Path of Positivity - Gratefulness

The theme for the current challenge at Path of Positivity is Gratefulness. So often we loose our happiness in life through the green-eyed monster jealousy which then steals our awareness of how much we really have. If we are constantly comparing ourselves to those who are richer, look nicer, have better jobs, are famous, are healthier, and so on then we will always be miserable and never grateful. Once we start to see those who are actually worse off than us the gratitude flows and happiness increases as we become more and more aware of how much we have to be grateful about. It does not take much effort or imagination to find those who are struggling in life and who have so much less than us, you only have to read a newspaper or watch or listen to the news especially in recent times. As I was thinking about this challenge there were a series of terrorist attacks going on all over the world. In Beirut a suicide bomber claimed 43 lives and injured 239, stabbings of Israelis in Italy and Israel and of course the most recent attacks in Paris claiming 129 lives. There are wars going on in many areas of the world and famine is once again stalking African countries. Many communities are on the  move trying to escape war and terror leading to the largest migration of people in living history.

Looking at the bigger picture puts our problems into perspective. Yes you may not have much money, yes you may be stuck in a dead end job and taken for granted, yes you may be suffering from illness and disease but in comparison to so many others you are rich indeed. So look outwards at what you do have and practice gratitude instead of envy and be happier.

So what have I got to be grateful about? So much it is hard to know where to start. Deciding what to focus on to illustrate with a card was really difficult so I decided to focus on the thing that I am most grateful for, God's love for his world and for me put into practice when his son Jesus died to take away my sin and the sin of the world. So I know that no matter how desperate a situation is, be it personal or world wide, God is in control and his plan is working itself out for the world even if we do not understand it.

Materials used:
Deedee's Digi Set - Jellybean Prayer
stamping card
printer paper
white square card blank
snippet of scrap white card
Copic Pens

Method:
Print out the required images to the correct size. (I made the frame for the verse using the jellybean border, cropping it to size then copied and pasted it flipping the image on alternate sides.) Colour all images in with Copics.

Print out a sheet of the jellybean backing paper that comes with the set.

Cut around the outside edge of the framed verse and edge with a black pen. Do the same for the bag of beans image.

Cover the front of the card blank with the printed patterned paper and attach the verse to it.

Take a strip of scrap white card and snip along both the long edges. Fold both snipped edges in leaving a narrow part between them. Bend the snipped card around the jellybean bag image and trim to length then glue the tabs to the back of the image. When dry glue the tabs on the other side to the front of the card. Your jellybean bag should now be able to hold  a small bag of jellybeans.

This card would be great for Easter with some jellybeans inside the bag. The tricky part will be finding the right coloured beans!

I hope your week brings plenty of opportunities for feeling and expressing gratitude. Thank you for visiting. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:
Path of Positivity #32 - Gratefulness
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #22
Crafting From the Heart #86
Craft Your Passion #288
Love to Scrap Challenge Blog #66
2 Creative Chicks Showcase #4