I'm Back...Didn't You Miss Me??

Hello, sweet friends. Have the past few weeks been as busy for you as they have for me? I had a little break in between my writing deadlines, and I thought that life would be easy breezy for a couple of weeks, but alas, I was wrong.

It's been crazy.

I will update you on all of the craziness in due time, but today, I just wanted to pop in and let you know that we're all still alive. Oh, and tease you with a preview of the things to come :)

Hope you're all doing well out there!

Until next time, grace and peace.

Minted's +3 Holiday Design Challenge

It's time to vote on another Minted challenge. This time, Minted invited designers to submit Easter, Halloween, and Thanksgiving cards, three holidays that don't get as much love and attention as Christmas. I had a really fun time designing my cards, and I hope you'll go rate my designs (and everyone else's too) at Minted. Here are the three designs I submitted:

He Is Risen Indeed

This card is quite possibly one of my all-time favorites. Minted always selects special editor's picks as winners, and one of the special prizes for this challenge is for the best religious design for an Easter card. Of course, I jumped right on that, using the familiar Easter greeting that rings throughout churches around the world on Easter Sunday. He is risen, indeed!

Living Hope

When I think about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I am most thankful and grateful for the hope that it brings us. 1 Peter 1:3 says that Christ's resurrection gave us a living hope, hence the theme of this card. Hope is alive because on the third day, Jesus rose again.

Thanksgiving Checklist

And last, but certainly not least, I designed this "Thanksgiving Checklist" card as a tongue-in-cheek reminder to count blessings in the middle of a busy holiday season. It's really easy to get swept away in the tide of our to-do lists, but we should never forget to actually give thanks during the Thanksgiving season.

So, there you have it. I had lots more ideas, but I simply didn't have the time to execute them all. I hope you'll vote for me! To vote for each design, simply click on the images above, join/login Minted, and rate each design!

Thanks for your support and encouragement!

Until next time, grace and peace.

How to Tuesday: Rolled Felt Flower Wreath

Welcome to How To Tuesday, where I'll introduce you to some of my favorite DIY craft projects from all over the web. I have a folder bookmarked on my computer that's chock-full of fun DIY projects. I saved some of the ideas for inspiration and others because I just thought they were pretty or fun, and now I'm sharing them with you.

Do you like my new wreath? I've been meaning to make this wreath for months now. Just ask Dennis. I picked up the fabric and grapevine wreath at Hobby Lobby a couple of months ago, and it's been sitting on my counter since then. Last weekend, I finally had a chance to put all the pieces together, and I'm really proud of it. Here's another look for you.

I've been seeing these beautiful felt flower wreaths all over etsy, and I knew that they couldn't be that difficult to make, so I started hunting for some tutorials on the internet. First, I made some rolled fabric flowers using the instructions from My Sparkle that I shared with you a couple of weeks ago. Next, I made some felt flowers using this tutorial from Take Heart. After I had the flowers made, I snipped a sprig of red berries off an arrangement in my kitchen and hot glued it all to the wreath. That's it! Done!

I love my new wreath, and once I got started, it was super simple to make. Be sure to visit the links to My Sparkle and Take Heart to learn how to make the flowers, then get to work on prettying up your own door!

Until next time, grace and peace.