Week #196 - 25th February - Sponsored by The Craft Barn

Good Morning, are you planning on doing any crafting this weekend? then maybe our sketch will inspire you to join in our challenge this week,which is being sponsored by our friends at...

The Craft Barn

"We are a UK based business selling a wide range of craft supplies including stamps, dies and embossing folders, punches, an extensive range of items to alter and decorate and much more for your scrapbooking and card making projects. We are committed to providing the best, most up to date craft products at great prices, coupled with first class service.


Some of the leading companies that we stock include Stamping Bella, Ranger, Tim Holtz, Crafty Individuals, Martha Stewart, Katzelkraft stamps, Nestabilities, Craftwork Cards, Copic Pens, House Mouse, Viva Décor, Eco Green crafts and Cosmic Shimmer to name but a few.


We are constantly adding new products to our range of craft supplies so be sure to add us to your browser favourites so you can pop back and see us."

The Craft Barn offer a wide range of goodies for all crafters from all things 'Cuttlebug' to grunge paper, from cottage cutz dies to cosmic shimmers, then there's your essentials like cardstock and papers and adhesives.

Not forgetting their HUGE stock of clear and rubber stamps to tantalise you!

There really is something for everyone :)

For all the latest products that have been added to the site PLEASE CLICK HERE

LOOK!

This week The Craft Barn have a special offer incorporating lots of products that add colour and dimension to your projects.

They are offering 50% off all of the following:

Cosmic Shimmer Dazzle Paints
Viva Glitter Gel
Smooch Spritzers
PSST Sprays
Viva Paper Pens
Tattered Angels Chalkboards
Tattered Angels Glimmer Glazes
Viva Glitter Liners

 Click here to find them in their Special Offer section.

and here's a date for your diary...

SATURDAY 3RD MARCH

INSPIRATION DEMO DAY

ANDY SKINNER, DI OLIVER, CAROL COCKBAIN

The demos are very informal and the demonstrators are always happy to answer any questions you have about things you are finding challenging and to explain techniques and equipment.

If you do have the time to go to any of their FREE demo days, then please do. They are very popular events, and very worthwhile, you may pick up some crafting tips and meet up with fellow crafters too

And of course you will be able to see the full range of wonderful products available from The Craft Barn

This weeks challenge winner will receive, as always, a generous prize from The Craft Barn... a whopping £15 voucher to spend at their store!

Here's this weeks sketch...

 Liesbeth made another fabby card she was our GDT throughout the month of February, thank you so much Liesbeth for being my GDT. We are honored really, especially Terry check out Liesbeth her card and what do you see.....(hihih her name LOL)
And here is her last card.....

and here are the brilliant cards by The Saturdays...

Jilli

Susie

Jen

Bente

Faye

Donna

Paula

Steph

Lizy

Tracey

Terry

Jo

We hope you can play with us again this week and make something amazing with another fabby sketch.  To be in with a chance of winning this weeks awesome prize please leave a DIRECT LINK to your creation with Mr. Linky below ......

Winner of challenge #195

The winner of last weeks challenge who wins a fabulous $10 shopping spree to spend at Stamp Fairy is...

Nicky! (SmurfsCrafts)  prize claimed

and here is her lovely winning card...

Congratulations Nicky! :)
Please leave a comment here, then EMAIL ME so that I can pass this on for you to claim your prize, Thank you.
Happy Shopping!

Jo xx

WELCOME FRIENDS

Time to start linking again. A big welcome to all who have just recently discovered this blog and have started sharing here. And I do so appreciate all of you who have been with us from the beginning. Today I want to call your attention to one person who has been sharing with us from Day One. And that person is Michelle (micey). Right now she needs all of our prayers as she prepares to be a part

An Ancient Doorway to a Lovely Lent.

This ancient doorway

to a lovely Lent
is inviting you to enter.

If you would like to know what to do for Lent
try this:

1 Prayer:
Say the following prayer
every time you pass through a doorway of any kind.

Incline unto my aid, O God!
O Lord, make haste to help me!

or if you would like to say it in Latin:
Deus, in adjutorium meum intende;
Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina!

Incline unto my aid, O God!
O Lord, make haste to help me!


Deus, in adjutorium meum intende;
Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina!

(Goal: To pray always.)

2 Abstinence:
Sacrifice eating all meat and eggs
for the 40 days plus the Sundays.

I will abstain from all meat, -but only for Lent!

I will abstain from eggs, -but only until Easter!

This was part of the Catholic Lent
for far longer than 1200 years ...
... until about 1900;
they also had the burden of strict fasting.

But you could more easily undertake this abstinence
since you are not also obliged to their strict fasting;
this is only the abstinence.

If you are looking for something solid for Lent
I would say:
Why not try it?

It is all traditional, ancient, from our Fathers in the Faith.

One clear prayer.
One full abstinence.
One lovely Lent.


Appreciate the centuries of abstaining
that brought us
the beautiful Easter Egg!


As for other things, go to Confession as soon as possible.
Remember that Ash Wednesday and Good Friday
are days of Fast and Abstinence.

May you have a blessed and Holy Season of Lent!

Fr. Michael Mary, F.SS.R.

Markets - February 20th to 26th

SATURDAY 25TH FEBRUARY
Ballarat Lakeside
Casey-Berwick
Churchill Island
Lancefield
Mansfield
Monty
Myrtleford
Newtown
Preston
Slow Food
Taste of Gold - Monash
Torquay Central
Traralgon
Yarraville

SUNDAY 26TH FEBRUARY
Flemington
Kinglake
Manningham
Mt Eliza
Mulgrave
Yarrawonga

Participate for a minute in the Forty Hours.

This evening at 5.00 p.m. we opened

The Forty Hours Devotion.
We are not many but we are all delighted to have
these hours of grace with Our Lord.

We invite you to participate in the Forty Hours,
from your computer,
by making a spiritual communion.
This takes nearly one minute.
Give Him a minute of love and desire.

Jesus waits for our love and desire.
Information on Spiritual Communions:
A Spiritual Communion consists in an ardent desire to receive
Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament
and in lovingly embracing Him as if we had actually received Him.
The Holy Council of Trent greatly praises Spiritual Communions
and encourages the faithful to practise them.

Here is how to do it and
what to say to Jesus from your heart:

AN ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
My Jesus
I believe that Thou art truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.
I love Thee above all things and
I desire to possess Thee within my soul.
Since I am unable now to receive Thee sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace Thee as being already there,
and unite myself wholly to Thee;
never permit me to be separated from Thee.
Amen.

That's a Spiritual Communion
and
here is the shorter 10 second version.

I believe that Thou, O Jesus, art present in the Blessed Sacrament.
I love Thee and desire Thee!
I embrace Thee; oh never leave me.

#307 - Wit

This came to me as I was thinking about the prompt this week.  I thought about using 'grace,' which I might use another time.  Then I thought about 'wit' and then I thought about Wit and Grace and what they might be like as a human couple.  That's the kind of thinking that goes on over here.  So this week, your prompt is wit, but if you like the thought of it as human with a wife, that's something I'd like to read too.