Challenge 15 -- Fear Not

An expected noise, swooshing branches scratching the side of a house, thunder-splitting lightening assaulting a nearby tree – who isn’t afraid of things that go bump in the night? But Scripture tells us we have nothing to fear for our Lord is with us always. He strengthens us in the middle of the storm. He keeps us safe in the unsafe places. He has plans for us. So when we’re afraid, we can draw courage from Isaiah 41:10 as we move through the danger and experience victory at His right hand.

Triple the Scrap’s Fear Not” challenge begged for monsters which were not part of my inventory until my CTMH convention bundle arrived last week. So I put together another sneak preview using products schedule for release on September 1. I used the Hooligans Level I Paper Pack X7129A which included the cardstock and stickers for the 6” x 6” page, squares, and “Boo!!” I used my EK Success powder brush to de-stick the stickers. I used the felt monsters for added depth from CTMH’s Hooligans Level 2 Assortment ( Z1332). I edged with Black Exclusive Inks (Z2105) and one of our new fall colors, Lagoon (Z2195).

I took a short cut and used some mini-shimmer alpha stickers from Making Memories for the “Fear Not” title rather than break open a new pack of our Color Ready Bold Alphabets (X5750). I can blame it on my two larger dogs (Bo @ 65 pounds and Tally @ 55 pounds) who are deathly afraid of thunderstorms. Just I finished, thunder, lightening, and a more than wet thunderstorm swept by our house. Lucy (a 28-pound fireball) was pretty nonchalant about the whole thing, but Bo and Tally were completely undone. They could not “fear not.”

Challenge 15 -- Forgive

Somebody spilt the milk! Was it the cow in Close to My Heart’s Howdy Acrylix Stamp Set (D1435)? Or was it the farmer’s son who tried to take shortcuts when he was sent out to milk the cow who was never returned to the barn the night before? Should the unseen farmer’s son be forgiven? Proverbs 17:9 tells that when we forgive, we extend love to others. How real is that? . . . and maybe even Bossie will forgive him for leaving her outside all night long.




Besides the Howdy stamp, I used the following products:

 Splendor Level 2 paper pack (scraps)

 Back Country Level 2 paper pack (scraps)

 Olive Exclusive inks (Z2137)

 Barn Red Exclusive inks (Z2104)

 Chocolate Exclusive inks (Z2111)

 Cricut Old West cartridge for the letters

Heart2Heart What's Cookin' Challenge

One of my favorite tea houses is the Victorian Lady (http://www.victorianladytea.net/) in Milford, Delaware. Kay Young (the owner) has a five-course tea luncheon that is a must for every special occasion. She starts with soup, then scones, fruit, sandwiches and dessert. Of course, you have your choice of teas. When I saw the Heart2Heart recipe challenge, I immediately thought of Kay. So I called her and got a recipe for each course and placed them in my mini recipe box which I made from a coffee holder that I got at the Gaylord in Washington D.C. during our CTMH Convention. I used our soon to be released stamps titled “A Sip” (A1109) and Royal Birth (D1441). Of course, no crown is complete without bling, so I bejeweled it with Bitty Sparkles (Z1263). I have five recipes in the mini-box (one for each course) and attached tea bag labels with Cranberry Waxy Flax (Z1086). I stamped and edged with Cranberry Exclusive Inks (Z2116) and used That’s Amore Level 2 Paper Pack (X7107B) scraps to cover the coffee holder inside and out.

Scrapbook in Year Encourages Artist Expression for College Professor

Scripture tells us that “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22 (New King James Version). Dr. Sharon Yoder, who has a PhD in Humor, can bear witness to that philosophy. Having more than her share of trials and tribulations, she crests challenge like an experienced surfer riding the big waves off the South African coast. Other than running into Sharon at a local Wal-Mart or in a grocery store maybe once every five or seven years, I had lost touch with her and her life adventures.

A motivational speaker and college professor as well as a widowed “Nana”, Sharon is not one to confine herself to the box that contains so many people’s thoughts and activities. After stumbling across a social networking notice about “online scrapbooking” (Studio J), Sharon decided to send me an email. What a joy after almost 15 years of separation.

Once she saw my Scrapbook in a Year program, Sharon immediately switched her focus from digital to classic scrapbooking. Of course, she didn’t want her first scrapbook to be chronological, so we easily adapted the SIAY program to cover her four-point, themed scrapbook titled “Nana Loves. . . “

I captured Sharon’s earliest efforts on film and wanted to share them with you. Using red as a central color scheme (Cranberry & Tulip), Sharon will add photos to her cover page next week. Literally starting from scratch, Sharon views her scrapbooking product acquisitions as legacy-building equipment and supplies. She’ll be purchasing CTMH’s new cranberry faux leather 12”x12” album in September when it will be released. I’ve also outfitted her with a red TheScrapRack ™ travel case (email me at dcookwrites@cookworkshop.com for ordering information) to launch her organizational efforts. She also selected the CTMH My Acrylix Block Organizer (Z185) (visit http://dianecook.myctmh.com and click on “products” to view our online catalog or “shop online” to order) to house her first three blocks and the Stamp Pad Tower (Z4132) to hold her first six-piece set of Exclusive Inks.

“I love being organized from the outset,” Sharon said at our Tuesday morning meeting on July 14th. “It’s efficient and helps me develop good habits from the beginning. This is great!”

Sharon is truly a Scrappigator friend who is looking forward to many years of sharing the heart of her world through scrapbooking and cardmaking. Welcome aboard, Sharon.