Our Daily Bread Designs {Challenge 15}

Wow, is it already the last Saturday in May? How can it be Memorial Day weekend already! I tell ya, the older you get the faster time flies! Today, the ODBD Challenge Team would love for you to use stars and/or stripes on your creation. Since Memorial Day is Monday, we thought this would be fun. Please note that your card or project can be patriotic but it does not have to be. And thank you to all of our military and military families that have served this amazing country. And a special thanks goes out to my precious Dad, my husband, and my father-in-law for all serving in the U.S. Air Force! I am so proud of all 3 of these amazing men!

For my card, I chose not to do a patriotic theme. It is also my grandmother's birthday this weekend. She is the one many of you have been praying for after she suffered several mini strokes Mother's Day weekend. She is not any better but we continue to pray for God's will for her! We truly appreciate your prayers! I am praying she will like her card. I used the new Basic Grey Max & Whiskers paper. You can see one of the patterns is striped so it worked perfect for the challenge. Then I added a chipboard star for fun! :) To dress it up a bit I added the awesome Zva Creative pearls that are also available in the ODBD store. The sentiment comes from the ODBD set Happy Birthday.
Papers: PaperTrey Ink, Basic Grey Max & Whiskers
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Happy Birthday
Stamp Ink: Ranger clear EP, SU chocolate chip
Embellishments: PaperTrey Ink buttons, Deluxe Designs chipboard star, Zva Creative pearls, sewing machine, misc. twine

If you would like to see more of these challenge cards, please be sure to check out the other ODBD Challenge Team cards:

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

I pray that each of you has a blessed and safe holiday weekend! To see all of the details and prizes for this week's challenge, see the ODBD blog post here. Also don't forget to upload your creations to Mister Linky in the same post by June 3rd at 8 p.m. EST! And remember to use Keyword ODBDSLC15 when posting to online galleries. Blessings to each of you!

Organizational {Friday} Copic Cubbie

Last week I shared four different storage solutions for Copic markers. If you missed that post, you can see it here. This week, I wanted to focus on the two cubbies I got from Studio 3 Solutions.

The Cubbies!
First, the measurements of these cubbies are: 4 5/16" W x 14" H x 5 1/2" D. I had a very small space between my paper rack and my Scrap 'n Cube drawers that I thought would be perfect for one or two cubbies. I measured the space, and I found that it was 4 1/4" wide. Wow, just 3/16" of an inch larger than the cubbie. PERFECT! So, I decided to order two cubbies and stack them in the space. Here is how they look:
Aren't they perfect? Each unit holds 120 Copic Sketch markers but will also hold other markers or colored pencils. So, my two units here will hold 240 Copic Sketch markers! Wow! Several things I love about these cubbies:

**The shelves are slightly angled down so other markers don't fall out when you remove one.
**They are small and don't take up a lot of room.
**They store tons of markers in a small space.
**They are easy to put on your desk so that you can access your markers quickly and easily!
**They are an inexpensive storage solution at only $16.95 a cubbie!

Organizing the Shelves
Now, let's look at how I organized them. I gave some color families their own shelf because I have a lot of markers in that color family. For instance, here is my blue shelf:
I then organized them by number within the "family" so I can easily see what I have and grab what I need.

Some color families I combined on a shelf. For instance, I don't have a lot of green or yellow green so I combined those markers on a shelf. I then put them in number order also.
Labeling the Shelves
Oh, I really wanted to label these shelves. I love my labels but it just didn't work out. Everything I tried got in the way of the markers. Do I need labels? No, not at all. It is very easy to see and read the marker name/number but I just wanted them because labels look so nice. Oh well!

Stacking the Cubbies
Stacking the cubbies has worked great; however, if they were not "sandwiched" between my paper rack and my Scrap 'n Cube, I would definitely screw backets on the back to keep them from moving. I did decide to put a small piece of non-slip shelf liner between the two units. That way I can be sure the top one doesn't move between my "sandwiched furniture." :) You can see a small edge of the liner here in this photo:
I hope this post has been helpful. If you are looking for marker storage, pencil storage, etc., I highly recommend these Color Cubbies! Have a great Friday, and thanks for stopping by!

{Faith Journaling} Challenge #28

I always have to laugh at my girls because even though they are identical they are still SO different! One loves jewelry, one despises it, and one is in between! God made them perfectly different in that way! So, here is your journaling prompt for today:

**What symbols of your faith do you wear (jewelry, clothing, etc.)?

Song of Solomon 1:10 "Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels."

Happy journaling! And for anyone new joining us, you can see the details of this challenge and all of the journaling prompts posted thus far in this post here! Joyfully in Jesus,

{Scripture Challenge 2} Challenge Word #11, Purpose

Challenge Word #11: Purpose

Dictionary.com defines purpose as “the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc.”

So, what is your purpose in life? Is it to glorify God in all you do? Do you know God’s purpose for your life or are you constantly searching for something? We are to bring glory to God in all we do thus leading others to Him. God will use every person for His purpose and to display His glory. He will use our obedience and our disobedience. Think of how God used even Pharaoh to display His purpose and power. Exodus 9:16 says “But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” As God sent each of the plagues, His power was displayed and His name was proclaimed. If you have time, I encourage you to read Exodus 9-12:30.

We can plan all we want. Some of us would even love to see God’s billboard that tells us His purpose for us but as Proverbs 19:21 says “Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.” Are you a planner? Do you know where you are going each day? Are you seeking His purpose or are you busy, busy, busy but not really getting anywhere?

And how about suffering? Even in our suffering, He has a purpose. Do you look “up” when you suffer or do you turn to the world? Do you seek His purpose for the suffering or do you wallow in self pity and complain to others? There is no doubt that suffering is painful but it is temporary, and the delights of God’s glory will last forever. Romans 8:18 says “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

God has a purpose in everything He does and in every life He creates. He gives each of us gifts, talents, and abilities. We are to use them for His purpose and His glory. Are you doing that? Will you ask Him where He wants to use you in the days and months ahead? Ask Him to help you follow His purpose for you. He will do that; just ask! Philippians 2:13 says “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

For my page this week, I used several different paper companies (Webster's Pages, October Afternoon, and Paper Trey Ink). I also used three different stamp sets from Layers of Colors--Butterfly Collector, Flutterescent, and Creative Flourish. I used Versamark to decorate the PTI cardstock with the Creative Flourish stamp.
Papers: Webster's Pages Seaside Retreat & Garden Gala pack, Paper Trey Ink kraft cs, October Afternoon Thrift Shop
Stamps: Layers of Color Butterfly Collector, Layers of Color Flutterescent, Layers of Color Creative Flourish
Stamp Ink: Versamark, Tim Holtz Distress Ink vintage photo, SU creamy caramel
Embellishments: Stickles platinum, Melissa Frances lace, Basic Grey Piper microchip alpha stickers, Hero Arts flowers, SEI rhinestone brads, sewing machine

For my scriptures, I chose Proverbs 19:21 and Philippians 2:13 (both listed above). And if you have read this far, then you will be excited to know that for this challenge I am giving away a RAK! For anyone that completes a page for {Challenge 11, Purpose} and uploads it via Inlinkz below by Saturday, June 5th, at 11:59 p.m. CST, you will be entered in a drawing to win the following goodies:
This might be your first week joining in on the challenge or it may be your third year following these challenges. Whatever it is--awesome! Just upload your page for this challenge, and be entered to win!

Now remember, when sharing your page for this challenge be sure to use Keyword SCRC210 when posting in galleries. Also, please leave a link here using our new link system by Inlinkz!

I pray you enjoy seeking God and His purpose for you! And remember to see all of our previous lessons, visit this post here. I will be back with another study on June 6th along with the name of our RAK winner! Joyfully in Jesus,

Our Daily Bread Designs {Challenge 14}

Are you ready for another challenge? Today the Our Daily Bread Designs Challenge Team brings you this challenge: Create a card or a gift with a sentiment as a focal point! :)

For my card, I used a scripture from the ODBD Scripture Collection 3 as my focal point. I used Spellbinders Labels Eleven to cut out the scripture. The background paper is Basic Grey Green at Heart also available in the ODBD store! At first, my card started to look at little to "halloweeny," so I had to cut back on using so much black. :)
Papers: Basic Grey Green at Heart, Memory Box granny smith notecard
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Scripture Collection 3
Stamp Ink: VersaFine onyx black, SU green galore, Ranger clear ep
Embellishments: Spellbinders Labels Eleven, Spellbinders Lotus Border Petites, KaiserCraft black pearls, Hero Arts flowers, sewing machine, misc. ribbon

If you would like to see more sentiment-focused cards, please be sure to check out the other ODBD Challenge Team cards:

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

Have fun everyone! To see all of the details and prizes for this week's challenge, see the ODBD blog post here. Also don't forget to upload your creations to Mister Linky in the same post by May 27th at 8 p.m. EST! And remember to use Keyword ODBDSLC14 when posting to online galleries. Blessings to each of you!

Organizational {Friday} Copic Markers

Happy Friday everyone! I am headed to a Copic class in June to be a Copic Certified Designer. I am SO excited. I have wanted to take this class for quite some time; however, last time there was a class near me, I had to perform with our church orchestra. I certainly couldn't miss that! Well, the class is back in my area, I am registered, and I am going! Yeah!

So, before I head off to class, I needed to look at my Copic stash which then has caused me to change my storage because I ran out of room after ordering more markers! Eeek! Today, I am going to share FOUR different Copic marker storage options. Here is my favorite way to store my Copic markers:
This is a Stampin' Things Elite Unit. It holds my Copic Sketch markers beautifully! LOVE it! This unit will hold 96 Copic Sketch markers (48 markers per side). However, I ran out of spaces for markers. Yes, I could order another Stampin' Things unit but I don't really have room in my new room. So, in order to keep my markers together, I moved them all to a CTMH storage box that I had on hand. This will hold 120 markers. Well, once my new markers come in, I will have more markers than this box will hold. Ugh! But it certainly makes a GREAT and cheap storage option! A little bit about this box before I tell you what I am moving to. Can you see the white pieces of cardstock between each set of 4 markers? I did this to keep the markers from getting out of order. Yes, I like mine in order and not just thrown in the box. When I didn't use the cardstock dividers, the markers really fell all over and were not as neat as I like to keep them. This works pretty well. If my markers were going to stay permanently in this box, I might have added chipboard or something sturdier as dividers instead of cardstock.

So, since this box will not be large enough, I have ordered two Color Cubbies from Studio 3 Solutions. UPS says they will be delivered on Tuesday. Yeah! They are $16.95 each, and they will also hold 120 sketch markers per unit. This is a great and inexpensive way to store your Copics or other markers or pencils!
**Photo used with permission from Tami of Studio 3 Solutions.

The 4th way to store Copics is in a bucket or bin. I personally have the pink marker bin from A*Muse. I love it too but it already contains my colored pencils, watercolor pencils, and other things. I love that bucket! I didn't want to switch out what I have in there so I left the bucket "as is." You can see these cool buckets here. I love all of the color options!

Next Friday, I will show you how the new Color Cubbie units works out with my personal photos. I am sure I will label each shelf in some way also with the color family! I can't have something without labels! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to join me next Friday when I share my Color Cubbies all filled and labeled! Blessings,

{Faith Journaling} Challenge #27

First, welcome to all of my new subscribers! I am excited to have you here!!! Now, for this Thursday's faith journaling prompt, I thought it would be fun to journal the following:

**Is it easy for you to memorize scripture?

Psalm 119:11 "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."

Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."

Enjoy your time of journaling!! And remember to see the details of this challenge and all of the journaling prompts posted thus far, please see my post here! Joyfully in Jesus,

Tuesday's {Tip} Glossy Accents Clogged?

How many of you use Glossy Accents? Oh my, I use it on most of my creations for adhering pearls, bling, and other smaller things that won't take a Glue Dot.
Well, I am on my second bottle of Glossy Accents. I even have a 3rd bottle in my cabinet as a spare. Why do I have so many bottles? Well, not because I use THAT much but because the bottles get clogged all of the time. Ugh! I have used my piercing tool countless times to open up the "clog," I have trimmed the tip until it is a huge opening, etc. I have been so frustrated. Love the product but I don't like the constantly clogged bottle!

Well, I read on Splitcoaststampers that some people store their bottle upside down to keep it from clogging. I decided to try it. What did I have to lose? Just another bottle of Glossy Accents! LOL! Anyway, for the past month I have tried it out by storing the bottle upside down in a little bucket that sits on my desk, and guess what? It works BEAUTIFULLY! No, I am not yelling; I am excited! It works! My bottle has not clogged yet! I love being able to open the bottle, use it, and put it back without having to try to open it up again to get it to work! Can you see it in my bucket?
So, if you have this frustration with your Glossy Accents or other liquid adhesives, you might try this! It really does work great! Yeah!!! I hope this helps some of you that have had the same frustration I have had in the past! Enjoy your creative time minus the clogs!!!! :) Blessings,

Some {Memory Box} Butterfly Creations

Happy Monday! I thought today I would share some of my latest creations for Memory Box Co. Memory Box has released a lot of butterfly stamps in their new Enchanted Butterfly release. I have found that Flower Soft is perfect for a butterfly body! You will see on some of these cards how I used the Flower Soft. Click on the name of the card to go to the step-by-step instructions, recipe, and close-up photos:

Butterfly Trio 2

Butterfly Trio 1
Inspire
And here are just a few miscellaneous butterfly cards without the Flower Soft:

Butterfly Background
This card uses two of the new butterfly stamps. I used one to create the background, and the second butterfly stamp is the larger butterfly.
For You
And here is similar butterfly stamp used in a different way:
I hope you have enjoyed these. I will be back again with more Memory Box creations once I get a stack to share. :) Have a blessed Monday!

Our Daily Bread Designs {Challenge 13}

Happy Rainy Saturday! Yes, we are actually getting downpours which is so nice. We haven't had rain in a while, and what better way to water the lawn and flowers! And speaking of flowers, this week the ODBD Challenge Team is challenging you to create something using flowers! We would love to see those flowers!

For my flower card, I used the beautiful Memory Box Enchanted paper. It was perfect with the gorgeous flowers on it already. And then I added the wonderful scripture from the ODBD Scripture Collection 3 stamp set.
Papers: Memory Box Enchanted
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Scripture Collection 3
Stamp Ink: Adirondack espresso
Embellishments: Prima flowers, Bazzill ribbon, sewing machine, Memory Box pearl stickers baby pink, Flower Soft nut brown

If you would like to see more flower-filled creations, please be sure to check out the other ODBD Challenge Team cards:

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

Have fun everyone! To see all of the details and prizes for this week's challenge, see the ODBD blog post here. Also don't forget to upload your creations to Mister Linky in the same post by May 20th at 8 p.m. EST! And remember to use Keyword ODBDSLC13 when posting to online galleries. Blessings to each of you!

Organizational {Friday} Wood Mount Stamps

So, how many of you love your wood mount stamps because they are just so darn pretty? I know I do! I try not to buy too many more though because storage can be difficult. Storing them unmounted is definitely easier but I will not unmount my wooden stamps either. I love the beauty of them thus I keep them as they are.

Today I wanted to share all of the different ways I store my wood mount stamps. It is nothing earth shattering but I also want you to know that you can show off these beautiful stamps and still be able to find them when you want to use them.

One of my first storage solutions in my new room are two printers trays and a ladder. I have put some of my favorite stamps in these because they are so pretty! There is no rhyme or reason to my organization here other than "putting out the pretty ones." There were some I wanted to put out but they didn't fit in the spaces of the printers tray. Oh well! Here you can see how they look:
The ladder I purchased from eBay very inexpensively, and the printers trays my mother found for me while antique shopping one day. :)

One of my next storage solutions for wood mount stamps has changed. I used to store all of my gorgeous Memory Box stamps in these Target drawers and trays that I found:
After I moved into my new room, I have these drawers positioned in a place that is not easily accessible so I have some other things stored in the drawers now that I don't use as often. I need my Memory Box stamps accessible! :) Anyway, I still LOVE the Target drawers for stamp storage but this didn't work for that in my new room. I highly recommend these drawers if you are looking for something for your wooden stamps. They truly are a great option. To see more information on these drawers, see my older post here.

So, what did I do with those Memory Box stamps in my new room? I put them in Sizzix storage boxes! First I sorted them into categories and I purchased the boxes from Wolf Camera. These boxes fit perfectly on top of my crafting unit. My new room is pink, brown, and green so these boxes were just the right color. They didn't make green boxes so I used green patterned paper for the box labels. After putting the labels on the boxes, I organized the stamps by category in each box. Now my Memory Box stamps are easily accessible and the boxes look pretty in my new room.
To see more complete details on how I organized these, see my post here.

Now for all of those wood mount stamps that aren't out in my printers trays or that are not Memory Box stamps, I put those in my Scrap 'n Cube cart. Also in this unit I store my box of sponges (see old post here), my embossing powders, Flower Soft, etc.

So, yes, I do store my wood mount stamps in three different organizers but it still works perfectly for me. I can find the stamps I want because of my stamp Rolodex inventory. You can see that post here. I have labeled the cards WM for "wood mount" and the storage pieces as follows: L (ladder), TS (printers tray small), TL (printers tray large), and SCB-1 (Scrap 'n Cube with drawer number). If they are Memory Box stamps, I know they are in the Sizzix boxes. So, see, you can have many different and fun storage options for your wood mount stamps. It's the inventory that's key to finding it all. :)

I hope this is helpful and that you might find something new and fun to use for your storage! Have a blessed Friday!

{Faith Journaling} Challenge #26

I think most of us have a favorite seat whether it be in church, in school, in Bible study, etc. So today, please share:

**Where do you like to sit in church, and why?

Mark 6:39 "Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass."

Have a blessed weekend ahead, and remember to see the details of this challenge and all of the questions posted thus far, please see my post here! Joyfully in Jesus,

{Scripture Challenge 2} Challenge Word #10, Example

First, before we begin, Happy Mother’s Day to all of my readers that are celebrating this day either as a mother yourself or honoring your own mother. Today as we think of mothers, I thought we should look at this word:

Challenge Word #10: Example

Who has been that living faith example to you in your life? Have you been that to others and are you that to your children? How about to those believers and unbelievers around you? Jesus Christ is our perfect example. Jesus knew how and when His life would end yet He continued to be that perfect example to us. Jesus says in John 13:15 “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” We need to build others up through loving instruction and by example.

People, especially our children, watch what we do. They see how we act under stress. We are watched seven days a week; not just on Sundays, and we are watched by people that we don’t even realize are watching us. What do they see? Does your life match what you say? Do you wear a cross around your neck yet you grumble and complain all of the time? Do you gossip? Do you have a fish on your car yet you speed or have a fit of road rage? Our lives should point others to God by being that example He has called us to be. God’s Word is truth, and in His word we can find how we are to live and how we are to be living examples to those around us. James 1:22-25 says “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”

I was hoping to get a page finished but we have had yet another tragedy strike our family. We lost two family members in February, and now my grandmother is in the hospital. We believe she has had a stroke. My mother is flying to be with her in the morning so I did not get to get my page finished. I apologize for that but hope you will understand, and we would certainly love your prayers for my grandmother as you feel led.

As you share your page for this challenge, remember to use Keyword SCRC210 when posting in galleries. Also, please leave a link here using our new link system by Inlinkz! I really love this new linking system. I hope you enjoyed using it last time as much as I did!

I pray in your quiet time over the next two weeks that you will think about the example you are to those around you. Ask God to help you be the example He wants you to be. Trust Him; He will show you! And remember to see all of our previous lessons, visit this post here. I will be back with another study on May 23th. Joyfully in Jesus,