Booklets of Hope for Today

Good morning! 

I’ve finally made a few more mini booklets. I had made three initially, but I was giving them away faster than I could make them. One for a friend who got sick, one for a birthday (we try to keep it small) and one for someone who was upset. To my surprise, all of them really appreciated them.  So, I told them all, enjoy them and if you find someone who you feel needs it more than you, then please pass it on! 

That’s how my little lights in the darkness were born. My little books of hope!

Here’s three more I made. I’m only going to show you a couple of pages in each one, but will include some quotes and scriptures for you. Also some choruses from songs I found encouraging.  Using sticker paper rather than adhering each one down with double-sided tape was much easier and less time consuming. 

I’ve made the pictures large so you can see the writing better. The only challenge was keeping the quotes small enough to fit into the 3”x 4” spot. They’re all encouraging, hopeful, or make you feel better about yourself or life in general. 

I cannot set these up as a pdf file as I'm currently using Open Office which doesn't support the correct file types.  I can write them out for you and you can make your own in Word using a table. 

For fonts, I used "Times New Roman," "Priscilla," and "Ink Free." 

Quotes and sayings:

It's hard to hear God's voice when you've already decided what you want Him to say. Sanctification and Spitup	I have given God countless reasons not to love me. None of them changed His mind. Lysa Terkeurst
Remember... Fear and Faith Cannot co-exist. Elsie Welc	Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but gets you Nowhere.
The devil wants you to worry about what's next, so you can't enjoy what's now. The devil is a liar! Sanctification and Spitup You can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before you decide to be happy. Nightbird	Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. Proverbs 12:25 Let your Smile Change the world But don't let the world Change your Smile
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! Isaiah 43:1	Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.  Ps. 55:22
Hard now Doesn't mean Hard forever	If today was heavy Put it down And give it to God

Songs I've incorporated: When peace like a river attendeth my way when sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say It is well, It is well, with my soul!	Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in His wonderful face!! And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.

On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand all other ground is sinking sand! Scriptures I've used:	Jesus take the wheel Take it from my hands Because I can't do it on my own! Carrie Underwood
Isaiah 35:4 Jeremiah 29:11 Romans 8:31 Hebrews 13:5,6 Psalm 27:1 Deuteronomy 31:6 Isaiah 40:31 Romans 8:28 Isaiah 41:10 Psalm 55:22 Proverbs 12:25 Jeremiah 29:11 Psalm 46:1 Isaiah 43:1 Proverbs 1:33 Luke 12:25 Matthew 11:28 Psalm 46;10 Psalm 23:4 Eph 6: 10, 11 Isaiah 40:31 Psalm 91: 1,2 John 14:27 Joshua 1:9 2 Tim. 1:7 I had a lot of trouble with the formatting on this post. I guess this is the best I can get for now. My apologies! Well, that's all Folks!  Blessings, Carmen

Steampunk Squad

Hello!

It’s a chilly day here in beautiful British Columbia, but still bearable outside with a warm sweater or light jacket on. It’s definitely feeling like autumn and that’s ok by me! With the smoke all summer it feels like we missed a whole season, but I’m glad to see the backside of all the fires. 

The paper pads have been beckoning me although I really should be working on my quilt. I love pretty papers and really like that my card stash is growing. I actually signed each one today, and split them up into categories and price points. There’s my painted cards, large cards, small cards and clearance cards. 

The clearance cards are ones that I’ve had for a while, ones that are a style I no longer use, or ones that aren’t my favorite. It always surprises me when people tell me they love a card of mine that I think is ok, but not my fav. They say different people like different styles and that’s certainly true. 

Today I finished off a few cards I started yesterday. I’m using Stamperia papers for these. I love steampunk and I love the ocean, so these papers were a no brained for me.

Lady Steampunk

A close up of the cardboard gear I embossed

The card inside. I often leave these blank so they can be used for any occasion.

I like using grey cardstock for the insides lately rather than the white. 

Rustoleum

 Just a few brads and some foam tape on the front. 

A simple inside, this time using kraft paper which 

seemed to compliment the brown tones of this card. 

Steampunk Starfish

Another embossed cardboard gear on this one and some brads. 

I really kept the insides simple in these. Sometimes simple is good.

Steampunk Fish

Some rustic brads and a paper anchor to finish off the front

The inside

I’m really growing to love the Stamperia paper lines. They’re so simple to use. I prefer the 8” packs, but sometimes all I can get is the 12” pads. It’s still worth it for the price as I get more background papers. 

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Blessings! 

Carmen

BRUTALLY HONEST SLOGANS

 

Stamperia Cosmos Cards (5)

I hope you liked my Little Book of Hope ! As promised, here are a few cards I made with the rest of the 8X 8 Stamperia Cosmos pad. I still have lots of papers left, some of which will be used for the inside of the cards. 

(1)

I inked the edges of all five cards with Distress ink and then painted the edges haphazardly with a bit of gold acrylic paint to start. 

To this card I added a metallic star clip, some hemp cord and a couple of old flowers from my stash, fastened with a brass colored brad.

I also added brads to the corners of the bottom paper.

The top two papers were attached using dbl sided tape.

 I intentionally used masculine elements on most, but this card could be gifted to both men or women. 

(2)

Here again you see bits of the gold acrylic paint on the edges of the card. 

I started by adhering the top two layers with dbl sided tape and then used the foam tape underneath for dimension. 

Colored hemp cord was wrapped around it with a bow. 

You’ll note that I curled over the top corner of the third layer and attached it with a metal brad. I adhered some little sprigs meant for inside flowers underneath to add some interest. 

I adhered it all to the fourth layer.

The butterfly is one of my signature embellishments. In fact, a friend has butterflies pop up on her screen whenever I message her. Lol. 

I had some loosely weaved blue “ribbon” given to me a while back. I took small amounts of that and placed it below the bottom layer here and there. You can just barely see it in the top photo. 

(3)

Again, inking and gold paint on the edges. 

Having just bought some leaf rub-ons, I decided to add them to the bottom layer of this card.

I v-cut and roughed up a couple of spots on the edge of this layer also. Using a poker I made some holes and weaved hemp cord through them for a decorative element. Behind the openings I taped some darker papers with embellishment tape. This helps keep the cord in place as well. 

Using dbl sided tape I adhered the top two layers together after roughing up the black card stock a bit. I like that look on men’s cards. 

Finally I added more gold paint to the top layer and to the leaves to complete this card. 

(4)

I inked and painted the edges. On the bottom layer I rubbed on some distressed edges I have in my stash, then put it aside for a bit.

I cut a moon from another paper in the pad, inked it, attached foam and put it aside. 

The next two layers were adhered together with dbl sided tape, and then it was all attached in place. 

I wasn’t quite happy with it so added the metal corners with embellishment tape, and then added the adhesive tan colored pearls which had been in my stash forever! Then it was done. 

(5)

Lastly, and probably the quickest of the lot was this card. 

The sentiment was included in the pad, so I cut it out, and backed it with black card stock. They were inked and painted with the gold. 

The main panel was backed with some paper out of the pad, and also inked and painted. On the top left I added a little hinge embellishment. I believe it’s Close to my Heart. 

I had a large vine which I placed first, then added the main panel with foam tape. I placed the sentiment with foam tape also

Then, two flowers I had in my stash and it was complete.

This one is more feminine, I would say.

*********

That’s all five of my cards from the Stamperia Cosmos paper pad, plus a booklet, and there’s papers left. Quite a few, actually. 

The nice thing about this paper pad is that if you’re stretched for time, you can make a very quick card that looks impressive without the additional embellishments and techniques. 

I’ve bought a few paper pads recently from Stamperia and Ciao Bella. I think there will be more cards in my near future! 

Thanks for stopping by and please say hello below if you have the time!

Blessings, 

Carmen

BRUTALLY HONEST SLOGANS

Quick Cards and Vintage/Steampunk MM Art Pieces.

I had some birthdays coming up in January. These cards came together very quickly and were easy to make. I have decided that there's value in making quick cards for those who don't have enough love for handmade items to keep them. They still get a nice handmade card, but I haven't spend hours on it! It's a win - win situation!

This card was made with Bo Bunny Enchanted Collection. The Orange papers came from MME Haunted. I had some little frames that I haven't used, so I decided to use one for the sentiment, just for something different.  I was in a hurry so I just wrote the sentiment in by hand. As you can see, I also put some flags on the envelope. The extra little touches make it look like a little more thought was put into it.

This next card is for a grandson in his tweens. It's another quick card I threw together. I used Bo Bunny Timepiece Collection for all the papers.

The little timepiece in the corner came from B'Sue Boutiques. It's actually a vintage jewelry supply type of place, but they had some neat stuff and some of it would make up great steampunk or mixed media art.  I'm only sharing because I like this stuff and I thought maybe you'd be interested in it too. Check it out...

I love these little bottles with dice in them!! Great on a little necklace, or ?

The middle timepiece is the one I used on the card above.

The spinners spin!

The little compasses move! The clock is actually a button.

So you can get an idea of the size....I bought these some time ago, but I'm sure she'll have a lot of them in her shop today as these things are timeless. 

That's all for today. 

Blessings,

Carmen

Steampunk Snowman Digi Freebie

Hi there,

This little steampunk snowman was inspired by a clay figure I saw a while back. I love steampunk images -- I don't know why because I'm really a pretty traditional type of girl...I just like the look of them I guess. 

So if you're into steampunk maybe this image will fit the bill for Christmas.

Hope your kids all had fun collecting candy last night! I went over to my DIL's place for dinner while she handed out candy. She got so excited every time someone came to the door. She was more entertaining than the kids costumes were. 

Most original costume? A dill pickle. Lol....

Blessings,

Carmen

It's My Anniversary!! Let's Celebrate with Free Digi's!

Today (June 16th) is my anniversary! Although it's hard to believe, it's been 29 years (twenty NINE!!!) and I have no idea how the time went so fast!

We married in a little church in Victoria BC that my son later dubbed 'the castle church'. I think maybe because it had some stained glass windows? It was a simple wedding and a simple reception with about 80 friends and family. We both cried while saying our vows, thereby making some in the congregation cry. Yes, we're fun like that! (grin). In some ways it was like a fairy tale. We'd met and then married within 6 months. We just knew! Now we have four sons, six grandchildren with one on the way, and three beautiful daughter in laws (I'm not just saying that, they are all really beautiful women!!).

Marriage, however, is not always an easy journey. There are times when I've entertained the thought of leaving and I know my husband has done the same. It's never easy living with another person, whether it's your mom and dad, your husband, your best friend. We tend to get 'lax' with the other person and become careless.

What I say and how I say it can come across in a different way than I intended it. So here's some unsolicited advice if I may? 

Always season your words with grace, treat people with a loving attitude even when they're out of sorts (it's often not because of you anyway). 

Give people the benefit of the doubt (most mean well).

Give people their space! (most men particularly need this, I think)

Take every opportunity to laugh! 

Always, ALWAYS be kind to each other, especially when you don't feel like it.

Someone said I looked too young to be married 29 years. The photo above was taken about 4 years ago, so it's fairly recent. People often tell me I look younger than I am. Truth be told, I'm a grey/white hair, but it's a cover up! Lol..

Anyway, I've gone on and on and most of you have probably given up and scrolled down!  Thanks for listening...those of you who patiently stayed with me!

Here are your freebies

 And remember, if your marriage feels like THIS:

As difficult as it will be...and it will be difficult....

Do what you can to season it with good words, nurture it with good intentions and seed it with good actions, and in the end, you may be rewarded with THIS:

*The last two images are always free.*

Here's a card Lora made with one of these images. I love her card!

There are more examples under the first post of this penny farthing HERE, if you want some ideas.

Thanks for celebrating with me! I hope you enjoy your freebies. It's been my joy to share them with you! 

Blessings,

Carmen

*Many of the watermarked images on this blog are now available in my Etsy Shop.

Let's Celebrate #6 More Free Digi's!

One more day and it's my 29th Anniversary! Yay!

I have freebies for you today and tomorrow and then all the watermarks will go back on! So get them while you can and make sure you check out my last 5 posts as well. (click on 'home' to go to the start and see them all). 

Here's todays' freebies:

And another steampunk image, the flying boot!

Tomorrow there will be two more images, one steampunk and one more christmas image. Tomorrows' digis will only be up for a day or less, so check in early! 

Enjoy!

Carmen

Let's Celebrate #5! Free Digi's!

Hello!

Wow! What a week! 

More freebies for you today! What a wonderful way to celebrate my 29th anniversary!!

Ready?

Ah, another flying ship! I don't know if this is more whymsical or steampunk...

This Christmas image was an all time favorite on this blog!

Remember, they're free for a limited time only! Remember to check back on the last few posts for more limited time freebies!

Enjoy!

Carmen

Let's Celebrate #4! Free Digi's

Hi there,

Another day, another freebie!

First, I have been resting up the last few days as I have pulled out my back somehow. Prior to that Iwalked every day for 45 minutes or so and have lost quite a bit of weight, but this has definitely set me back. I'm hoping it heals quickly! I will attempt to walk with a friend again tomorrow after a week long break. I'm hoping my back holds out! Wish me luck!

Anyway...

This time I have a coffee cup freebie that was quite popular I'm removing the watermark from for a limited time.

And, a steampunk flyer...

Enjoy!

Let me know if you use them on anything! I'd love to see your work! 

Carmen

Let's Celebrate #3! Freebies

Good Morning!

Today I have a couple more images for you! Most of my popular images are of the steampunk genre, so I'll try and include one steampunk image each time! 

So, without further babble, here are todays' temporary freebies:

Both will be great for use on Father's Day cards! Only 6 days away!!

I found this cute free printable on the Landee See, Landee Do blog. Go there to print it off!

Have a good day!

Carmen

*Most watermarked images are available in my Etsy shop.