His Mercies are New Every Morning!

Hello friends!  I do hope you are all well on this cold January day!  

For Christmas I was given a Journaling Bible.  This was something I have struggled with for some time.  I mean, I have my beloved Bible with all sorts of notes written in the margins, and yet somehow the idea of doing artwork to illustrate a passage just scared me.  I first and foremost did not want to have it be about the art.  It needs to remain about God's Word!  However, as I've been home bound for the most part lately, this has been a wonderful way for me to read His Word and then focus on a certain verse or passage that spoke to me at that moment.  I am completely new to this, so I have much to learn but I'm enjoying the process thus far.

The main image above is a stamp, and part of the Jan. release from ODBD, and is called Your Mercies.  The bottom of the stamped image  is just above my hand lettered "Therefore I have Hope" with the pink ribbon.  I was reading this chapter and that phrase popped out at me several times.  I in a special way connected with the words of Hope this time!

God's people had rebelled and sinned,  and God had allowed the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem.  There was much suffering and lament in the land.  However,  in this 3rd chapter and following, the laments turn to reminders and comfort that (3:21) "This I call to mind, therefore I have hope. "(v22) "The Lord's Loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. "( v23) "They are new every morning.  Great is Your faithfulness." 

The author then goes on to say "The Lord is my portion, says my soul, Therefore I have hope in Him.  The Lord is good to those who wait for Him.  To the person who seeks Him.  (vs 24-25)  

So in a time of deep suffering, still it was recognized that God is abounding in loving kindness.  It does not please Him to see His people suffer. (However there are times He does allow it for reasons He alone can know... but certainly in part to bring people back to Him through repentance, to be a witness to others of His power and glory, and many more reasons I'm sure).   Because of this knowledge of God's character, came a strong hope and even eventually repentance.  The 21st verse of the 5th chapter says "Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored; Renew our days as of old."  Once you have come to know God's favor, you really don't ever want to live far from Him again!  

My image was stamped with Memento and colored with Prisma Pencils.  I had some shadowing from the ink but almost none from the pencil coloring.  I used a  .01 Micron pen to hand letter the "Therefore I have Hope" and the ribbon and there is some shadowing of that as well. I used Distress Inks to sponge the clouds using a Rosies' Road Show cloud template.  I have plans for the other side of this page so I brought the clouds all the way over and will eventually journal the right hand side bar.  I do not really like when heavy artwork is done over the words in a journaling Bible.  I feel like that's crossing the line in some way.  However there are many mediums like the distress inks that lightly sponged on can be read clearly through.  The pencils as well can be read through.  My goal for most of my pages will to either keep most everything to the side bar, or use only light mediums that do not obscure the words.  

I will say that this is the third page I did this week.  I still have things to show or finish and show, but I did want to share this with you for now.  Tomorrow is another Big chemo day for me so I might be out of it this coming week for a while.  Again... thank you all so much for your prayers, cards, messages on facebook, etc.  They mean so much to me!!!

Blessings,

 

My Best Wishes!

Hello friends!   I hope you are all well!

I have been doing a little bit over the past several days to create a card.  Never realized before how much strength it takes to make one little simple card but it seems that way to me right now!  I have good news though!  I am half way through my chemo and am counting down the last 10 weeks with joy, knowing that I'm half way there!  Thanking the Lord for giving me the strength to make it this far, and although I am weak and dragging, I am still chugging along, so all thanks goes to the Lord for that!!!  I so appreciate all your prayers, messages, emails and cards!!!  Thank you!

This card was created with the January release from Our Daily Bread designs, Wishing Well.  I had fun coloring it with Copics, and although I started out trying for a masculine card, I did an about face part way through and added some flower soft and pink paper so I guess it really doesn't qualify any more for masculine, but that's how it goes sometimes!  I stamped the image with a soft brown ink as I wanted to just color it lightly with  monochromatic color tones.  However, that too changed as I went along.  

Anyhow... the image is cut with the ODBD Double Stitched Circles Dies, and the sentiment is cut with the Pennant Dies.  I used just a corner of a die cut from the BoHo Background Die, and I used the Rustic Beauty Paper Collection (not currently available) on a blushing bride mat, and that on a Soft Suede base.  I let the design paper do most of the work and only embellished with a tiny May Arts bow, and the flower soft, which is from a Fuschia Mix.  

It felt good to create a card this week!  I don't get down to my basement studio very often lately, but this was a little bit of happy for me this week!  Thanks so much for stopping by and having a look!  It's so appreciated!!!

IS. 41:10

Do Not Fear, for I am with you!  Do not be dismayed for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Thank you Lord,

Happy New Year!!!

Hello friends! I wanted to just wish you all a blessed new year!  This year more than any other, I look forward to all that God is going to do in the year ahead!  Yes, I am praying for complete remission from cancer this year... but I'm also praying for a closer walk with my Lord and Savior,  more opportunities to share His indescribable gift with others, more fruit that will be pleasing in His sight, and I'm praying especially on behalf of our country that He will intervene in the direction we have been going, and the decisions we have been making especially these past few years!  I love my country, but  it breaks my heart to see how far we have strayed from our roots, our morals, and all the things that set us apart and gave us God's favor among the nations.  Is it possible that as we have pulled away from these values we were built upon, we are now seeing the withdrawal of God's blessings on our nation?  I think so!  

It's easy for us as believers to become discouraged.  We easily think that we've gone too far... that we can't do anything to stop the course we are on.... but I still believe that prayer changes things!  I still believe God can do anything!  I still believe He desires to bless us and wants us to turn back to Him.  I ask that all believers would join me in praying for our country especially in 2016 as decisions will be made this year that will have very long lasting repercussions!

Ps 27:6-9

Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my supplications!  The Lord is my strength and my shield;  My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;  Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.

The Lord is their strength, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed.  Save your people, and bless your inheritance;  Shepherd them also, and bear them up forever. 

On a personal note... many have asked for an update on my health.  I have been put on a different chemo regimen, which so far seems to be more tolerable for me.  I began this new regimen this past Monday and it involves a repeating three week schedule of weekly infusions of one strong chemo and one biological targeted drug infusion,  3 infusions for one week, and then 4 infusions including a second strong chemo for one week.  It sounds confusing and in a way it is, but prayerfully this new chemo will be as effective as the one I was unable to take in killing the cancer cells.  We are praying hard for complete remission and in two more weeks I will be half way through my chemo!  I'm keeping my eyes on this first mile stone, as it makes it feel much more doable than taking the entire year as a whole.  The plan after chemo will be surgery, then radiation, and then the completion of a full year on one biological targeted drug that is given like chemo in an infusion, but is targeted to the particular type of cancer that I have.     We do cherish your continued prayers!  When I don't update, it does not mean I don't need prayer, but just that  I don't really have any new news to share yet.  I will update when there is any news!  So yes!  I do cherish your prayers in 2016!  Prayer changes things and I am so grateful for the ARMY of prayer warriors I have lifting me up in prayer!!!

Here is a photo of my daughter and granddaughter supporting me in my hat wearing days, as my head is now bald.  

I am so thankful for the loving care and support my family has been to me!  I am thankful for the incredible showering of love I have had from you my friends in blog land, my church friends and neighbors who have helped with meals, offers to help transport or sit with me if I need them, and cards cards, cards!  I love reading every one, as well as the emails, Facebook messages, phone calls and other special ways you have shown you care!  I couldn't face this without you and I truly love you all!  May God bless YOUR New Year with all His richest blessings!!!

With Love & Gratitude,

Welcome to the December ODBD Release!

Hello friends!  Welcome to the December Our Daily Bread Designs release!  It's hard to believe it's December already!  Christmas is just around the corner and the new year right behind it! 

I first want to thank all who have so kindly sent me notes, emails, cards, gifts and prayers!  I have been blown away by the love and encouragement shown  me during this illness, and your acts of kindness have touched my heart.  I am undergoing chemo now and it's not been easy as I have an intolerance for one of the drugs they are giving me and we are still trying to figure all that out so I can be a bit more comfortable between treatments.  God is hearing and answering your prayers, and  I know He is carrying me through this. 

I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to participate in this month's release, but I managed to get a couple cards made so I'm happy to be able to share them with you.  I kept both simple this time as I was mostly working upstairs with limited supplies.  Before I give the details though, here  is the prize information for this month's give away:

Three randomly selected winners will each receive a $25 gift certificate to the ODBD Store, to be used toward the purchase of ODBD Stamps just for commenting on the Design Team cards!  You have until December 2, 2015 at 9:00 p.m. EST to leave your comments on the Designers Blogs for a chance to win!  The Winners will be posted on the ODBD Blog on December 3rd, so be sure to check back there to see if you won!

For my card above I used Plough the Fields for my image and sentiment.  I only had Prisma Pencils upstairs with me so I colored my image with them and it was fun to revisit that coloring medium after using Copics so much lately!  I cut the image panel with a Matting Circle Die, and matted with the new Double Stitched Circles Dies.  I also used the new Double Stitched Rectangle Dies to cut my sentiment panel, which I folded over the top of the card.  I used the Leafy Edged Border Dies to cut some "fields" for my card background.  The base is Baked Brown Sugar and the greens are all scraps of Bazzil from my stash. 

For my next card, I used  Safe Travels for my image and sentiment.  I used Archival ink and again, colored with Prisma Pencils.  I used Pastel Chalks for the sky.  I cut the image and the other two panels with the new Double Stitched Rectangle Dies, and I used the Double Stitched Circle Dies to cut my sentiment panel.  I used a base of Baja Breeze and some desgin paper from the ODBD Vintage Ephemera Paper Collection.  I embellished with die cuts from the Lovely Leaves Dies, Fancy Foliage Dies, and some bronze square embellishments from my stash.

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Here are the NEW ODBD products I used today:

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Please visit my DT sisters for more inspiration!

Julie * Dawn * Amy * Cathy * Lori * Sandee * Robin * America * Angie

* Lisa * Grace * Sabrina * Chris * Silke

Blessings,

A Personal Praise and another Christmas card!

Hello friends!  I hope you are all well! 

I just got home from an Oncologist appointment that has been laying heavy on my heart as it was to get the results of all the tests he ran over the past 2 weeks and whether he thought I was healthy enough to move on to the chemo regime he had planned.   First of all... I just have to give God all the glory for answered prayers!  The PET scan was basically clean (only a couple little things that don't really change much).  I knew my chances of it having gone in to my lymph nodes were very high and I was even warned by the Dr that due to the tumor's size, it was quite likely it had metastasized to other organs, which would have really affected my long term outlook.  It has not!  Praise the Lord from whom all blessings flow!!!  So I start a year long Chemo and Biological drug regime on Tues am.  I will go every 3 weeks to get 4 different chemo and biological drugs for 18 weeks. I also will go once a week for a year (if my heart can take it), for a biological drug that they infuse the same way, but it's not supposed to put me down as much as the chemo drugs will.  It does pose a risk to the heart so that is another prayer request.  Also after the 18 weeks on chemo, I should be having surgery and radiation for 5-6 weeks.  I am so encouraged today, and I now have determination that I can make it through this.  It's going to be a long journey, but I know He is with me!  I have to thank all of you who have been praying for me as He hears and answers prayers! I would cherish your continued prayers as I begin treatment.  I know there will be a lot of difficult days, but I am so resting in His loving arms right now and I can't even express how grateful I am for how He has answered our prayers!!!

Today I'm sharing another Christmas card I made before all these tests began, using some great new dies from Our Daily Bread designs, as well as one of my all time favorite sets, You Will Find Refuge (the bird image).  

I stamped the bird image and lightly colored with Copics, then cut with the Custom Chickadee Die.  I used a craft base, then Always Artichoke, then white which I embossed with a Darice Pine Embossing folder.  I die cut the pine boughs from the new Lovely Leaves die set and the pinecones are from the new Pinecones die set.  The pinecones are two part, so I did the background in a darker color and the top part with craft. I then added Dazzling Diamond glitter liberally to it all.  I die cut the Merry Christmas Word dies from a slightly darker brown shade and adhered.  To embellish I just used some red twine and some clusters of red pearls.  Simple, but I love it because Chickadees are my absolute favorite birds! I love watching their acrobatics and just the wonder of how God has provided for even these tiny little birds!  If he cares that much for them, I know He cares for me!  The name of this set (You Will Find Refuge) comes from Ps. 91:4.  I went back to read the rest of this chapter and found it touching my heart in a special way today.  Here is the first part of the chapter:

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!  For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you may seek refuge.  His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.  You will not be afraid ..."

Thanks so much for stopping by, for your prayers and notes of encouragement!

Merry Christmas in Blue and White!

Hello friends!  I hope you are all doing well! 

To update you a little on my situation... things continue to get more complicated as we go along it seems.  I have seen the Oncologist who upgraded the size of the tumor by double, and doubled the length of time on the 4 drug chemo/biological meds before surgery.  As of now I should be starting chemo in about 2 weeks.  I have many appointments between now and then to see if I am healthy enough for the full on chemo he is recommending.  When all that is back I meet with him again and we start the plan in motion.  I so appreciate all of you who are praying for me and have encouraged me on this journey.  I do know God has a plan for each of us, and that nothing happens to us that hasn't sifted through His loving hands first.  So I continue to pray not only for healing but that He will go before me (as I know He will) and that He will glorify Himself through this.

Today I'm sharing a card I made using some of the Nov. release from Our Daily Bread designs.  For this card I started with a base of Neenah Solar White and matted with Midnight Muse card stock, then another white layer and on the top blue layer I stamped the new Snowflake Border Background stamp in Craft White and heat embossed in white.  I die cut a Beautiful Border to sort of look like icicles. I added a strip of white paper I embossed with a thin Cuttlebug folder, and to that I added the Nov. Small Bow die, some greenery from the Lovely Leaves Dies, and the Windowsill Candles Die, all done in white.  In the center I used the new Merry Christmas Word dies.  It makes a pretty card up in not too terribly much time.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed making it!

I don't really know how many more cards I will be making in the coming weeks, so if there isn't much activity from me, you'll understand why.  I will try to update you on how it's going as I'm able.  I do cherish your continued prayers. 

Welcome to the Our Daily Bread Designs Nov. Release!

Hello friends!   Welcome to the Our Daily Bread Designs Nov. release!

Three randomly selected winners will each receive a $25 gift certificate to the ODBD Store, to be used toward the purchase of ODBD Stamps found in the "ODBD stamps column" of the website just for commenting on the Design Team cards!  You have until November 2, 2015 at 9:00 p.m. EST to leave your comments on the Designers Blogs for a chance to win!  The Winners will be posted on the ODBD Blog on November 3rd, so be sure to check back there to see if you won!

For my card above, I used the new Flourished Merry Christmas stamp, the Snowflake Border Background stamp, and some great new dies:  Lovely Leaves,  Pinecones, and Small Bow.  I stamped the snowflake border background using Colorbox  pigment ink and then heat embossed with Kaleidoscope embossing powder.  In real life it's sparkly but I cannot seem to capture that on my photos!  I cut a window out of that using the ODBD Custom Vintage Labels Die.  I stamped the Flourished Merry Christmas sentiment with a slightly darker shade of Colorbox ink and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I placed the window over the sentiment with foam dimensional tape.  I matted that with some aqua paper from my stash, and adhered that to a white base.  To make the greenery I used more of the aqua scraps and some Soft Sky paper to cut out die cut pine boughs and I used soft sky and white to cut out the two layers of the pinecone dies.  I then glittered them all with Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  The paper bow is made using the new Small Bow.  I cut two of the tails so I could wrap them around the corner a bit, and I added some aqua glitter to the bow.  

 

For this second card, I used the new In The Highest stamp for my verse, and the design papers are all from the Christmas Card Collection 2015.  This pack of paper is so fun because it includes background papers, layering papers, images, and then lots of little tags and sentiments, and that's what the smaller sentiment above is... design paper cut out and matted.  My card base is an old SU! color - Cranberry Crisp, and the green card stock is Mellow Moss.  The embellishments are mirrored gold die cuts, cut with the new Lovely Leaves dies, and some gold twine and half pearl stickers.  

I just love Christmas cards that use Scripture!  There are many messages we love to send our friends and loved ones at Christmas, but the real reason we celebrate is that God sent His one and only Son to be born as a man, to live as a human,  even though He was God, to be tempted, beaten, spat upon, hated and rejected, and eventually to be killed in the cruelest way possible, so that He could pay the ultimate price for our sins!  God loves us that much!!!  I can't imagine the pain it must have caused Him knowing what Jesus would have to go through, and I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for Jesus to walk this earth and  to be separated from His Father... to become sin for us!  But I do know He did that for me, and for all who would believe and receive His salvation, freely given!  

I pray that each of you knows Him as Savior today, and can truly celebrate the real reason for the season!  Oh I know there are many arguments as to when Jesus' birth actually occurred, and we don't know exactly when it took place, ... but the real important point is, that we take the time to joyfully celebrate His gift to us and thank Him for His sacrifice! 

Now, just to recap, here are the new products I used today:

Thank you so much for stopping by!  

Please take a moment to visit my DT sisters for more inspiration:

Cathy * Dawn * Julie * Robin * Amy * Lori * America 

* Sandee * Lisa * Sabrina * Grace * Silke * Chris * Angie