the gaze of the soul

Another art journal page prompted by the Documented Life Project. (The challenge was to include fabric on this page.)  Here is how it came together...

The yellow circle is a piece of fabric that I adhered to the page with gel medium.  This photo is a favorite of my sister and I...part of my story...and I am currently reading a book by A.W.Tozer and that is what I journaled...I love to include on my journal pages notes from my reading that are significant to me...it is all part of the processing.  And it seemed to suit the photo.
Hope you are adding a little art to your summer days!  :)

still giving thanks

My heart is full and as I bask in the mood of Thanksgiving...

I am STILL giving thanks, counting my blessings, CHOOSING gratitude...and this is the perspective...the frame of mind that I want to continue to carry into the Christmas season...into the new year...into my everyday, in fact.

Blessings and Thanks to you!

let the page speak

 

The page:-

The focus:-

One of the things that I love about art journaling is that the colors and imagery and texture speak for themselves...and while each viewer may have their own interpretation, very often I don't feel the need to write a lot after I have created the page...sometimes I do go back and journal on it, sometimes I don't...it is my journal, after all...  :)

rehearse and believe

Playing with washi tape...

 

I created a flap-hinged with washi tape on both sides of the cardstock-



 

 

 

I love everything about art journaling...obviously!!! :)...the fun of it as well as the significance it can have-when I need/choose.  This page is an example of needing to focus, remember and rehearse truth...practicing mindfulness on the page...it's a good thing.  :)

 

thinking...

...in color...creating artful reminders...

 

you never know when you might need that visual "prompt"... 



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.

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.

still counting

Yes, still.....

...still counting.
                               counting. still.
Counting "gifts given" keeps me focused...eyes on The Giver...and as I look to Him, my heart is stilled, quieted...thankfulness is an amazing-and fun!-discipline.  What are you thankful for today?

o.k.

It has been "interesting" around here...well, actually...hard.  I have been "in process"...

This verse was the beginning of my "vision" coming into focus...

As I always do when I want to process and record what is going on, I opened my journal and began...

I chose pictures that represented what was on my mind...a storm and this girl in her CUTE pink rainboots.  I cut the storm picture in two, and glued it and the girl to two of the three panels of this journal page...

 Then I added a bit of this Smash tape (to cover the text on my girl...and "ground" her).  I was a little disappointed with how much of her boots were covered though..oh well...

Next I punched a circle and folded it into a megaphone...she needed to proclaim "God is good ALL the time!" even (maybe especially!) in the middle of the storm.

 

 

All that was left to do was to "write it out"...so..ok...While I certainly don't understand it all, I am accepting...instead of agonizing, resisting, fighting these things that are "adverse" in my life right now...I am CHOOSING to give thanks for each worry, each heartache, each struggle...and as I did this, I DID find something to be thankful for in each...Amazing!  AND even though (there are still tears at times) and the hurts and worries didn't change, didn't go away, my perspective did...hmmm...my "SEEing" was altered!  Crazy!

God IS good ALL the time! and

ALL the time God is good!

a TO DO list

After my devotion this morning, I knew I needed a TO DO list for the day.  I was feeling a bit "dazed"...bleak, even.  I decided it would be GOOD for me to rehearse what I KNOW, whether "feeling it" or not...so I got paper and began...

...in pencil at first...slowly, meditatively...

 Then, with a black Sharpie pen, I inked it, processing what I had written...

Finally, I colored it with markers, colored pencils, and a gray Conte crayon.

As I worked on this, the tension I was feeling lessened...verses came to mind...truth came back into focus and I wasn't left to my "own" thinking...a little color brightened up this gray Monday just a bit...good, God "therapy."

What's your perscription for a "gloomy" day?

Encouragement for the day...and everyday for that matter.  :)  (Words of Ann Voskamp, A Holy Experience blog...processed and "artified" by me!)

Have a beautiful week-end!

Enjoy.This.Day.

Don't ask me how or why this came up...all I know is I was reading something...I couldn't even tell you what it was now...anyway, it was strange how the punctuation JUMPED off the page and well, screamed at me. :)  We know that the purpose of punctuation is to emphasize, connect, abbreviate, etc...And it seems that we are taking a lot of artistic license with it these days (The title of this post is an example of now-trending punctuation)...All of this was rolling around in my head...and  I thought of punctuating my day...in an effort toward mindfulness, add a "space" here and there...Think about the "dots" or periods that we add to a sentence.  It tells us that one thought is finished and to "pause" before going on to the next.  Hmmm....what if I...do laundry.iron Mark's shirts.make lunch.  You get the idea.  Those dots are not empty but purposeful pauses.
       oooh...how about mindful moments to "LOOK" for God IN THE MIDST of my busy day?!?
                                                          ...to appreciate Him in this day that is a gift
                                                          ...to enjoy the work of His Hands-His creation

    

                                   
                                                        ...to read a Scripture-listen to His voice, His Word

                                  
                                                   ...to breathe deep
                                                   ...to thank Him for His very breath that gives me life

Punctuate!  :)

Enjoy.This.Day.His Gift To You.

Do you have a WOTY?

You know...a WOTY:  a  Word Of The Year.  "SEE" is mine this year. Past years have been:  remember, hope, good, know, joy, celebrate...I take a long time choosing what the word will be...knowing that for the whole year it will be a word to guide my quiet times, help my focus and perspective...that kind of thing...I always ask God to direct me in what HE wants me to "work" with...Afterall, He knows best what it is that I need in this walk of faith with Him...that is really what it is all about...right?!? :)  And once I know what the word will be, it is SO EXCITING how He confirms and incorporates that word (concept, theme) into my life and learning.  YAY Jesus!  So if you "see" :) lots of things here that have to do with sight, seeing, focus, perspective, vision, looking, eyes, watching...that's where I'm coming from...this is the year to SEE God, His Hand...to be mindful to keep my eyes open...to anticipate Him...I don't know about you, but I don't want to miss a single thing that He has for me!   2013-the year to SEE!