"Believe and you may see miracles all about you"
Read on to learn of a fantastic 29 days of giving that a friend of mine is doing. If you've already heard - read on anyway.
"Believe and you may see miracles all about you"
I wrote these words a number of years ago after realizing that the huge challenges our daughter and we, were facing could be turned into something totally different.
I have shared the words with the people that helped me get to the realization. Now I am sharing them with you.
Besides believing in miracles and angels and faeries and Santa Claus, I also believe in magic. And that is mainly what this post is about.
To me "Santa" encompasses the entire aspect of giving - to others as well as to yourself. I think the giving to self is about love and respect for self - body, mind and spirit. If we can do that, we can be a more grateful giver, of body, mind and spirit, to others.

In the July, August 2007 issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine

I found an article by Chrysti Hydeck. It was called "Get the skinny on mixed-media books". I was intrigued by the methods for doing backgrounds. Chrysti had commented in the article "I am madly, deeply, head-over-five-inch-stiletto-heels in love with creating backgrounds." I wanted to learn, had been trying. I kept going back to the instructions that Chrysti presented. I'm surprise I do not have paint all over the magazine pages. I particularly fell in love with tsukineko walnut ink spray. Living in rural Saskatchewan I had a bit of a challenge finding the supplies required. I was not into on-line shopping.
It took me a while to figure out that I could do things my own way and did not have to follow EXACTLY step by step what Chrysti was suggesting.
The following pictures are some of my results from Chrysti's article.






I had also encountered Chrysti along the way at flickr and found her collage images group there. I began to learn what a wonderful spirit is this Chrysti person.

I was later invited by another friend to participate in a swap at Chrysti's blog for doodle ATC's. I was fortunate to receive a creation of Chrysti's.


So what's all the excitement about, you may ask. The wonderfully gifted Chrysti is doing a fabulous "29 days of giving" give-away. She wants as many people as possible to be recipients. She is giving away fabulous creations of her own, as well as gifts of others - gifts of art lessons, gifts of books, gifts of prints, and the list goes on and on. I have been unable to post about this sooner and so you may have missed some wonderful opportunities for winning already. There are still more gifts to be received however. Chrysti also says she will be continuing the sharing after the initial 29 days have passed.
I said initially that this post is about magic. Chrysti talks of magic. She wants everyone to be recipients. She wants to allow others the opportunitiy to give also.

So as this Christmas day approaches I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and ask that you watch for the miracles and angels all about you.
Wendy

"Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not on this earth for eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand and melting like a snowflake."
Marie Beynon Ray (Adapted)
American Author
Inspiration Peak

"Where is it written that we should be so serious all the time? The God who made giraffes, a baby's fingernails, a puppy's tail, a crooknecked squash, the bobwhite's call, and a young girl's giggle, has a sense of humor. Make no mistake about that."


Catherine Marshall (Adapted)
American Author
More Quotes About 'God' Today's Story: 'The Pretty One'


from "Inspiration Peak"

taking time for art, occasionally, while preparing for Christmas:
I try very much not to get all wound up in a knot about Christmas preparations but still it is a busy time of year. We are almost done putting the house back together after nearly everything had been removed following the fire in May. The flooring people are actually here redoing the tiny back entrance as what they had done was not quite right.
I am almost feeling that the opportunity to do the major culling and organizing of most of our belongings was really a very wonderful gift. It was extremely time and energy consuming but that is alright.



The above piece was just a simple journal page displaying one of the new stamps I had carved a few weeks ago. I had done a couple more but they will have to wait until after Christmas for some repair.

Please remember to check my "wonders of winterland" blog where I have been making changes over the days.
Angels be with you dear friends as you proceed through this very busy time of the year. I will pray that you might have some moments to "be still" and "be awake" as you prepare for the coming of the Christ child.

wonders of winterland: please come to visit at this delightful new blog I have created to celebrate the winter season and all of the holidays with which it is bursting. The blog has only begun so plan to visit often and mark yourself as a follower.

I chose to do this partially because of the invitation from Karen who celebrated Christmas fair at her blog, I guess yesterday. I will tag along a bit late. I will try to have some giveaways and surprises in the near future. Take time to visit all the fair participants if you've not already done so.

angels be with you dear friends

I love inspiration boards. I sometimes think I might like to use all the walls of a room for inspiration. I have just a small board in my basement studio room and need to determine what else I can do to remedy that lack of inspiration space there. I think I have an idea but it will probably have to wait until spring. In the meantime I am pleased that Greg had an idea to put ceiling tile on this large chalk board that is in my upstairs studio. It's where my computer is and I typically do my sewing. The ceiling tiles might be happening tomorrow, grin. Until then I have hung things from this blue cord in front of the chalk board. I like it for a temporary solution.
Angels be with you dear friends.

November:
This is a very difficult month for me as I also try to proceed through a very difficult year. I've been trying my best to not get pulled down and if you know me at all you know that creativity - art - has been huge in guiding my path. I have not told you that I had a fall about a month ago. I slid down a few stairs. I got up and proceeded with my schedule - went on to cook a turkey a few days later at the farm for a celebration. The fall certainly did not help my coping skills however. Some days I wonder how much one person can be expected to deal with in a lifetime. Yet I try to smile. I try to dance. I try to sing. I try to create.
I know that you will forgive me for lagging behind with this blog and with posting to flickr. I look forward to many brightly art filled days in the future.
I want you to know that I have a number of creations nearly complete. I am going to be away for a few days but I will have creations to share at some time when I return.
We have had some fabulous weather the past weeks as I have tried to show in the above picture. Regardless, I DO TRULY "love life".
Wishing you many glowing light days ahead and that angels be with you, as always.

Excitement comes with getting the house re-organized. We have taken away many boxes of things we no longer require. Other things which have been part of the decor for years have been relegated to the basement, mostly for storage. Pieces of furniture are being moved to different rooms. The chair from the bedroom is now in the living room.
One of the chairs from the living room has gone to the bedroom. The beautiful blanket which I had purchased years ago has been brought out of storage from the closet and is now on a living room chair, perfect for the cooler autumn and winter months.
Treasures from the back entrance/stairwell have temporarily, perhaps, found a new home in the living room.

CANDLE MONTH: for quite a number of years I have thought of November as candle month. True to form the day entered with a cloudy sky. I am grateful now that as the days are getting shorter and shorter the sun has once again triumphed

and is bringing us another glorious autumn day.

I was a little bit slow, as usual, but finished late last night, Halloween day, the little book I had been planning. A couple of days previous I got in a rush with the gluing - typical for me to get in rush - but I learned. I put the letters in a row instead of top of page, bottom of page. Oh well. Good lesson.











Please view the entire set here.

I had been hoping to use my yet unused zutter binder, BUT, it won't run away. I should say the pages are made with recycled cardboard from larger duotang folders which was painted. I did the pictures digitally using collage images which I cut out and applied with gel medium with another layer on top. After dry I sanded. I just used black ribbon to put the pages together.

Back to my long to-do list.

Angels be with you dear friends.

I choose courage
the previous week's prompt at inspire me Thursday was nervous. these days I have a hard time relating to that thought. I decided that the opposite of "nervous" would much rather suit my present state of mind. this art journal page reflects that choice, together with a tiny touch of what "nervous" has done to me in the past.


a couple of journal pages from recent days. we've had very much wind and so i start thinking. all my own words



a couple of sunset captures from late Saturday afternoon on our way home from Saskatoon



my good buddies relaxing in the sun


The world does not remember us by our style or by our wit; it does not remember us by our knowledge or our words; no, the world remembers only one thing: The world remembers love.

Author Unknown
Inspiration Peak

Contemplation - cereal box art for Inspire Me Thursday:
One of the more recent prompts was to use a cereal box. I decided to investigate Carla Sonnheim's lead regarding what she has done. I chose to use some of Carla's techniques and some of my own. I have been enjoying using my own handcarved stamps and also Tsukineko inks so used both. I also love doing gel transfers so used one of my own photographs, extended and stretched it using the outline and then painting and again inking. I used some water soluble crayons as well.

contemplation

"Out beyond ideas
of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field.

I’ll meet you there.

When the soul lies down
in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.

Ideas, language
- even the phrase “each other” -
do not make any sense."
Rumi

These glorious words by Rumi were the prompt for this past week at Inspire Me Thursday. While I am very late with my entry I could not resist this idea of looking to the sky. I love clouds, and angels.

To me, if one is
"looking up
to the ancestors

finding with awe
angels
and spirits"
- nothing else would really matter

Finding inspiration:

with blues

and golds


outdoors


and in




with my eyes

Susan Tuttle

and with my ears

"The Prayer"

inviting you to visit my shop and to watch for angels all about you

LOOKING TO ANCESTORS FOR DIRECTION - FINDING SO MUCH MORE
art journal page for collage play with crowabout
I loved the images provided and actually used every single one. I DID cut the nose and original "hat" off the princess.

background page
I took that one tiny circle and "pasted" it probably about a hundred times using photoshop. two copies were printed and then I cut around and glued. let me know if you are interested and I can send it to you or post it on flickr


before words and extra pen work


final version
I had been thinking of using some glaze yet BUT decided not this time (time as usual being the operative word)



I added my own words, the word "fly" two times and outlined the two times it already appeared. I added an extra crown, outlined the one I had used for my cousin ;) gave that other ancestor some wings to fly and did some more outlining.
detail right side


detail - left side



please take a moment to check my previous post for three more journal pages I recently completed. I was inspired even more to do journalling after viewing Lia's video. Enjoy.

journalling:

remember the above page? I decided to sketch on it


a journal of journeys





the next page started as many - papers glued to the journal page. I had painted pale pink over top. when I glanced at the page one time I immediately thought of the beautiful face on the cover of the May/June 2007 issue of cloth, paper scissors magazine. I love the picture which is from the creative hand of Anahata Katkin. I pulled out the cover and made my best attempt at doing the eye, mouth and bit of nose. I am proud to have my own "take" of Anahata's cover page.



I also used rub-ons, buttons, one of my Mom's crocheted flowers, a couple of brads, stickers AND a sepia Faber Castell Artist Pitt pen. This was the first time I used one. Yummm - they are great to play with.