Pursonality...

This cute little card I saw some place on the web... not sure where but I thought it was a neat idea. I used the round tab punch folded to make the mini purses & the oval punch to make the handles. Also I love the Raspberry Lemonade dp that I got for my birthday. We had a great service last night at church. The guest speaker spoke on unforgiveness... that is such a powerful subject! So my question to you today is why do humans want to hang on to unforgiveness? It is kind of like burning your hand on a hot frying pan... as the burn heals you are afraid you might forget what happened so you stick your hand on a hot frying pan again so you can keep remembering the pain over & over & over. I know that sounds silly, but that is kind of what unforgiveness is like. The pan was the thing that caused the offense but it doesn't "hurt" the pan when you stick your hand back on it... it only hurts you. Just like unforgiveness, it doesn't hurt the person that offended... it only hurts you. One last thing & then I will get off my soap-box... always remember & don't ever forget... forgiveness is for you it isn't for the one that caused the offense.

We are heading to the Thumb for a couple days so have a great weekend!

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Wings of Friendship...

I am a little short on time so this will be a quick one. I was so excited my SU order came today from the party Ruth & I had... woohoo! I love new stamping stuff... so I had to get to creating something with the new stamp set I got... I made it to send as an anniversary card, plus I am used the OCC sketch for the week so maybe I will play along for the first-time. The set is "Wings of Friendship". I heat embossed the bird, sentiment & the flower... my heat gun has been getting a work-out lately.

What I used: cs - SU basic black, whisper white, always artichoke, DSP that I don't know the name of; ink - SU baja breeze, certainly celery, always artichoke, going gray; extras - silver brads, clear embossing powder, versa mark.

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Off to church soon so better be going... thanks for stopping!

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with a grateFUL HEART, carin

just BE...

It was a nice day... not super warm, but nice. Our grass has greened up again... thanks to the rain... it is so hard for my hubby to see his yard not looking good.

I tried a different recipe for supper tonight... I made zucchini latkes... yes, aka zucchini pancakes. They were very good... we had them with meat loaf... not too exciting but we like it. Since my dad & BIL's garden is full of zucchini... we have an abundance & always looking for things to do with them. I also have zucchini bread in the oven right now... it smells sooooo good!

Here is a very simple card I made. I used: cs - SU whisper white, certainly celery, positively pink; ink - certainly celery, wild wasabi, positively pink; extras - SU scallop square punch, MS butterfly punch, vellum, diamond stickles. I think it's sweet!

I was listening to some Christian ladies talk on TV this morning... about not wanting to say "no" to things because you don't want people thinking you are incapable. How women seem to have to prove themselves by "doing". Then I came across these verses that really spoke to me...

"For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust from my youth and the source of my confidence." Psalm 71:5


"...who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." Philippians 3:3

I can't have confidence in what I try to do or in my own abilities, but my confidence should only come from my Heavenly Father. If I live in His confidence then I will be what He wants me to be and do what He wants me to do... He doesn't need me to prove my worth. God proved my worth by giving His Son for me.

Remember... just BE!

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

For you...

Just wanted to share this card with you... it is a birthday card I made for a friend. See I told you I just can't get away from the "God's Beauty" SU set... so glad I got it when I did.Oh, yes, I actually used some of my new SU DSP... *ö*... I know what a surprise! Those colors look just gorgeous together... if I do say so myself. In case you didn't know they are Certainly Celery & Tempting Turquoise.

Off to spend a little time with my hubby & get out of the house. We don't do that too much anymore except for going to church... like so many others... $ is tight so we have to make the most of it!

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Be an example...

Another week has flown by... summer or what northern Michigan calls summer is going so fast! I came across this verse this morning in my quiet time:

"Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." I Timothy 4:12

When I was a kid I had a pennant on my bedroom wall that had this verse on it... I'm sure I really didn't understand the whole thing... like what does that part about despising my youth mean... why would anyone despise me???? What I did understand about this verse was the example part... that my behavior was not only a reflection on who I was, who my parents were, but most importantly on Who God was in my life. I knew I had to live what I believed... not that I always did that very well... thank God for His mercy & grace! I now know that just because you're young doesn't mean you aren't sincere in what you believe... if you still happen to be young don't let anyone tell you any different.

I have a baby shower card I want to share with you... it was for a friend who is having her first baby... I had to do something special. I used my Cricut to cut out the shapes; SU Fresh Fillers set; some button brads; a little white ribbon; CS & ink are SU Certainly Celery & Pacific Point.
So what do you think?

If I can ask, please keep my brother-in-law, Frank, in your prayers today as he is having thyroid surgery at 12:30 today. Thanks!

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Revealing...

Good Tuesday to you... well at least I hope it is a good Tuesday for you! It is a beautiful summer day here in northern Michigan... upper 70's w/little humidity & a gentle breeze... I could take 4 more months of this! We do need the rain... still... but grateful for the nice day.

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My friend, Ruth, & I had a SU workshop on Saturday... we had so much fun! We tend to laugh until we can hardly stand it... & sometimes we best be sitting when we laugh that hard... if you know what I mean!!! (LTYP) Anyway, I thought I would post the 2 projects we did, plus the sweet gift my sis, Renee, the SU demo gave to me & one to Ruth too for hosting.

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First, here is the card we made... my sis has such good ideas... love that lattice die... and the new "In Colors"... I am getting me some of those with my free stuff! Yeah for free!

This next thing is a corner bookmark... it is so simple but adorable... what do you think? Oh, the butterfly punch will be mine too!

And last but not least, here is the cool gift my sis made. That is a mini canvas from Michaels that she painted & decorated with die cut flowers... isn't it so stinkin' cute! She is so talented! Thanks Na for the fun workshop!

I am doing a little baking today for a bake sale at church for kid's to earn money to go to camp. I was thinking about this... how great is it to be a part of helping these kids, other people's kids, go to camp... we weren't blessed with our own but we can have a hand in showing Jesus to these children... what a privilege. I will admit at first I was not looking forward to the extra work but God showed me what a blessing it is for me... funny how He reveals things to us when we aren't expecting it!!!!

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

The Cat's Meow...

Just had to post something today... it is off to a great day already... even though it is cold, gray, cloudy in northern Michigan. Bring on the rain, Lord, we need it!

On to more exhilarating things... I have a second devotional posted today on Women to Women Sharing Jesus... it is called "Am I In Focus?"... please go & check it out! Become a regular subscriber there... you will be blessed by the great women who are on the writing team at WTW. Speaking of that... I have been asked to join the writing team of WTW... after praying about it, I said YES! I am so excited to see what God is going to do & is doing through this great blog. I give God the glory for His goodness & love.

"I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised" Psalm 18:3

I tried a stair-step card... at least that is what I think it is called... I used the SU "Cool Cat" set I have had for a few years... I am a kitty-cat lover!


I think it turned out pretty "cool"! What I used: Paper: SU Raspberry Tart, natural ivory; Ink: SU basic black, Pink Passion, Pretty in Pink, Green Galore; Incidentals: Versa Mark pad, diamond stickles, clear embossing powder, sponges.

That is it for me today... I am having a SU party tomorrow... my sis & DH are coming for the weekend... I need to clean the house... go grocery shopping... & oh yeah I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon... one of those "fun" yearly check-ups... ugh!

On that note... with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Happy Birthday Daddy...

Today is my daddy's birthday, so I thought I would post the card I made him for his day...
It is done with a little brayering, heat embossing, masking, sponging... ok I used quite a few different techniques, but I liked the way it turned out! Inks: Really Rust, Close to Cocoa, Choc. Chip, Apricot Appeal, Baroque Burgundy; stamps: SU Season of Friendship, Heavenly Days; accessories: copper brads, clear embossing powder, versa mark pad.

I am so thankful for the daddy my Heavenly Daddy gave me... they don't come any better!

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

More birthday cards...

Just sharing a few more hand-made cards I received for my birthday... this first one if from my friend, Ruth... she calls herself a scrapbooker, but I think she makes beautiful cards as well!

This next one is from my dear sister, Renee, she of course has the new SU "in colors" to use... isn't it so pretty!!! She is doing a SU party for me & Ruth on Saturday so I will soon have the "in colors" too!

And this last one is from my sister-in-law, Anne... she does a great job & she used a butterfly... my favorite critter!Thanks to all of you special ladies... you made my birthday a great one!

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

A little skunky...

Just a quick post today... yes, I can do a quick post! We had a great weekend with family in the Thumb... my Pampered Chef party was good... I got more birthday presents... it is good when you can drag it out for the whole week!!! *Ü*

Wanted to share a couple hand-made cards I received for my birthday... they were just too nice not to share:

This one was created by Teresa Kline from enjoy the va sunshine... she is so talented & she has quickly become a good friend... thanks Teresa! She is a sister in Christ & she shares her faith in remarkable, creative ways!

Off to Night Out for Ladies with my church... yes, it is still morning but we are having a day of fun poolside at a great ladies house that has been so gracious to let a hundred or so ladies stampede through her life! Thanks Heather!

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Happy Birthday to me...

It is my birthday today... it has been a fantastic day... I am sooooo blessed! My day started with my sweet, adorable hubby bringing me breakfast in bed... awwwww... isn't he so sweet! Then 3 of my phenomenal friends invited me for lunch... we ate "El fresco"... good food... good conversation... lots of laughs! Thanks Barb, Deb & Sharon! Then I got to spend the rest of the afternoon with another fabulous friend... making plans for our Stampin' Up party we are having together... eating ice cream... gabbing a little... ok a lot. Thanks Ruth! I love all you ladies! I had phone call birthday wishes from my parents & big sis. All kinds of birthday wishes from my facebook friends. Two ladies sang Happy Birthday to me tonight at church. Then we went to a Mexican restaurant for fried ice cream with more friends to end my day! See I told you I am blessed!

So to get to the card I made for myself... well, kind of, but I will be giving it to someone else. That is me... I am the angel! Do you see the resemblance???

It is past my bedtime... better wrap this up! Oh, BTW my hubby gave me a beautiful card that made me cry... he does that on purpose... he is disappointed if he gives me a card that doesn't make me cry. It is pretty easy since I am a cry-baby!

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Have patience... have patience...

Here is the card from yesterday's post... don't know what my problem is with uploading a pic... I am learning patience!

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Serene Scenery...

We had a great 4th of July weekend... hope you all did too! It was just relaxing... spent time together with family & good friends. My parents came on Thursday & left this afternoon... it was a good visit... BTW - I beat my mom at Scrabble... she won the last time we played so it was my turn! *Ü*

I came across a new blog... new to me anyway... it is called Scenes by Sandy... she has some beautiful creations on her blog... she is very talented! I attempted to case a card she did... of course I used SU inks (Apricot Appeal, Really Rust, Ruby Red, Perfect Plum) & the stamps I used were SU "Organic Grace," "Fantastic Foliage," & "God's Beauty." The CS was basic black, white, really rust. The way the brayer blends the colors... I find it to be serene looking.

Do you ever have days where you can't quite focus? Those days when everything seems to be piling up and you just go from one thing to the next, but never get anything accomplished???

"We don't look at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen." II Cor. 4:18

This verse spoke to me today... about focusing on eternal things, not focusing on temporary things. I know we can't just ignore bills, phone calls, laundry, screaming kids... but focusing on God will make our hearts joyful... I know it may not change our circumstances, but it can change our attitude. And I can honestly say... I could use an attitude adjustment right about now! How about you???

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Blog Candy...

You can find some blog candy from Mary at Primitive Seasons... congrat Mary!

Let Freedom Ring...

Just wanted to wish everyone a great 4th of July!

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I was thinking this morning how blessed I am to live in this country... it is not perfect, but I am so thankful for the life God has given me here in the USA!

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My prayer is that our nation will turn back to our roots which started with "In God We Trust"... it needs to start in each one of our homes... stand for what is right & righteous in God's eyes. Our government can only be as strong as we the people are... I came across this quote in my quiet-time "Freedom doesn't give us the right to do what we please, but to do what pleases God!"

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"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord;" Psalm 33:12

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be blessed through the rest of your weekend, with a grateFUL HEART, carin

God Bless America...

Just a quick post to share a couple projects... I finally took the time to do a little stamping today... yeah!!! So in honor of the up-coming 4th of July weekend I did a little experiment with an old SU stamp, "God Bless America"... I did a little brayering (if that is a word?), some sponging, some embossing... and viola! The colors I used were Baja Breeze, Ruby Red, Not Quite Navy, Really Rust... what do you think... I am so critical of myself when I try something new.

My other little project is a bookmark (ok Captain Obvious!)... my sister, Renee, that is the SU demo got us a bunch of bookmark sleeves to share so I thought I would give it a try. I used some generic dp along with Blush Blossom & Ruby Red. I used the "Flight of the Butterfly" once again... there is stickles on there too, but you can't see it in the pic.

That's it for today... do you all have any plans for the 4th... food, fireworks & fun??? It is cool & rainy here in Michigan, but I know that is going to change.

Be blessed! with a grateFUL HEART, carin