Friday, July 26, 2013

Cinch Photo Book {Video}

Today I am going to try something new (for me) - a video. Eek!
I wanted to share this book I created, but didn't want to take a bunch of pictures, so I thought a video would be best.

This is my first try with video...go easy on me. :o)


Thanks for stopping by today!
Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Teresa Collins Designs (Fabrications Collection - 8x8 Pad);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Border Punches); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board); We R Memory Keepers (Cinch);

Friday, July 12, 2013

Book Review :: Unveiling Grace by Lynn K. Wilder

Unveiling Grace by Lynn K. Wilder

Unveiling Grace was a very intriguing book to read. I was first interested in it because I went to school with quite a few Mormon kids, worked for a small, Mormon-owned company, and have also had a several studies with some Mormon missionaries. I felt like I was fairly familiar with Mormon doctrine and was interested to read about a family who had been faithful Mormons for so long (30 years) leaving the LDS church.

Being able to read about the Wilder's family journey into the LDS church was interesting, but I do feel like it may have been worded in places like they were already seeing that they needed to get out. This was probably due to the fact that this book was written after they left the LDS church, but in the middle of the story it almost seemed to me to undermine the credibility of what was a truly devoted Mormon family. (I see the same issue with the subtitle of the book.)

Other than that one minor issue, I felt the book was interesting and easy to read, but more importantly it was truly eye-opening to the real doctrines and practices of the LDS church. The author is respectful when she discusses Mormonism, but still brings the truth to light in an open, honest way. There were things I don't recall ever hearing about their beliefs - major beliefs - and that was not for a lack of trying on my part. I had studied quite a bit about the LDS church so that I could better study with and relate to Mormons, but that study didn't reveal how they talk about a different God than I know as a Christian. A different Jesus. You wouldn't think that things would be so different on a basic level when they read the Bible, but it is.

I think this book would be helpful for many groups of people: current Mormons (if they would read it), anyone who knows someone from the LDS church, and especially those who are looking into joining the LDS church. I highly recommend reading it.
FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through BookSneeze®. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Blog Hop {The Twinery & Ruby Rock-It}

The Introduction:
If you are hopping along with us today: You should have come here from Ro Philippsen's blog. If you did, you are in the right place! Welcome!
If you aren't already a follower, I'd love to have you follow my blog!

If you are one of my regular readers: Thanks for coming back! I love having you! Please join along in the hop - you can start at The Twinery's blog.

The Prizes:
The Twinery is giving away a Solid Twine Sampler Pack (retail value $30).
And check out what Ruby Rock-It is giving away: 
The Details:
Leave a comment on each blog along the hop. {Please include your e-mail address.}
Blog comments close on Friday, July 12th at 11:59pm (Eastern). The winners will be announced on The Twinery's blog and the Ruby Rock-It blog on Monday, July 15th.

The Project:
I was inspired by the Pockets in Ruby Rock-It's Carnival Queen collection and thought they would be perfect for a mini album.
And yes...I did an Easter album with a carnival-themed collection.
Sometimes I just can't follow the rules. ;o)
As always The Twinery's twine is the perfect way to accent - I used Buttercream and Solid Caribbean for this album.
I used the flap from each of the pockets for binding the album together and left the rest of the pocket-area open, which created a lot of space for pictures. (I have 17-18 photos in the album, with plenty of additional room for journaling.) 
I created a band (from the Sunshine paper) to keep the pages together and then tied on some twine to give it an extra pop of color.
I used the cut outs in the pockets to highlight a few pictures and then on the remaining areas I placed additional photos or decorative cards. I also did a bit of embellishing on the pages using the Pocket stickers and Project Card die cuts from the collection.
Thanks for stopping by today!

The Next Stop:
Linda Kretz's blog

Supplies:
Twine: The Twinery (Buttercream, Solid Caribbean);
Patterned Paper: Ruby Rock-It (
Carnival Queen Collection: Sunshine Paper); 
Other: Ruby Rock-It (Carnival Queen Collection: Project Cards - die cuts and cardsPockets - pockets, cards, and stickers);
Stickers: American Crafts (Thickers: Delight Fabric Letter Stickers - White);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Round N Round Squeeze Punch - Medium); We R Memory Keepers (Crop-A-Dile); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);