2009 Journal Swap Project

I have wanted to try something for a long time and decided to just go ahead and do it but I need willing participants. I need 6-12 people who would like to be in on a circle journal swap. It would work like this; after I have the names of each journaler, you will get a name and address to send your journal to. Each person will have a journal for one month and then pass it on around the circle. Eventually your journal will return to you. You can be as creative or uncreative as you like but you must write something on at least one page and introduce yourself to the journal owner. I would like to start in March so send me a personal email with your name and address by February 21st. This is not limited to the US so anyone can join in on the fun it only requires that you are willing to send a package every month so consider the cost involved. That should give you enough information to make your decision on. I will send you the complete guidelines when I have your name and email. Oh, I am so excited to see who signs up. How fun this is going to be.

Sufficient

I made a worship/workout playset on my ipod for using when I workout on my elliptical. It is quite inspiring and kept me going longer than I intended because I was in the middle of a song and had to hear the end. I thought this song might be encouraging to others so take a listen to the words of Addie's song Sufficient.

Day 1 - Shaped by Faith

I don't know if you are like me but sometimes it takes me the longest time to actually put into action something that I want to do but I don't want to do at the same time. I think about it, mull it over and say, "that would be good for me" but that is as far as it goes. Months can go by with the idea that I will do that tomorrow and tomorrow comes and still no action taken. Well, I have been playing with the idea of exercising for awhile now. Maybe I should say years but let's not go there today. I have been more serious in my thinking lately since I have lost a few pounds and want to be more active. Fear of failing once again and not knowing what activity to do have crippled me so far but today an email changed that thought into action. In my inbox was a 28 day program on getting active not only physically but spiritually. The concept of wholeness was the point of the article. I checked it out and I think I can do it. Tiny steps make for big changes down the road. Maybe you will join me but even if you don't I must be willing to take this journey alone. The program is based on the book, Shaped by Faith by Theresa L. Rowe. I am moving ahead one step at a time, even if it is tiny baby steps. Every journey starts with a first step and this is mine. So here I go......

New ideas to try

I ended up on a blog yesterday and found some inspiration. I went to the store today, bought the supplies and have been crocheting cute little flowers like crazy. I am going to make mine into a scarf when I have enough. I'll post a picture when I finish but take a look at them here if you are interested. I also saw some paper decorated with spray paint on this blog. I keep forgetting to buy some spray paint when I go to the store but I would like to try my hand at it one of these days. I think it would be fun to make the papers and bind them into a journal. So many ideas and I think I need to start writing some of my ideas down so I don't forget so that when I have some time I can try some of these thing out.

Good Advice for 2009

As my art journal group met yesterday and we shared personal and professional struggles, I was blessed by each woman's willingness to be open and honest about where she was in life. To feel the care and concern for one another and hold each others hand through this time is a blessing beyond measure. Love ya girls and I'm praying for you all. We decided to go through The Creative Call by Janice Elsheimer. I started this book on my own and I think I made it to chapter two. Not that the book is not a good one. I loved it but I need accountability to keep going so I am excited that I have others to go through this with this time. The page above is based on the introduction of that book. I especially was impacted by the authors words about pursuing art.

She says," Instead of hoping that finding ourselves will result in practicing our art again, we need to realize that only through losing ourselves and becoming reliant on God can we discover how to use those gifts the way He wants us to use them. We will find the artist God intends us to be when we empty ourselves of self and become open to His plan and to the inspiration of His Holy Spirit. Only then will we experience personal artistic revival.


When I have let God give me the dreams of my heart; I can take those dreams and move ahead. I like the idea of artistic revival. I think 2009 is going to be a very interesting year. I also think a lot of listening and waiting will be involved which is not my strong suit.

My OZ

I love it when a page surprises me. I never go into my pages with an idea, they just create themselves as I go but sometimes the message that comes out is profound. A message that makes you say, OH MY! I don't know why this page effected me that way. It was a message that has come out of my pages before but this time I think I accepted it, owned it and was willing to reevaluate what it truly means. Dorthy was faced with so many challenges on her journey in OZ and even though she had incompetent travel mates, they genuinely cared for her. What they all had to find out was that they had what they needed all along, they just had to believe it and claim it. It was less about the journey as it was about developing character and grasping hold of that part of them that was there all along. Believing that there is no place like home with the one's who love you and care for you. I read an interview that Rick Warren gave and this part of it really spoke to me.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

I won't be in OZ forever. I have a home where I am loved and cared for. I must let my character be built up and shine brightly in this place of uncertainty and constant challenges. A place with travel mates that don't have what it takes either but we are in this together and will look out for each other until it is time to click those cute heels and go home. Life may not be what I imagined but it is what I need and where I need to be. I don't have to be depressed or discouraged about it either. Lots of good to focus on and be glad about.

Impromptu Photoshoot

It was a beautiful sunny day today and so my daughter took some pictures of me. She is so creative with the camera. The sun was almost too bright but you don't hear me complaining. Sunny crisp days are my favorite.

We had fun running around the yard looking for good photo spots. Now she is anxiously waiting for me to finish this post so that we can art journal. We stopped by the store today to get chicken for lunch and she bought a magazine that has cool sayings and pictures in it that she thinks will be be great for art journaling so I guess I had better get going. Funny how when you start to art journal you start looking at things differently. Magazines are no longer for reading and looking at, hang tags on clothes are no longer tossed in the trash and any other bits of paper becomes a design element in your next journal page. So much fun to be had with other people's junk.