A collage card and a photo challenge share

First time I am joining this challenge. The prompt word is STRONG. I found it via Ros's blog here.

This is Roxane and my son Michaël who went on the rapids canoing yesterday - as they pose for the picture it doesn't look like hard work but by golly they told me it was, especially for the one at the back, he has to be strong! This photo was taken in the South of France yesterday.

So that is my little Sunday share, for today.
Jacqueline

Tuesday Trigger - Now That's My Cup of Tea!

I really loved the tea-cup this week for the Tuesday Trigger inspiration. Haven't joined Cath's challenges for a while this summer, but as I got a little idea I thought I'd go for it.

This is the inspiration picture.

And this is my card.

You can find this challenge here.

Thanks for your visit.

Jacqueline

Sharing

Hi everyone, hope you are all enjoying this beautiful summer! 

A month ago I was so lucky to win some blog candy on Virginia's blog - I didn't think I had a chance, as my comment was the first one, but I was so in awe of what her DH had done for her that I had to comment right away. If you are curious to see it, go look here.

 

The card that follows features two of the stamps from the stamp plate from My Mind's eye which you can see on the photo above. The little bird is from Franziska and the leaves are Clearly besotted stamps. The sequins are from Betty and the little pollen dots were made with a very old SU stamp. So, no Hero Arts on this one!

 

 

I think this one speaks for itself how it was made.

Last Sunday DH and I went for a lovely walk in Minerves, a very old village near to us. Here are a couple of photos.

We had a lovely time with David who was with us for four days.

I got a lovely surprise when René returned from his trip to Holland. This beautiful bunch of flowers has long gone, but I can keep the memory of them!

and just sharing the visitor who decided to spy on me while crafting this week, clinging itself to the mosquito net in front of the window! A beautiful lizard that lives in these parts.

 Lastly, sharing a butterfly card that I made yesterday.

Just used three punched out squares from projects not used and attached three of the many butterflies I have fluttering around waiting for a home in my scrap basket.

Have a lovely week!

Blessings,

Jacqueline

Layered stamping

 Love doing anything collage-looking with stamps. These are Hero Arts stamps which I have always loved and use quite regularly.

Jacqueline

What if -- tested!

What if... now, I should have known it would be tested after I had written it! That same Tuesday afternoon my hubby left for a long ride to Holland for the first time on his motorbike (usually takes 13 hours by car). He likes to visit our friends there, just on his own. Everything went fine. The next day he would stop at Nancy in the North of France and on Thursday continue his journey to the Netherlands. It was 8:30 in the evening and I still hadn't got a phone call to say he had arrived and that is just not like him. He should have stopped at the Hotel around 5 in the afternoon and I had expected a call at least before 7. Then it started... the worrying... what if!! I was getting quite fretful too, and thought that my phone must be out of order. I had been calling René since 7:30 but he didn't answer, so I called a friend, who said, well call his Hotel in Nancy - yes, but which Hotel?? I rang about four hotels, getting all emotional, but he wasn't booked there. Just over 8:30 I gave him another ring and he answered! He had forgotten to tell me that he had decided to go straight to Holland without stopping....!!!!! I was crying on the telephone - how's that for faith then!! It's one thing writing it down, it's another to really trust God. If only I had listened harder for his Voice, perhaps I would have stayed calm.
I will comfort myself in saying  that at least I ate my dinner which is pretty clever when you worry! To top it all, just as I was going to treat myself to a lovely 'Magret de carnard', my gas bottle run out. No hubby to change the gas bottle either! My son wouldn't pick up his phone either - needless to say I felt very challenged by the circumstances...lol.

To top it all, the next day my husband says: 'Well it's good for you to learn to stand on your own two feet!'

Now for a little card share: using my new leafy accents stamp

 

 
I used versamark embossing powder only on one of the leaf prints, the other is just versmark stamped.


Have a lovely weekend.
Jacqueline

What If....

I finished my last post with the 'Whys' of life and wanted to start this one with the 'What Ifs' - which is another part of our everyday vocabulary that is driven by our feelings and not our faith! Linda Dillow puts it into these words:

Trusting God with the What Ifs

Waiting for the What Ifs of life, for what might happen, causes the sturdiest of hearts to be anxious. Contentment comes from a proper relationship with God, not a response to the circumstances. Our What Ifs will either drive us to God and faith or drive us to worry and dependence on self. We worry or we trust. God gives peace and contentment, worry gives misery.

Psalm 141:8 encourages us to fix our eyes on our Sovereign Lord and take refuge in Him. Psalm 112:7-8 says 'He will not fear evil tidings; his heart is fixed steadfast... His heart is upheld, he will not fear'. Only as our heart is fixed on our Sovereign, loving Lord can we be at peace in the midst of the What Ifs.

When we turn to control, strategies, intelligence, and manipulation, we are trusting in ourselves. Instead of giving our anxious hearts to God, we handle the uncertainty of the What Ifs of life by employing these control tactics to 'help God out'.

I don't know about you but I have to read this kind of encouragement daily. Especially concerning the circumstances I can be a complainer and have to change my mind and trust God again and again!

I hope that this might have helped one lady visiting my blog today..

 

Sharing a couple of cards I made using a new stamp set from the Clearly Besotted Stamps line, called 'Leafy Accents'. I love this leaf stamp which has been stamped in different color distress inks which gives it dimension. I had taken at least 150 stamped butterflies with me to Scotland and I cut them all out during tea time in the afternoons! This is one of them.

My second card started with a distressed panel of light pink and antique engravings distress ink. stamped over the top with the leaves and a Carte Postale stamp. I added a couple of butterflies from my scrap basket and a couple of sequins, which my lovely friend Betty sent me.

Here is what the stamp set looks like:

 Thanks for your visit, I always appreciate you.

Jacqueline

My summer highlights

Hello ladies! The hot summer days have taken me out of my Craft Room, amongst other things, and I have been enjoying the pool, the Beach and lazy days just reading and resting.  I wanted to share some highlights of my time away.

My summer vacation in Scotland. DH and I got to stay in a huge Mansion from the 18th Century, totally renovated and beautifully vintage! We spent two weeks with this beautiful group of Christian leaders from USA, Colombia, Spain, England, Southern Ireland, Northern Ireland, Holland and Scotland itself.  The weather was incredible for this part of the world in the second week. Went for beautiful walks in the gorgeous countryside (with sheep and cows) and received wonderful Ministry and Prayer. I laughed so much and had some lovely times of sweet fellowhship with these people. As I mentioned, there was a huge Creativity Room in the house which even had boxes of Rubber Stamps. I made three of my Grid Home decor projects while I was there which I gave away as gifts.
 

 Loved the walks with my Ipad, taking pictures.

 

Another highlight for me was finding this ring. A great accessory for black and white clothing and just my style.

 My beautiful daughter-in-law to be, turned 21 and was absolutely thrilled with the flowers Michaël (my son) gave her.

Enjoyed having meals out with friends and watching the sun set and the afterglow.

And I finally made another card. I used the journaling card stamp from the 'Remember' stamp plate from hero Arts to create a sort of fence with flowers behind it. 


Thanks for your visit and for all the encouraging replies I had to my previous post - I so appreciate that and it just blesses me!

Oh yes, I wanted to share just a little something I am contemplating at the moment. It is about trusting God with the Whys, by Linda Dillow:
"Three of the Psalms begin with the question, Why? David wasn't the only one to ask Why? The Lord Jesus cried from the Cross "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)? There are multitudes of whys in each of our lives, unanswered questions that tear our hearts in two. Like our Lord Jesus, we must turn our Whys into trust.
The bridge that takes us over the many Whys is trusting God to be the Blessed Controller of all things (1 Timothy 6:15). He is the Blessed Controller of our circumstances, gifts, abilities, possessions, roles, relationships and all our Whys. We acknowledge His sovereign control by trusting Him for everything - what we don't understand, can't see and what doesn't make sense to us. We accept what He has allowed today. And give all our tomorrows to Him. The inexpressible joy on the other side of yielding all control to Him is contentment and a calm heart.

Many blessings,
Jacqueline