Christmas crafts and ideas

I have been taking a little break from blog world, but I am back and getting excited for christmas.
I have been thinking of gifts to make for friends and family this year, and have a few ideas up my sleeve.

Some inspiration has been taken from the shabby chic style. I aim to make little wooden heart door hangers with polka dots and little gingham ribbon.

For the children, I have been saving all my glass jars and their lids for a craft session, filling them with wonderfully colourful sweets and decorating them with lables and fabric tops.

There is also a lovely simple idea to decorate the home, with jam jars and tea light candles:

This can be used with or without sweets, it could be filled with little coloured marbles or stones. It also looks great with a candle alone.

I have been in search of a reusable advent calendar for the girls this year and have a good friend on the hunt for me in her local stores today-thanks kira!
There are some lovely wooden options out there, and also great fabric ones too.

The Fabric house is from Laura ashley and the other is a wooden advent calendar- both can be found on Ebay for a cheeper option. I have found some great bargains on there this year!

Look at this adorable little craft kit for little girls, a great introduction to sewing. I know Jessie will love it!

http://www.handyhippo.co.uk/p5363-StitchIt-Dolly-Kit.html

This one also is a great idea for gifts for the grandparents or Fathers day or Mothers day.

http://www.handyhippo.co.uk/p5361-StitchIt-Lovehearts-Kit.html

I think Fimo is also a lovely stocking filler as the children love creating things, baking them and keeping them. As a child I had hours of fun making little characters and jewelry from fimo.

http://www.handyhippo.co.uk/s263-1-Fimo-Kits.html

Have fun with your family this year, I am sure I will blog after my crafty evening, with the above ideas in mind.

God bless.

consider....

O Lord My God when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hands have made
I see the stars I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then Sings My Soul, my Savior God To thee
How Great Thou Art
How Great Thou Art !

The words of this song came to mind this morning and  as  the words ran through  my mind, I felt  that I should stop for a moment and Consider the works Gods hands have made. 

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

³ And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

 ⁶ And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." ⁷ So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸ God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

⁹ And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

¹¹ Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so.

⁴ And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night,

 and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.

²⁰ And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." ²¹ So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

²⁴ And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.

God made the wild animals according to their kinds.

²⁶ Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth."

²⁷ So God created man in his own image,
       in the image of God he created him;
       male and female he created them.

 ²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.




Now, thats a LOT to consider! 

O Lord My God when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hands have made
I see the stars I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then Sings My Soul, my Savior God To thee
How Great Thou Art
How Great Thou Art !

New every morning!

There is something about a vase of fresh flowers in a home. It will brighten up your day!

In my home, we don't get them often enough, but I love it when we do.

It is just a shame that they do not remain fresh and vibrant. Within a few days you start to see the flowers wilt and become limp. They slowly fade in color and perkiness. Then they fall and drop their petals. They do not last forever, we need to replace them with fresh flowers to once again, enjoy their beauty.

I was reminded of this when feeling a little 'limp' myself. Sometimes, we can feel like we are fading and losing our vibrancy. Yet we have a hope, in lamentations 3 it says;

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, 
       for his compassions never fail.

 23 They are new every morning; 
       great is your faithfulness.

 24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; 
       therefore I will wait for him."

When we feel weak, we can rest assured that God is faithful. He does not get tired, he does not faint. He remains the same, always ready, every morning to renew us with his word and refresh us with his voice. Take hope, do not leave his word to become stagnant over the weeks, get a fresh taste from him every morning.

Time

Matthew 25

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

 1"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

 6"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'

 7"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'

 9" 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'

 10"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

 11"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'

 12"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'

 13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

How are we using our time?

Do we use our time to glorify God?

Do we use our time to enjoy the blessings he has given us?

Do we use our time to praise him for all he is and has done?

Do we waste the precious gift of time on useless and idle things?

Time is a precious gift. Each day, I look at my children and am so aware that every minute, every hour is precious with them. They will soon grow, and fly to their own nests.

I look at my husband and see him growing in maturity and wisdom. I see him slowly changing into the man God has called him to be. Time can be a friend or a foe. How do we use it?

I have been challenged to invest my talents and gifts in each day. 

I have been challenged to cut back, strip back anything that wastes my time. I am only here in this life, for a limited period. Life is short.

So I am seeking God for correct use of my time.I know it will involve loving God, seeking him, serving him. Loving my family, encouraging and enjoying friendships, appreciating beauty in creation.  My aim is to become the woman I was created to be, a little bit more every day. To please my father and to be ready, with my oil lamp full on his arrival!

What is God asking us to do with the gift of time he has given us?

The Royal painter.

This morning I was having a happy little jig in the kitchen, along to some Imogen heep, whilst unloading the dishwasher. As I merrily hummed along, I was thinking about how I love to dance and sing. In my mind, I was thanking God for all his blessings and goodness. It was sort of spilling out of me. Then, this verse of scripture came to mind:

Ephesians 2:10 

" For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

We are all different, made up of differing talents & gifts. Some of us are very creative, some are academic, some love to write, some love to sing, some to ponder, some to speak. We are all made by God, for good works. We are little expressions of Gods brilliance, living here on little earth.

 I like to paint and draw and make things. I appreciate all things visually beautiful. I have a lot of my canvas art work, hanging in my home. Often people will comment like, " That is lovely, how talented you are!"

I just see that I have expressed myself, through art.

This got me thinking. People that appreciate my art work do not praise the painting, they praise the creator of the painting. They praise the talent of the artist, behind the art work.

We are Gods creations. We are displays of his beautiful craftsmanship, we are pieces of his heart, being expressed in human form. We are beautiful to him. We are hand made with love and affection, knitted together from conception, chosen for purpose in this life and beyond. He crams us full of gifts and talents, that sometimes we shy away from, or are too afraid to use.

 Others may use and display their gifts, but take all the glory for themselves, thinking that they are something wonderful, reveling in arrogance and pride.

God spoke to my heart today, using this illustration. "don't be afraid to let your heart out," he said  "Let it flow! Use your gifts, use your talents, because when you do, with the right heart, you show people what a wonderful creator God I am!'

We are like beautiful paintings, that our Father God has painted. When people see the beauty in us, we are giving God the glory he deserves. He is a creative God, and his art work is seen all over!!

We serve an amazing God!

We serve an amazing God! As a family, recently we have been ill. We spent a whole week in  our home, tucked up warmly, with blankets, T.V, and lots of sleep. We didnt feel well enough to eat much and so we just hid from the outside world for the week. Following this period we perked up a lot, but remained drained and tired from the previous week. James took time off work and the kids stayed home from school, so we had lots of time alone as a family. 

Today was Sunday and time for church, but I woke feeling achey and tired and in need of some quiet time alone, with my heavenly Father. So James and the girls dressed and head off to church and I stayed behind, keen to get some quality time, reading the word and praying.

I poured out my heart to God, telling him how I needed his strength and joy, how I longed to not be at sea. In the roughness of the darkened waves, tossing me to and fro. How I longed to have my feet firmly fixed on his rock & his firm foundations. As I prayed, I had an picture of a huge Eagle coming and opening her wings up around me, she scooped me under her wing and I was warm, safe and covered. 

I pondered on the fact that God says in his word, "I am."
 He is everything we need, when we need it! He is my Father, he is my protection, he is my strength when I am week, he is my light when it is dark. He is my Joy when I am down, he is my help when I am in trouble. He is everything I ever need.
 I suddenly thought about other so called Gods, carved out of wood or made of Gold. I saw in my mind a budda, with his arms crossed infront of him. He did not seem a welcoming idol to put my hope in and it seemed so silly to me that people serve a God who is not able to protect them, love them, feed them, comfort them. I was so blessed to serve and know my God! He is a God worth serving! 

I asked God to speak to me in his word as I prayed and I felt to turn to Isaiah 44. Within its text I smiled, as I read:

 “I am the First and the Last;
      there is no other God.
 7 Who is like me?
      Let him step forward and prove to you his power.
   Let him do as I have done since ancient times
      when I established a people and explained its future.
 8 Do not tremble; do not be afraid.
      Did I not proclaim my purposes for you long ago?
   You are my witnesses—is there any other God?
      No! There is no other Rock—not one!”

 9 How foolish are those who manufacture idols.
      These prized objects are really worthless.
   The people who worship idols don’t know this,
      so they are all put to shame.
 10 Who but a fool would make his own god—
      an idol that cannot help him one bit?
 11 All who worship idols will be disgraced
      along with all these craftsmen—mere humans—
      who claim they can make a god.
   They may all stand together,
      but they will stand in terror and shame.

 12 The blacksmith stands at his forge to make a sharp tool,
      pounding and shaping it with all his might.
   His work makes him hungry and weak.
      It makes him thirsty and faint.
 13 Then the wood-carver measures a block of wood
      and draws a pattern on it.
   He works with chisel and plane
      and carves it into a human figure.
   He gives it human beauty
      and puts it in a little shrine.
 14 He cuts down cedars;
      he selects the cypress and the oak;
   he plants the pine in the forest
      to be nourished by the rain.
 15 Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire.
      With it he warms himself and bakes his bread.
   Then—yes, it’s true—he takes the rest of it
      and makes himself a god to worship!
   He makes an idol
      and bows down in front of it!
 16 He burns part of the tree to roast his meat
      and to keep himself warm.
      He says, “Ah, that fire feels good.”
 17 Then he takes what’s left
      and makes his god: a carved idol!
   He falls down in front of it,
      worshiping and praying to it.
   “Rescue me!” he says.
      “You are my god!”

 18 Such stupidity and ignorance!
      Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see.
      Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.
 19 The person who made the idol never stops to reflect,
      “Why, it’s just a block of wood!
   I burned half of it for heat
      and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat.
   How can the rest of it be a god?
      Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?”
 20 The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes.
      He trusts something that can’t help him at all.
   Yet he cannot bring himself to ask,
      “Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?”

In contrast to the foolishness of serving Idols, We serve a God who not only made us, but knows us and longs to bless us!

 Isaiah 44:
 2 The Lord who made you and helps you says:
   Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant,
      O dear Israel, my chosen one.
 3 For I will pour out water to quench your thirst
      and to irrigate your parched fields.
   And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants,
      and my blessing on your children.
 4 They will thrive like watered grass,
      like willows on a riverbank.
 5 Some will proudly claim, ‘I belong to the Lord.’
      Others will say, ‘I am a descendant of Jacob.’
   Some will write the Lord’s name on their hands
      and will take the name of Israel as their own.”

Thanks God! xx