ODBD Stamping in Time Challenge {My Layout}

Happy Thursday everyone! I don't always have time to participate in the ODBD Stamping In Time Challenges but since it's Christmas break, I had a little extra time to play. I hope you can play along with us too!!!! Chrissy Dickinson is our challenge host this rotation. Chrissy is challenging us to "Ring in the New"! The theme can be interpreted in many ways such as: new stuff, new year, new baby, new home, etc.! Or the focus can be on a ring (think circular items). Ring can also be about music. There are lots of possibilities just remember you must use ODBD stamps to play along.

For the challenge, I chose to go with the 'new' theme. Our triplets are now 16, and two of them are learning to drive. I was also not too fond of them driving my car so dearest hubby decided to take the girls car shopping, and they came home with their new car. Thus you can see my choice for the 'new' theme. I used the ODBD background stamp called "Poinsettia Background" to create the banner in the upper-left corner. I then used the ODBD set called "Love One Another" for the scripture. Basically, we want the girls to remember to continue love each other as they SHARE their new toy. :)
Papers: Paper Trey Ink cs, Basic Grey Boxer
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Poinsettia Background, Our Daily Bread Designs Love One Another
Stamp Ink: SU night of navy
Embellishments: Paper Trey Ink banner dies and rustic twine, Basic Grey Boxer buttons, Jillibean Soup journaling sprout, Maya Road chipboard key, Distress Stickles clear rock candy, Copic B39 to color misc. jewels, Heidi Swapp chipboard alpha, Making Memories tiny alpha stickers, Li'l Davis Designs chipboard flower, misc. ribbon, sewing machine

There are several other ODBD DT and CT members participating in today's challenge. Make sure you stop by the ODBD blog to see their samples and leave some love. Who doesn't love a 'little love'? :) Also, all of the challenge details are listed in that same post too. We would love to have you play along! There will be a gift certificate drawing, and I am sure you don't want to miss out! Please use Keyword SNTODBD25 when posting to online galleries. We look forward to seeing what you create using ODBD stamps, and watch for our big announcement on Saturday, Jan. 1st! Blessings,

{Faith Journaling} Challenge #56

With the New Year just a couple of days away, I thought we would take today and journal about the following:

**Do you feel the Lord leading you in a new direction for the New Year? What changes will you make?

1 Corinthians 7:17 "Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them."

Thank you for joining me in journaling this year. I will continue these journaling questions each Thursday until I run out of questions. LOL! If you are just beginning with us--welcome! You can find all of the previous questions in this link. Have a blessed Thursday!

Tuesday's {Tip} My Blog Resources

Happy Tuesday everyone! Can you believe I have been blogging since 2007? Gracious, it's hard for me to think that it has been that long. Well, because it is now going on 4 years of blogging, there are a lot of resources that are available to you, and I would love to help each of you find things more easily! So, let's look at how to navigate this blog and the resources available to you.

Labels & Search Function
I am not sure how many of you noticed that I added a 'search box' to the blog in mid-2010. It is SO helpful. I even use it when I can't find things on my own blog! LOL! Just enter your search word in the search box on the left just below my profile, and posts that contain your search word will pop up. I am always able to find what I need quickly using the search feature!

Also, at the bottom of every post, you will see 'labels' listed. If you click on a label at the bottom of the post, it will bring up all posts that pertain to that same label. And of course, there are the 'Link Within' items at the bottom of each post too that will take you to various topics on my blog you may be interested in.

Link Lists
Next, I have created several 'Link Lists'. These lists make it easy to find all of the posts on a particular subject. Here are the direct links to each link list on my blog:

ABC Scripture Challenge 2011 Study Links (to be created soon)
His Holy Name Challenge 2009 Study Links
Journaling Challenge List
Organization Links
Scripture Challenge 2010 Study Links
Scripture Challenge Study Links (this is from 2008)
Tuesday's Tip Links

You can also find these in the 'Label' section of my blog using the same phrase at the bottom of the blog of the left-hand side. Scroll down far to find it but it's there. :)

Translator
I have also added a translator to the blog for those of you that don't speak English as a first language. It's very easy to use, and from what I have tested in German, it seems to translate pretty well. I hope you find that helpful.

Sidebar
The sidebar on my blog may seem "busy" but it is full of information. If you don't like looking through the sidebar, try the search feature. It really is helpful!

Well, I hope this helps some of you find posts that you are looking for and maybe new information that you missed. I also wanted to welcome all of the new subscribers. I am SO glad to have you here, and I look forward to helping each of you in the new year. Many blessings,

Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas Eve! I wanted to wish all of my blog subscribers a VERY, Merry Christmas! May your day be filled with the love of Christ and the peace and joy that He brings!! Merry, Merry Christmas everyone!

{Faith Journaling} Challenge #55

It's hard to believe that Christmas will be here in two days. WOW! It has gone even faster than in years' past. As we get ready to celebrate Jesus' birth, I thought it would be fun to share about Christmas Eve.

**Do you attend Christmas Eve services? If so, which one, and what do you love about it?

Luke 2:6-7 "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them."

I pray you enjoy your time of journaling and remember feel free to begin with use at anytime! All are welcome! You can find all of the previous questions in this link. Have a blessed Thursday!

Tuesday's {Tip} My Video Set-Up

Have any of you set up a video to do a tutorial? Do you have a set-up you like? Well, I have tried before but could never get the angle correct, and I have been too swamped to mess with it. But I was determined yesterday, and I finally got it where I think it will work. I thought some of you might want to try a video set-up too, so I thought I would share today what I am doing thus far to get it to work.

My Set-Up
After playing with many places in my room, the best place and angle to shoot a video was just to the right of my desk. I had to use a TV dinner tray and then my scrap paper box to get my camera high enough but I think this will work okay. You can see my set-up here:
The Camera & Tripod
I have used my Canon G10 for a year and a half or so. I usually use it to take videos of my parrots. Shooting video like that is easy. But getting the camera set up on the tripod and making sure I could work in the "square" is a bit more difficult. But the best thing I have found to use is my Gorillapod Flexible Tripod. That thing helps me turn my camera in any direction so that I can get the best shot from that part of my desk. The only other option was directly over my head, and I don't think hubby would take to kindly to hanging something from the ceiling. LOL!

Now for the First Video
I did a quick tutorial for Memory Box to test this new set-up. You can find my first tutorial here. I will be sharing videos on both my Memory Box blog and this blog (as I have time). I hope you will enjoy them, and feel free to make suggestions of what types of videos you would like to see.

Thanks for stopping by today! Blessings,

{Scripture Challenge 2} Challenge Word #26, Represent

Challenge Word #26: Represent

Have you ever sent your children off to camp, a church function, or even a birthday party? Do you wonder how well they represent your family? Are they doing all of the things you taught them, and are they representing your family well? As parents, we want them to do as we have taught them, and of course, we want them to represent the family well. God is the same. As our Father, He teaches us through His Word, He expects our obedience, and He certainly wants us to represent Him well everyday and in everything.

Most of us will be around family and friends this week as we celebrate Christmas. Think about how you represent Christ to those around you this Christmas season. Do you stand up and proclaim His name in love or do you keep Him “hidden” because you are scared of what they will think? Do you speak in kindness and love or in impatience and rudeness? Each person you come in contact with should see Immanuel, God with Us, as you represent Him. If you haven’t been doing that, now is the perfect time to begin representing Him well as we celebrate His birth. Everything we do and say should show everyone around us Immanuel, God With Us. What we do and say as Christian’s matters! As a believer, who do you represent most days of the week? Is it God or the world? What is your desire? As His representative, glorifying Him in all we do should be our greatest desire. Luke 9:23 reminds me that I need to take up my cross daily and represent Him well each and every day.

Luke 9:23 “Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’”

We cannot do this on our own, however. Believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to help us represent Him as we should. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” So, are you representing Him well and standing firm in Christ? Are you relying on the Holy Spirit within you? Oh how I pray you will represent Him well this Christmas season and in the year to come. Nothing breaks God’s heart more or turns people away from God than when we look just like the world and represent the things of the world instead of representing Him. How will your represent Him today, tomorrow, and in the days ahead?

For my page this week, I used both scriptures referenced above. I also added butterflies to remind me that I am a new creation in Christ, and I need to represent Him not myself or anything else. I also added the calendar tissue tape to remind me to represent Him each and everyday as I should not just when I choose or how I choose. Then I used the Our Daily Bread Designs Wood Background stamp behind the Luke 9:23 verse to represent taking up my cross daily. Okay, yes I went over board on the symbolism here today. :)
Papers: Basic Grey Curio, KI Memories lace paper, Creative Memories cement cs
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Wood Background
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink pumice stone and old paper
Embellishments: Tim Holtz tissue tape, Martha Stewart scalloped dot border punch, Maya Road chipboard butterfly, Ranger black enamel accents

When sharing your page for this challenge be sure to use Keyword SCRC210 when posting in galleries. Also, please leave a link to your creation here using Inlinkz! To see all of our previous lessons, please visit this post here.

And lastly, I wanted to thank each of you that has followed along this year either by journaling, creating pages, etc. While I LOVE when you participate, God loves it even more because you are in His Word and becoming closer to Him. That's the best and most exciting part!!! And if you missed the news about next year's study, be sure to check out the ABC Scripture Challenge details for next year here! You don't want to miss where God will lead us next year. I will see you on January 2, 2011, with our first study!! Have a blessed Sunday, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Our Daily Bread Designs {Challenge 42}

Who likes recipes? Well, me, for cooking--no. I don't like to cook. LOL! But for papercrafting--oooh, I love recipes!!!!! And for our challenge today, we have the "We Three Kings Recipe" for you! What is the "We Three Kings Recipe" you ask? Well, you get to create something fun using three or more of the following items in this recipe: silver, red, blue, poinsettia, snowflake, ornament (it can include an ornament or you can create your own).

So, for the challenge, I used four of the items in the recipe. I used silver embossing powder, red, poinsettias from my Memory Box patterned paper, and I created an ornament. Whew! I didn't think I would end up using so much but I did, and it was fun! My ornament uses the new ODBD stamp set called "Ornaments" and the matching Spellbinders die called "Heirloom Ornaments." I also layered the entire piece with the Spellbinders Lacey Circles die. And as a side note, did you know that ODBD has been chosen by Spellbinders Paper Arts as a Preferred Stamp Partner. This means that ODBD will create stamps that are perfectly paired with Spellbinders products. How cool is that? Be watching because I will be sharing about the new Spellbinders Grand Calibur machine soon! Now here is my "recipe" creation:
Papers: Memory Box Tinsel, Memory Box Mistletoe
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Ornaments
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz Distress embossing ink, forest moss, and aged mahogany; Ranger silver embossing tinsel
Embellishments: Stickles frosted lace, Spellbinders heirloom ornament die and lacey circles die, Robin's Nest silver dew drop, Prismacolor crimson lake pencil, tulle from Hobby Lobby

This ornament was super difficult to photograph. I took over 30 photos, and this was the best one I could get. I really love this ornament but sure didn't enjoy photographing it. LOL!

If you would like to see more recipe challenge creations, please be sure to check out the other ODBD Challenge Team creations here:

Chris Olsen
Chris Dickinson
Francie Gumprecht
Sabrina Jackson

This will be our last challenge before the holidays. Our winner will be announced on Sunday, December 26. Our first challenge for 2011 will be on January 8. I will be ending my term as a Challenge Design Team member but I am not leaving ODBD! Whew! I am thankful for that!!! Thank you Kelley! I will be starting something new with ODBD, and I can't wait to share with you in the new year! Be watching, and thank you Kelley for the fun new opportunity!

Now, to see all of the challenge and prize details, please see the ODBD blog post here. Yes, there are prizes, so you don't want to miss the details! Also please don't forget to uploaded your creations to Mister Linky in the same post by Thursday, December 23rd, at 8 p.m. EST to be eligible! Remember to use Keyword ODBDSLC42 when posting to online galleries. Enjoy the recipe, and happy crafting!

{Faith Journaling} Challenge #54

Happy Thursday everyone! Sorry I missed last week. It has been SUPER busy here. But yesterday we finally had our first full day home, and now it's time to catch up and I hope rest over the Christmas break! Let's look at today's question:

**Do you make a Happy Birthday cake for Jesus or how do you celebrate His birth during the Christmas season?

Luke 2:11-12 "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

I pray you enjoy your time of journaling and remember feel free to begin with use at anytime! All are welcome! You can find all of the previous questions in this link. Have a blessed evening!

Tuesday's {Tip} Bow Easy

How many of you have a bow easy? Well, I do but I have rarely used it. I can tie bows pretty well, and I also have a technique for tying bows that I saw on the web somewhere which I will share in a minute. Anyway, I wanted some double and triple loop bows so I did buy the Bow Easy. Kelley sells it in the ODBD store here. After getting it and watching many videos, playing with it, etc., I gave up. I have heard how SO many people LOVE it and have great success with it. What was I doing wrong? Well, I think my problem was that in the last step when tightening the bow, I wasn't pulling the tail straight up. I think that may be my key to future success. LOL! I think it's becoming my friend finally. If you have been frustrated by the Bow Easy, don't give up! Here are a couple more instructions for you to watch and try again:

Angela's Bow Easy Tutorial at ODBD
Gina K.'s Bow Easy Video

And if you haven't tried the Bow Easy, give it a try. It makees a great stocking stuffer! I think there are only a handful of us that have trouble with it. I am a slow learner. :)

And now, if you haven't been to one of my classes or seen my online tutorial for tying knots and bows, I encourage you to see my Memory Box post here. I tie 99% of my knots and bows this way. It is SO easy (though some would disagree with me), and I love this technique! I hope you will try it!

Whether you try my tutorial or the Bow Easy, I hope you have great success in your future bow tying! Have a blessed Tuesday!

Announcing {ABC Scripture Challenge} for 2011

Since I do not have a scheduled post today, I thought I would take a moment and share where the Lord has led me with the Scripture Challenge for 2011. I have been praying for many weeks about continuing this challenge into 2011. I know many of you were praying for me too. Thank you! Anyway, I wasn't sure where the Lord was leading me. I did know, however, that if He wasn't clearly calling me to stop the challenge, then I was to continue. He certainly wasn't calling me to stop but I wanted a new twist on the challenge. So, I prayed about that, and as I was preparing our challenge for 12/5/10, I noticed in the index of the journal I use for notetaking for this challenge that we had many study words for the letters "A, C, F, G, H, etc.," but none for the letters "B, D, I, J, K, etc." Here are a couple of my index pages from this year's study:
Notice the letters without any study words? And notice how many we had for "F and H"? Then the light bulb went off--actually it was God saying "here is the twist you were looking for." He wants me to continue the Scripture Challenge for 2011 but we are going create ABC albums. It was PERFECT!!! Everything God plans is perfect. Much better than my ideas for sure! Anyway, He reminded me that there are 26 studies each year that I host, and there are 26 letters of the alphabet! So, why not choose words and go through the alphabet! How cool is that? I am SO excited. I hope you will enjoy this little twist on the study! I also hope many more will join in this coming year! Now let's look at the details.

Album, ATC, Cards--What Will You Use?
In the past, I have done ATCs and 6x6 pages for my Scripture Challenge pages. For the ABC Scripture Challenge, I will do 6x6 pages again. I love that size. It also can be displayed on a vertical stand or put into an album. Now here are a few samples.

These are ATCs I did for the 2008 Scripture Challenge:
And here is the 6x6 vertical stand I used for this year's challenge. I purchased it from Taylored Expressions. The stand can be stained or altered and will hold 6x6 page protectors.
Of course, if you are doing pages, you can create any size and use any album you want! You can also create cards and mail to people. You can create anything you wish. These are just ideas!

If You Participate, Do You Have to Create Something?
Absolutely not! :) You can just study God's Word and keep notes. You do not have to create a thing! I personally love the creating part and someday my kids can have these pages too as part of my faith legacy.

What if You Want to Study with People at Church?
Wonderful! Please do have them study along. However, I ask that you not copy my work. I also ask that you have the participants print the study directly from my blog post each time. It takes me many, many hours to prepare these studies, and they are inspired by the Lord. The studies are copyrighted, and I pray that you respect that. Thank you! At some point, I may have books printed to sell to those that may want to take the studies into local communities. If you have an interest in that, please e-mail me privately.

Now let me share a bit about how this challenge will work.
**I will post a word every other Sunday beginning January 2, 2011. Mark your calendars, and see the entire 2011 calendar below! :)
**Challenges will be posted usually by 5 p.m. Central Standard Time on challenge Sundays.
**My post will also share some thoughts, the scripture or scriptures that I chose (usually from the NIV), and a picture of my 6x6 page.
**Then you will study your Bible and find scriptures that are meaningful to you based on the word posted for that week.
**I love using Biblegateway to look up single keywords in the Bible. It is a great resource for this study.
**Then you will create an ATC, card, scrapbook page, etc., using your selected scripture based on the word for that week.
**Feel free to look at the 2010 Scripture Challenge to get an idea of how this ABC Scripture Challenge will work.

Is there a time limit to complete the challenge?
No, there is not a time limit to complete the challenge. This is for you so that you can study and learn to apply God's word to your daily life! You do what you can when you can. On occasion, I may offer RAKs, and at those times there will be a deadline. Watch out for those. :) You may join this challenge at ANY time throughout the year!

Do I need to sign up?
No, you can just subscribe to my blog to get the updates.

Will this challenge be hosted on other sites?
No, you will only be able to find the challenge here on my blog. Please do not copy the post to other websites. You may certainly link the study but do not copy the study. Thank you! And make sure you subscribe to my blog if you haven't already. :) If you have friends that you think may be interested in joining us, feel free to send them the link to this post!

Where can we share our work?
A lot of us will be sharing on our blogs and in various galleries such as Splitcoaststampers, 2Peas, Scrapbook.com, etc. Wherever you share, you can use this keyword and it will help others find your work more easily--ABCSCRC11. I will also use inlinkz.com for this challenge so that you can leave a link to your work here on my blog for others to see.

Is there a blinkie for this challenge?
Yes, but let's call it a button instead of a blinkie. :) It's a miniature version of the picture at the beginning of this post. I did not make one that blinks. It is a "stand alone" button. You will find it in the sidebar of my blog and below this paragraph. Right-click and save it to your computer. You can then add it to your blog, your signatures on message boards, etc. I hope you like it.
What's The Journal I Use?
When I study and prepare my posts, I keep a journal of my notes. It's nothing fancy, and it's just for me to see. Right now I have three of these journals because I have hosted these challenges for the past three years! Can you believe it has been that long? Anyway, eventually my children will get these journals. The scripture references you see on the page below are the ones I came across for that particular word I was studying. The asterick next to the scripture means I really loved that particular verse or passage and that I may use it on my page.
For those of you not creating pages, ATCs, or cards this may be something you want to do instead--just keep a journal of each word along with your study notes.

2011 ABC Scripture Challenge Schedule

Challenge 1: January 2
Challenge 2: January 16
Challenge 3: January 30
Challenge 4: February 13
Challenge 5: February 27
Challenge 6: March 13
Challenge 7: March 27
Challenge 8: April 10
Challenge 9: April 24
Challenge 10: May 8
Challenge 11: May 22
Challenge 12: June 5
Challenge 13: June 19
Challenge 14: July 3
Challenge 15: July 17
Challenge 16: July 31
Challenge 17: August 14
Challenge 18: August 28
Challenge 19: September 11
Challenge 20: September 25
Challenge 21: October 9
Challenge 22: October 23
Challenge 23: November 6
Challenge 24: November 20
Challenge 25: December 4
Challenge 26: December 18

To see all of the current challenges thus far for 2011, please click here. :)

Whew, sorry this post got so long. Book mark it. It will be the "main information page" for the ABC Scripture Challenge. Please e-mail me if you have more questions, and I would love to know your thoughts on this upcoming challenge. Feel free to leave comments here! Blessings, and see you January 2nd with our first ABC Scripture Challenge word!

Our Daily Bread Designs {Challenge 41}

Happy Saturday to you! Are your itching for another challenge? Do you have some crafting time on your hands today? Well, why not join in! Today's ODBD Challenge is an inspiration challenge. How fun! To see all of the inspiration pieces, please visit the ODBD blog here.

For my creation today, I used the colors in this inspiration piece:

Upon seeing the colors, I thought it really went well with some chocolate truffles I had just picked up at the store. So I thought they would make a great gift jar, and of course, a jar needs a tag. So, I created this tag using the ODBD set called We Three Kings (the image and star). I also used the sentiment from the new ODBD set called Ornaments. And can you see how I tore out a part of the hymn and put it at the bottom of the tag? It's the line that says "Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us. . ." Now you can sing that hymn all day as you create. :)

Papers: Paper Trey Ink cs
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs We Three Kings, Our Daily Bread Designs Ornaments (sentiment)
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink forest moss, walnut stain, and embossing ink; Ranger gold ep
Embellishments: Tim Holtz tiny attacher, part of hymn from hymnal, tulle from Hobby Lobby, Quickutz ticket die

If you would like to see more sketch challenge creations, please be sure to check out the other ODBD Challenge Team creations here:

Chris Olsen
Chris Dickinson
Francie Gumprecht
Sabrina Jackson

To see all of the challenge and prize details, please see the ODBD blog post here. Yes, there are prizes, so you don't want to miss the details! Also please don't forget to uploaded your creations to Mister Linky in the same post by Thursday, December 16th, at 8 p.m. EST to be eligible! Remember to use Keyword ODBDSLC41 when posting to online galleries. Enjoy your Saturday!

Organizational {Friday} We Have a Winner!

First, thank you all so much for your amazing comments on the Stampin' Things units. I know Sue and I were both blessed by reading what you had to say! Now onto our winner:

Barbara B said...
Wow, what a give-away! I would love to have the Elite Ink Pad Organizer. It would be great to have my inkpads at my fingertips instead of tubs.

When I went to look at the link you provided I was amazed at the selection -- so many choices.

But I was most impressed with the 'God is Good!' verbiage at the botton of the page. I love it when a business owner is willing to show their Christian faith. May God bless StampinThings.com with great success.

NOVEMBER 29, 2010 4:43 PM

Barbara, first congratulations. You are going to have so much fun with your unit!!! Second, please e-mail me your address and the name of the unit you want so Sue can get it shipped to you. I know you mentioned the Elite but wanted to make sure you didn't change your mind between now and when your originally posted. :)

And again, thanks to the rest of you for joining in. And remember, Sue is also giving away a unit on her site. You have only through today, December 10th, to enter! Details are in the blue box on the main page here.

Well, enjoy your Friday everyone. Blessings!

Memory Box & Stampin' Things RAK!

Happy Monday everyone! Today I wanted to share some Memory Box creations with you, and then I wanted to be sure you that you don't forget to get entered for the Stampin' Things RAK! So, let's get started with today's fun! :)

Memory Box Fun
I haven't shared my Memory Box creations lately so I thought I would share a few here today. Also, for those of you in my area, my next Memory Box class will be January 15th, 2011, at 10:30 a.m. at Stamp Salado. You will be making fun creations with the new "What's in the Box 2011" release!! :) Be sure to get signed up before the class fills! :) Now onto some Memory Box creations:

Tiled Peace Collage
This card was fun to make. For step-by-step instructions, please see my Memory Box post here.
Messy Inspiration
To see how I used a mess on my desk to create this tag, please see my Memory Box post here.
Polar Bear Postage
I saw this fun technique on Splitcoaststampers and decided to try it out with the Fred P. Bear stamp. :) You can see more details here. Winterberry Wreath
And lastly another card using a fun frame technique from SCS. You can see more card details in this post here.
Stampin' Things Fun
Okay, now onto the reminder for the Stampin' Things RAK! Today is the last day to enter! You have until 11:59 p.m. CST tonight to get your entry in! To see the details of how to enter, please see this post here. You wouldn't want to miss your chance to win something like this:
Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the week ahead. Blessings,

{Scripture Challenge 2} Challenge #25, Worth

Challenge Word #25: Worth

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “worth”? Do you think of someone that has wealth, natural beauty, or a higher education? People think that their worth in life is based on how much money they have, the house or cars they own, the college degrees they have earned, the outward beauty they may have, or the recognition they receive from their accomplishments. What if you do not have any of that? Does that make you less worthy? Absolutely not! The world looks at what we have done or accomplished to determine our "worth,” but God looks at our heart. 1 Peter 3:4 says “Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” God created you perfectly as He wants you. You are worth everything to Him because you are His not because of your degree, money, beauty, or lack thereof. We are all of equal worth to Him. Psalm 139:13-14 says “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Now, what if you do have some or all of these things? What happens if you lose them? Would you still feel worthy? We need to place our lives and worth in His hands not in what we have or have accomplished. All of our worth should be in a relationship with Him not in someone or something else. As believers we know that the world cannot make us happy. No person will truly fulfill us. No experience, no possession, nothing will fulfill us like God does. Proverbs 11:4 says "Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath but righteousness delivers from death." In whom or what are you placing your worth?

For my page this week, I chose Ephesians 4:1-2 "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." I also used Romans 8:31b "If God is for us, who can be against us?" How so very true! I am Christ's representative here on earth. I need to place my worth in Him, live as He has called me, and let others see Him in me. My worth should be placed in living for Him and nothing else.
Papers: Webster's Pages Waiting for Santa & Sweet Season
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Flower Frames, Our Daily Bread Designs Scripture Collection 3
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink forest moss
Embellishments: Paper Trey Ink spiral notebook page die & rustic twine, Zva Creative pearl flourish, Hero Arts flowers, Maya Road small organza rose ribbon & mini tag, Making Memories tiny alpha stickers

When sharing your page for this challenge be sure to use Keyword SCRC210 when posting in galleries. Also, please leave a link to your creation here using Inlinkz! To see all of our previous lessons, please visit this post here. I will be back with our last study for this year on December 19th.

And lastly, I wanted to let you know that as I prepared for this study today, God has given me insight on what He wants me to do with this study for next year. So, be watching for details in the next week or two. I pray you will join me and invite others to join in too so that they may know the Lord, live for Him, and know that their worth is in Him and nothing else! Have a blessed Sunday!

Our Daily Bread Designs {Challenge 40}

Who doesn't love a sketch challenge? Well, we haven't had one in a while so this week, your ODBD challenge is to create something using this wonderful sketch: I decided to use the sketch to create a birthday card for my aunt. I adjusted the sketch a bit because the size of my card really did not allow for the little strips on the right and left and side. I decided to use jeweled flourishes instead. The stamp sets I used were ODBD Happy Birthday and Missing You.
Papers: October Afternoon Modern Homemaker, Memory Box cranberry cs
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Happy Birthday (sentiment), Our Daily Bread Designs Missing You (background)
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink barn door, black soot, scattered straw
Embellishments: Spellbinders big scalloped oval die, Prima crystals, Stampin' Up ribbon, sewing machine

If you would like to see more sketch challenge creations, please be sure to check out the other ODBD Challenge Team creations here:

Chris Olsen
Chris Dickinson
Francie Gumprecht
Sabrina Jackson

To see all of the challenge and prize details, please see the ODBD blog post here. Yes, there are prizes, so you don't want to miss the details! Also please don't forget to uploaded your creations to Mister Linky in the same post by Thursday, December 9nd, at 8 p.m. EST to be eligible! Remember to use Keyword ODBDSLC40 when posting to online galleries.

And for my blog readers, don't forget that Monday is your last day to enter the big Stampin' Things RAK here on my blog. For details, see my post here. Thanks for stopping by, and blessings to each of you!

It's a Birthday Hop!

Today is Josh's Birthday!!!! You ask "Who is Josh?" Well let me tell you that he is a huge part of Our Daily Bread Designs success. He does everything from mounting rubber stamps onto cushion, cutting, order picking and packaging, AND he has only missed 2 ODBD shows in the past two years! Now that's amazing! You should be joining me from Chrissy's blog. If not, head back to the ODBD blog to begin the hop.

Papers: Paper Trey Ink cs (for card base), Pink Paislee Postcards
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Light of the World
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink pumice stone and black soot
Embellishments: Tim Holtz collage embossing folder, Bazzill brads, misc. charm, misc. twill, Adirondack dabber paint snow cap

Happy Birthday Josh!!!!!

Thank you Josh for being so dedicated to such a wonderful company. May your birthday be a special blessing and one that you remember for years to come! We are thankful for you!

Now, in celebration of Josh's birthday, Kelley is giving away three $15.00 gift certificates for completing Josh's hop! Just follow the hop from one blog to the next, leaving a comment for each designer along the way, and then leave a final comment on the ODBD Blog! You will be eligible to win one of 3 $15 Gift Certificates for a stamp set!! Now head on over to Lorelie's blog, enjoy the hop, and again, Happy Birthday Josh!!!!!!!!!!!!

{Faith Journaling} Challenge #53

Welcome back to our Journaling Challenge! I guess you could say that Challenge #53 begins our second year of faith questions. Wonderful! So today, let's share:

**Tell about a sermon you remember vividly.

Matthew 5:1-2 "Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them."

Thank you for joining me, and if you are just beginning with us--welcome! You can find all of the previous questions in this link. Have a blessed Thursday!