A Simple Valentine’s Banner…

Here’s a fun banner to make with your kids (or for yourself), and customize the way you like- I wanted mine to have a pretty, aged, vintage feel.

All you’ll need is paper enough to make your banner as long as you would like, clothespins (I found these tiny ones at Office Depot for $1.49), and paints and pens (or whatever you want to decorate them with). 

Cut out the hearts. I decorated mine with a soft edge of metallic red watercolor. (It really sparkles in the sun! I couldn’t get a photograph to do it justice.) I took it one step further and copied out 1 Corinthians 13 (MSG) longhand in pretty handwriting with a black micron pen. I then used Jenni Bowlin letter stickers to spell out the last part of the chapter.  

Hang, and enjoy!

Happy Valentines Day to My Beloved

I have hijacked my wifes blog this morning to wish her a wonderful Valentines Day. I count myself the luckiest man in the entire world to have such a wonderful wife. God has richly blessd me and my children with such a wonderful angel as you. I thank God every day that you are my Beloved. I long to be with you when we are apart and am only whole when I am with you. I Love You my Beloved; Always and Forever, From Eternity to the Stars.

 

Art Friday- Play!

(I am loving me some Instagram. It’s life-changing as far as life documenting goes- make it simple, make it easy, make it fast, make it fun, and this mama o’ six will resist the urge to kiss you for bringing her creative mojo back. Don’t worry Pinterest. You’re still my first love…)

This is all about the dreams… I wanted to start (and did have, for a while) an Etsy store, and I see that in my future. I’ve been fiddling with a lot of prototypes. I’ve been dreaming Kelly Rae Roberts sized dreams- licensing. Creative business. The thing is, after my stint at my job, I have the back side of the small biz down to a veritable art form- now it’s just dreaming big, creating big- and a lot of that? Just means play.

Perhaps one of the biggest gifts I’ve received in the last two-ish months is realizing and identifying my style; knowing what just makes me want to go crazy with the paint and paper. It’s definitely mixed-media. Paint. Patterned paper. (Lots of pretty, pretty, patterned paper.) Words. The Word, more often than not. Knowing what makes me love creating has opened up a freedom- I don’t need to try to work outside of that style (at least right now, and there is always play, of course), and I can hone the techniques that really fill me up creatively. I really, really want to learn how to do encaustics- I’m hoping I can catch a class the next town over, soon.

I took a Zumba class ( a latin dance-aerobic class, thing- Mostly shaking what your mama gave you, honestly…) for the first time the other night and man, was it fun. We were talking about yoga and dance and Pilates (all of which I used to do back in the day), and I was delighted to discover that at least, as far as dancing and yoga, I haven’t lost the skills- even if it did totally kick my bum. I haven’t even attempted Pilates yet. I have goals for a few months from now to start picking it back up- but..*ahem*…the rest of them are real ballet dancers, so…uh…I’ll have to screw my courage up. And the thing is, making art is just the same. It’s getting back on the bike, pedaling for the joy, and letting go of the handlebars and just letting go. It’s lovely.

If your feeling intimidated by your creative endeavors- whatever they may be- cooking, scrappin’, painting, sewing, whatever just fills up your cup- can I encourage you to just get in there and play? Don’t think about all the details. Just go at it for the sheer love of it.

My Elliana girl is one…

Oh sweet baby girl, time if flying far too fast for my liking. But I adore you…the way you squeeze your eyes have shut when you smile or when you wonder if I’ll pay attention if you cry, the way you always toss your arm above your head, finger pointed, like the Irish dancers…the tumble of sounds that greet us as we open the door in the morning, you eyes-squeezed half shut grinning at us over your yellow crib. We are all, everyone of us, head over heels for you, and dontcha know it. We grab you for squeezes…if we can catch you. You are such a monkey, climbing on everything. Love you, dearest of dears. You are such a gift.

A look back at your first year~

One thing remains…

If there is anything the last few years have taught me, only One remains. When it all falls down, only Christ. When the storm rages, only the Rock. All else will come and go, but the Word does not fail.

As my father-in-law struggles with grave illness, knowing that he is not long for this world, this arrangement from Josh Garrels has been much on my mind. Death has no sting. In Communion, we remember this; that He has conquered death, and that Peace is with us.

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