Redeemed!

Good Wednesday all my crafty friends! Well in just a few short days, my kids will be back at school! I am sure that many of you are like me and getting ready will all the necessary preparations! Peace to you as you struggle for those mandatory items on their school supply list! If you ever need a challenge or character builder, shop down the school supply aisle the week before school starts! LOL Bless you ALL everyone! :))))))

Yesterday, I shared with you my blessing box in the mail. Today, I will share with you a quick tag I did with one of those gorgeous tags that was gifted to me! This tag is also a part of the Tag It Tuesday Link It Party over on Sheri Whitfield's blog, Cards and More by Sheri! All I can say is, there ain't nuttin like skidding in at the last minute!!! LOL

This month's theme was Patriotic. If there were ever a time to be unified and patriotic in a country, it would be now! I love living in this country and am VERY aware daily how very blessed I am! As in ALL things, I choose to look at my patriotism based on the foundation of Christ! That is in the natural as in the spiritual. This country was based on "One Nation Under God," and I choose to believe that, have faith in that and operate on that on a daily basis! We live in freedom here on this earth, yes by the protection of those brave men and women who stand for us, however there is One who stands NO MATTER WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE as the mediator between man and God who provided us with not only freedom, but ETERNAL freedom! Jesus Christ!

This tag was already red, so I didn't have to do much to it really. I began by just scraping some white gesso over with a makeup sponge and them stamping in the background with a my Unity Stamp Layers of Life July 2013 Collection in Black Archival Ink. I then lightly brushed over with gesso again to fade it out.

I then stamped with a "sun ray" like stamp from Tim Holtz's Bitty Grunge Stampers set that in my mind I could use to "burst out" stars, so to speak. It didn't really work out like I planned, but there you have it!!! At any rate, I stamped with yellow ink from ColorBox and then embossed with clear embossing powder. I then stamped again with a blue ink from the same ColorBox set using a stamp from my Unity Stamp Layers of Life January 2015 Collection on the edge. I then distressed the edges with Tim's distressing tool and colored the edges with that same blue ink.

I had this brilliant idea, that didn't turn out to be such a brilliant idea, to mix my gel medium with Finnabair's Glass Glitter in Gold Rush and put through a cute star stencil. Cute idea and when it dried it was ok, I guess, but so chunky that you really couldn't say it was "shiny." So I simply added Gold Stickles on the top to give it some more "bling!" You live and learn!!! LOL

I then simply stamped my sentiment and gave some shadow with my white gel pen, added some cute little blue sequins and some ribbon with a sweet little cross attached! Voila!

The scripture in my heart when I was doing this tag was from Galatians 5. That whole Chapter is concerning your freedom in Christ! It tells us that it is for freedom that Christ set us free! But that freedom was from EVERY yoke of bondage that would keep us in captivity from the things of Christ! God gave us a free ticket for a way out! Why? That we could live free to do His will and purpose on this earth for His very glory!! You can't do someone's bidding if you are chained! Christ's victory was not in vain! It was for YOU and for ME that we may operate in full power by the Spirit and not under the law, which only brought death! He loved us so much, He made a way for our freedom and that Way, Christ Jesus, willingly went that we be reconciled back to the Father for eternity! Phew!!!! I don't know about you, but that is GOOD to me! That is a love worth fighting for!!! 

Here is a link to one of my favorite songs by Big Daddy Weave - Redeemed, that I encourage you to bask in! :) 

My friends, Let Freedom Ring in your heart today! Eternity is a long time!

Blessings to you!