Moving into the New with Hope and Beauty

This is more than a season of change, with huge shifts on every front for most of us. Creating a new website is one of those new shifts for me. I really liked my old website, but needed a simpler, more user-friendly platform. I found that with SquareSpace and the tutorials on building my own website through Roben-Marie Smith’s Maker’s Tech University (MTU.) If tech is a constriction point for you, I highly recommend Roben-Marie’s MTU. I created this website with the help of Roben-Marie’s step-by-step tutorials. When I got stuck she provided help. Now instead of feeling inept, I feel empowered and excited to learn more technology!

What’s New! Be Inspired!

Check out the new & updated journal pages in the dropdown menu!

I’ve updated and added pages to the journals. Now it’s easier than ever to look through the pages of handmade journals! There are links in the dropdown menu and on the home page. Looking through these journal pages gets me excited to make more. I’ve also updated the art tutorials. I think they will inspire you too!

arise butterfly-journal pages-Valerie Sjodin©.jpg

Painting for our local hospital’s Chapel

I am honored and delighted to have been chosen to paint the painting for our local hospital’s chapel room. The whole hospital is being renewed and part of that renewal is artwork painted as murals and paintings throughout. If you’ve followed my blog and art you know the chapel painting would be my first choice. Here it is being finished and getting ready to take to the hospital.

Tuality painting-Valerie Sjodin©2020.jpg

What’s going on?

We’ve past the middle of this year, and what a memorable year it is! One way I journey through the year is having a word of the year. Admittedly, this is when I usually wane on living out a word of the year, but this year is different. My Word for 2020 is Spirit. I facilitate a Facebook group with Bernice Hopper and Mary Brack on Living your Word of the Year. This week’s prompt is writing a Pantoum poem about your word of the year. You can follow the Pantoum pattern below to write your own Pantoum poem. If you are interested in joining our Living Your Word of the Year Facebook group here is a link to find out more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/livingyourwordoftheyear/

Free write about your word and what it has been like to have your word for this year. From that free writing in your journal, write a Pantoum poem. Here is how you do it: From your free writing mind/or images, choose 6 phrases to write a Pantoum poem about your word - Here is the format of a Pantoum:

STANZA 1:
Line 1: new line
Line 2: new line
Line 3: new line
Line 4: new line
STANZA 2:
Line 5: repeat line 2 of Stanza 1
Line 6: new line,
Line 7: Repeat line 4 of Stanza 1
Line 8: new line
STANZA 3:
Line 9: repeat line 2 of Stanza 2
Line 10: repeat line 3 of first Stanza
Line 11: repeat line 4 of Stanza 2
Line 12: Repeat line 1 of Stanza 1

Here is my Pantoum poem about my word of the year: Spirit
'Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me'
Put me on like a glove
I listen, I surrender
What are you giving me grace for?

I listen, I surrender
bending with the movement of the Wind
Put me on like a glove
Spirit Wind

Bending with the movement of the Wind
What are you giving me grace for?
Spirit Wind
'Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me'

Spirit flow journal spread-Valerie Sjodin©.jpg

Spirit flow journal page-Valerie Sjodin©.jpg

Moving into the New with Hope and Beauty

What’s New! Be Inspired!

Check out the new & updated journal pages in the dropdown menu!

Painting for our local hospital’s Chapel

What’s going on?

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