“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee,because he trusted in Thee.”~ Isaiah 26:3 KJVThat verse hangs on the wall directly across from my bed. The picture (not shown due to copyright) is an original illumination, given to us as a wedding gift over 40 years ago. At the most difficult of times, I would look and say that verse over and over until it sunk into my heart.The amplified classic version gives more insight into what that means: Isaiah 26:3, saying of God:You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mindis stayed on You,because he commits himself to You, leans on You,and hopes confidently in You.

BlogsMarch 27, 2020art and faith journaling, having peace, humility in prayer, Isaiah 26:3, peace, perception, purpose, yetserComment

Our Words Carry Power ~ Acrostic Poem

The people I've talked with and stories I’m reading on social media are encouraging and empowering. There are also the opposite harsh messages. In art terms, they provide contrast, but also brings sadness. I'm not denying or minimizing the difficulties we are facing in the world, but I believe we have power and what we say actually can create good or ill in the spirit realm. Making Art with meaning is important to me, and art reflects life. Make an acrostic poem with meaning.

BlogsMarch 20, 2020acrostic poem, art and faith journaling, art journaling, art journaling workshop, Be Thou my Vision hymn, illumination, StencilGirl Products, Valerie Sjodin workshop, word of the year acrostic poemComment

The Story & Relevancy of Keys to Celtic Knots E-Course

Obviously I planned the Keys to drawing Celtic Knots & Illumination course to be offered as we Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. What I didn’t expect is for it to coincide with the pandemic of the corona virus, limiting our in-person interactions and activities. An online course makes sense and can give some personal interaction around some common ground. If you're like me, it helps the stress level to do something creative and rhythmic with my hands, and the spiritual encouragement helps keep my thinking positive and fosters emotional well-being.

BlogsMarch 13, 2020art and faith journaling, art journaling, art journaling workshop, Be Thou my Vision hymn, Celtic Christian Art Workshop, Celtic devotional, Celtic Knot E-course, Celtic Knot workshop, How to Draw Celtic Knots, illumination, Keys to drawing Celtic Knots, StencilGirl Products, Valerie Sjodin workshopComment

Keys to Drawing Celtic Knots & Illumination!

BlogsMarch 6, 2020art and faith journaling, art journaling, art journaling workshop, Be Thou my Vision hymn, Celtic Christian Art Workshop, Celtic devotional, Celtic Knot E-course, Celtic Knot workshop, drawing Celtic knots, How to Draw Celtic Knots, illumination, Keys to drawing Celtic Knots, StencilGirl Products, Valerie Sjodin workshopComment

Adding Visual Design to a Word of the Year

One of the ways to focus on and contemplate my word of the year is through visually designing the word itself. If you aren't interested in doing that, you can always look for a font on your computer and print out your word in the font, adding color, definitions, quotes, symbols etc.Each year I dedicate a page to this in the journal used for everyday things, but you can also post it where you can see it each day.

BlogsFebruary 14, 2020art and faith journaling, art journaling, designing your word of the year, everyday journal, Leuchturrm Journal, StencilGirl Products, Word of the Year, Word of the Year 2020Comment

Dare to Dream with Courageous Action

After I realized fear of failing was keeping me from hearing God clearly and taking positive action, I found the inspiration and motivation I needed. This post shares what I found. I am already stepping out with more confidence and intentional action.

BlogsJanuary 24, 2020art and faith journaling, art journaling, Courage, Divine Inspiration, everyday journal, Leuchturrm Journal, Word of the Year, Word of the Year 2020 Comments

How to Make a Mind Map

Only a week into the new year and decade and I was feeling overwhelmed. Not good. Numerous 'opportunities' were coming my way in addition to the already scheduled commitments and events on my calendar. As I wondered what to do, and not do, confusion started swirling in my head. My thoughts were not linear so I decided to do a mind map. This post shows the process I went through and three easy steps to make your own mind map.

BlogsJanuary 17, 2020art and faith journaling, art journaling, choosing word of the year, everyday journal, how to make a mind map, Leuchturrm Journal, mind map, mind mapping decisions, moleskine journal, Prayerful Doodling, StencilGirl Products, Word of the Year, Word of the Year 2020Comment

How to do a Word Study

Whether you are researching your Word of the year or any word, these online research steps can help you grow in understanding of your word. In this post there is listed step-by-step process to explore the meaning of a word and find Scripture and quotes to add to the meaning. Examples of visually expressing words are also given.

Blogs, Bible journalJanuary 10, 2020art and faith journaling, art journaling, choosing word of the year, everyday journal, how to do a word study, illuminated word, Leuchturrm Journal, moleskine journal, Word of the Year, Word of the Year 2020, word study, Bible journal, Bible Art Journaling, Bible journalingComment

NEW Celtic Stencils & 4 videos to jumpstart your creativity

Introducing four new Celtic stencils inspired by Celtic illuminated manuscripts. Spark your creativity with four videos and inspiring examples.See what you can do to make a bullet journal come alive with using stenciled letters that don't look like stencils, and beautiful Spiral and tile patterns. Use a Gel Press to print shimmery papers with metallic Pan Pastels and acrylic paints.

BlogsJanuary 2, 2020art and faith journaling, art journaling, Celtic knots, Celtic stencils, everyday journal, gel press printing with pan pastels, gel press printing with pan pastels and acrylic paint, gel press printing with stencils, Leuchturrm Journal, moleskine journal, StencilGirl Products, Stenciling Tutorials, Word of the Year, Word of the Year 2020Comment

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