It's In The Cards

In my first post, I mentioned that, in addition to quilting and working with fabrics, I enjoy stamping cards to share with friends and family.  The designs and embellishments of cardmaking mimic the designs of quilt blocks in several ways.  Of course, one wants to make sure the colors and patterns are appealing and blend with each other to form a "work of art" -- be it in fabrics or papercrafts. 

In addition, my philosophy in cardmaking (and in quilting) is that there are no mistakes...only opportunities for new creativity and embellishments!  Many times have I made a "mistake" in stamping or sewing which turned into a wonderful new design!  It's really freeing to realize that creativity is very personal in nature -- which, of course, provides opportunities to "make it up as you go."

Here are a few of my recent cards, most of which are now on their way to my friends in Arkansas:

Once again, let me encourage you to find some way to be creative and then share your talents with those around you.  You're sure to get a hug and a smile when you do!!

Til next time...

Tangled Threads

From Guideposts 2011:

The Dutch evangelist Corrie ten Boom had arrived for a visit, and my thirteen-year-old daughter Liz and I were helping her unpack.  From the bottom of Corrie's suitcase, Liz lifted a folded cloth with some very amateurish-looking needlework on it.  Uneven stitches, mismatched colors, loose threads, snarls.

"What are you making?" Liz asked curiously.

"Oh, that's not mine," Corrie said.  "That's the work of the greatest weaver of all."

I probably looked as dubious as Liz did.

"But you're seeing it from the wrong side!" Corrie went on.  Shaking the cloth open with a flourish, she turned it around to display a magnificent crown embroidered in red, purple and gold.  "You have to look at things from heaven's viewpoint!"

Heaven's viewpoint...when I pray to my Father in heaven, I speak to the One Who can make something beautiful of the tangled threads of a lifetime.  I am asking Him to help me see the perplexities of daily life "from heaven's side."

--Devotion written by Elizabeth Sherrill

New Beginnings

This is officially my first blog post -- I'm finally "getting with the program" and catching up to the 21st century!  Quite exciting for me and, probably, challenging, too...

I'm starting this blog because I would love to share my passion for creativity with any who care to read my amateur ramblings.  For me personally, creative endeavors include quilting and rubberstamping -- two seemingly unrelated crafts.  Yet I'm finding more and more similarities between the two.  Maybe, just maybe, as we progress together as blogger and reader, you and I will be able to investigate just that and discover new and wonderful avenues to explore.

One of the "projects" I've recently begun doing is making child-size quilts for the King's Quilters at Kingsland Baptist Church.  Some of the quilts are sent to Cambodia to an orphans' home and others are used in this local area at the Pregnancy Crisis Center.  We received photos from Cambodia showing the children with their quilts and it brought tears to my eyes.  To think that I, a relatively new quilter, can impact a child on the other side of the globe is humbling, to say the least.

We are blessed at the church with donated fabric.  The real trick is trying to coordinate the material into pretty and colorful blocks -- sometimes that can prove to be challenging!!  But it's a fun challenge.

I want to encourage you to find ways to not only be creative but to also bless others in doing so!

Til next time...