We Give Thanks

It's that time of year again.

The time of year where we begin to reflect on all of the things that have happened

in our lives. We think about the ones we love and those who love us.

We take more time to think about how God has blessed us and what we can do

to thank Him and bless others in return. 

I know that money is something many of us do not have nor do we
enjoy talking about. We don't have a fancy home or brand new cars.
We barely get by on my husbands salary alone.
BUT I can say that I am RICHLY blessed.
I have a home that is warm and happy and filled with love.
I have a pantry and freezer full of food to cook for my family.
We have clothes to wear and a place to wash and dry them.
I have all of this and so much more. 

I know that there are many things I would like to do for my family and friends, 

but can't because we don't have the money to do so....

but in reality, what others want more than THINGS is love. 

Your time. Prayer. A phone call. A card in the mail. A hug. A moment.

Something real. Real emotion. True compassion. Not just sympathy, but Empathy

 for those who are hurting. 

 I encourage you to do more of that this year. 

I know I am going to try to do so myself. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next two cards I am going to share with you are all 

about GIVING THANKS

The new challenge at Freshly Brewed Challenges is just that. 

Give Thanks. 

There is nothing greater to 

 give thanks for than the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Nativity Digital Stamp

Praise Thy Glorious Name Sentiment

I colored this image using prismacolor pencils. 

I am not great at coloring with them, but really do like the softness of the colors and how

it turned out. I hope you do too. 

NEW DIGIS AT FRESH BREWED DESIGNS

The Nutcracker, Holly Stocking, Little Christmas Ballerina

Nativity, The Greatest Gift - Jesus, Praise Thy Name Sent

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next is the new challenge at WAW:

Word Art Wednesday #159

our word art this week is free for you to save and use on 

your creations. You are not required to use it for this challenge. 

Read all of the rules and requirements on the blog >HERE<

this card was completely created using scraps from my scrap pile!

I kept the layers flat so that it would be easy to mail out. 

I hope to see you play along in these challenges and I hope

you are encouraged by all of these  challenges and posts. 

I know I am. 

Have a blessed day, 

                              Heather

challenges:

The card concept: Krafty Christmas 

Love to Create: Christmas

Simon Says Mon: STAR
Simon Says Wed - Thanks

God is so good! (Word Art Wednesday Guest Designer)

I am blessed to be back again today with another

Word Art Wednesday card.

This week has been so busy. We are preparing for school to start.  

We are also preparing for all of the new dance classes the kids will be involved in. 

They will be taking up pretty much every weeknight. 

I am looking forward to the new start though. 

I have been trying not to let every day things stress me out. 

I have failed every day, but also done better than before.

I was reading an blog post at for the family entitled:

Jesus sits at your kitchen table

That opened my eyes and heart to a whole different perspective.

God is so good to me. So good that even the little, every day tasks that I do... even the ones

that I feel are so annoying and unending, are done and should be done for Him, 

giving Him glory. If you want to read that post click >HERE<

I am going to get back to the reason for this post and share my

Word Art Wednesday card with you.

This weeks scripture:

WORD ART WEDNESDAY CHALLENGE 145 -
Anything goes

Isn't that a beautiful scripture. 

CHRIST IN YOU, THE  HOPE OF GLORY!

How amazing is it to know and have Jesus living in your heart?

To know how much he loves you and that he died for your sin. 

To know that His love costs nothing. It is free. Salvation is free.

All we have to do is accept it. He paid the price for MY sin.

He died a death that only I deserved. 

And He would do it again! Just for one person. Just for you!

If it meant that he would have to endure the cross all over again, just to save you, 

he would! He loves us with such a deep love. We are His children. 

We are so important to Him. God, the father, loves us so much he knows every hair 

on our head. He knows every worry and fear. He knows every pain and tear we shed.

He wants to comfort us. To hold us. To give us peace and joy that surpasses all understanding.

We just have to ask for it. So simple. Our lives can change in an instant by asking Jesus into our

heart, to forgive us of our sin, to turn away from wicked ways and follow Him completely. 

I HAVE BLOG CANDY!!!

Since I am the August guest designer for Word Art Wednesday,

I thought it fitting that I have a small giveaway.

The big prize in my  package is this movie:

God's NOT Dead: DVD

Of course I will have a few crafty things to throw in the mix, 

but this is the main prize. 

To be entered in the Blog Candy Give-Away,

This candy will be available for the whole month! 

All you have to do is enter one of the WAW challenges for August. 

Simply link up to one of the challenges and then leave me a comment here on my blog post

 letting me know you entered! 

I will add a badge to my sidebar with a link so you can find it easily.

Thank you for stopping by!

I hope you have a blessed day.

                                      Heather

Here are this week's AWESOME sponsors:

 Classy Cards 'N Such

 $15 gift certificate to their store

AND

Your Next Stamp a $20 gift certificate

challenges

Crafty Creations - 2W - #269 Flower

Paper Shelter Challenge -3E, SIO - #169 punches and dies

Wonderful Wednesdays - W-  Always Anything Goes

Craft Room Challenge 2W, 3E - A Summer Garden (Week 2)

{Pin}spirational W -   #120 - Anything Goes

love

this post is a little late.. well, a lot late.. but better late than never right? 

I actually had this card ready to post on Christmas Eve, but time got away from me... and I was going to post on Christmas day.. but time got away from me. Even still, I feel that we still need the reminder that the true meaning of Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ. 

Without him, there would be no Christmas. There would be no love. There would be no peace. There would be no friendship. He is the reason for it all. God loved us so much that he gave us his son. HIS SON.  Jesus had so much love for each of us that he died on the cross to save us from our sin so that we would be able to have a way into heaven. His blood covers it all and his love is never ending. Imagine that. A never ending love. A father who is always waiting with open arms. One who will comfort and dry our tears. One that will put joy back into our hearts. One that will fill the void with his love .. a love unlike any other.

I do hope you all had a very blessed and lovely Christmas with your friends and family. 

I love each and every one of you! 

Many hugs and smiles. 

Heather

the fruit of the Spirit

 

 I actually did a search and came across this blog post at ChristianBlog.com. 


I am very careful what I share with you and the things I post about Christ. I want it to be God's word spoken and not the word of man. I do not know anything about other posts at this site, but this one really stuck out and spoke to me. This is what captured my heart to start with.

So I ask myself, "Is the fruit I bear good?" and "What, exactly is the fruit that Jesus is referring to?"

I really and truly ask you to read this and dwell on it. I am. I know that I am not 100% sure that the fruits I bear are all good. I know there are things I need to change in my life and realize that I can not do it alone. I need His grace and mercy more than anything. I don't want to be someone who shares and gives and does for others, but not live it my daily life every day the same way I share with others to. I am NOT perfect. But Christ is and if I continue to let him work in me and through me... myself and my needs and my selfishness aside, He can grow good fruits in me.

This post was found and mine created because of this project I created to share with you here. It is hanging in my kitchen as a daily reminder to me so I will be sure that I life my life in a way pleasing to God and to also remind myself of how much he loves me.

I will leave you today with this:

a memory verse many of us learned as children

Galatians 5:22-26

King James Version (KJV)

 ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
 ²³Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
 ²⁴And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
 ²⁵If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
 ²⁶Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Have a beautiful and blessed day!

Hugs

Heather

challenges:
papercraft star: photo inspiration
Paper Play - Fruity
Cute Card Thursday - Lace

Jesus is the Reason for the Season 3 day Hop

Good Morning! I am so happy to be here with you this morning sharing the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I cant think of a better way to start the day, can you?
I am the first hop stop! Lucky for you! You are right on track!!!

I am sure many of you remember the Jesus is the Reason post a few of us ladies participated in over the Christmas holiday. This one is much similar to that one. This is indeed a blessed time of year, as we remember Christ sacrifice on the cross at Calvary, and celebrate his triumphant victory over death! I know that for many families, we focus more on the FUN things rather than the true meaning of the holiday. Perhaps we have gotten busy and not realize how much the material and commercial things have seeped in and overshadowed the true meaning of Easter. I am not saying these things are bad. I do enjoy attending our church's Easter Egg hunts. I remember my fat legged babies trying to find eggs and falling and dropping them. Very wonderful memories indeed. I remember their first chocolate bunny that they gnawed on for weeks. hehehe. I also KNOW that every Easter Sunday and throughout the year how we reflect on his love for us. A love so strong and wonderful it is so difficult to even explain. He loved us so much he died to cover our sin. He suffered so much pain for US. For ME! He took my place on that cross to cover the sin he knew I would have to make a place for me to be with him forever in Heaven. He ROSE AGAIN and said he would be back for me someday. What a beautiful glorious day that will be! We reflect on these things throughout the year, but there are many who do not know of his love for us. Easter has become so commercial that the true meaning is hidden by baskets, bunnies, eggs, and candy. That is the reason God pressed it upon our hearts to have this hop so that we can all reflect on his love, share and spread his love and hopefully reach out to those who have never know his love so that they will be able to see how much he really does love us all.


This image I used to create this wall hanging , Love Everlasting, is one that can not be expressed in words. It just reaches out and reminds me of his love and promise. I chose the dogwood branch to symbolize his love and sacrifice. If you have not read The Legend of the Dogwood Tree, please read it here.

While we cannot even begin to reciprocate the Lord's gift to us, there is "blog candy" on some of the hop stops as a token of appreciation for your comments and encouragement. I do have blog candy to share with you today. I have more surprises to add to the candy that are not pictured here. I do have one request for you. Please take a few moments to watch this video I have added here and let me know in the comments section that you did. If you do not, please do not say that you did. All comments will still be added to the drawing for the prize.



From here you will head on over to the beautiful and sweet Kelly's blog. This lady has touched my life in a mighty way. She has daily reminded me of Gods love and through her friendship I have grown in my walk with Christ. I love you Kelly Girl.

Here is the hop order in full in case you need it:

Heather http://joemamainks.blogspot.com/ (me! you are HERE!!!)

Kelly http://sandcastlestamper.blogspot.com/

Maria http://joyfulstamper.blogspot.com/

Sammi http://stuffbysammi.blogspot.com/

Lorie http://thethinkinspot.blogspot.com/

Stacy http://impressionsofaribbonaddict.blogspot.com/

Kadie http://mymindseyecreations.blogspot.com/

Carolyn http://utsukushiikami.blogspot.com/

Paola http://paola-sama.blogspot.com/

Linda http://stamperstouch.blogspot.com/

Susan http://pinkflannelpajamas.blogspot.com/

Karen http://krbskorner.blogspot.com/

Catherine http://paperaddictcatherine.blogspot.com

We also invite you to celebrate the real "Reason for the Season" by posting your own creation celebrating Christ's Resurrection. There is a place to link on Catherine's blog, and a prize is up for grabs for one randomly selected card/project.

Enjoy the hop and God bless!

Beautiful Love

Happy Saturday!
I do hope you are all having a day full of sunshine and smiles. If not, I am sending you some from where I am. I hope you feel them :)

Today I have some new images to share with you. Today I have added several new digital stamps to the shop. These images were inspired and created after prayer and asking God to guide me to create something to reflect how much he loves us all. I was looking outside and thinking of how much I love him and how in the world I would be able to capture even a piece of that on paper. Days later he gave me these images. I cried while drawing most of them.

You can see them all in the Fresh Brewed Designs shop under

Holidays / Religious - Easter
Jesus - Religious

Beautiful Love Digital Stamp

This first card was created using the Eat Sleep Stamp sketch

This second card was created using the recipe at PaperCraft Star.

Today I am sharing a very personal image with you. This one came when the internet, cable, telephones and all were not working. While the kids and my husband was asleep and I was up sitting and thinking and listening to a few CDs. This image came to me while listening to the songs One Touch by Nicole C Mullen and Beautiful by Kari Jobe. I do hope you will take time sometime to listen to these songs. It is about how when we seek his face, pray, and show him how much we love him ~ He will wrap his loving arms around us, surround us with his love and peace and will guide us and direct us in the way he wants us to go.



Other Challenges: