Little Sheeps!!

Jesus said, "My sheep know my voice.  I know them, and they follow me."  John 10:27

I love sheep, anything sheep.  Sheep in art.  Sheeps in stamping.  Wool coats.  Sheepish smiles.  Anything sheepy!!  Because I love the rich analogies in the Bible comparing people to sheep.  In fact, I wonder if the whole Christian life can be boiled down to just TWO major points:  Trust the good Shepherd.  And abide in the Vine.  I have done some personal studies on both Sheep and Grapevines and I'm telling you -- Jesus sure hit a home run, when He compared the Christian life with both of those things!!

So anyway I saw one of my stamperfriends make a sheep out of punches, so I totally HAD TO give it a try.  They came out so cute, that I had to make a card with them.  Here is the card and the directions:

 Directions:
To make this card, I started with a Bliss blue folded card,

1.      Card.  I started with a Bliss Blue folded card.  Tear off a half-card of Certainly Celery cardstock, to make it look like a hill behind the Lambs, and affix to the blue card.  Make “clouds” in the background, first punch out a scrap of white cardstock with the Scallop Circle Punch.  Now with a sponge and Bliss Blue ink, rub outward and upward from the top edge of the scallop circle.  Make one row of clouds across the top of the card.  Then move down an inch or so, and make another row of clouds, continue until you get almost to the hill, then stop.  Oh man it is so much harder to put this into words, than to just show you! Haha   If desired, punch along the edges with your Mat Pack and thumbtack. 

2.       Little Sheeps or Lambs. To make each little sheep, you will need the following pieces.  All punches are available in the catalog, on page 186/187.  I will tell you the item item # if you want to look them up on those pages:
* 1 pair of plastic googley eyes
* White body: 1 Scallop Circle punch -- item 34, page 187. 
* Black ears:  1 punch of the 1” circle punch --- item 5, pg 186 – then cut in half to make 2 ears.
* White hair: 1 punch of 3 little flowers -- Trio Flower punch, item 13 pg 186.
* Black legs: 2 punches with Word Window punch – item 26, pg 187.
* Black face: We used the Butterfly punch – item 31, pg 187 – and cut it in half for the face.  But you could also use any of the following:  Large oval, item 11  -- or scallop oval, item 36.  If you don’t have either one of these punches – just trace around one of those pressed penny souvenirs, and cut it out – you know, the one with the liberty bell pressed into it? 

3.      To assemble, use mini-glue dots to affix each piece to the body, in this order:
1. Body
2. Face onto body
3. Ears onto face
4. Googley eyes onto face
5. 3 little white flowers to make curly hair (2 sides, then the middle piece on top)
6. Attach 2 legs to the back of the body

4.      Then affix your sheeps, or lambs, to the card, standing on the grass.  Stamp the greeting (from Whimsical Words stamp set here) with black ink, up in the clouds.  If you want to make the clouds, I used 2 punches from the Word Window punch, and cut the vertical one in the middle to make it shorter. 

Then I had to go another round and use the little sheeps for our Easter class party at Matthew's school!  The kids liked their bookmarks and they were very easy to assemble.  I had several little baggies leftover after the class party, so I am offering them to whoever wants them, for $2 per kit.  The kits are almost gone now but I can make more if you tell me how many you want!  The kit comes with everything you need, including the little glue dots.  And on the back, I have a paraphrased version (The Message) of Psalm 23, the Lord is my Shepherd.  I will paste it here because I thought it was so interesting when read in this other version, and easier for kids to understand -- and hopefully APPLY to their little hearts and lives!
 

Psalm 23:

The Lord is my Shepherd. I don't need a thing. 

 You let me bed down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from.   

 True to your word, you let me catch my breath, and then send me in the right direction.

 ⁴ Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid because you walk by my side. 

Your trusty shepherd's hook makes me feel safe and secure.

 ⁵ You serve me a beautiful six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. 

You revive my drooping head; my cup is overflowing with blessings.

 ⁶ Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.  

I'm safely at home in the house of God, for the rest of my life.

(from The Message Bible translation)

Wishing you a happy and Glorious Easter for you and your family!!  Love, Vickie