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Wednesday 9 March 2016

Spring Follows Winter

Its ages since I last posted and ages since I did anything creative :(  I've had a flare up of chronic fatigue which hit me out of the blue and it sapped all energy and, almost worse, all creativity!!!  How can that be?  Always in the past when I've been in the middle of a chronic fatigue bout I've managed to keep creating - its what's kept me sane and going through it, knowing I would get through it.  So this time round I've been quite discouraged to find that all inspiration has gone. The times that I tried it ended up in the bin!!!!

I usually pray a lot too and derive enormous comfort and hope from knowing that God is with me, giving me grace and strength.  But this time, I've found that hard too!  Brain fog (a sympton of CFS) has been especially bad this time and its been hard to pray.  The wonderful thing, however, is that our God is faithful and gracious and He has been there every time I have turned to Him and prayed.  I may not have had the energy and strength to pray as much as normal but when I have drawn close to Him He has been there faithfully waiting to give me that comfort and hope and grace which I've needed.  I've felt the sweet touch of His Holy Spirit and the knowledge of His love for me.  And what amazing blessing that is!

So I've kept going knowing that just as Spring follows Winter, strength will follow fatigue and now I am getting better and stronger again.  Here is a journal page which is the only thing I have managed to do in the last month:


I used a page in my journal which already had the backround colour - leftover paint from one of my autumn colour projects.  I couldn't get enough of these colours back then and I still love them now!  I added stencils using sprays and sponged paint:


 Plus some stamping.  The script is a favourite from IndigoBlu and the grid is a fly swat which I saw in a shop for 50p and thought I could use as a stencil!!  Its actually better as a stamp:


Then I stamped flowers from a new PaperArtsy Kay Carley set:


I stamped in black:


  and highlighted in white:


I did this a couple of weeks ago.  It was fun to do and I think I can feel inspiration stirring.......

I'm linking up at:
That's Crafty - Stencils and Masks challenge
Creative Every Day
Craft Stamper

8 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear about your flare-up Susan. Just hang in there, Spring is in the air! I'm glad to see the lovely bright colours in your project - they will keep you happy and energized! :)

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  2. Susan my friend, I am so sorry about your flare up as well! The good thing for you is that you know where your strength and help comes from so you don't have to stay in that place!!! God is ever faithful to pull us up out of that miry clay and holds you steady until then! Blessings for full recovery from this flare up and a swift one at that! I love your journal page and like you, the colors!!! I love the textures and those sweet flowers cheering you on for Spring reprieve! I was so glad to see you come visit me today! Thanks as always for your encouraging words and much peace and blessings to you! Don't you let the enemy steal your joy.....you CRAFT ON in spite of his tactics!!! :)))))

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  3. Susan, I'm so glad you are feeling better!!! Yes, God is an ever present help for us... always available and always working in our lives!!! I'm thankful you lean on Him!! He never falters!!! Your page is gorgeous!!!!

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  4. He is faithful! Glad you're feeling better, Susan. Enjoy your spring, and remember that it is in the winter when the trees pull in all the resources they need for the spring growth, even though it looks as though nothing is happening from the outside.

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  5. Susan I love your decorated page !!

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  6. I feel so bad that I have lost track with you since AEDM. I was so glad to see you dropped by my blog for a visit, but saddened to read you have not been well, but enjoyed reading that you were feeling better.

    This is an absolutely amazing piece. I was so impressed with the various layers and the way you put it all together. It's a simply amazing journal entry.

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  7. This is beautiful Susan...love all the details on it.
    Sorry to hear that you have been struggling, glad that you are on the up swing again.

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  8. Fab journal page. Love the vibrant colours. Thank you for joining in with the Craft Stamper Challenge. Linda xx

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