of these things. Lifting you up and thanking God for all that he is doing that we can not see with our human eyes, thanking him for going before us like his word says and relying on his promises to never leave us nor forsake us. The bible draw close to God and he will draw near to you. Prayers for you to feel just how close God is to you and for you to find shelter under his wings. In Jesus' precious holy name! AMEN. Michele G

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