WAW and WT404 favorites

Using the scripture from the Word Art Wednesday download this week, I also designed this card with some of  my favorite things (for the WT404 challenge--embossing, scripture, punches, and bling. I stamped some brown leaves onto the textured background which gives them a very subtle look. This scripture is one used so often at Stewardship times in churches, but I think it is a great verse that goes from our sense of Thanksgiving into our spirit of sharing our blessings at Christmas. I read the children's book The Quiltmaker's Gift to my 4 years at preschool yesterday. It is a beautiful story of a king who requires his kingdom to bring him a gift twice a year. Everyone did such yet he never seemed happy, even with a castle full of beautiful things. He hears of a quiltmaker who makes beautiful quilts. She had never given the king one, because she only gave her quilts to the poor and needy.She refused to make one for the king. This upset the king and after trying to imprison her without much success, he asked her what must he do for her to make him a quilt. She finally agreed that for every gift he gave to someone else, she would add a square of fabric and when it was complete, she would give him a quilt. At first the king found this a difficult task, but after finding the joy it brought to others, the joy began to spill over to his own sense of joy. After some time he had given everyone in his kingdom a gift, so he then went outside of his kingdom to continue giving gifts to others. He would send a sparrow to the quiltmaker to inform her that he had given another gift away. When he was down to the last gift, the quiltmaker realized this was going to be her last visit from the sparrow, so she finished up the quilt and took it to the king. The king rejoiced and told her that he really was not poor at all but rich from the joy that this had brought to him. Peace and Joy are priceless and are the other side of the blessings when we share instead of hoard.