Challenge 15 --Fear Not

An expected noise, swooshing branches scratching the side of a house, thunder-splitting lightening assaulting a nearby tree – who isn’t afraid of things that go bump in the night? But Scripture tells us we have nothing to fear for our Lord is with us always. He strengthens us in the middle of the storm. He keeps us safe in the unsafe places. He has plans for us. So when we’re afraid, we can draw courage from Isaiah 41:10 as we move through the danger and experience victory at His right hand.

Triple the Scrap’s Fear Not” challenge begged for monsters which were not part of my inventory until my CTMH convention bundle arrived last week. So I put together another sneak preview using products schedule for release on September 1. I used the Hooligans Level I Paper Pack X7129A which included the cardstock and stickers for the 6” x 6” page, squares, and “Boo!!” I used my EK Success powder brush to de-stick the stickers. I used the felt monsters for added depth from CTMH’s Hooligans Level 2 Assortment ( Z1332). I edged with Black Exclusive Inks (Z2105) and one of our new fall colors, Lagoon (Z2195).

I took a short cut and used some mini-shimmer alpha stickers from Making Memories for the “Fear Not” title rather than break open a new pack of our Color Ready Bold Alphabets (X5750). I can blame it on my two larger dogs (Bo @ 65 pounds and Tally @ 55 pounds) who are deathly afraid of thunderstorms. Just I finished, thunder, lightening, and a more than wet thunderstorm swept by our house. Lucy (a 28-pound fireball) was pretty nonchalant about the whole thing, but Bo and Tally were completely undone. They could not “fear not.”

Forgive

Somebody spilt the milk! Was it the cow in Close to My Heart’s Howdy Acrylix Stamp Set (D1435)? Or was it the farmer’s son who tried to take shortcuts when he was sent out to milk the cow who was never returned to the barn the night before? Should the unseen farmer’s son be forgiven? Proverbs 17:9 tells that when we forgive, we extend love to others. How real is that? . . . and maybe even Bossie will forgive him for leaving her outside all night long.


Besides the Howdy stamp, I used the following products:

 Splendor Level 2 paper pack (scraps)

 Back Country Level 2 paper pack (scraps)

 Olive Exclusive inks (Z2137)

 Barn Red Exclusive inks (Z2104)

 Chocolate Exclusive inks (Z2111)

 Cricut Old West cartridge for the letters

Heart2Heart What's Cookin' Challenge

My favorite tea house is the Victorian Lady (www.victorianladytea.net/) in Milford, Delaware. Kay Young (the owner) has a five-course tea luncheon that is a must for every special occasion. She starts with soup, then scones, fruit, sandwiches and dessert. Of course, you have your choice of teas. When I saw the Heart2Heart recipe challenge, I immediately thought of Kay. So I called her and got a recipe for each course and placed them in my mini recipe box which I made from a coffee holder that I got at the Gaylord in Washington D.C. during our CTMH Convention. I used our soon to be released stamps titled “A Sip” (A1109) and Royal Birth (D1441). Of course, no crown is complete without bling, so I bejeweled it with Bitty Sparkles (Z1263). I have five recipes in the mini-box (one for each course) and attached tea bag labels with Cranberry Waxy Flax (Z1086). I stamped and edged with Cranberry Exclusive Inks (Z2116) and used That’s Amore Level 2 Paper Pack (X7107B) scraps to cover the coffee holder inside and out.

Onward and Upward

Our first Angola By the Bay Women's Club Craft Fair is over and now I'll be moving ever forward in the scheme of things -- all things. While my sales were mediocre, I met some WONDERFUL people and may have some future Scrapbook in a Year participants in the future.

This one-of-a-kind Hoppy Birthday card found a home in Angola. Melissa and I plan to continue participating in craft shows as we fine-tune our resale product line.

My focus during the next six weeks will be on building various scrapbooking pages. I'm also gearing up to teach SDU classes at A.C. Moore in Dover and possibly in Michaels in Rehoboth Beach, DE. Between our new CTMH projects and gearing up for teaching the EK Success product line, I'm totally  psyched.

I'll be posting more in the days ahead. Meanwhile, have a hoppy day.

Teapot Card

This is a teapot "thank you" card that I made for the Angola craft show. I picked the stamp up at the Stamp, Scrap and Art Tour back in March. I deliebertly selected papers that I'm grying to use up, so I thought it all worked out rather well, all things considered. I love the coffee pot. Stop by Angola on Saturday (weather permiting) and say "hellos." We'd love to meet you.

Heads Up! Craft Show Saturday (or Sunday)

Melissa Fulgham and I will be vendors at the Angola By The Bay Women’s Club  35th Annual Arts and Crafts Fair this Saturday, July 17th. The fair is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds of the Angola By The Bay community. The rain date is Sunday, July 18. We are one of more than 70 talented crafters from four states who will be exhibiting. Angola By The Bay is on Angola Road one half mile east of Route 24 between Lewes and Millsboro. For more information, call 945-2700. We hope to see you there.

Convention, CTMH Style

Too little time, too much to do . . . but we finally made it to the Close to My Heart Convention at the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center in Washington DC. I've taken hundreds of pictures since I arrived yesterday afternoon, but I was particularly taken with this special treatment of some steps at the Gaylord . . . how cool is this? I'm now a "supervisor" with CTMH because I have sponsored my good friend, Melissa Fulgham, into the company. Our team is the "Scrappigators" and we plan to be around for a long, long time. I'd love to share the opportunity with you . . . so just drop me an email so we can talk. Meanwhile, dare to dream.
   Tomorrow we'll be doing some "create and takes" so I'll be posting those soon. We've had a long and productive day and now it's time to sleep. Don't forget to wear the crown of your achievements, to soar like a butterfly, to build a framework for success, to join a community built on heart, and to fly on the wings of creativity -- that's Close To My Heart.