Tuesday's {Tip} Crinkle Ribbon Instructions

As I began typing out instructions on how to make crinkle ribbon for my upcoming class, I thought that I would share them here also. I have posted on this a bit before but over the past year or so, I have perfected the way I love to create this ribbon. I find it most effective for me, and I always love how the ribbons turn out.

Supplies
• Hug Snug seam binding in white or ecru or other light color
• Spray mists (Maya Road, Glimmer Mist, etc.)
• Spray bottle filled with water
• Wax paper
• Paper towels

Instructions
1. Cut one yard of Hug Snug and place on a piece of wax paper.

2. Dampen seam binding by spraying with water first. This allows you to pick up color more easily without having to saturate the ribbon with so much color.

3. Start spritzing with 2-3 colors of your spray mists. I used two here.

4. Swirl seam binding around on wax paper to pick up more color.

5. When finished, place in paper towel to crinkle and remove extra color. I usually wad it up very tightly in the paper towel to get it very crinkled. Below it's not quite as "tight" as I like it yet.

6. Let dry overnight lying open in the paper towel as seen above or use a heat tool by holding the crinkled-up ribbon with a clothespin.

7. Here is what you end up with:

I love crinkle ribbon. I always use 1 yard per bow! Here is a bow made with 1 yard of the above-made ribbon:

Enjoy, and remember, I will always answer your questions here in the comments section. I hope this has been helpful! Blessings,

Art {Journaling} Two More Pages

Today I wanted to share two more of the art journaling pages I created. If you missed the first two, please see my post here. Today's pages again include quotes by Dr. Henrietta Mears. And remember, these pages will be turned into journals, and I will share that during the 4th week (November 8th). Now for today's inspiration.

Green Flower
Quote by Dr. Henrietta Mears: "All that I see teaches me to thank the Creator for all I cannot see."

Orange Heart

Quote by Dr. Henrietta Mears: "God is the source of love; Christ is the proof of love."

Stamps: Memory Box Mail Definitions Background (G1839), Alpha Background (E996)
Liquitex Gesso and Light Modeling Paste
Sprays: SEI Tumble Dye, Adirondack Color Wash, Mister Huey's Color Mists
Pen: Pentel Ener-Gel 0.7mm
Other: Neocolor II black; bubblewrap; various stencils by Tupperware, The Crafter's Workshop, and Delta

I hope you have enjoyed these. Be sure to check back next week for two more pages. If you have questions, feel free to ask in the comment section. I will respond there. :) And of course, comments are always welcome too. Have a blessed Thursday!

Tuesday's {Tip} Using Modeling Paste

I love using modeling paste. It gives great texture to any creation! You probably noticed that I used it on both of the art journaling pages I posted last Thursday. If you missed that post, click here. The modeling paste was used on the flower and the hearts on those pages.

Types of Modeling Paste
There are many types of modeling paste available. You can see the many different types available here at Dick Blick. I personally love using Liquitex Light Modeling Paste.

To Apply
To apply modeling paste, you can use a palette knife, an old credit card, cake decorating tools, spatula, or just apply with your fingers. I use my fingers to apply, and I find it works great! I really like the lumps and bumps that it leaves too.

Creating Color
You can change the color of modeling paste by coloring it before you apply or coloring it after it has dried.

After it dries you can "color" by mixing a little water with spray ink and applying with a paintbrush. You can also color with paints or any other coloring medium you want to use.

To color before using, put a little modeling paste in a palette, add a drop of color, and mix. Liquid inks work great for this since they are very vibrant in color. The Liquitex Acrylic Ink works great for this. I personally don't like to color it before applying though because I end up coloring too much and waste it. I like the variation of color I get when painting the paste after it is dry. Here you can see one of the flowers I did and the variations I was able to get by painting after the modeling paste dried.

I hope you will try playing with modeling paste. And be sure to check back on Thursday when I will share two more art journaling pages. Have fun!

{HSCRC12} Hymn #14, Take My Life and Let It Be

Hymn Challenge #12: Take My Life and Let It Be
Words Written by: Frances R. Havergal
b. Dec. 14, 1836; d. June 3, 1879

Frances Ridley Havergal was a poet and hymn writer. She was born in Astley, England, and her father was a priest in the Anglican church. Frances began reading at the age of 3 and was able to read adult books and the Bible at age 4. Frances' mother died when she was 11 years old, and her father remarried when she was 16 years old.  Her many poems were printed in three books entitled "Ministry of Song," "Under The Surface," and "Under His Shadows." This particular hymn she used for her own devotions and prayer. Miss Havergal said:

"Yes, it was on Advent Sunday, December 2, 1873, I first saw clearly the blessedness of true consecration. I saw it in a flash of electric light, and what you see you can never un-see. There must be full surrender before there can be full blessedness."

Frances Havergal died at the young age of 42 of peritonitis. There is a lot of information regarding Frances Ridley Havergal on the web. If you want to read a very detailed account about her life, please click here. I hope you enjoy it!

The opening line of this hymn says:

"Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise, Let them flow in ceaseless praise."

So, what does "consecrated" really mean? Dictionary.com says:

"to make or declare sacred; set apart or dedicate to the service of a deity; to devote or dedicate to some purpose: a life consecrated to science."

The above definition says "consecrated to science." Well, how about your life? Is your life set apart or consecrated to the Lord?

I was involved in an online discussion this week with believers, unbelievers, atheists, etc. The unbelievers could not understand why people say "praise the Lord" and give God the glory. They couldn't understand dying to self and living for the Lord or being consecrated to the Lord. I know God's Word says that unbelievers will not understand because they do not have spiritual discernment.  They are not filled with the Holy Spirit thus they cannot understand God's Word.

1 Corinthians 2:13-15 "This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment."

I truly wanted to help these unbelievers understand but I was like a mouse on a wheel just spinning and spinning. I pray that God will use the words shared to draw someone to Himself. But it also made me think about how much this world needs God! How are you living so that the world sees Him? Are your hands dedicated to the Lord and doing things for Him? How about your tongue? How are the words you say to people you come in contact with dedicated to the Lord? Are you surrendering your entire 'self' to Him or just the parts you want to give to Him? I love this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say."

Look at the remaining verses to this hymn. Each verse talks about how we are to consecrate ourselves to Him. Think about how you are using your hands, your voice, your money, your will, and your love for the Lord. How are you setting your life apart for Him and His glory?

Verse 2: "Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love; Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee."

Verse 3: "Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King; Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee."

Verse 4: "Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold; Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose."

Verse 5: "Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine. Take my heart; it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne."

Verse 6: "Take my love; my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store. Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee."

We need to continue sharing and living our daily lives for the Lord because you never know what seeds you are planting or when someone will accept Christ. Will you completely consecrate your life to the Lord each and every day even in your thoughts, your decisions, your entire being? And why not use this hymn as your own prayer as Miss Havergal did?

Hebrews 12:14 "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."

1 Thessalonians 4:7 "For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life."

Romans 12:2 "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will."

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."

Below you will find the sheet music to "Take My Life and Let It Be." 

You can click here to listen to this beautiful hymn.

For my 6x6 page today, I used washi tape with the days of the week. Even though I could not fit on all 7 days, it is still a reminder to me to live for Him daily. The scripture I chose was the Hebrews 12:14 verse from above. If I am not consecrated to the Lord daily, then how will anyone see Him in me?

Papers: Memory Box mango distressed dots, Bo Bunny Country Garden
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz black soot
Embellishments: Probe card, Making Memories tiny alpha, Distress Stickles walnut stain, Tim Holtz tiny attacher, Prima wood buttons, Paper Trey ink buttons, Basic Grey writer's block tag, May Arts black twine, misc. washi tape, sewing machine

Remember to use Keyword HSCRC12 when posting your creations in any online galleries. Also, please leave a link to your creation here using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous studies, please see this post here. Blessings to each of you!
 

Art {Journaling} First Two Pages

This weekend I went crazy with my art journaling. I haven't created pages in 6 months, and I had so much fun! I ended up doing 6 pages!!! So, over the next 3 weeks, I will share them with you. I will share two pages each week.

These pages were the result of the Art Journal Conversion Workshop I took with Roben-Marie Smith. Here is a look at my project table from this weekend:

It may be messy but goodness it has been fun. In fact, the mess is still out. I think I am going to create a LOT more.

Each of these pages feature quotes from Dr. Henrietta Mears. I have a book of 431 quotes by Dr. Mears. They are such amazing quotes that I thought some of my favorites would be perfect on these pages. Here are the two pages I wanted to share with you today:

Three Hearts
Quote by Dr. Henrietta Mears: "The blood of the Lamb makes us safe; our trust in God's Word makes us sure."

Purple Flower
Quote by Dr. Henrietta Mears: "Let the Bible fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet."

Stamps: Memory Box Mail Definitions Background (G1839), Vintage Record Sheet (G1712)
Liquitex Gesso and Light Modeling Paste
Sprays: SEI Tumble Dye, Adirondack Color Wash, Mister Huey's Color Mists
Pen: Pentel Ener-Gel 0.7mm
Other: Neocolor II black; bubblewrap; various stencils by Tupperware, The Crafter's Workshop, and Delta

I hope you have enjoyed these. Be sure to check back next week for two more pages. I will eventually turn these into gift journals, and I will probably share that during the 4th week. Blessings,

Tuesday's {Tip} Online Classes & Notes

Today there seems to be zillions of classes available online. I actually love that because I can work on a class at my convenience, in my PJs, at 5 a.m., etc. I also have all of my supplies on hand to create as I learn.

Some online classes offer pdf files with notes and instructions; others do not. For the classes that offer pdf files, I print out the files and keep them in a 3-ring binder. That way I can always refer back to something as I need it. For the classes that do not offer pdf files, I created this little notebook last year. Some of you may remember it from this post.

When taking an online class, I take notes in this notebook as I watch the video. I really like that I can pause a video too and add more notes or catch-up if I need to write something lengthy. I usually print a picture of the class from the blog or class site. Then I follow that with all of my notes.

The latest class I have taken was Roben-Marie Smith's "Art Journal Conversion" class. I have taken many of Roben-Marie's classes, and they are all great! Anyway, I created 6 art journal pages this past weekend and had SO much fun! I will be sharing the pages in my "Art {Journaling}" posts on Thursdays. Here is what my project table looked like this weekend:

Be sure to check back this Thursday as I will share 2 of the 6 pages with you! Thanks for stopping by! Blessings,

Tuesday's {Tip} Crinkle Ribbon "Don't"

Yesterday I was working on cards for my upcoming class on November 3rd at Stamper's Alley. Well, I could not find my Hug Snug seam binding. I searched high and low and figured it was still in one of the zillions of unpacked boxes in the basement. So, I decided it would be faster to run to Hobby Lobby than to waste any more time searching in the basement.

Hobby Lobby does not sell seam binding by the yard. They only have the little packages. Well, it was a complete waste of $1.69 for 3 yards. It didn't hold the color, and it didn't crinkle at all. Thankfully, I found my Hug Snug shortly after getting home and being frustrated with my Hobby Lobby purchase. Here is a photo of the two. The one on the left is the packaged seam binding from Hobby Lobby, and the one on the right is Hug Snug. Both were colored with the same mists!

So, if you run out of Hug Snug or you have never tried coloring and crinkling seam binding, don't buy the packaged kind from the store; you will most likely just get frustrated. Be sure to order the greatest stuff--Hug Snug! :)  I buy it from:

*Amazon.com
*Fabric.com
*Sew True Sewing Supply
*Zipperstop

Blessings,