My Thoughts of You

How I miss my children and grandchildren. My thoughts are on them many times during the day. I have to be careful not to worship them--they are adorable. Because of modern conveniences, like webcam and phones, I'm able to see and hear them and their faces and voices cheer me up. The Bible tells me on whom I'm to focus and when I have contact with him I also am cheered.
Hebrew 3:1--"Therefore, dear brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest we confess.
Psalm 86:4--"Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul."
Psalm 37:4--"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."

I used a playing card as the base of this art. I adhered old text, painted and added part of an old paper doylie,used an image of a vintage photo, added dress pattern tissue and matte gel, etched a design and stained.

House on the Rock

I made this card for the April Inspiration from Art in the Word yahoo group. The scripture reference is in Matthew 7:24-25--"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." I've known this passage for a long time but I had never noticed that rock is singled out "the rock" as if it were the only one on which to build. And of course, it is.

This art started as a playing card that I sanded, painted on both sides and adhered ephemera from four sources. I added extra branches with a micro pen.

Queen of Pink

There's no reason for me to try to find a Bible verse to go with this art. I don't think there is one. I was just sanding a playing card the other day (sanding removes some of the plastic and allows it to accept paint better) and got this idea. I have a whole sheet of one inch (some a little larger) photos and I didn't know what to do with them...so...this is the result.
I'm so greatful that God has allowed me to have this time in my life so I can create. It is truly the desire of my heart. He's given me this outlet so I won't be depressed being so far away from my family. He is so good. He also knows what is best for us. Though my husband and I miss our children and grandchildren so, God knows that it is not good for us to live near them during this time period--for whatever reason. We must accept and find the good in it...and I do and have.

There it is: 1 Chronicles 19:13--"The Lord will do what is good in his sight."

Of course, I used a playing card as the base, cut out the components from a real playing card--the Queen of Clubs , cut out different pieces of "pink", put them together like a puzzle and glued them on the painted background, added a silk flower, stamped a Q and added other ephemera and glitter glued the edge.

Make It A Pair

I enjoyed doing one shoe so much that I had to do the other. This one I'm going to try to sell on Etsy (See the side bar for my Etsy sales.) I used an old baby shoe, a vintage valentine, fun yarn, batting, tissue paper, floral stems, paper roses and leaves, pearls and a feather. It's so much fun making these that I'll have to look for some more shoes on my antique excursions. Have a great day. I plan to.

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Your Face In Every Flower

Song of Solomon 2:14--"...your face is lovely."

When I saw this little child's face, I imagined her in the middle of a flower. The Victorians many times would capture a small face of a child or young woman and place it in the middle of a flower and I think that is so beautiful. There's nothing more pretty than flowers, except maybe that of a child. God is so good to give us beauty every day. Go look at God's creations and enjoy the day God has given you.

I used a playing card as the base of this art and adhered a piece of an old hankie, cut out the center and place it around the face of this gorgeous child, added bits of lace edging, embroidered trim, a flower sprig, pearls, and added a sheer ribbon for the hanger.

The Shoes On Our Feet

1 Timothy 6:7-8--"Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that is enough." (The Message)

All the wealth in the world will not make one happy. Just look around and see all the discontented people all over the world--families, businesses, churches; discontent is everywhere. I'm a chief complainer and many times see the negative side of things. My family knows I'm the pessimist. I call myself a "realist," but I really know that I tend to see the dark side of everything. My outlook has changed over the years and I've begun to see that there are good and bad things in life and they happen to everyone. No one is without trouble or happiness. Sometimes we need to look for happiness and appreciate everything we have, no matter what it is. I made this little stuffed shoe for my friend, Deena, who had a birthday this week and is bravely going through cancer treatments. She has a blog (http://deenasstory.blogspot.com/) and lists all the joys she has instead of her trials. What a great example of appreciation of what God gives.

For this art project I used an old baby shoe, a copy of a vintage image and other ephemera, paper flowers, fun yarn, tissue paper, tulle, cotton batting, cardboard, floral stems and leaves, ribbons and pearls.

Friendship

1 Samuel 20:42--"Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord."

There's nothing like Christian friendship. Even when friends have a disagreement, they still love each other and work things out until the relationship is firm again. This scripture is from an agreement between Jonathan and David. Jonathan was King Saul's son and David, at the time, was a servant of Saul's. The two boys struck up a friendship that lasted for a lifetime. Even though both of them went through many heartaches, the relationship was strong. They had to work at it though. Just like today, friendships take work and commitment. Personally, it's difficult for me to make friends. Probably it's because I'm not willing to commit the time and effort necessary. I have more time since my children and grandchildren don't live close anymore. I'm trying to gain lasting friendships by opening up and giving my time. I'm trying.

This art is based on a 6" square canvas on which I have adhered pieces of old handkerchiefs, ribbons, sheer ruffle, tacks, buttons, brass charm (says "friendship"), an old buckle, scrapbook paper and a copy of a vintage image

Tell Your Children

Deuteronomy 4:9--"You must be very careful not to forget the things you have seen God do for you. Keep reminding yourselves, and tell your children and grandchildren as well."

I need to keep a prayer journal of all God has done for me. I pray and then forget I've prayed when I receive an answer. I just think, "Boy, things are really working out." It's God who makes everything happen and, believe me, He does answer prayer. Why am I surprised that He listens to me? He promised he would. Do I believe His promises? I need to make myself a prayer journal today!

This started as a playing card on which I adhered scrapbook paper, a copy of a vintage image (thank you, playingwithbrushes on Flickr), old book binding materials, old lace, stain, old buttons and waxed linen thread. The thread makes about a 4" hanger. I did this for a lottery for one of my art groups on yahoo. I like it so much, I'll have to make myself one.

Willing To Do The Work

Exodus 36:2--"Then Moses summoned...every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work."

Piecing a quilt is work and I must admit that I'm not always willing to do it. My husband and I have agreed that this work is valuable and we've committed to finishing it--make one quilt per grandchild in our lifetime. We're on quilt number nine. Just as soon as we get one done, our children have another baby, so we've been at this for many years now. I have to remember verses like this one--the Lord expects me to work with the skill he's given me. Now, off to cut out some pieces!
I've added the corner pieces to the solid-colored fans. Yea! Every step is an accomplishment.

Inspire

Psalm 65:8 KJV--"Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to when it sets, you inspire shouts of joy."

What a wonderful verse about the magnificence of our heavenly Father. Even non-believers recognize the overpowering beauty of creation. They may not acknowledge the creator, but they can't deny the creation. Looking at a gorgeous sunset, one cannot muffle the "Wow, how beautiful." When a baby is born, we gladly announce our joy. When we see the flowers bloom after an especially bad winter (like the last), we're overwhelmed by the sight and call or email someone about what we've seen. The Lord is so good to us. Let's tell about his wonders.

This art started as an old book cover on which I adhered a copy of a vintage image from my private collection, added old text, a charm that says "Inspire," old lace and other ephemera.
I didn't etch on this one but I highlighted the cover's texture with gold paint. I added parts of old hankies, old shell buttons and used sheer ribbon and bias tape for the hanger. It measures 6" by 13" ( top to bottom.)

Celebrate

Nahum 1:15--"Celebrate your festivals...and fulfill your vows."

I made this card for friends who are celebrating their anniversary the day after ours. They are a sweet couple with two boys and they've been through it. The husband has had multiple surgeries on his brain and it has caused numerous bouts of epilepsy. They live on pins and needles wondering if this is the year he'll wind up in the hospital again. They go on, in trust, that God will see them through. It's an honor to call them friends and we celebrate their anniversary with them.

This card measures 4 1/2" x 5" and I adhered numerous copies of vintage postcards and their own picture around which I etched in gel medium and painted and highlighted in gold. I added glitter glue for fun.

MUSIC Box

Psalm 92:1-3--"It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp."

There are so many references to making music in the Bible. It is an encouragement to me, a musician, to see that I can use what God has given me to praise him. One doesn't even have to be a trained musician to praise God with song. So what if you can't carry a tune. God expects us to "make music" anyway. Try turning on your radio to a Christian or Classical station. Play your favorite praise or Classical CD. Make music the best you can.

I added a piece from a previous post to a painted box and added another "room"--a terrace, of sorts. I put an embellished heart on the front and added gel etching. It goes on Etsy today.

Unshrunk Cloth

Matthew 9:16--"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse."

This also holds true to sewing unwashed fabric to washed fabrics. There are people who work only with new fabric with the sizing still in it, but that limits them to buying new fabric for every piece they do. I'm a saver and collector of all kinds of fabric and I do buy new fabric to complete a certain design. I always wash my fabric before I sew. It takes patience to do so because when I buy it, I want to instantly use it. I had to wait until it is washed and ironed before I cut the pieces I want. Should I add unwashed (unshrunk) fabric to washed fabric, the piece would shrink with the first washing it got and pull away from the rest of the pieces. What a mess and how discouraging to see that the quilt you just made is now in shreds. Jesus' gospel message was new to the Jews. It wasn't a patch for the old laws. When we accept Christ, we must live new lives. The old is gone; the new has come.

I've added the corners to my fans. All the fabric in the multi-colored fans are scraps I've used in other projects. The corners are from new fabric I bought last week, washed, ironed and then cut it out. I have 15 multi-colored fans that will make 15 blocks for the quilt.

In the Process

I'm making my ninth grandchild's quilt. I've been procrastinating about doing this for months because I've wanted to do other arty things, but the time has come. I made this quilt for granddaughter #1 and love it so grdtr #2 gets the same pattern. Grdtr #3's mom is complaining about this pattern and doesn't like it. I don't know what I'm going to do about that when the time comes. Anyway, I'm working on this one. I have all the pieced and solid fans done and the corners cut out. My husband has been pushing me to do this and he's right. I've put everything ahead of this and this quilt is important enough for me to complete.

Colossians 3:23--"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

A Beautiful Life

Psalm 98:4-5--"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing."

Have you ever been awakened to the sound of the birds singing or the wind whistling? What's your favorite kind of music? If you listen, you can hear the earth singing. We are mandated to shout for joy along with singing. If you can't sing, then shout. Those of you who play instruments, play them for the Lord. Music is just one of the things that offers me a beautiful life.
(And, no, it's not a harp in the picture; it's a lute, but it has strings!)

This little "room" is part of a larger design created as a collaboration from the design team of Shabby Cottage Studios. The moderator of the team allowed us to blog our creations and the total design will be submitted to be judged. If found worthy, it will be part of a published work. It was fun creating with paper from Shabby Cottage Studio, bits of floral stems, paper roses and leaves, real dried pussy willow, a feather, fun yarn, tulle and pearls from an old costume jewelry necklace, old music, scrapbook paper and lace. It measures 3 7/8"h x 3 1/2"w x 1 1/2"deep.