Less Hustle, More Jesus - Day 56

I'm here again with today's entry in my Less Hustle, More Jesus devotional journal. 

Day 56

Unity - Always Been You (KOTM 12/16)
Unity - Create from She Never Says Never
Unity - Be Still My Heart from Grab Bag

If you'd like to see my previous pages, you can see them HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree

I love Christmas - all things Christmas. I especially love Christmas trees, though. Even Charlie Brown ones.

Of course it looks fabulous - after all, it has an Eyelet Outlet Red Ornament Brad on it.

Did you notice the Glitter Enamel Dots?

And here's a trick for you. I used it on the inside of the card, but you can also use it on a card front... Merry Christmas Washi Tape makes the perfect (and SUPER EASY) sentiment. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Eyelet Outlet Products: Glitter Enamel Dots, Merry Christmas Washi Tape, and Ornament Brad

Stamps: Joy's Life Wintery Puns, Mama Elephant O' Tiny Tree, and SU Work of Art

Inks: Memento Cottage Ivy, Desert Sand, and Rich Cocoa and SU Crumb Cake

Papers: Recollections 110# White and SU Early Espresso and Real Red CS

Punch: EK Success Corner Rounder

Less Hustle, More Jesus - Day 55

I'm here again with today's entry in my Less Hustle, More Jesus devotional journal. 

Day 55

Papertrey Ink - Lighten Up Sentiments
My Favorite Things - Starburst Sentiment Strips Die
Poppy Stamps - Grand Madison Window Die

If you'd like to see my previous pages, you can see them HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Gallery Gazers CASE #14

As a member of the Gallery Gazers blog group, once each month I find a card in the SCS Gallery to CASE. This month I chose a card by Ceal (simplybeautiful). I was inspired by her overall CAS design and the way she added the splash of color. 

You can see Ceal's card in the SCS Gallery HERE. You can also see it on her blog HERE. Did you see what Ceal said on her blog? She made her card in less than 5 minutes. WOW! I'm definitely impressed!

Obviously, it is not my intent to exactly recreate her card, but rather to be inspired by it and make one with similarities. I hope I succeeded.

Thanks for the inspiration, Ceal!

My splash of yellow is not ink (Ceal's was); rather mine is Artist's Loft Metallic Lemon Yellow Acrylic Paint. I swathed it on using the edge of a plastic card (like a credit card).

I also added a small patch of the paint inside my card (you can see just a hint of it in this picture)...

You probably noticed that my card is also not a single layer, like Ceal's was. I used a die from My Favorite Things (Blueprint 21) to cut the front panel and I popped it up off of the card base, using Scotch Foam Tape. 

True to Ceal's design, I only used White cardstock.


Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamps: Cornish Heritage Farm The Long Haul (GM Series) and Unity Slowly Turning Classic stamped with Catherine Pooler Midnight Ink

Paper: Recollections 110# White CS (that's it!)

Die: MFT Blueprint 21

Acrylic Paint: Artist's Loft Metallic Lemon Yellow

Embellishments: Enamel Dots from an unknown vendor

Less Hustle, More Jesus - Day 54

I'm here again with today's entry in my Less Hustle, More Jesus devotional journal. 

Day 54

Ink Road - Bun Intended
Unity - Struggle and Strength

If you'd like to see my previous pages, you can see them HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Pumpkin Spice Season

If you visited my blog last Thursday, you might remember I mentioned that I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the two newest stamp sets from The Project Bin and I anticipated being able to use one of them for this week's card. YAY! They arrived!!!

I'm in love with both of them - obviously for different reasons because they are totally different stamp sets. I decided to use the Pumpkin Spice one first, but you can be sure I will be using Keepsake very soon, too.

I find it quite interesting that Starbucks announced the arrival of Pumpkin Spice earlier this week - Baristas started serving it on Tuesday (August 27th). I'm guessing that when The Project Bin released this Pumpkin Spice stamp set a couple of weeks ago, people started wishing for everything Pumpkin Spice (lattes, frappuccinos, and the brand new Pumpkin Spice Cold Brerw) and Starbucks just couldn't wait any longer. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: The Project Bin Pumpkin Spice stamped with Memento Potter's Clay and Rich Cocoa Inks

Die: Stamps of Life coffee4two sponged with Ranger Antique Linen Ink

Papers: Recollections 110# White and SU Early Espresso and Really Rust CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: Gina Marie Glitter Enamel Dots and Washi Tape from an unknown vendor

Less Hustle, More Jesus - Day 53

I'm here again with today's entry in my Less Hustle, More Jesus devotional journal. 

Day 53

LDRS - Story Time
Illustrated Faith - "Be Still"
Illustrated Faith - How He loves Kit

If you'd like to see my previous pages, you can see them HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Challenge Your Stencil

Once a month, the Challenge Your Stash group has a challenge (chosen by one of the members of the group) - and we can only use what we have in our stash. No shopping allowed.

Kelly had a great theme for us this month.

Let me "stencil you in!" Use a stencil somewhere/somehow on your card.

Now some of the gals had to get creative since they didn't own any actual stencils... but I had no problem, since I have quite a few stencils.

I knew one that I wanted to use for sure... the Stamp Anniething Wave Edge stencil. You might wonder why. Simple really. I was in a swap with Stamp Anniething on Facebook. They give you the name/address of someone to send a card to. And guess who got my name? Yep, Kelly! What are the chances of that, right? Well, not only did she send me an absolutely adorable card, she also sent me the Stamp Anniething Wave Edge stencil. So I knew I had to use it on my card for her "Stencil you in!" Challenge.

I do think I maybe should have done some research - looked for a Youtube tutorial - because I'm pretty sure I didn't use the stencil right. But it is what it is.

I used another stencil on the inside of my card -

My Favorite Things Sun Ray

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Newton's Nook Gull Friend stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Stencils: MFT Sun Ray (with SU Daffodil Delight Ink) and Stamp Anniething Wave Edge (with Ranger Tumbled Glass Distress Ink)

Papers: Recollections Black and 110# White and SU Marina Mist CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Brads (Seagull and Seashells)

Less Hustle, More Jesus - Day 52

I'm here again with today's entry in my Less Hustle, More Jesus devotional journal. 

Day 52

Stamping Bella - Nice to See You Petunia

If you'd like to see my previous pages, you can see them HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Travel the World - Week 34

This is the 34th week in my Travel the World personal challenge. Each week I am randomly choosing one country (there are 195 countries in the world) and doing a little research on that country. I then select one tidbit of information about the country as inspiration for the card I make.

This week's country is...

Thailand

There are 1,430 islands in Thailand, 35,000 temples and nearly 67 million people comprise of Thailand’s population. Each year around 6 million tourists visit the country.

Thailand shares a border with four countries: Myanmar (formerly Burma) to the north and west, Laos to the north and east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Malaysia to the south.

One-tenth of the entire population of Thailand lives in its capital city, Bangkok. 

Thailand is the world’s 50th largest country, just slightly larger than Spain.

There are about 35,000 temples in Thailand. Visiting them requires modest clothing, meaning no shorts or sleeveless shirts.

The geography of the country is incredibly diverse, with mountains, rivers, plains, woodlands, waterfalls, beaches and islands all featured throughout Thailand’s six regions.

Thailand has three “seasons” – wet, cool and hot. Typically, 6 months of rain, 3 months of dry, cool temps and 3 months of heat are seen annually.

Bangkok Thailand was named the world's hottest city.

Every year there is a festival in Thailand that is dedicated to monkeys. The locals invite over 600 monkeys to feast on a buffet of over two tons of scrumptious food that has all been lovingly prepared by the locals. The monkeys’ menu consists of rice, tropical fruits, salad, grilled sausages and even ice-cream. The festival is hosted out of the belief that good luck will follow from treating the furry creatures with respect. 

Thailand used to be known as the Kingdom of Siam and is the country where Siamese cats originated from. 

The Tuk Tuk, an open air 3-wheel vehicle, originated in Thailand and is a common mode of transportation in Bangkok. The name “Tuk Tuk” is an onomatopoeia, mimicking the noise of the 2-cycle engines commonly used in the vehicles.

In Thai culture, the head is considered to be the most important part of the body. As a result, no one should ever touch the head of another person, even a child. As a sign of respect and acknowledgment, Thais often try to keep their heads lower than the head of anyone older than themselves or anyone in a higher position.

Shaking hands is not common in Thailand. A typical Thai greeting is the “Wai”. Place your hands together and raise them upwards towards your face while lowering your head in a slight bow. The higher you raise your hands during the Wai greeting, the more polite. It represents the status of the person you greet. For example, hands should be raised all the way to the bridge of your nose when greeting the elderly, but only to your chest for a peer.

The first Siamese twins were born in Thailand. Chang and Eng Bunker, the first known conjoined twins, were born on the 11th of May 1811, in a province near Bangkok in the Kingdom of Siam, today’s Thailand. The twins married two different women, who were also sisters, and each couple were parents to more than ten children each. Innitially they lived together and shared a bed big enough for four but after a number of years the two sisters began quarrelling and so two separate households were established. The Siamese brothers then ended up spending three consecutive nights at each home until their death in 1874.

Thailand is home to a fish that can walk on land. Built like no other fish in the world, the Cryptotora thamicola, otherwise known as the blind, waterfall-climbing cavefish, uses its two front and two back fins to propel itself up waterfalls. In fact, it crawls on land the same way that any four-footed animal would. 

The national flower of Thailand is the orchid, where 1,500 orchid species can be found growing wild in Thai forest. 

Thailand is the world's number one orchid exporter.

Thailand is sometimes known as the “land of smiles” because the people of Thailand seem to be always ready with a smile. They are a peace-loving culture, desiring harmony over conflict.

Chopsticks are not typically used in Thailand, except when eating Chinese dishes that have become part of the cuisine culture. Forks and spoons are the utensils used most frequently, but if you need to cut something, don’t expect a knife. Thais use the side of their spoons to cut and forks only if it is absolutely necessary.

Many Thailand vendors sell reasonably priced fruit. Many are common worldwide such as pineapple, mango, and cantaloupe; others are more exotic like lychee, rambutan (hairy and round), and dragonfruit. Another fruit found there is commonly known as Stinky Fruit (its official name is Durian) and you will even see signs in hotels and public transportation saying it is banned. This fruit has an offensive smell to many people (resembling the smell of Sulphur) but the flavor is mild and creamy.

Famous throughout the world, the popular energy drink, Red Bull was born in Thailand. I

The more you use the Thai language in market bartering, the less likely you are to be ripped off. Knowing a few numbers and the phrase thao rai (how much) will get you far.

The world’s largest Christmas log cake was made in Bangkok, Thailand, on December 25, 1997. The cake weighed 5,071 pounds and reached 27’ 6". It was later cut into 19, 212 portions.

The Great Buddha at the Wat Muang Monastery in Ang Thong province is the world’s ninth highest statue at 416 feet high. 

Thailand is often called the "Golf Capital of Asia", with beautifully kept courses at a reasonable price the country attracts a larger number of golfers from around the world.

Muay Thai (Thai boxing) is a form of kickboxing and is Thailand's national sport.

I decided to let this Thailand fact be the inspiration for this week's card... Thailand's national symbol is the elephant. A century ago there were 100,000 elephants in the country, now there are just an estimated 2,000 left in the wild.

This week's country was actually quite special to me... because I've been to Thailand three times. Each trip was to the city of Chiang Mai, where I served with a team of people providing Bible School and other activities for the children of missionaries while their parents were in meetings. Such. special. memories!

For instance... I rode an elephant (on my first trip to Chiang Mai Thailand). Well, that was an adventure for sure, since I'm afraid of heights. EEK! Yes, I was terrified. But I did it. The elephant I rode actually was the mama of a youngin' and he went along with us... playing in the dirt at times, dunking under the water when we crossed the river, and just being what you'd expect a little boy to be - playful and fun. 

Oh, and I also rode a Tuk Tuk (but not until my third trip to Chiang Mai).

One of the things I purchased in Thailand while I was there was two spools of colorful fiber. I used a piece of one of them on my card... I just had to, don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Sets: CC Designs Circus and Verve Learning to Sail stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Die: Paper Smooches Polaroid

Papers: Fun Stampers Journey Summer Days and Recollections Black and 110# White CS and Paper Studio Textured Green DP

Embellishments: Paper Studio Mini Brads and Fiber from Thailand

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Less Hustle, More Jesus - Day 51

I'm here again with today's entry in my Less Hustle, More Jesus devotional journal. 

Day 51

Unity - Cecelia Girl
Stampabilities - Life is Fragile

If you'd like to see my previous pages, you can see them HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Simple to Spectaular #1

I gave myself a quarterly challenge this year. The first quarter (January - March) I made seven cards from one stamp set. The second quarter (April - June) I created bi-weekly Flea Market Flip cards. This quarter (July - September) I wanted to try making a Simple to Spectacular card.

I fear I failed, since I really am not one who makes spectacular cards... however, I did enjoy this challenge and I do like my "upgraded" card (the simple one, not so much).

For my Simple card, I went with a Black/White color scheme and a CAS design...

For my "Upgraded" card, I added some minimalistic coloring to the image and used the Stampin' UP! Eclectic Layers die for some background. I also used Stampin' UP! Blushing Bride cardstock to add some more color to the card. 

Simple to Spectacular?

Probably not, but it was a fun attempt.

My intention was to just do one Simple to Spectacular challenge this quarter, but I might just give this another attempt next month, so stay tuned.


Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Technique Tuesday Fresh Peonies stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Dies: SU Eclectic Layers and the "Hello" from Technique Tuesday Crocus

Papers: Papertrey Ink White, Recollections Black, and SU Blushing Bride CS and Paper Studio Big Stripe Black/White DP

Embellishments: Recollections Rhinestones

Less Hustle, More Jesus - Day 50

I'm here again with today's entry in my Less Hustle, More Jesus devotional journal. 

Day 50

Art Impressions - Live Laugh Love
Stampendous - Instant Vacation

If you'd like to see my previous pages, you can see them HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today!