Howdy, Peeps!
I would like to start this post by saying.....WOW. I've been so touched and encouraged and inspired and moved reading all of your comments on my previous post. I have heard from hundreds of you -- both in the comments section and in my email inbox -- and while a lot of you were cheering me on and encouraging me, there are also a LOT of you out there that are facing your own struggles even now. Job struggles, family struggles, health struggles, financial struggles. My heart breaks for those of you that are in those situations right now. As I read your comments and emails, I prayed for you -- that God would truly bless you as you seek to put Him first in your lives and trust that He's got your back. He won't let you down......even though sometimes it might feel like it. I've spent the last couple of hours this morning, answering your emails and I have to say that if I could have, I would have replied to every single one of you that left comments here at the blog-o too! I so appreciate your encouragement and I appreciate you taking the time to share with me. It makes this blogging thing so much less one-sided when I hear from you and know that there really are some of you that stop by here every day waiting for me to post. I'm sorry to keep you waiting sometimes. :)
Well, I hope that you all had a great weekend whether you were celebrating the dads in your lives or remembering a dad or whether Dad never even crossed your mind because you live in another country and it wasn't Father's Day at all, where you live! Hahaha. We did get to spend a bit of time w/my Dad and the fam yesterday.....we had lunch at "Jumpin' Catfish", Dad's favorite restaurant. Bartley also worked alllll weekend at a basketball camp.....well, technically he was done by lunchtime on Sunday but still, he was gone Friday night, alllllll day Saturday and all morning on Sunday. And can I just say that weekends aren't half as fun when he's gone working? It's true.
But never-the-less, it was a good weekend and the sermon at church on Sunday was on remembering "the Sabbath" and how it's important to take a day each week (whatever day works for you) and really having a day of REST. That's so hard to do in this day and age, isn't it? Take a whole day and just REST. And yet, just think how much happier we'd all be if we did that.....took a little time each week to recover and recharge after a week of work....or before the next work week starts. It can be hard to do sometimes and I know there are things that come up from time to time.....family parties or whatever it may be.....but Bart and I try really hard not to schedule things on Sundays. We know we have church on Sunday mornings and then we usually have no plans after that and we LOVE it that way! We love to be able to take a nap or just hang out at home, being together, resting and recharging for the week ahead. Now I'll be the first to admit that sometimes I have work stuff to do or as was the case this weekend, Bart had to work on Sunday. But as much as we can, we try to not book ourselves for things on Sunday and it feels so good. Maybe that's something you could try for your own family. And maybe Sunday's not the day for you to be able to do that -- maybe it's Saturday in your house, where you could set aside the time to just be with your family, enjoying some down time at home, RESTING.
All right, so I've clearly babbled on long enough and by now, you're probably wondering if I'm ever gonna talk about the card in the photo above! I am....right now! :) The patterned papers on this one are from October Afternoon's Thrift Shop line and I'm in looove with it. I mean it. Love. I inked up the edges a bit before stitching them to my card front. Then I added a big cream button on the right side.
This little embellie is one that I made when I was visiting my friend Pam in Ohio last month. I used the Mat Stack 1 die to die cut a piece of kraft card stock and then stamped it with the pretty label image from Papertrey's anniversary set from this year -- Round and Round. I heat embossed that label image with clear embossing powder on the kraft card stock and then inked the edges with vintage touch tea dye ink.
As for the rest of the embellie, I started with a circle of bitty box basics patterned paper in aqua mist. Next, I layered a Martha Stewart paper doily on the patterned paper (after inking it's edges a bit) and then added a flower that I created using hibiscus burst card stock and the Beautiful Blooms II #3 dies. The little aqua circle was punched with a Martha Stewart punch and I added a threaded raspberry fizz button. The little hawaiian shores ribbon loops were created with a bit of scor-tape to hold them in place!
There's no sentiment on this card because.......well, to be perfectly honest, I forgot to put one on. But the fact of the matter is, you don't always need a sentiment on the card's front. That way, this pretty little number will work for whatever I need it for, when it comes time to send it out. :)
All righty, lots to do this week including several different deadlines so I'd best get to it! Thank you all for visiting me today. Thank you for leaving comments and for encouraging me. So many of you have said that maybe it's a little crazy but you feel like we're friends. Just so you know, I feel the same way about a lot of you! When you take the time to connect with me, it totally makes me feel like we're friends. For instance, I know that Irene in Colorado also has a hottie hubs named Bart. Well, to be fair, she didn't say he was hot, I'm just assuming on that one. :) I also know that Susan Beauchaine lives in Kansas too.......and Taheerah lives in the UK but I'm gonna get to meet her at CHA in Chicago next month! I know that every time I see Donna Calamari's name, I smile because.......well, it's just fun to say Donna Calamari! (Thanks for the smiles, Donna!) I know that Rieca lives in Canada but she's moving to California and one time she had a bunch of new craft goodies stolen out of her car! How rude is that?! And Lydia.....well she's the one who tweeted back and forth with us when we were in Hawaii about what was the best shave ice to get! I know that Laura is a soldier in the US Army but she's also a paper crafter and I know that Barb W is just about the sweetest lady ever. She's got girls in college and I know that even though I'm not there w/her, she has her coffee "with me" just about every morning....here at the blog-o. She told me so.
I could go on and on but you get the point. These girls are my friends even though we've never met in real life. YOU are my friends, even if we've never met because you share part of your life with me each day. You interact with me and you make this blog-o MEANINGFUL for me. Thank you for that.
Have a great week, Sweets! All of you!
much love,
{Floral Flower supplies}
Paper: vintage cream, kraft, hibiscus burst, bitty box basics, October Afternoon Thrift Shop
Stamps: Round and Round (Papertrey's free anniversary set from this year)
Ink: versamark, vintage touch tea dye
Other: Beautiful Blooms II #3 dies, mat stack 1 die, hawaiian shores saddle stitch ribbon, raspberry fizz/vintage cream buttons, rustic cream/rustic jute button twine, clear embossing powder, Martha Stewart paper doily and small circle punch, circle nestabilities, sewing machine/thread
