Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Hope Doll Presented

This is the second doll created in JoAnnA's workshop. I've named her "Hope" and the words that come to me today are from an old hymn, public domain, "The Solid Rock."

The Solid Rock words: Edward Mote, 1797-1874; music: William B. Bradbury, 1816-1868

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

Chorus:
On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace;
In ev'ry high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne.

Monday, March 30, 2009

First Doll

This is the full picture of the first doll I made in Joanna's Doll Workshop. Find out more on her blog. She has a unique way of developing one's own personal doll from the leftovers one may have just lying around. We're all just "leftovers" ready to be made into something new every day by our creator. We just need to see the big picture and allow ourselves to be renewed every day by Him.

Psalm 103:5--"(God) satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Card from Scraps

I made this 5" x 6 1/2" card from some of the trims like I showed you yesterday. I love making things from scraps--things others don't want. Most of these trims I bought at yard and estate sales and the flat lace strips come from old hankies I've trimmed. It's fun to buy a beat up thin hankie and make something useful from it. So many were discarded when "used up" but some people couldn't part with the delicate lace embroidery they spent so much time creating. So they put it in a drawer for someone else to find. I'm so glad God doesn't just throw us away when we become to frayed, torn or broken. He just keeps creating us anew for his own plan. Sometimes we have to wait in the drawer for years until he makes us a beautiful, purposeful piece of art.

Psalm 51:10-11--"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence."

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

HOPE I've Seen the Flowers

Yes, my crocus are blooming! Finally! It's so wonderful to see how God creates beauty out of brown stubble. Those crocheted flowers you see above are mere images of the true creation. As I lined up these floral beauties, I thought about making a journal cover of all flowers just like this. I'm offering these in my Etsy shop instead. I must destash! So here they go, I hope.
I'm so grateful for flowers.

Song of Solomon 2:12--"Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land."

Monday, March 23, 2009

The Way I Like It

I made this journal just the way I like it with roses and lace. I used the Roses Collage Sheet from Shabby Cottage Studio and lots of my flat lace I got last year at a yard sale (all grey and icky that I washed and ironed.) I love it but I'm going to sell it (hopefully) in my Etsy shop. I rearranged Gail's sheet to fit the notebook cover after using one of her decorative papers (a one-stop purchase that can be used over and over again-yeh!) I then positioned the pictures, added the word "roses" stamped with old letter press letters, and added all the lace dividers. So, if this doesn't sell, I'll use it for my notebook I keep by my computer. Hmmm, I seem to have a lot of these artsy leftovers lying around my house....seems I'd get the hint, doesn't it? Oh, well, when one has a passion for creating, a lot of people get my gifts and I have some to donate as well. There's a youth auction coming up at my church so many things will go there.

It also seems that I do many things in my life "just the way I like it." This last Sat. our church had a "walk" through one of the neighborhoods on the South side of Peoria. We are adopting a block and beginning to meet the needs of the people there two Saturdays a month. We abstained from voting on this one in our business meeting; I knew I didn't want to "waste" our Saturdays. Of course, when one's husband is the Associate Pastor of the church, who's involved in EVERYTHING!!! that goes on at the church (whether he voted on it or not), it's hard to "hide." It's readily noticed when I'm not there. I stayed home and created and put things on Etsy and took pictures, etc., etc. So, needless to say, I felt guilty for not going. Dog-gone-it! I wish I didn't feel guilty for everything. I try not to. I rationalize, compensate, and promise to do whatever comes up next to make myself feel better. I need to be seeking God first and letting him decide what I do today and then listen and do it. (I really think it also has something to do with my being first-born and responsible for it all.)
Matthew 6:33--"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." This is my favorite verse; so why don't I heed it?

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Looking Toward Easter

Yesterday was the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. With Spring comes Easter. Easter, to me, means New Life--putting away the old and bringing on the new. Yes, Spring cleaning. How I hate to organize; it seems a waste of time. And yet, when things are in order, I'm able to find them better. A musician/artist personality sometimes has trouble organizing--yes, I mean me. I've procrastinated about organizing my art stuff. It seems I just keep adding to the pile faster than I can take things away. So....I've started destashing. I started putting things on Etsy. You wouldn't believe, or maybe you would, how much time it takes to decide what to "give" away. Yes, I do charge for my stuff...but such a little for the time spent sorting. Yeh, yeh, life is tough. Oh, that this would be the least of my worries. Anyway, I've made some little pretties to celebrate Spring and Easter--now to add the scripture. How about adding a tag that says, "New Life!"

Romans 6:4--"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

Friday, March 20, 2009

Another Nest Wreath

This is the another wreath I made the other day. Pink and brown looks pretty together--seems like I'm seeing a lot of it lately. Take refuge in the Lord today. Allow Him to encircle you with His wings.
Psalm 17:8--"Hide me in the shadow of your wings."

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Where Do You Make Your Nest?

I've been seeing paper wreaths around bloglandia in my neck of the woods so I decided to make my version. The cutest ones have nests so I scrounged around and found a few in my stash. This one went to the shop Tuesday. I've made three now; they're addictive. I didn't like the technique used by one of the artists so I made up my own. I thought it turned out cute.

Psalm 104:16-17--"The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the pine trees."

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Blanket is Complete

The cross-stitched blanket for grandchild number 13 is finally complete. Whew!
Here is little Grace using it for the first time and here is her beautiful Mommy--the mother of seven. She is "grace" walking. Did you know that seven children are very noisy?
Psalm 127:4-5--"Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are [children] born in one's youth. Blessed is the man (woman) whose quiver is full of them."
This pattern was taken from a Better Homes and Gardens 1992 Treasures in Needlework that I bought at a yard sale for 50 cents. The designer is Lorri Birmingham. I did the lettering.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Happy Birthday, Mary

Zephaniah 3:17--"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Mary, I know you read my posts. Thank you and Happy Birthday, dear friend. I hope the day brings you much joy. I love you.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Corrected Book Cover

I didn't do a whole lot more to this cover than I had (about two posts ago). I just changed the word "contentment" to the word "content". I changed the ribbon color from sheer pink to sheer lavender to match the beaded flowers and I put book binding material under the word that I had copied on old French text. I then added the lace around the word. I put this in my Etsy shop today. Maybe it will intrique someone. I'm not a journalist--not even an art journal but I hope someone is.

We have beautiful sunny weather today although it's very cold and the South is supposed to get more wintery weather. We're headed there over the next few days. I hope we get there because those southern states don't have many means of clearing the roads. We're going to celebrate our granddaughter's birthday who's number six of seven children. It will be good to see that new baby, too. Back soon.

Psalm 119: 90--"Your faithfulness continues through all generations."

Monday, March 9, 2009

Speed Cross Stitching

This blanket is supposed to look like

this picture at the end of the week! Wow, have you ever tried to speed-cross-stitch. Sorry, it doesn't work--not for me, at least. What I need now is the impossible. This weekend is my granddaughter's 2nd birthday and we're going to go visit. Her little sister was born two months ago and I began this just after her birth but didn't put the pressure on until now. I have two arthritic thumbs that can only go for so long at a time so I'm interspersing my working with other necessary things to do. The impossible? Maybe, but I also believe in prayer and will ask help from the one for whom nothing is impossible.
Matthew 19:26--"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' "

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Struggling with Contentment

I've named this journal "Contentment" based on the 1 Corinthians 13 chapter--the section on "love does not envy," with contentment being the oppostite. The problem lies in the fact that I'm not content with this cover; I don't love it yet. Something is missing, starting with the title. That definitely needs to be changed. It's been sitting on my table for over about a week now and I have no ideas. How about your helping me fix this? I'm open to your suggestions.

Hope Doll

My second doll using JoAnnA's techniques was finished today. I put this one on a perfume bottle and gave her the name, "Hope." I started this with my friend, Deena, and just didn't have the muse to give her a face until yesterday (sorry, I can't show her yet.) Today I added the little danglies. The vial contains the scripture from Psalm 25:5--"You are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long." I want whoever receives this doll to believe this verse. Even in the difficult times of life I need to hope and believe that God has my best interests at heart.

I used an old perfume bottle (the stinky kind and washed well), beads and baubles to fill it, glass vial with cork stopper, covered and stamped tag, cross, heart and anchor charms, an old earring, a piece of corroded hardware, an old doll head, flowers, cheese cloth, yarn, etc, etc.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Pearl of Great Value

I've been taking an on-line workshop with JoannA Pierotti and this is a partial photo of the finished doll. We're not allowed to post the finished piece but I think this is generic enough and doesn't give away her techniques. I loved making this little one and will be making others as I acquire the materials. I'm naming this one "Pearl of Great Value" and took my inspiration from the scripture in
Matthew 13:44-45--"The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."

The knowledge of Christ is so valuable that we need to give up everything we have for it. Knowing him means eternity for us.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Writings

Proverbs 3:3--"Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart."

Here's another in the "Heart Thoughts" series of mini journals I made for February. How do you bind "love and faithfulness" around your neck? Hmmm....a necklace maybe? Have you seen the symbols for "faith, hope and love"? They are a cross, an anchor and a heart. We see many crosses and hearts but not so many anchors. What's more fitting than an anchor to demonstrate "hope?" There's a lot of weight depending on one little anchor and if it doesn't hold, the whole ship could be lost. Christ is my anchor. When the world is splashing around me, he holds me fast. He is my hope. It's so important to remember this and that is why it is best to memorize scripture. When a crisis occassion presents itself, then I can recall God's words to help me. I need to write more on my heart.