Tuesday's {Tip} Using Baker's Twine & RAK Winner!

Okay, on Friday I shared how I store my baker's twine. If you missed that post, you can see it here. Many of you asked how to use it so I thought I would share some ideas with you today. Some ways to use baker's twine include:

**crocheting flowers, butterflies, etc.
**tying bows in buttons
**creating flower stems
**making a looped border on layouts and cards (see Rhonda's cute layout here)
**tying tags to layouts and cards
**using it as a border on a card or layout
**wrapping it around a part of a tag, card, or cardstock on a layout

Here is a flower I crocheted using my baker's twine:
Now because the twine doesn't have any "give," I had to make my center ring a bit bigger. You can crochet with it but keep in mind it is a bit stiff but it sure makes a nice embellishment!

Most of you probably remember my card I did for Our Daily Bread Designs where I used the twine as a border on my card: And here is a tag I did with a bit of hemp twine wrapped around the end of the tag:

I hope that gives you some ideas. You can also look at this "twine search" I did on 2Peas in a Bucket. Lots of adorable cards and layouts using twine! And remember, the person I purchased my twine from is not selling it anymore. Search Etsy for some, and I am you will get lots of hits! :)

And now onto our RAK winner of the twine I shared in Friday's post!

Here are your random numbers:
38
Timestamp: 2010-03-30 12:44:27 UTC

No. 38 belongs to:

CreativeChretin said...
This is funny, cuz' i've had baker's twine on my wish list for awhile. Most of my ribbons and threads are stored in their original packaging and are secured with tape.
MARCH 26, 2010 3:23 PM

Huge congrats to you. Please e-mail me with your address so that I can get your spools of twine mailed to you! Thank you all of your sweet comments and ideas! Have a blessed Tuesday everyone!

{Scripture Challenge 2} Challenge Word #7, Perfect

Challenge Word #7: Perfect

As I was driving last week with my daughter, the song “Perfect People” by Natalie Grant came on the radio. I love that song, and as she sang, the word “perfect” really stood out to me. I asked God, “Lord, is this what you want me to share this next week?” Then the next day, we saw something on TV about perfection so I thought then and there that God was confirming that He wants us to look at this word for our study today.

First, if you haven’t heard Natalie’s song, I encourage you to find it on the web and listen to it. It is an amazing song. Here is a look at the first verse and the chorus:

“Perfect People”
Never let 'em see you when you're breaking
Never let 'em see you when you fall
That's how we live and that's how we try
Tell the world you've got it all together
Never let them see what's underneath
Cover it up with a crooked smile
But it only lasts for a little while

{CHORUS}
There's no such thing as perfect people
There's no such thing as a perfect life
So come as you are, broken and scared
Lift up your heart and be amazed
And be changed by a perfect God.

Oh such wonderful truth in those words! Have you ever heard someone say that they don’t like Christians because Christians think they are perfect? I know it breaks my heart when I hear it or read it on the web. I know I am not perfect by any means. I am a sinner, and I sin daily. Only in Christ am I made perfect in Him. I love how my Life Application Bible talks about “Perfect Progress.” It says:

“We can grow and mature spiritually as we continue to trust Christ, learn more about Him, draw closer to Him, and obey Him. Our progress is changeable because it depends on our daily walk—at times in life we mature more than at other times. But we are growing toward perfection if we ‘press on’ (Philippians 3:12). These good deeds do not perfect us; rather, as God perfects us, we do good deeds for Him. (see Philippians 3:1-15). All phases of perfection are grounded in faith in Christ and what He has done, not what we can do for Him. We cannot perfect ourselves; only God can work in and through us to ‘carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 1:6).”

We are made perfect in Him. That doesn’t mean we don’t sin; we certainly do daily. We stumble and make wrong choices. I love what James 3:2 says “We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.” Are you never at fault in what you say? Ouch, I know I certainly stumble there and have to apologize daily and ask for forgiveness daily. I also love what Max Lucado says “When it comes to our position before God, we’re perfect. When He sees each of us, He sees one who has been made perfect through the One who is perfect­—Jesus Christ.”

In our human bodies, we cannot be perfect; however, with God’s help we can try to become more like Him daily as we walk with Him and live for Him. Again, my Life Application Bible says “We can be perfect if our behavior is appropriate for our maturity level­—perfect, yet with much room to grow. Our tendency to sin must never deter us from striving to be more like Christ.” Are you striving to know God more each day and become more like Him? Jesus was sinless and perfect, and He is our perfect example.

For my page today, I chose to use papers from several manufacturers. Be sure to look at my supply list below the photos. I also use the Layers of Color Touch of Elegance stamp set. I stamped my pieces in black ink onto my Basic Grey paper. Then I embossed each piece with clear embossing powder. Papers: Pink Paislee Tinsel Town, Making Memories Flower Ledge Journaling Book, Basic Grey Euphoria, Basic Grey Ambrosia
Stamps: Layers of Color Touch of Elegance
Stamp Ink: Ranger clear EP, Memento tuxedo black, VersaFine onyx black
Embellishments: misc. twill, Making Memories black staples, KaiserCraft rhinestones, Basic Grey micro-chip alpha stickers, Stickles black diamond

The verses I chose for this week are:

2 Samuel 22:33 (and also found in Psalm 18:32) “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”

Philippians 3:12 “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

I pray that you will look to the Lord daily for Him to change you and grow you into His image. Remember to use Keyword SCRC210 when posting in galleries. Also, feel free to leave a link here for others to see using Mister Linky. I hope you are looking at everyone's work. I know I truly try to and leave comments. Sometimes I get behind but there is SUCH inspiration, and there is nothing like lifting each other up by sharing a little love with each other! Enjoy your time of study, and remember to see all of our previous lessons, visit this post here. I will be back with another study on April 11th. Blessings to each of you,

Our Daily Bread Designs Challenge #7

Welcome to another Saturday Challenge! This week the ODBD Challenge Team is challenging you to think "Easter." Since Easter is quickly approaching, we want to see your Easter cards or projects!

For my card, I went away from the traditional "Happy Easter" card and used a verse from the new ODBD Scripture Collection 3 stamp set. I also used the new ODBD Vine Borders stamp set. I stamped the border and cut two pieces out to add to the top and bottom of my verse. These border sets are VERY versatile! I also used this week's SCS sketch {SC273} and the Spellbinders Blossom die for my card. Papers: Memory Box boysenberry notecard, Basic Grey Euphoria, misc. white cs
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Vine Borders, Our Daily Bread Designs Scripture Collection 3
Stamp Ink: VersaFine sepia, Ranger clear UP, SU creamy caramel
Embellishments: Copics BG45 and G21, Spellbinders Blossom, misc. ribbon, Paper Trey Ink twine, charm from Hobby Lobby, Stickles cotton candy

Now be sure to see what gorgeous Easter creations the rest of the team has made. You can check them out here:

America Kuhn
Chris Olsen
Christine Okken
Francie Gumprecht
Natalie Dever
Sabrina Jackson

To see all details of this challenge, prize information, and to upload your submission to Mr. Linky, visit the ODBD blog post here. All submissions must be uploaded by April 1st at 8 p.m. EST on the ODBD blog. And remember, when uploading to online galleries, please use Keyword ODBDSLC7. Blessings to you this wonderful weekend!

Organizational {Friday} Baker's Twine & RAK!

Baker's twine is one of the fun new embellishments that you see crafters using on their paper projects. Well, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and buy some. It came to me in these nice clear envelopes wrapped like this: While it looked nice, it knotted up VERY easily as I used it. There was no way I could keep it packaged like that. Here is what it looked like as it turned into a mess:
Keeping it in the bags was not an option. So, thanks to my precious parrots, Sugar and Kiwi, I have a new way to keep my baker's twine. A lot of parrot owner buy various wood pieces for making toys or just for them to chew on. I had a bag of these nice wooden spools for them and decided to steal a few for myself to use for my baker's twine. I buy my spool from two places: Grey Feather Toys (the large spools) and California Bird Nerds. The spools from California Bird Nerd are a bit cheaper and come in natural or different colors. I prefer the natural. :) You can also buy them on eBay.

After I wound the twine on my spools, I wasn't sure what to secure the end of the twine with. Pins won't work because the twine is too small for pins. So, I tried both masking tape and photo splits. I think I like the masking tape better.
And here are my finished spools of twine:
You can also use spools for hemp and other cording. Of course it would work for ribbon too but I love my ribbon storage "as is" so this would not be an option for me. :) If you would like to see my ribbon storage, please visit my post here.

There are lots of places on Etsy to buy baker's twine. I purchased mine from a seller on 2Peas but I don't believe she is offering it anymore. So search Etsy for some great twine!

So, today, I want to offer a RAK of these 4 spools of baker's twine {pictured above} to one lucky subscriber! Just leave a comment here and tell me how you store your twine, how you secure the ends, what you would use the spools for, anything! You must leave your comment in this post by Monday, March 29th, at 11:59 p.m. Central Time, and one lucky winner will be announced on Tuesday. Thank you all for subscribing and for the sweet comments you leave. You are a blessing, and enjoy your weekend ahead!

{Faith Journaling} Challenge #19

As we approach Easter, I thought it would be good to look at this question:

**What does Christ’s sacrifice mean to you?

Hebrews 10:10 says "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

May you thank Him for His sacrifice for you and for the world. Enjoy your time of journaling, and remember to see all past journaling topics, see my post here. Blessings,

Tuesday's {Tip} Planner Templates

Do you have a desk planner or scrapbook planner? I have tried a Palm Pilot, software for my laptop, and nothing compares to my trusty Franklin Planner. LOVE it! Well, here is a site that has templates for everything and for all sorts of planners. Now if you don't have a planner, no worries. You can paste these pages into a spiral notebook, a journal, or make your own planner or book with a Zutter Bind-it-All. The possibilities are endless!

Now as you visit this site, you almost have to open each .pdf. I found some of the titles did not make any sense but once opened, it was a treasure. Also, look at how many pages are in each file. For instance, the wellness pages have 13 different pages of templates within the one file. A treasure! I found everything from:

*blank music sheets for you musicians out there
*recipe pages
*book pages
*wellness pages
*graph paper
*ruled paper
*weekly planner pages
*ruler paper (called page cm/in)
*storyboard paper that would work great for sketches
*and more!

And if you look at this video, you can see how they pasted the recipes pages into a journal to make a recipe book. Now I believe they sell these blank journals but you could create your own or pick up a cheap one at Hobby Lobby to make one like they did. Really fun! I hope you enjoy this and that it is useful. Happy Tuesday!

Our Daily Bread Designs Challenge #6

So, did you have fun with the ODBD 2nd Anniversary celebration? I hope you did. It certainly was a big and amazing party! Now we will return to our regularly scheduled Saturday challenges for you to enjoy!

This week the ODBD Challenge Team is challenging you to Think Spring and New Life. Since this is the first day of Spring, create something for spring using Spring colors, sentiments, and/or images portraying New Life. I decided to use Spring colors and butterflies as they symbolize a new creation or a new life in Christ. The stamp set I used is the beautiful ODBD Happy Birthday set. To color in my image, I used my trusty Derwent watercolor pencils. :) Papers: PaperTrey Ink, Aquarelle watercolor paper
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Happy Birthday
Stamp Ink: VersaFine sepia, Ranger clear UP, SU creamy caramel
Embellishments: Derwent Watercolor pencils, Ribbon Retreat satin ribbon, Marth Stewart double loops border punch

Now be sure to see what gorgeous Spring creations the rest of the team has made. You can check them out here:

America Kuhn
Chris Olsen
Christine Okken
Francie Gumprecht
Natalie Dever
Sabrina Jackson

To see all details of this challenge and to upload your submission to Mr. Linky, visit the ODBD blog post here. All submissions must be uploaded by March 25 at 8 p.m. EST on the ODBD blog. And remember, when uploading to online galleries, please use Keyword ODBDSLC6. Have fun, enjoy the challenge, and have a blessed weekend!

Organizational {Friday} Revisiting Stamp Sorting

Okay, don't anyone have a stroke. I am NOT changing my stamp storage! LOL! I LOVE how I store my stamps. If you missed my post on the Univenture binders I use and how I store my stamps, please see my post here. And I physically do not break apart my stamp sets; however, for this category reference system you will see below, I do break these "stamped cards" apart and do not keep the sets together in my reference system. Now, once you reference my storage post linked above, get a cup of coffee, a large sweet tea, or whatever your fancy because today's post is long!

What I want to share today is how I sort and find my stamps. When you get a large collection of stamps, it is very easy to forget what you have. Then not only do you forget about them, you certainly then cannot find what you are looking for. If you looked at my post referenced above, you saw my Excel file that I use in sorting, categorizing, and finding my stamps. Well, as much as I love my Excel file, sometimes it is not the fastest way to find what I am looking for. So, several weeks before my "room move," I decided to start stamping every new stamp I received onto Rolodex cards before putting them away. And, as I have time, I am going back and stamping the stamps I already have in binders. Now, I am going to use my Rolodex to categorize ALL of my stamps (clear, unmounted rubber, and wood mounted stamps) so I can easily find what I want to use. Let's look at what I am doing.

First, here is a photo of my Rolodex. Isn't it cute? Of course, it HAD to be pink. Not my favorite shade of pink but it will do! :)
If you want this particular Rolodex, you can find it here at Office Depot. They also make one in yellow, white, black, and mahogany. Click on the color name to see it at the Office Depot site. I much prefer the rotary Rolodex because it makes flipping though the cards very easy!

Categories
As of February 2015, I now have three Rolodex files and these are the categories I have:

• Alpha/Number 
• Animals 
• Arrows 
• Backgrounds 
• Birds 
• Birthday 
• Border/Frame 
• Christian Images 
• Circles 
• Clothing 
• Day/Date 
• Easter 
• Floral 
• Food/Kitchen 
• Handmade Stamps 
• Leaves 
• Love/Wedding 
• Magnolia 
• Mail/Postage 
• Masculine 
• Mixed Media 
• Music 
• Patriotic 
• Photo Corners 
• PL Stamps 
• Planner Stamps 
• Quotes 
• Scenery 
• Scripture (one whole Rolodex full sorted by the books of the Bible) 
• Sentiment Christian 
• Sentiment General 
• Sentiment Single Word 
• Sewing and Crafts 
• Tickets and Tags 
• Wheel Stamps

Now, just a note about the categories. First, some stamps can fit into several different categories. For instance, a "Happy Birthday" stamp could be put into 'Sentiments--General' but I feel it more appropriately fits into the 'Birthday' category so that is where I put that particular stamp. I have categories that make sense to me and where I know I can find things. You will want to adjust your categories as you see fit and that will work for you!

Also, for scripture stamps in the 'Scripture' category, I file all of the scripture verses in order of the books of the Bible. It makes it VERY easy to find a scripture within that category. Now I can easily find if I have a stamp with a certain verse.

You may also be wondering why I have separate 'Bird' and 'Animal' categories. I have a lot of bird and parrot stamps so I personally wanted to break them out from the 'Animal' category. That's just my personal preference. :)

I will add more categories as I complete this project. I will try to keep this post up-to-date with my category list so that you can reference it if you would like. Just remember to bookmark this post or come back and check it periodically. :)

Creating My Category Dividers
To create my cute cagetory divider cards, I just cut 2x4 pieces of kraft cardstock. I then punched 1 1/4" inch circles out of the same cardstock. Then I stamped a cute decorative piece (the LOC Touch of Elegance set) onto each circle and added ribbon and the category name and attached it to the card.
I do keep a stash of pre-cut ribbons, cards, and circles in a baggie. I also have a note to myself on how I made them so I can quickly make more when I run out. It's easy to make these in mass production!
Individual Card Notations Okay, so what are the notations on each individual card? What do they mean, and how does it help me find a stamp?

Well, in the upper left corner I write either UM, WM, or CL. That tells me if it is an umounted rubber stamp, a wood-mounted stamp, or a clear stamp. My wood-mounted stamps are not kept in my binders (see below). I have drawers for them, and I will label my cards with drawer numbers once I get to those stamps. I haven't tackled them yet. :)

In the upper right corner, I write which Univenture binder contains the stamps. For instance, PL-1 means "Plaid 1." All of my clear stamps are kept in the "plaid tagged" binders. So, the particular stamp above, "LOC Joyful Noise," can be found in the first plaid box of my clear stamp binders. I also have boxes with the prefix 'H' for houndstooth (the boxes with the houndstooth tags), and 'BG' for the boxes with the tags made out of Basic Grey papers. Here are a few of my houndstooth boxes and my Basic Grey boxes are shown below the first photo.
The bottom left corner is the name of the stamp manufacturer, and the bottom right corner is the name of the individual stamp or the stamp set name (whichever applies).

Larger Stamps
So, what do you do if your stamp is larger than 2x4? Well, I either stamp it sideways (which isn't my favorite way to do it) or I just stamp what fits. The portion that shows on my card will remind me of the complete image. That's all I need anyway. I don't worry about it if the entire image does not fit. :) Here are a couple of examples of larger stamps: And Finally
This system is very easy to keep up wtih if you get in the habit of stamping and categorizing your stamps as soon as you purchase them! After that, put them away. Easy fast, and now you have a great reference that is quick and easy to use as you create. You will also find you use more of your stamps and can find them super easy!

I hope this has helped. Please feel free to ask questions in the comment box. Just be sure to check back for my responses there also. :) Have a blessed weekend ahead, and Happy Organizing!

{Faith Journaling} Challenge #18

This week I thought it would be fun to journal about this topic:

**Tell about your earliest memory of God.

Just as the Israelites were to remember what He had done for them and pass it down to the generations, so we too must share about Him with the generations to come! I am sure there are all kinds of stories, and the generations to come will love to read about your earliest memory about Him!!!

Deuteronomy 32:7 says "Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you."

Have a blessed time of journaling! In Him,

ODBD Anniversary New Releases & Blog Hop!

Today is a VERY special day for Our Daily Bread Designs. You know we have been celebrating for several days, and today marks the 2nd Anniversary for Kelley at Our Daily Bread Designs! And we are celebrating in a huge way today! We are having a Design and Challenge Team Blog Hop, and Kelley is releasing FOUR new special edition sets today! Each of the designers has created something amazing with the new sets, and you will have a chance to hop, check out their creations, AND have a chance to win one of the new sets! For all of the details, please see the ODBD blog. You will find the blog hop list there also! If you have been following the hop, you should be joining me from Sabrina's blog. If not, hop on back to the ODBD blog to begin.

I decided to use all four of the new special edition sets on one creation! I altered a 9x12 canvas for my new craft room/office. It was a lot of fun but the inking got pretty messy! Yes, I inked the entire canvas, and then I Mod Podged it to seal it. It got a little streaky but that added a fun touch to it!
Papers: Webster's Pages Petite Papers Garden Gala & Seaside Retreat
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Scripture Collection 3, Our Daily Bread Designs Scripture Collection 4, Our Daily Bread Designs Ironwork Borders, Our Daily Bread Designs Vine Borders
Stamp Ink: Adirondack denim, Adirondack espresso, Tim Holtz Distress Ink vintage photo
Embellishments: misc. cloth, Basic Grey Archaic buttons, sewing machine, Spellbinders Cross Collection Shapeabilities, Ribbon Retreat satin ribbon, Quickutz Vines, Memory Box 24 Karat pearl stickers, Tim Holtz Distress stickles antique linen, Deluxe Designs scalloped square chipboard, Prima flowers

Well, I hope you are enjoying our big celebration, and congrats to Kelley on 2 years! Praying that you have many more ahead of you!!!

Remember to collect your secret LETTER so that you can spell out the special message. My secret letter is 'D'. :) Now be sure to hop on over to America's blog to see what she created with the new sets! Have fun hopping, and have a blessed day!

Tuesday's {Tip} Basic Grey!

Okay, so did my "Basic Grey" title get ya? LOL! If you are a Basic Grey fan like me, you probably want to read this post! :) I just got an e-mail from Basic Grey last week sharing some new features, and I thought I would share them with you just in case you haven't subscribed to their newsletter.

First, the freebies! If you like blinkies and love Basic Grey, they have free blinkies for your blog or signatures. You can find them all here. I am sure you will find one or two you love. :)

Next, did you know that they are now selling blog backgrounds, headers, and wallpaper? Oh, it's so yummy and costs just $1. So, if you are in the mood to dress-up your blog, you might want to check these goodies out!

And finally, did you know that Basic Grey is selling fabric? Oh my! Now, I admit it--that's my downfall (fabric and paper)!! I have purchased some already, and I am hoping to get to some creations once my room is done! You can see the fabric collections here. I have purchased fabric from Fabric.com and Sew Mama Sew. Just be sure when searching for Basic Grey fabric that you search on the design name (Eva, etc.). The fabric is made by Moda so most of the time, a search on "Basic Grey" doesn't always yield what you are looking for.

Enjoy, and go create with some Basic Grey! :)

And the Winner Is . . .

Yes, I was a holder of the "hidden blog candy" yesterday during ODBD's 3rd Anniversary Challenge! :) Our wonderful winner is:

Here are your random numbers: 26
Timestamp: 2010-03-16 11:01:12 UTC

Number 26 belongs to:

Dani said...
What a beautiful card! Love the colors and the vintage feel!!
March 15, 2010 10:26 AM

Yes, Dani, you are the lucky candy winner! I will be sending you a package with two designer paper pads (We R Memory Keepers and SU), some crochet flowers I made, Maya Road and Prima ribbons, and some Clear Snap sparkle fibers! I hope you enjoy it. Sorry for the bad photo. It was REALLY dark when I took it. LOL!
Please e-mail me your address and information so that I can get your package off to you. Congrats, and thank you all for your beautiful comments and condolences. Have a blessed day!

LOC Release Day is Finally Here!!!!!

Okay, so last week I shared sneaks of all of the new releases from Layers of Color. Well, today, Laura has all four sets up on the LOC blog for your viewing pleasure! Not only can you see the full sets, you can order them, AND enter to win all four sets!!!!!! Be sure to jump on over to this post so that you can see the sets, find out how to order, and get a chance to win! How very fun!!!! Enjoy, and good luck to all of you! I hope to see one of my blog subscribers win the sets! :) Have a blessed Monday everyone!

Our Daily Bread 2nd Anniversary Challenge #3!

Are you having fun with the ODBD Anniversary challenges? I hope so! Today brings another very fun challenge! Silver and gold are the traditional gifts for those special milestones in a marriage--the 25th and 50th anniversaries. Today's challenge is to make a project that includes silver and/or gold. For all of the details on the challenge and to submit your entry, be sure to see the ODBD blog post here. And entries must be received by 8 p.m. EST tonight!

My card for the challenge uses the ODBD set called Lift Up Your Hands. In February, we lost two family members in the same week. One of them was my uncle. This card is going to my aunt. I chose to use a silver cross charm, silver Stickles on the embossed parts of the photo corners, and lastly, I used silver embossing powder on the stamped image. The bling kind of looks silvery too so maybe it will count also. LOL! Papers: Bazzill, Webster's Pages Petite Papers Magical Wishes & A Sweet Life, Creative Memories CS
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Lift Up Your Hands
Stamp Ink: VersaMark, Stampin' Up pale plum, misc. silver EP
Embellishments: Ribbon Retreat ribbon, cross charm from Hobby Lobby, misc. safety pin, Prima crystals, sewing machine, Stickles silver, Spellbinders Renaissance Hearts Pendants, Spellbinders Scalloped Rectangle

To see other silver/gold challenge cards, be sure to join:

Debi Southard
Dawn Lusk
Lorelie Kim
Kathy Jones
Becca Feeken
America Kuhn
Connie Mc Cotter
Chris Olsen

And remember, there is hidden blog candy out there somewhere on a few of our blogs. You won't know which blog has the candy so be sure to leave comments on all of them! You might just be a lucky winner! Have fun with the challenge, and make sure you get your entries posted to the ODBD blog by tonight. Lastly, be sure to use Keyword ODBD2AC3 in online galleries. Blessings,

{Scripture Challenge 2} Challenge Word #6, Neighbor

Challenge Word #6: Neighbor

Are you new to your neighborhood or do you know someone new that has moved in? Are you a neighbor that acts neighborly? Do you even know your neighbors? Are you asking yourself as Jesus was asked in Luke 10:29 “. . . so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” Just who is your neighbor?

I love how dictionary.com defines “neighbor.” It says “a person who lives near another; a person who shows kindliness or helpfulness toward his or her fellow humans.” Do you just think of your neighbor as someone who lives near you? We also should be looking at those around us everywhere as our “neighbors.”

I really began to think about “neighbors” as my husband was away in Asia recently. Our dog got into the neighbor’s yard at 6:45 a.m. I didn’t even know them. They back up to our house so they really are on a street behind us. Well, the husband ended up driving over to our house that early morning. We ended up speaking for 30 minutes and getting to know each other’s families. It was a true and amazing blessing! I was filled with such joy that day. Had our dog not gotten into their yard, I still would not know them. God can use anything and turn it to His good. There was a blessing behind us I didn’t even know. I am now excited to see where God will take our families as we get to know each other.

What blessings are waiting in your neighborhood? Could it be that God is calling you to reach out to a neighbor (near or far) to bless them--even if you don't know them? Maybe you know of a neighbor that is struggling in some way. You could invite them to your church or to a Bible study. You could even anonymously provide a bag of groceries or a gift card, or you could mail a card with uplifting scripture. Watch for opportunities to help your neighbors either in your neighborhood or those you pass in your day-to-day outings. Pray about it. God will open your eyes and bring you those opportunities.

For my page this week, I used the amazing Webster’s Pages papers along with the new release from Layers of Color called “Vintage Rose.” I loved the awning on the paper and thought of it as my window looking out to my neighbors. For the roses, I stamped them onto watercolor paper and used my Derwent watercolor pencils to color them in. Papers: Bazzill, Webster's Pages Petite Pages Postcards from Paris & Sweet as Cherry Pie, Aquarelle watercolor paper
Stamps: Layers of Color Vintage Rose
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink vintage photo, VersaFine sepia, Ranger clear EP
Embellishments: Quickutz blossom, Distress Stickles frayed burlap, Distress Stickles scattered straw, Stickles diamond, sewing machine, Derwent watercolor pencils

The three scriptures I used were:

Leviticus 19:18 “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”

Mark 12:31 “The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

Romans 15:2 “Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”

I pray that with God you will open your eyes, hearts, and minds to all of the neighbors around you and those you pass. How might God use you to reach out to them this week?

Remember to use Keyword SCRC210 when posting in galleries. Also, feel free to leave a link here for others to see using Mister Linky. Also, if any of you are looking for a 6x6 wooden stand for this challenge or any other challenge, Cherie (one of our participants), has them for sale for $5 here. Enjoy your time of study, and remember to see all of our previous lessons, visit this post here. Blessings to each of you, and see you with a new study again on March 28th. In Him,

Our Daily Bread 2nd Anniversary Challenge #1!

Did you know that we are celebrating Our Daily Bread Designs 2nd Anniversary? How VERY exciting for Kelley! And for ODBD's anniversary, we have a special challenge in store for you. Unlike past weeks, the Challenge and Design teams will be hosting a DAILY challenge in honor of Our Daily Bread Designs 2nd Anniversary!! You will have one day to link your challenge creations instead of one week. Since we are celebrating ODBD's Anniversary, we will be focusing on gifts for anniversaries. Cotton is the traditional gift for the second anniversary. Today's challenge will be to use cotton in some way--stamp on cotton, use cotton ribbon, make a cotton flower, etc.

So for my card for the challenge, I went a little overboard with the cotton. First, I crocheted a little border using DMC crochet cotton. Then I added cotton cross stitch fabric, and finally I stitched around the papers and fabric with cotton thread. Gotta love cotton! :) The scripture is from the ODBD Flourished Christian Symbols stamp set.
Papers: Bazzill, Webster's Pages Petite Papers
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Flourished Christian Symbols
Stamp Ink: Adirondack denim
Embellishments: DMC crochet cotton navy blue, Creative Café buttons, misc. cloth

I hope you will join us in our anniversary challenges today and the days ahead. Please be sure to visit all the blogs linked below, and leave a comment for each designer because there is hidden candy on some of the blogs. Winners of the individual blog candy will be announced by the blog owners who had the candy the next day on their blogs.

America Kuhn
Chris Olsen (CT Coordinator)
Christine Okken
Francie Gumprecht
Natalie Dever
Sabrina Jackson
Debi

We hope you have a chance to play along with us, and you have until 8:00 pm EST tonight (March 13) to link your creation to Mister Linky on the ODBD blog post! Also, be sure to use Keyword ODBD2AC1 when posting in online galleries. Have a blessed day, and have fun!