{Finally a little stamping}

Ahhhhhh--I have missed stamping! Now that I feel better, I just wish I had more time! It's "drama week" at the Nelson home---and if any of you have kids involved in Theatre Arts, you know what I mean! The week is actually called "Production week", but we Nelson's (OK, the parents, anyway) call it "drama week"....because there's sure to be plenty of it, at school and at home! When your kids go to a small school, they do everything---they sing in the choir, they're in drama, they play sports, they are class/school leaders---they still have the normal academic load AND all the other---so all around Trinity Academy this week---parents affectionately (OK, some--NOT so affectionately) refer to this week as drama week! It's all worth it in the end, but it's a VERY LONG WEEK! OK---all of that said, I've been distracted the last week or so trying to help out with the production---so, very little stamping has been done!

I did have a Stampin' Up party and got so much free stuff it was kind of embarrassing! It was NUTS how many free stamps sets I got! You gotta love Sale-a-bration! I picked up a bunch of punches---I LOVE THE PUNCHES! Anyway, I hope to get a chance to use some of my new goodies, soon!

I have had this journal for some time now, but I finally decided I need to use it and MAYBE I'd be more likely to use it if it was cute---SOOOOOOO, here's my cute new journal---it's really just for me. It won't be going anywhere, it's just a journal I write in when I read my bible, but I need to write more things down and perhaps this will help me do that~~~

I used patterned paper from Papertrey's line and added the ribbon to cover where I pieced it together. I just love this saying by Luther (there's a better picture below)---it's in the Out on a Limb sentiments set. What a great reminder of how God prepared a way for all to come to Him.

I cut the ovals out with my nestabilities and HAD to add some buttons, I LOVE the buttons---the black and white are Papertrey Vintage buttons and the red are from a Foof-a-la package I have. I sewed them on with various DMC flosses. I stamped the edges of the journal directly with my stamp pads to add some texture. This was a very quick project---it just took me three weeks to sit down and do it!

It's good to be back to blogging! Thanks for stopping by today. I hope to be more regular with my posts again soon! Have a great weekend~
Kathleen

Altered Journal:
Stamps: Out on a Limb, Out on a Limb Sentiments (PTI)
Paper: True Black, SS White, Pure Poppy, Black and White Basics patterned paper, 2008 Bitty Dot Basics patterned paper (PTI)
Ink: Palette Black, Pure Poppy
Accessories/Tools: Oval/Scallop Oval Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug (Provocraft), Buttons-(PTI & Foof-a-la), Pure Poppy Grosgrain ribbon (PTI), DMC floss, dimensionals (SU!)

{Where have you been?}

Well, I've been here....just not stamping too much....horrors! Right after David left for Africa, I injured my back and I haven't really been comfortable stamping! Yesterday I did some stuff, but not much. I am feeling a little better everyday, so I'm sure I'll be back to regular posts soon. I did have a fun experience this week. My son had a friend over and they were having a snack after school. They were sitting at the kitchen table and looked out into our creek and saw these two ducks. Now, we have seen lots of creatures in our creek, but never ducks. I was so excited, so I went out on the deck---careful not to let the Black Lab out there, and began snapping picture after picture of these fun creatures God made. (Obviously it's time to clean up our creek....something we have to do every spring, but it's still a little cool for me to stick my feet in that water ....back to the story) So, I went back inside and talked to the boys about how cool it is that we have these ducks in the creek...I was so excited! Joshua asked if he could go out there to look at them up close. So, he crossed the creek and got really close---and then began throwing rocks in the water near them to see what they will do----yep, that little bundle of depravity wanted to scare the ducks away! I called him in to finish homework and give him a little "talkin' to"---as southern mama's do so well. The boys finished their homework and snack time and they began to play. I went upstairs for awhile and he and his friend went outside to have a little more fun with the ducks---when I wasn't looking or scolding. The ducks moved on down the creek and the boys turned their attention to something Star Wars and all was well. I had wanted the rest of my family to see the ducks, but my little boys had scared them off.

I was so pleased to find the ducks back again when David came home from work. He was grilling our dinner and there they were in a different part of the creek---they had moved to a place with more shelter---but they were back. They were persistent little ducks and I was so glad they came back to visit. This time, they came to a place of shelter---tucked up under some tree roots. I began to think how wonderful it is that we all have a place of shelter...our Heavenly Father is our shelter in the midst of the raging storm---or in the case of the ducks...in a storm of rocks. :) I hope you feel God's ever present shelter in your life today, whether your creek is calm or you are in the midst of a great rock storm---He is our ever faithful God.

Psalm 27:1-5

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? When evil doers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent. He will lift me high upon a rock....

Blessings~
Kathleen

{Sketch Card}

Jen Del Muro does a sketch every Saturday and encourages us to play along. It's been a long time since I have been able to play, but I decided to play along this weekend.

Here's what I came up with. I stamped that little branch I was telling you about from Beyond Basic Borders in Spring Moss on White cardstock. I used some Taylor's Tiny Twinkles from Taylored Expressions. I thought they looked cute with the polka dots. I wanted to use some actual punched out polka dots, but I wasn't crazy about it when I put them on there, so I used these instead---and who doesn't love a little bling, right? The details are below---I have hurt my back, so all that stamp time I was going to have probably just won't happen---I can't sit for very long. I'm so mad---but I'll just have to get over it! I went to the doctor today and I just hope the medicine she gave me works it out!

This is what we woke up to this morning---I actually took it in the afternoon, so it had already begun to melt, but this is what it looked like out my back door. The snow was really wet, so it stuck to all the trees---it was so pretty---and it meant a snow day for us...which is great today, but won't be so great on the day I have to make it up!!! Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have a great week~


Sketch for You to Try Birthday:
Stamps: Beyond Basics Borders, Mixed Messages
Paper: Spring Moss, Plum Pudding, Stamper's Select White, 2008 Bitty Dot Paper, Polka Dot Parade (PTI)
Ink: Spring Moss, Plum Pudding
Accessories/Tools: Cuttlebug, Tag die (Provocraft), Plum Pudding Satin Ribbon, Vintage Button New Leaf (PTI), Linen Thread (SU!), Threading Water Punch (Fiskars), Taylor's Tiny Twinkles (Taylored Expressions