Stacked Stones Studio!

Finally....a new tutorial! I got a little focused on the book and had to take a little break on creating new content...but now that it is done...I'm BACK! Woo Hoo! This is a fun technique...you will see three different pages that I have used this crosshatch background on. It is a great way to get the words to pop from the page. I've used it on a couple of cards too...but I sent them before I remembered to take a picture. For the cards, I used watercolor paper for the card front and then just popped them on a card blank. Easy peasy! *smile* If you would like to read a sample chapter... click here .

My. O. My! I am so excited that I FINALLY get to share what I have been working on for the past few months! I have been busy writing a book. Illuminated Journaling is written to challenge Christ Followers to stretch the boundaries of how they have typically studied God's Word so they might experience a deeper, richer and more personal relationship with God by lending authentic and creative expression to their faith. If the Bible is God's introduction of Himself to His children, a love letter to His followers and an instruction book for living a life pleasing to Him, Illuminated Journaling provides a tangible way for us to communicate back to Him that we have heard His voice, that we are in love with Him too and perhaps, most importantly, that we want to give a gift back to Him that is filled with genuine praise and appreciation for Who He is and what He has done for us. You can order your copy now...and get it before it arrives in stores**! The...

On Memorial Day, we remember! My Dad served in Korea and rarely talked about his time there. I made him a mini-album that focused on all the things that were a part of his life before he was my Dad. I found three pictures of him while he was in the Army...and I was able to tell the story of how he got a try-out for a professional baseball team because he met some pro players in Korea. When he was discharged, he made the baseball team and went on to play several seasons. Who knew the road to the ball field went through Korea!  When he saw the mini-album, he opened up and shared some stories about his time in Korea. I learned more in that afternoon than I had up until that point...it was a treasured afternoon for sure. I have often associated John 15:13 when I think about the people who have served in the U.S. Armed Services. I wanted to create something to honor them and ended up with this pair of boots...sometimes simple is better.  I thought you might enjoy se...

When I think what happened to my sweet Savior on that first Good Friday, I almost stop breathing. It was beyond horrific! As excruciating as the physical pain was that came as a result of His scourging, dragging His cross through the streets of Jerusalem lined with jeering crowds, being nailed to the cross and raised up so that his weight pulled at the spikes that held His body on the cross -- all of that paled in comparison to the pain He felt when He chose to take on the sins of the world...MY SIN - and in doing so caused Himself to be separated from God! Our perfect Messiah took our sin. He took our separation. He took our inevitable and deserved death. He took on Satan...and on Friday there was nothing that could be called "good." But our Salvation story doesn't end on Friday. That dark day eventually came to the end. That night found His disciples huddled together in fear. His followers were beyond grieved...and probably couldn't even bring themselves ...

"Who can add a single hour to his life by being anxious?" Matt 6:27 Well it's not for a lack of trying on my part! For the past few years, it feels like I haven't had a single day where my "to do" list needs fewer than 25 hours to be accomplished. I bet you have days like that too...there is just too much "do" and not enough day! And on top of that - I start worrying about HOW I'm going to get it done and WHAT the consequences are going to be when I don't. After all, that's what RESPONSIBLE people do right? We focus on getting the "tasks" done. Ahh - but God says His wisdom confounds the wise. When you don't have time to get everything done, God says "stop and come tarry with me for an hour." When everyone is looking to you to solve their problem, God says, "Let me show you what to do." When you look at your list and say "there's no way!" God says, "I am within her, she...

 See and Remember: Imagery is a powerful memory and study tool. Even before we master reading and writing, we draw. Images have the ability to transport us back to a moment in time and remind us of the details of that moment like it happened yesterday. It brings the past into the present. It brings a spiritual lesson to the forefront of our memory and refreshes our mind and our heart. In the scriptures, God often used things we would SEE as a sign to REMEMBER the things that He has done. In Genesis, He used the rainbow to remind us that He had made a covenant that “never again would all flesh be wiped off the face of the earth by flood.” In Joshua, He had the Israelites take 12 stones from the dry riverbed of the Jordan and stack them up so that “When your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to You?’ Tell them, ‘They are a memorial to what the Lord has done.’” Something really remarkable happens when we engage imagery with our time in the Word. When we take the time to ...