Friday Freebie

I have a couple of friends going through tough times right now. It seems like bad news has hit the people I love left and right, and even though we all know it's part of a bigger plan, it's hard to see that when you're in the midst of it. I know one of these fine friends in particular reads my blog from time to time, so this one is for you:

There may be more of you out there that needed to see that today. Just remember that no matter what you're going through, if you keep your eyes fixed on the Almighty, He'll make sure to bring you through it. I wish we could know what His plans are, but just know that they are far greater than yours or mine. Just put one foot in front of the other and He'll keep pushing you forward and holding you up until you overcome this bump in the road.

And just like my last creation, if you want a digital copy, I'm happy to share, so just email me or leave a comment.

Last Minute Love Day

While this family isn't one that really does much for Valentine's Day, this was the first year that I happened to notice just how many cute (and free!) things you can find on the web for decorating, making cards, etc. So if you forgot all about it and still want to do something sweet for your honey-bunny, check out some of these free printables:

 

I used this as a card, but I bet it would look really cute framed, too! Found at Guess How Much I Love You:

And if you forgot to get them for the whole class, try printing these right at home, brought to you by The Rubber Punkin:

And how cute is this from the site, Flamingo Toes? This would be cute at a wedding, too!

I've actually hand-written this sign for my family before, just on a random morning. I feel like these cute surprises almost mean more on a random morning... why just save them all for one day of the year? Dave's Wife has a cuter version than the one I made... and according to her blog, she also made her own donuts!

This just might be my favorite... found over at the Bonjour Blog:

There are tons more out there... I love when bloggers create something and then decide to share it with the rest of the world... that's what it's all about! All of these sites have more than just these prints, so they are worth checking out for more fun stuff. And as a common courtesy, whenever you use something that someone else created, you should always thank them with either a comment, or even better, by following their blog. We bloggers love followers... not really sure what it is about it, but it lets us know that our words are being read by at least a few people out there!

Enjoy your day and spread some love and kindness today (and everyday). I'm off to go make my love-bugs some heart-shaped pancakes. Hmmm... maybe we kinda do celebrate this day afterall!

What are some of your favorite free finds?

Subway Art

While I in no way claim to be some sort of graphic design expert (that would be my sister), every once in awhile I do come up with something on the computer and think that it doesn't look half bad. I spend some time with one of our high school girls from church on a (almost) weekly basis, and wanted to give her something special for Christmas. We often talk about Bible verses and each time we meet I try to give her one to really think on, and hopefully memorize. As a sophomore in high school, I remember the days of peer pressure, trying to impress the wrong people, trying to fit in, and even compromising my standards and values to get to hang out with certain crowds. I knew about God, but I did not know Him as a loving, non-judging, caring Father who thought of me as beautiful and invaluable no matter what I did. I never worked to please Him, and instead worked to please people that I don't even have a relationship with any more... clearly they just don't matter in my life now, but God matters eternally. It's such a hard thing to teach a teenager, and even though she understands far more than I did, it's still a struggle to find acceptance. Some people say they would go back to high school, but I would never want to... unless I could go back with the knowledge and relationship I have with Christ now and change some things, and even then I'm not sure I could stomach that environment.

But back to my point... one of the verses that I think every girl should know from the time she is a tiny little thing is Psalm 139:14:

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful, 

I know that full well.

I looked online to find a "subway art" type of thing to either purchase or download and felt like most of them either did not have enough of the verse included, or were geared toward a nursery. I actually loved some of the nursery ones, but again, I was looking for something that a girl in high school would actually want hanging in her room. I found one I really liked, and just tried to create something similar myself. I first tried Photoshop, which was a total fail, and then went back to the trusty old Microsoft Publisher. With that being said, it's not quite as professional as I probably would have wanted, but I am pleased how it turned out. Oh, and can I just add that learning that you can download free fonts has totally changed my world? Yeah, that's how non-graphic artisty I am... I had no idea!  So here is the outcome of my first attempt at creating subway art:

So what do you think... and please be nice! Haha! And in the spirit of not keeping things to myself, you can download it for yourself here if you'd like.  I hope you like it... maybe if enough people do I will attempt something else in the future and even take requests... but let's not get ahead of ourselves! Enjoy!