Le Jardin paper - special gift project

I wanted to make a few special gifts to take to Convention, and this is what I came up with.  I used the CD folders (see this post) and Stampin' Up!'s Le Jardin Designer Paper..  I love this paper... I sure hope it stays in the next catalog! :)  I have saved all of my SU! inspirational stamps over the years, so you'll see some retired things in here... but they are very meaningful to me, so I still use them.

You can click on any photo to see it larger.

Front:

Inside:

I had the personalized stamps made through Stampin' Up!.  I have used them on many projects.. including my Gratitude Journals HERE.  The tags go in the pocket on the right side of the folder.  I borrowed Sharon's die cut machine to make the tags.

 

Have a wonderful day!

A Personal Note - Thank You, Mom!

I need a personal moment today....

 Today is the 2nd anniversary of the day my mom went to be in Heaven.  I was getting really sad leading up to this day, but then on Sunday, one of our Pastors gave a wonderful sermon reminding us to be Joyful and to always view the cup half full.  This really helped me turn my thinking around and instead of sadness, I began to think about how thankful I am for my mom.  What a wonderful example of a Christian woman who taught my brother, dad and I about the love of Jesus and about God's grace!  Thank you mom above all for that, and for being home every day when I came home from school, for teaching me so many wonderful crafts, for sharing your love of your garden and of travel with me, for encouraging me to strive to always do my best, and for always believing in me.  I love you!

And thank you for leaving me with these comforting words in a daily devotion book.. no better words could have been written for this day - July 8th ...

"On the wings of prayer our burdens take flight - our load of care becomes bearably light."

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let you fall.  ~ Psalms 55:22

"Today with prayer the rough and trying times can be made bearable".

Wow.. my mom knew I'd need those words every year on this day.. thank you Lord for mending my heart and Thank You Mom for being the amazing lady I was lucky enough to call "mom".

 

What am I listening to?

This weekend I've been listening to this awesome new CD...

Check out Greg O's website here and you can click on the song titles to hear a little of each song from this CD... it's AWESOME!!  He's got the GREATEST sound!!!

It really puts you in a great Christmas mood! I ordered it right off his site and had my order within a week. I got several to give as gifts!  Thanks to Julie for turning me on to his music!

Enjoy!

~ Patty

M&M's Christmas Story

I decorated a ton of these tins (and I know you will ask... so I'll tell you.. they are in the "Dollar Spot" at Target) to give as little favors or Christmas gifts.  I had never heard the M & M Christmas story before, but when I read it on line last week I knew I wanted to do something with it! 

here is the story:

The M & M's Christmas Story
by Pam Ridenour

As you hold these candies in your hand,
and turn them, you will see...
The M becomes a W, an E, and then a 3.
They tell the Christmas story. It's one I'm sure you know.
It took place in a stable a long, long, time ago.
The E is for the East, where the star shone so bright.
The M is for the Manger, where Baby Jesus slept that night.
The 3 is for the wise men, who came bearing gifts.
W is for Worship. Hallelujah, praise His name!
So as you eat these candies,

or share them with your friends,
remember the meaning of Christmas.

It's a love story that never ends.

Have a great day!

Inspirational Journal class - Oct. 2007

Below is the cover and pages from my Inspirational Journal class last week.  We used the 5x5 On Board Art Journal from Stampin' Up! and decorated it primarily using the Brocade Background designer paper, the Tagged Accents & Elements tin and the Define Your Life stamp set and Defining Alphabet set.  We did add some Build-A-Brad accents and some chipboard letters.  Additional supplies listed below.

Enjoy!

Additional stamp sets used:

• Word by Word background set
• Priceless
• Brocade Basics
• Baroque Motifs
• Carte Postale

Ink used:

• Old Olive
• Chocolate Chip
• Always Artichoke

Quick Update

So many of you have been so kind to ask about an update on the plumbing woes.. so here is a REALLY quick update in a nutshell... The plumbing contractor will be here for 5 days next week, rerouting all the plumbing in the entire house, going through walls and the ceiling, bypassing everything that is currently under the slab. 

Several homeowners in this development have had the same thing happen, and if they only bypassed the broken pipe, another pipe has burst shortly thereafter.... so it's worth it just to redo the entire house.  This means cutting holes in the sheetrock every 6' in the walls and the ceiling to put the new pipes in.  Cap off the old pipes in the slab, and then reconnect the new pipes to all the bath and kitchen fixtures.  THEN hire a drywall contractor to repair all the holes, and then repaint!!  A little more involved than fixing a broken pipe, huh?   

And the bummer news is... the Homeowners insurance policy raised the deductible to $10,000 after this started happening to a few homes in this development... so... we are out a min. of $10,000 for this estimated $11,000 to $12,000 repair.  {deep sigh}  (you know... for $12,000 I'd really rather have granite countertops - LOL)

This situation reminds me of an email that I got from a friend last week.. (God always has perfect timing, you know)...

I asked for strength - I was given difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom - I was given problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity - I was given a brain and brawn to work.

I asked for courage - I was given obstacles to overcome.

I asked for love - I was given troubled people to help.

I asked for favors - I was given opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted, but received everything I NEEDED.

(author unknown)

God always knows what we need.  We will get through this... in the scope of life, this is nothing.  We have MUCH to be thankful for, and among the things I'm thankful for are all the kind and caring people I've met through this blog!  Thank you, friends!!

~Patty

Mini Accordion Booklets

Today I wanted to share a couple of projects made with envelopes.  Both of these projects use 4 envelopes with the flaps stuck to the next envelope, creating an accordion fold structure for the project. 

This one uses (4) 3x3 envelopes and Always Artichoke cardstock cut to 2-3/4" squares placed over the envelopes, front and back.  I decorated it with several Stampin' Up! sets.  It makes a really nice inspirational gift.

And this project uses four Medium Size envelopes put together in the same manner.  I covered the envelopes with four medium size white cards - front and back. It makes the project sturdy and gives a nice finished look over the envelopes.  I decorated it with my garden flower photos and inspirational verses.

A - Z Scripture Scrapbook pages

Today was the last session of our A-Z Scripture Scrapbook Class.  We have been working on a 6x6 page for each letter of the alphabet with a scripture representing each letter.  It's been a great class and a big THANK YOU to each person who participated either in person or long-distance.  Here is the cover of my 6x6 scrapbook and some of the pages from today.  Enjoy!

For more photos from this class, see my previous post from May 18, 2007.

Gratitude Journals

The idea of a Prayer or Gratitude Journal has been circulating around for several months, and when I saw that we were going to sell the 5x5 On Board Art Journals in the Spring Mini Catalog, I thought this would make a great Gratitude Journal!  I have taught this in a class and sold many "Class on the Go" kits with supplies for others to make this 20 page journal.

I used many of the supplies found in the Spring Mini Catalog, such as:

• 5x5 On Board Art Journal, pg 16
• Round Tab and Spiral punches, pg 17
• Office Accoutrement set, pg 14
• Notations papers, pg 15
• Little Reminders tin, pg 15
• Petals & Paisleys papers, pg 9

plus a variety of stamp sets in the main catalog.

Here are some ideas for the cover of the journal:

I used an On Board Letter "g" and wrote GRATITUDE with one of our journaling markers on this one.  I like our Anywhere Glue Stick for adhering the cover sheet to the journal, and for adhering the designer paper to the chipboard letter.

Here are some ideas for the inside pages of the Gratitude Journal:

I used SNAIL to adhere all the paper and embellishments to the inside pages.

These are the personalized stamps I ordered (pg 198 of the catalog - item D - Simple Serif style) to use inside the journals. 

I hope you feel inspired, and remember to always count your blessings!

Here is a link to more samples on my other website:

click here for more samples.

A-Z Scripture Scrapbook

Tonight and tomorrow morning I am teaching Part 2 of the A-Z Scripture Scrapbook class.  We are making a 6x6 page for each letter of the alphabet, using a scripture verse that relates to each letter.  Some pages are decorated with stamping, many have printed papers from Stampin' Up!, and others include photos I've taken.  Class participants are free to alter the pages to include their own photos or some journaling if they choose. 

Here is the cover of my 6x6 Linen Ring Album decorated with the On Board Simon Lower Chipboard Letters. twill tape and grosgrain ribbon.  I learned a cool technique for coloring the chipboard lettters on the Stampin' Up! cruise last month... use a sponge dauber to apply ink from the Classic Pad to the chipboard.. it comes out SOOO nice.  I used Apricot Appeal and Pumpkin Pie on the "a" and Certainly Celery on the "z".  I used the black Stampin' Write Journaling marker to add the words to the chipboard letters.

This is a quick peek inside the album.. and now for a close up of some of the pages ....