Blessed!

Blessed Thanksgiving!

O, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!

We thank God for all of our blessings -- too many to list!

 

The "BLESSED" banner dressed up the fireplace

for this Autumn season.

I used Huntington Papers along with the Glitter Paper

from CTMH,

and Sparkles, AND the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge 

for the letters and the leaf and acorn shapes.

Here's a peek at the paper turkeys (Hershey Nugget for the body)

that will flock to our Thanksgiving table

at each person's place setting.

I used a variety of retired fall-colored papers to make them.

The feathers are cut by using a Marvy punch,

and trimming the middle to 3/4

and the front to 1/2 the circle.

 

 Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

 

Sparkle & Shine Christmas Cubes

This trio of cubes was fun to make

using the CTMH Sparkle & Shine papers

and the CTMH Cricut cartridges too!

Turn the cubes and have a different message and scene each turn!

Merry & Bright Christmas Card Duo

Card 1 from the Merry & Bright Christmas Card Workshop at Rebecca's house...

I adapted the design to include my favorite Christmas stamps
on the front and in the inside.

Inside of card 1:

 Card 2 and the stamped envelope:

(The inside is blank for note-writing)

It's a countdown! 30 days until Christmas!

Sparkle & Shine Rejoice Christmas Banner

Here's one of my Sparkle & Shine banners

using that pretty new CTMH paper packet

and also one of the patterned papers from the retired Jingle packet

(behind the J and the I).

The CTMH Artbooking Cricut cartridge was used to cut the

trees and letters.

I used the Art Philosophy to cut the circles and circle frames.

I cut the pennant bases from poster board.

Additional items I used are the silver glitter paper,

Shimmer trim, Sparkles, and the Metallic flowers.

A closer view:

This banner is going into the mail 

to surprise two very special people,

with hopes that it brightens their living room with Christmas-y colors

and cheer.

"Faith"-Booking Layouts

Here are a few samples of "faith"-booking layouts I've created with the purpose of sharing my Christian faith and values with family members and friends who enjoy seeing my memory albums.

After being hit by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 69 near Indianapolis, I decided to journal about the happening, and share not only what happened, but also how the accident was a BLESSING in our lives. God's angels protected us from something so much worse that happened two miles further on the snowy, ice-covered road! Remember to add the negative life-happenings to your albums, not just the positive, and write how God brought you through them, provided care or protection, and how He worked in your life.

(Click on the photos to enlarge them.)

Ella and I love to giggle and sing and make up songs. Since she was a baby, I've sung "Jesus songs" to her and she has a large repertoire of favorites. She also loves musicals and memorizes all those favorite songs. I just had to document this photo from us at a Fox Theater musical. Someday, Ella may be IN a musical!

Sometimes it works well to hide journaling, as in the layout below. The title and the 8x 10 inch photo are enough to catch the eye on this page. So instead of cluttering the layout with writing, I measured the space to the right of the photo where I wanted to insert a pull-out journaling card (see the flower sticking out), and then cut the Memory Page Protector with an x-acto knife to that specific length.

I tucked the journaled card through the memory page protector, behind Ella's photo, and now, whenever we want to read my thoughts about her and my message to her, we simply pull it out.

More about faithbooking ... 

Recently a few friends came over for a faith-booking workshop. 

I pre-cut papers in a variety of colors and patterns to keep this a simple activity.

My Giggles & Grins layout was the sample with the simple elements--
title, photo mat, and journaling space.

Each one brought a totally different style of photo to feature on a one-page layout. 

One was a simple silhouette someone had cut of her from looking at a photo. 

Each person's layout turned out so unique and different. 

Each chose special Scripture verses and/or a hymn verse to emphasize the Christian witness she wanted to add to her page. 

It was a truly blessed afternoon together, and we plan to continue this! 

(I had cut "Truly blessed" from the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge 

for each person to use as a title if she wished.)

Here are a few of the works in progress below.

1)  This friend wants to use her layout as a 12 x 12 inch framed wall art, and may use her extra decor items that are placed off the page in a second layout.

Update: She used her decorative elements and finished her wall art! See the beautiful finished product below. 

Now for the next layout ...

2) This friend jotted quite a few notes and Scripture verses, and wanted to finish her journaling at home in a quiet place. I can relate to that! It's hard to focus and write while the rest of us are chatting! I know she'll finish this page in a great way as she tells about being twin sisters and the blessings that come with that!

And another ...

3) This friend is completely new to scrap-booking, and I was so happy she joined us and dived right in with her family photo and Scripture verses that convey her message of being so truly blessed by the Lord. I hope she continues to create, because she has great ideas and I love being with her too!

Have you tried faith-booking?

As I get older, interjecting my faith statements into memory albums becomes more and more intentional and important to me. I want those who read the pages to know what I believe and what my values are. I want to tell my story, but even more important, HIS story and how God is present in my life.

Use the key word "faithbooking" (all one word) in the search bar at the top of my blog to see a few more posts about this subject. 

If you faith-book, or if you want more information and resources about faith-booking, leave a comment or send me an email. I'm compiling resources to share with others. I'll be happy to include you on the list!

Blessings, and happy faith-booking/scrap-booking!