Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Appreciation for Hometown {Gratitude52 Art Journal}

G52 Prompt 34 Hometown

This is week 34 of the Gratitude 52 Art Journal Challenge. Each week is more difficult for me. “Draw or illustrate your appreciation for your hometown.”

I don’t really have a hometown. “I’ve been everywhere, man.” Really. But since 2000, the town I have called home is Wentzville, Missouri. I decided to illustrate the town’s welcome sign, which boasts its logo “Crossroads of the Nation.”

It may not always be my “hometown,” but it will always hold a lot of wonderful memories from our time there.

#Gratitude52Journal #G52Prompt34 #Gratitude52Community #WentzvilleMO #watercolor #crossroadsofthenation

Saturday, August 27, 2016

New Blog Title

While I still scrapbook regularly, I rarely post anything about my scrapbook pages. For some time, my original blog title “Sentiments and Scrapbooks” has not been descriptive of what I post on my blog.

The new title, “FAITHfull heART,” (“sharing my heart & my art”) is much more descriptive of how I blog. Most of what I post is what I call “Faith Art,” but even when I’m not posting art, it’s still from my heart.

Hopefully this change will not be too confusing, and hopefully those who follow by email will recognize my blog when it now comes in to email with a different title.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Women of Valor Bible Study–Week 9: Mary {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art Women of Valor - Mary

The Bible Art Journaling Bible Studies I have been working through, Women of Valor, with Seasons Illustrated, will have a total of 12 lessons. The first 8 women were from the Old Testament. With Lesson 9, we move into the New Testament, with the study of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Mary was a woman who found favor with God, even as a young woman (possibly around age 15). How in the world was she able to accept, by faith, that she would become the virgin mother of Jesus the Messiah! What faith!! I chose to illustrate this happy part of her story.

Being with child at two times in my life, I can honestly say those were the happiest and most wonderful times of my life….well, until the children were born, and then THOSE were the happiest times…the blessing of motherhood is like none other.

But the part of Mary’s story that I can hardly bear is the part where she had to see her son be mistreated, and then watch as he was crucified for no wrongdoing of his own. I cannot imagine that pain. I believe that by faith she believed that it was all a part of God’s plan. But she was a mother. I say again, I cannot imagine her pain.

What a special woman was Mary, chosen by God to be the earthly mother of the Messiah.

Bible Art Women of Valor - Mary

#SeasonsIllustrated #WomenofValor #MaryMotherofJesus #Chosen #InkTenseBlocks #Watercolor #BibleArtJournaling #BibleMarginalia #IllustratedFaith #ScriptureArt #FaithArt

Monday, August 22, 2016

Appreciation for Someone Who Makes my Life Better {Gratitude52 Art Journal}

G52 Prompt33 Makes my life better

I am getting less careful about the art that I do to answer these Gratitude 52 Art Journal Challenges. But, after 33 weeks of challenges, I think I might not want to continue if every week I am overly-demanding of myself. So, I would rather continue to participate, even if sometimes I feel the response to the challenge is more artistically lacking than usual!

This was another difficult challenge and one that could have been answered with references to many people in my life. But since I am currently being inspired by this particular Bible study, and am inspired by this woman of God almost daily through social media, I chose this for my response to the challenge: “Illustrate your appreciation for someone who makes your life better.”

One of the most timely and meaningful quotes I took from my study on Friday was this:

“Peace comes in situations completely surrendered to the sovereign authority of Christ.”

#BethMooreBibleStudy #BethMoore #BethMooreLivingProofMinistries #Lifeway #BethMooreLivingFreeStudy #Gratitude52Community #Gratitude52Journal #G52Prompt33 #roughsketch #watercolor #peace #gratitude

Friday, August 19, 2016

Such a Time: Heaven is Calling Bible Study Lesson 8 {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art Esther 4-14

The “Heaven is Calling” series of Bible Journaling Studies focuses on “connecting with a good God.” Lesson 8 is from the book of Esther.

Esther 4:13-16

13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

 Esther set aside her own desire to live, in order that she could potentially save her own people, the Jews.  She was where she was, when she was there, for the express purpose of saving her people. In taking the actions she did, she even risked her own life. It was a brave thing for her to do.

The phrase “for such a time as this” is one that has come to my mind many times. For Christ-followers who strive to be used for God’s purposes, I believe we often find ourselves at “just the right place, at just the right time.” And if we have that feeling, that we have come to a certain place, at a certain time, for a certain purpose, we should be willing to follow through on God’s plan, even if it means taking a personal risk. That’s how God used Esther for His plan, and that is how He can use us.

#BibleArtJournaling #BibleArtJournalingChallenge #HeavenisCalling #Esther #ForSuchaTimeasThis #InktenseBlocks #IllustratedFaith #FaithArt #CreativeWorship #ScriptureArt

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Colorful Blessings Pages {Inspirational Coloring Book}

Colorful Blessings Prov 27-9

Colorful Blessings James 1-17

I enjoy the therapy of coloring with my PrismaColor Premiere Pencils in this inspirational coloring book.

#inspirationalcoloringbook #coloringcafe #prismacolorpremiere #coloringtherapy

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Women of Valor Bible Study- Week 8: Hannah {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art Women of Valor - Hannah

One of my favorite women of the Bible is Hannah. She prayed for a son and vowed to dedicate that son to the Lord. Her prayer was answered, and she kept her vow. She took him to the temple, to leave him there, for service to the Lord.

I can’t imagine. I think I might have been kicking and screaming that I didn’t really mean God could like HAVE my son, to live in the temple and not at home! But not Hannah. Having left Samuel at the temple, before she departs, Hannah issues a prayer of thanksgiving.

“My heart exults in the Lord;

my horn is exalted in the Lord.

My mouth derides my enemies,

because I rejoice in your salvation.

There is none holy like the Lord:

for there is none besides you;

there is no rock like our God.”

(1 Sam 2:1-2)

Those of us familiar with Mary’s prayer of thanksgiving, known as the Magnificat, will hear echoes of that in Hannah’s first line. But the poem is Hannah’s own, and the imagery is rich and vivid. Just as her prayer of petition for a son was fervent and passionate, this one comes from the heart.

I admire Hannah so much, because in good times and bad, Hannah turns to the Lord. That legacy lives on in her son Samuel, a godly man and Israel’s last judge.

#WomenofValor #SeasonsIllustrated #BibleArtJournaling #Hannah #InktenseBlocks #IllustratedFaith #FaithArt #ScriptureArt #CreativeWorship

Monday, August 15, 2016

Thankful for Decisions {Gratitude52 Art Journal}

G52 Prompt 32 Decisions

These challenges are not easy, but after all, they are “challenges.” For Week 32, the Gratitude52 Journal Prompt is “Draw or illustrate your appreciation for good decisions you have made recently.”

I like to think we make good decisions daily, but I chose to illustrate a fairly big decision we made a couple of years ago. Our daughter’s family has most always lived in Missouri (our home state), and our son’s family had lived close to us (same town) for 13 years. Then three years ago, God called our son’s family across the country to pastor a church in the state of Washington, a 32-hour drive away from us. Since we were retired and able to do so, we decided to buy a second home near our son’s family in Washington and divide our time between the two homes, so that we can be close to both our children part of the year (although not both of them at the same time!). This was the only feasible way we could spend quality time with both families.

Although we know we will not always be able to keep up the routine of 3-4 months at a time in each state, it is a good plan that is working well for us right now.

I was at a loss to think of a good way to draw or sketch this challenge, so I took the easy way out and used my Silhouette cutter to cut the images for this page.

#Gratitude52Journal #G52prompt32 #Gratitude52Community #SilhouetteCutter #myheartisintwoplaces

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Women of Valor Bible Study-Week 7: Ruth {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art-Women of Valor-Ruth

There are so many things to love about the story of Ruth in the Old Testament. Being a romantic, I am especially fond of the love story of Ruth and Boaz. But in recent years, and through life experiences, I have come to totally fall in love with the Redemption Story that is at the heart of the story of Ruth.

There is nothing that God cannot redeem. For that, I am so thankful.

“All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” (Boaz to Ruth) – Ruth 2:11-12

#SeasonsIllustrated #WomenofValorBibleStudy #RuthandBoaz #Redemption #GodRedeems #DistressInk #BibleArtJournaling #FaithArt #ScriptureArt #Illustrated Faith

Monday, August 8, 2016

Thankful for Pets {Gratitude52 Art Journal}

G52#31 Pets

Well, obviously, when Prompt #31 for the Gratitude52 Art Journal, “thankful for pets,”came to my inbox,  I was required to do a page about our Sassi Girl. What could I sketch? Her bed, her bowl, a heart….those things I MIGHT be able to sketch. But I had never sketched a real animal. Nonetheless, I decided to try my hand at a simple amateur (duh) pencil sketch of our 13-year old tiny toy poodle. Didn’t spend a lot of time, as it wasn’t really a matter of time so much as not knowing any more about what to do to make it better. So, here it is, my first attempt at a real-animal sketch, and it does look enough like Sassi to make me think of her, and be thankful for her, when I see the picture.

We drove from Missouri to North Dakota to get her in 2003, when she was about 4 months old and weighed less than 3 pounds. I searched and searched for a tiny size and a wonderful personality, and it didn’t matter to us that it was in North Dakota that we found the perfect pet. We love road trips.

Her name, “Sassafras Tea for Two” reflects the expectation that she might have even stayed at teacup poodle size. Today she weighs about 7 pounds and is just a such a joy for us. Never has there been a better pet than Sassi. Her greatest desires in life are to (1) please us, and (2) be with us.

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Sassi Girl Today (she usually does not have a clean-shaven nose like my sketch)

#Gratitude52Journal #G52Prompt31 #ThankfulforPets #pencilsketch #tinytoypoodle #LoveOurPetFriend

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Generous Father {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art - Josh 15

This Bible journaling page is based on the Bible Study from Rebekah Jones, “Heaven is Calling” - Lesson 7.

It really is true that my Father gives more than I ask. (And so, why is it that I often hesitate to ask?—another passage reminds me that God loves to give good gifts to His children!)

In this passage in the book of Joshua, Caleb’s daughter asked her father for springs of water (he had already given her the land of Negeb). Her father gave her the upper springs AND the lower springs, more than she had asked.

Joshua 15:16-19
And Caleb said, “Whoever strikes Kiriath-sepher and captures it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife.” And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she got off her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water.” And he gave her the upper springs AND the lower springs.

Bible Art - Josh 15

#BibleArtJournaling #BibleArtJournalingChallenge #HeavenisCallingBibleStudy #Inktense Blocks #BibleMarginalia #FaithArt #ScriptureArt #CreativeWorship #IllustratedFaith

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Thankful for Vacations {Gratitude52 Art Journal}

G52 Prompt 30 Vacations

Ironically, the Gratitude52 Journal Prompt for Week 30 came in DURING our vacation to Victoria, British Columbia. It was a wonderful trip, accompanied by our son and daughter-in-law. The weather was perfect, and the island was beautiful. The flowers were glorious. What a great vacation!

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Afternoon Tea at the Empress

Afternoon Tea at The Empress, where we stayed

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The Empress, beautiful landmark and a nice “home” for our time in Victoria

#Gratitude52Community #Gratitude52Journal #G52Prompt#30 #acrylicpaint #Canada #BritishColumbia #Victoria #FamilyTravel