Winter Wonderland Blog Hop

Welcome to the Winter Wonderland Blog Hop! I'm the last stop on the hop. If you have came from Gina's blog, you're in the right place. If not, please start back at Audrey's blog.

Here's the hop list just in case you need a refresher:

 Audrey Dickinson

Kreative Kreations by Audrey

www.kreativekreationbyaudrey.blogspot.com
 Dawn Smith
http://strawberryrainsdelights.blogspot.com
Victoria
 http://mommysplaybook.com

Gina Karas
 http://californiascrappin-gcinderella21.blogspot.com

 Now that all that is out of the way I can't wait to share my 3D layout with you! Our challenge was to create a 3 Dimensional Project with the colors White, Blue, and Gray/Silver and to make it wintery. I chose to do a layout with snow pictures! The paper is K&Company Blue and I added a border on both sides from Fiskars Heidi Grace Designs A Little Bird's Tale and I used a Martha Stewart border punch on the edges to fit with the snow theme of my layout. The top pic mat is Recollections Bright & Jolly Paper Pad. The title "Let It Snow" is stickers out of a collection from my stash as is the snowflake, the journaling square, and the snowflake in between the pics. The ribbon is EK Success Blue Metallic Adornments Fun Fibers- there's 5 different fiber strands in the box and I've already used up one & there's not much of this strand left. The pic mat under the mail box picture is Martha Stewart Punch Pad, and the pic mat under the bottom pic of the back of the house is Creative Memories. The bling in the corners is Studio 18 Rhinestones given to me by Jearise (http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com/) along with the brad on the journaling tag. I'll mention the brad manufacturer later down below the close-up pic. I used Recollections Adhesive Foam Squares to make my elements stand out and give some dimension. I always love taking pictures of the snow in the yard whenever we get snow, because we don't see snow very often here in eastern NC!

Here are some close-ups of the snowflake and the snowman. I used Crystal, Silver, and Waterfall Stickles to add sparkle to both and to make them look real! The snowman is a digi from Scrappin with Lisa Designs (http://scrappingwithlisadesigns.com/)- Snow Much Love.

I decided to add Silver Stickles to this snowflake embellie to give it some sparkle as well.

The tag was given to me by Niki and the brad is KI Memories Paisley Parade Epoxy Fasteners- from Jearise as I mentioned before. Niki gave me a "Go Green" Food Lion bag full of scrapbook paper and supplies when I worked with her mom at TJ Maxx, because she was going to stop scrapbooking altogether, but she has since decided to get back into it! I wrote "Christmas 2004 all of our mail boxes in the cul-de-sac had these bows on them" with my American Crafts Basics Blue gel pen and the word "them" is American Crafts Candy Shoppe Blue gel pen.

          Here's a close-up of the scripture vellum that I thought fit perfectly with these pictures. This was out of a vellum pack that the cover has been torn off that a friend from church gave me as a RAK.

Thank you so much for joining me on this blog hop and please leave me a comment. I would love if you become a follower if you aren't already! TFL and have a great day!

God's Good Gifts- Week 2: Church

If you saw the last blog post you know that I just started God's Good Gifts Devotional with my women's group at church. This is the second week of it that I made today. This week's devotion is on the Church. This picture is after a Vacation Bible School (VBS) Closing Program on Sunday about 2 years ago. The kids were throwing water balloons at the teachers and directors of VBS, because they met the goal for offering. This was just something fun for the kids to enjoy after church and the adults as well. The white pieces of paper are part of the God's Good Gifts Devotional. You will see detailed pictures when you scroll down. I used Colorbok Bright Ideas Paper Pad for all the mats except the title. That mat is a piece of Fiskars Heidi Grace Designs A Little Bird's Tale. The main PP is Be Blessed Scrapbooking Signature Watercolor Collection Cool Mint and the purple Scripture square is also Be Blessed Scrapbooking Tags. The "fun" cut-out is from Best Occasions Jewel Punchout Pack.

This is a close-up of the purple tag. I thought it fit this page since the adults and kids were enjoying the water balloon fight in the picture.

This is a close-up of the "fun" punch-out and the questions and prayer from the devotion. The questions ask: "What do you have to gain from being a part of a church?" & "What does the church have to gain from your participation?" Something to think about when you are looking for a church home as well as how well you particpate within the church. I co-teach PreK-1st grade Sunday School every Sunday that I'm not running the computer during worship (which is usually just once a month) and I also help in the nursery 2 times a quarter.

This is the devotion, written by Jill Briscoe, about Jesus being His Father's business and how we as believers should follow the same example. I hope you didn't take this blog entry as me trying to preach at you, because that wasn't my intention. I just wanted to share a page I made out of this devotional book. There are 10 more weeks to go in this devotional. Feel free to keep following me to see what I include in my version of my first devotional scrapbook or you don't have to comment on these pages if you don't believe in the same God I believe in. It's up to you.

I do want to put a plug in for a blog hop that I'm participating in on December 1. It's a Winter Wonderland Blog hop that you may have noticed the picture posted at the top right of my blog over Becky Creative Crazy's Linky Party icon. There's only going to be 4 of us in the hop and I would like to invite you all to hop along with us. I don't know if there will be a prize involved, but I'm sure there will be. I've started on my project and can't wait to share it with all of you, my friends & followers. Thanks for looking and have a great weekend! Please keep my dad, Joe, in your prayers tomorrow as he has a biopsy done on his liver and his abdomen to find out if the tumors on both areas are benign or cancerous. I pray it's not cancer, but if it is we will get through this. Thanks again!

God's Good Gifts Week 1 & A Christmas Card

This past Saturday, November 9, I went to a Girlfriends' Event at my church- Broad Creek Christian Church (http://www.bccchurch.com/) and those that attended were given Group's God's Good Gifts Scrapbooking Bible Study Book. I looked at Group's website and couldn't find a link for you, so here is a link from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Good-Gifts-Scrapbooking-Scrapbooks/dp/076442646X). It's a 12 week study and includes die-cuts and stickers at the back of the book. So far I have only completed the first week which is about Myself. I made the above layout there and will add a picture later. I haven't decided if I want to add a recent picture or one from my past. I can't seem to find one from my past that I haven't already scrapped! Since I didn't make this LO at home and didn't post this right after like I normally do, I don't remember all the manufacturers of the supplies I used. I do believe the purple solid paper is Best Occasions Cardstock Paper. The title, "I Love" letters are from Best Occasions Jewel Punch Out Pack. The picture mat and the ellipsis after the title are from the same PP, but I don't remember which pack I got it out of. I believe it's Recollections. I believe the purple PP with flowers (at the top) was from Debbi's (http://noteablescraps.blogspot.com/) stash that she let us use. The lighthouse block I fussycut from a 12x12 nautical PP.  Here are some close-up pics of my stamping and coloring:

I did my name with a Disney ABC set.

 The butterfly was a foam stamp and I decided to write my journaling inside the stamp. I colored the catterpillar part of the butterfly and then realized I made it too fat, but oh well, it is what it is! I wrote on the caterpillar that "I heart (love) Jesus" and drew a smiley face for the caterpillar's face. The journaling on both sides of the butterfly tells what I love and explains why I used the stamps I did. "I love to collect lighthouses, texting/calling friends and chatting online. Card making. I love to bake as well. I've grown up around the ocean and love it! Scrapbooking & butterflies."

 These shells were another foam stamp and I colored over them with a light brown Recollections pen that has 2 different size tips one at each end. The cellphone was from a Disney stamp kit that comes in a little purse with other girlie essentials and I colored over the heart with a pink Recollections pen from the same set that I used on the shells and a purple from the same set for the buttons.

 Date toe Dream is a Sizzix stamp, I do believe. I've seen it at Michaels. I colored in the letters of dream with the fine tip of a pink marker from the same Recollections kit. She brought 2 tables full of supplies for us to use and we were allowed to bring our own supplies which I did- I took a mechanical pencil, my pink scissors from Making Memories Tool Kit II, a Creative Memories Classic Cocoa Fine Tip Pen, and a set of 7 Inc. Starlightz Glitter Gel Pens, and my XACTO 12x12 Paper Trimmer. I didn't use all my pens, because I was just given the Starlightz pens and didn't test them before using them- not all of them work. I used my paper trimmer on the photo mat.

 I made this LO at home this past Monday. The God's Good Gifts book has devotional pages that you include in your scrapbook and the pages are perforated so they are easy to tear. I used my edging scissors on each section. The polka dot paper is Basic Occasions Jewel Punch Pack as is the purple flower under the actual devotion. I fussy cut the flower out of a PP from the pack. The purple and blue mats are from Colorbok Deluxe Textured Cardstock Pack.The butterfly is K&Company Susan Winget Spring Blossom Icon Die-Cut Cardstock & Acetate that I won from Scrapping Everyday Miracles (http://scrappingeverydaymiracles.blogspot.com/) for inviting friends to the facebook group. I was thinking it was a blog hop, but just remembered it wasn't. The red heart is I believe Martha Stewart Living. It was given to me just recently with a bunch of punches, stamps, ribbons, the Starlightz pens, the BO Jewel Punch Pack, some Colorbox ink pads, and Martha Stewart Chalk ink pad sets. I can't wait to use them all! The blue brad at the top is from Jearise (http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com/) when I won a blog prize from her and it's KI Memories Paisley Parade Epoxy Fasteners. The One of a Kind Vellum Sticker is from ATD/Momenta Super Sticker Pack, the pink flower is from Helen (http://byheleng.wordpress.com/) when I won a blog hop with Scrapping Everyday Miracles and is Creative Elements Floral with Button. The strawberry and cupcake stickers are Sticko Sweet Treats. The green mat is also BO Jewel Pack. The purple floral PP is the bottom half of the PP from the previous LO. Now on to my Christmas card!

The card is from a Studio G card set that Vicki brought for us to use. She doesn't have a blog that I know of. So I can't really give her credit like I did the others. This is actually 2 stamps: the blue stamp in the background is the nativity scene that I stamped with Colorbox light blue ink pad. The sentiment stamp I don't remember the manufacturer's name, but it states "Jesus How do you remember your First Christmas? Did You wonder at the sound of Your own new voice? Can You still feel that love that wrapped You snuggly in swaddled clothes as Mary held You close? Could there ever have been too many kisses on Your downy little head? Can You still hear Mary's soft lullabies? When Joseph first held You, did Your Heavenly Father look on with longing? Did You wave Your amazing little fingers for Him to see? Did the star look as bright to You from Bethlehem looking up? Did the hay tickle Your toes? Did the little lambs nuzzle their noses in Your face when Mary wasn't looking? Were the shepherds out of breath when they arrived? When the wise men finally arrived, did they understand how amazing it was to see that the Lord of all Creation would humbly crawl into our world on chubby little hands and knees?" The ink didn't set like I wanted it to after testing it several times on another piece of paper so I wrote over it with my black Inc Starlightz Glitter Gel Pen. 

The snowflake was originally the front of the card, so I just flipped the card over and will add a piece of paper behind the snowflake later. I colored over this stamp with my Silver Starlightz Glitter gel pen. As you can tell, I had a blast! I can't wait to work on the rest of the devotional book and post them on here as I do! Please look at the blog links I linked to and become a follower of their blogs if you wish. If you do, please let them know that I, Amanda Rhodes, sent you. Thanks & have a great day!

I'm Thankful 4...

I made this layout for Scrappin' Everyday Miracles November Challenge (http://scrappingeverydaymiracles.blogspot.com/2013/11/challenge-to-be-thankful-is-to-be-truly.html). I'm Thankful 4... Lemonade Pie and being able to share recipes with her. This paper is from a set that I won from the recent SEM blog hop from Helen. It's Be Blessed Scrapbooking Signature Watercolor Collection Hearts Abound. The title letters are Jilibean Soup Chipboard Alphabeans that I received in the August Life's A Party Kit with Housecalls by: Scrappin' Madge (http://heartstringdesigns.com/). I was running out of room and decided to use the number 4. I should of started closer to the left corner but I wasn't sure how much room I would need so that's why the ellipse is going down. The lemon stickers are Sticko Sweet Treats Dimensional Stickers, the "Pucker Up" and "it's good" stickers are K&Company Emma Rose Word Embossed Stickers, the bling is from a little zip lock bag full of gems from Helen, the tag under the picture of the pie is also part of the Be Blessed Signature Watercolor Collection (SWC), the rub-on in the bottom left corner is from the same SWC, the journaling tag is K&Company Engraved Garden Journal Tags that I bought from TJ Maxx for $0.70, the twine was included in the box from Helen as was the clothes pin.

                                         a close-up of the rub-on so you can see it better, it's an entire sheet of different    spiritual wording and Scripture

this is a close-up of the journaling tag so you can see the clothes pin. I wrote- "Grandmama makes this pie in the summer. I have made it a couple times and am thankful to have recipes shared from her." I wanted to keep this layout as simple as I could so I didn't cover up the hearts on the paper. I took my time doing this layout and thought more about what I was doing instead of just throwing stickers on it! It took me almost afternoon to finish, because I was on the phone with my sister, was watching TV, and had to set my fantasy football team after a trade that was proposed last night. I hate that Washington Redskins lost tonight, but I hope Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers, and Denver Broncos win! I'll post some other cards I made this week tomorrow. TFL!