Visiting Teaching Message, April, 2010

Thank you so much for stopping by! I am so glad that you did!

After giving this much thought, I wanted to let you know that I am considering no longer posting my Visiting Teaching ideas. So many of you have visited over the past few months. Thank you. If you would like me to continue posting my ideas, please leave a comment below indicating that you would like me to continue posting. I would like to know if I am helping anyone. If I don't receive enough comments, I'll have my answer, huh? LOL

I finally broke down and went to the doctor's. I just wasn't getting better! I'd have a good day and then spend two more days in bed! DH had to drag me there! We found that my primary infection caused several secondary ones which is why I wasn't on the mend with what appeared to be only a chest cold. Ugh! After a battery of meds and cough medication w/ codeine, I finally got my body settled down. I'm still coughing, but not like before. I cannot remember being sick for so long!

I have some goodies to share. Your VT appointment dates will come faster than you think! Maybe there is something below that you will be able to use. Please drag the images to your desk top. Because of the size restrictions, the photos aren't the best. Please feel free to contact me if you need more info.

April's objective was to remind us that we have the ability to receive and seek personal revelation. It's interesting. When I was contemplating joining the Church, I was very cautious. Each Sunday, as I prepared for Sacrament Meeting, I would have a specific question in mind. I prayerfully asked that I would have my question answered. I began to notice that the answers WERE being given to me each and every time during Sacrament Meeting! The questions I had were very specific, so as I was listening to the speakers, I was astounded each time the answer was given while embedded in a talk. The questions and answers were not the general type that one might hear during a Sunday service. I do have a strong testimony as to this gift.



This is what I will be giving my gals this month. The bucket has drainage holes in the bottom and there are seed packets for Basil and Chamomile for the sisters to plant. There are also, some seed packets that I created as well as sweet little seeds to help convey the lesson's message.



This is a quote that I read and loved! It really struck a note with me, so I decided to include it with the visuals.

There are two types of seed packets below. I wanted to create an analogy between having and not having personal revelation. The first seed packet has no identifications listed on the front. Therefore, someone would not know what they are planting. Along with that, they wouldn't know how to plant the seeds. The little seeds inside are also blank. The second seed packet does have the information. Therefore, the gardener would know the specifics for sucessfully planting the seeds within. The seeds are labeled with the four steps to help us achieve our goal. Score along the black lines and cut where the green meets the white. My packets are approximately 4 x 5. Fold the large flap first followed by the small one on the side and bottom. Glue into place.









Thank you for visiting. I appreciate your visits. Please leave a comment if you would like me to continue posting my ideas. If I do not receive enough comments, I will save myself some work and omit these particular blog entries.

Blessings,
Chris

Happy Spring!

As I looked out the window of my scrap room today, I noticed all the insects happily flying around our back yard. I have a table in front of the window in that room. On that table are potted flowers. DH loves to keep flowers outside the window for me to see. I watched a bee going from flower to flower gathering nectar. The pansies are in full bloom. I so love pansies. They are my very favorite flower. They just have the cutest little faces!

I have been under the weather for almost a month now. I finally broke down and dragged myself to the doctor. So, now, I'm hoping the antibiotics kick in and eliminate whatever is living inside my chest and other parts of my body! The cough medicine w/ codeine isn't stopping the cough! Can you believe that?

I have a couple of things to share today.

First, here is an ATC card I made for a challenge. We had to do one about ourselves. I think my watching the flowers outside my window had an influence on where I went with mine, LOL. I kept the colors crisp and clean by using the black and white. I added a touch of pewter in the medallion, butterfly, and photo corner. Lastly, I used some silver mesh to give more sparkle.



Next, I've done a LO of DH with a St. Patrick's Day theme. I used shades of green found in the PP for the accents - the background CS, the punched border, the outlines. I've added gold accents in the coins, photo corner, and the upper portion of the word "Lucky." For that, I used gold glittered CS. I also used a doily circle as the back of a flower.


Tis Lucky I am - I have You!

The next LO is of DS and DDIL on a recent trip to Vancouver, BC. I wanted to keep the nature aspect found in the photo by drawing it into the LO. I accomplished this by using some related embellishments. I did cut the background shape using a pair of my decorative scissors. I also did some inking and stitching. The flower layers are separated w/ the use of dimensionals.The neat thing about the embellishments is that they are "frosted" and sparkle a bit.


I Love These 2

The final LO was done for a challenge. I chose to create an array separated by machine stitching. I chose navy, lime green, white, and shades of brown/tan. The rub ons are also navy. I pulled buttons that also carried the same colors. I also inked the edges of the PPs in navy ink.


Family Love

Thanks for stopping by! Leave a little love if you'd like. It's always nice to read your comments.

I hope you are well. Come back again!

XO,
Chris

Keep Those Raindrops Coming!

Gotta love el niño years! It's raining again today and it will continue through tomorrow. It is so important to get water in the desert. The reservoirs need whatever they can get! Of course, the downside is when the heat of the summer is here and all of the plants that grew out of the rain are then dry, the fire hazard will be so high.

DH and I are not feeling well. I keep trying to work through whatever we have, but I'm not making much gain. I'm so hot all the time. I have a horrible chest cold as does DH. I feel sick to my stomach. We're both self medicating. DH will visit the doc tomorrow if he can get an appointment. I'll wait a little bit. I look as badly as I feel and it's not a pretty picture!

I have a couple of layouts to share. One was for a challenge. We needed to use Picasso's Three Musicians as our inspiration. Well, I had a blast with it. Here is the artist's masterpiece:



Isn't it amazing? There are so many details tucked inside that painting. Now, here is my inspiration. First and foremost was the randomness of the masterpiece. Therefore, I chose my LO to be SO NOT me! I made my very geometric shapes all kittywampus. I chose papers that had random designs and were from different lines. I used the colors that Picasso used - russet, black, blue, brown, cream. I matted the LO in black and then, behind the black mat is an electric blue mat. Picasso had three pairs of eyes clearly defined in his painting. I placed three pairs of eyes randomly on the LO. Because Picasso's work was disjointed, I made my large flower disjointed by cutting the stem halfway and then NOT lining it up. I also tipped the rectangles. Picasso has a slip of notepaper as do I. The hands and arrow are just there - for no significant reason, just random as Picasso often employs. Then, I used a photo of DDIL that also has no significance! LOL It is just a photo that most of us wouldn't scrap because her beautiful face was covered. Hence, I entitled my LO, "Unfinished."


UNFINISHED

The next layout was just a happy one! When I went up for this ride, I had no idea I was expecting DS! Had I known, I don't think I would have taken that ride! The most amazing thing is that it is so quiet up above the trees. All you can hear are the faint barks of dogs. I loved this experience. Here is my design:


It Was on My Bucket List

The last LO is of DH and myself so many years ago! I think DH was pretty happy! I just wanted to have fun and loved the paper with all the tickets, so I cut them out, LOL.


My Sweet Valentine

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you are feeling well.

XO,
Chris