Word Art Wednesday Holiday Blog Hop!

             Today we have A very Special Word Art Wednesday Challenge and Blog Hop, with prizes!

For the next month we will have a blog hop with a wonderful prize from each blog - Here is the                                        one from my blog by Emma's Paperie 

How fun would this be to win!!

All you have to do is leave a comment on my blog and a random draw will be done!

I will announce the winner, ask for a mailing address, and then the prize will be mailed out.

Don't worry I will contact you privately! 

For more prizes and great things to win, hop to these blogs:

Word Art Wednesday

Karen Conner

Holly Lau

JoAnn Atterbury

Natalie Houston

Stephanie Wright

Karen Letchworth

enjoy the hop and all the eye candy along the way!

Our beautiful verse this week, so perfect for this time of the year:

What an amazing event, can you imagine being there?  Being a part of the Birth of the savior?

I made my card with an old master's public domain image by Jacob Jordaens the elder,

 from the 17th century

I printed this with the actual frame, It is in the Bristol Museum and under conservation.

I love the Masters' vison of the Scriptures.

The verse is printed on vellum.

I hope during this tumultuous time you are turning to the savior for peace and direction and can rejoice in God our Saviour!

Thahk you for stopping by and join in the blog hop fun!  I look forward to your comments and sending off the prize from my blog.

Ginny M

Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes# 468 + #467

  Happy Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge everyone! Karen Letchworth has given us a beautiful devotion!  We also have another gorgeous  Bible verse digitized by Karen Murray!   Check out the blog to see who This weeks'  generous sponsor is.  Karen Conner is  our  fabulous December Guest Designer  I hope you stop over to the blog and join in the fun.  We HAve something very special coming up on December 16th - a month-long blog hop with a prize from each blog!!!  Stayed tuned for more details! 

My card for this month really hit home,  we have read this scripture before and I think we often take the negative thought about treasure being idols, but then I thought of the treasures the Lord has blessed my life with - my family and all I could do was thank and praise him.  My heart is truly in my family. 

In these troubling times, I am thankful to have my house built on the Everlasting Rock - how about you?

Here is my card: 

I made one of the popular tall and thin cards with birds and feathers and have a special friend it will go in the mail too.

I hope you will stop over the Word Art Wednesday blog and enter a card, then mail a  little blessing!

Thanks for stopping by!

Ginny M

Happy Word Art Wednesday! Anything Goes #466#467!

 Happy Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge everyone! Karen Letchworth has given us a beautiful devotion!  We also have another gorgeous  Bible verse digitized by Karen Murray!   Check out the blog to see who This weeks'  generous sponsor is.    I hope you stop over to the blog and join in the fun.

                This week's Beautiful verse is a very encouraging Scripture,  Here is my card:

This year marks 40 years I have been walking with the Lord

I gave my life to him when I  was 20. I am so thankful for the wonderful life He has blessed me with.  there were many hard years (as in everyone's life) But His joy and His strength were more than enough to get me through and now I have lived and kept the faith long enough to see the truth of this passage:

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James 1:2-4

He gave me the desires of my heart spiritually and physically.  I say this to only brag on the goodness and mercy of the Lord Jesus.

At 20 it seemed like a long walk uphill, and it was!  It was so worth it and the best is yet to come!

this passage changed my life here and in eternity:

Acts 2nd chapter

17And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

19And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

20The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

21And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

22Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

25For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

26Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

27Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

28Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

29Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. 30Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

34For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

35Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

37Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Is the day for your life and eternity to change?

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to enter the challenge!

Ginny M

Happy Word Art Wednesday! Anything Goes #464#465!

     Happy Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge everyone! Karen Letchworth has given us a beautiful devotion!  We also have another gorgeous  Bible verse digitized by Karen Murray!   Check out the blog to see who This weeks'  generous sponsor is.    I hope you stop over to the blog and join in the fun.

                This week's Beautiful verse is a very encouraging Scripture,  Here is my card:

I think with the very uncertain times we are now living in, I rest more and more in the faithful promises of our faithful and compassionate Lord.   We really can't trust any other, and we find safety in His holy habitation.   This card will be in the mail to a very sweet friend this afternoon and I know she will love the verse ( that is the important part)!

The verse for your Word Art

Thanks for stopping by!

Ginny M

Happy Word Art Wednesday, Anything Goes #462#463!

    Happy Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge everyone! Karen Letchworth has given us a beautiful devotion!  We also have another gorgeous  Bible verse digitized by Karen Murray!   This weeks'  sponsor is The Project Bin with a  $15.00 Gift card!     I hope you stop over to the blog and join in the fun.

This weeks Beautiful verse is a very encouraging Scripture,  Here is my card:

I kept this card very clean and simple - I did fussy cut the image and do a little folding for dimension.

This image is from Graciellie designs and I really like its dramatic simplicity.

Keep Praying, Keep believing, Our Heavenly Father is Faithful!

Thanks for stopping by and Try to find the time to join the challenge and mail your card!

Ginny M. 

Happy Word Art Wednesday, Anything Goes #460#461!

   Happy Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge everyone! Karen Letchworth has given us a beautiful devotion!  We also have another gorgeous  Bible verse digitized by Karen Murray!  This weeks'  sponsor is Studio Katia with a very generous $35.00 Gift card!     I hope you stop over to the blog and join in the fun.

This week's beautiful verse speaks the heart of The lord in our relationship with each other and the world - the gift of Grace.  The gift he so richly pours into each one of us so that we may be a vessel of mercy to a world and church that can so desperately need it!

My Card for this week:

Hmm, looks like I did not photo this very well!

So here it is for you and your card-making:

Life has been very busy the last month for me, we started a kitchen/dining room renovation in June and everything that was in those rooms is now in my craft room.  Need I say more? 

next week the kitchen and floors will be installed and everything put back in order.  All the other work will be finished by Thanksgiving  Just in time!

I hope you are all well and Finding Joy in these crazy times!

Thanks for stopping by and Try to find the time to join the challenge and mail your card!

Ginny M. 

Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge # 456-457 and the Graphics Fairy

  Happy Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge everyone! Karen Letchworth has given us a beautiful devotion!  We also have another gorgeous  Bible verse digitized by Karen Murray!  We have a special guest designer Mia for the month of September and this weeks'  sponsor is Clearly Besotted Stamps!     I hope you stop over to the blog and join in the fun.

This Digital Image is another one of many beautiful images from The Graphics Fairy.  Check out her website, you will be amazed - this image was a freebie

our Beautiful verse for this Challenge

I hope your stopover to the Word Art Wednesday Blog and join the fun- make a card and mail it!

Thanks for stopping by,

Ginny M

Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge # 454-455 and the Graphics Fairy

 Happy Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge # 454-455 everyone! Karen Letchworth has given us a beautiful devotion!  We also have another gorgeous  Bible verse digitized by Karen Murray!  We have a special guest designer Mia for the month of September and this weeks'  sponsor is Stamp Simply Clear Stamps!     I hope you stop over to the blog and join in the fun. 

My card for this weeks Challenge:

This Digital Image is one of may beautiful images from The Graphics Fairy.  Check out her website, you will be amazed - this image was a freebie!

A CAS Scripture Card For You!

I've been working with commercial watercolors and digitized Bible verses to create different types of cards.  It is a lot of fun but due to my skill level or lack of, it is a bit time-consuming.
The verse I used to make this card is from this week's Word Art Wednesday

I wanted to make this available to you for your card making. 
Here is the card:

I printed this on a textured paper 

I edged the paper with a copper sharpie marker

I also used 1/16th inch foam squares to give it dimension

Here is the JPG for you to use 

I created my card as a 5x7, you can change the size to what you prefer.

I hope you use this to bless others, "Freely God has Given", So that we can pass the blessing.

Have a great day 

Ginny M

Word Art Wednesday Challenge , Mail-able Dimension Plus Freebies!

Happy Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge # 454-455 everyone! Karen Letchworth has given us a beautiful devotion!  This weeks'  sponsor is Stix 2 Anything, with a terrific adhesive package!     I hope you stop over to the blog and join in the fun. 

My card for this weeks challenge:

I love using this stamp to create a little mailable dimension.

                    this is very simple you can use a physical stamp or a digital. just make the second or                           top image a little smaller!  Easy enough to do! 

For your crafting:

I love this verse too, we are designed to be a family in the body of Christ.  That is so comforting!

Thank you for stopping by and I hope to see your entries over at the Word Art Wednesday anything goes challenge blog

Ginny M 

Word Art Wednesday Challenge and Freebies!

Happy Word Art Wednesday everyone! Today Karen Letchworth has given us a beautiful devotion!  We also have another gorgeous  Bible verse digitized by Karen Murray!    Our Sponsors this week is Hello Bluebird.  Check them out, the cutest stamps ever!   I hope you stop over to the blog and join in the fun.

I made today's card using Watercolor Digitals.  

Keep scrolling and you will see this is also a freebie for you today 

Printed on 130# watercolor paper

and a little bit of handwork for definition using a micron pen

My gift to you!

Karen Murrays' beautiful verse 

Right-click and save.

Today I am spending time preserving and doing a few hours of companion work for a sweet 92-year young lady.  I hope you have a great day and find the time in the next two weeks to enter our Anything goes challenge!

Have a great day,

Ginny M

How to Use Scrapbook Pads with Photo Papers and Two Freebies.

Hopefully, you have had a day that has included Worship, Word, rest, and maybe a little creative time! 

After a busy morning and afternoon, I decided to work on a challenge card for The Christian Cardmakers Group on Facebook. This weekend's challenge was to make a masculine cards in a color palette of grays, whites, and browns.  I love these colors, so many shades, and a real opportunity to bring in texture.  I thought I would share my card with you and the process.  I also have two freebies for you today!

Here is my card:  I actually made two.

I love buying the big stacks of paper made (I think) for scrapbooking.  I use my pads for card making only - I don't scrap.

You will often find some very cool photos in these pads and I love using them in cards

the strong images can really be a wonderful setting for a verse or sentiment. 

I think the whole trick to this is finding the best area to serve as a backdrop, it may on be one image a sheet - but that is okay because chances are your eye will gravitate to the most exciting area

Here are a few  cards I have done in the past with photo pages:

you can add sentiments or directly print on them with your inkjet printer. I always do a proof print with tracing paper to make sure I have my lettering in the correct position. This technique isn't for everyone and If you don't like experimenting - just add a sentiment like I did with today's card.

I have a large collection of 12x12 paper pads that chopped down to 6x6 and stored and organized with an index.  I did this about 10 years ago ( where has the time gone) and it has bee a terrific way to manage my paper.  Even after moving this across country three times, it has held up and been really useful.  Her is a drawer with #'s 50-54 in it.  According to my index I would find colors in the range I was looking for in the #50 file.

I found these two pictures - perfect!

I cut the images, to the correct size and edged them in black. 

Pulled a A verse from my printed verse file and a matching label frame that I had saved from a previous project, edged it in black.

I placed all the layers together on a textured Charcoal base and added a little rayon fiber.

If you have some of these photo papers and are shy about trying them, with cardstock create a cut out of the size card that you want to make and move it over the image until you "frame" a part that pops for you and then go ahead and cut.  It is really a lot of fun!

For your card making  stash:

A photo to try this out 

And from Karen Murray and Word Art Wednesday

Thank you for stopping by and I hope for many blessings for you this week!

Ginny M

How to Make a Quick Slimline Bible Verse Card, Links, a Tip and Freebie

Happy Friday Everyone, A beautiful day here in CNY and I am about to head outdoors but before I do I wanted to share a super quick card making Idea.  

In my Digital files, I have a wonderful folder of bible verses illustrated by various artists. I do lots of handouts for Sunday School and other church-related things.  I also leave some of these beautifully printed scriptures on tables in restaurants ( With a good tip! Someday I will share the story of a pastor who brought 18 people to dinner on a Sunday and left his waitress - a 19-year-old me- a tract and no tip!). Actually, I will leave these anywhere I can.  But today I made cards with bookmarks.

The latest trend seems to be the slimline card; 4.00" x 9" in a business-size envelope.  

Here's the set of Cards:

I cannot seem to find the designer of the bookmark I used, but if you go here to Etsy you will find many wonderful designers

Here is my Tip for the day;  We all seem to end up purchasing numerous cutters until we find one we are happy with, Well this was one of the ones I liked but because I do so much cutting and use CS 120# + this was not practical. I decided this could be solution to scoring this heavy cardstock - especially for my card kits.  The kits require a lot of cutting and scoring.  I had a commercial heavy-duty thing a few years ago, but you know, half the time the scores did not come out right. Very frustrating to spend $120.00 on something and it never worked right.  I have had as many scoring tools as cutters! 

I cut my sheet 8x9 and center scored

I pulled from my stash a pad I recently purchased- Bright pretty colors

Cut the background paper 3.5"x8.5"

The offcut will be paper for a bookmark

Printed my Digital sheet

I was not paying attention to the printing preview and did not adust sizing so the first batch came out very large.  You can see the corrected version next to it.  I will use the "giant print" size for cards going to nursing home residents.

These cards took no more than 10 minutes to make altogether! 

Thanks for spending a few minutes here with me, 

I hope you have a great day and here is a freebie for you!

Ginny M 

How to Not Get Caught up in Craft Spending AKA Good Stewardship and Freebie

Hello Everyone, I thought this was worth the time to listen too, Tips on how to avoid creative burn out, and how not get caught up in spending instead of creating - AKA good Stewardship!

One of the reasons I post so many items for you on my blog is to help you build a collection of art and sentiments that you can use for your card making and card ministries without cost.

It is so easy to get caught up in the marketing of "Stuff". This is one of the reasons I never designed for big companies -(I may not have been talented enough) It is so easy to get caught up in our hobbies, buying the latest and greatest. I loved working for the smaller companies and helping them grow their businesses, but even that chapter has changed and I just want to give what has been freely given to me.

I hope you enjoy this video and find it helpful - Linday is a wonderful person and artist and since I know her personally I can attest to her excellent ethics!

you can follow her here: The Frugal Crafter

Thanks for stopping by and here is a freebie for you,  I love this printed on Kraft 

Ginny M