Destashing and Reflecting on Life

I have another destashing card today using the same Crate Paper pad I used on THIS and THIS post. My card is fairly simple. I used my Penny Black's Blooming Tags. The main image is watercolored. I also used a little bit of stitching, a white twill tape, paper flower and Want2Scrap pearls, which I colored with Copics to match my card base and main image.

Here is a close up of the tag. The flowers match the paper better in person and I'm not sure why the photos didn't quite capture that. The sentiment is from PB Special Wishes set.

On a different note, I have received several encouraging notes and emails about MY POST from the beginning of the year. Thank you all for reaching out and sharing your stories with me. I have always wanted my blog to be more than just a card inspiration. As I was evaluating again where I am since 3 months have passed since the beginning of 2014, I have to say nothing much has changed in the are of my designing life. I am just enjoying making cards and trying new things (like playing with my Silhouette Cameo!). I am filling my days with enjoying my family, reading and studying, getting crafty with my girls, cooking and spending personal time with friends over coffee.

I recently read a couple of articles that convicted my oft-wandering heart, encouraged me in my sometimes unsure direction regarding my design work, and altogether really ministered to my soul. I hope you will find them useful as well, as you juggle so many responsibilities in this wonderful thing called life. :)

I Have All the Time in the World - How many times have I said here on my blog and FB page that I'm busy. It is true, but I have to re-think how I use that word from now on. I do have lots of things to do (who doesn't?), but I don't want anybody to ever feel afraid to ask or think they're inconveniencing me, if there is anything they need from me. Of course, I have to prioritize (my family comes fist!) since I am only human and can only do so much, but I hope that I'm not perceived as unapproachable, esp by those whom God has brought to my life: my family, friends, neighbors and church. I echo the author's words, "I’m not busy. I have all the time I need to accomplish the things the Lord has called me to."

Women, Work and Our Crisis of Identity - this one really hits home for me. I think the biggest disappointment for me for slowing down on my design work is my own self-assessment that somehow my worth is less because I make less money. Believe me, I do miss the regular income, but my job description doesn't, shouldn't, define who I am. And I am, above all things, a follower of Christ. Even the sweet title of wife and mom do not compare to this. My worth is not based on my own accomplishments, income or how others view me. My worth is based on Him who loves me and died for me. I am nothing without Him. And my being His is a privilege that I can never earn. And who am I to complain? God has been good to me beyond my expectations.

Well, thank you for reading this far. I hope I have made you think deeply about what matters most in this life. I hope someday we can meet and talk about the journeys God has directed our lives to follow. Wouldn't that be lovely? Have a great and blessed day!

Etsy Store * Facebook * Pinterest * Bloglovin'

I'm back and some thoughts on making gifts for people...

I can't believe it's been over 2 weeks since I posted anything here. I have been busy with the holidays and stuff that I just decided to take a break from blogging. We did some traveling to visit family, even got stranded for 4 days in Cincinnati. It was all good and we made the best of the situation. I'm so thankful that our kids are so resilient. They had a better attitude about being stranded than I did. :)

At the end of 2013, as many of you do, I spent time just evaluating my year and life, in general. Socrates said, "An unexamined life is not worth living." I don't really do new year resolutions, but I do find areas in my life that always need improving (my list is a mile long!). Since this is my craft blog, I'll start there.

I came across a quote by the author John Green, who said, "Don't make stuff because you want to make money - it will never make you enough money. And don't make stuff because you want to get famous - because you will never feel famous enough. Make gifts for people." He is right on.

As you know, I've been doing product design work for some of the best paper crafting companies out there. I have enjoyed all the blessings that came with that. But it came to the point where it became work and I didn't feel motivated anymore. I had to step back and evaluate why I do what I do. It easy to get caught up in the money aspect of it all, and to some degree (though I hate to admit it), I love that people follow me through various social media platforms. It is my pride that puts value on my life through how much money I make and how many people follow me. That should not be.

In the end, I realized I should love creating because above all it's a reflection of my Creator. What gives me the greatest joy with my hobby was that I get to give and share through it. I love giving away my cards as gifts to friends and family. I love that I get to send handmade cards to people. I love that I get to post my crafty ideas on my blog. I love that I get to share it with the ladies here in Croatia. I love that I've "met" so many dear people through it. I love that I get to design products that others use to do all of the above!

And so I had to evaluate and think through how I get to do these things that truly make my hobby worth pursuing. For starters, I will make sure I enjoy what I do, not to make money necessarily, but because it's an opportunity for me to give. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy product design (and earning extra income), but now it isn't the sole motivation for creating, but an enhancement, a helper if you will, for creating. There's just something about working with my hands that is more appealing to me than working on the computer. I just really enjoy cardmaking. And in return, I think when I'm happy with my craft, I become a better product designer.

After The Craft's Meow closed, I have been approached by several stamp companies interested in hiring me as an illustrator. I haven't committed to anybody and won't until I know what I want to do. So no news there for now, in case you're wondering. :) In the meantime, I'll be concentrating on just making things.
 
Another area that I've been working to sort out is my non-crafty side of life. What has stand out lately is my need to grow in my love for God. Luke 10:27 says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind..." I know it is every Christian's resolution and there's always room to improve on loving God, but I was drawn more specifically to the phrase, "with all your mind."  Perhaps it's because I'm homeschooling this year and felt I need to up my academic brain. Perhaps I'm realizing I'm getting "up there" age-wise and my brain needs to be more stimulated for fear of forgetting things. Regardless of the reason, I'm glad that God brought this to mind.

So how do I go about loving God more with all my mind? You can see my post on my faith blog on how I am doing this.

Thank you, friends, for reading to the end. I will share some new crafty projects I've been creating starting next week. And we'll see where we go from there...Have a great weekend!

Etsy Store * Facebook * Pinterest * Bloglovin'

Happy New Year and Favorite Posts

Hello, friends, and happy new year! 2013 brought many wonderful memories and changes, and they are all good. God continues to bless me beyond what I deserve. Thank you for joining me on my blog this past year and may 2014 bring more inspiration and crafty goodness to our lives. It has been my tradition to post my favorite posts at the end of the year. So here goes... 

• I enjoyed Les Miserables so much that I jotted down some thought-provoking themes from the movie.
• My Grandpa's amazing story is not just one of this year's, but my all-time favorite posts.
• The paper crafting community gave out a sweet and humongous farewell to Cath of the MoxieFab World blog fame. 
• This year's devastating typhoon Haiyan that affected my home country, the Philippines, made me reflect on how thankless we, who are rich compared to most of the world, could be sometimes. Please continue to pray for those affected by the typhoon. Though they may not dominate the news anymore, their struggles for survival continues.
• I started something that I've been wanting to do for a while - opening an etsy shop!
• A bittersweet post as we said goodbye to The Craft's Meow and the life lessons learned in trusting in a good God who doesn't disappoint.

I became a DecoArt blogger contributor and Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L ambassador this year. I continued on with my product design work with Spellbinders, Penny Black and Want2Scrap. It's so fun and count it as a tremendous blessing to work with companies whose products I already love! I also started dabbling with mixed media this year and really enjoy it. No wonder that many of my favorite projects this year fall under this category style:

InLinkz.com

Finally, here are some great articles, some of which are helpful as we prepare to face the new year:

• Did you buy your child an Iphone or any mobile device this year? Then, you should read THIS.
• The Most Courageous Resolution for 2014
• How to Read the Whole Bible
• Pray For Your Daughter 31-Day Challenge
• 18 Things I Will Not Regret Doing with My Kids (also, wife and husband) 
• 40 Resolutions to Consider Making
• 4 Godly Disciplines Unique to this Decade
• In light of the previous link, I really like this article on humblebragging.
• When Nothing Created Everything

Etsy Store * Facebook * Pinterest * Bloglovin'

Embellished Vintage Christmas Tags

Happy Monday! I hope you are all staying warm. I've been reading many updates on FB about snow all over the place. Thankfully, we haven't had any here! I am an island person through and through. Even though I haven't lived in one in so long, I'm still "allergic" to cold :). I do enjoy watching snow fall, esp when I craft, but only if I stay home.

My projects today are embellished tags that I shared on the Want2Scrap blog last week. You can get the free pritnable tags HERE. And the complete supplies and instructions can be found HERE.

This is it for me today, friends. We have a busy week ahead: lots of guests, parties, exams and concerts! I'm teaching at our church's Women's Christmas party this coming Saturday (if you're local and would like to join us, email me and I'll send you info) and I'm loving the extra study time in God's Word. As I shared on FB: When studying the Christ of Christmas, I don't know which is more awe-inspiring: His divinity and equality with God the Father in all essence, or that He was fully human like us.
 
And I will leave you with this beautiful verse:
"We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, ...For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." ~Hebrews 4:14-16

Etsy Store * Facebook * Pinterest * Bloglovin'

Thank you and Free Printable Vintage Tags

Thank you so much for the many emails and comments I received regarding The Craft's Meow's closing (by the way, the sale is still going on). As I said in my previous post, though I am sad that TCM is going away, it couldn't have come at a better time for me. I have been busy with mom-stuff, more specifically, preparing to home school mama-stuff. I've never done this full-time, so I'm a little nervous. My oldest only has a few years at home before she goes off to college and start her new adventures sans mom and dad. It hurts just to even write about it, but we have to let them go sometime, don't we?

Anyway, I'm not going away completely just yet. I still do some product design for Penny Black, Spellbinders and Want2Scrap. I just won't be doing monthly release hops as I did with TCM. I may actually have more time just to enjoy my hobby. And I am really into making designs for download, e.g. cut files, digital papers, etc. You can check out my Etsy store where I will be sharing some things I've been working on.

Speaking of digital files, I have new freebies for you today as a way to say thanks for your encouraging words. I used images from The Graphics Fairy. Click on the photo below to download the high resolution version, without the watermark, for printing. Watch out for my post on the Want2Scrap blog on Thursday where I will share a mini tutorial embellishing these holiday tags.

Terms of Use:

© Nina Brackett. All Rights Reserved. FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. Please don't share the file, but direct your friends to my site. Email me if you have any questions.

Etsy Store * Facebook * Pinterest * Bloglovin'

A Farewell Hop

This is a bittersweet hop as the TCM team says goodbye to The Craft's Meow. It's bitter for me because it's always hard to say goodbye to something that has been a big part of my crafting life the last two years. I will miss the regular interaction with the team and the excitement of seeing the new stamp designs coming up. It has been a privilege to see the DT's beautiful handiwork applied to my designs. I'm truly thankful for each of them.

This is also a sweet moment not just for me, but also for Lisa, the owner of TCM. Lisa is about to embark on a new chapter of her professional life that necessitates the change. And I support her wholeheartedly as she faithfully obeys God's direction.

For me, TCM's closing comes at an opportune time. God's timing is always perfect. My family and ministry life is taking up more time than ever and I welcome the change. (I'm not going away completely though, since I still do product design for other companies.) And I couldn't be happier for Lisa as she pursues what she believes God is leading her to. It is an exciting place to be! Not because of the unknown, but because we get to practice our trust in Him. We get to put into action our faith in a benevolent God who sees the bigger picture of our lives.

Now, onto today's projects. I have 2 cards that show how I feel today. The first card is for all the TCM fans out there who have joined us in this journey. Thank you for your support and sharing the joys of new stamps and using them to brighten somebody's day. I used the Chalkboard Birthday stamp set. The papers and lace stickers are by Hot Off the Press and bling by Want2Scrap.

My second card is for all those affected by TCM's closing more directly: Lisa, the illustrators, designers and others. What a fitting word of encouragement as we look ahead to the future, knowing that God is there all the way and His promises are ever true. I used Chalkboard Faith for the main sentiment.

Saying goodbye to TCM is bittersweet indeed, but I think the sweet could prove to be more important, and definitely longer lasting, than the bitter part because God is in it and He never, ever disappoints. 

If you came from the talented Lindsay Amrhein's blog, then you're at the right place. TCM is closing its doors at the end of December. All stamp sets have been marked down by as much as 75%! Stock is limited... once it's gone, it's gone for good, so please shop early for the best selection. All orders of $25 or more will receive a free gift with purchase. Flat rate shipping is $3.00 for all US orders and $12 for all International orders. Please see the store blog for details, or click over to The Craft's Meow store to start shopping!And from here, you need to stop by sweet Larissa Heskett's blog.

Etsy Store * Facebook * Pinterest * Bloglovin'

Mixed Media Birthday Card

Just a quick post for today. We are having bad weather here. The electricity and internet are off and on. However, I shouldn't complain. I'm sure you've heard of the recent typhoon that left Central Philippines in a devastated state. My heart aches for my people and my prayers are with them.

Seeing photos of the situation there really puts things in perspective. How many times have we been guilty of complaining on FB, our blogs, Twitter and other social media because of trivial things? I couldn't sleep last night as the wind howled and strong rains poured. But I was still enjoying the blessing of a warm house and clean bed, and my family are all safe and sound. So many Filipinos didn't have any of them the last few days. We have so much to be thankful for.

EDIT: If you would like to help with the relief efforts in the Philippines, I recommend doing it through Action International. I have friends who served with them. Action International provides relief through the local churches.  

My card for today is something I shared on the Want2Scrap blog earlier. You can see the details HERE.

 

Finally, freedom is not free. Thank you, Veterans!

Follow me on Facebook * Pinterest * Bloglovin'

Moxie Fab Thanks to Cath Blog Hop

It is somewhat bittersweet to be a part of today's hop as I say thanks to Cath, the trendspotter-extraordinaire author of the Moxie Fab World blog, who will be passing the MFWB baton to another soon, while also celebrating her influence and inspiration to my paper crafting life. If you came from Pia's blog, then you're at the right spot. You can see the complete list on the Moxie Fab World blog or at Inlinkz.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I did a mini-tribute here on my blog to Cath where I posted a card inspired by one of her posts. Here's what I shared on that post:

One of my first paper crafting highlights was winning Moxie Fab World's Value of Vintage Challenge a few years ago. I had just started my paper crafting journey, so the win was a definite push to keep going with my hobby. I appreciate Cath's daily posts on the Moxie Fab World Blog that inspire creativity in my paper crafting. 

I had the privilege to meet her and Susan in person at CHA 2010. It was a real treat for me. It was then when she asked me if I would be willing to share how I use paper crafting to reach out to women in my little Croatian community. I was delighted beyond words that she asked and especially when it went live on the Paper Crafts Connection blog.

Thank you, Cath, for everything, and best wishes to your next adventure! I thought as a tribute to you, I'd post my favorite Moxie Fab World-inspired cards today.You will surely be missed!

Original Post

Original Post

Original Post

Original Post

Original Post

Your next stop in the hop is my dear friend--->>> Lovely Linda.<<<--- I know you will not be disappointed. Happy hopping!

Follow me on Facebook * Pinterest * Bloglovin'

I'm still here and a FREEBIE!

Hello, neglected blog, it's good too see you again. :) I still don't have any cards to show today since my craft room is still not quite organized. But, soon!

As stated before, I have been in the US all summer, with limited supplies and even more limited time. We literally had something going on the 2 months my family was there, except maybe a couple of days. It was crazy busy, but altogether was a huge blessing. People everywhere were so encouraging and enthusiastic to hear about our life in Croatia. We have experienced so much generosity, love, and kindness of friends and family. We came back home to Croatia filled of wonderful memories and a greater appreciation for the Body of Christ. We are truly blessed that God would instill a love among His people that remains strong, even though these reunions are few and far between. 

Here are some of my favorite pics this summer. 

My youngest at the GA Aquarium

 Bubbles!

 My oldest two were able to take horseback riding lessons.

 My oldest with her horse

How can something be both creepy and beautiful at the same time?

 The beautiful GA sunset:

 A glimpse of my MIL's beautiful garden.

And I used the photo above to create this that you can download for your Facebook Cover on my NinaB Designs' FB page.

Have a great day!