Butterflies and Inspiring Others

I love it when my blogging friends post sketch challenges! I don't get the chance to play very often (or, more fittingly, I don't make the time), but when I do, it's a blast. Other people's sketches take me out of my comfort zone to try things I definitely know I wouldn't try otherwise.

This card was made using Julee's (Poetic Artistry) Mojo Monday sketch from this week! I can tell you honestly, I would have never come up with this sketch on my own! Julee's sketches really stretch us, don't you think?To get started on Julee's sketch, I chose this fabulous paper from American Craft. I {heart} Cool Caribbean, Black, Red and White together! What a great color combination.

The butterfly stamp is from Hero Arts. I've had it a long time and it's probably only the second or third time I've used it. It just got gobbled up into my huge stash of stamps and promptly got forgotten about.I stamped the butterfly once on some teal scrap designer paper, cut it out and then used my Stardust Gel Pen all over it for some sparkle.

I stamped the butterfly again on a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock, and mounted my teal butterfly over the butterfly on the VV cardstock using dimensional tape. When I cut the butterfly out originally, I cut off his antenna's, because, of course, they'd be too hard to cut around. But when I mounted the teal butterfly on top of the VV butterfly image, the antenna's from that butterfly appear as if they are the antennas of the teal butterfly. Jeepers, that sounded complicated. I'm so wordy.....sorry about that! I'm sure you get the picture.I mounted the butterfly on some black cardstock and sewed a straight stitch around the edges. It's mounted on top of a vertical strip of Real Red cardstock.

The half circles at the top and bottom of the card were made by using my two circle punches, gluing them together, and then cutting them in half. I placed some red bling in the middle of each half circle for some fun. The "I Love You!" stamp is one of Michael's new VD stamps. I didn't know what to put for an embellishment in that are so I just put a sentiment instead. I really like how the card turned out, so thanks to my friend Julee for the inspiration!

Can I just share one more thing with you today? I hope I don't get a bunch of people unsubscribing after they read this:)!

So often, we get worked up and obsessed with what's going on in our lives. Sometimes, we are so overwhelmed we become sad, unhappy, and just plain tired. We might scream out to God "Lord, why are you putting me through all this pain...why me?????" I'll admit, I've had my fair share of these sorts of days over the past 6 months, with the illness/death of Doug's mom, and then Doug's job loss. My own mother was ill with heart issues this year as well. The good news is that God does everything for GOOD. We might not realize it at the time, but He does. And it's how you deal with what God has placed before you that determines if you'll use your pain for good or bad.

I tend to write about my pain here on my blog, partly because that's who I am, I don't hide my feelings well. I wear my heart on my sleeve, so they say. I experience everything from my heart, not my head. Some might think that's a detriment, or a flaw, being so emotional. I don't. I'm glad God gave me compassion and empathy. It's easier to connect with people when you've got the ability to be compassionate and empathize with how someone else is feeling.

The other reason I guess I write about more than just cards on my blog is because I think God might be using me to touch others who are experiencing trouble in their own lives. In other words, God might not be using my troubles solely for MY purpose, but so that through my troubles, I can influence or inspire another person as they travel their own difficult journey! It's not always JUST ABOUT US. Sometimes, we need to step out of ourselves (and our self-importance) to see how our lives, and how we live them, can help someone else.

So the next time you feel like God has given you more than you can chew, stop and say "thank you" first of all, for the opportunity God has given you to grow, and then turn around and say "how can I use my life, and the troubles I have, to influence the life of another human being?"And one last thought. Before you go thinking this is a special talent God has given just to me, think again. Each and every one of you reading this today can be an influence and inspiration in someone else's life. This is something He's given all of us the ability to do. Just Be Open to the opportunity He gives you.