It’s ESPECIALLY fun, when I can combine the two! I’m slowly adding items to my Etsy shop, as I learn how to use my quarantine machine, the CRICUT ❤️
I created watercolor designs by hand, and then made them into kiss cut stickers. If you’re interested, visit me on Etsy @ 1Arthouse.
Hope you all have a GREAT Holiday Weekend!
Much love,
Hello!
It’s good to have a chance to sit down and write. I may not have long, so I will try to be brief!
I am in the stage of life where I often alternate between taking care of my aging parent (91) and my precious grandchildren. (Ages soon to be born-9 yrs.) When my first granddaughter was born, I felt stronger. I was of course, almost 10 years younger! Back then, it was my Mom who I cared for…now that she is gone, it is my Dad.
It’s hard to see your parents slowly lose their identity. This is especially true for those who do not have a close relationship with our Lord. Those who seek their identity in people and things. This was/is both of my parents. For my Mom, she curled up with the resentment of a lifetime of hurt, for my Dad, he still reaches to find acceptance from others.
I see myself in them both, they are in my genes, and influenced my youth. I am eternally grateful that my loving Father in heaven, rescued me from these things. They would have been my destruction. I chose to look up, and He pulled me out of the pit.
Many of us grow old (if we are given the time here) and must face the symptoms of aging. If we cling to God, He will continue to give us purpose, and provide what we need to accomplish it. I’ve always looked at aging as God’s mercy. For many, a lifetime is lived pursuing self. We get to the end of our rope, and we find that we can’t muster up what we really need. What we’ve been looking for all our lives. Our Savior.
So, in God’s loving mercy, He slowly strips away our reliance of self. This is when we might finally realize He is with us, and then take His hand.
I find this verse in Isaiah so comforting.
I’m so weary of the demands, and even the wounds of the past…but, I know that if I continue to look up, God will provide for me the compassion, perseverance, patience, wisdom and strength needed to be the daughter He calls me to be.
Click on the image above to print 🙂
Many hugs to those of you out there caring for the aging. It is hard, but we might each be there one day. I try to remember that, and love (with God’s help!) even when my flesh wants to run.
Much love,
A friend of mine, asked me to help lend a visual for a tent. After studying Acts 2:26 in Women’s Bible Study, it’s what comes to my mind whenever I think of, or see a tent:)
Acts 2:26
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope (NIV)
This same verse is written like this in The Message
“I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic; I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope.”
Thinking about tents a little further, I created a list of ”attributes”
Abraham left all He had known to obey the Lord’s command and follow Him to a place that was foreign, and for a time, temporary. He lived in tents, and looked forward to the “city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”
Hebrews 11:8-10 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, without knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
While we dwell here on earth, in our temporary home, let us “pitch our tent, in the land of hope!” For we can rest in the promise, that we will one day live in “a city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God!”
Revelation 21: Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bridebeautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
If you are new to my blog, please go HERE to catch up on what I’m providing through “DOODLE DEVOTIONS”
Hello!
This week we are studying Abraham and Sarah.
Below is a teaching video, brought to you by Crossroads Community Church Kids Club!
Remind your kids that God made a promise to Abraham and God’s promises are good. God is always faithful and wants us to be faithful as well.
God promised that a great nation would come from Abraham. He promised that Abraham’s name would be great among the Earth, and that all people would be blessed through him. God always keeps His promises. God wants us to keep our promises too.
Ask your Kids…
What kind of promises can you make that you can keep? Allow children to respond.
We can promise to be nice to our brother or sister, share with our friends or help our parents with something around the house. Encourage your kids to think of a promise they can make. Let them know, that keeping a promise is very hard, and they will need God’s power to follow through. We can stop and talk to God anytime, and He will help us!
Give them a piece of paper and ask them to draw a picture of the promise they have made.
Write I promise to …….. on the top of the page.
Hang the picture somewhere your child will see it daily, and explain that you want them to look at the promise each day, and remember to ask God to help them KEEP their promise:) Tell them, “God keeps His promises, and he wants you to keep your promise too.”
BELOW is a fun craft project using STARS!
Today’s Doodle Devotion, is just a “slice” of Abraham’s story! I pray that as you create opportunities to teach your children about God’s faithfulness, they will learn that He is trustworthy. The Story of Abraham can help them understand that good things take time, but if we know our God is faithful to His Word, we can trust that the wait is always worth it!
Bless you!
Hello and HAPPY Friday!
These days, I need to look at a calendar to figure out what day it is!
Today, I am posting a project that came out of necessity (sort of) for me. I‘ve been thinking of ways to encourage friends and family without spending a lot of money AND without having to go to the post office 🤪
One of the most important things the Lord has taught me, has to do with what’s in my head. (The renewing of my mind) It’s so easy to FORGET who we are and WHOSE we are, when left to our own devices. I can wander off down the rabbit trail of plain ol’ wrong thinking. (Doubt, worry, self pity, etc.) To FIGHT heading off course, I need to stay connected with fellow Sisters in Christ for accountability, sharpening and encouragement. I must also be intentional about what’s “going into” my noggin and then rattling around up there.
God’s Word is for our benefit…
2 Timothy 3:15 From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16AllScripture is God-breathed and is useful forinstruction, for conviction, for correction, and fortraining in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.…
SO, we must learn it and know it which allows us to be COMPLETE, and fully equipped for every good work.
It’s also helpful to commit our attention to what we are thinking.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8
Being intentional about directing our daily thoughts takes practice, and a running dialogue with the Holy Spirit. I find it helpful to write out or journal this process. I keep a list of things I’m grateful for, and a plan of action for specific tasks God has called me to, through my time with Him.
This leads me to today’s project…a pocket folder for the above mentioned:) A place to keep encouraging lists AND PERFECT to send loved ones through the mail!
SUPPLY LIST
Start by scoring your 12 x 12 piece of Card Stock at 4” & 8.” I did not have white card stock (which is what I wanted to use) but did have green. Green it is! You will be covering up most of this with other papers, so you don’t need a patterned paper.
If you don’t have a bone folder and scoring board, click on the bone folder options below. A metal ruler works best without the scoring board.
NEXT, turn the paper and score again at 4” & 8”.
Fold the bottom 1/3 up towards the top
Go over each fold with a bone folder or bone folder imposter tool of your choice 🤪
Next, fold in the 2 outside “thirds.”
Cut your PRINT paper (NOT CARD STOCK) INTO 7.5 X 3.5 PIECES. You’ll need 8 of these pieces.
2 of those 8 pieces will be cut into 3.5” squares for the bottom of the inside pockets. (It will help to look at the photos below, before you decide what paper you want to use for each section.)
As you can see, I only used 2 different (printed) papers. I adhered the printed paper with a tape runner. I used a circle punch to create the “access tab.” My punch is getting dull, and had a hard time going through the Card Stock + printed paper. Because it looked a bit jagged, I added the washi tape to cover it. 3 CHEERS FOR WASHI! THESE CUT OUTS ARE OPTIONAL.
Cut out the tag pieces (Ahavah) from the printables included, and glue them on using a glue stick. (You could also use a tape runner) Tie it up with a ribbon to keep it closed. The circle tag was something I happened to have on hand.
Those of you who read my blog, know I adore Beth Guckenberger and the incredible ministry the Lord has called her to! Beth has spurred in me, a love for Hebrew Words. Ahavah means more than just a sentiment, it is a feeling that is followed up with an ACTION. It does not simply mean “to Love” it means TO GIVE LOVE. For this reason, I created a little tag for our Encouragement folder ❤️
I added the “brads” for looks only. They are not necessary to hold down the tag:)
I am crazy about this ribbon. It’s elastic, and does not have to be untied to open the folder…it slips off. It’s the last of my stash. Hoping to find some more someday! Any ribbon you have on hand will work!
The mailing envelope for the variations above, was much less squished without the heavier elastic ribbon:)
Below are the Files used to create the insert pages. After they are printed, cut them to 7.5 x 3.5. I like to use white card stock for these.
Hope you will find this a fun and rewarding project! One that you share with others!
Bless you!
If you are new to my blog, please go HERE to catch up on what I’m providing through “DOODLE DEVOTIONS”
HELLO!
I have decided to refine my weekly Doodle Devotions, to make them more closely aligned with my daily focus of committing time and space for studying God’s Word, listening to the Holy Spirit, and then creating a memorial to the Lord …a remembrance of what He has revealed…A record of the place we have met ❤️
This process can help our kids learn to connect with God on a personal level, hopefully and prayerfully instilling in them, a practice for their lifetime!
I will continue to post a fun teaching video from the Crossroads Kids Club “vault” along with a complimentary coloring page, doodle 101s, and group activities and/or craft projects!
As always, my heart is to come alongside YOU as an encouragement in your walk with the Lord and journey of documenting faith!
Week 4 is all about NOAH.
Here are some Doodle 101’s to help you and your children document Noah’s Story.
Thanks for stopping by! Hope you found something helpful, and may it bless you and your family!
Much love,
If you are new to my blog, please go HERE to catch up on what I’m providing through “DOODLE DEVOTIONS”
Today’s Post is WEEK 3 of Doodle Devotions! I started out with the goal of posting each week on the Friday before the week to follow, so that parents had a chance to look over the material ahead of time. I also thought some may decide to solely use the material to supplement Sunday Worship. I haven’t heard from anyone (except my SWEET friend Josie!!) about how your family is using the lessons…so, I didn’t rush the content this week!
I’d LOVE to hear from you if you are using the material, and would like to improve what I’m doing by listening to your suggestions!
Below is the video lesson for the week produced by the amazing CROSSROADS KIDS CLUB. There is SOOOO many FANTASTIC resources here, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you check them out!
The story of the Fall and all it’s implications can be a difficult lesson for young children to understand. If you choose to read the story to your kids ages 2-10, I would suggest doing so using a Young Readers Story Bible for Children.
When discussing this topic with young children, it is good to focus on the truth that God created the world and everything in it. He gave everything a special place in His world and a special job to do. He made us for LOVE.
We are created to live in peace with God, & with each other. Because of our selfishness and pride all those relationships are damaged and broken. Like Adam and Eve, we all believe lies. We choose our way instead of God’s way, and we end up running away from the God who made us and loves us. We fight with one another and blame each other for our own bad choices. Children can see the effects of sin and find examples of all these areas of brokenness in their own experience. This week it is important to talk about our need to ask for forgiveness… for going our way instead of God’s way. It is also important to give our children the good news of Jesus, and that we can trust Jesus to set things right in our own hearts and restore our relationship with God, with others, with creation.
Below is a Coloring Page
Below are the daily scripture study guides for 5 days
This week’s activity pages are below. I will try to add a few more soon!
This week’s Craft is Below.
Use Painter’s Tape to make a cross on a blank sheet of paper.
Make sure the tape is secure around all the edges. Kids can now color the whole page with markers, paints, or crayons.
When they are finished, and the color is dry; Peel off the tape!
Help your kids think through the decisions they are making this week. If they make a “bad decision” talk about how this relates to the choices Adam and Eve made, and discuss how they can STOP to talk to God before EVERY decision they make. (Remind them of Proverbs 3:5 each day) This will develop GREAT habits and help them to know that every choice they make is important and leads to consequences. Good or bad! God loves us so much, that He promises to help us with every step we take!
Trust the Lord with all your heart.
Don’t depend on your own understanding.
Remember the Lord in everything you do.
And he will give you success.
I’d love to hear from YOU!
Much love,
I have been spending a bit of time, looking for projects you might enjoy. I found this cute bound journal and wanted to share it! Perfect for Spring!
The video tutorial I used for this WATERMELON JOURNAL is below. Jennifer, from “Sea Lemon” provides easy to follow videos on simple book binding. She is enjoyable to follow!
I think Jennifer does a great job with her step by steps! I will admit, the cut out wasn’t as easy for me, so I folded the cover directly and in half and cut it with scissors to straighten up my shape.
I also reinforced that edge by applying little pieces of torn washi tape. I like the way it looks, and it feels more finished and sturdy to me:)
I added washi to all the cover edges. Again, a little more sturdy.
It’s a fun one for 10-16 year olds who could do it solo:)
I loved this project and enjoy productive crafting during these times of quarantine.
Happy Monday!
Much love,
Actually, it’s pronounced ZEEN…but that doesn’t rhyme with dine:) This is a GREAT project for the weekend! Xo
I’m going to fill it with HOPE…scripture for this time that we are in.
Feel free to ask any question you might have!
Happy Zeening!
Much love,
1Arthouse 