Stampin' Sisters In Christ - 5-15-11

I will lift my eyes to the mountains –
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
The Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip.

He who watches over you will not slumber;
Indeed, He who watches over Israel will
Neither slumber nor sleep.
Psalm 121 1-4

The contemporary Christian music artist, Chris August has a song called Canyons. The first part goes. “…Mountains and valleys the ups and the downs I go through. I will rejoice in you Jesus no matter the view.” Isn’t that an awesome thought? God allows us to go through Mountains and Valleys, ups and downs.

It is my opinion that the author of this Psalm knew what it was like to be in the valley. “I LIFT MY EYES TO THE MOUNTAINS”. The only way you can lift your eyes to the mountains is when you are in the valley. If you were on the mountain and lifted your eyes, you would see sky.

“WHERE DOES MY HELP COME FROM?” It has been my experience that I am more ready to ask for help when I have reached the bottom of the valley, than when I am on the mountain. When I am on the mountain I tend to get complacent and I take God’s help for granted, but when I am hurting, and I know I can’t fix things on my own, I cry out “HELP!!!!!”

I love the answer to the previous question.

“MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD. THE MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH!” In the evenings, my family gathers together in our living room. There isn’t enough space for everyone to have a seat so sometimes we end up on the floor. When I get down on the floor, I need assistance to get up.(I’m not as young as I use to be.) When I ask for help, I don’t ask my youngest son, because he isn’t strong enough, yet, to help me. I ask my oldest son, who is almost 6 ft tall. He has the power and strength to help me. In the same way, when I am down in the valley. I don’t want help from this world. This world doesn’t have the strength. I want help from the All-powerful God. The very God who created everything.

“HE WILL NOT LET YOUR FOOT SLIP” Have you ever been mountain climbing? I grew up in Arizona and I loved climbing mountains. Sometimes when you climb the path is wide and fairly easy to climb. At other times, the path gets really narrow. If your foot were to slip at these times, you could plummet down the mountain and be seriously hurt, if not killed. When reading this verse, I imagined climbing out of the valley and being on that narrow path. How comforting that God is watching over me and won’t let my foot slip! He is protecting me and keeping me safe.

“HE WHO WATCHES OVER YOU WILL NOT SLUMBER; INDEED, HE WHO WATCHES OVER ISRAEL WILL NEITHER SLUMBER NOR SLEEP.” Living in a small town in Iowa, I don’t have many fears when night falls and I try to sleep. The town is fairly peaceful. When 10 o’clock comes, even the traffic lights go from their regular cycle to flashing red lights. There is almost no traffic on the streets. I have lived in a big city though. When I lived in Phoenix, Arizona, it wasn’t nearly as peaceful. I lived downtown, and I heard police sirens all night long and at least once a night I would hear the Police helicopters fly over my apartment. Traffic never stopped. There was always someone on the roads. But even all that chaos can't compare to what some people endure. I can’t imagine living in a war zone. I can’t imagine trying to sleep knowing that the “Enemy” could attack at any time. I think the only way I would be able to sleep is if someone was standing guard. I would want someone responsible, who wouldn’t fall asleep, and who would wake me if there was any trouble. Well, while I don’t live in a physical war zone, I do live in a spiritual war zone. I am glad that I have a protector who watches over me all the time aren’t you?

The challenge this week is to make a card with a tea/coffee cup or pot.

I used my FLORAL TEA set by Mark’s Finest Papers. I stamped it with black stazon and water colored the flowers. I then used porcelain paper technique on the cups. When they were dry I added craft foam behind them to make them have dimension. When I saw what the challenge was, this joke came to my mind and I just had to use it. I used my computer to print it. I made a pocket on the inside to hold a teabag.





The sponsor this week is The Craft's Meow. The prize will be a stamp set designed by the talented Nina Brackett.

Check out what my Stampin' Sisters in Christ have created.

Chris

Grace

Kris

Linda

Lisa

Miesje

Pegggysue

Rebekka

Sabrina

Porcelain Paper Butterfly

I used the butterfly from Mark's Finest Papers -Daffodil and Anise set to make a porcelain paper butterfly pin. The inspiration challenge today was from Pink Taffy Designs. I was inspired by this mobile. This pin is different from others that I have made, because, I added spirals of wire and beads at the bottom of the pin.

Common Orange Sulfur Butterfly

Yesterday's ways to use it challenge was to stick it. I chose to make a porcelain paper butterfly using my Layers of Color butterfly stamp. I colored it to look like a comon orange sulfur butterfly. I found this buttefly corpse in the parking lot of our McDonalds. It was in really good condition considering... I brought it to my office to be my model for my butterfly. It really helped having it side by side with the one I was coloring. I made a box for it using my favorite origami box technique. I used ink-spray-smashed paper on the box. I also used my Layers of Color art stencil on the box. I made hand made flowers. I added a twist this time by adding yellow fringe to the centers of my flowers.

Got Butterflies????

I made this butterfly milk carton for the Limited Supplies challenge, although I have to admit it wasn't very limited, and for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge. I know the purpose of the limited supplies is to show what you can do as a beginner. I only used white cardstock for this project. I brayered one piece with dark green and lime green ink. I then stamped greenery with dark green and lime green. I played with my new cuttlebug to make the windows. They could have been just as well cut out with scissors. I taped acetate to the inside of the windows. I made two porcelain butterflies using my LAYERS OF COLOR stamps and tied the milk box with a ribbon. I filled it with kisses.

1 Peter 1:23 (NIV) "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God."

That is the scripture for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge. We were reminded that seeds send out little shoots of green. We have the hope of eternal life, because of Christ. We were planted in Him, and as the Holy Spirit works on our lives we begin to grow. Little green shoots that give us a glimpse of what we will be like after this world. We were to use green in a project to remind us of our eternal hope. It didn't have to be all green just a touch. I couldn't help myself and there is not just a touch of green, but a whole lot. I guess I just got carried away because I'm tired of white, outside my window.

Blessed are they that mourn

FOR THEY SHALL BE COMFORTED. Matthew 5:4

I made this card for the TLC at splitcoast. I love these side step cards. I used one of my porcelain paper butterflies and a scrunched flower. I used cardstock that had touches of green for the Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge to add a touch of green to our cards. This card was made for a special lady. She lost her mother last week. Her mother was in her 90's and was a godly woman. We know where she is, and we are happy for her, but my friend is sad at the loss. I hope that this card lets her know that I am thinking and praying for her and that it brings a little comfort.

Porcelain paper card

The inspiration challenge at SCS was FRANZ PORCELAIN. I chose this little sugar jar as my inspiration piece. I made a porcelain paper butterfly, leaves and flowers.

Porcelain Paper Leaf Pin

I took my leaf stamp and colored it with three diferent markers.

After I colored the stamp, I sprayed it with water.

I stamped it 3 times on cream colored cardstock.

I colored the leaves in with my prisma colored pencils.

I cut the leaves out.

I glued the leaves one on top of eachother.

I put a layer of tacky glue over the top of the top leaf.

I smeared the glue around using my finger.

When the glue was dry I glued a pin to the back.

Last step was to put a coat of clear fingernail polish over the leaf

to make it shiny.

Porcelain paper butterflies

Here is my tutorial on how I make my porcelain paper butterflies.

Matterials:
Aleene's Tacky Glue
110 weight Georgia Pacific White Cardstock
Black Stazon Ink
Golden Sun, Crimson Red and Orange Prisma colored pencils
Scissors
Black Cardstock
Butterfly stamp (I used my stampabilites clear stamp butterfly)

Cards from this last week that used Porcelain paper butterflies

Limited supplies to make a gift card holder, using chocolate colored paper and add a butterfly.(porcelain of course) LSC235.

Sketch challenge with blue porcelain paper buttefly. SC243.

Sketch challenge with porcelain butterfly. SC243.

Painted grid technique using plastic canvas and porcelain butterflies. TLC235.

Painted grid technique with a porcelain paper butterfly. TLC235. This card is also for my friend Kelly's Word of the Week. It is a NEW challenge on her NEW blog. Can you guess what the word of the week is? It is NEW. I used new stamps, and a new technique the painted grid technique.


Notice the common theme with this last week's cards???? Porcelain Paper Butterflies. I have been working on a tutorial on how I make them. I thought I would show you the samples first and then show you the tutorial.

Gold Leaf Pen Resist

Had computer problems yesterday, so I am posting my cards for the technique lover challenge. It was to use a gold leaf pen or a silver leaf pen as a resist and then water color or mist over it. I did two. One with silver with the old car and one with gold with the flowers and butterfly.

Trifold double pocket card

This card was made for Lynn's Splitcoast Technique Lover's Challenge I really struggled with this card because the measurements were a little off. I had to kinda eyeball it. I made a belly band to close it. On my belly band I made 2 blue paper flowers. I added glass beads to the centers. I added 2 leaves and a porcelain paper butterfly. I made more paper flowers that I put on the outsides of the pockets. I stamped monarch butterflies on the inserts for the pockets. I also put panels of blue and light green with polka dot dp to dress up the insides.