Inspire!

Supplies used will be listed below! Thanks for reading!

Happy Tuesday to you!

My goal for this blog is to purposefully and concisely aim you in a direction of intentional encouragement and inspiration. At the very end, I have a bit of a creative/encouragement challenge for you in hopes that you will be uplifted and run with it!
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One time (actually, multiple times) I heard my pastor say, "Everyone is under-encouraged." 
First of all, I wondered how this could possibly be true.  Everyone? 
The people who are the highlights of Hollywood?
Those with more numbers in their bank accounts than one could fathom?
Those who receive thousands likes on an instagram post, followed by hundreds of additional comments?

Yup.
Everyone.

EV-ER-Y-ONE.
And the sad thing is, those people I mentioned above sometimes need an extra boost of, "you are loved just the way you are," just like you and me.
We are made to be relational, work together, make peace together, and promote community.  We are made to encourage, lift up, build up and inspire each other to things of a higher calling!
Fame, money and popularity are bonuses and signs of success, but one time (actually, multiple times) I have heard it said such things can hinder meaningful relationships and promote loneliness.

⇨⇨Listen, friend: everyone needs to know that they have meaning, they have purpose, they have a direction and a destination.  They are loved, they are beautiful, they are unique and they are not meant to fit in to any mold or make of the world. 
The loving Lord is a wonderful God, reaching always into humanity to have communion and achieve the highest possible connection via His Holy Spirit.  Inspiration flows from His heart deeply into the core of the person He made us to be. 
+  If you see something worth noting in someone, write the someone a note.
+  If you see something worth admiration, share admiration.
+  If you notice a talent, a gift, a honed skill, a blessing, a success, a victory, a happiness, a pleasure given to another, he/she needs to know this is how you feel.
+  If you become moved, challenged, motivated, or blessed by another, bless, move, and motivate back!  I promise it is NOT a waste of breath or time!

The Bible says, "Encourage one another and build each other up."  (I Thess. 5:11)
"And let us consider how to stir one another up in love and good works." (Hebrews 10:24)
"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act." (Prov. 3:27)
"

I can assure you, sister, there is nothing the Devil wants more than to see the church of Jesus fall.  He wants nothing more than to see the children of God behaving like overgrown misfits of gossip, slander, anger, envy and strife.  In fact, the Bible tells us to FLEE from these things BECAUSE these are easy side-steps to an otherwise fruitful walk with our Maker. 

I encourage you, sweet friend.  Send a note.  Send a card.  Send a small post-it or leave a small token of appreciation for someone(s).  It's truly not a waste, and it's something that builds upon the kingdom of God - into an eternity that is being made ready for you and me!

Here's the challenge part now: 
1} Ask the Lord to show you someone, to lay someone on your heart so that you would know who needs to be encouraged.  Someone may pop directly into your mind!  With this lead, you can then create a little something for this person to let him/her know - at the VERY least - that you were thinking of him/her.  
2} Before you send/give it, take a photo & post it on social media!  Be sure to hashtag it #encouragementchallenge and tag my handle so I know you've posted. 
3} Watch as encouragement spreads and morale boosts in this sweet community that extends beyond the bounds of Instagram or Facebook!  It's phenomenal!

This card I made for a friend, who has overcome doubts and fears in Jesus' name.  Difficulties surrounded her, and Murphy followed her, so to speak.  It's not uncommon for one to sink into a shell of despair, but I saw her sink, find hope and re-emerge with vigor and confidence that Jesus IS her God! 
She inspires me; I want to inspire back.
She has moved me; I want to stir her up!

Much love,
Deeds

Sentimental Wordfetti here. 

Bitty Minnie Alpha here.

Fantastic Flowers set here.

I colored in the flower and leaves with my new Arteza Everblend marker set.  I love them, and I am so looking forward to using them more!

Painted Praises...

Hi friends,

I love music, especially singing, and while it's great to sing along to whatever my favourite songs may be, there is something about singing praise and worship to the Lord that is so much more than just singing songs. When we praise God we are doing what we were created to do. Even in the midst of tough times, we can still choose to magnify God for who He is and what He has done.

Psalm 13 shows David crying out to God in a place where he felt sorrow overwhelm him and enemies triumphing over him. He asks God 'how long?' several times in the first verse alone, crying out for relief and justice. Then in verse 5 and 6 David writes:

'But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the LORD'S praise, for he has been good to me.'

I love how even in the midst of this dark time in his life, David says 'But...' What an incredible example of how we can praise the Lord no matter what circumstances we may be facing. Our praise is not about how we feel or what we see around us, it is about God's goodness to us (and there is SO much goodness to meditate upon). And the wonderful thing about singing God's praise is that it results in us being lifted up and given perspective on our troubles. When we see and praise and goodness and power of God, we can't help but be encouraged and reminded that God will always be faithful toward us, and our deliverance will come - in His time.

I created the background on this page using a Gel Press and distress paints (so much fun!) as well as Texture Tiles 1. I used Let's Do This for the word Praise as well as the little leaf and arrow details, and completed the verse using Bitty Minnie Alpha and Classy Script Alpha. The big leaves are from Fantastic Flowers, and were coloured using distress paints.

Here are stamp sets I used:

 

 

 

Can I encourage you to choose, like David, to sing the Lord's praise no matter the circumstances you may be facing? God so is worthy of our praise.

x Amy x

In The Storm...

{jane bosi}  How grateful I am that I have a God able to calm both me and the storms.  He never fails in this walk when I am constantly feeling as if it is pouring....Can I get an amen??  You'll find Calms His Child here. 

I wanted to try a little decorative art and step away from bible journaling for a week or so.  Sometimes, when I feel like I am trying too hard, that is the best thing for me to do.

This is a 6x6 canvas.  I started by layering bible pages in a random pattern using mod podge.  I really should have waited between layers, but once I got going, I just didn't want to stop.  Some of the buckling would have been reduced, but all in all, I still love it.

I had picked up a tattered and well loved Gideon bible at Good Will a bit ago.  I love the idea of praying over my art and found it to be a calming piece to the over all art project.  I colored several pages by applying distress inks directly to my non-stick sheet and then dipping the pages until I got the right look.  Once dry, I was able to stamp and trim images from Fantastic Flowers and Scribble Flowers.  A few of the other textures that can be seen are the gold background created using texture paste and a stencil and some sequins. I've been in love with sequins for quite some time now and added just a few for a little bit of bling.

I hope you are feeling inspired---express yourself!

TTFN, Jane

Shine...

 {jane bosi}

I super wish my photography set up could actually do justice to the projects I create using these amazing stamps!!  The exact minute I saw the Fantastic Flower stamp set, I knew I had been holding on to this $4 wooden mirror purchased a decade ago for a reason!  I am not kidding when I say I've been hoarding it for a decade.  I've had it "on display" in my current studio for the last 4 years we've lived in this house--because I discovered it in the unpacking process.  For the last 4 years, I knew I would eventually be inspired by what was an unpainted 12 x 12 mirror in shrink wrap.

It's been a bit like prayerful waiting.  I knew the answer would come.  Several times, I thought I knew only to realize "no" was the response.  And then, without a doubt, the answer was clear--pretty much after I surrendered and decided it would tell me rather than the other way around!  Fantastic Flowers with a bit of Worthy King.....the project just about did itself!!  :)

Enjoy; be blessed--Jane

Happy Places

“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth.The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more."
Isaiah 65: 17-19



Hey friends! Do you have a "happy place"? Maybe a nail salon, massage parlor, mall, CRAFT STORE, church... maybe even your pantry with the door closed behind you eating a snack cake and NOT having to share...#momprobs. Hopefully we all have a happy place to get away from the non happy things in our life and bring a little light to our lives. Our FOREVER happy place though is coming soon! Some day we will wake up everyday in our happy place and rejoice with our Lord! How refreshing it is to know that! Keep pushing on and hiding in your pantries folks... one day we'll be there and there will be no worries or sadness!

 

For this page I tried a new technique I've been seeing! I used the plastic packaging to one of my letter sticker sheets and put watered down water colors on it and then smooshed it down on the page. Here's a little snapshot of what it looked like while I was doing it! (Not the best picture but I did it at night time in my little "area" I've created in my living room.)

 

 

I enjoyed making this page and used ALL Sweet N' Sassy Stamps!
The stamp sets I used are listed below! Remember Korin still has all the stamps 25% off right now to lighten the load a little bit for her move to Georgia!

Remember to use #sweetnsassystamps on Facebook and Instagram so we can see what you're up to!



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<3 Brittany
@britcarleton
Personal Blog: Journaling Through Motherhood

Enthusiastic Obedience

The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to Him, that you will keep His decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to Him. Deuteronomy 26:16-17

Hi Friends!

There are quite a few stories in the Bible where God or Jesus tells someone to do something and they IMMEDIATELY do it. In those stories, they don't question God/Jesus. They don't give Him a lot of excuses. They don't wait for the right time. They just do what He says. Can I be frank? A majority of the time, I would have to say that I am not that quick to obey. Sure, if it's something that's easy or doesn't take me out of my comfort zone. Then I'm quick to obey. But if it's something that might be hard or include struggles or something that I'm not comfortable with? Well, then I take my time. 

God wants us to trust Him enough to obey Him NO. MATTER. WHAT. He wants us to enthusiastically obey Him with our whole heart and soul. What He asks us to do may not be easy, friends, but we can trust Him. He deserves our obedience. I pray that all of us will be enthusiastic in our obedience to Him!

For the page,  I used the following Sweet n Sassy Stamps: Outline Alpha, All Your Heart, Chunky Alpha, Scribble Flowers, Just Be, and Fantastic Flowers. I used watercolors for the background and a white Sharpie pen to color in/highlight the words.

Fantastic Flowers was released this month and I've enjoyed using it. Here's another page using another of the flowers from the set.

Have a blessed day! Andrea

My God is Worthy!

I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall be continually in my mouth.

Psalm 34:1

How many times during a single day do you find the praises of God on your lips?  What kind of words crowd out those praises?  I'm guilty.  When I think of all that God has done for me, in the world, everyday...really, there should be nothing I speak except His praises.  He is worthy enough that every breath I exhale ought to contain His praise.  Our goal should be David's declaration in Psalm 34:1.  God is certainly worthy of that much.

I tried a couple of new things with this page.  Overall I like it, but I'd change a few things next time.  First I prepped the page with clear gesso.  I didn't like doing that before, so I'm not sure why I thought I'd try it again.  There is a huge variance of opinion about prepping Bible pages.  I definitely fall on the "unprepped" side of the spectrum.  Here I wanted to do a lot of watercolor paint work...and when the page is prepped the watercolor sits on top longer.  The good part of that is that you can continue to work with it; while the negative, in my opinion, is just that the effect isn't as splashy and layered looking.  The second new thing I was to use metallic paint and inks.  I splattered gold metallic watercolor paint (Kuretake) and used a sponge to apply gold ink over a stencil.  I really liked that.  

I chose this page (Psalm 47-48) for my design because it is full of praises to the the Lord. The entire page starts with praise and ends with praise.  I thought that was symbolic of the way I want my days to be.  I want to start each day with praise on my lips and when I close my eyes, I want to whisper His praises in the still of the night.  It is my heart's desire to praise Him all day long, because He is worthy of those praises.  

Sets used:

Fantastic Flowers

Worthy King

Abba, Father

Because you are His sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are His child, God has made you also an heir. Galatians 4:6-7

It's pretty special to be God's child. He is the ultimate "Abba" or Father. We become His children when we accept Christ as our Savior. John 1:12 tells us, "Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." And if we are a child of God, then we are heirs. We have an inheritance. Jesus is the natural Heir. We get to be co-heirs in Him. What does that mean? All that belongs to Jesus will belong to us. How cool is that?! Take a minute and thank Jesus for what He has done for us. Because without His sacrifice, we would have nothing but condemnation. But through Him, we do indeed have the best Father and inheritance EVER!

Sweet n Sassy Stamps just released 2 of the sets I used for this page: Fantastic Flowers and Mini Grunge Type Alpha. I love, love, love this big, beautiful flower!! And it's not the only flower in the set. They're all gorgeous! And I love my alpha sets too. They are a go-to for me. I love the mini size of the new set. And the other set, Outline Alpha, is an old favorite of mine. (The website is having a sale too if you need to stock up on some sets!) 

I painted the background with acrylic paint. You may notice that part of "Abba" is white. That's because I didn't allow the paint to dry long enough and the StazOn ink pulled it up when I stamped the letters. Sometimes, ya just have to go with it! 

I stamped the flower on vellum and colored the underside with marker. That way I can fold the flower back to see the Scripture underneath.

Here's one other page I did with Fantastic Flowers and Mini Grunge. I also used Skinny Caps Alpha. These sets are so versatile! 

Have a blessed day, Friends! Andrea