Tuesday's {Tip} WRMK Envelope Punch Board

Recently I purchased the new WRMK Envelope Punch Board. I knew I would use it for envelopes but I never imagined what else you can do with it. It makes 60 different sizes of envelopes but look what else I have found on Pinterest:

*A video on how to make file folders (click here)

*Make tabbed Project Life cards (click here)

How fun! I can't wait to try them! And to see how to make envelopes, see the WRMK video here. Some places you can find this tool are:

*7 Kids College Fund

*A Cherry on Top

*Scrapbook.com

*ScrapbookPal.com

Please note that this item now seems to be out of stock everywhere but several places are taking pre-orders. I have shopped from all of these stores and had great service from all of them.

Thanks for stopping by. Also please know that our family is praying for everyone effected by the Oklahoma tornadoes yesterday. Truly heartbreaking! Blessings to all,

Organizational {Friday} It’s All About Flair

So, how many of you are into the flair buttons? I just started, and I must say they are quite fun. They can also be expensive. So, let’s look at where to buy them, how to make your own, and how to store them.

Buying Flair Buttons
There are many places on etsy to buy flair buttons. I have purchased mine from Shelley at A Flair for Buttons. I purchased pre-made sets, and I also asked her to make some Christian buttons for me. They turned out SO cute:

I do buy the metal flat back as those work best for me. To adhere, I use my favorite adhesive—Glossy Accents.

Making Your Own
Yesterday I discovered a blog that shared how to make your own flair buttons. I was SO excited to find this post. I have purchased the epoxy stickers, and I can’t wait to try making my own. This way I really won’t need to store them. I can just make what I want when I need them. Super simple. Just think, you can punch 1” circles of your favorite patterned paper, you can use washi tape, you can print your own words, etc., etc., etc. The possibilities are endless.

Two items to note. First, amazon does sell the epoxy stickers in quantities of 50, 100, 200, etc., so be sure to search for the quantity you would like to have on hand. Second, some people were concerned that the epoxy stickers may yellow over time. I am not worried about that as I never worry about using acid free items either. I just create and have fun.

How to Store Your Flair
I was contemplating how to store my flair buttons, and I decided to use an old Prima Forever Flowers tin that I have kept on hand.

I decided not to sort them by style as I don't have that many, and it's easy just to look through this cute tin, and they also make a fun noise as I look through them. LOL! I store this tin on my PL Raskog cart. :)

So, if you have some flair on hand, how do you store them? If not, maybe you will try making some of you own. Have fun, and thanks for stopping by! Have a blessed Friday!

Wednesday's {Cards} No Sentiment

This weekend I created two quick cards. What made them quick is that they are nearly identical. That allowed me to quickly cut two of everything. The other thing I did was not use a sentiment on either card. One is being sent as a thank you card, and one is being sent as a condolence card. I can either add the individual sentiments to each card later or leave them blank. 

For these cards, I used basic cardstock and the Graphic45 Secret Garden paper pack. I also used the Blue Fern Studios Vintage Locks chipboard and added a different lock to each card. I think the heart-shaped lock is very appropriate for the condolence card.

Papers: Paper Trey Ink cs, Graphic45 Secret Garden
Blue Fern Studios chipboard: Vintage Locks (Tim Holtz picket fence crackle paint)
Embellishments: SU Fancy Fan embossing folder; Creative Cafe buttons; hand-dyed Hug Snug seam binding; May Arts twine; Petaloo Mantis Green mini floral; leaves from Wild Orchid Crafts; sewing machine

I think in the future, I may start making two of everything without sentiments so that I will have them ready to use for any purpose. I love that. Thanks for stopping by!

{HSCRC13} Hymn #8, Faith of Our Fathers

Hymn Challenge #8: Faith of Our Fathers
Refrain Written by: James G. Walton
Sts. 1-2 Written by: Frederick William Faber
St. 3 Written by: Anonymous

Wow, did you see how many people helped with this hymn? I noticed in most hymnals that the text is attributed to Frederick W. Faber. So, we will focus on him for a short background study. Mr. Faber was born June 28, 1814. His father was a clergyman as well as his grandfather. It's no wonder Mr. Faber himself became an ordained minister. He had seen the "faith of his fathers." He was also a hymn writer and wrote three volumes of hymns with this particular hymn being one of the most well-known. He died in London on September 26, 1863.

Is there someone in your life that you would call your "faith father or mother"? Do you remember that person sharing their faith with you? What effect has that had on your life? What do you think your life would be like had their faith not been lived out and shared with you?
My precious girls graduated from Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) on Monday night. They started in BSF when they were 3 1/2 years old. Think of the Biblical foundation they have received through studying God's Word since they were very young. I am in awe. I didn't come to know Christ until I was 33 but praise God, they have known Him since they were very young and were able to accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior when in elementary school.

So, as my girls attended their last BSF class in the school program, I began looking over my year's worth of notes from our study of Genesis in BSF this year. As I looked through my notes, I looked at the life of Abraham, our faith father. I reviewed Genesis 12 where God called Abraham to leave his country, his people, and his father's household and go to an unknown land.

Genesis 12:1 "The Lord had said to Abram, 'Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.'"

Abraham was an ordinary man. Now our family just moved across the country 10 months ago. If my husband would have said "Patter, we are moving. I can't tell you where we are going but leave your parents, your friends, your BSF class, all of the blessings that you have had here for the last 14 years and let's go." I think I would have told my husband he was nuts and that I wasn't going! Abraham's family must have completely trusted God and Abraham to agree and follow him as they did. Now, I completely trust God and my husband but would I have truly followed as they followed Abraham? I can't honestly say I would. But Abraham's faith effected an entire family and many, many generations to come!

Because of Abraham's faith, it was also passed down to his descendants. One person's faith in God can effect this generation and generations to come. Praise God He moved in my life and I accepted His gift of grace and became a child of God. Because of that, my girls now know Him, and they can pass their faith down to their children and generations to come.

Psalm 22:4 "In You our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and You delivered them."

So, did your ancestors put their trust in Him and it has been passed down to you? Or, are you the 1st generation to place your trust in Him? What are you doing to pass your faith on to your family and the generations to come? Do others see you live out your faith each day? 

Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Maybe you have not accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior. He is just a prayer away!

Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."

Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

And will you continue to add to and grow in your faith so that you are effective for Christ? How will you pass that on?

2 Peter 1:5-8 "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

So, will you be faithful and pass on the faith that was given to you so that generations to come might be able to live for Him as you have? Continue to grow in your faith and reach the next generation!

Below you will find the sheet music to "Faith of Our Fathers." To listen to this hymn, please click here. Be sure to look at the beauty of this organ in this video too!

For my 6x6 page today, I used the Psalm 22:4a and 2 Peter 1:5a verses from above. I also used the Blue Fern Studios Tuscan Window chipboard. I painted it with Tim Holtz crackle paint and then spritzed it with two different mists. This window was the perfect piece for my scriptures.

Papers: Magenta Dancing Butterfly, K&Co. Amy Butler Sola 
Embellishments: Blue Fern Studios tuscan window chipboard (painted with Tim Holtz picket fence crackle paint and Mister Huey clover and bluegrass); honeydew twine from The Twinery; Kaisercraft Marigold Collectables; Petaloo Mantis Green mini floral; Prima Cabaletta C flower; flowers by Wild Orchid Crafts; The Crafter's Workshop Flower Frenzy template with Liquitex light modeling paste; sewing machine

Have a blessed Mother's Day everyone, and remember, you are someone's "faith mother or father." Please use Keyword HSCRC13 when posting your creations in any online galleries. Also, please leave a link to your creation here using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous studies, please see this post here. Have a blessed week ahead!

Colorful {Crochet}

Well, I have only been working on this piece for 2 weeks, and I am almost done. I think that is a new record for me. This pattern works up very fast, and I am excited to finish and start another one. My oldest daughter (by a minute) wants this one so it's my gift to her. I am praying for her as I stitch each row. With two of them leaving for college soon, I find myself praying so much more for them! Not sure how that's possible.

The Pattern

The pattern I am using is this shell afghan pattern here. I chained 121, however. I find that is a perfect size and plenty wide. I actually made a scarf using this pattern before but didn't realize it was the same pattern until after I got going. I have it memorized so it helps and makes it work up so much faster.

The Yarn

I am using a mix of Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn and Vanna's Choice Yarn. The colors I am using are:

• Cranberry
• Soft Pink
• Turquoise
• Pistache
• Antique White
• Periwinkle
• Grape
• Dusty Green (Vanna's Choice)
• Pink

The Edging

I am going to do a scalloped edge but I am not sure if I should do it in the cranberry yarn for a nice "pop" or in the antique white yarn to look like lace. What do you think?

Close-Up Photos

And here are a few close-ups. I hope you enjoy! I may have to repeat this color scheme again because it just makes me happy to look at!

I will see you tomorrow with a new Hymn and Scripture Challenge post. Blessings,

Tuesday's {Tip} Cover a Mistake

If you remember my layout from last week, you may have noticed that the color photo was popped out a bit. If you didn't notice, here is a close-up, and you can see the entire layout here.

Anyway, I accidentally put a huge scratch across the color photo. Everything was already adhered down, and it was underneath flowers so I couldn't pull it up and replace it. So, I printed the photo again, cut it down, and layered the photo on top of the damaged photo. This not only covered the scratch but it also "popped" the photo out and made a fun design element. The family that received this album noticed the popped photo and loved the effect. They had NO idea why I did it though—to cover a silly mistake. LOL!

So, next time you find yourself with a mistake on your page, think of a way to cover it up. Covering up things has always been a life-saver for me! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you find this helpful.

May Sketch Challenge from Blue Fern Studios

So, were you able to play along with the Blue Fern Studios April Sketch? If not, you have a new chance to play along and win some Blue Fern Studios chipboard! Yes, it's time for the May sketch, and I hope you will play along! Here is the sketch:

May Sketch

This sketch features the use of the Blue Fern Studios Lattice Fence chipboard. You can see the complete May Sketch Challenge details by clicking here.

My Creation

I used this sketch to create another layout for the gift album I made. The album incorporated a mix of pages—fancy pages like this one and divided page protectors featuring 9 photos per page. I love the look of the mixed album. I think I am going to start doing this for myself. Anyway, the album features 8 1/2 x 11 pages, so here is my page using the May sketch:

I used the Lattice Fence chipboard and the Brigitte Butterfly Set. To finish the Blue Fern Studios chipboard pieces, I applied gesso first. While the gesso was still wet, I added some clear microbeads on top. You can see them in the close-up shots here:

Papers: Prima Lifetime Collection Quilter, Memory Box Enchanted, Bazzill cs (purple), Paper Trey Ink cs (white) 

Blue Fern Studios chipboard: Lattice Fence and Brigitte Butterfly set 

Embellishments: Prima Soubrette G, Corine, and Solitaire Meadow flowers; Prima flourish stencil; Prima clock; Petaloo leaves and Mini Canterbury lemon flowers; May Arts twine; misc. heart charm; microbeads from Etsy; Simple Stories Fabulous cardstock sticker; sewing machine  

Now jump on over to the Blue Fern Studios blog to see the full details of this sketch challenge and to see more sketch inspiration from the other design team members. 

One More Thing

I almost forgot! Blue Fern Studios is having a design team call! Be sure to check out all of the details here. Application deadline is May 10th. I encourage you to submit as Leslie and the team are amazing to work with not to mention the awesome products!

Well, I can't wait to see what you create with the sketch. Have fun, and thanks for stopping by!