Tag Archives: the daisie company

Daily Life with Audrey Jeanne, New Product Previews, New Releases

NEW! Puppy Love Digital Clip Art Kit

It’s been a little bit since I released a brand new art, digital clip art kit.  Today I released “Puppy Love 1” at www.aimeeasher.com.  It is priced at $5.98 for 26 pieces and if you are a crafter, you are allowed to use it to create products to sell at craft shows.  See the Angel Policy terms for the limits on usage.  Here is the link: LINK TO PUPPY LOVE KIT or simply click on the image to go to the store.

In the kit is 4 card fronts of various sizes, the puppy dog icons in borders and separated, 7 papers, 4 borders and a circular border that would be perfect to use on a paint can for a new puppy gift or packaging for a “Puppy Love” gift basket/can.

Now, my question to you… What products would you like to see made out of this kit for my Zazzle store?  Do you have some ideas for me to work on?  Here are my thoughts.  They’re perfect for purses and tote bags, magnets, greeting cards, note cards, T-shirts and maybe even some really fun shoes!  I used to own a Dalmatian and would have gotten a kick out of having a pair of shoes or shirt with a Dalmatian puppy on it.  Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

Products Available

Digital Clip Art Link Now Available

We have now disabled our own store and linked this site up to our complete storefront at Aimee Asher Elite.  If you look to the right you’ll see “Browse Digital products”  When you click on that link it will open my store in AAE here in my blog.  Be patient, it may take a few seconds, but you’ll be able to scroll through all 15 pages of digital clip art that is currently available, with more coming weekly.

In addition, on the left side column under the “Zazzle Store” products, you’ll see “New Products” previews.

To purchase any of the clip art, you will need to become a member at Aimee Asher and log in.  There are lots of other wonderful artists there, so go take a peek and enjoy!

Freebies

A Freebie Kit for the Fourth of July

A quick post this morning to let you know that I have a FREE patriotic card making kit available in my store at Aimee Asher.  It is a 3 card, 2 envelope kit that I designed to make writing to a serviceman or woman very easy.  If you have a group that writes to these people, feel free to make and send as many cards as you wish.

There’s also a blank card that can be made into a 4th of July party invitation or ?  Have fun with it and have fun with your summer!

You do have to log into Aimee Asher in order to download there, but there will be no charge.  While there take a little time to look around and see the other fun kits that are available.  If you like to make your own cards, one of my very favorite card making duos is “Kizzy Dizzy.”  They are my dear friends from the United Kingdom.  Their kits are amazingly detailed and creative.  They have made quite a few cards from my art kits as you can see here their “Hazy Hydrangeas” is from my Blue Hydrangeas clip art kits.  Here’s a link to their store:  KIZZY DIZZY CARDMAKING KITS AT AAE

LINK TO FREEBIE KIT AT AIMEE ASHER STORE

Happy Crafting!

Daily Life with Audrey Jeanne, Holidays, One Minute Wisdoms

Contemporary Classic Christmas and Christmas Reading #4

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LINK TO CONTEMPORARY CLASSIC CHRISTMAS IN STORE

Just a reminder that there are a lot of Christmas digital clip art, crafting, card making and paper pack kits available in the store and all of them are on sale only through December 15th, 2008!

THE CHRISTMAS STORY: Luke 1:38-56
Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “You are blessed by God above all other women, and your child is blessed. 43 What an honor this is, that the mother of my Lord should visit me! 44 When you came in and greeted me, my baby jumped for joy the instant I heard your voice! 45 You are blessed, because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

The Magnificat: Mary’s Song of Praise
46 Mary responded, “Oh, how I praise the Lord.  47 How I rejoice in God my Savior!  48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation will call me blessed.  49 For he, the Mighty One, is holy, and he has done great things for me. 50 His mercy goes on from generation to generation, to all who fear him.  51 His mighty arm does tremendous things!  How he scatters the proud and haughty ones!  52 He has taken princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.  53 He has satisfied the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.  54 And how he has helped his servant Israel!  He has not forgotten his promise to be merciful.  55 For he promised our ancestors–Abraham and his children–
to be merciful to them forever.”

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.  NLT

COMMENTS:  Can you imagine how encouraging this must have been for Mary?  A girl in a condition of great “shame” to those not understanding what had happened, visits her aunt who without being told a thing CONFIRMS exactly what the angel of God had told Mary.  It was no small thing to be found pregnant without being married in the time and culture.  This was to be a “shame” Mary would be subject to in many eyes for the rest of her life — but within her family they accepted, embraced and affirmed her.  They recognized what God had done and encouraged her faith.  This is an important role for us to play in each other’s lives as family!

PRAYER:  Lord, what a beautiful thing it was that you spoke to Mary’s heart through the prophet utterance of her Aunt.  You confirmed the very things that You had told Mary and encouraged her in what was a very difficult time for Mary in so many ways.  Help me to be encouraging to my family members in any way I can.  Speak through me that which will encourage each heart, build faith and express unconditional love to each member of my family.  Where relationships are difficult give me the grace and strength to lead toward reconciliation and restoration.  Where they are wonderful, continue to built them year-by-year.  Bless my family through me.   AMEN

Contests, Crafting, Faith & Inspiration, Holidays, One Minute Wisdoms

Cookie Exchange & Recipe Card Gift Packaging Crafting Kit and Christmas Story #3

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LINK TO KIT IN STORE

Specially priced only until December 15th at $3.98, this fun craft kit is so easy to print and assemble.  It’s the perfect size to fit up to a dozen cookies to give away for your yearly cookie exchange.  The kit includes a Chinese take-out style box (4″ x 4″ x 4″) with 3D accents, matching gift tag card, two additional tags and two versions of a recipe card to print with the cookie recipe that you’ve used.

There are many, many gingerbread kits that I have created which are available in the store.  These kits can be used to make additional items to match with this box and create a truly custom Christmas Gift Basket.

This is a brand new kit never before offered for sale.  Art & kit Copyright Audrey Jeanne Roberts

THE CHRISTMAS STORY: Luke 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be frightened, Mary,” the angel told her, “for God has decided to bless you! 31 You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s already in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”

38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true.” And then the angel left. NLT

COMMENTS:  Mary was very young, many experts believe she was around 13 or so.  She had been raised in a faith that taught their young women that they could one day become the mother of the messiah.  She would have known many of the scriptures and yet like us, would never have believed that she could actually be “the one.”  Her response shows humility, willingness and a complete submission to God’s highest purposes.  Her willingness to say, “Yes” to God is an incredible example to us who follow her.  Have you said “Yes, God.  What ever you will in my life?”

Mary’s saying “Yes” would lead to great and soaring highs and terrible lows.  She would be blessed to kiss the face of God, she would be heartbroken as she saw her son, the Lord of the Universe, hanging on a cross dieing for something she didn’t quite understand at that point.  She would see her son rise from the dead and know that he sat at the right hand of the Father.  But as a mere child of thirteen she couldn’t yet comprehend the impact her saying “Yes” would have, instead she simply trusted God.   So should we.  “Yes, Lord” should be our constant answer — it’s mine, can you make it yours today?

PRAYER:  Lord, I can’t even imagine what you might be desiring to do with my “oh so ordinary” life.  I certainly can’t imagine an angel appearing to me like Mary, and my being able to so instantly and so trustingly say “Yes” to your plan.

But my desire is to always be willing to say, “Yes” to you.  Help me overcome any reluctance or fear and give me the strength and willingness that I need to be useful to your purposes in this world.  Lord, this day I say “Yes” to your will in my life.  AMEN

Daily Life with Audrey Jeanne

In Store Today, Christmas Ornaments Digital Crafting Kits

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Today I have 4 treats for you, the Christmas Story continues at the end of this post and I have 3 digital clip art crafting kits for making your own photo Christmas ornaments using Donna Glenn’ wonderful pattern.  The links below are in the order of the photographs of the products.

LINK TO RED GINGERBREAD KIT IN STORE

LINK TO BLUE GINGERBREAD KIT IN STORE

LINK TO BLUE WINTER SNOWFLAKE KIT IN STORE

These kits sell for only $2.98 but are on sale until December 15th only at $2.38 each and with a piece of photo printing paper or quality card stock, some ribbon, glitter, and maybe some jewels and you will be able to create ornaments for your entire family.  Us them as a package topper for another gift or include them in a Christmas gift basket or as a gift all on their own.  You can easily insert the year (though it’s shown as 2007 on the kit photo it is actually blank), drop photos behind the png format print and create.  If you don’t have photos, you can add words or images into the opening just as easily!

THE CHRISTMAS STORY:  Luke 1:8-17
8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary and burn incense in the Lord’s presence. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

11 Zechariah was in the sanctuary when an angel of the Lord appeared, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was overwhelmed with fear. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice with you at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or hard liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.   16 And he will persuade many Israelites to turn to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom.”

18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 And now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you won’t be able to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly come true at the proper time.”

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out, wondering why he was taking so long. 22 When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures that he must have seen a vision in the Temple sanctuary.

23 He stayed at the Temple until his term of service was over, and then he returned home. 24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. 25 “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children!” NLT

MORAL OF THE STORY:  When an angel tells you something, don’t say, “Shut up!  You’re kidding right?!”  LOL!  If you do, he just might shut you up for a while!  Just kidding, but God always does so much more than we can imagine and he wants us to believe that he loves us enough to do the very thing that we have asked him for.  Like any awesome parent he loves to do good things for us and delights when we have a childlike ability to believe and receive.

PRAYER:  Lord, help me to not react with unbelief if and when you speak to my heart your plans for my life and I find them to be beyond what I could have asked or hoped or even thought.  It’s easy to laugh at Zechariah’s unbelief, but would I have acted any differently?  I think not!  Fill my heart with faith to believe your promises.  AMEN

Crafting, Freebies, Holidays

Christmas Tree in Window Gift Tag Freebie

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LINK TO FREEBIE GIFT TAG HERE.

This freebie is courtesy of Kath (“the Brat”) from The Aimee Asher Community www.aimeeasher.com

Kath is such a giving person, and wanted to share her creativity with all of you.  She made this tag using my “Windows on Christmas” Digital Clip Art and Crafting Kit LINK TO KIT HERE and a kit that hasn’t been loaded into the store yet, “Victorian Rose Christmas”

This freebie also kicks off our Christmas Story reading, which begins in the post below this one.  Each day I will post a little of the Christmas Story to help all of us keep our focus in the chaos of the season.  Come bring your cup of coffee or tea, put your feet up and join all of us as we prepare for the holidays together!

Holidays, New Product Previews, New Releases

Windows on Christmas, Digital Clip Art Kit

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LINK TO KIT IN STORE HERE I had a few extra minutes before I run out the door, so I thought I would upload another Christmas kit.  This one is one of my all-time favorites.  Created out of my memories of Christmas as a child the art in this is particularly warm and wonderful.

There are several pre-made card fronts included.  The  art itself was created specifically with card crafting in mind.  I’ve really enjoyed seeing the delightful Christmas cards that many of you ladies have made out of this kit since it was released at The Daisie Company last Christmas.  I’m always so excited and amazed to see your creativity!

The kit, along with all my other Christmas or Winter kits will be on sale for 20% off until December 15th, so grab it quick!

Again, have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I’ll see you in December!

Daily Life with Audrey Jeanne, Faith & Inspiration, Holidays

Winter, Christmas Digital Clip Art Sale, 20% off

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LINK TO PENGUINS CLIP ART KIT IN STORE

LINK TO STATIONERY KIT IN STORE

These kits were first made available at The Daisie Company, so check your records before purchasing!  They’re available now in the store, with more coming soon.  The normal blog contest that would be drawn tomorrow will be rolled over to the end of the month and I’ll draw two names then, so make sure you post lots of comments between now and then.

I’m so sorry that I have been MIA lately, I have been very sick for the past two weeks.  My newest fabric line which is under development with Studio E Fabrics, couldn’t wait so I worked through the illness, but haven’t had the energy for anything else.  Thanks for those who’ve sent sweet emails with their wishes and prayers for a speedy recovery.  I am feeling human again, and that without having to consume extraordinary amounts of caffeine!

I have two kits up in the store today.  Both are based on the “Penguins at Play” winter artwork.  All of my winter kits will be on sale for 20% off until December 15th, 2008, so if you’ve been holding back on buying — now’s the time!  I want to thank all of you that have become customers at my digital shop since I opened a few months ago, we’re doing wonderfully in spite of the economy and everything else that’s going on in the world.  Each of you is a blessing.

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY: Rom 4:18-25  Against all hope, Abraham in hope, believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”   Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead-since he was about a hundred years old-and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.  Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,  being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.  This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”  The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone,  but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.  He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.   NIV

DEVOTION:  Do you feel like what you are hoping for is out of reach?  Does it feel like it’s slipping away?  Are you so busy “doing life” that you don’t even bother to hope anymore?  Hopelessness can sap your joy, energy, and delight in life.  Some of you have had your hopes dashed so often, that you’ve altogether given up hoping.  You may not even realize that is what you’ve done!  But it is how some of us choose to live so we can just make it through each day.  God wants us to live joyfully and full of hope.  How can we do that?

Is hope wishful thinking?  Is hope magical?  What are we to hope in?  What is a hope that has a possibility of becoming a reality?  What is hope that endures?  Of course we all know that we can hope for a lakeside mansion, but if we don’t have the resources to bring that hope to life, it isn’t likely to ever become a reality!  A hope without a basis in reality is just a wishful dream.

However, a hope that is based on a promise from God that is established in His word, is a reality that is simply waiting for the right time to happen.  It isn’t just a hope it is a guarantee!  I may not know exactly when, where or how, but if God makes that promise to my heart it is a hope I can base my life on.

Abraham didn’t hope for a son just because he had a very great desire for one, his hope was based on God’s speaking to him that he would be “the father of many nations.”  He was able to hold on to that hope over the many long years it took to become a reality because he had faith in the God who gave him that hope.  Sometimes believing was easy and joyful, other times he lapsed into doubt and fear.  In the end he remained faithful to God and God was faithful to him.  One day he held his hope in his arms and praised God for him.  Faith in the God of hope sustained him through the long difficult journey to his promises.

Do you have a promise from God?  Has He whispered something to you, that He has said He will do in your future?  If not, ask Him for a reason to hope.  Ask Him for a promise that will sustain you.  Then be still and listen for that still, small voice in your heart.  Perhaps He will speak directly to your heart.  It will sound like your own voice, but different — it probably won’t come in a  Charleton Heston-like booming voice!   Perhaps He will lead you to a specific scripture that will be a promise for your future.  If so, write it down.  Keep it before your eyes and when it seems that your promise is very far from becoming a reality, remind yourself that your hope is in the Lord.

If you are almost too afraid to hope right now.  If you are looking at your world and aren’t quite certain where your hope lies for the future, may I respectfully suggest that you start simply by looking to the God of Hope and join me in this prayer:

PRAYER:  Lord, you’re the God of all hope.  Please make yourself real to me and show me where I can safely hope.  If I have been hoping in the wrong things — things that will never be or are not what you have planned for me, please lead me to a brand new place of hope.  Where my hope has been so delayed that I have become weary and afraid, please renew my joy and give me a new ability to believe.

Lord, like Abraham, I have unsolvable issues that I am powerless to resolve and make happen.  You know what they are.  Please speak your promises to my heart.  Give me something to hold on to that will not fail me.  I want to cling to You and Your promises as the only real and powerful hope that can see me through in the days ahead.  AMEN



Daily Life with Audrey Jeanne, Products Available, Scrapbooking

Hollyberry Christmas 12″ Instant Scrapbook kits Now Available

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LINK TO KIT 1 IN STORE HERE. Okay Deb D, here they are just for you, and on sale at 20% off to boot :-)!  By the way, I’ve also put all of the Halloween kits on sale for 20% off, so if you were thinking about a last minute fun kit, grab them quickly.

LINK TO KIT 2 IN STORE HERE There are 2 kits, one with 8, 12″ pages and one with 6, 12″ pages that work together to make a super album. All files are 300 dpi png files that you simply drop your pictures behind, size, add text and you’re ready to go!

These are classic, elegant, timeless Christmas albums with a little twist of fun, that will work equally as well with contemporary Christmas pictures that you take this year or heritage photos of wonderful Christmas’ past!


Art Copyright Audrey Jeanne Roberts, 2008. Designed by Abigail Scott DESIGN Studio.

DEVOTIONAL:  Have you ever had everything in your life change in the space of a day?  Sometimes it happens for good, but more often it happen through either a tragedy or just unexpected and difficult challenges.  A phone call in the middle of the night.  A pink slip in your paycheck.  A look at your bank balances and a dawning realization that something seriously has to change in your life if you are to make it through.  I’m convinced that change should have been a four-letter word!

On a September day twenty years ago, I picked up the phone to answer a call and heard the words, “The biopsy came back positive for Melanoma, your husband will need to come in to my office to discuss treatment plans.”  Absolutely everything in my world changed that day, though I wouldn’t fully comprehend just how much until 3 1/4 years later.  All the same, I felt so disoriented and uncertain.  Just the day before I had my life well mapped out and was fairly certain of where I was heading and in 24 hours I was lost and felt very alone.

Then there are those marvelous, mysterious days that bring wonderful changes.  I remember the day I met my husband to be — once again I thought I knew the path I was walking on and the destination I was headed towards, but in the space of just a few weeks everything in my life had changed!  I learned though, that even good change is unsettling and stressful.  Change is always a challenge to find a safe and secure path to walk on.

Sometimes life changes come one upon another leaving you no time to get your bearings.  It helps so much to be prepared in advance with the understanding that changes will come.  The only consistency in life is its inconsistency.  So whenever change comes knocking suddenly at your door you need to remember this scripture and hold tight to it so that it can, in turn, hold you steady in the storm.

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY:  Ps 37:5-7  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.   Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  NIV

PRAYER:  Lord, sometimes it seems like everything about my life changes in the space of a day.  Yesterday I thought I knew where my path was taking me and today I find myself on an entirely different path.  Help me to remember that You know the path You have intended all along for me to travel on.  Help me to commit my way in your hands and walk in the light of your will and your ways.

Help me to sit still and not squirm like a little child asking constantly, “Are we there yet?  Where are we going?  When will we get there?”  Help me to sit still before you, wait patiently and not fret when things don’t seem to be going the way I imagined they should!  AMEN

Daily Life with Audrey Jeanne

Hollyberry Tags, Word Art and Frames Digital Clip Art Christmas Kit

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LINK TO KIT IN STORE HERE I have created a “Hollyberry Tag and Frame Kit” that will make creating
your own Christmas Greeting Cards, scrap book pages and crafts
incredibly easy.  There are 9 basic shapes that are available as empty
frames, frames with “glass”, frames with parchment paper lining and
frames with calligraphied Christmas text in them.

Also included with the kit is a set of 5 coordinating “ornament” frames, jewels, chain, and elegant text art.  Overall there are 47 separate pieces included in this kit.  The kit is priced at $5.98.

Daily Life with Audrey Jeanne

NEW Instant Scrapbook Album for Christmas by Abigail Scott DESIGN Studio

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christmas instant scrapbook album mini digital clip art kit
christmas instant scrapbook album mini digital clip art kit

CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO KIT IN STORE Available now in the store for $6.98, This instant album is amazingly quick and easy to make!  It prints one-sided on letter sized card stock or photo paper.  There are 20 pages including the cover (uses 10 pieces of paper).  The artwork is from Audrey Jeanne’s “Hollyberry Christmas 3” art kit and paper pack 2.  CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO ART KIT,  CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO PAPER PACK

The sample booklet was assembled in less than half and hour by our staff and has a finished size of 5 1/2″ x 5″ the perfect size for a brag-book or to send along with your family newsletter this Christmas to special family members!

We will also release the full sized 12″ x 12″ pages from which this was created if you are a traditional scrapbooker and would like to use them for your Christmas layouts.  Look for them soon!

Daily Life with Audrey Jeanne

Finally!!! My New Fabric Line Debuts

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Chocolate Love Quilting Fabrics by Studio E Fabrics and Audrey Jeanne Roberts

Finally, I get to show you my new fabric collection from Studio E Fabrics.  The fabric collection will be available through quilt shops nationally soon, so check with your local quilt shop to see if they will be carrying it.  The quality of the printing of these fabrics is simply breathtaking.  I was concerned whether they would be able to capture the watercolor feeling of the artwork and yet not looked washed out or flat.  When I received the samples for final check I was thrilled.  The translation to fabric was just about perfect!

Chocolate Love Quilting Fabrics by Studio E Fabrics and Audrey Jeanne Roberts

I was introduced to my “fabroholocism” directly through my family line.  We had a huge hall closet and a deep cabinet over the top of our clothing closets absolutely stuffed with every type of fabric imaginable.  Whenever we had a quilt to make we simply went “shopping” in our closet.  That little girl would never have imagined that she’d one day be creating fabrics for other “fabroholics” to enjoy!

Like many of you, I grew up in fabric shops.  I spent every Saturday afternoon with my mother and grandmother scouring the fabric section of my local TG & Y or Kmart store for some wonderful fabric to take home with me and make an exciting new project with.

I returned to my love of crafting and sewing when I became a mother.  At one point in my life I had a newborn daughter, a husband that was out of work for 16 months during the recession of 1980-81 and had to run my home budget including gas, food, diapers and clothing on $50 a week.  Trust me — $50 wasn’t much even then so it wasn’t easy to do.  But one of the ways I made it tolerable was to shop my local Yardage Town fabric store weekly and grab up their $.98 a yard remnants to make matching clothing for my daughter and I.  Had I not gone through this terribly difficult period in my life I wouldn’t have the career I have today.

Tough times = opportunity to grow.  Tough times force us to use our wits, our talents, our creativity in ways we wouldn’t do if we had an excess of funds and could just run to the store and buy anything we wish.  Tough times can be blessings in disguise — and introducing this fabric line today reminds me so clearly how valuable a gift and blessing was hidden in the brown paper wrapping of my early financial struggles.

So if you’re struggling financially, ask the Lord to show you how to find the blessings hidden in your struggle.  Be of good cheer, the Lord is there to show you the way through this difficult stretch of the road and He has a way to give you a gift in a brown paper wrapping too if you’ll accept it, open it and put it to use!

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY: Prov 10:22  The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.  NIV

PRAYER:  Lord, I’ve been around enough wealth in my life to know that some “blessings” can really be a curse and bring great sorrow to a home.  Thank you that I can trust your blessings.  No blessing you’ve ever brought to me has had a hidden trouble within it, but many “troubles” you’ve allowed in my life sure have had hidden blessings within them.

I want to especially thank you Lord, for those hidden blessings that have been wrapped in the brown paper of struggle and suffering.  So many times when I look back at my life — the days I thought you had abandoned me to a problem that was too great for me to handle, you were really sending a blessing I couldn’t yet see.  Please help me to remember those days of the past each time I face a new struggle since I sure seem to forget easily!  AMEN

Freebies, Holidays

Christmas is Coming — Here’s a Freebie to Help!

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Christmas Gift Tag, freebie digital clip art crafting kit by Audrey Jeanne Roberts

LINK TO CHRISTMAS GIFT TAG FREEBIE HERE Here’s a little freebie treat for you that is made out of my “Contemporary Christmas 2” kits, both the paper pack and Digital Clip Art kit coordinate with it.  It’s a three dimensional, layered gift tag that you can make quite easily and glitz up with glitter, jewels or?  I personally adore decorating my packages with really special gift tags so I hope you’ll enjoy this little gift.

I think that this Christmas is going to be both a challenge and a blessing.  We all have a little less “excess” to go overboard with Christmas gifts so if you are crafty at all, it’s an opportunity to use your gifts and talents to make up the difference!  My very favorite Christmas memories are the ones where I spent time making my gifts for my family members rather than last minute rushing through the stores and grabbing what I could find and afford.

The real meaning of Christmas isn’t the glitz, glamour and race to outspend each other — it’s that God gave His most precious gift, His only begotten Son to a world that was lost without Him.  It’s that God wanted to enlarge His family through that gift and that His passionate desire is that we would have His Peace fill our lives and our world.

So as we head into the fall (yippee on the brisk cool mornings, I LOVE THEM!)  Let’s think of really meaningful gifts we can give to those we love.  If you have grandchildren, perhaps you could take them for a weekend to allow their parents time to rediscover their love for one another.  If you have a neighbor that is growing old and frail, perhaps you could take them with you to see the Christmas lights.  There are so many meaningful things that we can do for each other that cost very little if anything — except of course our TIME, which is the most valuable and limited thing we own.

CONGRATULATIONS!  THE BLOG CONTEST WINNER THIS MORNING IS THE 4TH COMMENT ON THIS POST:  SEE POST HERE

New Product Previews, New Releases, Uncategorized

Finally! Back Up With Two New Kits, “Contemporary Christmas 2”

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I still am having the same issues with my Hosting company (it’s time to call them again and see what’s up!)  But I figured a workaround for the picture posting and I’m able to upload kits and downloads so we’ll be okay until they get things worked out.  Soooooo… back to the post I was planning to post when I discovered the issue!

LINK TO KIT IN THE STORE My beautiful new Christmas art has a contemporary feel yet also hearkens back to our memories of a Classic Christmas. Playful penguins and elegant reindeer add a little touch of whimsy while the red, aqua and blue color palette mixes together to create a fresh new look. This kit has 30 pieces to it including 4, 12” papers, 2 borders, 7 frames, 2 tags, 2 text/word art pieces and 9 art pieces.

LINK TO PAPER PACK IN THE STORE The second in the series, there is also a 14 piece paper pack that has been created to coordinate and make creating Christmas crafts, cards, tags and scrapbooking easy to accomplish.

These kits are on sale.  The sale was scheduled to end this weekend, but due to the blog issues I will extend it’s sale through the end of the month!