Since January of 2020 a specific type of word been highlighted to me, appearing everywhere! Years ago I knew this word would be a word of the year at some point, but also that particular year would be a very different and strange time. The time is now.
Read MoreThese NEW planner stencils will help you make your planner, calendar, cards and art special with banners and 2 styles of lettering planner stencils that include a grid to make drawing the calendar squares a breeze!
Read MoreChoosing and living out a Word of the year has been one of my most rewarding personal practices. It gives me a focus and mindset to learn about and grow in. When I combine the word with a journal for the year it gives me a place to focus, explore ideas, pour out my heart, keep a record of the highlights and low points of the year, and helps me know how I am growing. This year has been so strange that as I look over the questions, I expect to approach my word in new ways that will reflect this. I’m also considering ways to help and interact more. Would you answer the following question:
Read More2020, I’m so ready for this year to be over… so I decided to set up my journal for 2021 early. What I love about setting up a new journal in a blank dotted journal is the versatility to include what is important to each person as an individual.
Read MoreThe message of the New Moon, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is compelling and significant during the time we’re living in. It came to me in an unexpected way.
Read MoreI’ve found combining my creative pursuits with nearby family, and home improvement has brought a joyful diversion during the stressful times of the pandemic lockdown and unrest. The new stencils are large 12x24” and so versatile for decorative applications as well as art-making, journaling and wonderful for gel press printing. I hope you enjoy the video tutorials and inspiration!
Read MoreThis 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…
Read MoreA walk on the beach is where I feel free to pour out my heart, listen to God and sing into the wind with the crashing waves playing the music. Walking, I was challenged to shake off the weight of the world and all the unrest. Sadness had crept in and I was feeling discouraged. I came across this small stone trapped between the large boulders and it seemed to echo my feelings. I noticed the beach was strewn with
Read MoreSometimes our heart knows things ahead of our experience. The calendar and journal pages in this post were made and written in April through the first week of May. With what is going on in the world now, including my home city of Portland, Oregon, the messages and prayers are more relevant than ever. The first of June is also the reveal of the new Stencil Club Mash-up set with Mary Beth Shaw. Here's the stencils and some ideas of what you can do with them...
Read MoreIt has been said of the time we are in, and I agree, that we are all in the same storm, but not in the same boat. It is a storm none of us have faced before. Our polarization only adds to the problems, causing the divide to widen. Fear and faith struggle for control, and we choose. Our experiences are different and are expressed in different ways. The right answer may be different for different people in different places and at different times. What to do?
Read MoreAs I was making my monthly calendar page, I was reminded how each day and how we live it is still important.In our Living Your Word of the Year facebook group, Bernice put out a challenge that seems just right for this month. As usual, I'm adjusting it to my own liking, and am finding comfort in the simplicity and the daily exercise of looking back on the day, and responding with a simple symbol, drawing or words.
Read MoreToday as I took some time to consider the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, I picked up a book that reminded me of the treasure it holds inside: Celtic Daily Prayer, Prayers & Readings from the Northumbria Community. The words through the Spirit infused sweet words into my soul, which is much needed right now. We have a house full during this quarantine, and being an introvert and needing quiet time to go deep has been hard to find and I feel frayed around the edges.
Read MoreWhat on Earth is going on?Here we are, currently in worldwide quarantine during this Holy week. It seems like there are too many things happening together to be just coincidence. What does it all mean? I’ve been wondering…This year Jewish Passover is different. It involves a quarantine of people staying in their homes for safety. I haven't heard of that happening since the original Passover 3000 years ago, when the Angel of the Lord passed over the homes of those who had applied the blood of a lamb over their doorway as God commanded, so death would pass by, and their first born children would be spared. This marked the beginning of the first Passover, the deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt, which ended 8 days later in the crossing of the Red Sea.... How am I to respond?Here are some things I'm doing this week...
Read More“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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreObviously 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.
Read MoreOne 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.
Read MoreAfter 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.
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