Checking In

Ugh! Cold and flu season. It seems like it's just keeps going around and around, but the good news is that we have been hooked up with Young Living Essential Oils and even though these sicknesses are awful, I feel like the quality of living with the oils is a definite improvement. This won't be a sales pitch don't worry... just sayin'.
      Let's get to it.

• Cold days mean I don't want to go anywhere, so lots of creative time. My Documented Faith has been a lot of journaling, so I haven't shared but here's an overview look from the last two weeks. 

• Malachi got invited to his first birthday party, so I made this cape and mask duo (it's become my go-to gift for boys).

Malachi models it for me

• My girlfriend got an NIV Notetaker's Bible for her birthday and so I had the privilege of making a cover for her. 

• We are not the only "oil-ers" in our circle of friends and family and so, I've been working out a to-go oil carrying case. I've made five and I think I finally have the pattern figured out. My mom and my sister got a couple of my prototypes and in my distracted-ness I only put one row of pockets in it instead of two. In order to remedy the situation, I whipped up little divider pockets that could be slipped in the pouch. I think it'll do in a pinch. I will be sewing up a few more complete pouches this week.

• In other custom jobs, I have a huge project that I will be picking up my fabric order for this week. This will be (in size, my largest project yet). I'm a bit nervous and will pray my way through it. Measure twice, cut once!!!!
• I'm still having a lot of fun with happy snail mail. I have three regular pen pals, plus I sent a birthday package to my sister and I've just chosen someone on the Documented Faith Happy Mail list to send a little package to. I like working on mail scattered throughout my creative times. If I am working on mixed media items, then I make several similar ones so that I can use them in my journal, my Bible and/or in my letters. 

My sister's bday pkg

• Have you heard of "Pocket Letters"? Well, I stumbled across them on Pinterest and my pen pals will be receiving at least one as you know it... I "had" to try!

• I post almost daily on Instagram, so when my blog activity is low, you can still keep in touch with me there. User name: mrsgingras

a lovely package I received last week

• Bible Journaling is going well. I love it more everyday. I post pretty much every single page on Instagram, but here's a little peek. Our church has been going through the Forty Days of Faith and I'm really enjoying it! A lot of my pages have been inspired from the daily readings. 

• Abby has even joined me in Bible Journaling. On the Illustrated Faith website, April shared how impactful this was with her daughter and I knew I needed to invite Abby to do some journaling in my Bible. You should have seen her face when I said she could journal in my Bible. It was priceless!

#kidsintheword

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

"She is Clothed in Strength and Dignity"

Today's Bible Journaling page needs to source some folks, so here's a quick share. Be sure to visit the links and show your support.

I was inspired by Jann Gray Saulsberry. She did a gorgeous page (with a tutorial) in Isaiah with a mixed media lady that I loved! Jann is even hosting a giveaway for the awesome stamp and die set that she used to make it. Not having any funky tools like that I remembered a pin that I saved for later to try. Gabrielle Pollacco generously shares the template for this little lady on her blog along with a tutorial how to do a mixed media art piece with it. The template prints on an 8x11 page and so in order to use it in my Bible, I shrunk it down (I used my Print Shop program, so I don't have a percentage for you). Tiny cutting was involved, but so worth it, as you can see.

I didn't have the colour of papers that I had envisioned for her, so I found the musical score paper on the Far Far Hill blog and the pretty prints on Amy J Delightful's blog. I didn't want to play around with the text too much and so, like Gabrielle's piece, I used the words in her skirt. I used a pigment pen (Staedtler Pigment Liner 0.1) for the details and pink watercolour pencil (Art 101) for the background. I'm pretty happy with it!

Checking In

It was a fun and creative week here last week.

I got to celebrate two friends' 30th birthdays. That was a whole lot of fun by itself, but it also meant that I got to make presents. I whipped up a pencil case for one friend who wants a new Bible (a journaling one for taking notes) I included a few Bible friendly pens to get her started. I made my other friend a little zipper clutch in which I put some raspberry pineapple tea-sers (little single serve baggies of loose tea) with a cute tea ball. Both friends received a set of "insta-magnets" - they turned out really cute. 

On Pinterest I saw fabric bracelets something like this and was inspired to give it a try. I will be making more of these for sure.

Then rainbow bracelets inspired by these. I couldn't stop at just one. I also made a few tiny beaded bracelets - tricky to finish, but I love the results. My crafting "A.D.D" kicked in in full force this week. There just wasn't enough time to delve into any more types of crafts or I might have.

Friends of ours are in their fundraising stage before going out onto the mission field. Lisa painted this great signs and hung them around the room. They're painted on old aviation charts. They were so beautiful, I had to take pictures and share. I think Lisa should paint more and make prints or postcards or something. I'd buy a set!

I had an interesting time in my Journaling Bible. I accidentally tore a page (top middle) I had finished during advent and had to do a repair job, then I did a page that I wasn't really happy with (top right). It's not that's it's all bad, just not how as nice as my original sketch and vision. I was thrilled with my Hebrews 11 page (bottom). This was a lot of fun and it helped me gain some of the lost confidence. In the end I just had to remind myself that my art does not take away or add to the Word of God. It's merely a tool to help me "hide His Word in my heart". If you are interested in following my Bible Journaling experience, I post regularly on Instagram (user name: mrsgingras).

This is a close-up from my DF journal. This was more like what I was going for in my Bible (again, the top right picture above). It's a bit more whimsical, but I'm glad I was able to capture it even a little in my journal.

(The art card on the right hand side with the scripture verse and heart are Stephanie Ackerman's used with permission)

Here's my week five spread. I doodled a lot. I struggled a bit with my anger toward my children and my daily prayer was from James - quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. We started the Forty Days of Faith at church and I love the quote that our pastor shared from Smith Wigglesworth: 

"Great faith is the product of great fights. Great testimonies are the outcome of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trials."

It's going to be a great 40 days!

Documented Faith Week Four

On Sunday evenings (most Sundays, anyway) I prepare the week ahead with paint and or minor embellishments. As I learned last week, watercolours aren't my best option, but I love acrylics - they work great, are bold and give good coverage. By the end of the week I've added several tip-ins and layers to accommodate everything I want to include. The "Everything Grows with Love" print was in my last letter from my pen pal. It's so fun and cheerful, I knew as soon as I saw it, that I would want to use it.

Opening up the first tip-in reveals the back side with a verse that I'd journaled and studied in my Bible  and another little tip-in with more verses. It was a week filled with intentional fighting and I needed the encouragement of the Word to continue to fight.

Zephaniah 3:17

This is where Illustrated Faith and Documented Faith worked together again this week. I was so humbled by the Lord's words to me when I went to Him for reassurance of His love for me. He exalts over me?! Wow!

Deuteronomy 31:6-8

I wanted to quit fighting this week, several times, in fact. I went to the Word and found this command to not be dismayed (to lose enthusiasm or resolution). It game me the much needed push to keep going.

At the top of the page is our verse of the week from Stephanie Ackerman. Psalm 86:11, simply written in. The little tip-in opens to show my little birdies. I painted these before Christmas and like many of my paintings I'm using them here. 

a close up

A little private journaling is easily contained in a fold out. I like this method and will probably use it a lot. 

It was a busy week. My Abigail's 6th birthday was on Wednesday and I was her parent helper in kindergarten and we brought rainbow cupcakes to share with her classmates. They were a big hit. Our church led us through a week of prayer and fasting and so there were many opportunities to go to the church and/or prayer furnace. It was much needed and worth fighting for (though, if I'm honest, it didn't feel worth it at the time on one of the evenings). I had a very emotional week and I'm glad to move on to a new week.

Checking In (Plus week Three of Documented Faith)

January, a month of beginnings, of birthdays (our Abby and friends), of resettling into routines and stupid cold weather. Lots of time inside for more crafting, because I only go out when I need to in this weather. Well, maybe a bit more than only when I "have" to. Speaking of crafting, how about a little show 'n' tell?

• I had the pleasure of mixing a CD for Abby's little friend's birthday present. Then Abby and I sewed a little bag to put it in (Abby did most of the actual sewing) and added a little monogram painting inside. It was a fun package to put together.

• I got a great treat of a hair colour and cut on the weekend. I then discovered how awkward selfies truly are. It's really hard to take a good picture of dark purple hair. Sorry, Julie, I couldn't do it true justice. David bought me some dangly bling to match and I was trying to capture it all and in the end I spent way to much time taking pictures of myself. Rather embarrassing.

• In the end my favourite picture was really useless because you can't see the purple hair or the great earrings. 

• You might have seen on Instagram that I whipped up a little scrappy bunting. I love these and I ended up cutting way more than i needed for one, so...

• ... one for a friend!

• I did a few pages in my Bible, some from my Documented Faith project and some from my Moms' Group study. 

Finally, here's my week three of Documented Faith. So, I began the week by painting around the border, then I doodled in some appointments. I added the week's verse (Psalm 24:4-5). I did mini journaling on the days, including my delight at a date arranged by my David. I love it when he does that - totally spontaneously planned! The red background was really damage control when I attempted to watercolour the next week and it bled through. I have used acrylics without bleed and didn't think it through. I used pencil to get a more solid cover and called it "fixed" I have some more damaged control for the next week, too. I finished it off by added a few quotes/notes from the sermon on Sunday around on the border. I really would like a white pen to use on the dark paint, but it's still legible. 

What is this the selfie edition of the Angry Turtle?! I promise it won't happen like this again. *wink* 

It was a difficult week with my dolly, but I'm fighting for her heart. This is a reminder of what I'm fighting for

one of my haircut selfies  - it really was such a treat!

There were a lot of great things about this week, too.

And just because they're adorable, I'll leave you with a picture of my littles:

Documented Faith Week Two

I started the week by painting the pages and embellishing the dates. I worked on the daily entries to be a little more interesting with doodles and I did mini journaling on a couple of the days. "The time of Singing has come" a verse from Song of Songs that struck a chord with me, a verse of hope! This was one of the verses that I put in my journalling Bible and wanted to record it here, too.

The tip-in is a list I stumbled across on a blog that I follow. "15 ways to make an ordinary day happy". You can find it here. The tiny picture of my David and two of my littles is from their date, yesterday. They captured it at a photo booth. They all needed that adventure.

Inside I added my identity thumbprint. This is a copy of the original that I made and blogged about here. While reflecting on truth, this seemed an appropriate reminder. "It's the TRUTH". The truth cutout, I did by hand (you don't need a fancy Cricket or Silhouette or Sizzix cutting machine to make art - use what you have. Don't get me wrong, I'd love a fancy schmancy cutting machine!). I used glitter tape from the dollar store and cut it out with an x-acto knife. "I cannot be separated from the Love of God" is the front of another tip-in. I decided I wanted to record some more thoughts on truth and didn't really want it all "hanging out there". The tip-in seemed like a great way to journal and keep it to myself.

In keeping with my word FIGHT for the year. Part of my new year goals are health goals. FIGHTing for my body. Simple goals, but hopefully effective in how I feel. 

1. No snacks after 8:00 PM
2. Less Sugar
3. MOVE
4. drink more water

The hearts and rainbow paper are more practise paintings. Use it all!

Journal Tip-in (privacy and art can work together)

FROM FACEBOOK: This two page spread is a "hot mess"! It's raw and unpractised and though there's no sense of form or order, it's dear to my heart. In 2007 at a conference I dared to ask The Lord, "what do you think of me?" His response (through a prophetic leader) came in the form of many verses: Song of Songs 1:8a, 1:15, 2:10-13, 4:9-10, 5:2b, 7:1a I smiled my way through this page and felt I really wanted to write it all down as it sticks in my mind and heart best that way. Last night "the time of singing has come" especially encouraged me. It feels like I'm coming out of my season of surviving into a season of thriving!

Documented Faith and Illustrated Faith working hand in hand

For future journal pages, I've doodled some weather icons. In case I need fillers or want to make particular note of a weather trend. I think I'll be interested to look back.