Spring Wand {The Twinery}

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I just love The Twinery's new solid twines, don't you?
I've used the new Solid Honeydew, Solid Caribbean, and Solid Pink Sorbet to make this fun Spring Wand:

I started with a wooden dowel (I bought mine in the cake section at my local craft store) and wrapped it in Solid Honeydew twine.

To do this I simply put a strip of ScorTape down the side of the dowel and wrapped the twine around. I removed the paper backing for the ScorTape about an inch at a time so I wouldn't get my hands all over it (which would have taken away some of the stickiness).

At the top of the dowel I used a strong, quick-drying liquid adhesive to adhere strands of all three twine colors, then I topped it with more liquid adhesive and a paper flower.

These wands are great for spring, but would also be fun for something like a fairy-themed party.

Thanks for stopping by and please be sure to check out my giveaway for Lupus Awareness Month - it's the last day to enter!

Supplies:
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Honeydew, Solid Caribbean, Solid Pink Sorbet);
Tools: Fiskars (Scissors);
Other: (Wooden Dowel); (Paper Flower);

Book Review :: The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book by Jessica Black

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Since it is Lupus Awareness Month, I figured I would re-publish a couple reviews of books (originally posted on another blog of mine) that have really helped me out in my lupus journey - here is one of those reviews:

The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book by Jessica Black - Find it on Amazon

I checked this book out from our local library recently and really enjoyed it. I liked the informational part of the book...not too in depth and not too sparse, either. The recipe section was great inspiration, even if you never use the specific recipes (although they do look good). It just gives you an idea of how you can modify foods and recipes to fit a new way of eating. The tips in the recipe section are great!

The author is a Naturopathic doctor in Oregon, and because of this she is not just trying to push medicine to help in anti-inflammatory living like so many books about inflammation that are written by medical doctors - she focuses on foods to eat and foods to avoid.

I was able to contact the author and ask a few questions. Here they are and the answers she gave:

Question:
"Tomatoes and potatoes are omitted in your diet plan, but what about peppers and eggplant that are also from the nightshade family [and also paprika (you explain on p 58 that it is part of the nightshade family)]? Is there a reason you chose to include these in your diet while omitting only tomatoes and potatoes? From my reading I have seen most folks say to avoid the entire nightshade family."

Answer:
"I only included eggplant and peppers as a way to not have the diet be too strict. This diet is a mere suggestion for "most" people but for most of my patients, I fine tune the diet for them. If someone was having arthritis problems, then I might have them avoid all nightshades. But for someone who seems to be fine with some foods and their main concern is hormone issues and depression, they may be able to eat nightshade vegetables."

Question:
"What are your thoughts on Grapeseed (not rapeseed) oil? I currently use this as my main oil for cooking or baking and haven't heard much about it compared to olive oil."

Answer:
"I love grapeseed oil - it is made from vitis vinifera. We use Vitis vinifera as a remedy and I know it is high in resveratrol which helps in cholesterol conversion. It is also high in many antioxidants including proanthocyanidins and also has linolenic acid. Also has a high smoke point so great for cooking with. I wrote this book a few years ago when I was not using grape seed oil."

{Review originally published on 2/18/2009.}

Hello {The Twinery & Unity Stamp Company}

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Today I have this ombre style card to share with you:

I inked up the eyelet lace stamp in various colors, then added some twine bows to draw your eye down to the simple sentiment. 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#); Bazzill (Tutu Pink);
Ink: Ranger (Archival - Jet Black); Tsukineko (Chalk - Pixie Dust, Pink Grapefruit, Mango Madness, Thatched Straw);
Stamps: Unity (Straight Laced); Market Street Stamps (Nuts About Nature);
Twine: The Twinery (Strawberry, Cantaloupe, Buttercream);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Book Review :: The Lupus Book (4th Edition) by Daniel Wallace

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Since it is Lupus Awareness Month, I figured I would re-publish a couple reviews of books (originally posted on another blog of mine) that have really helped me out in my lupus journey - here is one of those reviews:

The Lupus Book (4th Edition) by Daniel Wallace - Find it on Amazon

This book is very informative and helpful. I like that you can get into the technical side as much as you want with the wonderful information provided, or you can use this as a handy reference tool and a well put together overview of lupus. I have not been diagnosed with lupus, but for the past year have been going through some of the signs and symptoms and am just in "medical limbo" until I can get a specific diagnosis. Since lupus is one of the diseases my symptoms and blood work are pointing toward, I asked my library to purchase this book and borrowed it from there. If I do get diagnosed with lupus, I plan to buy this book as it is very informative and definitely worth owning.

I like that this is written by a doctor who cares for lupus patients and not only used medical research but his own knowledge from his personal practice experience. It can get very technical...but you can also easily skim those technical sections. The writer not only discusses things that are common in lupus, but also specific problems that may arise down the road, and I think this is a great reference point for anyone with lupus who may find their disease progressing in one of those directions.

This is a very well done and up to date book. Excellent reference.

{Review originally published on 12/12/2008.}

May Flowers Challenge {The Twinery}

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I like a challenge, but I also LOVE freedom to create my way.

It's the best of both worlds with The Twinery's challenges! 

You get a simple theme to get you started and then have the freedom to create whatever you want within that theme.

Here's the current theme:

For this challenge I was inspired by the seed packet stamp and decided to make a tag in my version of a seed packet. (I added in my own personal challenge to create a purple project since it is Lupus Awareness Month and today is "Put On Purple" day.) 

I stamped the image, added a bit of depth with Copic markers, and then scored and folded to create the "packet":

I cut a tag to fit inside and then added a reinforcement and eyelet at the top of the tag, then I used The Twinery's Purple Shimmer twine as the finishing touch - love it!

Be sure to visit the original challenge post on The Twinery's blog where you can get all the challenge details and enter your project to win a fabulous prize!

Supplies:
Twine: The Twinery (Purple Shimmer); 
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Rustic Cream);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Seed Packet stamp from Let Love Grow - Feb 2013 KOM);
Ink: Memento (Grape Jelly); 
Markers: Copic (Y32, 0);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Round N Round Squeeze Punch); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Book Review :: Willing To Walk On Water by Caroline Barnett

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Willing To Walk On Water by Caroline Barnett

Willing To Walk On Water by Caroline Barnett is a book that helped me to see some of the beautiful ways God is working in this world (mainly the ways he is working through the Dream Center).

I must admit that I expected a bit more out of the book than I got. I was hoping to see practical ways that I can let God's work shine, but instead I read practical ways that God's work has shone through the Dream Center. Not that that is bad, I just was hoping for a bit more about how I can put it into practice rather than what seemed to be a rather large advertisement for the Dream Center. (The Dream Center does seem like a truly wonderful place.)

There were some great stories in this book of how many people's lives have changed because someone else was "willing to walk on water", and that was wonderful to read.

My overall takeaway from the book was that there is a lot of social injustice in the world and there are many people that need our help right in our own community. We must be willing to help. There are many ways (small and large) that we can serve others and when we do serve we will be amazed at the many ways God will let that happen.

If you'd like to hear more directly from the author, please check out the Author Q & A. If you want to give it a try, you can check out Chapter One of the book.


FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through Tyndale House Publishers. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

Lupus Awareness Month {GIVEAWAY}

I think it's time for a GIVEAWAY!

To help get awareness out there about lupus I've decided to host a giveaway for Lupus Awareness Month.

Here's what you can win:

Prize package includes:

• My 'All About Hope' stamp set from Unity Stamp Company
• A spool (240 yards!) of The Twinery's Mandarin baker's twine
• A spool (240 yards!) of The Twinery's Lilac baker's twine

The Details:
To enter:

• Leave a comment on this blog post. That's it!

If you would like additional chances to win you can do so in one (or all) of the following ways:

• Follow this blog. {Please let me know you are a follower by leaving an additional comment.} 
• Share about this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, or anywhere else. {Please let me know where you've shared by leaving one additional comment.}

Blog comments for the giveaway will close Friday, May 31st @ 11:59pm (Eastern) and the winner will be announced Tuesday, June 4th here on my blog.
Please remember to check back to see if you've won.
{The winner will have 48 hours to contact me with their information.}

{Due to shipping costs, giveaways are available to US mailing addresses only.}

If you'd like to learn more about lupus, be sure to check out the Lupus Foundation of America's website.

And if you haven't ordered my 'All About Hope' stamp set yet, please do. (If you win it then you'll have an extra to share with a friend!) You can find it here. It's currently on sale for only $10! (Sale ends May 16th.)

Love Is My Anchor {Unity Stamp Company}

I can't help it...my Love Is My Anchor Itty Bitty stamp set from Unity Stamp Company just makes me happy.
I love that it ties in with the nautical trend, but in my own clean and whimsical way.

For this card I stamped the anchor a few times and then added the sentiment and a few pearls.
It's a very simple card to create, but I think it's cute.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#); Bazzill (Navajo);
Ink: Ranger (Archival - Jet Black); Tsukineko (Chalk - Aquatic Splash);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Love Is My Anchor);
Other: Queen & Co. (Pearl - Snowflake);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

May is Lupus Awareness Month

Yep - it's Lupus Awareness Month.

Stay tuned for plenty of purple, a great giveaway (!), and more.

If you'd like to learn more about lupus, be sure to check out the Lupus Foundation of America's website.

And if you haven't ordered my 'All About Hope' stamp set yet, please do. You can find it here.
(And it's currently on sale for only $10!)