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

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<<<Click here.>>>

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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<<<Click here.>>>

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

<<<Looking for my Lupus Awareness Month GIVEAWAY?>>>

<<<Click here.>>>

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. If they have not contacted me by that time, a new winner will be chosen.}

{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!)

Made it to the table!

I was so excited to see recently that one of my cards "made it to the table" as one of the finalists in Paper Crafts Magazine's 2013 Stamping Royalty contest. There were over 1,300 cards received for this contest, so it feels like a big accomplishment just to see my card on that table.
{This is my second year in a row making it to the table - you can see last year's post here.}

{Image from the Paper Crafts Magazine Facebook Page - I added the circle so you can spot my card easily.}

Here's a closer look at the card:

I love simple cards and this was a simple card - cardstock, stamps, ink, and Copic markers. That's it!

Thanks for stopping by today - I hope you have a great day!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#);
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black);
Stamps: Market Street Stamps (Shine On);
Markers: Copic (Y38, BG15, RV04, Y04);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Blog Hop {The Twinery/Imaginisce}

The Introduction:

If you are hopping along with us today: You should have come here from Jessica Fick'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 Project:

Although Imaginisce's Good Dog collection has a bunch of adorable dog-themed images, I wanted to take this collection out of it's box and create something a little more 'human'. 

I used various papers from the collection to create this festive birthday card:

The Twinery's Rainbow Teal Shimmer twine was a fabulous way to tie in the beautiful teal color in the Good Dog collection and I love how wrapping it around the sentiment flag just draws your eye in.

If you like The Twinery's Caribbean twine, you will love the Rainbow Teal Shimmer twine! It's the same great Caribbean color (as a solid base) and then it has shimmery rainbow metallic strands twisted throughout. Beautiful!

The Prizes:

The Twinery is giving the winner their choice of 3 spools of twine!

Imaginisce is giving the winner this prize package:

The Details:

Leave a comment on each blog along the hop.

Blog comments close on Saturday, April 27th at midnight (EST) and the winners will be announced on The Twinery's blog and the Imaginisce blog on Monday, April 29th.

Thanks for stopping by today!

This is the last stop for today, but be sure to start back again tomorrow at The Twinery's blog!

Supplies:
Twine: The Twinery (Rainbow Teal Shimmer); 
Patterned Paper: Imaginisce (Good Dog); 
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#);
Stamps: Market Street Stamps (Great Big Greetings);
Ink: Ranger (Archival - Jet Black);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

April Showers/Stripes {The Twinery}

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

It's the best of both worlds with The Twinery's new 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:

Lately I've been on a bookmark-making kick and I just can't stop! 

For this challenge I started with a striped patterned paper and stamped the "April Showers" (which, of course, bring May flowers - so I added a flower, too!).

The Twinery's Blossom Iridescent Shimmer twine was the perfect way to top off this bookmark - I doubled up the twine and threaded it through the eyelet at the top of my bookmark, then took another doubled up length of twine and wrapped it around and tied a bow.

Be sure to visit 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 (Blossom Iridescent Shimmer);
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#);
Patterned Paper: American Crafts (Dear Lizzy - Lucky Charm 6x6 pad);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Rain & Flowers);
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black); 
Markers: Copic (C0, Y04, Y32, YR12, YG03, RV02);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); We R Memory Keepers (Corner Chomper - 1/8" Round);

...all about HOPE {Unity Stamp Company}

I am SO excited about this new kit from Unity Stamp Company! 

It is one in a new line of the {be inspired} Sentiment Kits and I was so blessed to be able to design each of the stamps in this kit.

It is wonderful for me to work with a company that puts my designs into red rubber stamps, but it is absolute icing-and-a-cherry-on-top to work with a company who loves to give back! Unity has given in the past to various charities and when I approached Angela (the owner) about letting me create a special kit that would benefit the Lupus Foundation of America she didn't hesitate! 

This is a great jumpstart to May (which is Lupus Awareness Month) and this kit will work beautifully for any HOPE situation you need to create for. 

And...right now you can get it for only $10! 

There are 12 stamps in this kit, so that makes it cheaper than buying stamps from the dollar section at your favorite craft store! (Plus, the quality of Unity's stamps are much better than you will find in the dollar section.)

If you would like to learn more about lupus, please check out lupus.org.

If you would like to donate to the Lupus Foundation of America, you can do so here.

If you would like to purchase this kit, you can find it here.

As always, you can also find the Itty Bittys and other kits I've designed (or taken part in designing) for Unity Stamp Company HERE. {It unfortunately does not show the Kit of the Month or SMAK kits that I've been a part of.}

Thanks for stopping by today!