Set Free

Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me. Psalm 142:7 (NIV)

Hi Friends!

Good news! Jesus can set us free! When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we know He cleanses us from our sins. We are clothed in His righteousness. We have eternal life. We are saved! But sometimes, we don't live as set free, saved people- at least I don't. Sometimes I find myself feeling like I am still locked in the prison of sin, the prison of defeat, the prison of regret. Do you ever find yourself feeling like something has you chained in? There's hope, dear friends, and His name is Jesus. When we feel like we're chained in, we need to remember we are ALREADY set free in Jesus. We are set free as soon as we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. We just need to live that way. Call out to Him. Remember who He says we are in Him.

• I am loved. 1 John 3:3
• I am accepted. Ephesians 1:6
• I am a child of God. John 1:12
• I am a joint heir with Jesus, sharing His inheritance with Him. Romans 8:17
• I am a temple of God. His Spirit and his life lives in me. 1 Corinthians 6:19
• I am redeemed and forgiven. Colossians 1:14
• I am complete in Jesus Christ. Colossians 2:10
• I am free from condemnation. Romans 8:1
• I am a new creation because I am in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17
• I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved. Colossians 3:12
• I am established, anointed, and sealed by God. 2 Corinthians 1:21
• I do not have a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
• I have direct access to God. Ephesians. 2:18

Simply choose to believe what God says about you. And live that way! And then praise Him. Thank Him. Bring glory to His name. Because that's what we do for our Savior who freed us! 

For the page, I used 3 brand new Sweet n Sassy Stamps sets and a couple of other favorites. The brand new sets are: Free Indeed, Brotherly Love, and Script Alpha. I also used Girl Power (which pairs beautifully with Brotherly Love), Let's Do It, and Teeny Alpha (which has upper and lowercase and numbers!!). I used watercolor crayons for the background and a white Sharpie pen to highlight.

I found the list of who we are in Christ at https://www.christianlifecoaching.co.uk/who-you-are-in-Christ.html. You can find the complete list there.

Have a blessed week! Andrea

Uniquely Designed

"But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand." Isaiah 64:8

Hello lovlies! I am sure by now you are all aware of the latest stamp set Girl Power. I can't tell you how excited I was to see this set when it released. This set gives me the creativity to play dress up and make beautiful girls that represent myself and my friends.

I pulled out all my alpha stickers to create a fun funky jumbled alpha for the word 'uniquely' and for the word 'designed' I used the Teeny Alpha stamp set that released last month. Next I stamped my three girls. I played with the different necklines and even added a floral accent to the top knot girl. I used my watercolors to create beautifully unique girls. I added a short prayer, some washi, enamel hearts, wordfetti and tab to finish off the page.

I have always loved the imagery of this verse! In my simplistic mind I see my creator God throwing a blob of clay on a messy pottery wheel. Gently He places his hands and begins to mold and form. I was designed, created and formed to be unique piece of God's creation. Why do I gaze in the mirror wishing my uniqueness away? We are created with unique talents, forms, dreams, and desires, which come together to build a beautiful body of Christ.

Father, Thank you for molding me into the woman you need me to be. Help me to see my differences as tiny fingerprints of you! Remind me to embrace the differences in those around me. We are all the work of your hands! Amen!!

Hugs and Prayers,

Jenn @creativegurl85

Trust In the Lord

Happy Friday everyone! 

Yay for the weekend right?! The page I am sharing with you today is from the book of Proverbs. 

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart 

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight."

I know it's not just me that needs this reminder from time to time. It's very easy to get caught up in the problems of the world and the stress of everyday life. We try to solve all of our own problems as quickly as possible, and preferrably in an efficient manner. We need to remember that we need to put all our trust in the Lord. Only he knows what he's doing and what comes next. Wouldn't it be great though to occassionally get a little peek into our future? It would just make life sooo much easier!! But unfortunately, we can't, and that's ok! Because our Lord is powerful and he only has good things planned for us. So, if we let go of the reins, and give him control, he will point us in the right direction. It's not always easy, and yes it takes faith, but he can do amazing things when we let him!

My favorite part of this page was creating the sky! When using silhouette stamps, it gives you the opportunity to really play with the background and make it unique. For this background I used a technique shared by my friend Angeline, owner of Dots & Dust. She designs and makes her own line of watercolors! So fun! Check her out on Instagram: @dotsanddust   

I used pink and blue watercolors to lightly add color to the sky, and when the two colors bled into each other they created a beautiful purple! After that background was done, I went back over it using white acrylic (slightly watered down) to create very soft white clouds. Angeline calls them "cotton candy clouds". Once the background was complete, I used Scene Silhouettes: Trees and Scene Silhouettes: Woodland to stamp the tree and fox. And lastly; stamped my text, added a tab and some wordfetti, and done! A fairly simple and elegant watercolor page.

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed weekend!!

xoxo,

Stephanie Gammon

Scene Silhouettes: Trees

Scene Silhouettes: Woodland

Seek Him

Love Your Neighbor

Teeny Alpha

Beautiful Boundaries...

Hi friends,

As I've been reading through the Bible this year I've read through the sections where land was given to the twelve tribes of Israel. It can be easy to skip through these parts, wondering about the relevance of the various different boundaries and city allocations for ancient tribes! But as I was reading, a verse from Psalm 16:6 came to mind: 'The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. Surely I have a delightful (or beautiful) inheritance.'

 

As I was journaling about boundary lines I began to think about boundaries in our lives. There were three thoughts that resonated with me. Firstly, we need to recognise the boundaries we have been given. So often trouble comes because we don't know or accept the boundaries God has given us: we want to wander outside of them and set our own parameters on life. But like the tribes of Israel, God has given us an inheritance of beautiful gifts and that inheritance has boundaries - not physical ones like rivers or fences, but other types of limits. These may be moral boundaries, gifting limitations, selected relationships, financial parameters... and others. Our responsibility is to recognise these boundaries, and then to cultivate gratitude for what God has blessed us with. This is the 'pleasant' and 'delightful' part! If we focus on the goodness of God's provision within the boundaries He has set, we are less likely to look longingly into someone else's field or go wandering where we shouldn't (whether with our mind, eyes or body!).

The final thought about boundaries has resonated with me personally, and that is about how we guard the boundary lines of our lives. Sometimes we allow others to trample through our inheritance or we invite unhelpful or harmful elements into the space of our lives. It is our responsibility to protect that which God has entrusted to us and sometimes that involves saying 'no' to things that try and violate the boundaries of our lives. Saying 'no' is often not easy, because we don't want to let people down or offend others, but it is an important word in living responsibly within our delightful inheritance.

As my photos have shown, I had fun with my Distress Oxide inks on these pages, using stencilling and sponging techniques to create backgrounds. I then stamped the text using a combination of alphabet stamp sets, and added the wildflowers using Nature Silhouettes. Here are some of the sets I used:

I hope these thoughts on boundaries which have challenged me, may encourage or challenge you as you consider the beautiful inheritance you have been given in Christ.

x Amy x

Even the Stars

"Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him all you shining stars! Praise Him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord! For He commanded and they were created. And He established them forever and ever; He gave a decree, and it shall not pass away." Psalm 148:3-6

Recently I was on Youtube and a suggested video popped up in my feed... it was 'So Will I' by Hillsong United. The words in the song are so powerful and moving! I highly recommend giving the song a listen and allow the Father to speak through the song. Once the song was over I pulled out my supplies and got to work documenting this special God moment in my Bible.

I began by using the sketchy star in the 'Skinny Minnie alpha' set stamped in sticky VersaFine ink and embossed with white embossing powder. I stamped the fun sticky note from 'Just say Jesus' onto some scrapbook papers and used the 'Teeny alpha' and words from the same set to stamp on the notes. Before attaching the notes to the page I used a few blue watercolors to create a dark night sky. Once dry I added some simple white stars or dots with my white signo gel pen and a few splashes of gold ink. I love the cute little washi strips added to the corners of the notes, it gave the page so much character. I finished the page with some of the lyrics from the song 'So Will I.' 

I will end this post with the first verse from the song, I pray it touches you heart. 

'And as you speak a hundred billion galaxies are born

In the vapor of you breath the planets form

If the stars were made to worship so will I

I can see you heart in everything you made

every burning star a signal fire of grace

If creation sings your praises so will I!'

Hugs and prayers,

Jenn @creativegurl85

Learning to Wait

Good Morning everyone!! 

The page I am sharing with you today is based on a verse in the book of Isaiah. 

Isaiah 30:18

"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,

and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.

For the Lord is a God of justice;

blessed are all those who wait for him."

In this chapter, the people of Israel were seeking help from Egypt instead of turning to God for help. They didn't want to hear the truths that the prophets spoke of, they only wanted to hear what they wanted to hear. So they looked towards sinful things that appeased them. God is a jealous God. He gets very angry at them for turning to someone else for help instead of him. The only help we need as believers is help from the Lord. We should not look to the world for answers as it is the world that will lead us astray. 

Egypt is also a symbol of the "worldly things" we seek. The Pharaoh was nothing more than a man, and God had proven his power over the Pharaoh time and time again, yet they still choose to seek the Pharaoh's wisdom over their own God. We as christians need to be patient and wait on the Lord! His timing is perfect and he knows the plan for our lives, not us! So we need to wait on his timing and his mercy. He will never leave us, we just need to wait to receive his guidance, not rush ahead because we are impatient and want answers now. 

I kept this page simple because I wanted the message to stay strong. I used the napkin technique to apply this sweet bunny onto my page. I went Live on the Creative Worship Bible Journaling Facebook Group earlier this week showing just how to do this napkin technique. 

1. You trim your image of choice and peel off the back layer of the napkin leaving only the thin layer your image is on. 
2. Then apply and thin layer of gesso to your page where you want the napkin to go, and gently press and smooth the napkin down to your page. 
3. I have found if you then dry the napkin and gesso it helps with the next step. 
4. The last step is to very gently apply a layer of gesso over top of the napkin to help seal it to the page. Try to apply just enough to hold the napkin down and cover it. The more wet your napkin gets, the easier it will be to wrinkle or rip it. 
5. Then just dry it one more time, trim off the excess napkin from the edges of your page and you're done!! The bunny on this page is just an image cut from a napkin but it looks like I drew it on there. Such a fun technique to add to your bible journaling arsenal of tricks!

I hope you all enjoyed this page and the technique shared. If you have any questions at all about it, please feel free to send me a message and I would be happy to help! I have also listed the stamps I used on this page below. Mixing up the different alphas made for a fun touch to the message on this page.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Stephanie Gammon

xoxo

Holy Spirit

Teeny Alpha

Classy Script Alpha

Seek the Lord and Live

Seek the Lord and live. Amos 5:6

Friends,

Amos 5 repeatedly tells us to "seek God and live" (verses 4, 6, 14). Of course, when Amos wrote this, he was speaking to Israel. What he was telling them was to seek God, not in the false worship they were guilty of, but in humility and righteousness. That message is true for you and me too. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 to seek His kingdom first. How do we do that? We intentionally pursue God. How can we do that?

• Romans 12:2, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (How do we renew our minds?)
• Colossians 3:2, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (What are the things above?)
• Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things."

When we seek Him, and give Him ourselves, we are given eternal life. So, seek Him and live. And, sisters, let's help each other seek Him. Let's build each other up in Him. Because...He. Is. Everything.

For the page, I was SO excited to get to use Sweet n Sassy Stamps' new Girl Power Printable. It has 10 (yes 10!!) adorable girls as well as words/phrases. When you buy the bundle, you get a PDF as well as the individual PNG files! And this printable is a hint of things to come!! I also used Teeny Alpha, one of the sets released this month, and an oldie but goodie- Scribble Flowers. The background was done by scraping acrylic paint across the page. And I used a Micron pen for the thought bubble.

Have a blessed week! Andrea

Praise God Through It All

 It is good to praise the Lord and make music to Your name, 

O Most High, 

proclaiming Your love in the morning 

and your faithfulness at night... 

Psalm 92:1-2

God's Word is replete with the praises of His people even when going through tribulations. All of us can recount times when we were broken with bleeding hearts and yet found we could still feel the loving arms of our God wrapped around us.  One of the reasons we can praise God in the middle of any storm is His faithfulness to us.  Our praises don't emanate from the purity of our hearts, but by the Spirit in us who lifts our eyes away from circumstances to focus on the God who will see us through it all.

I recently heard a song that totally resonated with me and I want to include a link at the end of the post to the song if I can.  The lyrics speak of God's faithfulness and how he is with us through it all when we get it right and when we don't. I hope you'll take a minute to listen if you need to feel God a little closer to your heart today.

Design Details:
I've started designing pages in a small three-ring binder that is my praise book.  I've had it for more than a year and decided I wanted a place where I could journal more and have more design work than I can do in my Bible.  And I thought a praise binder was a perfect place to create using the printables from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.  Our printables are a relatively new line and while certainly not limited to Bible journaling they are perfect for that, sized with a Bible page in mind.

We are beginning to branch out and think of lots of ways to support Bible journaling, but my line of printables are unique for several reasons.  You get a ton of ready to print-cut-use images that coordinate with a theme.  But you also get an interactive devotional that takes you to the Word of God and enables you to spend real study time there, meditating on how God is speaking to you to apply the truths of His Word to your life.  The interactive portion takes you into a worshipful, quiet time with God.  In addition to the designs and devotion you also get Bible passage prompts...samples of scriptures where the printables can be used...all following the theme of the printable.  This month's printable, Rain or Shine, includes verses of scripture that encourage our praises through all events in our lives.  But one of the most unique and helpful components of our printables is that the download gives you not only the printable, but the digital files in color AND outline.  You receive all the colored images as JPEGs and PNGs which allows you to resize, flip, layer...create to your hearts content and in a sense create your own printable.  With the outline images you can expand your creativity and personalize the images by coloring or using paper-piecing techniques. Our design team members are showing tons of ways to use our printables and all have done amazing worship-filled projects that will totally inspire you.

All of the elements on these pages are from the printable.  If you have a cutting machine, you can make fast work of creating these die-cut like designs or you can run the printable through with sticker paper.  So the versatility of these is a hugh selling point.  Here I've combined the printables with some of my favorite stamps, all released this month--Just Say Jesus, Teeny Alpha and from last month, Skinny Minnie Alpha, which is quickly becoming a go-to alpha set.

One of the things I like about using my binder (purchased through Illustrated Faith), is the SPACE I have for creating. I've included personal thoughts, scripture, and song lyrics...all things that take me to the heart of worship.  So whether you are creating in  a binder like this, traveler's notebook, junk journals, or your Bible these printable will offer you tons of possibilities.  But scrapbookers and cardmakers are certainly not forgotten.  These are perfect for you too, AND with the digital images provided you can size them for your specific needs. 

Sets Used:

Rain or Shine Printable Bundle

by Diane Noble

3 sheets of print and cut designs, interactive devotional, scripture prompts AND

PNG/JPEG files for personal creations. 

Just Say Jesus by Rebecca Rios

Teeny Alpha Clear Stamp by Korin Sutherland

Skinny Minnie Alpha by Rebecca Rios

Don't forget to listen to this encouraging song by Colton Dixon, Through It All