Make New Friends, but Keep the Old :)

What a crazy 24 hours it has been!

For those of you who have been around for awhile and wondered what just happened, here's the low down:

Crystal at MoneySavingMom asked for cheap DIY projects.

I thought of my Photo Flip Book since it's cheap, easy, and cute!

So I sent her the link.

Within 24 hours, I was receiving emails about 3 minutes apart

(sounds like labor contractions to me!)

from people wanting the 31 Days of Prayer Cards!

I was so exhausted from uploading, downloading, emailing, and sending by the end of the day!

Gmail even thought I had become a spammer and shut down my email account around midnight.

That forced me to go to bed and finish the rest this morning.

So far, I've had a total of 

987 people ask for the cards!!!

That is incredible.

And I feel so blessed to be able to help strengthen marriages in this way!

Lots of you had fun questions/comments when you emailed me, so I thought I'd answer them here.
(and, since no post is complete without pictures, I thought I'd fill this one with ones of my and my husband.  Hope you're ok with that!)

Question:  Could you make one of these for our husbands to pray for us?  How about our children?

Great idea!  If only I had the time :)  If anyone is interested or already has a 31 Days of Prayer for Wives and/or Children, please send it my way and I will do my best to turn them into scrapbook photos for us to print.

Question: How long does it take to make this?

This depends on how many you're making at once.  I guess mine took about 30-40 minutes to make?  And I'm probably a little slow :)

Question: Can I purchase one from you?

I thought about selling these at one point, but realized I needed to remain focused on making custom bags and baby items.  I also really want to keep these free (for now) for people who desire to pray for their husbands!  I don't think you should have to pay much, if anything, to give that gift!
I also have to ask that you please don't sell these.  Give them as gifts, but don't sell them!

I do realize that many of you are too busy to make one, so if you are interested in paying someone for the printing costs and materials I might be able to be a go-between for people who are willing to make these for other Better Life Blog friends and those who just don't have the time.

So, if you are interested in making a few for other people (for the cost of the materials), please email me.

If you are interestesd in paying someone the costs of the materials to make you one, please email me.

I'll see what kind of match making I can do!   

Question:  Do you have someone helping you respond to all these emails?

Haha, I wish!!  I had no idea that I would get this kind of response.  I thought 100 people MAX.  So, needlesstosay, I wasn't prepared for the email bombardment I got.

I am so thankful that so many of you are going to be joining me in praying, though!

It really encouraged me to keep going!

Thank you. 

Question: What program did you use to create these?  And can we edit them?

I used Photoshop Elements 7 along with Scrapbooking Elements from Digital Scrapper.

Unfortunately, you can't edit these since they are in jpeg format.

I made these to use for myself and wasn't expecting to share them with thousands of like-minded people who might want to change something!

Question: What is a follower?

This question made me laugh!  It seems a little "cultish" to ask people to "follow my blog".  Basically, when you click on the "follow" button to the right, you can start receiving my blog posts in your Google Reader.  If you don't have Google Reader, you can subscribe to have them sent to your email inbox on the right of my blog as well.

OR, you can just "like" my Facebook page to join in on the chatting and fun.

I will always share new blog posts over there, too.

   Question: What version of the Bible did you use?

I'm pretty sure I used the NIV version.

Question: Should I print them as 4x6s of 5x7s?

For my tutorial, print them as 4x6s.   

Question:  Are you still selling your custom bags?  How can I order one?
Yes, I am still selling them, although I just closed down the shop for the holidays so I can be sure to get the Christmas orders out in time.  I'm then keeping the shop closed until early March since my baby girl is due in January!
I have lots of exciting things planned for when the shop reopens, so stay tuned!
And save some Christmas money :)
In the meantime, you can click on "Gallery of Bags" or "Meet the Bags" up on the right to see what I normally sell.  

I was so impressed at all the ideas you had for the Prayer Cards.
I wish I could have personally responded to every comment and email, but please know I read each one.
A LOT of you are going to give these as gifts to your husbands.
I can't think of a better gift than to promise him that you will be praying for him on a daily basis!
Incredible.
(and free, right?!)

So, welcome NEW FRIENDS!
I can't wait to get to know all of you!
Don't worry, you loyal BLB (Better Life Bag) originals, ... I love you, too! 

Thank you for the opportunity to minister to you in this way.
I hope you'll stick around,
comment when you feel inspired,
and continue to encourage me as you already have!

ps - If for some reason you didn't receive the 31 Days of Prayer Download links (I'm sure I accidentally missed someone out of 1000!), please email me and I'll get them right out to you.