WEDDING DAY CARD

June, the month for weddings! I have been working on a wedding card for our exchange student Krissia, who lived with us 5 months in 1993 and became a daughter to us. I wanted to create a really different card and when I saw the tri-shutter card, decided to give it a "try" (no pun intended!)
Krissia is a beautiful, and elegant woman and deserved a card that will become a piece of art for her to look at and remember. Today is her wedding day and her wedding is happening in about an hour from now. She will be wearing a cream colored dress (appropriate for second weddings) and silver shoes and accessories. For her going away outfit, she is wearing purple, which is the national color of Costa Rica where she lives. I have incorporated these colors into the card. So here is the recipe and the pictures of the card from different angles.

1)The basic card is Bazill paper in white. It is 6 1/2"x12".
The score lines are vertical at 2", 4", 8", and 10".
The horizontal cuts begin at the 2" score mark and go to the 10" score mark.
The cuts make three sections, 1 1/2", 3 1/2" and 1 1/2".
2)There is a vertical panel on either end of the card in cream Bazill card stock.
3)Then there is a layer of a cream paper that has swirls and is textured. I rounded the corners and edged it in silver paint.
4)The front panel is white card stock, corners rounded, with a layer of a cream floral on white card stock that has been punched with the SU scalloped punch. The scalloped edges are rubbed with silver and the two pieces are adhered together and then punched with a tiny hole punch in each scallop. I used an SU marker in Pale Plum to give the holes some color.
5)The heart is a clear stamp on white card stock in Martha Stewart black ink. I rubbed the edges in silver, matted in white and rubbed those edges with silver also. I painted the open back ground with Twinkling H2O's in Heavenly White. I painted the flowers with Sweet Thistle and used SU Garden green for the leaves and the stems. I put a flat soft yellow half pearl in the center of some of the flowers and added a row of three pearls at the side of the heart. I stamped a Stampa Rosa"LOVE"( in script) in silver on the lower left of the front panel and tied a sheer cream ribbon over the "love" and added a small bow. The heart was adhered at an angle and the top rounded parts on foam squares and the center and bottom "V" are flat to give the heart an uneven dimension. At the top of the panel, I put a silver curly-Q (from a Martha Stewart lace punch and was left over) being held up by two cream colored doves (Martha Stewart dove punch.) I colored the curly-Q with silver paint.
6)The middle sections were covered with pieces of "wedding words" paper. It had gold
lettering, so I colored all the words with silver. : ) If they don't sell what you need you must
improvise! I also drew 2 silver hearts entwined in spaces between the lettering. I punched some Martha Stewart small hydrangea flowers from purple card stock, glued them on in places in the upper section and lower sections. I drew with the SU Garden Green marker some vines and leaves.
7)For my focal image in the center of the card, I put a House Mouse bride and groom. She is
wearing a cream colored dress and veil, has purple flowers and pearl earrings (remember
those little flat-backed pearls on the front? Too cute!) I stamped the image in black on white CS and fussy cut them out. The groom is wearing a black tux and purple bow tie and cumberbund. I used brown Fun Flocking on the areas where they have fur. Have to make them look real, right? I used the cream colored H2O's in French Vanilla for her dress and used SU black marker for the suit. I tried to water the marker ink down to create a little shading. Wish I had those Copic markers that are easy to do that with. Maybe for Christmas! The couple was matted with purple and adhered with foam squares. I added PSX "Congratulations" in black ink, fussy cut it out and matted in purple also and placed it under the couple.
8)For the back section, I layered the cream Bazill and the cream textured paper the same as
the front. I stamped in black on white with a PSX "God Bless You". I punched it out using a
Marvy scalloped circle. I punched small dots in each scallop and edged it with silver. I
punched a larger circle in purple using a Marvy scalloped circle, patted the edges with the
silver ink pad making a marbled effect about 1/2-3/4" in. I adhered the white "God Bless
You" onto the purple with a dotted runner. I used foam squares to put the whole circle in
place so that the card could fold and bend where it needs to.

And lastly, remember those punched out small flowers with the drawn vines...they looked too plain, so added a white center to each. : )
AND I am making a duplicate to remember all the new techniques I learned making this special wedding card! I will try to put the pictures in order to show you how it looked going together. I hope you enjoy my first tri-shutter card. Thanks for taking a peek!

HANG IN THERE

Trite but helpful when you feel like progress is slow, changes are slow, and it is easy to lose one's patience for attaining visible results. Would that things happened as quickly and as we expect them to happen. Or would we have more regrets over "hasty" choices? I feel like I am juggling between that which I know I should do and that which I do. Sound familiar to anyone or is everyone else on track and not having these thoughts about their lives?

My Heart is filled with His joy because I know I can't, but He can! Changes will happen in me...in His timing and in a way that will bring me the most happiness and satisfaction. He loves me (and each of us) unconditionally, without making me feel worthless and unable when I fall or fail or mess up. My eye is on Him because alone, I can't. So "do it to me Lord" and make me your vessel. You are the potter and I am the clay. Only you can create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit. I praise your name for who you are and give you the glory.

CORNERS

Why are corners so scary? We don't like to turn corners when driving, especially when we have to cross traffic to the left. At least we can see the traffic coming toward us and then we have to make a judgment call of having enough time to complete the turn before they get us. A green turn arrow helps but we still are at the mercy of the cars coming at us, their choice of speed and if they will change lanes in the intersection. We don't like to turn corners to the right because we can't see what or whom is coming most of the time or other traffic conditions. We have to be aware of pedestrians who want to cross, legally mind you, and some who cross illegally. We have to be on the watch for animals who decide to cross the street right where we need to go. We have to be aware of curbs and cutting the corner too short. How many curbs have you hit before?

I believe we have the same "feelings" about turning corners in the direction our lives are taking. It is fear of the unknown, a feeling of being out of our comfort zone and in untraveled territory, and it is very unsettling for the person who likes to keep things a certain way, and do things a certain way. We are not sure we can trust the people around us since they are often "unknowns" as to what they want and how they want it and when they want it! We are at their mercy. We often feel powerless and being in "NEW" places with "NEW" people puts us at a disadvantage and in an uncomfortable position.

Humanity likes to keep their lives the same, whether it be in poverty or in riches. We can deal with our circumstances when we know what to expect and can count on it. Many people of the world live in what we consider horrible circumstances with some one in power dictating everything they do. They have little and yet there is a certain comfort in having little. Many worries are booted out-the-door when we simplify our lives. For those who have much, their lives often are filled with activities and choices trying to maintain the level of abundance that they have, protecting their belongings, and often they seek more of the same. The "Quest to Get" becomes the driving force in what they do in their day.

As I am getting to the "winter of my years" and look back on how I chose to live my life thus far, I see patterns of trying to keep everything at a certain level, of trying to maintain the comfort zone established and of not being willing to change direction or turn corners unless I could see what was around the corner and knew for sure I would like what I saw. (WHEW! That is a long sentence but I can't figure out how to cut it and make it two, so it stands.)

I need to be more trusting of my God who CAN see around the corners and knows the plans He has for me and let go of control of my life and give it ALL to HIM for HIS purpose. I NEED to be in HIS will and in HIS word to make decisions pleasing to HIM. This is my reasonable service. And I need to talk to HIM more in prayer, and not just when things are in a mess. I need to look for places HE is already working and join HIM there. And I won't be afraid of corners, or changes or anything this world has to throw at me because I have HIM. HE is all I need!

SLOW AND EASY

Last week I was invited by my son and his family to attend the Thomas the Train visit to a Train Museum up in Green Bay. It was a few hours of delight watching the two grand daughters get to see trains, take a ride with Thomas pulling the five car train twice around the perimeter of the museum property (Which was probably a mile at least in length...not sure!) The sounds of going over the rails and the swaying of the open car we were in brought smiles and excitement to their faces. We were able to do some crafts related to trains(stamping on paper some train images of trains from the TV show, decorating visors, and making a paper plate hat with streamers, getting a hand stamp painted of a train. and seeing real engines up close. There was live music geared to children. They have the train engine that pulled Eisenhower across country in his bid for the White House and a couple of huge open-ended hangers with many engines on display. All together we spent a good 3 hours there and had a great time.

As I continue in retirement (from the job I never had outside our home) in the job I still have 24/7 IN our home, I am reminded that retirement is an attitude and I believe has little to do with the actual amount of work a person is doing.

For example, we all have met the kinds of people who go though their day doing their jobs with a great attitude and the work hardly seems like work at all. They seem to be enjoying themselves so much that they almost seem retired. These people seem happy and bring a bit of sunshine to everyone they interact with, whether it be the clerk at the coffee shop or the secretary, or the client. These people usually have a smile on their face but more importantly, a smile in their hearts and they glow from within. I believe that everyone can have this kind of joy, of accepting and even relishing the task before them. I believe that these people try to do their very best and are not malicious towards others. They don't have a need to be one better or superior which is a juvenile activity from an immature person. Life is good for the happy person who is content and loving and accepting.

AND you might ask,,,What is the source of this happiness, this joy and sunshine, this accepting of the work before us, of difficult situations and difficult people you know are different and you can't change? I believe it comes into us from God's Word which says "Be still and know the Lord" Psalms 46:10. The whole of Psalms 46 is about God being our strength and refuge and that we don't have to fear anything or anyone. And the whole Bible is meant to sustain us, to teach us, to give us hope, peace and joy against such no enemy or disaster can win. I thank God for loving us all to give us His infallible Word and to give us eternal joy with Him through belief in His son Jesus. No matter our mistakes, or our weaknesses, He loves us unconditionally and we all need to praise Him and give Him the glory for what He has done, is doing and will do in us and our lives. It is a choice!