Posted on Monday, August 10, 2015

Blossom 4 You Tag

A special friend has a birthday today. I made her a gift to celebrate her. This gift tag I stamped using the stamp set from WOTG Blossom Cardmaking kit.

Inside the Designer Creations Slate Paper Bags I fill it with 3 of the cards I made from WOTG Blossom Card kit, I added a paper doily and tie the paper bag with Silver baker’s twine.

WOTG Blossom Card kit is packed with supplies you need to create 15 handmade cards with 3 designs (exclude inks and stamping blocks). This card kit is one of the retiring items. You still can grab this kit this month and make 15 gorgeous handmade birthday cards! Thank you for stopping by today! Have a wonderful week!

========================================================

Link Up Post At: Inspire Me Monday – Week 188

Posted on Sunday, August 9, 2015

DIY Cross-Stitched Necklace

I learned cross-stitching since I was at fourth grade. It was one of the mandatory school extra activities for Elementary and Junior High students at the girls’ Catholic school I attended. I loved cross-stitching.

After I graduated High School, I stopped cross-stitching for some of reasons. But in the last few months, I got back to try do some cross-stitching using kits. It is just easier that way because all kits include the pattern/tutorial, threads, needle, wooden base, clasp, necklace, and even some tips 🙂 It is good for me to remember again how to do it.

Last winter, I found these cute necklace kits at a craft store. They are cross-stitching necklace with wooden base. Just so cool, I think 🙂 I never stitch on wooden base before, so this is a new experience for me.

I did both necklaces in 2 days. They are very easy to make. I took time when I could during the girls’ nap time. The back of it, I added some Liquid Glass to secure the threads and this glue dries clear. Just love the results!

When you go to a craft store, I hope you will give it a try 🙂 THANKS for visiting today!

Posted on Friday, August 7, 2015

A Lot Of Retiring Items At Close To My Heart

I would like to let you know the retiring items this season at Close To My Heart, from Accessories, My Reflections paper packets, Complements, Cardstocks, Picture My Life collections, Ink Pads, Pigment Ink Pads, Stamps, Workshop On The Go kits, gems, My Crush books, My Crush Assortments, Washi Tapes, clothespins, die cut shapes, boxes, Base and Bling, Home Decors, and many more…. Here’s the sneak peek:

Check the whole list of Retiring Items here. And you have until August 31, 2015 to buy them. And when you put order of $50 or more, you can get the August Stamp of the Month, Framed, for only $5 (regular price $17.95).

THANK YOU for visiting my shop!

Posted on Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Love Him Is To Love Others

Since we came back from our trip, my heart longs for something. Something that refresh me. Something that stir my heart to love God. Something that will keep the fire burning my heart on the trip and still burning me to serve Him.

This one phrase came into my mind: God is love.

I opened my Bible, search for the verses about God and love. John wrote in his letters, 1 John 3 and 4 are full of truth of God and instructions to love like He has loved us. I learned so much about God and his unconditional love for us and others this last couple of days.

In these two chapters God teach us to love Him is to love one another. Pure and real love only come from God alone. He gives us the ability to love because He is love. He is the one who lives in us and we are in Him, then our love will grow perfectly.

His love we saw in Indonesia. His love is for the people is real. We want to love these people. We want them to know God’s love for them that much. We want them to know that He changes lives, that He has better plan for them, that He sent His only begotten Son to redeem them back from the death, too.

God is the only one who fill our hearts with His love and plans. He calls us to go because of love.

Before I came to know Jesus and His perfect love for me and the world, I lived in angry and hatred. I was angry because I was born as Chinese – Indonesian, looked different that the locals. I hated them because they called me names when I was in High School just because I was different and not Muslim. I told myself that I could be nice to them, but never ever to love them.

To be able love them now it is only because God has changed my heart, gave me new heart and new life only in Christ Jesus. He is the only reason. But if we say we love God and do not love our brothers and sisters, then we lie to ourselves and to others.

We only can love others genuinely it is because God give us His unconditional love.

It is because God is love. I learn that to know Him is simply open your Bible, read, meditate and He’ll speak personally to you.

Posted on Monday, August 3, 2015

Illustrated Faith: God Speaks To Us Because Of Love

We got back from our 2 months trip to Indonesia last week. Just in case you were wondering why I did not blog regularly in the last 2 months 🙂

Originally plan was only to attend my youngest sister’s wedding and spend time with my parents and my family so that our daughters get to know them in real life not only through Skype callings.

But God has different plan for us this time.

For 8 weeks we spent in Indonesia, we learned God’s desire to see every tribe and every people to stand before His throne worshipping Him in every language they speak.

We took our daughters who are 6 years old and 2 years old on this trip. This was a tough trip for them but we prayed and we asked lots of people to pray for us and the girls, asking God for what He wanted to teach and show us this time.

He spoke us through the situations, people we met, and even places we visited. He opened our eyes to see the needs of His word in their lives, He showed us why they need Him, and He put the desire even more in our hearts as family to serve Him there.

As Jesus gave His command to His disciples, this command is also for us, His church, in Matthew 28:18-20. This commands is also known as the Great Commandment.

Supplies: My Mind’s Eye Decorative Tapes, Freckled Fawn wood veneers, Elle’s Studio tags, Stickos Alpa stickers, Target tags & alpha stickers, Faber Castell PITT Artist Pens and Big Brush, Martha Stewart Glue Pen

Maybe you think this command is only for those certain people who called themselves “missionary.” But this command is given to each of Jesus’ follower, to each of us, to you and me. We all are called to go and make disciple, to teach them the truth, to baptize them and to teach them to obey God’s commands. That means, you and I are missionaries, the messengers of God’s message to this world where we live.

When we visited a city, we found out churches in that city are scared to step out of their comfort zone to reach out to the local people who are 100% non-believers and this people group is one of the Unengaged, Unreached People Group.

The question is: Why they are scared?

My heart is broken. I keep praying for this people group and for those believers who live among this unreached people group that they will have courage to go out and reach out to them, to go sharing the Good News to them.

Supplies: Abigail’s Handdrawing heart, Faber Castell PITT Artist Pen, My Mind’s Eye Decorative Tape, SU Journaling Card

God’s love endures forever. He is patient enough waiting for each of us to repent and come to Him. His love never ends. His love never fails. His love for the people in Indonesia is the same love he has for us who live in the States or anywhere else.

There are at least 400 languages groups (people groups) who have been waiting to know God’s unfailing love to them, waiting to hear He speaks to them in the languages that they understand best in their mind and hearts.

For this reason we went. For this reason we wanna go back to serve there alongside with national translators and national churches to accelerate the proces of translations of God’s word into those 400++ languages!

Supplies: Field Notes pocket notebook, Pilot Gel pens.

This is the truth. The center of the Bible is the Gospel. And the center of theGospel is Jesus Christ. That concludes that the center of the whole Bible is Jesus Christ.

We attended a church with our friend, the preacher said something that reminds us that wherever we are sent to go, we share the Good News, we share Jesus. When we preach, we preach Jesus.

Few times I was asked why we wanna take our family to go and live in Indonesia, where we could get everything and living comfortably in States. The only answer to that question is because we love Him. To love Him is to obey Him and His commandments. Our prayer is to love Him with all our hearts, souls, minds & all of our strength.

Serving Him is an act of love. Because without love it is impossible for us to serve full heart. For only God who gives you and I the power and desire to serve Him (Phillippians 2:13).

Supplies: Alpha Die Cut by The Cut Shoppe, Silhouette Cameo, CTMH White Daisy Cardstock, CTMH Cork button, CTMH studs, CTMH heart enamel, CTMH Mini Stapler, Prima Marketing Chalk Edgers, Elle’s Studio tag, Faber Castell PITT Artist Pens.

It is only one reason. That is because God is so loved the world. He sent Jesus not to judge and condemn. He sent Jesus, His only Son to save and redeem us back to be His.

He calls and sends you and I to go to our “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and The End of The Earth” – to our families, neighbors, friends, and those who we do not know – is to share who He is and why He loves them that much.

Would you go to where God send you?

=====================================

Link up at:

The Cut Shoppe – Cut It Out August Challenge

Inspire Me Monday – Week 187

Silhouette Challenges #28