Randi's Review	Sarah' Review	Rachel's Review	Melanie's Review	Tami's Review

Review by Randi

"Becoming a Woman of Joy : A Scrapbooker Looks at Proverbs 31" was written by Sue Ferguson. She has worked with Mrs. Grossman’s Paper Company, and is a consultant for companies in the craft industry. She also designs rubber stamps, and is a speaker and author. This book is directed at scrapbooking women. Her main character, "Virtuous Val" shares many applicable life lessons with us.

The softcover book is divided into eighteen chapters, and each chapter coves a different trait that the "Virtuous Woman" should possess. These are characteristics such as Precious Jewel, Trustworthy Helper, Treasure Finder, Patient Cultivator to Generous Benefactor, Royal Dresser, Creative Achiever, and Honored Lover. Through these chapters we get a glimpse not only into the life of "Virtuous Val," but also into the real lives of the Ferguson family. Sue shares with us letters to her now grown children and her own scrapbook pages of their journey together.

A vital part of the recommendations of this devotional-type book are daily Bible readings and recording one's thoughts on a daily basis. Sue has provided a companion book to assist us in that assignment. The "Becoming a Woman of Joy Journal" is a ring bound hard cover. The borders of each page are simply illustrated with the word "joy" and a verse. While one could use ANY notebook to record their thoughts, it was nice to have a matching journal to carry over the theme.

The stamps that the author designed to assist in the creative suggestions in the book are great! They were released by the Judikins company. You'll find Virtuous Val in a few different outfits (or they can be her friends, your choice!) the husband, a male and female child, a baby, even a dog, cat and bird. There are also a few important necessities thrown in like a tree, grass,teddy bear, guitar and slingshot.

In each lesson there was a primary verse to illustrate the chapter. Sometimes the assignment was to memorize these verses. This layout was a fun way to reinforce the verse within my own mind.

"A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman -- who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels, and her value is far above rubies or pearls. --Proverbs 31:10"

Light Green Linen paper, Scenic Route
Twill
Stamp, Veronica, by JudiKins
Twinkling H2O's, Luminarte
Black Soot Ink, Tim Holtz, Ranger
Mini brads, Karen Foster Design
Permanent Glue Runner Adhesive Tech
Computer Font, Fine Hand

In this layout, I am comparing the common driveway rock to my diamond ring, and how we as woman should also not be common, but as precious jewels.

Allego from Black Tie Collection, BasicGrey
white and black cardstock
word stickers, Life's Journey, K & Co
verse sticker, Crossed Paths
bride and groom diecut, Accucut
mini brads, Karen Foster Design
silk flowers
Permanent Glue Runner, Adhesive Tech
Glue Tube, Adhesive Tech

The chapter called "Food Server" had me snapping photos of my full refrigerator after a grocery shopping trip.

Paper: DCWV
black cardstock
Transparency, HP
black mini-brads, Karen Foster Design

I recommend this book for personal or group devotionals. While I don't feel I will ever measure up to "Val" I did discover some things about myself that are really ok, as well as several areas that I am able to improve on. Check it out!

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Review by Sarah

Becoming a Woman of Joy by Sue Ferguson: Integrating Faith and Character with Your Art

The concept of "Becoming a Woman of Joy: A Scrapbooker Looks at Proverbs 31" by Sue Ferguson was completely delightful to me. I am always interested to learn a new perspective on the Bible’s Proverbs 31 as it applies to womanhood, and in this book I was hoping to discover a fresh and creative approach to this famous passage. I was far from disappointed!

In each of the eighteen chapters, author Sue Ferguson writes regarding a principle discussed in the Proverbs 31:10-31 passage. The theme of each chapter is further illustrated by the heartfelt personal correspondence shared at the beginning of each section; scrapbook pages completed by the author; and margin notes that include thoughts, Bible verses, and dictionary definitions.

At the end of each chapter the author has provided several categories of creative and practical activities to help implement or meditate on the principle/topic discussed. It is in these activities that I think the real genius of this devotional curriculum is shown. The activities range from reading a chapter of your Bible and writing your thoughts in a journal, thinking about friends who exemplify the character trait discussed in the chapter; to making altered items to match the theme of the chapter, and -- best of all -- working on a scrapbook page assignment.

I was particularly drawn to the idea of using my scrapbook as an embellished journal recording what I learned. I spend a lot of time designing my scrapbook pages: and I found myself using that time to think about my family, the things I had learned, the goals I want to achieve, the character I hope to develop, and even prayer time. Scrapping time suddenly took on much more meaning, and though it made the layouts more challenging to complete, they were a good experience. Not only were they a good experience for me, but upon completion of the curriculum I will have a beautiful personal record of the journey which I can keep to myself or pass on to my kids – talk about a meaningful “book of me!”

I also enjoyed the other "hands-on" type activities suggested at the end of each chapter. For the "think and meditate" type assignments, I found it helpful to write down my answers in my personal journal. This helps my mind stay on track and makes me feel like I’ve actually "done" the assignment.

The writing style of "Becoming a Woman of Joy" is concise and conversational. It’s visually appealing with photo graphics, scrapbook pages, and stamp images embellishing the pages. It is not a devotional per se: it doesn’t work like the -- read this, this is what it means, now write this down type book. Rather, it offers practical, homespun ideas to actually applying the principles to your life, and then you make a scrapbook page to remember what you learned!

"Becoming a Woman of Joy" also is not a scrapping idea book. The pages completed by the author are very simple and do not use trendy supplies. I like this, because you do not feel the need to make pages "as good" as the author’s -- it illustrates the point of the assignment and lets you do your own thing in your own way -- though you do have the option of using the products Sue Ferguson uses on her own pages!

Publisher Inspirational Memories and stamp company JudiKins offer companion products to "Becoming a Woman of Joy" -- a hardcover, spiral bound journal for writing down your thoughts and answers to the assignment questions, as well as the complete line of rubber stamps that are used throughout the book on scrapbook pages and as margin embellishment. While any writing journal would work sufficiently, and you can use any embellishment you please on your assignment pages, I found the complete package very appealing. I liked having a journal that matched the “Becoming a Woman of Joy” book, and I liked having the stamps used in the book available for my very own pages. It made me feel like I was developing the theme in my own way on my own pages.

Below, the title page for my scrap-journal. In lieu of photos, I used JudiKins stamps impressed into hot embossing powder to create tags representative of my family: a woman stamp for me, the man stamp for my husband, a little boy stamp for our toddler son, and a baby for our due-any-day little one.

Title: "Higher Than Rubies"
Supplies: Prism (Prismatics Pink, Red, Burgundy, Sage Cardstock)
The Paper Studio (Pink printed vellum, White translucent vellum)
Scissor Sisters (Tattered Red pattern paper)
7Gypsies (Photo Turns)
Making Memories (Metal Circle Tags)
Jo-Ann Scrap Essentials (Heart brads)
Jo-Ann Scrap Essentials (Gold Tag Letters)
Magic Mesh (Baby Pink Fine Weave)
Mini Roses
Red Fiber
Gold Sequins

Anna Griffith (Tapestry print paper)
JudiKins (Stamps)
Ranger (Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Antique Linen)
VersaMark
Stampin' UP! (Stampin' Emboss Powder: Gold Glory)
ZIG (Millennium 03 Pen Black)
Adhesive Tech (Permanent Glue Runner)

Next you will see my page for the chapter 1 assignment which is based on Proverbs 31:10: "A virtuous woman who can find? For her worth is far greater than rubies." I took this time to write down my thoughts and observations after reading the chapter.

Title: "True Worth"
Supplies: 7Gypsies (Requiem paper)
Scissor Sisters (Sepia Script, Tattered Red papers)
Die Cuts With a View (Rose, Floral Print papers)
Prism (Exclusive Papers: Ciliegia Red cardstock)
Prism (Prismatics: White cardstock)
The Paper Studio (Vellum)
7Gypsies (Loop Spirale)
Red Flat Marble
Red Sparkle Button
Magic Mesh (Repositionable Fine Weave: Gold)
Hamptonart.com (Diffusion font stamps)
Computer font: Sloop Script 2
Jacquard (Pearl Ex Stamp Pads: Essential Color Black)
Jacquard (Pearl Ex Stamp Pads: Metallic Color Gold)
Memories (Dye Ink Pad: Black)
Adhesive Tech (Permanent Glue Runner, The Glue Gizmo, The BORDER Line)

In chapter 3, one assignment is to write down favorite memory verses on cards and choose one to memorize. I decided to use my scrap bin and JudiKins stamps to make myself some pretty verse cards!

For detailed product lists on these memory verse cards, or to see other projects/layouts relating to these materials, please see the ScrapFriends Inspirational Memories gallery.

Upon writing of this review, I’ve not completed the entire course of "Becoming a Woman of Joy," but I look forward to continuing to work through the materials. I did not always agree with the author 100% on her interpretations of the verses, but it was a great "sanding block" for knocking off new ideas and thinking about different perspectives. And again, I really loved the specific assignments for thinking about, meditating on, practically applying, and recording the lessons learned through the curriculum materials.

The "negative" to this book is not the material itself, but the struggle to keep yourself working on such a tough Bible passage. If you aren’t already a strongly self-motivated type personality, I would recommend working on the "Becoming a Woman of Joy" materials with a women’s Bible study or in a group that has strong leadership - to help maintain accountability and diligence.

In Summary: If you are looking for a practical and artistic approach to the daunting Proverbs 31 chapter, try Inspirational Memories "Becoming a Woman of Joy" by Sue Ferguson. Fresh and creative, this book is sure to offer insight you’ve never considered before!

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Review by Rachel

We were sent a devotional book on the Proverbs 31 woman entitled "Becoming A Woman of Joy." Also included was a journal and stamps. The author, Sue Furguson, is a scrapbooker and takes a unique look at Proverbs 31. This devotional book is an 8 ½" x 11" soft bound book. It has 128 pages and is illustrated in full color. It retails for about $20.00. The devotional book is accompanied by a matching companion journal. The journal is spiral bound and has lots of room to write your responses to the questions asked in the devotional book. We were also sent fifteen stamps that coordinate with the devotional that are manufactured by Judikins. These mounted stamps include three women stamps, one man, one boy, one girl, a baby doll, a sling shot, a guitar, a teddy bear, a bird, a cat, a dog, a tree and grass stamps.

This devotional is an in-depth study into the Proverbs 31 woman. It really succeeds in getting you thinking about how things are in your life and what areas you need to work on changing for the better. Sue also does a great job at encouraging you in the things that you are doing correctly! Each chapter give you different points to think about and journal about and then also gives you ideas of scrapbook pages or different things to do to make these points come alive in your life. The first chapter is entitled “Precious Jewel.” I choose to do my page for this chapter on a “precious jewel” in my life, my Grandmother.

A Woman After God’s Heart:

Products used:
Cardstock: White – Prismatics – Prism
Onice, Celeste, Cielo – Exclusives – Prism
Patterned Paper: Spring Stack – Diecuts with a View
Ink: Versamark – Tsukineko, Inc
Versafine – Vintage Sepia – Tsukineko, Inc
Green – Premium Dye Ink – Excelsior
Pearlescent Sky Blue – Brilliance Pigment Ink – Tsukineko, Inc
Embossing Powder: Bronze – Ultra Thick Embossing Powder – Suze Weinberg
Stamps: Alphabet – It’s My Type – MaVinci Requilary
Grouping: Grass, Veronica, Val, Vanessa – Judikins
Watercolor Pencils: General’s
Waterbrush: Close to my Heart
Trimmer: Tonic Studios
Buttons: Buttercup – Close to my Heart
Adhesive: Permanent Glue Runner – Adhesive Tech

Each chapter is set up sort of like a unit study. A unit study gives you a theme each week and gives you information to get you started on your search. You can take this study as deep as you want or you can just study the information that she gives you in the devotional book. It is up to you and how deep you want to search and study. The second chapter is called “Trustworthy Helper.” While studying this chapter, I realized that I don’t thank my husband enough for the things he does for me and our family. I chose to use this chapter to make a page specifically thanking him for providing for our family.

Provider:

Products used:
Cardstock: Marrone, Verdone – Exclusives – Prism
Suede Brown Light – Prismatics – Prism
Fiber: Fiber by the Yard
Eyelets: ScrapEssentials – JoAnn, Etc.
Brads: ScrapEssentials – JoAnn, Etc.
Ribbon Slide: Sarah Heidt
Versamark: Tsukineko, Inc
Embossing Powder: Bronze – Suze Weinberg
Stamps: It’s My Type – MaVinci Requilary
Trimmer: Tonic Studios
Adhesive: Permanent Glue Runner – Adhesive Tech
A Fine Line – Adhesive Tech

One thing I really love about the devotional is that each chapter opens with a letter from Sue to her daughters. I love that. It inspired me to write more letters to my daughter. I always write her a letter on her birthday but I don’t usually write letters throughout the year except for the usual love you and proud of you letters. The next page I did is related to Chapter Six which is entitled “Patient Cultivator.” It made me sit down and think of the dreams I have that I want to work towards for our family and for myself. It reassured me that having dreams as a Mom is okay and necessary. Yes, I have dreams for my daughter but it is reassuring to know that it is okay to have dreams for myself. I enjoyed writing my dreams down and look forward to seeing my dreams come true if the Lord wills.

My Dreams:

Products used:
Cardstock: Viola, Perle – Exclusives – Prism
Poem: Unknown
Vellum: Hobby Lobby
Font: Antique
Versamark Pen: Zig Emboss Writer
Embossing Powder: Silver Pearl – Hero Arts
Flowers: Jolee’s Boutique
Nailheads: Unknown
Eyelets: Making Memories
Pen: Pigma Micron 01 – Sakura
Fiber: Fiber by the Yard
Trimmer: Tonic Studios
Adhesives: Permanent Glue Runner – Adhesive Tech
A Fine Line – Adhesive Tech

Although, I didn’t get through the whole devotional book; I am determined to finish this book. I also have several page ideas I want to do for the chapters that I have already finished. I really love the idea of someday my daughter being able to go through this scrapbook and see where I as her Mom thought I excelled and where I thought I had work to do to measure up. That is what real life is all about; bowing to the will of God every single day and allowing Him to have free reign. I love how this devotional is set up. I would encourage everyone to spend the extra $10 and get the journal. The journal is so nice and of a great quality. Since the journal is spiral bound, it lies flat and you are able to use every inch of the space to write in. I love it! I have lots of room to write which is exactly what I need. I can be long winded at times. I recommend this devotional highly to all women who are striving to be a Proverbs 31 woman.

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Review by Melanie

Becoming A Woman of Joy - A Scrapbooker Looks at Proverbs 31 by Sue Ferguson is a 8 ½" x 11" soft cover book of 116 illustrated pages. The cover and pages are glossy and full of color. I also received the matching 8 1/5" x 6" spiral bound hard cover journal. The author, Sue Ferguson, introduces the readers to Val - the virtuous woman from Proverbs 31, and takes you verse by verse through the Proverbs 31, giving scriptures, stories, ideas for creative illustrations and tips on how to apply the readings to your life. I also received the set of stamps from Judikins that were used throughout the book. These adorable stamps have sketches of family members and related things on them.

I was thrilled to receive this book and accessories. I had wanted something structured to get me into a regular daily bible reading routine. And the fact that it was written by a scrapbooker, with scrapbook applications made me even more excited. The first page I completed, though not shown here, was to illustrate a Precious Jewel (Chapter One)- symbolic of the value of the virtuous woman. The page, in the Inspirational Memories gallery folder, is a page illustrating my wedding ring. My second page, shown below, is an illustration from Chapter Two - Trustworthy Helper. I used a photo of me and my husband and journaled about how I trust and appreciate him.

Title: Trustworthy
Patterned paper: Fontwerks
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics
Brads - Making Memories
Stamps: Judikins (man, woman), Stampin Up! (Love)
Ink: Kaleidacolor
Vellum Quote: Flair Designs, Inc.
Other: Silk flowers, punch
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech, Permanent Glue Runner

The topic for Chapter Eight was “Generous Benefactor”. In my creation below, I made a card for a friend who suddenly became a widow.

Title: Strength (Sympathy Card)
Supplies:
Cardstock: Prismatics by Prism papers (Suede Brown Medium, Suede Brown Dark)
Patterned Papers and verse: Crossed Paths (Faith line)
Ribbon: American Crafts
Staples: Making Memories
Ink: Colorbox
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech Permanent Glue Runner

I illustrated the “Royal Dresser” from Chapter 10 in the below scrapbook page. My daughter wore a linen white dress for our recent beach vacation photo shoot. I thought the linen dress so perfectly illustrated the white garments of the believer, so I chose these photos for this topic. The scripture on the page is:

“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness. - Isaiah 61:10

Title: Delight
Supplies:
Cardstock: Prismatics (Mystic Medium)
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey
Rub Ons, Photo Turns and Decorative Brad - Making Memories
Alpha Sticker: Creative Imaginations
Ink: Clearsnap
Font: Freehand 575BT
Acrylic Paint: Plaid
Brads: Junkitz
Ribbon: Stampin Up
Other: Flower
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech Permanent Glue Runner

My last project illustrates the Creative Achiever from Chapter 12. My son recently donated his time to create paintings for a fund raiser. I used photos from the art show including photos of him with his first art collector.

Title: Art Show
Supplies:
Patterned Papers: American Crafts
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech Permanent Glue Runner

Things I liked about the book: It’s always a blessing to have products that encourage you to read more of the Bible and encourage devotional time, prayer and journaling. I truly value the steps in the back of the book to mediate on scripture, pray and apply things that you read. I like the high quality, the colorfully illustrated pages. The author shared things from her personal life relevant to each chapter. I can see this book being used to develop lesson plans for a group Bible study or Sunday School class.

Things I did not care for in this book: Although I love Proverbs Chapter 31, I did not care for the fictitious character Val. I prefer reading real life stories and testimonies rather than fiction.

What I would have liked in this book: Being the scrapbooker that I am, I would have liked more specific activities for scrapbookers. The subtitle: A Scrapbooker Looks at Proverbs 31, lead me to believe this was geared more toward scrapbookers and not just a "scrapbooker looks at..." book. I do realize that the author probably wanted this book to be utilized by non-scrapbookers, but I expected an emphasis on scrapbooking and the creative projects were not necessarily scrapbook oriented. I had hoped for more specific assignments or even page designs or sketches. I would also have liked something in the introduction on "how" to use this book and in particular, a guide for the pace of reading and applying the chapters. I wasn’t sure if the author intended on the reader to do one chapter per week, or one chapter per month. I know this can vary from person to person, but a suggested timeline would have been a nice addition.

In summary, this is a high quality devotional book that creatively takes a look at Proverbs Chapter 31. This book includes activities to help you apply each lesson to your life, encourages you to journal, read your Bible and pray. It is well written, creative and has various applications at the end of each chapter. If you want to scrapbook or create something from the lessons you learned, there are suggestions to help you along. I would recommend this product as a good devotional but not as a book with high emphasis on scrapbooking.

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Review by Tami

Proverbs 31: It’s all in how you look at it.

Proverbs 31 gives each woman something to strive for in life, a picture of perfection. I was given the opportunity to take a closer look at the "Proverbs 31 Woman" by reviewing Becoming a Woman of Joy, A Scrapbooker Looks at Proverbs 31.

The Bible never gives this woman a name but gives us insight on her character. Through this 188 page soft cover book, written by Sue Ferguson, the Proverbs 31 woman is turned into a real person. She becomes someone like us, living a daily life with all the trials and blessings. The author starts out on the journey by providing a name for the virtuous woman, she is known as Val. Each chapter provides insight to life of Virtuous Val and shows us how she handles the responsibilities of her life.

I had mixed emotions about this book. I read the forward by Patsy Clairmont, which refers to it as a "study," so I automatically thought Bible study, expecting all the references and cross references that I have become familiar with. When I got further into the book I realized it was more of a devotional. Many people like devotionals but I personally do better with more of a “step by step, outlined, highly structured, look this up and see what it means -- approach. After a few chapters I became discouraged because I could not seem to keep focused on the program. I decided maybe I was looking at it wrong and went back and started over. This time I took my highlighter and highlighted the main points of each chapter. This worked much better for me, because I could focus on exactly what the most important points were.

With a total of eighteen chapters, Sue Ferguson is able to help us look at each characteristic in depth. Each chapter is ended with seven tasks with keys ideas such as seek, think about, meditate on, pray or create. It would be ideal to do one task each day of the week and cover one chapter per week for eighteen weeks. That schedule would also depend on your preferences and ability to keep on task. For me it was easier to read the chapter and work through the tasks throughout the week. Sometimes I focused on two or three allowing me to take a day "off" when life got in the way. Others might find that they can group the tasks and cover more than one chapter each week (which I also did for some chapters).

One helpful assignment found in each chapter was to read a section of the Bible daily and write in a journal (which can also be purchased to go with the book) . Some chapters simply said to read, which again was hard for me because I need a starting point. For those chapters I chose to read a chapter of Proverbs that corresponded with the date (on the 16th read chapter 16, the 10th read chapter 10 etc). Other chapters would give more direct ideas such as "Read Matthew 6:25-34.." and tell what to write about. *That* I can do! The second part of the task was even more of a challenge for me --you were supposed to write you thoughts in the journal. I am not one who likes to write my thoughts down so I found it more difficult than it sounds. I usually ended up using this more for writing verses that I found relevant and thoughts on the verses as opposed to writing my feelings.

For some tasks I occasionally put my own "spin" on them. In Chapter One, we look at how Val is like a precious jewel. I like the information but wasn’t able to come up with a project that I was excited about. But, I particularly liked the verse in chapter one found printed in the margins:

Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God.
--1 Chronicles 22:19

So instead of the recommended projects, I chose to use that verse to make a layout. Although it was not one of the "assignments" I was pretty happy with the result and have a new page for my books:

Materials used:
Cardstock: Prism Prismatics (White, Intense Orange, Intense Teal)
Wave template: Deluxe Designs Pages by Design
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech Glue Runner

For other chapters, I was inspired by the topic and task suggested. For example chapter nine said to “Make a mini quilt with fabric or paper”. I made this for the project below with a verse was taken from chapter three.

Materials used:
Pattern Papers: Provocraft, Daisy Ds, Bo Bunny Press
Cardstock: Prism Prismatics (White)

For my “Delight” page I combined the suggestion, theme and a verse from chapter ten. The chapter was called “Royal Dresser”. Keeping with the theme I used a velvet texture paper with the matching stamps from Judi Kins that were used throughout the book. I added a verse from the chapter and used the tasks idea of using my picture on a page.

Materials used:
Cardstock: Prism (Razzleberry Dark, Nero)
Rub on letters: Making Memories
Ribbon: Offray
Stamp: Judi Kins
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech Borderline

These are just three of the projects completed through the book. Be sure to check out the other ideas that in the Inspirational Memories Gallery.

This book is full of insight and ideas to help us get a little closer to what God has in mind for us. If you are a focused person who likes devotionals this book should highly appeal to your interests. If you like to write you ideas and journal there is a lot to think about and idea starters throughout. If you are like me, and prefer a very laid out, structured approach with lots of reading with very little writing you might have to find a strategy or adapt a little to keep focused and on task. (This could actually be a good thing.) I think the verse on the quilt design above is a very good point in all of this.

And whatever you do, do it as to the Lord and not to men,
--Colossians 3:23

The ideas put forth in the book are very eye opening. Whatever approach you choose to study the text, if you put forth the effort and look at it as not a book of “tasks” but a way to better know and serve Him, you will be blessed.

For more information visit Inspirational Memories by Brownlow

Find Sue Ferguson's website here.