Rejoice!

It is so much fun when things happen to confirm or magnify something that has been brewing under the surface...I am pondering a verse, or an idea, or something I have read and then someone else "randomly" mentions the same thought...or the pastor preaches on that thought...or I read a blog where it shows up...it is enough to give me pause...sometimes it takes my breath away...why?  Well,...I do NOT believe in coincidences...I believe that God is totally sovereign...and when things like this happen it is like God is saying, "I am here...I know what is on your mind, let's explore that a bit."  It is GOD WITH US...Immanuel...with me! (which is why it takes my breath away!) That's where this page came from...

Hope you are enjoying the impact and significance of this wonderful season...Chirst coming TO us! :)

hope!

Here we are...into the full swing of things this holiday season...I do kinda feel like I am moving slow motion in a fast-spinning world.  The "slow" is by choice...and maybe not slow, but slower as (and it almost feels like a stubborn digging my heels in posture)I am enjoying the days...each day with a mind set on what this season is REALLY about...keeping my eyes open for the SIGNIFICANCE of the imagery, songs, celebrations of this season...these HOLY-days...that's what I want to SEE...the days holy...the holy in the days...
As I approached my first December journal page, this is what was on my mind...memories of childhood Christmases and I have always loved the anticipation of Christmas as much as the day itself.  And as I thought about that, I thought about Israel's anticipation (throughout history)of their Messiah, Heaven's aanticipation of God's Son taking on flesh...the waiting...the HOPE!
So, I chose an old Christmas picture of my sister and I (a long, long time ago!)...and put it on a fold-out over this stamped winter scene...then added journaling...

 

Wishing you HOPE and HOLY in your days!  :)

a K, and a S

Finishing up November's journal...
the K page..K is for "Kneeling in gratitude for each and every"...
  Nov. 9th was my daughter's 18th birthday so I decided to journal 18 things I love about her...along with some collage bits...      

and the back...
  (dictionary scraps, gesso, Wild Honey Distress Ink, clip art, zig-zag tape, Broken China Distress Paint for texture)

and S is for "Small, and/or Significant gift given from His hand."
  (magazine pic that had great eyes...highlighted with a grunge-board frame painted with Broken China Distress Paint)

But I couldn't NOT :) -you know what I mean- include this quote that has been a huge help to me...PLUS the word of the year is SEE...and this quote is all about the eyes...looking...perspective...the way you see...

 
...and the last couple of  "pages"...tags...just for fun!

 

 I REALLY enjoyed this theme of giving thanks...and I now will carry these images and processing into December...mindfulness!  :)

Today, each day To Him, my Heavenly Father, Acknowledging, Appreciating, Naming, then Kneeling in gratitude for each and every Small and, or Significant gift given from His hand.

A is for...

The next page is A...
A is for "Appreciating, Acknowledging"...

and the back...
  (dictionary scraps, gesso, Rusty Hinge Distress Ink, clip art, washi tape, flower embellishment)

Then, N is for "Naming, then"...
  (Tim Holtz tissue paper, scrap with ransom letters-"take note", psalm 100 distress inked)

and on the other side...
  (dictionary scraps, gesso, Broken China Distress Ink, scrap paper, postage stamp doodled around, border added with Tim Holtz tiny staples)

Thankfulness really is a game-changer...Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  :)

THANKS

 So...its been a while...here is the acrostic I came up with for the word THANKS...its meant to be read like a sentence-ish...     :)

Today, each day...To
Him, my Heavenly Father, my God, my Lord and King
Acknowledging, Appreciating
Naming, then
Kneeling in gratitude for each and every
Small and/or Significant gift given from His Hand.

Here are how the "pages" are progressing as I journal on them, a bit here and there...as I can...

The first page...T...

and the back...
  (dictionary scrap glued down, gessoed, Distress Ink in Wild Honey , acrylic paint over drywall mesh tape   across the bottom corner, Tim Holtz clock stamped with black Archival Ink on vellum cut out and glued on with Glossy Accents...)

Next is H...
  (Distress Inks-Rusty Hinge & Gathered Twigs- sponged and textured on background, script stamped with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink in lower left corner, letters and words cut from magazines, glued down with clip art...words inspired by Ann Voskamp.)

and the back...
  (dictionary scrap, gesso, Distress Ink-this time Seedless Preserves, Peeled Paint Distress Paint over my own stencil, stamp on vellum, graphite pencil to highlight around stencil...)

 

 Fun, fun!  And as I have said before, I just love the meditative focus and process of "working" in my journal...or is it "playing" in my journal?...either way it is ALL GOOD!  :)
Give it a try...Enjoy!

November

When I was thinking about November's journal, I knew that I wanted the focus to be "giving thanks"...for the obvious reason of Thanksgiving this month, but also to keep me mindful to appreciate and enjoy the moments-big and small-of my days...so here is the beginning...
I cut a manila file folder into the basic tag shape, and then put the letters on each...

 ...together the pages spell out...

...and then doodled..."zentangled"...

I'm working on a THANKS acronym...as I ponder thankfulness.  :)

Till next time.

closing up October...

yep...only just now.  :) And that is pretty much how October went...so quickly that I feel "behind" on everything...oh well, that's life. Here are my pages all together...ready to be "filed" away...  :)

...I loved this cute little file folder and the "loose" pages were so easy to work on. I will definitely use this format again for another journal. As you can see, all the pages are very much inspired by the season and I am still enjoying fall this year...I will definitely carry this into November's journal pages along with giving thanks...appropriate "focus" for this time of year, right!?!  :)
Hope you enjoy your beautiful fall day!

still here

I really am still here...just working away "behind the scenes"...on all kinds of things...some creative, some just necessary. I have been journaling in tiny increments here and there where I can, but still at it nonetheless...always!  I will add some of the pages I have done as I can...some of them are finished, and some are not...which is ok with me because my journaling is for me...

Last month my daughter and I took a class taught by Dina Wakley at the Stamp Art Shoppe in Roseville...It was a wonderful class and Dina is an amazing teacher...Her "Facing the Facts" class was a complete stretch for me since I don't feel very comfortable with my drawing skills, or lack of them  :)  ...BUT she taught us to draw a face and then challenged us to draw 100 faces...in other words, PRACTICE!  Well, the class was an encouragement to me (BIG difference between my "before" face and my "after" her-instruction face)...plus my daughter inspires me constantly with her drawings...anyway, I have been drawing faces (I think I have sketched 15 so far.)...I'm not confident enough to show all of them :) but this journal page represents this activity in my life right now....

As you can see, she is simple...basic...but I like her...
Like anything in life that is difficult, practice helps so much...sometimes my girls look like aliens...my husband called one of them 'horseface'  :)  ...but I am enjoying the process so much...I highly recommend it.  :)  Think of something you would like to learn to do, get a little instruction and then practice...alot...
                            ...and while you are at it, have a good time...laugh lots...enjoy the process!

the process

Its interesting when you think about "the process" of learning, growing, life...or any project or chore that we tackle...there IS a "process" involved...as I began October's journal, I pulled out paper that spoke 'fall' to me...and then I started to sort through it and narrow down what I would use this month...this is a peek at what that beginning process looked like...

 

...and a little closer look at the yummy papers, yummy colors...

I love that those hot air balloons kinda look like pumpkins.  :)

...then, inspired by our women's retreat preparations, I decided that this month I would make a small "file folder" to hold all the "pages" that I create...

I don't know if you can tell by the pic, but we are making small file folders to hold our retreat notes (the file folder on the bottom of the stack is a normal letter-sized file folder.  The pile of folders on the top are about 8 1/2 x 6 each...super cute!)...
...here is my October journal "folder"...made from Tim Holtz paper...

 

 So that was just the process getting started...Yikes! Its the 8th...I gotta get journaling!  I'll be back with the first page or two...

so long September

October already!
 ...and so here is my September journal...flip through the pages with me  :)

 

 

 

...very fun to see the month all together like this......so long September.