Book Themed Baby Shower

Well Hello There!!!
I know it's been almost a month, but life just seems to have it's priorities, and sadly I don't know have the time or energy that I used to have. 

November was a super busy, crazy hectic month!LOL
 My son got married, 

we had Thanksgiving, 

and had a baby shower for my niece. 

She will be having a baby boy in a few weeks and we are looking forward to this special blessing. 

I did want to share one of her baby showers with you. My sister, Arlene,  had this "Book Theme" going on, and as you can tell by the pictures...it was Pinterest Worthy!!!!

SNOW WHITE AND THE 7 DWARFS

This was the main table with a log cake complete w/ mushrooms. And just look at those dwarfs!! 

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

KEEPSAKE BOOKMARKS

THE DESERT TABLE

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Handmade Banner! So beautiful!!!!!

HOW CUTE IS THIS??

This was probably the cutest baby shower I have EVER attended. 

Every detail was just beautiful!!!!

Have a great week!

DIY: DOLLAR STORE CHRISTMAS GLOBE

Good Evening to you! Seems Christmas Globes are all the rage right now! I have seem them everywhere and have just been itching to make my own! I can't wait to shop for small cars and trucks to get crafty!!
But sadly, I haven't had much time to shop for treasures, but I DO have a few pieces laying around the house.

The only thing I bought today, was the $1 nativity set and $1 brush tip trees.

I had everything else on hand:

Like I said, I collected all this from around the house. The jar with handle was a purchase from Ross ($2.49), Fake snow was in an old ornament I had, Mini LED soft white strong lights were from Dollar General ($3? or $5?), Elmer's Craft dots from my stash, Nativity figure and Brush Tip trees were $1 each from Dollar General. 

And here's my $10 project!!

Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

I cannot wait to hunt for more treasures and create more Christmas Globes!

DIY: Cross Wall Hanging with Handmade Card

Happy Monday to you! I wanted to stop in quickly, and share a DIY I worked on some time back. I was needing a birthday gift and really wanted to create something special. 

So...I made this Cross Door Hanging, or Wall Hanging and a matching birthday card:

Okay...back to my daily chores!!

Have a great Monday!

Bible Journaling: JOHN 15:4 "ABIDE IN ME"

Good Friday to you!! Honestly, I am so glad this week is over. I have to admit that it was a HARD one. I know we ALL have hard days, just as we have good days. 
But this week was a difficult one for me personally. My mind spins with things I have to do, work, personal life, how my heart feels, and then...the silly stuff. But I won't bore you. LOL!

At times like this, I think to myself, "I can't do this? or Why do I do this?" Maybe I should try it MY way and see if I find peace, happiness and accomplish what I set out to do in life.' 

I had a talk with God this morning, I prayed..."God show me things are going to change for the better. Show me my kids will be okay, that everything will be okay."

I was encouraged when I found this at Illustrated Faith Print and Pray Shop. And I found this verse:

JOHN 15:4

4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

I used these images from the Illustrated Faith Print & Pray shop...I love them!

I used the Hymn image as a tip in, so could reveal the rest of the verse.

I hope you have a wonderful Friday! Be blessed!

"Happy Birthday" Handmade Cards

Yea!!! It's Wednesday! We are half way through the week! Today I'd like to share 2 new cards with you.
Since I used to make cards on a daily basis, I am really trying to use up my stash. So I have not shopped for any new supplies. 
 I have lots and lots of cardmaking supplies, especially since I used to Scrapbook so much. I guess sometimes it's good to be a hoarder!!! Craft hoarder, that is! 

Here are a couple of colorful Happy Birthday cards:

Digi Image: Whimsiedoodles, Patterned Paper: The Paper Studio, "happy birthday" stamp:

 Studio G, crocheted ribbon: WalMart, Stars: Unknown, Scrapbook Stash, Stickles: WalMart

Digi Image: Whimsiedoodles, Patterned Paper: Unknown, Scrapbook Stash, "happy birthday" stamp: Studio G, Pearls: The Paper Studio, Pink ric-rac: WalMart, Border Punch: Martha Stewart, Stickles: Walmart

Have a blessed Wednesday!

Welcoming Fall with some Handmade Cards

 

Happy Tuesday!! You know, I used to create cards on a regular basis. I was a stay-at-home wife and Mom and made cards for many Digi Stamp companies. I would also create cards to sell at a near by craft store. Then about 4 yrs ago, my last chick-a-dee flew the nest and I went back to work.

I LOVE my job, I really do! But some days, I miss my leisurely days of getting up, having a cup of coffee, putting some clothes to wash, and then pulling out my craft supplies to create the day away!

 

These are some cards that I have created in the past few weeks:

 

 

 

Card Details: Digi Stamp Image by ALL THAT SCRAPS, Patterned Paper: The Paper Studio,

"Hello!" stamp-Studio G, Ink: Staz-On

Card Details: Digi Image: Unknown, I will have to look up and link later, Happy Halloween Stamp: Studio G, Web Border Punch: Martha Stewart, Patterned Paper: The Paper Studio scraps

Happy to be doing what I love!!!

 

Love what you do, Do what you love!

 

Week 40 in my Journaling Bible

For over a year now I have been journaling in my bible on Sunday evenings. I enjoy my time to read and be fed God's word. I was explaining Bible Journaling to a friend the other day, and I put very simply....
I read the verse, read it again, and maybe even again...then I highlight certain words and meditate on it...I think of ways I can apply this verse to my life. Then I let my creative juices flow. I find this very relaxing and rewarding.

Tonight I'm sharing my entry for Week 40 of  our study at  DOCUMENTED FAITH The focus word for September has been TEACH. We have been reading verses that talk about ways that God is trying to teach us what He wants us to do to live a Christ filled life.

We all have opportunities to TEACH and BE TAUGHT.

Week 40 is from 2 Timothy 4:2
"Preach the word. Be ready to serve God in good times and bad. Correct people’s mistakes. Warn them. Encourage them with words of hope. Be very patient as you do these things. Teach them carefully."

These were the NOTES:   This verse tells us to “correct, rebuke and encourage” It is hard to accept correction and/or be told that we need to change.  No matter how much the truth may hurt, we must be willing to listen to it so that we can more fully obey God.

 

I hope your Monday was a blessed one!!

 

If you get the chance to stop by tomorrow, I will be sharing some Handmade Cards I have been working on.

 

DIY: Fabric Pumpkins

Just in time for FALL weather! Well, atleast for some of you! I'm in south Texas so Fall won't really arrive til' maybe October!! But just looking at all the Fall decor puts me in the mood to craft and get ready for all the pretty fall colors!

The other day I was gifted an Orange Pancho Wrap, it was too big for me but was really nice. I looked at it a bit and thought...it would make some cute pumpkins!!! 

So, I got on Pinterest and started looking for a pattern, because I wasn't sure if my idea of putting a plate down on the fabric and tracing around it would work. 

I did find this one and it looked so fast and easy:
Fabric Pumpkins.

Here they are:

The only things I purchased was the Fiber Fill (stuffing) $3.74 and Green Burlap leaves $1.34 for 6, both from WalMart. 

The pancho was free, and I had the brown yarn, wine corks and twine. 

Then, since I was having such fun making these, I made some small ones:

Thanks for stopping by!!

Wishing you a wonderful Saturday!

Bible Journaling: Col. 3:12-17

Good afternoon! Feels so wonderful to be off from work and getting things done around the house. Life got pretty hectic there for a bit so I hadn't posted in a while. I worked on this a couple of weeks ago. It was Week 36 at Documented Faith.  
Due to my lack of energy lately and frankly not feeling well, I colored in the printed image and used washi tape to adhere to my page. I used a pretty piece of cardstock on the back of it to give it stability. 
The subject was COMPASSION, which often times, depending on how my life is going, I lack. 
I can probably show animals more compassion than humans. Maybe because they are more accepting. 

 Here is the back of the printed image...I wanted to keep it, so I could read it and read it again! 

Thanks for stopping by! The next theme word is TEACH! This one is going to be really good because I could use alot of TEACHING!

HAVE A BLESSED WEEKEND!

Bible Journaling: Be a Happy Giver!

"So give freely to needy people. Let your heart be tender toward them. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all your work. He will bless you in everything you do.  There will always be poor people in the land. So I’m commanding you to give freely to those who are poor and needy in your land. Open your hands to them." 
 Deut 15:10 

This is the verse for Week 33 over at the : Documented Faith bible journaling site. The focus word for the month of August is Compassion. 

There are so many ways  to "give" with compassion: You can give your time, a listening ear, words of advice, your services, etc. This verse explains to give with a happy heart, do not hold a grudge. Give because you want to, not because you expect something back. 

Have a wonderful Wednesday!!!

What is Bible Journaling and Why do It?

"May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy " Colossians 1:11 ESV

 P A T I E N C E 
 This has been the theme or focus word for July.

 According to this verse we are to practice having patience with joy, can that actually be done? Can you joyfully wait on something?…it may be hard, but it is possible!

Patience was a wonderful focus word for me. I used to suffer with lack of patience. With some things I still do. But,  I can say that now that I am “older and wiser” I seem to be more patient. But as I read this I questioned, “Is it really my age?” or “God acting in my life!?” I would like to believe it is the latter of the two. {smile}

Someone asked me about Bible Journaling the other day, they asked, “What is bible journaling? And Why do you do it?”

Well, as you look thru my pages you will see what bible journaling is….I bought a special journaling bible by Crossway. I follow along with a journaling community and we are given a prompt every week that incorporates a focus word for each month. You can find it here: Documented Faith

I prefer to meditate and sit alone and read this verse, usually a few times, I think about how I can apply this verse to my life. I think about how it pertains to my life now. This is how I learn and GROW! I have found that this is a way to “feed my soul”.

 Then…I get creative and embellish my bible with this verse. I love learning, reading and growing. And by Bible Journaling, I am able to “feed” my soul. I see it as we are all seeds planted here on earth. In order to grow (closer to God), we must be fed (with spiritual knowledge) . The more we are fed (spiritually), the closer we grow to God. If we are not fed (spiritually) then we will wither and dry up.  

Have a wonderful day!

Journaling Bible: Accepting who You are!

Good evening! Today I was feeling a bit under the weather, but was determined to meditate on this verse;

Isaiah 43:1
1 But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

I believe we have ALL dealt with ACCEPTANCE at some point in our lives. Not only feeling like we are not  accepted by others, but accepting WHO we ARE! 
I, myself, have suffered from self acceptance...
from not being pretty enough, 
not being smart enough, 
not being thin enough, 
not being patient enough, 
not being strong enough, and it goes on.  

In the end, I have to remind myself that God made me! I am HIS! And by questioning why and how He made me, I am not honoring Him. I am saying, "God...you didn't do good enough!"

So someone may think that I am not pretty enough, smart enough, good enough, etc....but in the end..
I am a Child of God! I have to remind myself of that daily...and just be ME!!!

Bible used: NIV Journaling Bible by Crossway, girl with crown image was found on Google, This is actually a "tip in" piece because I had already worked on this page. 

This shows the original journaling that I did last September. I used Washi Tape to adhere my new piece and it flaps over the original work. I can still enjoy both.

Like always, I used supplies I had on hand. A Martha Stewart border punch, ric-rac from Walmart ($1), Washi Tape, liquid glitter, patterned paper scraps, inks, and shiny doo-dads. All in PINK, my favorite color!!

Thank you for visiting my blog. Be Blessed!

Proverbs 31:25-She is Clothed with Strength.....

This is one of those LATE posts! I meant to post this during Mother's Day weekend as I felt it was a very appropriate verse, but well, life got busy and I didn't get to work on it and post it.
I have read this verse so many times, and really love it!!!! 
 Proverbs 31:10 is titled: The Woman Who Fears the Lord.
From Verse 10 all the way to Verse 31 it describes a God fearing, Christ serving woman....it is  very humbling. Its also a wonderful reminder of the woman we should try to be. In this life, it is not always easy, but by reading these verses daily, we can strive to be better women and better examples to others around us. I can think of many women in my life that are humble, speak with true kindness, wise beyond measure, generous, always willing to pray for others, and are truly God fearing women.

My favorite verse is Proverbs 31:25--
"She is clothed in Strength and Dignity and she Laughs at the Time to Come."
As I read this verse, one of my favorite photos came to mind. It was taken over a year ago, all three of our children were home, which is a very rare event due to their schedules. But when they are ALL home, I am at my happiest!!! I guess you can see this in the photo on my bible page.

 

I'm using a NIV Journaling Bible by Crossway. I used various stickers from my stash, washi tape, a flower stamp and chalks to color. The photo was printed on my computer and adhered to a piece of patterned paper. Decorative twine was stapled up at the top to mark my page.

 

 

Have a Blessed Week!

Isaiah 1:17-Always Seek to Do the Right Thing

Well, the week has begun!!! I really enjoyed my weekend, but as they say...
All good things must come to an end!

My Monday wasn't too bad. It was super busy at work, I came home tired and made us an awesome meal of hamburgers and fries. Yes, comfort food. And now...
I get to share this week's prompt with you. 

You can read more about the prompts here: HOMEGROWN HOSPITALITY
This is Week 18: 
"Learn to do what is right. Treat people fairly. Help those who are treated badly. Stand up in court for children whose fathers have died. And do the same thing for widows."
 Isaiah 1:17 NIRV

Seems like a simple verse, but sometimes not so simple to do. In short, the bible says, "Always seek to do the right thing.". I think if we all strived to live this way, the world would be a much better place. 
So we should all try our hardest not lie, steal, cheat, say evil words, put eachother down, judged,etc. and instead, we should ENCOURAGE one another, lend a helping hand, lift up those that are feeling down, feed a hungry person, or animal (yes, I love all of God's critters!), and the list could go on and on. 

I love using my rubberstamps for my bible journaling. When I saw this House Mouse Stamp in my stash I knew I had to use it along with this verse. 

Have a great evening!!!!

And a blessed week ahead!

Journaling Bible: Proverbs 23:7

I hope your weekend has been a blessed one! This morning in church, we had the pleasure of hearing a message from my sister in law, Elizabeth. She has been singing and preaching God's word for many years now and has such a gift for this. 

This morning she spoke from several chapters of the Bible, but this one stuck with me:

PROVERBS 23:7  
"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." 

I love reading the bible, and hearing verses, and thinking, 
"How can I apply this to my life? 
How does this pertain to my life?"  

For many months now, I've taken a different approach at life. In order to have peace and well being, I have told myself to stay away from negativity, from drama, for evil doers, from gossipers. It's NOT always easy, but it's something I TRY  to do. 
And for me...it WORKS. I feel so much better. I'm less stressed. 

I have the thinking of: if it doesn't hurt me or concern me...than I DON'T CARE! It's not that I don't care for my loved ones or people, I just don't care of the nonsense. I don't care to be brought down by negativity, I don't care to be discouraged because they choose a different walk in life, I don't care to be hurt or angry about something I can't control. And I have to keep reminding myself..everyday....For what I think in my heart, makes me who I am. 

This entry isn't anything spectacular, only because I kept thinking of this verse, and how it applies to my life. I was doing this, more than thinking, "how can I make this page beautiful." 

Here are the supplies I used. Its stuff that I have, no special purchases. My bible is a NSV Journaling Bible by Crossway.

Have a wonderful Sunday evening!!!!

Journaling Bible: Jeremiah 29:13

Happy April Fool's Day! Thank goodness I haven't been the victim of a prank today! 
I worked on this the other night, and hadn't had a chance to share it...until today!

This was the Documented Faith verse for Week 12:
You can read more here: Homegrown Hospitality

Jeremiah 29:13:  
"When you look for me with all your heart, you will find me" 

I used a little bit of everything in my stash. A vintage page sheet from some ephemera I received in a swap. Not sure how old these pages are, but they are almost brittle. A variety of stickers, some scrap patterened paper, metallic water paints and pearl stick-ons. A paper doilie and a bling paper clip, I believe its made by The Paper Studio...I've had it for years! 

I love this verse, because it's a reminder to honestly seek God with all of our hearts. And when we do...we will feel His presence!!!

Have a blessed day!!!!

April in my MAMBI Happy Planner!!!

Happy Tuesday to you!!! I finally got some time to get to my MAMBI Happy Planner lastnight and decorate my pages just a bit. I used to sit and plan every Sunday evening, but lately my routine has been thrown off by something or other. 

Anywho.......here is my April spread. My colors seem a bit off in this photo, is washed out the word? LOL 

I did stick with pastels! I love starting out spring with pretty pastels. I made the ribbon paperclip to match. 

And here is this week's spread. I'm sorry for the low quality photos, I took these lastnight on my counter. 

And this is our "rescue pup", the shelter owner named her Audrey, after me! 

My husband rescued her last week from the median of a busy highway. Sadly she had been dumped by her owners and left to fend for herself. I fostered her for about a week, and today, she goes to a wonderful shelter in San Antonio to be adopted. 

She had to keep me company at work this morning until our local shelter, Judy's Ark, opened up. 

This morning she was going to get groomed, and then transferred to be neutered and then adopted out to a new, SAFE, home!

I really enjoyed having her, but with 5 dogs of my own, I could not keep her. 

I just have to remind myself that this makes room for more dogs to rescue/foster in the future. 

It's a bittersweet day for me. 

Have a wonderful day!!

audrey

Spring has arrived and my Pinterest Fail!

Oh MY gosh!!! Where has the time gone!? It has been forever since I have updated this blog. Life just seems to get in the way of my "ME" time. I honestly haven't had much time for crafting, this includes my bible journaling. I miss all of this so much and promise to be back in the swing of things soon.  I am SOOO excited to be getting my own craft room!!! I still need to decorate it and do some organizing, but when it's done, I will surely share it with you! 

I love Spring! It's like a rebirth for earth. What once was gray and brown, is now green and filled with bright colors from all the flowers! The birds are chirping, bees are buzzing and flowers are blooming!

I hope you had a wonderful Easter, these crafts aren't anything spectacular, but I wanted to make my kiddos a little Easter treat. So here it is:

 My 3 are all in their 20's, I also included my son's fiance. Boxes are from WalMart, they are filled w/ candy and for the girls I added some of the Target $1 sticky notes. Jars are recycled, and these little bunnies barely fit. I added some Foiled wrapped chocolate eggs,  but they would only fit in the back. 

This was a Pinterest Fail! LOL 

I also wanted to share some cute critters from around our place, just for fun!

Meet Otis, my neighbor's miniature donkey:

This is Mocha! My 2 yr. old Chocolate Lab.

And her brother Cocoa!

                              These cute little kittens don't have names, as we are hoping to find them a good home soon!

Have a wonderful Monday!!

Blessings, 

audrey

That Darn "Crafting Bug"

Seriously! I'm supposed to be cleaning, but while cleaning, I will run into some stuff and think, "Hmmm, I could do something with this!" 

So there I go..I've been struck with the 

"Crafting Bug"

I put down the broom and pick up my glue gun!!!

I had bought this barn wood frame at the thrift store for about $1, the silver cross was a Christmas ornament I had bought but hadn't hung on the tree. The turquoise cross was a gift from a swap pal. I thought about adding it to a wreath, but while cleaning, I ran into these items and thought...I will put them all together somehow!!! Now, I am not a genius by any means, I had actually seen something similar on Pinterest (my obsession!) and pinned it knowing that I could whip it up with similar supplies. 

And here it is!! I cut up some burlap, found some cute animal print ribbon in my stash, and some brown burlap ribbon finished it off. 

I love it!!! And in a sense, I did some cleaning. These are a few items that I combined together and now I don't have to put them in their place. I can hang it on my wall and enjoy it!!!!

I'm sure my hubby would love if I caught the "Cleaning Bug" instead, but THIS makes me HAPPY!!!!

Have a blessed Saturday! 

*back to cleaning aka crafting I go!

Handmade Birthday Card

Wow...we are at the middle of the week! I am SO looking forward to Friday! 
Yesterday was my Mom's birthday and I actually got a handmade card made for her! It had been a really long time since I had sat down and made a card. And I'm so glad I did!!!!

She loves vintage, shabby, little girl images and lace. This card has a little of everything. I found this image online, printed it onto off white paper and adhered it to card stock. I used a distressing ink around my edges. Stickles was used to outline the photo. I backed it with a doily, and layered some lace. 

 I really enjoyed making this and have decided I need to do this more often. I found it quite relaxing!!!!

Have a blessed Wednesday!!!

Bible Journaling: With my Whole Heart...

Today is a special day!! It's my MOM's birthday! Happy Birthday MOM!!!

I pray you have a wonderful day and it's filled with all of God's goodness!!!

I'm sharing a verse from Psalm 119:10 with you today:

"With my Whole Heart I will Seek You"

This was the theme of a Women's Conference I went to in January. My supervisor invited me to go along with her. If not for her, I wouldn't have attended. I'm so glad I went, it was such a blessing!!

We had tshirts with this verse on them. I absolutely love it!!!

Here are some photos from our conference:

 #AGODLYWOMAN2016

Music by the Jack Thweatt Band

The decor was so pretty!

The Prayer Board

Have a blessed Tuesday!!!