Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Serenity and Hands


Click on this link for Today's Serenity for just a moment or longer.  

Karl E. Lutze, author of "Forgive our Forgettings, Lord!" has written this action prayer. Though it was written in 1972, I've added a few phrases to bring this timeless prayer up to date. You can read and participate as one or with a group.

I read this while listening to the Tim Janis music from the link above.  

Your Hands Stretched Out to Us

ALL:

Your hands, once tiny, holding a parent's little finger, or fumbling with a toy;

These hands that grip steering wheels, flick light switches, turn door knobs, press letters and links on keyboards and screens, push vacuums, lift dish towels and fold laundry;

These hands that guide pencils, hold children, wield heavy tools, count, sort, gesture, wave or manipulate fine instruments and intricate machines;

These hands I fold - a symbol of constraint of my own activities so that I might concentrate on what I am saying when I pray, "Into Your hands I commend myself."

ONE:

Those hands that rested on the shoulders of burdened people, that passed out food to throngs, that lifted little children high, that touched the eyes of blind men and made them see again;

Those hands that touched fevered brows with cooling relief and healing; that drew saddened people near; that touched corpses, restoring life.

Those hands, when raised, stilled storms.

Those hands broke bread and passed the cup.

Those hands you surrendered to, hammer and nails and death.

Those hands revealing scars were raised to communicate to men God's peace, forgiveness and love.

Those hands stretched out to us, beckon and invite, and so we come to hands far stronger than our own, at Your hands to receive strength for our own weary, failing hands - strength to draw away from greedy grasping and selfish seizing

ALL:

Take these folded hands and open them to receive Your love and to share that love with others whose hands have long been cold and empty and far too often crushed and crippled by selfish and thoughtless people.  


                                    

You have made us members of Your body, forgiving our stiff and unbending paralysis.

Strengthen us to be the hands that reach out in Your name to the lonely, the frustrated, the frightened, the exhausted, the bitter, and the hopeless, with Your love, so that hands everywhere may be raised in praise to You, whose hand is ever upon us to hold us fast and to give us peace. AMEN (K.E.L.)

Be Blessed! sb





Monday, March 1, 2021

Butterfly Brilliance

MARCH 2, 2021 - MAY 2021 
 


I've loved butterflies since I was a child. I can't imagine not liking butterflies - what's not to love?!  Here is one of my early photographs, of a Swallowtail on a pink lilac in my yard.  I love this butterfly!

                                                        

You might guess what I love when you visit my home 


One of the first rubber stamps I bought was a butterfly.  Here an early card I made, perhaps in the late 1980's, and although I still have the daisy stamp, sadly, I no longer have this butterfly stamp.

                                                    

So when Stampin' Up announced this new set - Butterfly Brilliance - available to you March 2, 2021 through May of 2021 -  I knew it was time to get a new butterfly stamp, or the whole bundle! The products are sold separately, but the bundle includes savings.

There are so many ways to use the Butterfly Brilliance set.  Stampin' Up creates beautiful coordinating double-sided papers, making them very versatile to use on their own or with the dies and stamps. Here are the beautiful prints on both sides.

 










You could use the paper for layering and "fussy cut" a butterfly to embellish, like the card at the top of the page.

The dies, which are connected into one piece, cut the butterflies out of the paper just as they are laid out on these images.

The one large butterfly stamp also coordinates with the dies, plus there are other butterfly dies and those you could use alone or as layering die cuts. 

If I didn't own other stamps, but one set, this would be it.  The stamp alone, paper alone or combined with the die cuts would make beautiful Happy Birthday, Thinking of You, Sympathy cards, and would be versatile for any person, young or old.


Use the stamp with black ink and color in with water based markers. The first photo shows black ink that has been spritzed with water, stamped on white paper. The next photo is strictly black ink and stamped on white card stock.

                

 You could "paint" the butterfly stamp with water based ink or marker, spritz with water and stamp it on cardstock or water color paper.  (Note that alcohol ink markers do not work for a water color effect.)


A die cut machine is needed to use the dies. You can see here how easy it would be to cut the images out as the large die coordinates with the shapes exactly.

   

Accessories needed are the die cutting machine. Water based ink and markers. Cardstock. Water color paper if you want to try a water color technique by spritzing the stamp with water.  There are so many options and opportunities for you to use the Butterfly Brilliance stamps, dies, papers.

Find all the supplies you will need here through May.  Watch for updates.  The 2021-2022 catalog will be out soon. 

If you're a beginner or a seasoned stamper, I'd love to share more of the ideas with you.  Of course, you can always find samples of cards on Pinterest and Instagram.  And I'd love to see the cards you make with Butterfly Brilliance, so please post them in the comment section.  

                                            

 Thanks for stopping by.  Happy Stamping and be blessed!  sb