All about Attitude

It's been awhile since I've joined in the Salt challenge, and when I was catching up on some blog reading this weekend I saw the latest theme: attitude.

Ouch.

Let's just say that I've really been struggling in this area lately... I'm finding myself frustrated, judgmental, apathetic, and showing other ugly 'tudes all too often. And I can't change this on my own. But God doesn't ask me to! My patient Father - who provides endurance and encouragement - will give me the proper attitude. I just have to ask. And be willing to let go of all the junk that I'm clinging to.

My little project is nothing fancy. I hand wrote Romans 15:5 on some BasicGrey Kioshi paper, and then doodled a bit with a fine black pen. I went around the edges with gesso, spritzed it with some pink glimmer mist, then matted it on black before pasting it into my journal. I chose the floral print to remind myself of the organic relationship - if I'm not in Him, I'm dying. I have to stay on the vine if I'm going to reflect even a glimmer of His magnificence.

Growing...

I always love the challenges over at Salt, and seeing the artistic interpretations that each team member creates. This time around, the theme was growth, and I just knew I had to make something! Since we've moved, I've found myself stretched in many ways - relocating 2,000 miles definitely took me out of my comfort zone and forced me to take a hard look at myself. Was I truly relying on God to meet my needs, or was I more often turning to friends, and then putting the matter to prayer as the next step? Also, was I stepping out in faith, sharing the Lord, or being content in my happy little box?

Anyway, I made this piece as something of a souvenir of this transitional time - as well as a reminder to not grow so content as to stagnate. I also wanted to make another example of the "earth rejoicing" for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge - and I'd say those trees look pretty joyful! The verse is from smARTworks' Walk Trio "That you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." (Colossions 1:10) The papers are all from Memory Box (Sprout), and I mounted it onto some plain cardstock so the finished size is 5x7. The tree image is from Unity, and I paper pieced it, as well as doing a bit of coloring with pc pencils. Oh, and can I add that I love that the trees have hearts on them - because that's exactly the fruit I want to bear: a heart for HIM. I had picked up the clip frame from the Target Dollar Spot eons ago, and was so glad to actually use it :) After I put it all together, it needed something else, and after digging through my stash I came up with these fabulous corners (glimmer chips from Tattered Angels).

And now that it's all done, it will be residing on the bathroom counter, where it will serve as a good daily reminder. Plus it looks way nicer than all my other junk :)

In His Presence

The theme for the current Salt challenge is presence, and I immediately started thinking about Psalm 139. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, His hand will guide me and hold me fast. What an amazing promise! I pulled out my concordance to see where else the word "presence" is used, and came across this passage:

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.
They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness.
For you are their glory and strength...
(Psalm 89:15-17a)

The phrase "learned to acclaim you" really jumped out at me. We are always in His presence, but the true blessing comes when we've learned to delight in that, to praise Him at all times. And it doesn't just happen - we have to make it a habit.

I decided to highlight the first verse on this little door hanger made from a coaster. I started by stamping the path (Stampscapes) onto some BasicGrey paper, then added just a tiny bit of color to it with prismacolor pencils. I printed the verse, then trimmed and adhered it. I added the heart/cross rub-on (from Joann's - they have a nice little section of faith-based products now!), then glued it all on to the coaster. I added some ink to the edges, then ran the ribbon through two eyelets.

Another Double Challenge!

It's day four of Denise's Spring Fever challenge, and today we were to incorporate a tag, bling, and the color red. Definitely easier than yesterday :) Well, as I was cruising through my google reader, I also noticed that there was new challenge on Salt, with the theme "believe." As I read the post, I was struck by Esther's statement: If only we truly believed in God's promises, we would worry so much less. How true! I can say I believe, but is my life demonstrating that trust?

Anyway, when I actually snuck off to my craft space, I pulled out this cross paper (Flair Designs). I played around with a few ideas, and finally wrote out the word "believe" (using Heidi Swapp masks), then sprayed the card with gold glimmer mist. (Have I mentioned lately how much I love that stuff? I really wish you could see it in person to see the rich shimmer created!) I let it dry slightly, then pulled the letters back off. I stamped the verse (Ps 31:14-15) onto a piece of ivory cardstock, then trimmed it to a tag shape and tied on a couple different ribbons. I adhered the cross paper to a base made from the same ivory paper, then mounted the tag. Simple, but a great message! (Card measures 5x7)

This second card is a "Take 2" on my idea from yesterday's card. I am soooo much happier with this one! Same three sets: Accents #1, Blossoms Lg, and Flowers Everywhere. Softer colors and a smaller size come together for a cute little card (3x5). Soothing rather than seizure inducing :)

Wanna see what the other challenge chasers are up to? Then go to All Things Stamped and Salt for guaranteed inspiration.

Encouragement

I haven't done the past few Salt challenges, but I knew I definitely wanted to play along this time. The theme was Encouragement, and it's very neat to see everyone's different spin on it. To me, it's about building one another up, helping our brothers and sisters in faith keep things in perspective when life gets crazy. And what better way than with scripture? I have a friend who could use some of that encouragement right now; she's also very musical, so I wanted to use a verse that somehow referenced that.

I started by stamping the verse (Biblical Impressions) onto a scrap of Fabriano notecard, and then cut it down. Next, I stamped the heart (Inkadinkado) onto a scrap of harlequin paper, and the music (Rosebud) onto some white. This layout is a great way to use up scraps! ;) I used some textured gray cardstock for the base, and lightly went over it all with caramel ink so that it more closely matched the harlequin print. I then glued everything down, and accented the four corners with some tiny black rhinestones. Nothing overly fancy, but I know it will encourage my friend!

The Reason for the Season

I am so excited about this piece I'm sharing today! I'd been wanting to make something for our home; I had a whole lot of different ideas, but when I actually sat down to create nothing was coming together. Well, the previous Salt challenge was the theme "Light." The words to the song "Here I am to Worship" by Chris Tomlin immediately came to mind, and I started thinking about how I could use that to create something for Christmas. Never actually got beyond printing out the words, though. And then the latest challenge was "Jesus, the true meaning of Christmas." I just had to actually finish up my project. It all came together when I stumbled onto the amazing paper and gold stickers (seen here)
I started by masking off some areas around the star and spraying with gold glimmer mist. Next I roughly laid out where I wanted the words to go. I scanned Luke 2 from my Bible, and printed out verses 1-7 onto watercolor paper. I stamped the names of Jesus (Biblical Impressions) in the corner, and added several gold stickers. I love how the shepherds really do look like they're worshipping, and the small cross under the manger serves as a reminder of what that tiny baby came to do. Humbly you came to the earth you created, all for love's sake became poor.

This is definitely not my "normal" style, but I am thrilled with the final result. It's now hanging on the wall in our living room, and I'll definitely be making more in the future.

Just in case you've never heard this powerful song, check it out here.

Salt: Joy

The current Salt challenge is to create something about joy. There are so many wonderful verses about joy, but I chose this one because frankly I've been struggling with my attitude lately. When I encounter trials (and it seems there have quite a few lately - nothing major, but just day-to-day stuff that keeps chipping away at me) I certainly have not been considering it joy. So now I have a little reminder to keep in my kitchen.

This cool frame was a find in the dollar aisle of my favorite grocery store, and I think I bought ten of them. It's pretty small; the clipped piece is 3x3. I've made quite a few gifts for other people (I'm down to 2 frames), but this one is definitely staying here. I computer generated the text onto some BasicGrey Phoebe paper, and matted it with another print from the pad. I added the Prima flower and teensy pink button as the finishing touch. I originally was planning something a bit more elaborate, but I really wanted the focus to be on the words. Plus the corrugated brown backdrop and metal clip on the frame set a great stage that didn't need much else!

May you have a joyful day!

Salt: God's Promises

I just became aware of the Salt site last week. The (then-current) challenge was to create something about God's Promises. I've had this little board book in my stash, and had been wanting to create something with scripture. What better focus than the Lord's promises? I only have two pages done, but I wanted to share.

Although I have a LOT of stamps, I don't own the entire Bible in rubber :) The longer passages were computer generated. The charm on the spine says "faith," and the circle charm at the bottom in the second photo says "peace." I have three more sets of pages to do, and I already have ideas - just need to get them done! Be sure to check out Salt - they put up a new challenge every other week, and just posted that the new theme is Joy. I'll definitely be playing along again (although I'll be keeping my project simpler!)

(images from My Heart Stamps For You, Biblical Impression, Sweet Grass, Stamp Francisco, See-Ds)