Pastor Appreciation card

For the past couple of years, I've wanted to give a set of handmade cards to my pastor and his wife for Pastor's Appreciation. Although I have plenty of cards at any time, as I would rotate the stock in the store in which I sold cards, I wanted to have cards that I made specifically for them. I decided that this year, if I hadn't made any cards by the end of October, I would just select from my stash. Well, despite the store having closed in the middle of September, life has been unbelievably busy, so it still hasn't quite happened. However, I did finish this card yesterday, which I did specifically with our pastor in mind. He has quoted this saying several times, so I know he likes it.

Piano card

In the midst of saving for a second vehicle, our only vehicle's engine died. Not fun! Living in a small community, this means a long wait for an engine replacement. What were we to do? Not only did my husband need to get back and forth to work, but our daughter Karen was coming home in a week for spring break, and it was a four hour round trip to get her, then we'd need to take her back to the same place the following week. During that week, she needed to be taken for a sleep study 45 minutes away (she actually ended up having to do it twice, so four trips were necessary!).

Friends of ours had just been given a third vehicle from a relative that had just passed away, and they planned to give it to their son, also coming home for spring break. They were able to give us the use of a vehicle through today (two and a half weeks later)! What a tremendous blessing!

They are both musicians; he is a pianist, she is a violinist. So by way of thank you, I put together a set of music cards. Most were from my "stash" of cards I rotate at City News, the rest I made in the last couple of days.

Piano is from Stubby Stampers, text is from Biblical Impressions

SALT challenge: Lent

Wow, this was a creative idea from Lythan at SALT! And I headed several different directions before I settled with this one. I did not actually make a card from it; if I keep it, it will be for my own personal reminder that I need to daily surrender my life to the Lord.

I looked up scriptures on sacrifice for this challenge, that was my original idea. But the song "I surrender all" just kept coming to my mind.

Genuine, Godly sacrifice, as Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross for us, is a wonderful thing. But I think our culture has "flattened" the meaning of the word a bit. When we know we've sacrificed for something, we can perhaps feel a little self righteous. And remember Saul? He disobeyed God, and thought offering great sacrifices would cover it. But God desired obedience more than sacrifice from Him. From us.

Surrender, to me, has a sense of humility about it; I'm not trying to impress God by sacrificing something (though certainly I have had times in my life, including specifically during the Lenten season, where I have felt led to). But in surrendering, I am saying, "Not what I want, but what You want, Lord."

In sacrifice, I am in control, in surrender, He is.

That's my thoughts for right now, anyway. Subject to change upon further thought or revelation! :-)

Music Journal

I started this journal some months back. I had it in mind to do black music notes for the background, for a primarily black and white cover. I honestly don't know where my mind was when I went ahead and embossed them in gold!!! I think I must have had in mind another journal idea that involved gold embossing, and just forgot what I was doing. At any rate, it just was a bit too glitzy for me, so I set it aside until I came up with a design I liked. I also had not planned to add the extra music symbols, but I accidently put a very noticeable smudge on the "God gives us music" panel, and did not want to redo it! So, I did a cover-up!

The last journal I made got me really thinking for the first time about sealing some of my more delicate journals. But after one is complete is not the time to figure that out! I asked on Gingerwood, and one suggestion was a clear plastic cover. At the time, I was rather set on coating the journal; it seemed a shame to cover such nice texture! But with no experiencing with sealing, I can't bear to risk ruining it. So, a quick call to the church secretary got me a few transparencies to work with! (I live in a small town, not sure I'd find any locally). I decided this journal, though less "fragile" could use protection for the white, so I've covered it as well.

I hope next month to experiment with a few sealers, and I'll post here or on my website when I'm finished.

Background music notes from Stampin Up, "God gave music" from Eureka, large music note from Stubby Stamper, remaining stamps from Merry Stamper.

Have a blessed day!

Bach

This is an appropriate card to post today; our family just came back from an amazing classical Christmas concert our daughter participated in at Houghton College. Truly inspiring music, really well performed. I remember a similar event I participated in as a Houghton student, though I sang, and Abbie did ballet.

Anyway, this card has one of my favorite music quotes, and will be part of the next sheet of stamps I put together.

Music stamp is from Stubby Stampers.

For Unto Us

This is the card my friend chose from my music-themed Christmas cards I designed for her. The design she chose last year had the same scripture, so I was a little surprised she chose it!

Now I'm technically done with Christmas cards, though I have a few new stamps yet that I haven't used, so I know that I will make a few more anyway, and be ahead for next year! :-)

The background was done with alcohol inks (wow, hope I can replicate the same look for my friend!!!), the scripture is from Biblical Impressions. The background text stamps are from Eureka or Biblical Impressions, the music from Merry Stamper.

Note: The inspiration for this design came from Barbara Nick, who posted in the Stubby Stampers' gallery.