Daydream Designs by Diane: Pumpkins and Sunflowers

Today was an amazing day at church. I hadn't been for 3 weeks due to travels and illness. It was so refreshing to be in God's house with God's people and sitting under the preaching of the Word. We are so blessed to be a part of our new church. They are quickly becoming family. Our pastor's message this morning was convicting. He's preaching through the 10 commandments, and is so skilled at pointing to the Gospel through every verse in Scripture. I'm so thankful that we can share in the life of our church, be a part of her ministries, and sit under such powerful preaching. It takes being away sometimes to realize how much you need it all.

This week our older son and his wife celebrate their third anniversary. My son asked me to help him make a card for Jori. We had a blast choosing the images, and designing it together. There have only been 2 or 3 times he's made a card, but it is a hoot to watch the process.

He decided he wanted to use the owls and I suggested a little background work from other sets. He didn't realize before that the images could be layered to create little scenes like these...and he was impressed that it was so easy. So we pulled the pumpkin, fence and sunflowers from Pumpkins and Sunflowers Color set, the grass from Sheep in His Pasture color set, and the owls are from the Falling for You Owls set (all displayed below).

We manipulated the images in Publisher, but you can do it in Word, or in a photo editing program. All the images were grouped in a one-dimensional image first.

Because you are working with digital images, you can copy/paste the exact images used in a flattened image, cut those out separately and mount on top of the original image to create dimension. He liked that effect. I was amused. We just added a sentiment before printing out the original image too. He wrote an inside message in the same font, we printed it on the coordinating blue cardstock used on the front (Pacific Point), and he added that to the inside.

I just always get a hoot out of layering and creating little scenes with digi images. It's easy, fast, and already has the look of professional coloring. Even for a novice the process was easy and took only minutes to accomplish.

I'm delighted that Jeff and Jori are happily approaching their 3rd year of marriage. And it was only 5 weeks ago we celebrated the marriage of our younger son. Now both sons are experience the joys of being married and we couldn't be happier with the lovely bride-daughters they have brought into the family fold. This is just truly a day to celebrate life and love and we know both emanate from the good hand of our loving God. Life is good because God is good...always and forever.

Sets Used:

Pumpkins and Sunflowers Color Set

(available in outline version)

Falling for You Owls

(See also our Owl Always Love You ensemble)

Sheep in His Pasture Color Set

(Available in Outline version)

(See also our coordinating sentiments).

Thanks for stopping in...
Blessings on your day!
Diane

It's Wednesday and time for another Word Art Wednesday challenge. If you haven't played with this challenge, you should really try. It's one of the most flexible and you get tons of inspiration from the many participants. Just check out our main page...details, sponsor and your project linking information is all there.

Our scripture inspiration is free for you to use on your project, but not a requirement. Still, isn't this biblical challenge a big one...let your speech be ALWAYS with grace? There have been more times than I can count where I have spoken to someone, then later wished that I had said something different, said more, said less....or not said anything at all! Knowing how to fill your speech with grace might not be difficult if you are preparing to deliver a speech. You have the time to carefully craft your words. But to fill even casual conversations with grace always...every time....now that is a challenge. It takes practice. Here a smaller challenge. Practice concentrating on what you say to everyone you encounter for just one day. And season that day's conversation with grace...with encouragement, with hope, with love, with forgiveness, with kindness. Just one day. Can you do it?

Recently a woman in our church shared the tragic story of a young couple who were expecting their second child. The baby had life threatening heart conditions so severe that doctors offered scant hope of the baby's survival to full-term birth, much less life outside the womb. Yet this young mother, a woman of deep faith, responded to everyone's inquiries with such grace and faith. And the woman in our church who spoke frequently with the mother offered her encouragement and extended opportunities to so many people to pray for this family. So many graceful conversations in the midst of a very trying, heart-wrenching time.

Another woman in my Sunday morning Bible study class shared about a young 7 year old child who was terminally ill with cancer and was nearing the end of her days. Not even knowing her friends or their daughter, I was sick at heart and full of grief for them. It seems lately I've heard of so many parents who are suffering unbearably through their children's devastating physical challenges.

I thought it was appropriate to design a card that symbolized both the realities I've shared. First, we are challenged to fill our conversations with grace. Even those chatting-over-coffee conversations. Ones where you are being yourself...which is to be an ambassador of Christ. The cup on this card represents our most unguarded conversations with those closest to us. The yellow mug and digi paper is from our Hope Endures cancer awareness line--the yellow set, which represents awareness of cancer in children among other challenges. You'll notice the words in the background...hope, courage, cure, believe, faith, healing.

Are our conversations filled with words that encourage hope and faith, and offer healing to broken and despairing hearts? I admire these women in our church who offered the precious gift of gracious words to hurting people. I love both of them and have been blessed by them myself. I trust that their gentle spirits and gracious words were a healing balm to their grief-stricken friends. My friends have had to practice such graciousness...it would have to come naturally to them to be able to deliver in trying times. And I know they did.