Carded

Here are my most recent greeting cards.  Most of them are for Valentines Day, and were made for a local flower shop.

The owl design seemed to be a big hit... At least with the shop owner's eight-year-old daughter!

And cupcake cards, in honor of the sweet tooth in all of us!

Here is a blue version, for those of you who may not be "pink" people. 

For those of you who are literary "types..."

Ok, that was a cheesy joke.  I know. 

These last two are not Valentines Day related.

What you have just seen is just a small sample of a very large amount of practice that I have done with my new Cricut machine that I was given for Christmas.  Each card is a work in progress.  And, believe me, there is lots of progress left to be made!  The new machine is tricky to figure out (for me, at least), but so much fun to work with.  I used the "Imagine More" cartridge and the "Imagine More Cards"  cartridge for the cards pictured above.  The "Imagine More" cartridge is the one that comes with the Cricut Imagine machine, and the "Image More Cards" cartridge is one that I purchased separately.

Time flies

Andrew and I have now been married FIVE months!

And it is just now getting good  :)

August:

September:

October:

November:

Ok, confession... This picture was actually take December 29th at a Zac Brown Band Concert. What can I say? We haven't taken very many pictures in the last five months!

December:

Today...

Today was a really good day.  I woke up not feeling well and, honestly, I did not have exceptionally high expectations for the day.  But, God being the God that He is...

Today was one of those days when I felt God's presence literally all day long.  I could sense Him in everything I did.  It was as if he was whispering to me little reminders of His love constantly throughout today.  That feeling, that sense of peace and oneness with Christ, is something that I have not experienced in quite a long time.  Nothing particularly different or special happened today; He was just there, and I knew He was there.  And yes, I know He is always with me, but today, I could just feel His touch and His presence in everything.  That "feeling" impacted everything I did all day long.  It affected the way I spoke to others, looked at them, touched them.  It affected my mood.  I was more productive at work that usual. Today was a really good day. 

The thing is, I know that my Lord is always with me.  I know that, as I am His child and He is my Father, He promises never to leave me nor forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:8- "The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.")  In my heart and in my mind, with every fiber of my being I know that God will always be with me.  I know this is true even when I do not feel Him.  So, I should act like this is true even when I do not feel Him.  I should act the way I did today every day; regardless of how I feel.  The way I feel does not change what I know to be true.  I should act like Christ's presence is all around me even when I feel isolated, defeated, hurt, or angry.  My faith in the knowledge and promise of God's everlasting presence should change me inside and out.  It should change me so drastically that it pours out in all that I say and do.  It should change the way I act, the way I work, and the way that I speak.  But it should always change these things; not just when I feel good, but each and every day of my life.  His presence should do so alive in me that it spills out onto everything and everyone around me.

Isaiah 55:12, 13

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,

and all the trees in the field will clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn bush will grow the juniper,

and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.

This will be for the Lord's renown,

for an everlasting sign

that will endure forever."

After reading this, I was slightly curious as to what, exactly, a myrtle is.  In case you wondered the same thing:

Myr*tle
–noun
1.
any plant of the genus Myrtus, esp. M. communis, a shrub of southern Europe having evergreen leaves, fragrant white flowers and aromatic berries: anciently held sacred to Venus and used as an emblem of love. 
2.
any of certain unrelated plants, as the periwinkle, Vinca minor, and California laurel, Umbellularia californica.

I think it is interesting that the passage of scripture reads, "Instead of briers the myrtle will grow," and according to Webster, the myrtle was used as an emblem of love.  How perfect! 

picture from here

Apparently there is also a plant called "crepe myrtle," and this is it. 

I got the first picture used in this post from Cuba Gallery.  All of the pictures are amazing, and well worth the hours that you will probably spend clicking through them!  Just to give you a little taste of what to expect, below are a few more of their photos:

I would like to dedicate this next image to my sister, who just finished cosmetology school, and has landed her first job.  Please do not use scissors like this on my hair!

I would like to dedicate the next photo to my mother.  You would just have to know her...

Now that I am on a roll, here is one for Andrew:

This one is for me Dad.  There is a story behind the reason I picked this photo.  Whether or not he remembers the story is a different matter entirely. 

Theater of the mind

Trying to keep up to date with current events, here is a little miracle that happened for someone today.  

2 Samuel 22:3
"My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation.  He is my stronghold, my refuge, and my savior- from violent people you save me." 

Making the Most of Things

In life, it is so important to make the most of what you are given.  That can mean many different things.  It can mean making the most of a bad situation.  It can mean making the most out of an opportunity.  It can mean stretching your resources to their limit.  It can mean making a killer first impression when you meet a potential employer.  It can mean making the most of a dead-end job, because at least you have one!

In my job right now, it is important for me to make the most of each home visit I do, and each phone call that I make.  It is important for me to make the most of people's time and knowledge that I can.  I have to maximize my resources.  I cannot invent new resources per say, but I can make  maximum use of those that are already available.  I do this by utilizing each available resource as often and as extensively as necessary.

In my personal life, I have to make the most of my time.  I enjoy lots of things.  I love to blog, read, paper-craft, and bake.  I also love to watch movies, take long baths (which our small water heater does not really allow), and spend time with my husband.  Unless I manage and organize my time wisely, it is impossible to do all of these things.  I utilize my time in an organized fashion so that I am able to enjoy my hobbies AND have plenty of time with Andrew.  This is another way of working with what you have and making the most of it!

In my home, it is important for me to make the most of the limited space I have right now.  Andrew and I live in a 600 square foot apartment.  In order for us to live comfortably, and still have access to the things we use from day to day, we are having to learn to ORGANIZE, and to maximize our storage space.

Here are some inspirational ideas for storage.

Martha Stewart suggests organizing jewelry in bowls. I have not implemented this idea, because it is not particularly practical, but it is definitely cute! Here is the slideshow the picture above is from.

Better Homes and Gardens suggests this idea for organizing a craft space.  They suggest using an unused bathroom cabinet to keep papers organized.  I like that the cabinet they chose has pegs on it.  You can hang practical things from them (like they did with the lunch pail), or you can use them to hang whatever is inspiring you each day right in front of you... to keep the creative juices flowing!

BHG also suggests using a shower organizer to hold crafts.  I love idea.  Shower organizers are inexpensive, and they make great containers for almost anything!  Why haven't I thought of this?!

True to their name, Real Simple makes staying organized seem so... SIMPLE!  They suggest using pegboard to keep your closet uncluttered, and to keep your last minute accessories easily accessible. 

Well, now that we are all nice and inspired, happy organizing! 

It's the Little Things

Realizing that nearly five months have passed since these photos were taken, here are a few shots of some details from the wedding. My mom and I did all of the decorating, baking, etc. ourselves, and I am thrilled with the way everything turned out. The whole day was such a reflection of Andrew and myself (well, of myself mostly, but I figured that was only fair, since I did most of the work!)

I made this cake, but we also had another larger one there that the ladies at Hermitage Bakery made.  They did a wonderful job!

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a sweet tooth.  Actually, I think all my teeth are sweet teeth!  :)

We bought small brown paper bags from the craft store and stamped each of them so that guests could fill them with the goodies of their choosing. 

I made the cookies and the cupcakes.  The cupcakes were actually a fiasco!  My mom and I had to make several attempts before we had even one batch of cupcakes that was acceptable for human consumption and viewing pleasure.  Go figure! 

One of my bridesmaids made the banners for me.  I love the way they turned out. 

I must admit, I LOVED the flair that this table added to our reception area.  My mom and I made the money tree together.  We used large batteries (random) to weigh the tin pail down.  We put Styrofoam inside of it, and stuck the tree branches into the Styrofoam so that they would stand up the way we wanted them to.  Then we covered the Styrofoam with moss.  We attached the tissue flowers with the pipe cleaners we used to make them.  Simple as that!  

My sister decoupaged the "L" and the "A".  I could not have been happier with the way they turned out.  Andrew and I even recycled them!  They are now hanging over our bed in lieu of a headboard.  

My mom made the flowers, both the large ones on the wall and the small ones on the money tree.  We used tissue paper.  It is really easy.  There are several tutorials and videos floating around the web that will give you the step by step process, or you can just use good, old fashioned trial and error!  If you do prefer specific instructions, here is how Martha Stewart does it. 

I saved the best for last.  The boutonnieres that the guys wore were my absolute favorite element in our wedding.  My mom crocheted the flowers.  We glued a button in the center of each one, embellished with a little spray of yellow flowers, and glued a magnet to the back.  Voila!  Perfecto!  I love it!!!

And I love him!