True Nobility

Proverbs 31:29 and 30--"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

True nobility comes from the heart and is not bestowed by someone else. Fear means reverence not "being afraid." It's a matter of first things first. If we put God as Master of all we are and do, we have given Him the reverence He is due. He's the one who guides everything. It is setting the right priorities that makes for a noble woman.

I used a copy of an old Valentine (complements of Shabby Cottage Studio.com) as the focal piece. I cut out a portion and etched in gel medium and painted it gold. I also used a glitter pen to bring out the flowers. This design sits atop a beige satin box measuring 2 1/2" high and 3 1/2" in diameter. You can find this in my Etsy Shop (right sidebar),

Cold Weather

Psalm 148:8--"Snow and frost and every stormy wind, come praise the Lord!"
Praising the Lord is not the first thing I think of when an icy blast of wind strikes me, but after reading this verse, if I don't praise him the wind will. I do love the snow, however. I love when the sun glistens and the ice crystals sparkle. I love when the flakes are like snowballs and snow gathers quickly and covers everything. I'm so glad I live in a snowy climate because I do love the snow and I know it is a gift from God. Praise the Lord!

I challenged myself to make a card out of whatever I could find last weekend. I had gone on a deer camp trip with my husband and I was the cook. All I brought was scissors, an AARP magazine (totally worthless for inspirational pictures), playing cards, a copy of a vintage picture and glue stick. I found the string, made the card and when I came home I added the tulle and gel pen.

No Fear

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:18-19
God loves us perfectly, regardless of our slip-ups. He is forgiving and kind and doesn't punish us as we deserve, but holds out hope for us to learn to love others through his example.

This is a little 3" x 5" spiral notebook on which I have adhered a copy of a vintage image, dress pattern tissue then painted, etched in gel medium and highlighted with gold paint. I added fun yarn, a shoe lace, tulle and some jewelry dangles.

Little Ones

Matthew 18:6--"But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."
This is very graphic and I think we should be aware of what an impact we have when we encourage our little ones to sin. We parents who act sinfully in front of our children and grandchildren are not going unnoticed by them, nor are we hiding our sins from God. He knows exactly what's going on and we need be aware that our children WILL mimic us--good or bad--and our God will see that "our sins will find us out."

This art is based on a 3" x 5" spiral-bound notebook on which I adhered a copy of a vintage image and other ephemera, old text and dress pattern tissue. I etched in gel medium and highlighted with gold paint and added fun yarn, ribbon and jewelry dangles.

The Lord Cares For You

"Cast all your anxiety upon him because he cares for you."--1 Peter 5:7
It is promised in the Bible that the world will never be at peace. We seek peace but we'll not have it. The only true peace lies in Jesus Christ who gives us a sense of calm in the middle of the storm. There are so many anxieties in life, so many cares and woes, so many pitfalls. If we didn't trust in the Lord, in whom can we trust? God truly cares when no one else does. He truly wants us to find that peace of a lifetime in him. The verse indicates "all," so that means even the little cares are to be given to him. We'd be happier people if we took this verse to heart.

I made little notebooks for gifts and this is one I gave away a Christmas. I started with a copy of a vintage image and intuitively built around it, adding whatever came to fit. This collage is made on a small spiral notebook measuring 3" x 5." I added yarn, ribbon and jewelry findings for fun.
I've also added a tad of my signature gel etching. Can't forget that.

The Lord's Delight

PSALM 103:2-5--

Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits--
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

This art is based on a small composition notebook on which I adhered a vintage image (Paper Whimsy), other ephemera, dress pattern paper, paint, stain, gel medium, jewelry findings and yarn. It measures 3 1/2" x 4 1/2."

A Seed of Faith

“The disciples said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith .’ ” –Luke 17:5. This passage goes on to talk about the mustard seed. It encourages us to use our faith because it doesn’t take much for it to work. Even the youngest of believers can use the faith God has given them to accomplish great things for the Lord. Put your faith to work today to move a mountain or two.

This art is based on a small notebook on which I adhered a vintage image and dress pattern paper. I also used paint, gel and stick-on rhinestones. It measures 3 ½” x 4 ½.”

Families

I've been working on this collaged piece for a while now. It was commissioned by my sister-in-law, Pat. Pat has been taken by this style and wanted her family pictures arranged in this collage style. She's seen a picture like this, but I can't wait to hand it to her and see her reaction. It's very busy but I like it. The jewelry, lace, etc. belong to her and her family members and I incorporated it into the design. All our families are little collages. Each piece is important in its own right but put together, we make a lovely design. If you don't have a family, make one but joining a church and being part of God's family.

Exodus 1:21--"Because they feared God, he gave them families of their own."

I used the back of an old College Annual measuring 9" x 12 1/2." I used computer-generated copies of family members, other ephemera, lace, old music, gel medium, paint and jewelry.

Waiting for the Right Time

Ruth 3:18--"Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens."
So many times I have jumped into decisions too soon when I should have waited to see what would happen. That has been a lack of faith in God on my part. God knows what my life will be and so many times I'm the one who plans it. I haven't waited for Him to show me His plan. We'd spend a lot less time stewing about the future when God has something and someone for us today. Do what God says to you this morning and see what His plan is for you today instead of wondering and wishing about tomorrow.

I used a small notebook, paint, gel medium, dress pattern paper, yarn, ribbons and jewelry dangles to create this little journal I gave as a gift. My inspiration came from Joanna (http://mosshill.blogs.com/).

New Creation

2 Corinthians 5:17--"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come!" Here we are in a new year. Wouldn't it be great if we could just take a pill and our excess pounds would fall off overnight. What if we could drink a potion and we wouldn't be tempted by _____ anymore? Or maybe if I use a particular lip gloss, I would not say angry words anymore. (You make your own list.) I really think that I need to believe what this verse says and remind myself of it daily. Maybe I need to put this ATC on my bathroom mirror....Now that's an idea.

I used a playing card as the base, painted it, added a vintage image and other ephemera, glitter glue and matte gel medium, etched and highlighted with gold paint. This card is the result of Art in the Word's weekly challenge.

You Are Special

Zephaniah 3:17--"He will take great delight in you..." I love this verse and use is over and again in my works. I guess I need the affirmation at times because of my low self-esteem. How wonderful to truly believe that the creator loves and delights in his creation. You know, there are some pieces I've made that are ok in my eyes and then there are others that are special to me. This is one of the special ones. I made this for my friend, Deena, (http://deenasstory.blogspot.com/) before her breast surgery in December and I love the look on the little one's face as she contemplates her fate. I need another picture of her as she finds out that her Savior actually delights in her. That news should bring a smile to her face. It does to Deena. Does it to you?

I used a small notebook and added a vintage image and other ephemera and text and dress pattern pieces. I etched in gel medium, stained and highlighted in gold paint. I punched a hole and added jewelry dangles, ribbon and jute cording. It measures 3 1/2" x 4 1/2."

Little Journal

I made a few little journals to give away at Christmastime and I'll post a few the next few days. No, this is not Shirley Temple but the picture does resemble her. I got the idea from Joanna from Mosshill.blogs.com, however, mine pale in comparisson to hers. I used a little notebook and added a vintage picture and other ephemera, pattern tissue, brass charms, ribbon, button, waxed thread and etched in gel medium, stained and highlighted with gold. I put foreign text inside the front and back covers and back of the book and stained it.

The best journal is the one written by the followers of God. It is called the Holy Bible.
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..."--2 Timothy 3:16.

Crafts of All Kinds

"He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen...," Exodus 35:35.
I was taking pictures of some of my Christmas "stuff" before I put it away and decided to use this piece today. We craftspeople have responsibilities, too. We're to use our gifts for the Lord just like anyone else. I made this cross stitch and pulled thread work on linen many years ago. I display it in the winter. It was the first piece I'd done on linen and there are a lot of mistakes, but you have to look closely to find them if you're not an expert. All of us make mistakes--some you can see easily and some you have to be an expert to notice, but they are there. We know they're there and so does God. We can get frustrated by our mistakes and decide not to try again or we can work around and through them to accomplish something useful or beautiful regardless. I think God would have us do the later.

The finished design measures approximately 7" x 11" and it sits in a 10" x 14" frame. This cross stitch, even though it took me a long time to work, is one of my favorite pieces. I used DMC floss and Mill Hill beads worked on Irish linen.

Joyful Noise

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing."-- Psalm 100:1-2. I've wondered why we use noise-makers to bring in the new year. I guess because they are a form of celebration. We use them also on birthdays (remember those little whistley blow toys?) and the Fourth of July in the USA. We're also encouraged by the Psalmist to use noise-makers in worship. You don't have to know how to sing, just sing praise. If you've studied an instument, use it in worship. The most joyful noise we have is our telling others of Christ. Go out and make some noise!

I made this card way back in November and forgot to use it for Christmas, but I thought it was appropriate now. I used an image of an old postcard, old stamps from other countries, foreign text and other ephemera, gesso and paint on a playing card.

New Snow

"He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth.' " Job 37:6

I love winter. I've always said that if it's going to be cold, it should snow and it does where we live. The bad thing about it is that it gets dirty quickly. As a matter of fact, everything gets dirty--cars, shoes, gloves, yards, streets, walkways, et al. Snow usually begins in December and stays on the ground until about March. Sometimes it gets warm enough to melt off the yards but the mounds of snow in the parking lots betray the fact that winter is not over. Just as we think we're done with snow, we have more. I don't care, though, because it is so beautiful. All the dirty is gone and the clean white snow covers us once more. Christ makes us new again by covering our sins and making us clean as new-fallen snow.

This card was created on watercolor paper on which I adhered a vintage image, other ephemera, gesso and glitter glue. It measures 2 1/2" x 3 1/2."