Cupcake Day Card---Join Us for an Anything Goes Challenge with Optional Twist at 613 Avenue Create!

Hello Crafty friends...I know this is coming out late but just want to share what I made for this week's Challenge at 613 Avenue Create.  It's always "Anything Goes" but this week's optional theme is RAK (Random Acts of Kindness).  Anyway, I am so grateful that temperatures are starting to turn pretty nice here in Texas.  It has been a long summer weather and I asked the Lord for some relief.  I know that in this "world gone crazy" situation of ours that we see/experience daily, some may think that asking for simple things like that seemed to be unimportant.  But I submit to you, nothing is insignificant in the eyes of the Lord.  He is equally concerned with the simplest to the most complicated things that affects our lives. 

As a child of the Most High God (Born Again, John 3:3), we are no longer strangers to His Kingdom.  There was a time when we were ignorant and in our selfishness---did everything in rebellion from God!  We were in Adam in birth, in flesh and in sin.  We were hopeless, with no other path to redemption.  But then, Jesus came to unselfishly give His life for the salvation of mankind!  He is the Only One qualified to perform the task as He's the Only One who is both God and Man.  As the Son of God, He was free from the curse of Adam.  On the other hand, He was born by a woman into this world---like every man that lived on this earth.  Anyone that placed their faith in His finished work (Gospel---death, burial and resurrection) at the Cross had been translated from the kingdom of darkness unto the Kingdom of Light in Christ.  So, as lawful citizens of God's Kingdom, our Father has qualified us to be representatives of mankind in His presence.  We need to pray for the lost and share with them the Gospel.  Though we still live in this world, we are no longer citizens here.  Let's put it this way, we are the "Ambassadors" of God, placed in His perfect time to testify of God's wonderful works through His Son, Jesus Christ. 

So when we pray,  we are bridging that gap between this world and God's Kingdom, pleading our case to and through the Kings of kings and the Lord of lords.  In doing so, we acknowledge that everything comes from God and that He's in full control.  Our Father wants to know what is in our hearts.  It does not mean He does not know but with us verbalizing our prayers, we are releasing our faith and believing He can do something about it.  That is why repetitious prayers that had been memorized and recited by many over and over is honestly a waste of time.  Why?  Because their lips speak of words that are so familiar to them, they can recite them without confessing the true petitions of their hearts.  A simple prayer by a little kid whose heart is fixed and believes in God has far greater power.  Matthew 6:6-8 tells us, "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."  In the hustle and bustle of life, I have to be careful not to be overly busy as not to communicate with my Father in heaven.  The Holy Spirit (that lives inside of me) reminds me all the time of the importance of having an intimate communication with my Father.  I tell Him everything---the simple and complicated, the sweet and the bitter, the funny and the sad, the short term and the long term, the temporary and the eternal!  Everything that the Holy Spirit quickens me to pray about, I lift them all up to the Lord.  PRAYER IS AN ATTITUDE---a way of life for everyone who have tasted the goodness of the Most High.  Philippians 4:5-7 tells us, "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  I hope we don't neglect the awesome weapon that God has armed us with.  I prayed for some weather changes here in our area but also prayed for God's mighty intervention in the affairs of our country and the world.  God is delighted when we come to Him for everything and anything---when we asked in accordance to His Word!  Big petitions or small petitions, nothing is impossible with Him!  I want to share with you this Parable that Jesus told His disciples that teaches us about persistent prayer.  I hope it will bless you too.

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’  “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8)  

For this Card, I used an image that I have been wanting to use for a long time but didn't get the chance to do so.  It's from Bugaboo Stamps called "Girl Cupcake Tray" that I colored with my ProMarker/Prismacolor/Spectrum Noir markers.  The base is a Kraft, A7 card. A few days ago, I was going through some very old files with lots of patterned papers and used several of them in this card (I don't know the company they came from).  I used an MS Border Punch (scalloped hearts), layered some Prima flowers, Fiskars punch for the leaves and added some white brads for dimensions.  The border stamp is from The Paper Company Studio and the lovely sentiment is a freebie from Create with TLC.  Lastly, I stitched all over this card.  I must say, I love it very much.

                                                        CUPCAKE DAY CARD:

                                                  CUPCAKE DAY CARD LAYERS:

                                                  CUPCAKE DAY CARD SIDE VIEW:

                                                  CUPCAKE DAY CARD INSIDE:

                                        CUPCAKE DAY CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Pile It On---Leaves
Crafting with an Attitude---ATG
Crafty Girls---ATG
Craft Your Passion---ATG
DRS Designs---Pile It High
Inspiration Destination---ATG
Not Just Cards---ATG
The Paper Shelter---Layer on Layer
The Crafty Addicts---ATG/Use Die-Cuts
MAWTT---Leaves and/or Trees
Craft for the Craic---Something Glittery
Artistic Inspirations---ATG/Feminine
Crafting from the Heart---ATG
Craftin' Desert Divas---Make It Sparkle
Love to Scrap---Bling It, Girlfriend!
Melonheadz Friends---Pick 3 in a row (Pearls or Bling/Bright Colors/Use Markers)
Our Crafty Corner---ATG/Lace and/or Pearls
The Paper Nest Dolls---ATG
Where the Heart Is---ATG/Winter Blues
Whoopsi Daisy---Lots of Layers
Lacy Sunshine---ATG
Come and Get It---Lots of Sparkle
Dragonfly Journeys---You "Leaf" me Breathless
That Craft Place---Kraft
Corrosive---Add a Sentiment
Catch the Bug---ATG
Crafty Calendar---Sparkle, Bling and Embellish
Scrapper's Delights---ATG

There you have it, folks!  Don't miss the opportunity to join our Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create with an optional twist.  There's wonderful prizes awaiting the winners from our lovely sponsors for this week---Alicia Bel and Rick St. Dennis.  Can't wait to see what fabulous projects you're going to highlight this week.  I hope you have a wonderful week and know that through prayers and act of faith we can achieve the impossible!  Have a blessed week...