In Everything Give THANKS!

Hullo there everyone - this very beautiful post over at Little Birdee Blessings {HERE Is Link} has just come into my inbox and just wanted to share part of it and link you over to the wonderful post.

 When the paths of life run smoothly ahead with sunshine to light the way - it is so very easy to be thankful, isn't it?

 then... *WHOOSH* ..!

In come the storms of ill health, bills not expected, or great sorrow or calamity which touches and almost breaks our heart. We lose our joy and thankfulness.

What does God say in His word?

In every thing give thanks:
for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

 I remember once saying this verse out aloud to someone as we drove along. She had never heard it before and struggled to grasp it.

 I think we need:

•  firstly to know the LORD as our own Saviour  - otherwise how can we thank Him, 
• secondly then walk with Him..moment by moment, day by day
• but most of all to remember HE LOVES US - yes, in spite of what we think or SEE, things are for our GOOD!

If God seems far away  - He has not moved, I have - He stays the same, yesterday, today and forever.

• To read more ~ go to Abby's beautiful post    also see this post here - why do sad things happen? especially the poem about "the Weaver".

I pray for your in your burdens and pray you will seek the One who can help you in and through them, HE is there, where the rubber meets the road of life.

love in Christ,

Sharon.x

What is On Your Workdesk Wednesday?

Hullo there everyone!!!

One thing which was sent to me a while ago which I totally loved watching and thought I would like to share it with you all too is this:
The making and binding of a huge hand illustrated Websters dictionary all by hand - sounds boring? 

Persist and you will be enthralled as you watch it as I was.. after all WOYWW is all about learning.. so our grey matter doesn't dry up!! {*huge grin*}

 How beautiful books were made in the 19th century. - see http://www.wimp.com/beautifulbooks/ 

{Mm, sorry Blogger will not let me insert this video, I tried it ~ no go, please clicck on link.}

ah so wonderful isn't that we can gather together on our desks and share with each other this way? for What Is On Your Workdesk Wednesday, or WOYWW - courtesy of our wonderful hostess, Julia - so pop to her desk HERE - spy on desks of the world, I kid you not!
And here is mine... for the moment.
 If you want to see how I did these cards they are on the post HERE - and the method was sent me by WOYWW's Maggie Silvercrafter. She had it on her desk in January. I decided to do a step by step of method. Not on net anywhere that I could find. Some recent pickies of where I live..

Our washed out beach from recent big storms. It is about twelve foot that drop as you go around the beach from sandhill to current beach level.

Don't you love God's handiwork?? I do, awe-inspring at dusk like this, when birds are flying to their roost, the air is summery, damp and warm; smells are softly wafting around, your senses are totally engaged and enthralled...

Last week we went to the local top restaurant, aptly called "Flooded Gums"  {the trees also are a eucalypti called Flooded Gums} at the International Golf course. I wont taunt you by showing you the food though. It was so very, VERY beautiful.

I haven't been WOYWW-ing  for three weeks now due to ill health.. but now recovering from the extraction of the still painful troublesome tooth, day surgery, three weeks healing, before stitches etc. out. Todays cards on my desk were made before this surgery.

One more thing before I close - please go and say hi to Anne in France (HERE) - she has finally summoned the courage to joined us for WOYWW. Here is a wee peek at her desk! 

Well, thanks so much everyone for popping over for peek and chat.. and may God bless your day wherever you may be.
Shaz in Oz.x. 

PS. Please scroll down just below for WOYWW's Victoria of "Furry Tale & Crafts" gift to me too please? - thank you dear blogging friend :D

Nativity Silhouette by Cottage Cutz + Snippets

Hullo there everyone!!!

Some time ago new I saw this post on Victoria's blog, called Furry Tale Cards and crafts - the post was on the nativity silhouette.....

As a Christian I simply love nativity scenes, so I asked Victoria for name of die cut (it is by Cottage Cutz). She so very kindly offered to send me some, (a dozen in all! *huge grin*). I was so grateful to her - woo hoo - Happy Mail- gotta love it! 

 As looked at the beauty of die cut, I immediately thought of my brayer snippets drawer and ferreted around and went to town.

the first one I did using a bright brayer piece of gloss card - no idea of colours but love it so going to have to try to replicate. I suspect it is Stampin' Up spots, from early days of brayering? all card added is Snippets too.

This a big shot die cut bought on eBay as dont have it .. The brayered the ink with pigment ink (yes Pigment ink, not dye or Classic ink - you can almost brayer most inks I have found) - Stampin Up Soft Subtles from 2009, sprinkled with iridescent embossing powder and heat embossed. The stitching stands out like that when you brayer them. It sat dormant waiting for this die cut to come along!! The white underneath actually is softly embossed with holly and has been in Snippets for ages too.

Last one is also brayer piece, done in Sandy Hulsart colours, see this post HERE - and then trimmed, mounted on snippet of white embossed in Cuttlebug Snowflake folder, with ribbon and snippet punched greeting I coloured in black for scallop.
I would like to enter these in Stamping for Pleasure - Sarn's Christmas challenge - trying to  do it each month for 2013 - please pop over by 28th this month! also joining in Di's Snippets as well!

Well, thanks so much everyone for popping over for peek and chat.. and may God bless your day wherever you may be.
Shaz in Oz.x
 PS. do peek at this little fellow - a Brambling over at Ann'e blog...

I would also like to enter these cards in:

Penny's Paper - Crafty: Anything  Goes (eight hours!)

Cute Cards Thursdays: Simplfy! (Thursday 28th)

Crafty Hazel Nuts Extra: Anything  Goes Christmas (end of month)
Oldie but a goodie Challenge: Bright Colours (first card - brayered piece is very old.. three years?) - finishes 5.3)
Bearly Mine challenges - Anything goes (5/3)

Brayer with Plastic Wrap, aka Baraba Gray! Oriental Butterfly Swap

{Full post on illuminated work, click link here - thank you so much!}

 Hullo everyone - well some inky mess here today! Oo YUM!
Quite a few weeks back here, Maggie Silvercrafter, was talking of Barbara Gray's method of Brayer Ink with Cling wrap, and she kindly sent the summary of it to me - so here is my take on it!! I have also found out from Arty Andrea on WOYWW there is Create and Craft TV Classroom which you can watch and here is the post with this method on it:
http://www.createandcraft.tv/in-the-classroom-lesson-10.aspx

You need good quality Gloss card like Glosskote or SU Glossy card, brayer and good brayer alcohol ink eg Adirondack etc (and it does not need perfect brayering as you can see below).

Step 1: I brayered on some Big and Juicy Hydangrea -colours from either end

Step 2: Spritz with tad of Diamond Dust Glimmer mist - not added on Barbara's design.

Step 3: Take a length of cling or plastic wrap, crumple up, uncrumple - spray inside of plastic wrap with light water spray, crinkle again. Then roughly untangle it and stretch it out wet side down. Lay over the shiny brayered card, pressing to desired shape.

Step 4: When happy with pattern leave them aside to dry overnight or however long it takes.
Once inky cardstock underneath is dry, remove plastic cling wrap to reveal the surprise, oooh!

Step 5: Hey presto! all different sorts of sheets some of them I used glimmermist and some did not - and like both. {Frugal me, saved the cling wrap for future use, and have used it again when ran out of the colured card}

Made four  of these the same, for Butterfly Swap with OSA (Oriental Stamp Art).

Here it is made up with some lovely washi paper bought with in Manchester at Paperchase (thanks Neet). Stamped in Ranger Archival Jet black with Art Neko Stamps - Shaft of Grain - this gorgeous, finely detailed stamp is on sale $1! and the Signature Chop, on sale too. Added the three wee butterflies from "Wildflower Sprigs" by Stampendous (clear stamps), with a Spellbinder Butterfly in same card stock, and inked up with black with in embossed die. These were made, and photographed about two weeks ago before event in PS below.

Well, thanks so much everyone for popping over for peek and chat.. and may God bless your day wherever you may be..  Shaz in Oz.x

P.S. For those wondering about that problem tooth it is G.O.N.E, after five infections :)

 I am currently recovering from the troublesome thing. 
Thanks so much for all your prayers. I know it was miracle when was seeing the Dental surgeon one day, and having it out the next with day surgery - usually have to wait months for such things!! God is merciful indeed. 
Thank you SO much, dear kind bloggers in blogland, for your kind thoughts and most of all your prayers.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Frosted Designs; Be bold. (Bold colours & patterns - Thurs 28/2)

Oldie but a Goodie. Bright colour (Wednesday 5/3)

Alphabet Challenge: Anything with Wings (Friday 1/3)

All Sorts: Things with wings. (Sat 23/2)

Created with Love: Things that Fly. ( Mon 25th)    

Birthdays A~plenty, but probably not WOYWW, sorry!

Hullo there everyone!! just visiting rellies and totally snowed under with catch up as days pass .. here are some card made last week in a hurry for two nephews I was going to see, whose birthdays are in February a well!!

Sorry not time for WOYWW this week... too, too busy, etc. for What is on your Workdesk Wednesday, plus have come down with another tooth infection. See the specialist surgeon about it on Wednesday, so that is a blessing. Have better antibiotics this time and not as much pain which is great - asked for a different one. May make WOYWW later in week, you never know.:D

However here is a wee peek at the cards. All images on cards are courtesy of Mr Google - he is very obliging. Printed them after a Google search on good paper then die cut them up. Computer generated greeting on second card, plus used a happy Birthday embossing folder for the background and Spellbinders labels 4 for the die cut and Spellbinders ribbon label.

I will have to check other frog die cut if someone wants to know. I know I bought it with Neet in Abahkan in Manchester so is UK one. :D Maye Xcut?

Just closing with photo of the beach where my birthday nephews love to come - their parents live here :D lovely day in January, when this was taken, been bit wet of late.

As used snippets in cardboard etc in making these cards - particularly second one, I'm entering it in Di's Snippets Challenge!! Sorry commenting is limited till better but do appreciate so much your visits.

Well, thanks so much everyone for popping over for peek and chat.. and may God bless your day wherever you may be..  Shaz in Oz.x
PS A big welcome to my latest Wonderful Encourager too - Mrs D. of Chris's Cards and Bits.. 
Please go over and encourage her, too, as she is a brand new blogger, lovely cards on two posts!!

Upcycled Christmas Cards Continued

(No WOYWW post this week, things are just too busy to link up - sorry :D Commenting likewise limited - apologies again. I have post on brayer and cling wrap, aka Maggie Silvercrafter's,  started too for next week, God willing.)

Hullo there everyone! Just sharing some more upcycling with you!  Here are two more cards reused from Christmas stash ~ saved shop bought cards given to me, now to re-use!

So here is the original card, I loved the gold, slightly raised, embossed edging of poinsettias on this card - but it was not one you could cut up!

So instead I cut out greeting carefully instead.

Here I am adding bit of backing of card to cover the gap from cut out rectangle of greeting.

Here is the completed card as you can see I used a scalloped rectangle in gold to just edge it then popped it, added red card on white - very simple, but I like it! That image is just too good to throw away.

The second card in centre was a gift card from my friend, Steph. I liked it and even though it had small dent on it, I used up some more snippets to make this card. Spot embossed white card was left over from another card. Silver ribbon bow another snippet from crackers, covering where tag hole was. Used favourite corner - MS Layered arches.

Even though this is not a WOYWW post will close with a tradition here - almost anyway, here is a photo from Oz, last week at our local markets.

Heliconia - called Parrots Beak, with miniature roses, for more info click embedded link. God's creation never ceases to amaze me with its variation.. and yes they do grow here in gardens, although they are tropical, if you keep them out of frosts inland. Here on coast we dont get frosts.

Thanks so much everyone for popping over for peek and chat. 

Shaz in Oz.x.

 I would like to enter the following challenges:

 Challenges 4 Everybody: Anything goes.(15th)

Pixie's Crafty Workshop: Use your snippets up. (second card)
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge - We dont want Any Snow (first card)
5. http://craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge2.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/chnc-challenge-extra-for-february.html

Blog Award from Anne in France

Lovely verse, courtesy of Little Birdee Blessings

Hullo there everyone. 
Some weeks ago now, when not that well, I was greatly encouraged to receive this Liebster Blog Award from Anne in France, of Ink-A-Doodle-Do Blog - check out her amazing work here... thanks, dear friend!

This award was designed to be a blog award in the pay it forward fashion. Once you've been nominated, you can award it to five blogs that you like that have fewer than 200 followers, to encourage new visitors to visit these blogs. Just thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog. Post the award onto your blog. 

ABOUT THE AWARD

This award was designed to be a blog award in the pay it forward fashion. Once you've been nominated, you award it to five blogs that you like that have fewer than 200 followers, to encourage new visitors to visit these blogs.

RULES FOR ACCEPTANCE 

Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog. Post the award onto your blog. Give the award to five bloggers who you appreciate that have fewer than 200 followers. Leave a comment on their blog letting them know that you have given them this lovely award!

PAY IT FORWARD

I just want to make it clear, if I have awarded this award to anyone who does not wish to receive it,  please let me know and will simply remove your name - as not everyone loves to have these.

I have especially chosen new members of the Wonderful Encouragers, who are also new bloggers.
Here are the five wonderfully inspirational blogs that I think you should check out.  

• Cathy of Cathy's card spot - maker of inspiring cards.
• Amy, Insomniac Crafter - please pop over to see her wonderful bog HERE 
•   Helpful Andrea of Arty Andrea a maker of beautiful cards, and a kind caring heart!
• Betsy, of the Simple life of a Queen, a very faithful visitor at my blog.  
• Another Wonderful Encourager - Robyn, who has a great encouraging blog over here
• Last but not least by any means, latest Wonderful Encourager - Mrs D. of "Chris's Cards and Bits"

Thanks so very much everyone for popping over for peek and chat - and dont forget to visit the other folks too, please.  :D

Thank you! you are a blessing, all of you! 
Shaz in Oz.x