Bible Journaling

It is amazing the many exciting ways we have that can lead us to spend time in God's Word. There is prayer, praise, worship, soaking, sitting still, journaling, all amazing ways of connecting with God. I love all of these, especially praise and worship, but last year I discovered a new way to interact with God in a way that makes my soul sing: Bible Journaling.

As a cardmaker, I am always on the lookout for inspiration for my cards. Little did I know that there was a way to use the techniques and tools of cardmaking in my private time with God. It was mindblowing! As I researched and followed Bible Journalers on Social Media, I fell in love with this, for me, a new method of spending time connecting with God. It gives me a sense of freedom as I read His Word and His Spirit plants seeds of creativity in my mind and I visualize how He wants me to interpret what I've read.

I have gone so far as to step out of my comfort zone and take part in a challenge. This was amazing because it involved using watercolor to create the journal entries for World Watercolor Month 2018. For thirty (30) days, I journaled based on prompts supplied by the challenge organizer. This challenge opened me up to going outside of my comfort zone and trusting God with my creative masterpieces. I am no expert, by any means, but I keep at it because I get to spend time in His presence and because the work that comes forth from our time together brings glory to His name. 

This is the latest piece I created. I was studying Spiritual Foundations based on Romans 8:1-2 in a Bible Journaling course I participated. This scripture reads, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." What impressed me most about this scripture was the phrase "the Spirit who gives life has set you free" and what immediately came to mind was broken chains. 

Take a look at the finished product below. If you want to see some more of the journaling pages I have done, click here.

Back to Basics

We are the church. Did you know that? The four walls that enclose us on Sunday mornings are just that—walls. When we leave the building we should be taking the church with us. After all, we are witnesses for God, His representatives here on earth. And through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can take God’s word where the Spirit leads us.

Before David decided he wanted to build a temple for God, He (God) was everywhere the people went; He was not boxed in, He was in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21). Even after the temple was built, God could not be contained. When the Israelites went into exile in Babylon, God was with them; when we, modern day Christians became part of the Vine as Gentiles grafted in by God’s grace and mercy into Abraham’s family tree, He didn’t leave us, on the contrary, He molded us and made us part of His family, all without walls! So why do we limit ourselves to the four walls of the church? Why do we continue to do business as usual, holding on to tradition, locking our doors against those who look and speak different than we do, when the God we serve is a God of change, one who doesn’t look on us based on our gender, color or anything that hints at a difference in our make up; a God who looks to do ‘a new thing’ in the lives of His people?  Here’s why: we are afraid of change, so we remain locked in the four walls of the church afraid to wander in the wilderness not trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide us, and what is worse, we keep others out, thus isolating ourselves, which keeps us from being who God created us to be: His church.

We must go back to basics, back to allowing God to lead us by day and night, through His Spirit, to reach others for His kingdom.  To do so, we must tear down the walls that separate us from God’s children and welcome them with open arms.

Read: 2 Samuel 7:1-14

Women History Month - Mixed Media Art

I come from a family where women abound. My mother had nine children, seven of which are women (the guys were outnumbered - sorry brothers)! Because of this, you will see women featured in my work.

In my journey as an artist, I’ve been inspired to make women the focus of my art. Most of these have been put together on my computer and cut from cardstock, then embellished with fabric and other ítems. I put a lot of thought in creating these images to represent women, especially women of color.

Here are some of my latest creations:

I Am Not My Hair

She Is Bold

Every Woman Is A Queen

A Black Queen's Beauty Shines from Within

When Motivated Women Get Together

Even though I focus on women doesn't mean that men are left out, so here is this solo player:

Blessed Is the Man Who Trusts in the Lord

Good morning everyone!

It's a beautiful, cloudy winter morning here in Southern California, but I'm loving being able to wear rain boots and snuggle up in winter wear, :-)  I've been very busy this week with making Valentine's cards, but I will not post any of them here today as I have lots (hopefully) more to make and I haven't had a chance to photograph the finished ones as yet.

Today I want to showcase the few cards I made this week. Here's the first one. I made this thank you card for the pastor of my church. I dance in a praise group and we minister on the 3rd Sunday of every month. This past Sunday, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we danced to his "We Shall Overcome" speech and Pastor Sauls, who's originally from South Africa and plays the African drums, was kind enough to play in the background to provide us with a beat for the dance. I used embellishments from my stash, with the exception of the swirl frame, which I got from here.

Oops, I just noticed the time and I have to leave for praise and worship. I will return later and upload the other cards for you to view.  In the meantime, enjoy your Saturday morning!

Ciao!!

Fall Colors

This week's newsletter from Paper Crafter's Library had a challenge for a Fall Thank You card.  Every Monday they send out a challenge, but this is the first time I was inspired (or had the time) to try my hand at making one of their card layouts.  I love the colors of the card, but it was the simplicity that inspired me to make it. Using scraps of paper I have in my stash, I followed the directions given by Tracy in the video and made the following:

Another Friday Afternoon

Well, I've made it to another Friday afternoon not knowing where to begin or what to do. I'm torn between being creative or just sitting back and relaxing before my weekend begins.  I don't know about you, but on Fridays I find it hard to do anything but catching up on some me time.  I find that when one is creative, ones mind tends to wander from project to project (mentally.) When that happens to me, I get this feeling of being overwhelmed and cannot make up my mind about what it is I want to do!

This afternoon was no exception. I started out with some Praise and Worship and Bible Study. This is the easy part because it requires no thought on my part -- being in God's presence has a way of setting the atmosphere and clearing the clutter from my mind. I then prepared dinner for my mom and settled down to watch a show on TV.  It was during this period of rest that I started wondering where to begin and what to do creatively.  I checked my email, saw a few emails I subscribed to with different techniques to try, but frankly, I was still not motivated.  This brought me to writing this post. I think I made up my mind to just let myself relax today and start off tomorrow fresh and with a clear mind.

I won't leave you without something to view, though.  I made the following card on Wednesday, September 26th.  It was my older sister's birthday and I decided (last minute) to bake her cake (we meet for Bible Study on Wednesday evenings at church).  Needless to say, I was stumped for a layout for the card.  I then remembered an email I received from Bird's Cards with a card she'd made.  I loved the simplicity of the card, but more than that, I loved how elegant it looked, so I tried making my own version of this card.  I made this card the old fashioned way -- cutting and pasting.  There was no e-cutter involved, just my paper cutter, scissors, a paper punch, the Cuttlebug, bling, ribbon, and a stamped sentiment. See? Simplicity and elegance.  Enjoy!

Digital Images

Hi there!

Today I decided to showcase one of the many techniques I've been using in making my cards.  One of my favorite things to do is work with graphics.  There is so much you can do with them!  I'm constantly browsing the web in search of artwork/graphics I can use in my business (I think I mentioned before that I'm a VA by profession -- a creative one at that!) as well as for my card making hobby. Anyway, there are so many sites that offer digital stamps for purchase.  One  such site is Mo's Digital Pencil Shop.  I purchased the digi file, Gloria at the Pool, which I used for this card. I used Copic Markers to paint the image, then cut out the image with Spellbinders die and attached the image to the card base. I embellished the card with some bling and Stickles glitter glue.  Gloria seems to be having some fun. I may need to follow suit!

I also purchased this cute wedding file, Wedding Couple.  Copic Markers brought to life the image, and I highlighted it with Stickles glitter glue. I used my Cuttlebug to add dimension to the background layer of the card base, and embellished it with tiny pearls. They make an awesome pair!




I've had this cutie for a while now and finally found the time to use her for a card. I think I purchased the file from Mo's, but can't locate any information on her.  I used Copic Markers to color and Stickles glitter glue to add some dimension to her dress and the bows in her hair.  Using my Cuttlebug, I embossed the background layer to add dimension.

Isn't she adorable?