ALL MY BLOGS

THIS POST ORIGINATED ON ONE OF MY OTHER BLOGS, HTTP://POSITIVELY-PINK-DAISIES.BLOGSPOT.COM/ , AND I WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH ALL POSSIBLE READERS. I HOPE YOU ENJOY!!
ALL MY BLOGS……

I have more than just this blog that I SHOULD be writing on. I always have good intentions of keeping my writing up and then something happens and I just let it go. I am going to attempt to be much better at keeping at least this one up this year! With that in mind, I am going to provide a link to my other blogs, both in this post as well as a more permanent location on one of my sidebars!
I have so many different things that I like to talk about that I easily confuse myself! With that in mind, I think I will attempt to keep each blog going, and have each one with a certain topic ‘focus’. For example, this one would be more about the aspect of my life related to any kind of work or job.
Now, since I am presently unemployed, I will have to be creative with this. I won’t be including only discussion about a job in which I am being paid! (Although, if that does occur, I will most certainly be telling you all about it!) I have a couple of things in the works so hopefully you will be seeing, and enjoying, more written works from me in the very near future!
In the mean time, I invite you to take a look at my other blogs as well! Please, feel free to like or follow each one! I can certainly use all the followers I can get!! Isn’t that one of the reasons that bloggers write in the first place? So people can read their words?? I know it is for me. I do hope you enjoy them and will provide me with some feedback through the comments!!

I will be sharing stories of my family life on http://fghallfamily.wordpress.com/ . Please, check us out and, yes, you can go ahead and tell me just how crazy you think my family truly is!! Trust me. I already know this!!

My walk of faith and belief in Jesus Christ will be documented (for the most part) here: http://simplewordsofachristianmom.wordpress.com/ . I am most certainly not a Biblical scholar, in fact I consider myself a mere infant when it comes to Biblical knowledge, but I do have bits and pieces that I have learned that I like to share. I am also typically very anxious to share when I learn something new! So, beware!! LOL I am always excited to read other people’s opinions or interpretations of God’s word. However, I will NEVER tolerate anyone bashing my Christian beliefs. While I do believe in religious freedom, to me that means that if you do not believe in Jesus Christ, you are free to express that fact elsewhere other than on MY blog! Thank you very much!!

One of my hobbies is scrapbooking. I love to document special moments and occasions through the decorated pages that hold my precious photos! I also love to share those pages and ideas. Of course, I am also always looking for new ideas! So feel free to let me know what you think about what I am presently working on, as well as to share your ideas onhttp://msjsscrappin.wordpress.com/ . If you visit this blog today, you will notice that it is in dire need of work! In fact, it is in need of more than just a title!! Please check back, or subscribe, so that you will know as soon as I get some stuff posted there!!

You may be asking what is going to happen to this blog, other than to be a relay site for my others. Well, this blog will be my ‘everything else’ blog. I have always wanted to write, (and preferably be paid for it!), so hopefully something that I write about, or say here will be noticed by someone in the publishing world, or even just a small paper or magazine! Who knows? It sure doesn’t hurt to dream now does it? Please leave words of encouragement, advice, or just share bits of your dreams here. I truly don’t mind. But know that if you get selected to be published through my blog, I will expect an autographed copy of whatever you have published!!

So, with all that being said, I look forward to staying busy with these various blogs in different aspects of my life. Will all these blogs have new posts each day, or week? I honestly don’t know! That depends on what I have to say, and how busy I am in other areas of my life. Just know that if I haven’t posted on your favorite recently, you are welcome to respond on my most recent post on one of the others and let me know that you miss me!! Trust me. You won’t hurt my feelings telling me that!!

God bless and have a beautifully blessed day!!

Been a while!

Wow! I have not been on this blog in a long time! Honestly, I had forgotten I even had it!! That is BAD!
 I have had so many things going on over the past year, that I have not even done any scrapbooking! That is also bad for me! I am one, who previously would spend hours, leading into days, scrapbooking! I would not come out of my room except to use the bathroom or get a snack! But, I have gotten out of that habit! I think it is time for me to get back into it!
I have a lot of projects I can work on! I can't begin to count the photos I have that need to be scrapped or filed! But, I have a very special project coming up that is what is going to be getting my attention for a while anyway.
You see, I am a volunteer at our local pregnancy help center. This is a place for women who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant, to receive encouragement, education, and hope. So often we see a teenager who is pregnant and we judge them. Yes, they made a mistake. But does that mean that they should be ostracized or banned from a local church? Should family, friends, and other "well meaning" individuals just turn their backs on these young girls? NO!
When you find yourself pregnant, especially if you did not plan to become that way, that is when you REALLY need all the support you can get! I'm not talking about just financial support though that is important! I mean emotional, moral support! These girls need to know that they are important to society! They need to know that whether they made a mistake or not, they can be forgiven! They need to know that they can, and will, be good parents! Those are things we help them to see at our center.
We do NOT refer for, nor offer abortion services. We do not encourage any of our clients in their personal choices! We educate them about the procedures, options available, risks of procedures. We empower them to make educated decisions! And once they have all the truthful information, they do just that. They make educated decisions.
I am very grateful to say that 99.9% choose life for their unborn baby!
We also share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them. We do not force it on anyone. We pray, A LOT! We ask God for guidance. We wait for Him to open the door. We listen to the Holy Spirit. When He opens that door, and He does!, we share our love for Him and His love for all of us!
Back to my special project.... This summer I am going to be teaching scrapbooking to a group of our clients. Most of these girls have little to no income so I will be counting on donations as well as using whatever supplies of my own I can to enable them to create a wonderful keepsake album of their newborn baby! I know how I feel every time I look back at any of my scrapbooks, and I want them to have that same feeling.
So, right now, I am in the planning stages. Actually, I should say planning and acquisition! LOL I am so blessed to have already been promised some donations from a couple of individuals who share a love for scrapbooking!
If you would like to help in any way, just let me know and I will get you my address if you would like to send something, whether supplies or whatever you feel lead to share. If you would rather not send something, I understand. I would like to ask you to pray for this project, that it be successful, and that each girl is able to feel the love of Jesus as we scrap our little hearts out! No matter what you decide to do, thank you and God bless!

New blog to follow

Hello everyone! You  have no idea how much I appreciate your following me on this blog, but I need to let you know that I have a new blog, which is getting much more of my attention than this one has, and I would absolutely LOVE to have you all come and follow me there!! It is....
http://simplewordsofachristianmom.wordpress.com
I really hope that you will come on over there and follow me! Comment on the posts and just let me know you are there. Participate in any of the activities I have going on at any time. In otherwords....
WELCOME!!!  And, thank you!!
Judy

I NEED HELP!!

Well folks, at the end of this month, July 31, 2011, if I have not sold an additional $320 in Stampin' Up! items, I will no longer be a demonstrator. I have tried several ways of finding customers but I have had very little luck to this point. If there is anyone out there who wants to place an order, please go to my website, www.msjsscrappin-stampin.stampinup.net, and place an order. I'm not asking anyone to place a $320 order, unless that is what you want to do, but every little bit helps! I truly don't want to quit SU, but it is beginning to look like maybe that is not the path God has intended for me. I have committed myself to following the Lord and His plan for my life. If I could afford it, I would purchase the $320 and keep plugging along for another three months trying to locate customers in my area. 
It is my prayer that God leads those ready to place an order to my site if this is something He wants me to do. I have complete faith and trust in my Lord and Savior to take me through any storms I may run across in my life, if I am following in the direction He has intended for me, then something will happen so that I can continue with SU. If this is not part of what His plan is, then I will become inactive July 31. I do have a couple of customers who this will affect and I will forward their names to someone. I'm just not sure who yet.
So, if you are following my blog and actually reading it, please do what you feel is best for you. I would appreciate any help you could give. God bless all of you, and I pray that I am still a demonstrator August 1. Thank you all!

July Challenge with a Twist

OK Ladies! Are you ready for some FUN??? Let's start with a challenge, and the best part of this challenge, you don't have to mail anything to anyone!!! This way you can make whatever size layout you want, use whatever embellishements you like the most, etc., because you are making yourself a page, or two!!
OK, so here is the challenge. Layout MUST involve an OUTDOOR activity that you and your family, or friends have done THIS year!! You must include at least 2 photos, if a single page layout, or 4 pics minimum if you are doing a double layout. YOU MUST BE IN AT LEAST ONE OF THE PICS!!! So often we are the photogs and never get to be in the pic!!
Colors: you must include the following colors in your layout: blue, brown, orange, yellow, red. You must use one flower (any color or size), brads (any color) and vellum. I think that is enough for my first challenge.
Once your layout is complete, upload a good, clear pic of it as well as materials used. A winner will be picked either a single grand prize winner, or a winner in each category. Please include in the title of our layout, somewhere, the words 253 challenge. That will help me find your challenges.
You will have until July 31 to complete and photograph your layout/s. Once we have all the layouts, either myself, or myself and another admin will judge  your layouts on creativity, best use of theme, best use of colors, best use of embellies. I think we will have a grand prize winner, as well as a winner in each category. What do you all think?? This will be my first challenge to host here on FLS and I don't want to overdo it! I love challenges by the way!!
Judy Hall, Stampin' Up! Associate
www.msjsscrappin-stampin-stampinup.net
www.msjsscrappin-stampin-stampinup.blogspot.com
www.fghallfamily.wordpress.com

Building a Business

You know, I don't care what anyone says, building a business, especially on a limited start-up capital, is very difficult. Add to that the fact that we are in such a horrible economy at this time, no one is wanting to spend money on things that are non-essential. Unfortunately for those of us in the crafting business, this business is often looked at as non-essential. But, if you truly think of it, at least in the same way that I do, my crafting is a form of therapy for me. It gives me a chance to escape from the everyday problems of life and focus on something fun and beautiful. I can forget all the turmoil going on around me for a while and focus on creating something special! If it weren't for crafting, scrapbooking, cardmaking, I know I would be in the looney bin by now!! I can go in my room, close the door, turn on my music and everyone knows to leave me alone unless there is a dire emergency!! This allows me to relax to the point that my creative juices start flowing and before I know it, I have pumped out several scrapbook pages, or cards, or both! I am very thankful to have the resources available to me that I do, to give me the encouragement I need along the way. There are so many different resources available to me that I did not previously have! I just have to be cautious in the way that I use them, so I don't OVER use them. I just thank God for providing me with these resources.

 I'm sure you have heard this same story from several others but I am going to share it with you once more if you don't mind. I have started using the LateNightStamper Bootcamp for business builders. My plan is to use this program and hopefully make my minimum this month, because if I don't sell $400 by the end of July, that's it for me as a demo!! I don't want that to happen, but when you live in a small rural town it is so hard to get your message to the right people to get orders!! I did however have a halleluiah moment yesterday when I got a bite on my DBWS. This customer was so excited to find someone close to her home, which happens to be my home town as well, and she told me that she is willing to do whatever she can to help me stay afloat! PRAISE GOD!! I was seriously about to throw in the towel, but God knew better! Thank you Lord for that encouragement, and a renewed sense of desire to make this work!!
So, if you are struggling and just can't seem to get your program to work, try the LNS Bootcamp, and prayer. I don't think you will go wrong with either one!
Happy Stamping everyone!!
Judy

CREATIVE TECHNIQUE OF THE DAY---INKING

I believe my absolute favorite technique would have to be inking. I just love the look when you crumple paper and then ink just the peaks (as seen in the Police Line layout). I also love to ink the edges of torn paper, chip board embellishments, and title blocks. Inking the edges helps draw the eye to that portion of the layout and makes a wonderful accent! It is also so easy to do, and I am all about anything easy!
Inking can easily be done on just about anything you want to add a little color to, or help something stand out. All you have to do is choose what you want inked, choose an ink color that contrasts with the color of the paper you are inking for a really good 'pop'! Or you also have the option of choosing a color that coordinates nicely with the paper or item to be inked, which will also help an item to stand out on your page, but in a more subtle way!
Once you have the paper and coordinating or contrasting ink pad chosen, then you just decide what you want to ink and how. Are you going to do just the edges of something for this page? Or are you going to crumple your paper and then ink it? And then you just easily slide the ink pad across the locations you want highlighted! See! I told you it was easy!
Take some scraps of paper that you have, and what scrapper does NOT have a stash of paper scraps, and practice inking! This is when you can play around with different colors, mixing and matching your ink to your paper, and see what combinations you like! There is no right or wrong to this, or any other technique, in my own humble opinion. If you like the result, then it is right!! That is all that counts is whether or not YOU are pleased with your work!
You can see several examples I have added to this post of the inking that I have told you about. I hope you like them and please, leave me a comment! (Please be nice! Constructive criticism is appreciated)
Now, go and play with your ink and papers, create a project or page, and post a picture! I would love to see your work!

PS: I also like to use my ink pads, usually the bigger ones, and ink flowers to the exact color that I need to coordinate with the rest of my layout! Sometimes you just can't find the color you want, so by inking a white flower, or even a very pale flower of some other color, you get just the color you want! Try it out!! Most importantly, have fun!
And please, share your work and ideas!!

Back in the Saddle!! (I'm finally Scrappin' again!!)

For several reasons, I have not been doing very much scrapbooking lately, but, thankfully that is changing now! Even though I have very limited space right now in my room, and I have to search to find something I am looking for, I am determined to get in there and be productive! I have way to many projects on my plate to be wasting time being idle!
Thankfully, I did manage to complete a few pages for one of my clients this past week, and have several others started! I also have some pages already done for my church album, and I have ideas in the works for pages for the Baby Thomas album. Then I also need to try to get time to finish my own albums and such too!
Oh, I will get them all done! It's just that normally for me, I would be in that room working every single day for several hours! Sometimes, I would spend all day and all night in there because I get on a roll and just don't want to stop! And, time gets away from me. It's funny how when you are doing something you enjoy, time seems to fly by! But, that's okay because I know I am getting back in the swing of things slowly. I have let things keep me out of there for too long now.
I am going to set myself some goals for this week, and hopefully that will give me the encouragement and motivation I need to get some things done!
My first goal is that I will complete a minimum of 6 pages per day that I am able to get in my scraproom! Doesn't sound like much I know, but if you consider that each page is typically a MINIMUM of 2 hours, you're talking about working a 12 hour day! I know some people may not understand why it takes at least 2 hours to stick some stuff to a piece of paper along with some photos! Well, the thing is, there is more to it then that. There is actually a lot of thought put into the design of each page. Once the basic design is figured out, then there is the paper selection, card stock color, any techniques I might want to use on this page, as well as any embellishments! And, of course, it never fails that somewhere along the way of actually creating the page, at least one of the ideas is going to change! So, then the products for the new idea have to be located and make sure that everything coordinates! There is a lot more to scrapbooking than a lot of people realize! But for people like me, it is all worth it!
I find my time in my scraproom relaxing, even if I am having to clean in there! Yep, that's what I said....cleaning can be relaxing!
Another goal I have for this week is to get my Stampin' Up! catalog marked with all the items that are retiring so that my potential customers can easily go through it and see what they might want to go ahead and buy while it is still available! There is a lot of stuff on that retiring list so this may take me a while!
Goal number 3 is also going to involve Stampin' Up! in that I want to obtain orders from at least two people this week. I have one customer that I KNOW wants to buy some things, so I have half of this battle beaten already! I just have to locate my second customer for this week! Much easier said than done with our economy the way it is right now.
My 4th and final goal for this week, as far as my scrapping goes, is to post an entry to this blog at least two more times before next Sunday. I plan to have these posts include some photos of previous layouts I have done. I can't take any pictures of my latest work because I have one camera missing, and my other digital camera is not working! So, I guess I could add camera shopping to my goals for this week, but I won't have the funds just yet so I don't think I will get in any big hurry about that!
I hope if you are following this blog that you will leave me some encouraging comments to help motivate me to reach my goals. Everyone likes to have some encouraging words sent their way from time to time, right? So, please feel free to comment away, and share this blog with any of your friends that you think might be interested in talking about scrapbooking!
Until next time, HAPPY SCRAPPING AND PAPER CRAFTING!!!

Bein' Lazy

I didn't realize that it had been almost 2 weeks since I posted anything!! GEEZ!
Well, I am getting to work on a couple of albums that are going to be donated to mothers of babies born with fatal birth defects. These are going to be more of a memorial album for each mother, but I still want them to be quality work with the best of products used, so I will be using primarily my Stampin' Up! products, unless something I am wanting to use is not available through SU. I know these young women will cherish these albums just because they contain photos of their precious angels. I can not even begin to imagine the pain they are dealing with on a daily basis, knowing they should be holding and rocking their infants. Instead they are going to the cemetery to visit a grave.  Just breaks my heart for these mothers! I have to thank some of my SU sisters though. Without these ladies, this album would probably not happen for several months! These ladies know who they are, and I will name them as soon as I can locate all of the packaging that their pages and other items were sent in!! You will understand better when you finish reading this post. LOL
I also have two other albums that I will be spending a good deal of time working on over the next few weeks. The first is an album for my church. This initial album is going to be all about our new Family Life Center. It is still under construction, though we have been using it fairly regularly. We only have a small amount of work left before it is completed!! And guess who has barely started on the album!! YIKES!!
The other is actually not an album. I am creating pages FOR an album for a young woman and her daughter. I started work on this album before my first granddaughter was born so I was ready to do some scrappin' of girls stuff!! With 4 grandsons, I'm sure you can understand that! Anyway, this mother has been so patient with me through my back problems, which are STILL a problem. So, I need to really get busy on her pages.
The thing is, my scraproom is a D I S A S T E R right now!! So, before I can get motivated to get in there to scrap or anything, I have to get it straightened u! That's not going to happen to the extent that I want it though until my son and his wife and son are able to move into their own place. I need that bedroom for some of the things that are currently being stored in my scraproom!! I'll get to it though......soon!!
I am going to start first thing in the morning though working on my Stampin' Up! business, and getting some orders, hopefully!! I really need this to start doing something for me!! Lord, I pray that you will bless my business to be successful, with many satisfied and frequent customers. Thank you Father for ALL of the many blessings you have given me, and I thank you for Jesus and the promise of salvation and eternal life in Heaven with you, my Holy Father! I ask this blessing in the name of Jesus', Amen!

Working on Thomas' album and the church album

For the first time in a very long time, I am planning to get in my scrap room and actually work on both of these albums. I really need to work on these and get something done for a change! With all the things we have had going on in our lives over the past several months I have not had a chance to actually do any scrapping. I have, however, had a few chances to get in there and actually do some straightening up at least. Now it is time for me to get myself back into the scrapping business! I enjoy it so much and I love the relaxing feeling I get when I am creating new pages!
These two projects that I have going on, an album for our church over the building of our Family Life Center. I plan to have a lot of fun with this one, keeping the theme of this album in such a way as to honor God. I thank God for the opportunity to scrapbook and use my ideas and put them on paper and to have them turn out to look the way I had hoped. To have my pages be viewed by others and complimented is an honor that I would not have if it were not for God. I give Him all the glory, honor, and praise.
I also praise God for the opportunity to create an album for a young family who recently had to live through one of the worst possible experiences imaginable, the loss of a child. During her pregnancy this mother learned that her baby had a birth defect. He had hydrocephalus and a significant portion of his brain was either not developed or under developed.  He was not going to survive long after birth, IF he was born alive! This family was so heartbroken but rather than do what most people do in a time like that, which is they turn away from God and blame Him for their circumstances, this family turned TOWARD God. They are already a Christian family, but this brought them even closer to God.
As soon as I found out about it, I believe God laid it upon my heart to create a memorial album of Baby Thomas for this family. You see, they were not total strangers.
I had the priviledge of meeting Holly Milner when I was employed at Jasper High School as the school nurse. I found Holly and her sister Amber to be such special young ladies, it amazed me. Even then, as young teenage girls, they had such a strong faith in God, it was truly a blessing to see. They were a blessing to be around. Naturally, as soon as I found out this involved Holly, one of "my kids from the school", I knew I wanted to do something for her and her family, but I was asking myself what.
It wasn't long before the thought came to me that I wanted to create an album for them. When she shared ultrasound pictures of what appeared to be a perfect baby lying in her womb in the perfect position for a full body shot, I knew. I knew then that to create an album to honor Thomas, and preserve these precious memories for this family, was something that God wanted me to do. And when God asks you to do something, you don't just say, "um.....gee God, I don't know if I am going to have the time or if I want to give away any of my stuff on a project like this, especially when I am trying to MAKE money in my scrapbooking business." But God doesn't take no for an answer, so I decided it would be best if I just listened to Him and did the project. At the same time, I felt honored to be the person who was chosen to do this. To be the person that God chooses for such a special and very important task, words cannot express my feelings. I was humbled to say the least.
I followed Holly's blog all the way up to and through Thomas' birth, very short life, and death. I prayed that someone had taken pictures at his funeral service, which Holly and her husband Aaron decided to have more of a celebration instead. I think they had a fantastic idea and from what I have seen of the photos and heard from others who were there, it was a very touching service and a wonderful celebration of Thomas' short life, and the affect his short life had on so many people.
Through her blog, Holly was able to share God with many people without the reader realizing it! I think sometimes that is what is needed to turn someone around from a life without God, to a life WITH God. I believe Holly, and her words, stories and photos on her blog, most likely turned more people toward God than she could ever imagine. It is for that reason that I feel she is an inspiration to me. That is also why I feel so honored to be the one who gets to preserve these beautiful, and the sad, memories for her.
Now I just have to get my behind in there and get busy!! There is still much more to this story which I will share with you at a later date, perhaps tomorrow?! But for now, I have to get busy!!