Surprise, Surprise

I received a Just Cards magazine in the mail today! Guess that means I’ve been honored again by getting a card published! *smile* Thank you Editorial Staff at Scott Publications for all your hard work in compiling these mags for us! (I couldn’t wait to look. Mine is on page 88!)
I see I've been joined by many friends there = Lindsay Weinrich, Judy Cantrell, Joan Petty, and Barb Benson.

Veggie Tale ATC’s.

Today I made Veggie Tale ATC’s for my preschool Sunday School kids attendance chart prizes.

Our kids love stickers, but don’t always know the appropriate places to put them (I remember a few sessions with goo-be-gone! *roll eyes*). Here they get two prizes in one – stickers and a trading card! I used two brands of stickers – Veggie Tales by Big Idea and Redi-Stix Word Stickers by Standard Publishing. Then I just dressed them up with a little marker and stamped an appropriate scripture stamp (Stampin’ Up) on the back of each.

As I made these today, I listened to our local Christian radio station and “Family Talk” came on. Ryan Dobson mentioned that his father, Dr. James Dobson was horse back riding recently, fell off and broke nine bones. I’m thinking of sending him a get well card. How about joining me in prayer for his healing and sending him get well wishes?

Tissue Box Notebooks

Julie and Trisha, you are going to be so proud of me. *smile* I finally altered something and made these tiny notebooks from paper tissue boxes [1 box yields: 7 (2” x 3.5” x 1”) front & back covers & (1”) punched round tags per box] that my in-laws save for me.

I picked out the brightest tissue covers. I also recycled paper that was blank on one side and printed on the other for the notebook sandwich. The only thing I had to purchase was the clasp (book) rings and at 24 cents apiece I believe that’s a pretty inexpensive prize for my Sunday School kids. Now for a “donation” of decorative pencils to go with them and we’re all set!

The Door to my Heart

While this card does not have a door stamp on it since I didn’t have one, but I did have a key (Delta/Rubber Stampede) and a lock (Rubber Monger), I thought to make the card appear as though it was a piece of a door. I’ve been wanting to find a woodgrain stamp for various projects and when, sometime ago, I watched a painting video showing a graining tool (ZAR/United Gilsonite Laboratories), I ran to my local True Value Hardware (Home Depot have these too) and bought this rubber stamp tool in the painting section. I broke the package open for this week’s “door” challenge for Stampin’ Sisters in Christ.
It takes a bit of practice to get the grain to look just right and I’m going to have to practice with various other inks and paints. My husband was breathing down my neck today - he’s wanting to go somewhere, so I was in a hurry to make this card. It seems to be missing something. Can you tell me what you would do to improve it if it was your card? I love positive feedback!
Have a happy day!
I just had to tell my Daddy Lord “Thank You” today for coming in!

Midwest Art Museums

Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art
Arkansas Arts Center Decorative Arts Museum
Art of the Bible
Artist: Thomas Hart Benton Home
Artist George Caleb Bingham Home
Artist: Mary Engelbreit
Black Archives of Mid-America
Central Missouri State University Art Center
Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art
Detour Art
Epsten Gallery Foundation
Grandview, MO. Art
Hallmark Cards Visitor Center

The Center for Healing Arts at University Health 
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art
The Warner Sallman Collection at Anderson University, Indiana
Joslyn Art Museum
The Kansas City Art Institute
Kansas City's Crossroads Art District
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
Laumeier Sculpture Park and Museum
Lincoln University
Missouri State Council on the Arts
Mulvane Art Museum
Museum of Contemporary Religious Art
Nelson-Atkins Museum
Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art
Oklahoma City Museum of Art
Philbrook Museum of Art
Springfield Art Museum
St. Louis Art Museum
University of Missouri Museum of Art and Archaeology
Wichita Art Museum

Many local University/College Campuses have small art galleries. However, since many of them don't have their own website within the campus communities, you won't find them here, because webpages often get rearranged, and I have a hard time keeping up with the new pages. If you have visited a Midwest art museum that you believe should be in this list, please leave the name of it in the comments below, where it is located and what you thought of your visit there. Thank you. 

Bargains Galore

I’ve been shopping for new and gently-used but new-to-us Sunday School stuff at charity/thrift shops, Dollar Tree, Mardels, Michaels (where my son works), US Toys and Walmart. I update or rotate posters and toys from time to time to pique the children’s interest. Also I like shopping creatively. I might not purchase much, but often come away with many FREE ideas percolating in my head. 

At Dollar Tree, I found a set of four signs on tongue depressor handles for “Quiet” (looks like a stop sign); “Hold Your Hand Up” (large white glove), and “Line Up Quietly” (footprints) that I rolled through my Xyron 900 ) laminator. It will laminate a 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper.

We sit at a table during lesson time. Little ones are impulsive, talkative and wiggle, so we practice sitting still (feet on floor, bottom on seats) and being quiet (zip lips and let’s put on our listening ears) when Mrs. Dolores is talking. I thought these would be fun to hold up when ordinary methods fail to work. One time I made huge cardstock ears to wear around my ears (think Ferengi) and wore them to class. It made a huge statement! LOL!

Found a couple of posters at US Toys for my Sunday School classroom and was delighted when asked if I would like to have them laminated for $1.00 each on top of what I paid for them (which was a little cheaper as I have a teacher’s reward discount card). So the blank poster sheet that I was going to use for our memory verse has been converted to a white board which I can use for more than one verse. I was also looking for a poster of all the New Testament Books of the Bible written in large print that I can read from across the room, but haven’t found one yet. I may have to make my own on blank desk name strips. I’m memorizing the books of the New Testament as well as the children. Most don’t read yet, but are learning to recognize different letters and to write their names. We also do a sword drill from time to time --looking up the books of the Bible that they have already memorized in our classroom New Testaments (or their Bible if they remembered to bring it) by matching the name on a flashcard to the word at the top of the page. 

We were at Mardel’s at the right time as they were selling children’s T-shirts for 59 cents on clearance. We just about cleared out their Veggie Tale selection! I also purchased two new figures to the The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything Ship toy and an extra lesson teacher’s book from a Veggie Tales VBS curriculum packet on sale for $2.50. I feel like I made out like a bandit! I have coloring sheets for The Pirates that I pulled from the movie DVD or online.

Saw the cutest hand pointers at Mardel’s. Didn’t buy one as I couldn’t decide whether the kids would try to play with them or not. Also saw that DJ Inkers, the Stick Kids, and Mary Engelbreit have posters and bulletin board borders now! But they weren’t Veggie-Tales!

When God Doesn’t Make Sense

“the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.” ~ Isaiah 57:1.

Two different friends’ extended families lost nearly everything they owned in one of the tornadoes that ripped through our part of the country recently. It’s gut-wrenching when somebody we love is affected by natural disasters.

Recently we were discussing their plight over dinner and a story was relayed about God’s hand of protection concerning one of them. Everything nearby was swept away except for the walls surrounding the woman, clearly a miracle to us. Then a question was raised, so how do you answer people who ask how God can protect one person and not another when their loved one was killed. Where’s God’s protection in that? I answered, while I don’t know all God’s reasons for protecting one on earth and allowing another to die, there is a verse in the Bible that comforts me when the unexpected happens. If the person had lived, perhaps something far worse was in their future, like terrible suffering of some sort.

I’m an ant; only God can see the big picture and perhaps he protected the loved one who died, only not in the way we desired. We have to trust that God knows best and hold on to our faith!

Prayer: Lord, Thank you for your protection. Be with the families who have lost loved ones. Give them peace like a river & strength to keep going. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Today’s quote:

"A card ministry team can be vital to the communication system within a church, a community, and beyond. Each member of the group is truly a missionary, reaching out to people in all phases of life, sharing God's love." ~ Sue Banker.