Fact #51 - I Love Birds

Fact #51 - I Love Birds! I could sit on my back deck and listen and watch birds all day long every day weather permitting. I find it so peaceful. When we go to Kid's Camp with our Church I find it very relaxing listening to the birds found only in the woods. I can't wait to go camping this year and bring my binoculars. I find it funny (no offense) but my friend Nancy is afraid of birds and doesn't care for them at all! I think she had one fly at her one day or it was stuck in her house - yikes. That is pretty scary!

How I Spent My Weekend - Girls Weekend

Okay... when I say 'girls weekend' I am meaning myself and my Mila puppy. My hubby and boys were at spring camp for our Church. They had a blast and I missed them terribly... but I did manage to have some very much needed time in the sun and with God. The weather here has been so up and down (I'm talking snow blizzard one day to almost 20degrees (27 on my back deck) overnight. And now we seem to be back to a rainy snowy day as I look out my window! No... it looks like a light snow. Oy vay! What's going on with our spring. I got a sunburn on my back neck and shoulders on Saturday. I couldn't find our sunscreen anywhere but I HAD to sit in the sun. Now I am paying for it bigtime!
Anyway... back to what I did. On Thursday night we went out to dinner as a family and then I took my boys to Chapters. As they picked out their Spiderwick (Ben) and Guardians of Gahoolie (Josh) books, I made my way over to the "Arts and crafts section". I found two books, the first was Art Journaling - how it leads to healing... and the second book was Faithbooking, prayer journals and more. I was taken away by these books as God has made it such a passion of mine. As I read the first through some of the first book... God took me on my own journey of what I have experienced in my life and how far I have come. I spent three hours just writing, writing, writing ~ hence the sunburn. I wrote about what God has done for me, what I have dealt with, the process of healing He has led me through, what I have given up and what I have received by letting go of things I once thought I needed to hold onto. The above journal pages express some of what I journaled this weekend.

The first picture is from different magazines I have collected over the years. There was an article on Sifing Your life - letting go of yourself and latching on to God. That inspired the page with the big tree 'Transformed By Faith' as I thought through how God has shown me how to sift myself and then how He has been right here with me through all my storms. The next page "Describing the Experience" was about how I hear God in the still quiet moments of my life. How He transformed me through these moment and how He works is nothing short of miraculous. The last page I did the background with my distress inks, the colors are rather dramatic because I wanted it to show the dramatic way I have been transformed from a life of regret, to a life with no regret. From a life gripped with fear and loneliness to a life of forgiveness, and pure love. God has lifted me from all that I thought I knew, to filling me with His heavenly wisdom allowing me to be content and protected in the shadow of His wings. I know I say this over and over... but I am amazed, I am in awe of what an awesome God we serve! If we allow Him in He will restore us, make us new, wash away all the murky waters transforming us into His children.
Happy creating everyone. God bless you.

God Speak - Journal Entries

The first page I brought out my pastels and I had an image of a woman praying. It isn't me as I have brown hair, but it may have been me when my hair was much blonder. What I wrote was what I was feeling at a particularily hard time in my life ~ how I would cry out to God earnestly seeking His presence in my life. He was good and is always to be with me. He has brought such healing and peace and joy to my life, a comfort straight from the arms of God that I will share to others as God places them in my life.
The next two pages I created with Tim Holtz distress inks for the backgrounds. CHF Stamps of trees and Ranger Products Acrylic Daubers. The images just called for verses from the Word. The one page I haven't been urged with the verse that is trying to speak to me ~ I will add it in His timing not mine. I love playing with distress inks and alterable items. They are so much fun.
Well, Happy Creating once again everyone.

I Had To Add These Pictures To My Journal

I was at work one day, a day in which was particularily slow... and so after getting the mail I saw a magazine that my boss Cynthia ordered ~ April 2008 Country Living and so I browsed through it because I was bored and I came across the most beautiful advertisement I have ever seen. The above pictures are the ones that came from that advertisement. The colors drew me in and the whimsical feeling of all the pictures. It made me wish that I was a size "2" so that I could where clothing like those pictured. I don't think they would look as good on my size "12" body. Maybe one day I will miraculously lose the weight and then I can order clothing like them. I don't know why but it felt very "Southern" ~ and I don't know what "Southern" means except that it was the first thought that came to my mind. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I did.
Happy Creating Everyone!

What Has Lil' Ol Me Been Up To???

Well, let me see. We went away for springbreak which was basically the last week of March. We drove out to Kelowna, British Columbia. I always bring my journal when I travel because I like to record different aspects of our travels in my journaling. This trip I had to draw all the funky things in the apartment - the home decor items. I loved this apartment and the way it was furnished! The decorator knew exactly what and where to place little items throughout the apartment that added just the right touch. I personally do not have this talent ~ however that may be due to the fact that my hubby doesn't like nick-nacks. I have my nick-nacks though - I collect willow tree angels and family. They are so peaceful and my youngest son loves buying them for me.
On our trip I went to the dollar store and found these funky templates that are usually used in drafting for $1.50. They came in a small and large set. So I had fun with them and was able to create a page in my journal that was really cute and funny. I added little monsters from "CHF" that I had purchased for scrapbooking and my son Ben loved these little guys. I will add more of them to this page.
So... I can't remember the last time I made a card... I think they were for Easter - but I never got around to sending or selling them because Easter came to quickly this year. God is really changing my focus and I am growing more as an artist. I used cardmaking as an outlet for 6 years during the times that were hard ~ now I want to accomplish something with my art work ~ I want to touch people's lives through what God is doing in me now. So my focus on my blog is going to be more art and art journaling from now on. I hope this won't deter too many of you crafters out there as I still love hearing from all of you.
So that's the deet's on me. With working 4 hours per day I haven't had a lot of time for my blog ~ but I am focused today.
Happy Creating Everyone!