See the Good

How many times have you looked at something or someone and noticed what was wrong?  Here's a confession time for me, I have to say that I have often done this.  Of course we do need to see things that are wrong so they can be put right.  But what I'm talking about is more an attitude of the heart, a willingness to see the good in people or things rather than criticise what is wrong.  When we choose to SEE the good it keeps us positive and  grateful and it not only blesses us but the other person too.

In the bible it says:

Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, 

whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence,

 if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

 Phil 4: 8

 So this is what I'm trying to do along with keeping a grateful heart which I recently wrote about here.

Here is my art journal page:

I chose autumn colours partly for the new challenge at Try it on Tuesday  which is 'autumn' but mainly because I love autumn colours and I was in an orange mood :)  I applied the paint with a baby wipe leaving the lovely glow in the centre.  Next I stencilled and stamped:

This page actually started off with some of the stencilled flowers (gorgeous PaperArtsy stencil) applied to use up leftover texture paste from the previous page.  I sponged over in the goldy orange:

There were only three flowers as in the stencil to start with and I added more in black:

Finally adding more flowers with texture paste and again sponging over and outlining in white:

This was a fun page to do which came together really quickly.  I like to make my pages have meaning so did you notice that the flowers reflect the theme of the page?  The flowers might appear black, but look carefully and you will see the goldy ones!

 Wishing you joy in your SEEING :)

I'm linking up at:
Try it on Tuesday
Art Journal Every Day 
Create With Joy Friendship Friday 

Circle Journal - Last One!

Here is my contribution to Shelby's journal - the last one for me in the circle journal I've been participating in.  Its been so much fun receiving each very different journal and seeing everyone's wonderful pages.

I wanted to use Brushos since the PaperArtsy current challenge is pigment powders and I've had some for ages and not got into them so it was good to get them out and have a go.

 I really like the quote which came in a PaperArty set.  So much of what we actually 'see' depends on our attitude in the first place.... we can look at a glass half full or half empty and its something I've been mulling over a lot recently.  I want to be someone who will see and make the best of everything, keeping a grateful heart whatever happens because I trust God to bring the best out of everything.

I wanted the backround to be seen through the flowers and Brushos worked well.  I sprinkled some on a mat and spritzed with water.  They are great for colouring texture paste too which is how I did the hearts:

What are the 'flowers' you've been seeing lately?

I'm linking up at:
PaperArtsy
Art Journal Every Day
Creative Every Day
Create With Joy Inspire Me Monday

Thanks Always

Here are a couple of journal pages inspired by what has been very much on my heart at the moment - the importance of keeping a grateful heart no matter what is going on in our lives.  Sometimes it can feel like a hard thing to do if times are tough but that is when it is most important.   I can always find lots of things to be thankful for - my family, home, church, friends, flowers, sunshine.....  but  now I'm trying to get in the habit of being thankful especially when things are difficult.  In the bible it says that we are to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess 5:18), that means that no matter what is happening we need to be grateful.  How can we do that in the face of really horrible circumstances?  We can do that because the bible also says:

We know that in everything God works for good 

with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.

Rom 8: 28 

When we thank God in the face of adversity we are trusting Him and it increases our faith.

 This started off on one of the pages in my art journal where I had scraped off leftover paint and I used it to try out my new stamps.  I stamped with abandon and had fun!

I stamped and painted in these wonderful PaperArtsy flowers which I won in a giveaway:

For my next page I wanted to play with my new stencils which I got for my birthday:

I found this new Balzer stencil when I popped into That's Crafty, a craft shop which I usually buy from on line.  We were on our way to visit and were going past their door so I persuaded hubby to stop and get me my birthday prezzie!  It was an Aladdin's cave!  Yes, you can see everything on line but its not the same as physically being in the shop.  Hubby's promised we can go again for my Christmas prezzie! I stencilled the numbers too, to put a bit of white in the backround but also to indicate lots of times for thanking :)

Love this PaperArtsy stencil too:

Gorgeous with my home made texture paste:

So I put being-grateful-when-you-don't-feel-like-it into practice yesterday.  I had my new oven delivered this week having been without one for a few months.  Its an integrated oven to replace the original one which was in a custom built unit so the unit had to be built up again.  We are not DIY people, we are GSI people, not Do-It-Yourself but Get-Someone-In :) so I had paid for the delivery people to install it.  When they came they wouldn't fit it because they said an electrician had to do it.  GRRRRR is how I felt.  But they left and I said, No, give thanks.  Thank you, Lord, I said, that I can now get an electrician to do a proper fitting and make it good.  I rang an electrician who came 15 minutes! later and fitted the oven.  And he is also going to build the unit round it whereas I was going to have to find yet another workman to fit it.

A bit of a silly example really, but it works in the big things too.  God loves us and He loves and wants us to trust Him.  He wants what's best for us and He will bring things to good.

I'm linking up at:

Art Journal Every Day 

Create With Joy Friendship Friday
Country View Challenges Numbers challenge 

Glory Art no 16 - Humility

This week at the Glory Art Scripture Challenge we looked at 'Humility'.  The bible exhorts us to be humble but what exactly is humility?  It isn't self-loathing, false modesty, putting oneself down.  Humility is the opposite of pride.  Bibilical humility is being like Jesus who was humble, gentle, patient and a servant to others although He was the Son of God Himself.  Pride insists on its own way, thinks its better than anyone else.  Humility yields and counts others better than itself.  Patter encouraged us to look at this file written by Nance Leigh DeMoss called 'Proud Spirits and Humble Hearts' and its a wonderful and very challenging exercise.

I made scripture cards as usual:

 I brayered a backround and then cut into four:

Then came stencilling and a text stamp:

When I added the last layer of stencilling in pink I didn't like the finished result!  So I covered it all in white and then I loved the soft muted effect of the backround:

It was perfect for the final stamping:

I need to start making these cards into a devotional book.  My original plan won't work now because there are too many.  I was going to mount them on black, punch two holes at the top for book rings and make a stand so each card could be flipped over but the book rings aren't big enough.  Any ideas, anyone?

I'm linking up at:
Triple the Scraps Glory Art Scripture Challenge
Word Art Wednesday
Create with Joy Inspire Me Monday
Creative Every Day

How Many Times?..... Just Keep On Asking

I have so much stuff, hassly stuff, going on at the moment that it made me lose my inspiration and I have found it virtually impossible to pick up my paints, etc.  This is doubly sad because I recently had a birthday and got some lovely new goodies to play with and even that didn't get me going!!!  Anyway, to cut a long story short I eventually picked up my art journal and started to play.

This page is really inspired by those hassles.  I've been praying about one thing in particular for a long, long time and I've sometimes been tempted to give up asking God for a solution..... But I never have given up because Jesus said quite clearly to ask and the word He used means to KEEP ON asking and then, He says, you SHALL receive.  So that is what I have been doing and there are signs that a solution might, just possibly, be in sight at last though there is a long way to go yet.  God is faithful and hears our every single prayer and He answers at the right time and in the right way, whatever that might be.

Here is my art journal page.  Since the title is How Many Times I used my yummy new Mini Numbers stencil from The Crafters Workshop which was perfect for the current challenge at Country View Challenges which is 'Numbers'.

I started off by scraping a couple of different yellows all over the page and then stenciling a houndstooth pattern, yes another new stencil from TCW again and I love it!

Then I stamped the text and stencilled the numbers:

It was looking a little flat so I added texture paste and sponged over the top. I added the words on strips of card since I couldn't write over all the texture paste:

Have you been praying for something and not had an answer yet?  Don't give up, but keep on asking!  God is faithful and He WILL answer.

I'm linking up at:

Country View Challenges
Art Journey Every Day
Create With Joy Friendship Friday

Glory Art no 15 - Christ-Esteem

I loved this week's topic at the Glory Art Scripture Challenge which was Christ-Esteem.  Patter got us to think about the difference between being self-focused and Christ-focused.  We often hear people say they have low self-esteem.  However, as Christians what we need is to have Christ-Esteem!  We rely on God for His help, His strength, His guidance and we become the people He wants us to be.

Here are my scripture cards.  I'm getting a tidy number and will have to start making them into the devotional book soon:

I started off with a brayered backround in 2 different yellows:

Next was stencilling in a light orange, I used a new houndstooth pattern stencil which I got for my birthday:

I added some stamping in brown including this gorgeous stamp by Kaisercraft with the big numbers which was perfect for the Country View Crafts Numbers challenge.

Lastly I added the flowers which are by PaperArtsy:

I'm linking up at:

Triple the Scraps Glory Art Scripture Challenge
Country View Crafts Numbers challenge
Create with Joy Friendship Friday
Word Art Wednesday

Glory Art no 14 - Maturity

Hello everyone, it is a month since I last posted!  Life has been busy busy plus we've been away on hols.  It is literally a month since I last did anything creative :(  How could it have been this long!! No wonder I've got itchy fingers and my paints and stamps and etc are all sreaming at me to get them out again but just before I do I thought I would share these scripture cards which I did for Glory Art no 14 which was on maturity.

As we grow in God and go on in our walk with him we aspire to be more like Jesus and that is growing into maturity.  How do we do that? Its in the choices that we make day by day to pray, go to church, read our bibles and get to know God more and more deeply.  As we do this more and more we want to do things that please God, not because we feel we have to but as our response to His love for us.  Growing into maturity is a lifelong process and I don't know about you but I find that at some times progress might seem slow and at other times it feels like I'm learning a lot.  The important thing is to keep going.

 I actually did these scripture cards before we went away but had no time to post them.  They are very simple since I only had a little time to do them:

I used only one stencil and a couple of stamps:

I found the stencil in a home shop for 50p!  Its one of those used to sprinkle chocolate on a capuccino but when I saw it I knew it would be perfect for paint :)

 

They came together very quickly and were fun to do.

Now I simply MUST go and do some art!

I'm linking up at:
Creative Every Day
Create with Joy Inspire Me Monday
Word Art Wednesday