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
“Though sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes in the morning.”
(“Trading My Sorrow,” Darrell Evans)
Scripture passages and song lyrics continue to pop into my mind, as I am seeing glimpses of joy through the sorrow…
I’m learning how to “doodle” in Stephanie Ackerman’s class “A Whole New Doodle.” This is a piece I completed for the class. The main thing I have learned is that I am not nearly as good at “coloring” as I was when I was a little girl! (Or maybe I judge my own work in a different light now…)
I had this art assignment on my mind when I read yesterday’s devotional from Proverbs31.org, written by one of my favorite authors, Suzie Eller. As is usually the case when I read these daily emails, it seemed it was written for me, or at least for me to read that day. The theme of the devotional was that we should LIVE where we are, rather than always waiting for the “next” thing (the next word from God, the next direction, the next move, for example). I decided I would make the theme of the inspirational piece the theme of my doodled home piece.
"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Philippians 4:11 (NIV)
(Linking to Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge.)
(Click to enlarge)
Lately, snippets of Scripture passages or phrases from songs have popped into my mind, and I recognize it as one way God is bringing me comfort and encouragement. Now that I have this “art journal” mixed-media hobby going, I have a way to express some of my thoughts (I’ve always been a writer, but sometimes it’s more “fun” to use more than just words).
When this phrase from the old hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” came to mind, I wanted to find an image of a sunrise. That was easy (thank you, Google), and I loved it when one of the images contained a silhouette with arms outstretched! And I already had a background started with colors that made me happy—orange and teal. Happened to work great with the image!
I have about three bins full of old music; the challenge for me is finding a page that I don’t mind “tearing” to use in my art journal!
Yes, the day starts “right” when I begin it with a song.
Linking this project to:
Simon Says Stamp and Show Inspired By Challenge (song lyrics).
These have been sad days, with my son’s family having just moved far away and my mother’s recent death still evoking emotional moments. Still, underlying the sadness, inexplicably, is an ecstatic joy. My son’s family is where they are because of their willingness to follow God wherever He leads. My mother’s absence from this earth means she is present with God in heaven.
Attempting to focus on the joy, rather than dwelling on the sadness, I am trying to get back to my “happy place” for daily routine, and that is crafting, playing with mixed media art, scrapbooking--wherever the mood leads me on any given day.
It was “good” for me to make this tag, with a happy reference to flowers, a reminder of the freshness of springtime in Missouri. It was good to create something once again, and the theme of the tag was good for my spirits!
I spent quite a bit of time on the background of the tag, and that is actually funny, given the fact that the background isn’t really visible! I started with chip board to which I adhered some woodgrain-textured scrapbooking paper (it was so pretty—wish you could see it—looked sort of like an old wooden fence). Then I used Tim Holtz’s Tag Die to cut a tag from the covered chip board.
I painted some blobs of Lumiere Halo Blue Gold around the edges and then spritzed with water and let the paint run, which made the “blue” part spread around but left the “gold” part of the Lumiere. I used stencils and gesso to add texture. I added some aqua chevrons (cut from card stock—there are three strips of them on the tag, but you so cannot see them!), with more paint (Golden fluid acrylic Bronze) on top of that. I cut some greenery from Tim Holtz’s Regal Crest die. Then I created a flower arrangement, making a lace bow for the base, and added some butterflies. To embellish the flower that was totally white, I painted all the edges with Inka-Gold Old Silver. The crinkle ribbon was saturated with the Halo Blue Gold paint and the Golden fluid acrylic bronze paint.
Thanks to Lynne Forsythe for some of the technique inspiration for this tag.
Linking to:
Simon Says Stamp and Show Inspired by Challenge (technique inspired by Lynne and using quote from a favorite author).
Leona Cox Wilson
January 21, 1928-April 20, 2013
I made this digital scrapbook page to be displayed at Mother’s funeral service. It also served as the title for an incredible slide show created by my brother.
Our traditional Easter celebration centers around our thankfulness to God for the glorious resurrection of His Son Jesus, who paid the price for our sins by His death on the cross!
We always enjoy some family time as a part of the celebration. This year part of our family could not be with us, and we surely missed them!
(Click on image to enlarge.)
These days my mind is heavy with many thoughts, some too heavy to blog at this time. So, I’ll share a happy project I have been working on, inspired by The Art of Spring class with Junelle Jacobsen.
Each canvas is 6x6. I sketched the bunnies and then used Claudine Hellmuth acrylic paints (sometimes mixed with molding paste, and for the pink in the ears, I combined acrylic paint with glass bead gel). For the grass, I made water color puddles on water color paper and then cut them in tiny strips. The bunny tails and the pink flowers are made from tissue paper.
Barely got this one done in time for Easter, and that was my goal!
My heart is heavy with family sadness. But The Art of Spring Class with Junelle Jacobsen is lifting my spirits, when I get time to play with sketching and painting.
This is in my Junelle-style art journal (a book that has been made into a journal).
LInking to Anything But a Card Spring Challenge.
I know it’s like second-nature for so many people, but I am 65 and never in my life thought I could sketch or make art, really. So, the “Art of Spring class” with Junelle Jacobsen is opening a new world for me. It’s not “fine” art but it is whimsical and fun, and though I am not excellent at the projects, it’s just amazing to me that I can do ANY of it. Here is some of the work from the last couple of days.
I did not originate “the idea” for these sketches—the class provided the inspiration.
From my sketch book (Me? a Sketch Book? this is crazy). These little bunnies were inspired by the work of another member in the class—hers were so adorable, I had to see if I could sketch some similar cuties.
Sketched the practice duckling into my “art journal” (a second copy of Purpose-Driven Life, made into an art journal).
Water colored the sketch.
Finished with pen work and splatters.
This is the beginning of an art journal layout—I will finish out the two pages and post the finished product, but this is where I am right now.
This class has come at a good time for me, as it is cheerful and bright and renewing. I need this right now! It is a blessing, really.
(Click image to enlarge.)
I am really enjoying The Art of Spring class with Junelle Jacobsen. I actually sketched the bunny and the jack rabbit. Me. Sketching. Unreal.
Barbie Bunny and Jackie Rabbit
Then I took the sketches to the art journal, where I used a lot of acrylic paint. There are many layers of green paints here. The flowers and leaves were water painted and then cut with Tim Holtz Tattered Florals and Tattered Leaves dies. This project was all about the bright colors of spring!
June is a delightful teacher, and I think I can actually learn how to sketch little whimsical characters. Maybe it’s just because I am so ready for spring, but it really was quite fun.
Linking this project to Fussy and Fancy Flowers Challenge.
(Click image to enlarge.)
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to search and a time to give up…
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.
I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.
Yes, it is a season of letting go, for me. Without thinking too deeply, I can easily name at least fourteen areas/things/people that I am being called upon to let go at this time in my life.
It’s a difficult season, a challenging time. It is not a crisis of faith, however. I know that I know what I know. And what I know is that God is in control. He is the Only One who knows His plan. All He asks from me is that I trust in His plan. And, since He’s done pretty well with running the show in my life to this point, I am trusting Him with the rest of it. That doesn’t mean I like it or that I get to be happy all the time. But it does mean that I trust and believe His promise:
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. – Romans 8:28
I put together this art journal layout with basically “stuff” in “piles” on my table. The main part of the background is Gelli prints on coffee filters (blue and green acrylic paints).
I used a couple of new stamps ordered from Paper Bag Studios (the little postal stamp and the checkerboard), and with my order, Roben put in a couple of prints. I used one of them on each page.
Then I added yellow highlights, stamping, and some ephemera that has been in a stack for a while. I also used several little collage pieces torn from coffee filter Gelli prints.
The butterflies are also Gelli prints on white card stock, cut on the Vagabond with Tim’s Movers and Shapers die and then dipped in melted UTEE. So, they actually stand off the page.
This is a color combination that makes me happy.
Linking to the Anything But a Card green challenge and to Simon Says Stamp Challenge A Bit O’ Green.
Top Row, Left to Right:
~Gelli Print (acrylic paint) and stencils on Bunn coffee filter
~Dylusions Sprays and stencils on #4 coffee filter
~Gelli Print (acrylic paint) and stencils on Bunn coffee filter
~Tim Holtz tissue paper, painted with four colors of Distress Paint (before cutting)
Second Row, Left to Right:
~Book text (and a couple of pieces of muslin) sprayed with Heidi Swapp Color Shine (after cutting)
~White cardstock covered with washi tape (before cutting)
~Dylusions Sprays and stencils on #4 coffee filter
All leaves were cut from #4 coffee filters first sprayed with Dylusions Spray.
Well, I learned something about myself. Or rather, I should say I reminded myself of something I have always known is true about me. I do not love to do a project for the sake of a project. For me, there always needs to be a reason for the output. That is, while I do enjoy a process, I’m more about the product. That was always true in my teaching/learning as well. When I first started teaching myself about computers, I realized that I could learn about any software program if I needed/wanted to be able to DO something specific with it after I learned it. Otherwise, learning something just for the exercise of learning, no, not so much.
So, I decided to participate in the Tattered Florals Challenge on Tim Holtz’s blog, but right away I realized it wasn’t going to be a rather large time for me. I don’t typically create elements ahead of time, just to have on hand if I need them. If I am making a tag that calls for a certain type or color of flower, I come up with the flower THEN, for THAT project. So, I started off with a bang, cut flowers and leaves out the wazoo (using the Tattered Florals Die and the Tattered Leaves Die, of course). Then I became increasingly more irritated at the pieces of florals all over my work area. So today, I gathered them all up and finished, without getting all complicated in my creations (as is obvious).
So, in the end, in the end, these will each find their way onto a scrapbook page or a tag, or maybe even an art journal page, and THEN I will enjoy the project!
(Click image for larger view.)
One of my favorite Valentine tags this year was made with a vintage photo from Vintage Image Craft. Here is the tag by itself:
Today I used the tag in an 8x8 display frame (Creative Memories). For the grouping, I printed off my mother’s high school graduation picture onto cream cardstock, inked the edges with Vintage Photo, and got out my almost-forgotten chalks to give her a little blush. I added a lot of flowers, lace, ribbons and other embellishments.
Mother (age 85 now) has not been feeling well, and I am hopeful this little display will help lift her spirits!
Needing something to lift me from my down mood, I just made a page with lots of paint, stamps, and collage items (including pieces of left-over, gelli-plate-printed coffee filters).
Didn’t quite pull me out of my “doldrums of despair” (to quote Anne of Green Gables), but hey, I tried!
I am learning from the online Bible Study based on Suzanne Eller’s book The Unburdened Heart: Finding the Freedom of Forgiveness. This is an area of the Christian walk that has always been difficult for me, and is especially challenging at this stage of my life, having experienced tragic pain that has resulted in a seemingly hopeless situation. I know I need to be able to forgive, not for the benefit of anyone else, but for my own health and happiness.
In Chapter 1, Suzanne discusses the meaning of “forgiveness.” Colossians 3:13 says “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” What does it mean “to forgive?”
Suzie writes,
“Forgiveness is an intentional act to let go of the burden and restrictions of bitterness, anger, rage or unresolved emotions connected to a person or event. In other words, forgiveness is surrender. It’s offering up resentment. It’s giving up the desire to punish. It’s letting go of anger. It’s getting out of the ‘debt collection’ business.”
If indeed “to forgive” is defined as above, no wonder I am challenged. To do those things, in specific areas where I know I need to forgive, is a description of what I have NOT been able to do to this point. But it is also a description of what I WANT to be able to do.
So, I will continue the study with the goal of reaching that place of freedom where my heart is no longer burdened with the resentment and bitterness that is certainly residing there now.
I have been art journaling for about a year. I don’t “study” it or “train for it,” as I want it to be a free personal expression. I do enjoy seeing techniques that others use in their journaling, and I just combine ideas into a mish-mosh that is MY journaling! In this case, I covered the pages with gesso and then with a Lumiere Paint (Halo Violet Gold, applied with a catalyst wedge). I used music for my theme, adding collage elements and stamping. I used direct selections from the book.
For the prayer (from the book), I used a window envelope and left it open at the top. Behind the prayer is some private journaling.
I highly recommend Suzie’s book. You can order it from Amazon, or from the Store at my favorite devotional web site, Proverbs31Ministries.org.
Oh, yes, it is such fun to participate in Tim Holtz’s 12 Tags of 2013, and I look forward to the first day of each month, for a creative challenge.
With the inventory I have on hand, I own most of the elements Tim used on his inspiration tag. However, I chose to use my Cricut Easter cartridge for the bunny and the grass. For the seam binding ribbon, I used Tattered Rose and Bundled Sage Distress Inks.
I find that it is difficult to get a photo to show dimension and bling. These close-up views might give a better idea.
I am linking this project to IBS Challenge #48, using White, Light Pink and Sage. Almost every project I create uses layers and a single word sentiment, so I am once again linking to Frilly and Funkie’s Challenge with those requirements. Simon Says Stamp! Challenge Blog has an Anything Goes Challenge, so here goes!
This was so much fun and provided some great therapy while my tweaked back slowly returns to normal.
