Seeds of Worship

A few years back I bought a couple of CDs of Seeds of Worship. 

Songs based on Scripture with captivating melodies, 

the children and I love them. 

Our CDs are always playing in our car.

Now, you can hear them for FREE directly from their website. Pick the Cd you like and just play them. 

I love that we hear the songs and learn the Scriptures without having to make a purchase if we so choose.
 The cool thing is that you can preview the albums and decide which ones you really want.

Blessings,

Tereza

Be still, my fluttering heart!

This is one of my favorite pictures of my 2 oldest children. It was taken on a Fall day as we watched a parade of horses and mules. I was playing on a free photo editing program the other day and I cropped and used some fun effects and this is the result.

My prayer is that this closeness and tenderness will always be in their hearts for one another. :)

Anyway, fall is here!! What have you been up to??

We visited Gulf shores a few days ago. You can certainly check out THIS VIDEO to see the playful mammals that we saw. The children were thrilled to experience this fun cruise.

I would like to tell you that if you ever need a place in Gulf Shores you need to check out Dana Flynn's condos. They are very modern, clean and beautifully decorated. The link is for one of her condos, but she has 4 for you to choose from.   HERE is her WEBSITE.

We are also busy with so many things... too many to tell them all. I have photos to share of some projects and leaves changing but they will have to wait for another post. The children are calling my name... it's snack time!! I just wanted to check in because it has been almost 2 weeks since my last post! :)

Blessings,
Tereza

God rewards Patience.

I have been meditating on the Word of God a lot lately. I got this sudden hunger to know and live more of it in my life and to see it prosper in my children and husband's lives as well.

I found this article on PATIENCE. I had never heard that God rewarded patience. I didn't realize how blunt and straightforward the Word of God was when talking about perseverance and patience.

I mean, I knew patience was an important tool to the Christian life but as I read this article it was like a light bulb went on.

How are you feeding your heart lately? Eat and chew on the Word of God everyday. Have faith. :)

Blessings,
Tereza

Video, photos and more on Little Phillip.

Jennifer had a miscarriage at 12 weeks. Little Phillip's spirit never made into this world but he is in Heaven with His Heavenly Father.

His Mom wanted to remember him and asked me to create a chipboard baby album and a keepsake box for him. This was the first time I received such a request. But I didn't think it strange because Phillips was a baby boy just born too early who wasn't able to live on this earth.

Unfortunately many women are told that at 12 weeks, when they have an abortion, that their baby is not a baby at all, it's just a blob of tissue. It's not so. You can see HERE the video of the album and box and photos of Little Phillip.

Whenever I receive a request for a custom order I spend as much time on my studio working on it as I do thinking, praying and brainstorming about it.

I view my custom orders as a ministry. It's a privilege to create something unique for someone. Something they can't find anywhere else.

I always pray asking God to bless my hands, to show what to use, how to go about it. Many times I browse the web for inspiration. Sometimes, I ask God to show me creative ways to make something new and amazing. I, especially ask that He will help to create this customer's vision.

Every detail is important.

Jessica asked me for a box that would hold the 6"x6" album and other items that she will add to the box. This was the first time I covered and altered a box this big.

The box is about 8"x8"x4.5"

These sweet angels are from Rhea's blog. They are free and she has so many beautiful vintage images. Go check them out!!

The frame is a Prima Stamp. Pearls are Melissa Frances. Trim is Webster's Pages.

Papers are some really old Daisy D's collections that I love and I just bought duplicates of it and held on to it until the right time came to use them. :)

Bird nest can be found HERE. Chipboard letters are Tattered Angels and the chipboard hearts I cut them out myself with a pair of scissors and used glitter glue to embellish them.

I hope you were inspired by Little Phillip and His Mom's courage and grace to share him with the world.

Be blessed today,

Tereza

12 weeks pregnant....

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. " Hosea 4:6

Do you know what is a pregnant woman carrying in her womb at 12 weeks?

Some people think that it is just a blob of tissue. Some people are told that it is just a blob of tissue. But that is not true.

I just finished creating a chipboard album and a keepsake box to hold photos of a 12 week old baby and I can tell you he is not a blob of tissue. His name is Phillip.

I never thought I carried a blob of tissue when I was 12 weeks pregnant but I was told by a doctor that it was so. I have sonograms of my DD8 at 12 weeks sucking her thumb and she was not a blob of tissue.

What do you think? Why do you think people want us to believe that a 12 week old baby is a blob of tissue?

Would you share Phillip's story with someone that does not know that a 12 week old baby is a BABY? Would you share this truth with someone today? 

Blessings,
Tereza

PS More photos and a video coming of the album and box on a later post. :)

Darling TAGS and a custom CARD!

I am on a roll... First I wanted to share a card that is a custom order. Some time back this sweet lady bought one of my cards and then she came back saying the recipient really liked it and was going to frame it. So she asked me to make her 3 more. As usual I can't duplicate my cards exactly, so I am making 3 more with the same elements but all different. Here is the first one.







I will share the other 2 when I finish them.

Now here are some adorable tags that I made also these past couple of days. They are available for sale at my Etsy shop.









thanks for browsing and take a minute to say hi in the comments section. :)

Be blessed today,

Tereza

So what is next?

Baby is a month old now. Sleeping better, less colicky, gaining weight steadily, smiling and looking around. :) Daddy and siblings are bonding well and baby loves all the noise around her. Praise Jesus! I don't think I will ever have a quiet house again with 4 children. :)

anyway... my Mom and Dad are back in Brazil and I am once again in charge of my nest. I had to re-think a lot of things and organize my nest and my time. I have decided for now (it can change in a couple of weeks) to close my Etsy shop on April 10th. I have a sale going on now, so do stop by and check it out. Everything is ready to ship. I am no longer making them after the order is placed.

I really need to concentrate on my home and children right now so I am only making things and putting them for sale when I am inspired and I have the time, otherwise my family comes first and I will not stress. I love to create and sell my treasured creations and make custom orders, but I just can't right now and sacrifice my home and children. So, I will not stress and really enjoy the creative process. I will be making things because I am able (I got the time and there is no pressure) and because I enjoy. This is me preaching to myself, my own reminder.

Have you ever been caught in the rat race? It's difficult to imagine that one can create imaginable outside pressure and put oneself in the rat race. I have done it to myself many times. I need to learn to stop. So, I am stopping. :)

I have been inspired this past few weeks. I made a gorgeous 6x6 album for my Mom to take to Brazil. I never got photos though because it was raining and as usual I make things for her at the last minute. :) I made some cards and tags that went to Brazil as thank you gifts as well as to my dear friends who sent me baby gifts. Here are a few.




I have already some Mother's Day cards ready and other pretty shabby chic treasures to share. I will share them in the next post.

Please make sure to follow my blog if you would like to know when I post or when I list things in my Etsy shop.

Have a blessed week and thanks for stopping by. :)

Tereza

Vintage inspired Easter and valentines Cards

Hi everyone, real quick post just to share a couple of cards I made this past week.

I have been busy with my birds (that's what I call my children sometimes)...but I did have time to create a couple of cards that were roaming around my brain for a while.

The first one is an Easter card...well not really Easter but a card to celebrate the Life of the Lamb of God really. My pastor a couple of years ago shared with us during Resurrection Sunday how the Passover lamb was a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of the One True Lamb of God: Jesus! What I thought was really interesting was that the lamb to be sacrificed was kept in the house as a pet. At the end of the week it was then slaughtered and eaten by everyone in the house.

When I found the vintage image of this little girl holding a lamb like it was her pet I could not resist but turn it into a card to celebrate the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Of course, the red satin ribbon is to remind us of the blood that was shed for the forgiveness of our sins.

I altered the image digitally and added my text. Of course, I can customize the card with whatever text you like or Bible verse. Email me if you would like to have some of these! To see some of my other digitally altered ART and cards go HERE.

I already have a custom order for 20 of these. I think in a time where Christians get distracted with bunnies, eggs and chocolate, we need to set our eyes on Jesus.

I also created some 3x4" tags for decoration, gift giving or attaching to goody bags.



The second card is just a card that I created thinking of someone who may need a "pick me up" message. :)



Have a blessed weekend...

Tereza

PS these cards will be on my Etsy shop for sale, of course!!

Cards for the Wounded Heroes.

Today we had a lunch at church to celebrate the retirement of our secretary. She has been working at the church for 18 years, now she is retired. Which actually means she won't be receiving a salary, but I bet she will still be working for us. :)

Anyway, I took all the cards that my daughter and I made for the heroes serving this country to the lunch and asked people to sign them. We had a great turn around.

Here are the photos.



I don't know how many there are. I haven't counted them yet.

The designs are pretty simple. I have bought some stamps at Agape Gifts and used them on the cards. Agape Gifts has beautiful stamps that are Patriotic, Religious, funny and Christian themes too. Sandy will also give you a discount if you are buying stamps to use on your cards that you are sending to Cards for Heroes.






These are going to the soldiers that are injured in the battlefield and the medical staff that takes care of them.

Here are my daughter's cards. She used her collage scrapbook pages. WE scanned them in and then printed them out and glued on the front of the cards. There is one she used one of her photos from her first fishing trip and made a collage card.



Here is my favorite card: YOU'RE THE BEST COUNTRY LOVIN' FREEDOM FIGHTER!!!



the cool thing about these cards are:

1) you don't need to send envelopes;
2) they can be simple. Use your scrap papers. You can see some of the techniques I used on these cards HERE. The cards are going inside the care packages sent to these wounded heroes and medic personnel by Operation Quiet Comfort.
3) It's a great way to show them that we know they are still out there, that we appreciate them, that their efforts are not in vain.

So I challenge you today to go make some cards with a purpose. :)

Check out the links on this post for more information and to read what heroes and their families are saying.

Have a beautiful blessed Sunday!!

Tereza

Happy Spring Easter Card Set

Hi everyone...is not Spring time yet...but I know a lot of people (me included!) who are wishing it was. So with that in mind and Amy's gorgeous card pockets as inspiration I have created this lovely card set.

Amy is the owner of RazzPizazzBoutique.etsy.com and she has wonderful cards. She has one that is actually a little pocket and out of it comes this tag. She has made different pockets and tags sizes and shapes. The one that inspired me was the pocket with the tag in the shape of an egg.

We, at home, don't celebrate Easter with eggs and bunnies. One of the reasons is I don't want to confuse my children. The whole holiday began with a pagan celebration and it was then Christianized. It's been over 10 years now that I have become a committed, born again Christian and when I was a child we celebrated the holiday with eggs, bunnies and chocolate. So to me celebrating Easter with these symbols means going back to my pagan ways.

Anyway... I got inspired by her card and decided why not make one with a Bible verse in it??

God is sooo awesome that He gives us the opportunity of new beginnings every day. Every day the sun comes up giving us the chance of a new start. The flowers and birds come back after a long winter; the rainbow shows itself off in the sky after the storm...so for me, a reminder that In Christ, all things become NEW is so delightful! What a joy to know that in Christ, there is forgiveness and everything CAN become new because He died for our sins. That He cleanses us from ALL our iniquities and because He rose from the dead there is HOPE that all things are possible to those that believe in Jesus!! Aleluia!!

enjoy the cards!!