Thankful | Bramble Fox

Here's my most recent page for Bramble Fox. 

I used Cocoa Vanilla's beautiful new Daydream collection and the Thankful Perspextives by Bramble Fox. 

Here are some details. Most everything on my page is by Cocoa Vanilla or Bramble Fox. I just love the cursive font on these Bramble Fox pieces.

I love all the pretty rainbows that are so trendy right now. After I assembled my page I scattered some enamel dots and some sequins for a magical shimmer.

I making pages for my friend. Aren't these photos so wonderful?

Most of the embellishments are die-cuts, but the butterflies were cut from a patterned paper. I lifted the wings with pop dots.

I love the sweet little heart as the dot on the I on the faith title. Such a special detail.

Faith + Trust | Bramble Fox

I'm up on the Bramble Fox blog today. Here's my post. Scroll all the way to the bottom to read my journaling.

Hey, Foxy Friends! I was very excited when Morag asked me to make a layout using the new Faith Perspextives, soon to be in the shop. I had the perfect page in mind when I got these beautiful pieces. This 8 x 8 layout tells the story of how my faith and trust in God grew and deepened dramatically when my husband had a brain aneurysm that caused a serious brain hemorrhage that landed him in the hospital for 47 days. I didn't come to my faith until I was 50, so I'm still a fairly new Christ follower, and this journey helped me really grasp so many truths God promises in his Word. If you want to read my journaling, you can go to the bottom of my blog post here.

My layout is fairly simple because I wanted my journaling to be the highlight. What looks like patterned paper on the right-hand side of my page is actually my journaling. Because my story is partially covered, I printed it a second time and adhered it to the back of the layout. How beautiful is the font of these Perspextives? And the cross is so pretty too! I love how it doubles as a plus sign for my title.

I used Cocoa Vanilla's Happiness collection because the flowers signify growth and the butterflies symbolize transformation. The lovely coral flowers from the Meadow Flowers matched the palette nicely.

I finished my layout with a few coordinating pearls and some phrase stickers that helped to tell my story.

Faith is such an important part of my life. I'm so happy Bramble Fox created Perspextives to help us document the stories that celebrate our relationship with God. I'd love to see what you create with these beautiful pieces. Be sure to add your creations to the Bramble Fox Friends Facebook group so we can enjoy them!

Here's my journaling:

My faith and trust in God deepened during the 47 days you were hospitalized. I was so scared, but I had a very strong feeling that Jesus was with me right through the whole journey. That first night, when I had left the hospital to get a few hours of sleep before your major surgery, you had just had the first surgery where they put a drain in your head and when I left, your were like a zombie, glazed eyes, drooling, and unable to talk. I came home, terrified, and I cried and cried and begged the Lord to heal you. I must've cried for hours, praying, and I saw a vision of glowing hands on your brain, and I just knew it was Jesus starting to heal you. When I returned to the hospital the next morning, you were alert and talking before your brain surgery. 

Throughout the seven weeks you were in the hospital, I felt God's peace that surpasses all understanding that's written in the Bible, and I know my peace was from God because I am not a calm person and this was not a situation that would make me feel at peace, and it was because I had literally hundreds (maybe over a thousand) people praying for us--not just for your healing, but for my peace and strength to walk this difficult and terrifying journey. 

So many times I would feel myself getting scared, times when you couldn't talk or wouldn't wake up or would talk nonsense or couldn't take a step without falling over or couldn't feed yourself, and the song they sing at my church "Peace Be Still" would always come into my head. I knew the Holy Spirit was bringing that song to me as a gift to let me know Jesus was right there with me, holding me, calming me, telling me it was going to be all right. 

I felt the love of Jesus in those moments I was alone, sleeping in the chair beside you as you lay in a hospital bed with tubes and monitors all over you. And I felt his love through the love of my family and friends, through his people who called me and prayed for me and sent me cards and texts and presents. I even got a card from a friend I only know online from all the way across the globe in Australia with messages of Christ's love. 

Gina gave me a card, and I sadly cannot find it, but it said something like, "You may not know it right now because you're going through a lot of pain and hardship, but you will realize later that this is a blessing." I wish I could remember exactly what it said, but that card sat on the windowsill at the hospital and I would look at it every day and even though I couldn't imagine that this whole scary experience was a blessing, I kept thinking "It has to be true." Gina is a godly woman with the kind of faith that oozes out of her pores, and so I'm sure she knows what she's talking about. Later, I realized the truth of the sentiment in that card. Romans 8:28 is so true. God does call all things to work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose for them. The Lord was using this crisis to deepen my faith and my trust in him. Jesus walked beside me every step of the way through this journey and I know he'll always be there.

Take Note| CSI: Case File No. 324

Our July challenges are live at CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration. Here's the layout I made for our first July Case File:

Here are the Case File and clues for this challenge:

I had some Bramble Fox Perspextives sitting on my desk, and the colors were perfect for this Case File, so I used that as my starting point. I used Cocoa Vanilla's beautiful Unforgettable collection, which has the same basic palette as the Case File, and of course all the lovely florals, which met the flower clue. I added paint (which is a clue) to the texture paste, and used a Bramble Fox stencil to put the hearts on the background, and I also sprinkled (another clue) some pink and magenta watercolors on the background. I added the brad to meet the metal clue.

My background paper is old BasicGrey, which is a clue. The title is also from Bramble Fox, and I put bow from the Cocoa Vanilla collection on it. Enamel dots are a clue too. Another clue is a pattern with multicolored dots, and I found a paper in this collection to meet this clue.

How cute is that little Bramble Fox typewriter from the Retro Comms set? I snagged the journaling from my friend's Facebook page and loaded it into the typewriter. I found another brad to add to tis cluster balance out the brads and circles in the top left.

I hope you'll come play with this challenge. It's always so fun to see what everyone makes, and be sure to add your layout to our Facebook group so you can be eligible from a prize or gift certificate from our seven sponsors this month:

So Rad | Paper Issues Scraplift Sunday

Sunday! Scraplift Sunday! Here's what I made for this week's Scraplift Sunday challenge at Paper Issues. It's my 29th and final page for my students!

Here's Anna's beautiful page that we scraplifted:

Here are some details. I used Cocoa Vanilla's new Legendary collection to make my layout, plus a few odds and ends from my stash.

I wanted something playful to add to my layout, and I found these fun puffy stickers sporting mustaches that went okay with the colors on my page.

Like Anna, I decided to add some tangled thread. The tiny cameras are from metal dies, as is the black mesh element, and I backed them with some scraps from some old BasicGrey paper.

I hope you'll come join our challenges. We have loads of them--you're sure to find a few that strike your fancy. AND there's always a gift certificate up for grabs every month!

You should stop by the Paper Issues shop, check out all the new goodies, and please use my code, Debbi (no e on the end), and you'll get 20% off your entire order!

So Sweet | Paper Issues Scraplift Sunday

So I've been making layouts to give to each of my students, and I made another one, this time for Paper Issues Scraplift Sunday, one of my favorite challenges.

My page doesn't do justice to Kelly's amazing layout:

Here are some details. I used Cocoa Vanilla's Happiness collection for this, plus an old Basic Paper (the blue) and some word stickers and enamel dots.

I lifted my elements up with pop dots to give my layout extra dimension.

I hope you'll come play in this or one of the many other challenges at Paper Issues. You could win a gift certificate! And if you shop at the store, please use my code, Debbi (no e on the end), and you'll get 20% off your entire purchase!

I Love You | Paper Issues Spring Crop - On the Wings of Love

Hey, scrappy friends! I hope you come join our Spring Crop at Paper Issues for all the fun challenge we have going on this weekend. We've got a musical theme, and all of our challenges are named after a song. Here's the challenge I created and the page I made.

I made another page for one of my 29 students. I scraplifted myself from a layout I made in 2018.

Here are some details. I used the beautiful FREE Monarch Butterfly Wreath cut file from Paper Issues.

I used Cocoa Vanilla's beautiful Unforgettable collection. The butterflies were fussy-cut from one of the patterned papers, and the flowers, tab, andcamera are diecuts from the collection.

I sprinkled a few iridescent sequins around my page for some sparkle and added a few tiny punched butterflies. Those white chipboard letters are super old Thickers.

There are so many beautiful cut files over at Paper Issues for free. While you're at the store, check out all the new goodies, and please use my code, Debbi (no e on the end), and you'll get 20% off your entire order!

Favorite Photograph | Bramble Fox

It's my turn on the Bramble Fox Instagram today. I created this layout with an awesome silver Perspextive title from the January Fox Box, as well as some sweet little heart Perspextives.

The Fox Box is a perfect way to get a variety of Perspextives. I highly recommend subscribing. Plus you get a couple of exclusive items. Subscribing also gives you a 15% discount on other items in the shop!

Here are some details. The cut file I used is by The Cut Shoppe. I used a Vicki Boutin mixed media paper for the background. The rest of the elements are from Cocoa Vanilla's Unforgettable collection.

I love the heart Perspextives. They are always a perfect touch when you need a little something.

I hope you'll consider subscribing to the Fox Box. You won't regret it!

Lovely | Paper Issues Take 5 Challenge

I'm up on the Paper Issues blog today. Here's my post:

I'm sharing a layout today for the Take 5 challenge using the beautiful Happiness collection by Cocoa Vanilla. I actually Took 8.

The idea behind this challenge is that you create a layout using 5 (or more) of the items from the list.

I used patterned paper, orange, stickers, a punch, layers, a frame, tags, and leaves. I made my tags using patterned paper and a reinforcement punch. The butterflies were cut out of this beautiful paper.

I found a wood frame in my stash and a tiny tag that said blossom that is ancient--how could I not use it on this page?

I needed some leaves, and I found some on one of the floral papers.

I hope you'll play along--be sure to post your creation in the proper album in our Facebook group for a chance to win a gift certificate to the Paper Issues store. The Take 5 is a fun challenge that makes you dig through your stash. I love being able to combine old and new on a layout! Speaking of new, go check out the new goodies in the store. Please use my code, Debbi (no e on the end), and you'll get 20% off your entire purchase!