The Blessing Journal 2016

This journal is designed to do several things in my life & anyone else who feels lead to make one. I hope it blesses you as it has me.

 Philippians 4:8 says to think on these things .....

"whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,

 whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, 

whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report,

 if there is any virtue 

and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things"

As life continues to crowd around us & life happens day in & day out, it is easy to become, well....a bit cranky; then a bad habit forms & we are "a lot" cranky. We tend to react with ugly attitudes toward the ones around us the most or the ones we love the most. We become short tempered & negative- the Word of GOD tells us to clothe ourselves in love....but not any love the love of CHRIST.  

" Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father." 

Colossians 3:14-17

But first Pray; to GOD be the glory!!

 This book is designed to bless others & to not only hide GOD's Words in our hearts but to begin to put it into practical living. It holds places for you to record everyday blessings & praiseworthy moments. A place to record the things that create pure joy, that endures a smile. A place to keep notebooks for journaling prayerful thoughts. A place to create a quick blessing or a thoughtful note card (postcard) to give to someone that will touch their heart. Someone just might need a blessing that day. A place to house book marks to give away to others. And my favorite page "But First Pray" this is a prayer journal board page. It can be switched out. Take your small journal book to a Bible study or to church & write down prayer requests then slide them into your prayer page.  

So first things first...the picture below is not very pretty much like my life when I am not allowing HIM to live through me the good news is that HE can make us all anew & a blessing to others in this journey called life. 

Cover page

I started with some up-cycling on some old used mat board; you can use any thick chipboard. To the right is the Cover page show how something that is not pleasant to look at can be changed & when we give GOD the glory we become a blessing.

 

Let us be deliberate in our praise & 

give HIM praise for even the small things, 

that might be overlooked.

The calendar section in the journal, "Praiseworthy" is used to take one month & everyday of that month to think & write down one thing you want to praise GOD for. Whether it is the breath of life or something that happened that day. When you have completed the month-by-day it will be filled out.  Then for the next 11 months of the year on that day remember & think on this Praiseworthy gift GOD has given you.

 "I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; 

I will glorify your name forever." Psalms 86:12

pages 9 & 10.

This Blessing Journal stemmed from my prayer.  This journal brings creativity in your life as an outlet as you praise & meditate on HIM & HIS Words. Philippians 4:8 I believe is a Word that we all need a little more of in our lives. It gives us a means to look at all that is around us & find those praiseworthy moments, to remember needs of others, & to think of the wonders GOD has given us. To think on these things first helps us to have a right heart & to replace the old patterns of our mind.

pages 13 & 14 

 Page thirteen reminds us to smile & be that light, even when there are problems & difficulties, we can look up to the ONE who gives us strength. We can make a difference in someones life even through our struggles.

The butterflies on the facing page look so sweet fluttering out of the pocket "Lovely".

With wisps of the words to

Philippians 4:8.

The butterflies especially help me remember the created world around us. GOD in HIS mercy has given us so much, even the tiny subtle things in life.  Sometimes we overlook the intense beauty of a butterfly. But if we look real close we can see how extraordinary excellent they are. Butterflies are such a dainty wispy creatures that have so much to offer. They seem to flutter in & out of places softly gently moving along bringing with them bright color & gentleness. No matter how fast we are moving about our lives, they always seem to go at the same pace. Joyfully placing a bit of sunshine along their path. They stop hover & land gently on a lonely weed & rest on the flower opening & closing their wings while the light reflects off of them. A lonely butterfly in an area where there is little color as it skips through the air it brings so much joy.  I know they are drinking nectar, but it seems that they are giving more in the picture; they bring beauty & sunshine into a place. These small beautiful creatures flutter carrying life with them, pollinating as they go. As the page shows the fluttering butterflies it helps me to think, to take HIS loveliness with me as I move through life.  To give HIM my sorrows that HE might fill my heart with HIS loveliness so that as I bounce around in life like a butterfly maybe I can touch someones life with a small blessings of joy. Yielding our lives to GOD that HE may instill in us HIS Words in our everyday lives.  Philippians 4:8 plant it in our hearts, watch it bloom & spring forth. As we change our ways our crankiness our negative thoughts towards our lives & others, HE can create in us something new, a small flutter that brings joy & loveliness.

Products used in the Blessings Album in detail can be located on

 Mercantile & Artistic Paperie.

Companies that were utilized in MMB's "The Blessing Journal" are as follows: Illustrates Faith, Bella Blvd., Kaiser Craft, Worldwin Paper, Basic Grey, Zutter Binding machine, & May Arts Ribbon.

 Have a beautiful day, week, month, year & peace within!

To conclude this post, "Hey You Love the LORD first with a pure heart." Look to HIM for your everything & HE will make life beautiful no matter what comes your way. Strength, peace, joy & comfort will be ours in CHRIST JESUS our LORD from our loving FATHER. These words are much better then mine so I leave you with the words that give life.-Ellie G.

 Philippians 4:4-9  Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Meditate on These Things

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Be Brilliant, Be Beautiful, Be a Bottle of LOVE potion.

 "LOVE"- The title of this fun project

Love 4x4 deep canvas & Love Potion (snow globe)

Lets you see the Potion and all it's bling.

As I was making this fun project I realized that Love is what began CHRIST's journey. HE left the splendor of heaven to come here on Earth for you & I. And GOD asks for us to do this:  ^"And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." Colossians 3:14 ESV 
It all started with "For GOD so LOVED the world that HE gave..."  HE did it all for us out of LOVE. HE does not ask much from us in return. HE asks for us to LOVE the ONE true GOD, & to love others as ourselves; you know really if we do LOVE GOD with all our heart, mind, strength & soul then we will love others without hesitation. As I write this and look at these crafty items-there are so many things that it reminds me of. (The bottle especially-it is filled with distilled water, glue, glitter & gold fragments) I think about how GOD wants to take us and make something special in us & out of us. HE refines us into gold. He creates in us something HE can pour out & use, not just anything but living water that purifies/heals & glue that binds broken hearts. HE places HIS love in us and around us. HE sets us apart to be a "LOVE potion" if you will, to help others. We are -to reflect HIS love for others to see. As life shakes us up we should reflect like this bottle-tiny particles of the fruit of the SPIRIT cascading around, dancing, floating & glimmering HIS character in our lives for others to see. Beautiful, reflective, glimmering, shimmering fragments of gold -the end result of our lives being refined through each test, trail or sorrow.  The canvas & the bottle both have twine- Twine is representative of binding. Binding our hearts together with cords of LOVE. Showing unity in CHRIST JESUS our LORD.... So as your life shakes you up and their is turmoil all around, be a little bottle filled with glimmering, shimmering hope for all to see. Let HIS radiant fruit be abundant in your life.  
Be Brilliant, Be BEAUTIFUL, Be a Bottle of LOVE potion.
 

Pinecone votive designed by Ellie G. http://www.mercantileartisticpaperie.com/

The old expression states "Tis' the season to be jolly" As we come to the end of 2015 

I can't help to think that everyday is a day to be jolly and spread cheer wherever we go and with whomever we are with.  When I saw this votive light-up and the light it cast out over the dark room, I was reminded of our LORD's words:

 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. -Matt. 5:14-16
I wonder today in this season of the year or this season of my life, "Am I  being that light? do I reflect HIM-in my words, my thoughts and my actions?" if not-- IT is a good day to light my candle and throw "JOY/CHEER" onto others from the light that is reflected from within me. As your holiday approaches remember that the reason we have this season of sharing and gifting is that CHRIST was the center and the beginning of our nation heralding in "we are a CHRISTian nation" & we are "a light to the world". CHRIST was born into this world to be a light in darkness to lead men out of darkness into HIS marvelous light. HE is the "Joy to the World" without HIM there is no peace nor can there be hope. HE makes things beautiful-HE creates Joy and Cheer not only during a part of the year but everyday. As we allow HIM to shine light through us and touch others-light is cast into the lives of others and a flickering flame can become a torch. People all around us need the warmth of a fire to Cheer their hearts and bring them hope.
 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”-John 8:12
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:1 -"Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ."
True joy comes when HE is first in our life and we shine our light and allow others to find HIM through our everyday encounters.

As we ponder this joyful season and recall the reason it came to being. REJOICE in our living SAVIOR!!! HE came that we might have life and have it more abundantly-

A couple of CHRISTmas songs that have stood the test of time. 
"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen"-c.1650
"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen"

"Hark, the Herald Angels Sing"-1739 or earlier 
 "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing"

"Silent Night"-1818
"Silent Night"



"Good, Christian Men Rejoice" -1849
"Good, Christian Men Rejoice"

And as we get further away in history from the birth of our LORD our songs become even more powerful!! Why you ask?  because HE LIVES!!!
CHRISTmas playlist
 

Sweet little "Nesting Bird"

This is a close-up of the glitter embossing & texture paste.

I had so much fun designing this sweet little mama bird.  For more information visit my business site at Mercantile & Artistic Paperie on this up coming class.

    She is sitting patiently on her nest in the springtime.  We endure through the winter cold and wait for the blossoms and new birth to approach. Though I hate the cold of winter I love the beauty that it brings. I have found that if we look hard enough we can find beauty. Believing GOD is all around us, HE whispers HIS beauty. Whether it be in the bright color of the cardinal against a fresh blanket of white snow in the dead of winter. How we can see the analogy of our dead selves covered by the blood of CHRIST which makes us new and white, fresh, purified (snow purifies the air of toxins) and beautiful. Our old man is no longer seen, but the righteousness of CHRIST is now evident in our lives. After the winter has passed the....new birth begins.
     May your day be filled with beautiful moments--love Ellie G.

You may be asking,

                   "What exactly is Making Moments Beautiful all about?"

I will reflect a bit and share with you about something recently that occurred.  I had purchased a stamp phrase that says, "I'm going to make everything around me beautiful... that will be my life". (having been through a lot in life -like most people) 

I determined in my spirit this should be my life. So starts the journey. 

Like my introduction says whether I'm art-tist-ing*, crafting, or just living life. I want to make it a beautiful journey. We get one chance to go through a moment. I want to work my hardest at making it worth the trip. Sweet smelling and full of beauty that effects everything around me.  

Join me in Making Moments Beautiful.