Had The House To Myself This Morning

I woke up this morning to peace and quiet... it was so lovely. The boys went for a sleepover lastnight and hubbub and I had the evening to ourselves. We watched the movie "Unstoppable" with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. Surprisingly I was on the edge of my seat during much of it!



So... back to this morning...

I made my morning tea, set up my drawing easle and large sketch book, got out my IPOD with my favorite tunes and turned up the volume...

and put the pencil to the paper!



I had an image in my mind before I began. Large eyes were certain.



After two hours of glorious bliss listening to music, sketching and having ME time... I was so at peace. Thank you God for this wonderful time!

I'm not finished her quite yet. I have named her however... her name is Evangeline. I have in mind to add some angel wings to the background, what do you think about that?

I can't tell you how good it feels to be able to have this time to do some of my art work! It has been much too long.

I hope you have an amazing weekend everyone. Many hugs and blessings to you.
With all my love...

I'm Back - Finally!!!

I am not completely recovered yet, but I have been able to sit in my bed and actually create some journal pages! YAHOO! Just to let you know ~ I hope I never have to go in for surgery again!!! Wow, the recovery process really is yucky! It was really strange the past few weeks I have felt such a strong tugging in my stomache, abdomen area, it felt alot like when I was pregnant with my boys and they would stretch out and push my ribs ~ so strange. Getting better though, it will be three weeks this Tuesday. I worked for 11 hours last week and this week I am going to add another hour each day until I feel good enough to work the full six hours. I am taking it really slow.

The above journal pages I did while watching numerous movies while I was on bedrest. It sort of reminds me of an old western don't you think? It is completely done with my copic markers, which are running dry ~ yikes! Hubbub thinks it looks like a Disney Cartoon Character ~ I could see that I guess.



One day this past week I was near a Scrapbooking store and decided to take a peak (since it has been forever and a day that I have been in one)... and I found these amazing stencils by Crafters Workshop. I haven't been online to their website yet but I will look at it maybe this week sometime. The dragonflies caught my eyes immediately, I have never before seen such a thin stencil, and it worked like a charm! Isn't it gorgeous???? It is called Dragonfly Harmony.



This one is called Mini-Flutterby.



Here is a closer view of the beautiful wings of the butterfly.



The image on the left is called Tied Dyed by Crafters Workshop and the one on the right is by Tattered Angels part of the 3pc Winter Trees collection. I LOVE MY TREES!

I felt so blessed to find these stencils as I am certain they will be well used for my art journaling class!

Well, that's all for now. I am so glad that I am back to blogging... at least posting. Now, I have to get caught up on all of your fabulous blogs! I have missed you dearly!

Many hugs and blessings and as always... Happy Creating!

Blog Candy Over At Feline Creative

I have been trying to enter a few Blog Candy Giveaways to try and build up some supplies for the healing art journaling class I will be teaching, as with most non-profit organizations they do not have a budget for supplies. So... I thought I might be able to win some!

Therefore I am posting a link to Karens blog candy over at http://felinecreative.blogspot.com/2011/02/winter-blog-candy.html .
Good luck everyone!
Happy Creating

This Week Has Thrown me... Emergency Appendectomy!

I really didn't see that coming! I was feeling so much better from the Curcummin I was taking for th FM. Sunday afternoon I started to get sharp pains on my left side abdomen then the pains kind of radiated all over. I couldn't sleep all night due to the pains. Thenext morning I made a Drs appointment but couldn't get in until 3:20. I lasted until 2:30 and told hubbub to take me to the hospital! Eight hours of waiting later we were told it was my Appendix. I got into surgery around 1:30am Tuesday morning!
I was in the hospital until Thursday! There's no place like home!
Just wanted to update you as to my where abouts!
I'm doing fine now just alot of sleeping!
Hugs to you all and many blessings!

Saturday Night Journaling

Sometimes I just need to draw girlie things... this was my girlie Saturday night!

Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend. Hugs and blessings to you all and as always HAPPY CREATING!

Healing Art Journaling Coming Along

Healing Art Journaling is something that is so close and precious to my heart and now that God has confirmed His purpose in my life I am going full force into diving right in. God is doing AMAZING things in me including leading me to feeling so much better physically ~ SERIOUSLY! I do not remember when I felt this good!

Over Christmas my in-laws came to stay with us and I spoke with them about my Fibromyalgia... a week after they went home I received an article from my mother-in-law about Fibromyalgia and research that has proven people with it who take Curcummin (a derivitive of Turmeric) (Found at everyday health food stores) are finding themselves in a lot less pain and having not to take as much pain medication! I had heard of this a few months back but kind of blew it off as 'ya, another thing that is supposed to help, whatever!' (I was really frustrated back then)... anywho... when I received this article from my MIL I thought about it, and decided that God was trying to tell me something so I went and picked some up and have been taking it for two weeks now, three times a day. I think it is actually working... that and God is showing me such grace and mercy. I know it is all due to HIM who strengthens me.

So... back to the point... I'm feeling good... I'm psyched to do this healing art journaling for the women at the shelter and for my church. God is opening all the doors and is even speaking to me in my dreams and the adrenalin is flowing! YAHOOEY!

The above page I drew two faces, without features, because I am going to write a letter in each. However, I think I may use this in the journaling classes for the ladies to write what's on their mind. It can represent so many things going on inside of them! I got the idea for the border design from a carpet at the ladies shelter (I LOVE FINDING TEXTURE EVERYWHERE!). What a funky design right? So right!







This spread I was thinking about holding your light out to the world so that they can see it! I pictured actually holding the light within us in our hands, how it would look if we could physically hold it and give it out to people!




I did this page while watching a movie and playing with my new labeller. I have wanted one of these babies for a long time and have been watching the prices fluctuate for months... then I found one at Staples for $20.00. I thought, 'what a great price right?'... then I discovered afterwards that the tape that goes inside costs $22.00 each for 13' of tape! YIKES-A-DOODLE that's expensive! So now I am using it sparingly but still had fun making these labels.

Well I hope you are all geared up for a fabulous weekend! I know I am! I pray that you have an amazing weekend and are blessed with great joy, peace and love!

Happy Creating everyone!!!!
Much love always.

Thankful God Knows Me Journal Spread

This week has been a strange one... I was tested and I think I came out okay (with a lot of prayer). There was a confrontation at work and anyone who knows me knows that I am the LEAST confrontational person on the planet! It came completely out of the blue and threw me off guard ~ God helped strengthen me as He always does when I go to Him in prayer. I cannot tell you enough of how blessed I feel to serve such an amazing God.

This journal spread came this past week as I was thinking about the orchestration of events that are falling into place for me to teach at a Women's Shelter here in Calgary. Let me tell you the whole story...

Two Saturday nights ago I was anxiously lying in bed feeling very frustrated staring up at my art shelves, looking at all my supplies. I was mad at myself because lately it has felt as though I am taking advantage of the gifts that God had given me, not using them for His good and perfect purpose. With tears flowing I began to pray crying out to God for Him to relieve me of my gifts if I am not using them for Him. I asked that He take them away if I am just wasting them. I then asked, if they have been given to me for His good purpose then confirm them in me, let me know so that I can serve Him. I prayed for a long time and went to sleep feeling a little uneasy not knowing what God had planned for me.

The next day I went to Church and there was a prayer call for anyone needing prayer. After humming and hawing... I went up to the front. I wanted prayer to ask God what His plans were for me and to show me what to do. Waiting my turn I bowed my head expecting one of the pastors to come up to me. Instead, one of the pastors wives came up to me and began praying. Her words hit me like lightening and my body instantly began to tremble... she said something in regards to ,'God, this lady has a gift and she needs to use it for You...' Right then I knew that God was confirming His gifts in me.

That afternoon this lady called me and I went over to her house the next day where things were set in motion for me to teach the women Healing Art Journaling at the Women's Shelter where she works.

I am so in love with my GOD! He wants to give me all the desires of my heart, and my desires are His desires. My desire is to comfort those in need with the same comfort Jesus once showed me when I was in the darkest period of my life (read 2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Now, it's my turn to give back. Thank you God for this amazing opportunity to serve you.

Did you know that God wants to give you ALL the desires of your heart too? Ask Him and you will see!

Happy Creating everyone, with many hugs and blessings!

Waking The Dead That They May Live

This is what I accomplished at work last week! It has been dreadfully slow for awhile now but we still manage to pull in some Kitchen Cabinetry business... not enough to keep me busy at work but enough to stay in business!

I had three faces in my mind - one representing the walking dead, one representing coming to life, and one representing actually living. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed working with the grey tones ~ I never use grey.

I hope and pray you are all having a wonderful start to your new week and that you are all warm (if you are in a snowy climate like myself)!

We had a fabulous weekend with my boys gone off to Youth camp and my hubby and I left staring at one another saying, "Okay, now what do we do?" LOL.

Hugs and blessings, and as always... Happy Creating!

My dear sweet friend Angelia over at Angelia's Art Journals has honored me by me being her first interview on her Thursday Blog post of Thursday's Child.
If you would like to see my interview please go to her blog and click on the link Thursday's Child on her sidebar.
Thank you Angelia for this great honor!
Hugs and blessings everyone!

Working Wisdom Into My Soul

I began this spread a couple months ago and for some reason I struggled with the right side. I drew the bird and then I stared at the bird... pondered the bird... and couldn't get past the bird. Not only the bird stumped me, but... the red paper really blocked me creatively too! I don't know if it was the bird or the red flap that through me off!

Have you ever been stumped like that?

After a couple of months I went back to it and managed to finish, but this was really hard to do!




I did enjoy working under the flap however. I liked the pattern of black circles and white marker.

Well, enjoy your weekends everyone! Hugs and many blessings and as always Happy Creating!

Happy New Year - Time To Make Somebody HAPPY!

Time to make somebody HAPPY!

Lastnight my hubby brought in the mail and I received some wonderful happy mail! I LOVE receiving letters from my penpals ~ or anyone for that matter! LOL. My friend in Winnipeg sent me a beautiful letter made out of recycled material and it was just lovely! I am so very blessed. Her letters are all so entertaining and creative.

So I went to work in the reciprocation process to produce my return letter to her...

I found these beautiful sceneric napkins at our local grocery store about a month ago and have wanted to make something with them for the longest time - now was the perfect time! If you click on the above picture you can see that I stitched the napkin together! Don't you just love the scene that is played out on it???



Inside the cover you can see how I glued it onto the other side as well as stitched it. I added pages to the inside of the booklet, pages 2 and 12 (as placed in the book) I shaped into large leaves and then colored and embellished them with some texture.





Pages 3 and 11 I sprayed with Glimmer mist using an alphabet stencil, then I drew wings on the top of the pages. On the other side, pages 4 and 10 I used a large flower sticker that I received from another wonderful penpal of mine which created a lovely accent to the booklet as you can see below.





Don't you just love that flower! I knew I had to use it as soon as I received it! You can't keep something this beautiful to yourself!!! Pages 5 and 9 I drew one of my lovely feather masks with eyes and journal lines ~ I love the Peacock blue with this and have used this color on multiple masked faces I have made!





In the very middle of the booklet I zentangled my hand (which if you know me, you know that I absolutely love zentangling and drawing hands!) This worked out perfectly to create a wonderful focus for the overall spread!

Now all that's left is to fill it in with all the juicy details that only a penpal can write to a penpal! Did I mention how much I love Happy Mail? Now it's my turn to make somebody HAPPY!

Well, I wish you all a very Happy New Year with much love and many blessings! Happy Creating everyone!

Merry Christmas Everyone

Merry Christmas everyone! I do not know how much I will be around for the holidays so I am wishing you a very Merry Christmas and I pray that you enjoy your families, your homes, good people, good food and are truly blessed. May your New Year bring His great joy, peace and unending love to each of you.

God bless you always and thank you so much for following, reading and commenting on my blog ~ I appreciate you all very much!

Thinking Back Through 2010

This year (2010) my Word for the Year was Breakthrough... I was thinking about that and at one point I thought... hmph! "There wasn't too much of that going on!" Then I put aside my negativity and looked through my posts for this year! Breakthrough was actually the perfect word for 2010:
1. I was able to ween down my medication that I have been on for almost 14 years! (I had tried before and failed but this year I DID IT! YAY!) BREAKTHROUGH
2. I got a new job in January of 2010 and learned how to do accounting which I have never fully involved myself before (it was actually a fear of mine, but this year I overcame and am now comfortably slotted into a book keeping position!) BREAKTHROUGH
3. My husband got a new job and was blessed to get out of a job that he had been in for a number of years but never enjoyed... now he is doing something he really enjoys and is much happier. BREAKTHROUGH
4. I was finally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia - not knowing what has been happening to my body for a number of years I am now able to learn more about this illness and put into place those things that help with the pain - I am finally able to go to the Chronic Pain Clinic and learn more about the resources available. BREAKTHROUGH
5. I started the Artist Blog Hop and since then have met MANY awesome artists who have inspired me so deeply - BREAKTHROUGH



6. Both of my sons are happy with school this year (never happened before that they both love it) BREAKTHROUGH

These are all amazing BREAKTHROUGH's in my life this year and I can see how God has worked in my life through this word that He gave me.

Now onto 2011 and I am looking forward to the HEALING HEALTH that will come! Come Lord Jesus come! Amen.



I pray that all of you can look back over this year and find the blessings that you have received.

Many hugs and blessings to you all - Merry Christmas!

Inspired by Angelia

The above picture is the beginning... it all started here... (I have posted the finished pages at the bottom of this post).


Last week Angelia from Angelia's Art Journal has been doing some amazing art journal spreads with acrylic paint. I have loved seeing the progression of her pages from small blobs of paint to actual faces, birds etc. Her lovely pages have inspired me to try this (for me, very scary) technique. I unfortunately have not experimented with, hmmmm... what's the right word to describe this... is it abstract??? I'm not sure! Finding your painting in through the colors on the page, allowing the images to find you actually is something very new for me. As you can probably tell from my art work I am not experimental, or very abstract... usually what you see is what it actually is, there's no guess work involved in my work! LOL.
I really need to try not to be so regimented as I can feel that creative spirit inside of me wanting to burst free of it's confines that I have placed around it. This is where the lovely Angelia comes in. She is such a wonderful inspiration to me, I can't get enough of her vibrant colors and free spirit that just flows out of her and onto paper or canvas. I just discovered that she is a painter! I can't believe I did not know this before! This is one of her awesome journal spreads - isn't this fabulous???






And this is another amazing spread - look at this detail!








From Angelia's inspiration I was able to work out an image from a few blobs of colored paint and this is the outcome... (surprise, surprise... can you see the tree?)




I must say that at first I wasn't liking what was coming up... I did not like the colors, the way they were blending, I wasn't very imaginative in pulling out the images but in the end I felt it was very liberating to make such a mess and then to be able to clean it up! LOL! I think I will do some more of these spreads, especially after seeing what Angelia has accomplished!

Thank you so much Angelia for all your inspiration!

Hugs and blessings to you all! I hope and pray you are all enjoying Christmas!
Happy Creating everyone!

New Word For 2011 (Journal Spread) - Done Early

I can't believe it! Usually I do not remember to do my "Word Of the Year" until after the New Year has begun! Yahooey! For once I am ahead of myself! (imaginatively doing the happy dance right now!)

This year has been quite the year and I am anxiously waiting for 2011 to begin although I am enjoying the Christmas Season! I am ahead of all the hustle and bustle that plagues many a household this time of year... I do not like the busyness at all! I HATE crowds of people so when I do my Christmas shopping I embrace it as if I am in battle - very strategically! Last week my son Ben and I went and did our shopping together (every year we choose who is buying for who and go off to a store to buy those little gifts)... we mapped out our list of things to do and it was a great success! Nowadays strip malls are going up all over the place so chances of you finding everything you need in one place are very high ~ for convenience I give that a thumbs up! Although, I do not particularily love seeing these strip malls everywhere. We as a society are very commercial, very materialistic and seem to flock to these malls like bees on honey ~ I am guilty of this! I yearn for the simplistic life while I type on my laptop computer in my nice warm and cozy house, all nested in with my Itouch I-pod on one side and my blackberry on the other! Does that sound strange to anyone else? I do not actually know what a 'simplistic life' would look like, though this year I think I am going to try harder to be more simplistic and not have so many "things"...

Anyway, on to my new "Word of the year"



I chose two words this year because they go hand-in-hand: HEALING Health! I didn't have to think too long to know that I really need to focus on Healing and getting Healthy in 2011. As pointed out by one of my dear blogging friends Esther, many of us are in deep need of healing this coming year! Well, it's so very true! How many of us, if not every one of us need that healing touch from the Lord to rain down upon us and set us free from physical, emotional or spiritual bondage?

I say no more!

I can't stand to go through another year of being bound by physical pain and I know that God doesn't want this for me either!

So basically... I SURRENDER! I am giving it ALL to the Lord this year! I have so much junk-in-my-trunk that it's no wonder I am sick! I am talking about toxicity in my body that I really need to find away to get out! I am also talking about healing of my spirit too, all the stress that has accumulated within me that makes me sick! All of it! I give it all to you LORD!

I understand the logic, I understand that God desires so many amazing, wonderful things for His people. He does not want us to hurt or to be physically ill... He wants us to live life to its fullest in health, and love and service to Him. How can we do that if we are bound by illness? I pray that the Lord fills me with Healing and Health this year so that I can serve Him. I pray that you also find that healing and that health you so desire. May 2011 be the year that we are all fully restored in His grace and His love! Amen!

And that all sounds so good... now I just have to hold firm to that for this is my desire!

Many hugs and blessings to all of you, I pray that you are all enjoying the blessings that this season brings. Remember to keep the "Christ" in Christmas and be very full of love and joy!

Don't forget to get yourself some "Happy Creating" time!

Wisdom, Heavenly vs. Worldly

I have attempted to capture what the Lord has placed upon my heart in regards to Heavenly vs. Worldly wisdom many times. In the beginning few chapters of Proverbs Wisdom is seen as a woman, and she is compared to the Adulteress in these chapters as well.

I see Wisdom from a Heavenly perspective as a woman peacefully natured, calm and pleasing to the eye, nothing harsh but beckoning with pure love and consideration of others. Like God looking down on us, Wisdom is calling out to us only desiring to fill us with Heavenly knowledge and understanding to direct our path in life to eternal life with the Father.

I see wisdom from a Worldly perspective as a woman adulteress with harsh, bold lines. From a worldly perspective she is pleasing to the eye, beauty outside but inside is death... void. She beckons out of greed, desire, and temporary pleasures much like the ways of our world. The World fills us with worldly knowledge to live this 'temporary' life but lacks directing us to eternity and instead leads the way to Death.


Wisdom (Heavenly) "She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed" Proverbs 3:18

The Adulteress (Worldly) "For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life." Proverbs 2:18-19

In the past I have gone about capturing one thing about Wisdom at a time, but I was unable to truly capture the vision fully. I am thinking I need to do a series of paintings dedicated to this topic to examine it completely.

This is what I have so far.

I hope all of you are enjoying your December so far.
I have been considering what my WORD for 2011 will be. Last year it was BREAKTHROUGH and I am leaning heavily towards HEALING as my word for 2011. I could really use it.

Much love, hugs and blessings coming your way.

Happy Creating Everyone!

Paper Dolls For My Nieces

These dolls have filled my past time for the last couple of weeks! After learning these whimsical characters from Willowing.org I have had a blast creating them for my nieces for Christmas. I remember playing with paper dolls when I was a girl ~ they would be my entertainment for hours!





The fashion for these dolls was pretty basic, just dresses, pants, shirts and an angel outfit for Christmas. My nieces are 9 and 7 so I think they will enjoy them! Well that's one Christmas present done! Yahooey!

Wishing you all the very best fun while you prepare for your Christmas! Happy Creating everyone!

Hugs and many blessings to you!