Back to Basics

We are the church. Did you know that? The four walls that enclose us on Sunday mornings are just that—walls. When we leave the building we should be taking the church with us. After all, we are witnesses for God, His representatives here on earth. And through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can take God’s word where the Spirit leads us.

Before David decided he wanted to build a temple for God, He (God) was everywhere the people went; He was not boxed in, He was in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21). Even after the temple was built, God could not be contained. When the Israelites went into exile in Babylon, God was with them; when we, modern day Christians became part of the Vine as Gentiles grafted in by God’s grace and mercy into Abraham’s family tree, He didn’t leave us, on the contrary, He molded us and made us part of His family, all without walls! So why do we limit ourselves to the four walls of the church? Why do we continue to do business as usual, holding on to tradition, locking our doors against those who look and speak different than we do, when the God we serve is a God of change, one who doesn’t look on us based on our gender, color or anything that hints at a difference in our make up; a God who looks to do ‘a new thing’ in the lives of His people?  Here’s why: we are afraid of change, so we remain locked in the four walls of the church afraid to wander in the wilderness not trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide us, and what is worse, we keep others out, thus isolating ourselves, which keeps us from being who God created us to be: His church.

We must go back to basics, back to allowing God to lead us by day and night, through His Spirit, to reach others for His kingdom.  To do so, we must tear down the walls that separate us from God’s children and welcome them with open arms.

Read: 2 Samuel 7:1-14

Season of Love

Well folks, Valentine's day is fast approaching and I had to get on the ball or the day would come and go  quicker than I can say...  Last week I started working on some VD cards and I want to showcase some of them here today.

This first card makes me want to say, "Yum!" I had this paper called "I Love Cupcakes" since last year, and because I started my projects too late, I never used it. So, here it is this year.  What goes best with cupcakes? Well, ice cream, of course! got the ice cream cone cutting file from the Make-the-Cut! forum gallery. cut the file using my Bosskut Gazelle.



These next cards were made using Awesome Chalkboard Textures digital papers from Mygrafico Arts & Crafts.  I used the blackboard concept one these cards and cut the letters using a free font called Pastels. I used MTC to design and cut the letters, then attached them to the chalkboard background paper. For the eraser cut a piece of sponge from one of my many foam brushes, then glued a piece of the cardstock that frames the chalkboard stock.

On the third card, I was inspired by a picture I saw on the Internet of a mason jar filled with flower stems. I used a stock image I had of a vase, traced and cut it with MTC. Then, searching in my MTC folder for a rose cut file, I found one I liked, cut it, then attached it to the green Awesome Chalkboard Textures. I used the Pastel font in MTC and cut the "Roses are Red" letters. I finished it off by attaching little red rose buds I'd purchased at Michael's years ago for some invitations, then added some bling stones as ellipsis.

I have a few more cards I made, but will share those with you later.  In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend!

Breast Cancer Awareness

I made this using MTC.  

A few days ago I posted a swing card I made using an MTC cut file. For my first attempt at making a card using that technique, I used elements celebrating Breast Cancer.

This weekend marks the celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness.  I know a few women who have survived this disease and, though there have been trials and studies geared towards eradication of this deadly disease, there are still women dying from it.

In honor of this occasion, and in support for the cause, I made a few cards to showcase cutting files, chevron patterns, and a new technique I saw in Papercrafts Magazine. 

Fall Colors

This week's newsletter from Paper Crafter's Library had a challenge for a Fall Thank You card.  Every Monday they send out a challenge, but this is the first time I was inspired (or had the time) to try my hand at making one of their card layouts.  I love the colors of the card, but it was the simplicity that inspired me to make it. Using scraps of paper I have in my stash, I followed the directions given by Tracy in the video and made the following:

Digital Images

Hi there!

Today I decided to showcase one of the many techniques I've been using in making my cards.  One of my favorite things to do is work with graphics.  There is so much you can do with them!  I'm constantly browsing the web in search of artwork/graphics I can use in my business (I think I mentioned before that I'm a VA by profession -- a creative one at that!) as well as for my card making hobby. Anyway, there are so many sites that offer digital stamps for purchase.  One  such site is Mo's Digital Pencil Shop.  I purchased the digi file, Gloria at the Pool, which I used for this card. I used Copic Markers to paint the image, then cut out the image with Spellbinders die and attached the image to the card base. I embellished the card with some bling and Stickles glitter glue.  Gloria seems to be having some fun. I may need to follow suit!

I also purchased this cute wedding file, Wedding Couple.  Copic Markers brought to life the image, and I highlighted it with Stickles glitter glue. I used my Cuttlebug to add dimension to the background layer of the card base, and embellished it with tiny pearls. They make an awesome pair!




I've had this cutie for a while now and finally found the time to use her for a card. I think I purchased the file from Mo's, but can't locate any information on her.  I used Copic Markers to color and Stickles glitter glue to add some dimension to her dress and the bows in her hair.  Using my Cuttlebug, I embossed the background layer to add dimension.

Isn't she adorable?