Hero Arts.. Stamp your Story

Today I received some new stamps in the mail. They are from the new release of Hero Arts and I think they will be great for card-making as well as journalling.

I found that these stamps looked better without spraying the distress inking with water after stamping.

Bad weather here at the moment, cold and gray!

Have a lovely afternoon, I'm going to make a cup of tea.
Jacqueline

Share and winners

 As I will be having another wine-label give-away, I am announcing the two winners today.

They are :  ZUB MOMI and GUNILLA;
Please get in touch with me at cartes34@hotmail.com

Now I have a card share - an uncluttered card using a tag and everything I love about Nature.

Just sharing some thoughts with you.
Lately the Lord has been talking to me about thoughts and feelings.
How often do we believe our thoughts, or our feelings, and choose them above what God's Word, the Bible, says? Just recently I read this :

God understands that when we go through trials we tend to forget His perspective and adopt an emotion-driven perspective.

An example for me would be my letting go of David, my handicapped son. Last November I had a very emotionally driven perspective. But I did let go, in faith, and have seen in the following six months that from God's perspective it was the best decision we could have made at that time. David has adapted and is living the best life he could live at the moment. 

We were sharing at a dinner recently with friends and heard of an elderly couple who couldn't let go of their handicapped daughter. She is 46 now and the parents are no longer able to look after her. Now they have to find a solution - imagine the heartbreak for the parents, but imagine the adaption their daughter will have to make.

It is so important to look at life from God's perspective too. That is why prayer is so important - it brings us in touch with God and His Word and teaches us what is the correct way to think, to trust and to handle! God's way is always the best! I have seen how he has taken care of David, how life's changes have shown me that he can be independent, that I was a smothering mother that did everything for him. He is becoming more and more independent and although I still miss him during the week - I have let go.

If you want to share what you have learned about this, please do, I would love some inter-action on my blog!

As I read this afternoon, "God wants to free us from the burden of worry and anxiety, to pause and focus on His gentle leading in our lifes. By reflecting on His Word, we gain new insights and encouragement that allows us to let go and experience the contentment that comes from trusting God." (Quote from Linda Dillow, all thanks to Maria in Russia who advised me of this lady's book)

I hope this blesses you in the situations of life you may face today.
Bible verse:
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is they faithfulness.
The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him.
Lamentations 3:21-24( paraphrased)

Blessings,

Jacqueline

P.S. - If you are looking for a delicious salad recipe for the summer months - here is one I found on Pinterest and made last night.

Painted Flower from Hero Arts on wine labels

I have discovered the wonderful quality of these little wine label canvasses, especially with distress ink!

I have used the Painted Flower Stamp from Hero Arts with distress markers.

Makes for a quick card too.
Leave a comment and I will pick two ladies who haven't received any in the past, to receive a set.
Have a lovely weekend!
Jacqueline

Card and Nature share

A huge thanks for all the heart-warming reactions to my last blog post - I had not expected to be so spoiled, it really blessed me. Such a wonderful community!

It is beautiful in the evenings where I live and when we take a walk I take my camera with me. Here is a collage of the evening sun catching the flowers. I love this kind of light fall. Some of these photos are from my garden too.

I am so happy to see that red and pink DO go together! At least God thinks they do!

A couple of card shares, inspired by Nature.

I just love using birds, flowers and butterflies on my projects, brings so much more movement to a card. I used scraps from the scrap basket to make these.

I used random distress colors to make the background (watercolor). Cut out the bird from the Timely Bird collage stamp from Hero Arts, used the Hydrangea and a sentiment to fill in the top and the bottom.

Just to mention, I'm getting so much spam on the blog at the moment, seems the Blogger spam filter is not working as it should. Does anyone have the same problems?

Thanks and have a lovely weekend, it too cold here for this month!
Jacqueline

Winners of the Home Decor projects for my Blog Anniversary

Hi. I asked DH to write down four numbers between 1 and 37.

First is: rcwidow (Linda) - first project
Second is: Em (Elaine)    - second project
Third is: Dee                   - card
Fourth is: Donna G          - card

I have contacted Linda and I have Dee's address, but I will need Elaine and Donna to contact me. You can find my email on my profile page.

Why did I choose today because DH and I have been married for 26 years. It is God's Grace that has kept us all these years and we give Him all the glory!! I couldn't make a nice photo of us together - these are two separate photos.
Jacqueline

Tuesday Trigger - Right on Target

We had such a beautiful weekend, although there was a lot of wind, the sun was shining and the light that falls in the mountain areas was breathtaking. We went to a 'Vide Grenier' (Flea Market) just up the road to us. I got some wonderful bargains. I found a huge frame for a butterfly collage that I have cleaned up, just for €3. I have already made my butterfly collage in it in pinks, browns and turquoise.  I also found some lovely old-looking French pottery  for €1! Apparently it is used to keep Duck fat in which can then be conserved for quite some time. I am going to put a plant in it for in the garden. DH found some beautiful professional wine glasses, five for €2 and to top it all, a lady offered me some beautiful plates of all sizes, starting at €5 and I ended up getting the lot (about 25 in total) for €3! That's how I love to spend a Sunday afternoon, in the open air, beautiful scenery, bargains etc.!

This is for the Tuesday Trigger which Cath posted today, here.

I love the inspiration photo.

I used most of the colors to make a watercolor background with distress inks and then just stamped a collage over the top with a Spring theme.

I will be back tomorrow with the winners of my Blog Anniversary give-away.

Jacqueline

Blogging for five years - two give aways - CLOSED 15/05/2013

At the beginning of June I will have had this blog for five years. It is still going strong (although I have slowed down a bit) so thanks to you for all your encouragement and visits. I am so happy to have this 'link to the world'. To all the wonderful creative ladies who I can visit and who visit me too! Thank you all so very much!!

So to celebrate I am going to give away this Grid Home Decor project which I made recently. I chose the tones of orange/turquoise/shades of brown/green and black. I am aware that it might not fit in many home decors but for those who have these colors somewhere in their home, it could be an asset.

For those who are not interested - I don't mind at all - even if you don't comment, it is for those who have a place for it as I wouldn't want it to remain in a drawer either!

*As these are paper-crafted gifts, I am entering these into the Moxie Fab World: 350 Cards & Gifts Week, with today's challenge being 'The Gift Challenge'*

This is what it looks like when it has been framed. The size of the grid is 12"x8,5". The size of the frame here is 16"x12,5". (I will only send the grid not the frame). They look very decorative in a small space, like just above a low cupboard for example. It is not suited for a huge wall as it will loose itself on it.

The second name that gets picked will receive one which is about half the size, 7,5"x4,5" and is suited for a frame which is 12,5"x10" as you can see in the picture below, in red and brown tints with a nature theme. I am not sending the frame, it serves simply as an example of how it could look. I have framed this in a Terre Cotta color frame (these frames are as cheap as can be) and will be enjoying it in my craft room until the winner gets picked :)

  
I will also be having a third and fourth prize - that will be a grid card.

I will keep this open until 15th of May as that is a very special day for me - I will tell you what it is then.


Have a lovely weekend!
Jacqueline

Nature

I love this time of the year, especially being in the countryside where the vineyards are turning green, the trees and shrubs are flowering and the curbs alongside the road decorated with red poppies, blooming thyme, yellow, blue and white flowers. The cherries and peaches, although very small at the moment will  be ripening into delicious fruit during the next months. The birds which we have missed in the winter time are singing and the butterflies and bees are regular visitors in the garden.

So this was made by stamping the frame on the patterned paper (thanks Kailash!) and cutting it out. I had the pond-flowers already cut out in my scrap basket so adhered that to the bottom of the frame. The bird was stamped and cut out on a gingham scrap and I put him between the flowers. Adhered the frame to another piece of PP and then to a piece of cardstock, added a few pearls and it is finished. Oh yes, the sentiment is from an acrylic stamp set that my friend Sue sent me, cannot tell you who makes them.

I have been busy buying pot plants to fill three huge wine barrels we bought last week to decorate the veranda. Oh, how I love flowers!  Maybe this card was inspired by that. I used all the little stamps that you can find between the sentiments on the acrylic stamp sets from Hero Arts, that hardly ever get used. They were just the right size.

A little peek into my garden at the front. Can you see the wine barrel - I hope the flowers will grow over the edge.
My sentiment reflects what I love - simplicity in life.

Hope you have a beautiful, sunny weekend!
Jacqueline