The Ugly Truth

So this is the last post before I have surgery tomorrow - thank you for those who have been praying and well wishers. If I don't post for a while it's because I am taking "time off" to heal. Hopefully it will be quick and I will back to doing what I usually do. (You know scrapbooking!) If you don't know I have de Quervain's tenosynovitis and with this surgery I am hoping to be pain free!

And you know I could not leave you without a layout.
Pattern paper: Cosmo Cricket, Creative Imaginations and Bisous. Flocked paper: 7 Gypsies. Cardstock: American crafts.Bling: Hero Arts, Kaisercraft and Zeva Creative. Pearls: Kaisercraft and Spare Parts.Metal Tag : Making Memories. 4 Plastic heart buttons Hobby Lobby. Chipboard: Technique Tuesday. Flowers Prima, Bazzil and Imaginisce. Lace: Websters. Rub On: Jenni Bolin and K&CO.

The Safety Pin, Twine, Round Button, Little Frame, Metal Heart, Pearl Stick Pins are leftover items from my stash.


Items I used to alter the papers: Stamps: Autumn Leaves. Chalks & Stencils: Pebbles Inc. Ink: Colorbox, Dew Drop and Versa Color. Moon Glow’s Glitz Spritz and Starburst Spray (Golden Pumpkin and Red Hot Poker Orange - love this stuff))Bling was altered with Alcohol Inks by Ranger.

*The paper in that makes the corner is the 7 gypsies and was brown with teal flocking! (leftover form my scrapbooking from the Inside Out Kit!) I didn't want to use another color but I loved the paper so I changed it by rubbing brown and orange ink over the flocked paper.

This WAS plain cardstock- I printed the journaling, stamped and inked the edges and chalked the all the details. (I am loving chalks lately!)

This journal challenge was to include the words "If I could change one thing about myself..."

Journal ( just in case you can’t read it): The ugly truth

I started out writing this about my weight. I can just picture thinking “yeah, me too!” The more I thought about it it’s not really my weight that is the issue; it is how I perceive myself. From the 9Th grade through college I weighed 95 pounds; I was always paranoid about my weight. According to my mother I was either “too skinny” or “gaining too much weight” - I always weighed 95lbs. I never wore tank tops or clothes that showed too much because I was always so self conscious.


As an adult I still carry these thoughts with me. I had two pregnancies but I have less than a handful of photos. I hated being “fat”, I did not allow anyone to take pictures; I regret that now. I realize that this battle is ongoing within me. I weigh more now than I ever have (except for being pregnant) and it still bothers me. Do you know how much I weigh? I weigh between 135-140 pounds, it fluctuates. I am 5ft and ½ inch tall, for my age, that’s really not so bad. I have to remind myself daily that this is how I was made and it is OK. I have two daughters and continually remind them that they are beautiful just the way that they are. I will not allow them to struggle with this issue like I did. We were wonderfully and beautifully made by God. If I could change one thing about myself it would be my perception of myself. I would love to not care about the way that I look because I know in my heart that I was beautifully and wonderfully made.

The small details...

Well think of me tomorrow and leave me a comment - I may not be able to type but I'm sure I'll be able to read! ((hugs)) to my friends and here's hoping for a pain free future!

Never

I've decided I'm not very good at titles - not very creative. Usually one word sums it up, today the word is never. Never will I leave you, never will I give up on you or us...

Here is the journal up close...
This is one of the layouts I did for a contest at Treasured Scrapbooking! There have been 5 rounds so far, I made it to round six which happens to be the final round. They started with 37 scrapbookers and have narrowed it down to three! So if nothing else I made the top three - that's pretty good considering how many talented ladies there are! This particular round part of the challenge was using recycled items. You also had to do some stitching.

Since I made this layout we figured out that our little guy was worried about the well being if his birth parents. We told him that he could pray for them, and he seemed relieved. That very night he went into another room by himself to pray for them. It has been a couple of weeks and he is feeling much better, not obsessing at all! Gotta love small victories! One day at a time!

Surgery updates

Surgery updates-first thank you for praying (if you don't know what I am referring to you can read more here http://letsembellish.blogspot.com/2009/09/first-of-many.html). Please continue praying as my doc and I have decided to do the surgery next Thursday. It is called de Quervain's tenosynovitis and if the surgery works I will be pain free. If it doesn't this will continue so what have I got to lose? Hopefully the pain! I am a bit nervous, after all I have five children and a hubby to look after and WHO will keep up with my SCRAPBOOKING!!!??? Hopefully it all goes well and I will recover quickly. So onto better topics!

This is a mini book I made with the "Yearning" kit at Scrapbooking From the Inside Out (you can read more about that here http://scrapbookingfromtheinsideout.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-do-you-yearn-for.html. The book is from 7Gypsies and comes plain with the envelopes. There were so many rich papers in this kit, I knew I would be inspired to do something spectacular!

The theme was "yearning" and I had to figure out what that meant to me. So I came up with this...

Since it is a book of envelopes I hope to be able to fill this one day and leave it for the next generation. (BTW that paper is photo paper! I used glimmer mist and then ran it through the printer for the journal. And you can click on the pictures to make them bigger and easier to read.)

The inspiration is from a song called "God is speaking" by Mandisa. Music is so much a part of me that I had to add this paper by creative Imaginations to my book (not in the kit) and it just happens to be perfect for what I am saying...You can hear it here http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=72362341ebd3132fff75 (don't forget to mute my player below ;) )

(Took this in Cali recently)

(One of my students in AAOP Miss H.Smith took this pic- pretty awesome and perfect for my book- did I mention she is a teen? Fabulously talented young lady!)

(Took most of these in Zion National Park recently)

( I don't remember where this bridge is- we actually took a wrong turn and ended up here!)

I love that song- it moves me, I hope it moved you too. Thank you again for your prayers.

Wonderful, Beautiful, Marvelous

So for all you crafters out there do you listen to music when you work? Most of the time I don't, I usually I have running seasons of Smallville in the background. If I need a lift I have Women of Faith http://www.womenoffaith.com/ conference DVDs. Sometimes I do listen to music and then it absolutely affects my work! That's what happened here on this layout...

Perfect for my teenage daughter!

*The journal reads: I yearn for you to see yourself the way I see you...He made you wonderful, beautiful, marvelous.*

I love these photos, she hates them, thinks she looks awful . Teens, gotta love 'em. I feel like the one on the right captures her essence. I think she looks great! (This layout is also from the "yearning" kit at Scrapbooking from the Inside Out.)

Here are the lyrics to the song...

------------------------------------

True Beauty

(Written by Mandisa, Drew Ramsey, and Cindy Morgan) Sung by Mandisa

Do You think that a California girl is supposed to have curls and wear a jean size 3?

All the curves in all the right places, spray tanned faces like on TV?

And we read in the gospel of Vogue that we're all supposed to dress and move and be Visions of perfection

Such a misconception 'Cause the real connection is deeper than the eye can see

***Chorus***

What's inside of you

What's inside of me

The hands that made the moon and the stars, the mountains and the seas

made you wonderful, beautiful, marvelously.

Let the whole world see your True beauty.

Don't know much about Dolce and Gabbana

Seems like a lot of drama to me

And you can keep all your red high heels and open-toed shoes - I'm good in my bare feet

Lets get down to the nitty gritty

Enough "sex and the city" What about purity?

Skin is just the surface

the passion and the purpose that's burning down inside us is really what we need to see

***Chorus***

Doesn't come in a bottle, doesn't come in a box

You can't spray it on, you can't wash it off

You can't nip and tuck, you can't sew it up

So don't waste your time

It's the love in your heart, the peace in your soul

The hope in your smile lets the whole world know.

This little light - you gotta let it shine

***Chorus (x2)***

What's inside of you?

What's inside of me?

The hands that made the moon and stars the mountains and the seas

made you wonderful, beautiful, marvelously!

Let the whole world see your True beauty

------------------------------------------

Great lyrics huh? I love what it says - made my daughter listen to it. You can listen to it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sodDxW8Xo0E I think we all need a reminder that God made us beautiful, wonderful, marvelously. You are perfect just how you are! Awesome!

It's all in the details

So here is another layout from the "yearning" kit at Scrapbooking From the Inside Out. The kit came with a mist color wash spray from Adirondak and I wanted to give it a try. This layout started out as just one plain piece of Cardstock!

Journaling is from Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.
I also wrote "I yearn to witness my children discover God's plans for their lives."

This is the only oiece of patterned paper on the layout.I sprayed it with the colorwash so that it would match perfectly. Then I used Glossy Accents and Stickles on top.

I made a mask with my Cricut and a piece of vinyl! Then I used stamps and a little colorwash around it as well. I highlighted the heart with Glossy Accents. These cute pearls from Kaiser are in the kit and so is the pearl stick pin. I used alcohol inks to change them from white to teal. The title "discover" is from the rub ons in the kit.

Notice the swirls on the right? Also a mask I made with my cricut, sprayed the paper with colorwash. The antique metal piece is also from the kit. (oh BTW that is me and my oldest in this pic!) Well keep checking back I have lots more to share!!!

First of many

First, thank you for your prayers I will keep you posted on what happens next. ( See previous post Aug 31 - prayer request). This layout is about my oldest son and from the "yearning" kit over at Scrapbooking From The Inside Out. (I have a pic of it below). The colors in this kit are deep and rich browns, oranges and teals. Gorgeous. Here is my journaling...
***
Today you made me so proud. Today you gave your first sermon. I say first because I believe that it will be the first of many. You wrote all yourself, included your testimony and scripture. It was amazing how honest you were. You are someone who doesn’t normally share his feelings, it was very moving. Many in the congregation were in tears, especially the ones that truly know you and the struggles you have had in the past year. I am amazed at the maturity at your age to be able to reflect on your life and recognize that you need help. Even more impressive is your ability to ask for help and the fact that you are eager and willing to receive it.
Today proves that our instruction for you has not been in vain. You have been listening and have learned. I know that the choices you make are your own, but it is hard for parents to stand by and watch as their children make decisions that are so destructive. I know that you are more than capable of making good choices; you have learned by experience that small seemingly insignificant choices do affect you and others around you.
My prayer for you is that you will be able to look back one day and know that this day was a turning point in your life. Like you said in your sermon, God is giving you another chance at life. You have been called to do great things. I know that He will use this time to help you become the Godly young man you already have inside.
Truly I could not have been more proud than I was at this moment. My son wrote the sermon himself. When he was a toddler there was an evangelist that came to our church and he asked if that was our son, we said yes and he prophecied over him. He said that this boy would one day bring thousands to Christ. I will never forget that day. He decided to write a sermon, finished it in three days and it was good; I just can't help but think that this is the beginning of something. He is so comfortable preaching in front of an audience and the audience was moved at what he had to say; he was sincere and transparent. Coming from a teen that doesn't like to share his feelings and has been walking on the fence it is amazing to see what God is doing.
Tommorow I will post more projects from the "Yearning" kit so come back and check it out! Meanwhile here is a sampling from the kit - it really is fabulous!