T stands for Taking Part in AJJ

 Break up your fallow ground, For it is a time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you"  Hosea 10:12 NKJV

I decided to submit my scrap layout to the Art Journal Journey challenge this month.  It is hosted this time by Bleubeard & Elizabeth and their theme is Anywhere, Anytime, Any Place, with Anyone.  

I did a layout of the Van Gogh Immersive Experience that our son took me to, when he visited in November.  We thoroughly enjoyed it and learned so much that we hadn't known about Van Gogh.

To start this layout, I masked all but an inch around the outside of a 12x12 page.  I put a stencil on it and used Light and Fluffy modeling paste thru the stencil.  After it was dry I spattered with Fun Stamper Journal silks.  Then I inked around the edges with Tim Holtz Uncharted Mariner Oxide ink.  I took the mask off and added glitter all around the inside of the frame I made.  Then, I added my papers, title and embellishments.

That is it for me today.  Oh, wait a minute, I haven't posted my ticket to TSFT over at Altered Book Lover!

We were at a Chinese New Year event the 17th of this month.  Beautiful decorations and great food and entertainment.  I am having hot tea with my meal.

I am so sorry it is blurry.  I am the worst photographer!  Half the time it was on movie or time lapse.  I don't know how the wrong buttons get pushed on my phone!  But the dancers came by all our tables.

This one came right up in my face and winked at me! LOL

It was really fun.  What about you?  What have you been doing?  What are you drinking today? Show us and join over at Altered Book Lover.

Have a great week!  Thank you for stopping by.

T Stands for Technique

 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in

from this time forth, and even for evermore. Psalms 121:8

How does it get to be Monday afternoon so quickly?  We had some friends visiting from Saturday through Wednesday. She was a crafty friend, and we burned the midnight oil in my craft room, because in the daytime we were walking or going to museums and seeing the sights!  While we crafted our hubbies' watched sports, for example, the Super Bowl. and college basketball or went to bed! LOL We had fun using each other dies, embossing folders, stamps and stencils.  It was a die cutting marathon!

We did a bokeh technique:  For this card she did circles with alcohol inks.  Then I did the circles with white craft ink.  Then we each made our card.  Each of ours looked totally different as she used different colors. This is mine.

It is beautiful here, 71 degrees right now!   I shopped and walked to celebrate President's Day.  There were sure a lot of people out shopping today, even though it is a Monday; I guess they were all off for the day.

Here are some photos from our Sweetheart Dinner on Valentine's Day.  We ate at Red Lobster to celebrate the day, but also my husband proposed to me 60 years ago on Valentine's Day!

When the waitress heard that, she brought us dessert after our meal.  Everything about the meal was delicious!  I love coconut shrimp and the Cheddar Bay Biscuits, too.

That is my ticket for the TSFT over at Altered Book Lover with Elizabeth & Bleubeard!  

Thanks for stopping by!  See you next time.

T Stands For Taking time

The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in
from this time forth, and even for evermore. Psalms 121:8

I am taking time to plan my month today which includes planning for visitors, making Valentines, planning Challenges on SplitcoastStampers, and planning meals for the week. We still have snow on the ground, 7 1/2 inches!  It is up to 48 F, but it will take more than a day or two for this snow to go away! LOL

Here is the Valentine I made today for our granddaughter who is a violinist.  I used some assorted stamps and a heart embossing folder.  SU! Itty Bitty Banners.

Beginning last Thursday, I participated in Justine Hovey's Craft Your Stash Summit.  These are cards I made from watching her class and using her sketch:  I used her sketch to make 11 cards from one 12x12 sheet of patterned paper.  Then I used die cuts that had already been cut and were laying around my area.  I found a little baggie of cowboys and horses.  I decided to make them as masculine cards.  I have already used two of these cards!  I always seem to need cards for men, as most the cards I make have flowers on them!

It was a good time to have the summit as we were below freezing and snow outside.  So, I just crafted!

I almost forgot my ticket to join Bleubeard and Elizabeth over at Altered Book Lover for TSFT! I would take time to take a drink of this, which was a gift, but the first bottle was terrible, so didn't!  It was too sweet and not only that, but I don't want to drink my calories!  I even tried to just add it to a drink or drink it hot.  Still terrible!  What about you is this a kind of drink you would like?

Hope you are having a great day.  I don't know what it is like where you are, but hope you are warm and safe.  

Thank you for stopping by.

T Stands for Time to Look up

 ​¹ I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

² My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. Psalms 121:1-2

Good afternoon, readers!  It is a beautiful sunny cold day here; too cold to go out walking.  It is all the way up to 28 degrees Fahrenheit.  Great day for cleaning & crafting.  I have been throwing out a few things, trying to purge my craft room.  You crafters know how that is going.  Not!  Anyway, on the way to purging a drawer broke the track it was on, fell out and broke again.  Hubby was able to fix pretty quickly.  I was impressed.  But that slowed me down.  All the throwing out began when I was looking for the stamp of a Bible verse I wanted for my journal page. Any cleaning here always begins with me looking for something!  As you can see, I found the stamp.  I thought it was an Our Daily Bread stamp, but it turned out to be a Verve stamp. Do either of those companies exist anymore?  Have you noticed how many of our crafting companies are closing?  Maybe because we all have it all! LOL

Here is my journal entry for Erica's (aka BioGirl) What's Up Art Journal Journey Challenge for January.  I found these photos from 1971 of Canada mountains and decided to put them on here and pair with the Bible verse.   The pages were done with a watercolor wash and then spattered with Fun Stampers Journey silks. (Another company that is no longer in business) OH, and the stamped Look Up is stamped with Close to my Heart alpha stamps!  (no longer in business).  I used a ACOT Sketch.

I also am joining Bleubeard & Elizabeth over at Altered Book Lover, so here is my ticket:

Sorry it is blury.  This was an event we went to when I was still in my sling after shoulder surgery last April.

  I took out time to do the journal entry and post here but really want to get back to another book I am reading.  I am reading while I can, because it seems like I get too busy to read later in the year.

Thanks for stopping by.  Happy T Day.

T Stands for Time for a New Year

 ¹⁷ Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

It is already the 12th of January 2026, and this is my first post of the year!

A belated Happy New Year to all my readers! 

I have been doing more reading since the new year rather than crafting.  I finished three books and am on my 4th.  Just seems like I am in a reading mood! The first book I read was by a friend of mine.  My Story: The Life of Donald Bland, by Donald Bland.  She put it together from his telling her his story.  What makes it so interesting to me is that it takes place in Kansas and relates his story as part of the Orphan Train movement from 1854-1929, part of our history.  I read this in two sittings as I couldn't put it down. The next book I read was Designed with Love (The Hope of Cheyenne #2) by Tracie Peterson.  I am now reading the next book in that series.

But the book I absolutely could not put down was The Lost Carousel of Province, by Juliet Blackwell.  This was about a photographer who travels from California to France to photograph carousels current day but gets caught up in the history and restoring of one. But the funny part is I checked this book out by mistake. (I check books out from the library on my Libby app) I was thinking I was getting a book by another author by the last name, Blackstock.  I am so glad I made the error, because there are several more books all taking place in Paris, apparently, by the sound of the titles.  So, mistakenly, I found a new author!

I will share one card that I did make for our grandson's birthday.  I used an image from Lili of the Valley, a company in the UK.  I have collected a lot of their stamps but forget to use them.  I think they are so cute.

The sentiment stamps are from CC Designs.  I used an older SU! embossing folder, and a My Favorite Things Wonky Rectangle die.  I colored the image with Copics.

And lastly here is my ticket (from the archives) to the TSFT party over at Altered Book Lover, hosted by Bleubeard & Elizabeth.  Elizabeth has been showing her photos of mugs at Spice Merchant.  Here is the one I bought there last year for my self as a Valentine gift.  It is still my favorite.  I might go there again this year and get another pretty one. 

Thank you for stopping by!  Happy T Day to the T Gang.  See you next time.

Merry Christmas!

 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

It is almost that time!  Our tree is trimmed, our greenery hung, and cookies and bread baked, candy mix mixed!  The manger scene is out.  Family arriving soon, in groups.  Christmas Eve service, then a run to the airport and at least some of us will be together for Christmas.    

I thought I would post to my blog to wish all my followers a very Merry Christmas full of Hope, peace, joy and love.

Here are some last-minute Christmas cards I made with Sande Woodson's digitals and assorted gifted die cut sentiments.  I embossed the 110lb Recollections bases with a star embossing folder and layered the image panels on gold before adhering to the base.

Sande Woodson aka Sande's Poema designs and generously gives these beautiful digitals away for free.  You just must subscribe to her newsletter, here.  

I think this is my favorite:

52 cards have been made and sent or hand delivered.  I still have some to do. In years past I have given out as many as 70, but our list is sadly diminishing.  Some friends and family have passed even in 2025. 

Above is my ticket to the tea party over at Altered Book Lover hosted graciously by Bleubeard and Elizabeth.  Go on over and join TSFT.

Thank you for stopping by and again, Merry Christmas!

T Stands for December

 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

Hello December!  Can you believe we are into the last month of the year?  I can't!  I suddenly realize I have only 30 some Christmas cards made of the over 60 I need!  At least I got my international cards mailed Saturday.  So, I am planning this blog on the fly as today got away from me.  I didn’t get this done!  

So, I am back today, to post my layout for Art Journal Journey, and also for the 3 in a Row & Number Mix Challenges on A Cherry on Top. The "other" Sharon has posted out theme this month at AJJ as Winter Theme.  I am documenting our first snow on December 1st on this 12x12 scrap page.  I used two different snowflake punches.  I used Stamperia Blue Winter paper and Stories Simple Fresh Snow ephemera.  Thank you, Sharon, for the perfect theme!

I don’t know if I can link to TSFT or not but will try.  Do you see my ticket on my scrap page?

Have a great week!  Thanks for stopping by.  See you next time.