Sometimes in life, usually when I'm completely overwhelmed and desperately needing nothing more than a chance to catch my breath, God steps in with an unexpected blessing. Usually it's something small. And that's okay. It's still a reminder that God loves me and knows my struggles. But once in a while it's something fun that really brightens my day. It's as if God is saying, "I can't make the changes you think you need in your life; they aren't in My plan. Until then, enjoy this and know I love you and want to see you smile."
Last September, in a moment when I really needed some encouragement, I received an email that I had won a contest. Honestly, at first I thought it was a scam, and it took quite a while for me to find the company and the contest to see if I had even entered it. (More than five minutes had passed, so of course I couldn't remember.)
Much to my surprise I had won a Cricut Explore! Mind you, when this new machine was released in February I wouldn't even entertain the idea of buying one since there was no way I could fit it into our budget. So I lived vicariously through those who were fortunate to actually own one, telling myself I could live without it for a long, long time. But now I don't have to!
I decided the best way to jump in and learn to use the Explore was to make a card to thank the company, Creativebug, for their generous prize. I found this image on the Cricut cartridge Paper Lace, and of course I wanted to keep the card simple and within my abilities since it was, after all, going to a company called Creativebug! Sending a card to some real crafting experts didn't seem to be the appropriate time to try new and challenging techniques. But my mama taught me to be thankful, so I cut this simple, but pretty image and added a strip of washi tape and some twine across the lower edge of the card.
Do you enter contests? What are some prizes
you've won? I would love to hear about it!
