He who had everything gave it all to me who had nothing . . .
He who was King of Kings left it all to become nothing so that I could become something . . .
And this is love . . . not that we loved God but that He loved us and gave Himself . . .
Gave HIMSELF . . .
Once I was lost but now I am found, once I was enslaved but now I am free, once I was broken but now I am healed, restored and treasured - Oh my friends may you find this true in your lives this Christmas!
You may notice there is no baby Jesus in our Nativity Scene. No He is not lost and no my blessings did not break him - yet :) Every year we wrap Baby Jesus up in Christmas Gift Wrap and our youngest gets him in their stocking. It is the first present we open each morning after reading the Christmas Story. Then that small child puts Jesus in the Nativity while we all sing Happy Birthday to Jesus! This is one of the traditions I remember as a young child in my home and love that we have carried it over with my own little ones!
Thank you God for your Son! Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice!
I love to give homemade gifts at Christmas but they come in such a variety that is it hard to know how to wrap them. So often I put them into baskets or containers and call it a day.
I recently saw this on Jeanette's blog and knew I had to try it! I love the difference stamping the patterned paper makes. I know I could do a ton with this paper - cards, scrapbook pages, etc. I decided to use it to spice up my gift containers this year for a simple but pretty gift. :)
The top paper is the patterned paper from the Elemental paper pack and then I stamped it with the snowflake from the Holiday Magic Stamp set.
I took a plain clear rubbermaid tub
and used Mod Podge to glue the stamped paper to the front of the tub
Also did the opposite side with green
For a finished look like this
And here is another look at how different the stamped image makes the paper look (the top bin is just covered with the patterned paper and the bottom bin is the paper stamped)
How did this happen? How are we on day 21 already?
So today the design team was challenged to create with poinsettia's. So much fun and oh so easy with the Art Philosophy Cartridge from Close To My Heart :)
First a photo of my poinsettia ornament :)
Now a tutorial on how I made them . . . Got the idea from my dear friend Nickie - go check out her blog :)
1. Using the Art Philosophy Cartridge I cut out the star flower at sizes 1 1/2 and 1 1/4 inch (3 and 2 3/4 inch for the ornament). Then score the veins into the flowers like shown.
2. I used my Clear Star Dust pen ( love this!) and drew over the veins to add some sparkle
3. Put the smaller flower over top of the larger one and then add a tiny star flower cut out in green paper and inked to the center (center cut at 3/4 inch)
4. Add to your card in whatever fashion you would like :)
Thanks so much for stopping by! Your comments are always read and very much appreciated. I'd be honored if you follow me along this creative journey we call life and I call broken but treasured :)
****Date Change due to unexpected events outside of our control we will be hosting the Crop for Operation Smile on Saturday, March 17th from 9-9 - hope to see you there!*****
Throughout the world, Operation Smile volunteers repair childhood facial deformities while building public and private partnerships that advocate for sustainable healthcare systems for children and families. Together we create smiles, change lives, and heal humanity.
Operation Smile® fulfills its mission with five programs:
International Medical Missions: Operation Smile coordinates more than 30 medical mission sties in 25 countries annually. Last year, medical volunteers provided free surgeries for 9,221 children through international and local in-country medical missions.
Chapters and Foundations
U.S. Care Network
Education
Student Programs
You can find more information about Operation Smile at their website here and their blog here.
Here are two more stories . . .
MING, 6 YEARS OLD
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
By chance, Ming’s mother found an Operation Smile® flyer advertising the November 2007 mission in Cambodia. Ming and his grandmother traveled five hours in an overcrowded taxi from Odong Mein Chey province to the Khmer-Soviet Hospital in Phnom Penh to be considered for surgery. Before his operation, Ming didn’t want to go to school because the neighborhood children were scared of him and would not let him play with them. Now that his mouth and nose are corrected, Ming looks forward to school. With these amazing results, he is now a lively and confident kid.
CAM LY
Cam Ly
Four-year-old Cam Ly has a beautiful smile that shines with joy and hope. But it wasn’t always so.
She was born with a cleft lip and a cleft palate to poor farm laborers in Vietnam. Her parents loved her deeply, but they were distraught.
Cam Ly was their first child, and the only one in their village with such a deformity. They wanted a good life for her, but getting the surgery she needed seemed impossible. They would never be able to afford it.
Then, they heard about Operation Smile and took Cam Ly to our medical mission in Ho Chi Minh City. After surgery, Cam Ly’s face was transformed and her smile was healed. She now has a chance at a full and happy life.
So what does this have to do with you and with Broken Treasures? Glad you asked! :)
A friend and I are hosting our second fundraising crop in Southern Lancaster County, PA on Saturday, February 4th from 9am until 9pm and all profit (ALL PROFIT) is being donated to Operation Smile!
The cost of this event is $40 and includes table space, a new Close To My Heart Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book, three meals, snacks and drinks. We will offer table space for digital scrapbooking as well and FREE classes on Studio J. There will also be options for other card making classes for a small fee. All profit and any donations will go to help change a child's view on life.
As a Mama of three small children my heart breaks at the thought of a child hiding behind a doll because of the way they look! Only $240 will give a child the confidence he or she needs with a life-changing operation. Will you help give a child a smile? How can you help?
I know at Christmas time you are being bombarded with worthy causes that are requesting you give. I am informing you of this event but it is not actually happening until February so there is time for you to budget some money to give (or maybe even some of your tax return?) to help a child in need. Thank you for taking the time to read this! Really!
Then, they heard about Operation Smile and took Cam Ly to our medical mission in Ho Chi Minh City. After surgery, Cam Ly’s face was transformed and her smile was healed. She now has a chance at a full and happy life.
