Friday, February 27, 2015

Live by Faith {Mixed Media Tag}

DF Week 9 live by faith

I started in mixed media by making tags with Tim Holtz, Christmas 2012. I have made a lot of tags since then but none lately. For Week 9 of Documented Faith, I opted to make a tag, and it was so simple and fun.

The theme for February is Believe, and this verse, 2 Corinthians 5:7, is one of the focal verses. I love this verse, but it is challenging because it’s all about the true meaning of faith: the evidence of things not seen. It’s easy to have “faith” in something you can see. In fact, that’s not even faith, technically. Other translations say “walk by faith.” That’s a great picture, because it implies walking, moving forward, when you can’t see what is ahead. Yep, that’s the kind of faith I want to have!

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Wisdom from God {Scripture Cards}

For Glory Art Scripture Challenge #4, the Bible study is about God’s wisdom. It leaves me wondering, why do we try to figure out so much for ourselves, when the source of wisdom Himself is available to all who believe.

I made four mixed media Scripture cards, each approximately 3.5x5. I will keep them in an album pocket page until I want to use them in a project.

Wisdom Scripture Cards Glory ArtSC 4

One of these verses brings back a memory of a time in my life when I was especially seeking God’s wisdom. Our children had become teenagers (overnight, I might add). I attended a Christian women’s conference where one of the sessions was “Help! I’ve Just Given Birth to a Teenager.” The author of the book by that title, Pat Baker, happened to be a personal friend of my mother, and was leading the session. Her “theme verse” (or at least that’s the way I remember it) was James 1:5. That verse took on special meaning for me and became one of my favorites from that time.

Back to my original question, why would we not ask God for His wisdom. He’s right there.

Wisdom Scripture Card James 1-5

Little Lambie Love {Wood Block Art}

This little lamb is for my granddaughter Tory who is so beautiful inside and out. This quote from Mother Teresa reminds me of Tory, because she is such a Delightful Joy Girl, and she really does spread love everywhere she goes. She just can’t help it. It’s who she is. Well, and it’s also WHOSE she is!

This is a 2x4 board, cut approximately to a 4-inch square and painted with acrylic paints. The images (lamb and leaves) are freehand cut from book paper, adhered to the block, and then painted over with heavy body paint.

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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Worth Repeating {Art Journal}

AGAIN I say REJOICE DLP Feb 21

For the February 21 challenge at Documented Life Project, the theme is “layers,” the technique is “repeating elements,” and the prompt is “it’s worth repeating.” I use lots of layering and lots of circles in most of my journal pages, so that part was easy. Every element on the page is a circle. When given a “prompt” for any challenge, my go-to process is to call to mind a Scripture verse. Immediately, this verse popped into my head, about rejoicing in the Lord, and it’s certainly “worth repeating,” as the verse states explicitly.

Rejoice in the Lord always.

Again I say, rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

I am challenged by this verse, because of the word “always.” I am to find joy in the Lord, no matter the circumstances. This is possible only because He is with me, no matter the circumstances.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Morning Bible Studies {Sketch and Paint}

Bible Study Time

Inspired by one of my Bible study friends online, this is a “practice” sketch and paint for me. The Documented Faith word for February is Believe, and the verse for this week is Psalm 46:10. I’ve already completed a project with this theme (previous post), so I did this one for practice.

Friday, February 20, 2015

Little Froggie in Pond {Sketch and Paint}

Little froggie in pond

I have a dear online friend, Jenny Frith, who is a wonderful artist. She shared a piece much like this, and I was inspired to re-create it. Hers is awesome. Mine was fun to do!

Sketched several months ago. Finished with watercolor today.

My husband and I walked this morning, past several “wetland” areas. We heard a resounding “ribbit” more than once. Reminded me to pull out this sketch and finish it!

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Be Still and Know {Art Journal}

DLP Feb 14

This week’s challenge in Documented Life Project is Layers, Covering up the Good Stuff. In Documented Faith, the verse is Psalm 46:11. I combined the two projects into this art journal spread. This verse also happens to be the one I am memorizing right now for Siesta Scripture Memory Team.

I journaled by hand all over both pages and then covered up most of it with paint (some lettering still peeks through). I also covered up a manila library envelope. The verse is written on the library card that is tucked inside the envelope.

I often remind myself of this verse, because I am a noisy, busy kind of person. I know I need to shush and listen. So, this verse is a reminder—because once I am still enough to know that He is God, then I also can understand that He WILL be exalted!

This verse is especially meaningful right now, with the state of our world, the extreme terrorism that targets God’s people simply because they are “people of the cross.” I like remembering that HE will be exalted in the earth.

Where I live right now, the temperature is pleasant. On my walk today, I saw some of the beginnings of spring. Love it!

pink tree flowers 2-19-15

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BE STILL and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.

Psalm 46:10 (ESV)

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Little Birdies on Canvas {Sketch and Paint}

Little Love Birds

One of my supply companies accidentally sent me a shipment of 4x5 canvas boards (flat). They told me to keep them, so I used one of them on this little sketch and paint (acrylics).

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Chickadee {Sketch and Paint}

Chickadee Sketch and Paint-Altered Book

In one of my classes, we are sketching little whimsical birds. For practice, I sketched this little chickadee. He told me he would like to have a place in my altered book. Done. (Mostly watercolor paints, some acrylic, some stamping.)

Monday, February 16, 2015

Christmas {Scrapbook} Done!

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While it may not be the most “fun” of my hobbies right now, it may be the most important. So I most definitely WILL keep on scrapbooking. (It IS more fun to play in paint.)

For this year’s Christmas scrapbook, I opted to use a free Creative Memories 8x8 Christmas album. Using a dedicated theme album is not my usual modus operandi. Typically, my Christmas pictures close out the chronological album for each year. I have been working on this one, off and on, since mid-January and finally finished it yesterday.

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Included here are some random pages from the very thick album.

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Closeup of left page, which includes two small photos from 2004.

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Friday, February 13, 2015

Coffee Time with God’s Word {Bible Journaling}

in the morning bible journaling

I am enjoying the permission I have given myself to do some journaling in my Journaling Bible very simply and quickly. The “art” is not as good as when I spend hours on an entry, but at this time, if I wait until I have hours for just this project, it will not happen.

I have had this verse on my mind, with the picture of a coffee mug, for some time. I didn’t prep the page, so just used colored pencils and a Micron pen for the lettering (nothing bled through to the page behind). This page took about 15 minutes, start to finish.

In the morning, I want to hear from God. My scribbly handwriting in the margin here is a paraphrase of the passage:

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.
– Psalm 143:8 (NIV)

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Valentine’s Day Story and a {Wood Block Project}

My husband was raised in a home with three boys (and a girl), where remembering to give cards was not a high priority. We did exchange Valentines, as I recall, when we were dating. But our first Valentine’s Day as newlyweds, I gave him a Valentine, but him for me, not. His excuse: “I didn’t have time to get a card.” My response was carefully measured, as I wanted it to last a lifetime. I pointed out that, while I knew he had been very busy, Valentine’s Day had been coming since Valentine’s Day last year, and the cards had been out in the stores for at least a month. So I explained how much that holiday meant to me and suggested that if he ever needed an excuse for missing it again, that he please not use that one.

Seems funny now. That was in 1966. He has never forgotten since then! He really does want to please me, that’s his heart, and he “took to heart” my disappointment all those years ago.

Today, he made an excuse to “run into town,” and while he was gone, I put the finishing touches on a surprise Valentine I was making for him.

When he returned, he made up a story to call me into the kitchen, where he presented me with a beautiful Valentine bouquet.

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So, I pulled out the hidden Love Block that I had made for him. The heart is made from vintage sheet music manipulated with decoupage. I painted the block with a buff acrylic paint and used white ink to write part of our favorite love passage from the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13.

This was a lot more fun than cards!

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From our wedding pictures, September 8, 1965:

The Rings

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

God’s Truth is THE Truth {Art Journal}

Believe in Truth DLP Feb 7

I could write a book, with every sentence beginning “These days…” Sigh. I truly am sad for the state of our culture these days, in so many ways and for so many reasons. But I am not pessimistic in the end, because I know God is still in control. He has a plan. He IS the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life. And in the end, in the end, He will win the victory. One day every knee will bow, one day every tongue will confess, that He is Lord.

So, this project focuses on this Scripture verse:

Guide me in your truth

and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you

all day long.

Psalm 25:5 (NIV)

If you’ve been following my project agenda for 2015, you know that I am involved in several challenges. For this large spread in my 9x13 art journal, I combined THREE of the challenges into one project! Yay.

For the February 7 Documented Life Project, the challenge is Layers: When Not to Stop. This was easy for me, as my art journal pages always include lots of layers. For this particular one, layers include (but may not be limited to): gesso; rub-ons; DecouPage; neon paint; book paper painted, stamped with flowers, and cut; stamps with white paint; stamps with black ink; paint through stencils; hand journaling; shipping tag with paints, stamps, typed Scripture verse, pen work, vintage sheet music, Sari ribbon; washi tape.

The Documented Faith word for the month of February is BELIEVE. I incorporated this word into the journaling on the spread.

The Glory Art Scripture Challenge #3 is on TRUTH. This was the impetus for the verse I chose for this art journal piece.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Sweater Trees {Art Journal}

Sweater Trees

In my current class with Junelle Jacobsen, Saturday Mornings Love & Whimsy, I was introduced to Sweater Trees. Yes, there really is such a thing. In some city parks, the trend is to put hand-knitted scarves around the tree trunks in hopes that someone who needs a warm scarf will take one! I think that’s such a neat idea!

For this page in my art journal, I simply sketched and then painted with acrylic paints.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Playful Paper Hearts {Art Journal}

Playful Paper Hearts

For the Permission to Play class with Mindy Lacefield, this is a project on Paper Hearts. I love hearts anyway, and especially around Valentine’s Day.

Started with some scrapbook paper pieces, some book paper, old music, and bleeding tissue paper. Sketched the little “ child’s-play-art” girl. Used lots of acrylic paint and a heart stamp.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Snow Play {Mindy Primitive Girl Art Journal}

Snow Play Take 2

Mindy Lacefield is an online friend. She lives in Arkansas (so she feels a bit like family). She is known for her primitive girls, a child-like style of art that is whimsical and nostalgic at the same time (for me). I am taking her 11-month class called “Permission to Play.” I need that!

For this piece, I used my heavy watercolor paper journal that already has some Mindy art from a previous class (Sunday Mornings). Lots of layers of acrylic paint, applied with brushes and a brayer, form a background with the suggestion of a snowy day. These little primitive girls have grown on me a bit, as they remind me of what I might have drawn as a child, if I had drawn at all back then. I did not do art as a child, because I didn’t think I could. Now that a whole new world has opened for me, though I am not really “an artist,” even now, I like the child-part of me that comes into “play” when I do a piece like this.

Usually the other side of the journal spread would have a focal thought or verse. But, with the theme of “permission to play,” I decided just to keep it simple like this, with no “agenda.” It was so fun just to play in the paint!

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

The Work of God is to BELIEVE {Art Journal}

Jan 31 Documented Life and Documented Faith

This is my project for Week 5 of Documented Life Project (January 31 Challenge: What Lies Beneath—Using Under Paper) and Week 6 of Documented Faith (word for February is Believe).

Under Paper is newsprint that provides a “backdrop” for my art projects. In this case, I had painted some book paper hearts with red paint, and the “over-paint” formed a sort of heart outline on the newsprint. For this challenge, I cut around the over-paint and grouped the heart shapes together to form a sort of flower. I had also used the same paper for cleaning my brush and brayer and stencils (with orange and yellow paint).

The focal journaling for this page is the verse I am memorizing for Siesta Scripture Memory Team for February 1.

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” – John 6:29.

Around the outside edges of the painting, I journaled about how we often talk about how we want to “do the work of the Lord.” Jesus said that work is TO BELIEVE. God’s part is to send His Son. My part is to believe, to trust, to rely on Him.

Closeup Jan 31 DLP and DF