Saturday, June 25, 2011

Craft Bits Swap


I used to belong to a once-a-month atc craft club and initiated an atc craft bits exchange with all the members for something fun to do. You can get rid of the stuff you don't want or have way too much of and get some "new" supplies. I took sandwich sized zip bags stuffed full of crafts bits I had saved to show them what I was willing to swap and gave them a slip of paper with the rules posted. We set the date for the following month in which to trade. I made enough bags for everyone to have one plus one or two extras. Some of my bags even had small rubber stamps.

ATC Goodie Bag Exchange Rules
1. Must use a sandwich size bag to fill with goodies that can be used on an ATC (artist trading card).
2. Goodies must be things that you have at home (however, if you purchase something today and have it at home when you fill the bags, then that will count! *wink*)
3. Goodies may be new or slightly used, but nothing wet or stinky.
4. Bring your goodie bags to our next ATC meeting to exchange.
5. Our friendly scrapbook shopkeeper is exempt from this exchange unless she wants to participate.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

More ATC Ideas

Yesterday, at church we had a missionary couple who works for the Jesus Film Harvest Partners come speak about what they do-coordinating mission teams who take the Jesus film to unreached people groups around the world and follow up discipling of those who made decisions for Christ. During Sunday School time, Ms. Diane showed our children some of the evangelism tools that they use out in the field. Objects like evangelism soccer balls, evangecubes, proclaimers, scripture “coins,” and prayer cards -cool stuff. The evangelism soccer ball reminded me of the Wordless book that my Sunday School teacher Grandmother “read” to me as a child. Which in turn got the creative wheels turning in my head.

I’m always looking for new ideas for ATC rewards for my Sunday School children. I’ve learned to make ATC’s in small numbers and rotate them from time to time as the children like to look for new ones to collect. As Sunday School teachers, we’re to help teach the little ones that they can too tell others about Jesus, that it’s just not a preachers, teachers and missionaries’ job. That led me to think about creating a evangelistic trading card that would help them tell the story like the wordless book. On the front, stripes of color and on the back, the “story”.


A dark color like black, navy, brown = One of these dark colors represents the sin in our life. (John 3:19)
Red = Red represents the blood that Jesus shed for us (Matthew 26:28)
White = If we confess our sins, we will be washed white as snow (Isaiah 1:18)
Green = When we believe, we are given new life in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Gold = And some day we’ll walk the streets of gold in Heaven. (Revelation 21:21, 27)



I also thought of another ATC to make. The missionaries handed out prayer cards with an new believer on them with words underneath that said “Pray for Me.” They were about the size of a credit card and I thought why couldn’t I make ATC sized prayer cards of each of the children in our class for each other. 

I thought I might take head shots of each of my SS kids and put them on a large address sticky label, then stick them to a cardstock ATC. Or I also have Stampin’ Up’s Charming Children stamps that I could use to represent each child and write their names below along with “Pray for Me.”
What do you think?

Saturday, June 11, 2011

New & Old


At Stampin’ Sisters in Christ this week, we were to use something new on our cards. I have previously determined to use up some of my older supplies so I would have room for newer ones. So on this card, I married the two together. The text paper stamped with the Stampabilities rose (old) is paper from old paper back book. The rose is colored in with the older set of Stampin’ Up markers. And the tag board behind it is a old tissue box that my in-laws save for me. The filigree behind the shield is an old set of Spellbinders dies that I bought on clearance at Hobby Lobby last year. I save all my odd bits in CD envies in a shoebox. The newest thing on this card is the cardstock base and the shield by Xyron Spellbinders that we bought last week at Joann’s before we knew about this challenge. My husband and I are into researching history, esp. family history and he’s been looking for dies that looked like heraldry shields and this just fit the ticket, especially when we were able to get it with a discount coupon!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Let Your Fingers Do the Talkin'

"Comfort, comfort my people." ~ Isaiah 40:1

When I miscarried my much-wanted first baby, the thing that helped me the most was a card from my sister that said my baby was in heaven. Somehow, I could picture my baby being carried in the arms of Jesus which comforted me.

Then when my father passed away suddenly, the letters we received from people writing about some incident that they remembered about him (he was such a prankster), helped us know that he wasn't forgotten and we could laugh through our tears.

The compassionate cards, letters, and photos we received are the things we remember best; tangible items, many of which we have kept, knowing somebody cared about our hurt. My dad received flowers at his funeral, but I don't remember now who sent them and they have faded away.

My mother has compiled many photo scrapbooks and she said, although it was hard to document their life together, at the same time it was healing too. She was able to remember, let go and say goodbye through the process.

Prayer: Show me one person today that you care about in need of an encouraging word, some comfort, some cheer. In Jesus' name, Amen!

Today's Quote:
Let us dare to read, think, speak and write. ~ John Adams, 1765

Bright Future Sketch Challenge


This was the easiest challenge I’ve had so far for Stampin’ Sisters in Christ. I knew what themes I had to design for – a baby card and a graduation card and the rest fell into place when SSIC provided the sketch for me to design to.
One of my girlfriends had her first baby granddaughter and I had to share her joy by sending a card. The baby cap came from a string of baby clothes garland that I purchased from the Dollar Tree a while back and the sentiment came from a Deja Views Paper pack I bought from the Bargain Factory, a salvage store. The doily came from a package that another stamping friend purchased on clearance and shared some with me.
The graduation card is for another girlfriend’s daughter who just graduated from homeschool highschool. I just had to make a pink graduation card unlike her big brother’s black & teal one I made for him. The grad cap is by Stampabilities (F1014), the diploma scroll is also by Stampabilities (C1017), the sentiment Hampton Art. The punch is Martha Stewart and the sentiment was cut out with a Spellbinders Die in my Cuddlebug.
You know, I don’t buy popdots anymore. I buy the foam tape at the hardware store that comes in a roll and cut it into the pieces I need. I also buy double face tape at Walmart and put it into a tape dispenser. The ribbon is usually bought on clearance or at the thrift store or garage sales. I even take donations from people who are cleaning out their closets or drawers.