Metamorphosis...

Last year, I printed my own Christmas cards with the image from my post called Songbirds. The birds represented my children in our season of winter as we are learning our way through the difficulties that come with breaking up a family.

This year, I decided I am starting a tradition that my holiday cards will feature an art piece I made to represent my year and hopefully inspire those I give them to.  This year I'll be using the image above for my cards.  It has many layers of meaning, the over arching theme is transformation and the miracle and wonder of life.  

On a personal note, a friend recently sent a text that made me choke up:  "You are so different now. God Bless You.  Yes, people near you are taking notice now... God is fabulous"

Yes, God IS fabulous.  And if we listen to Him through studying his Word, we can't help but be transformed and renewed and utterly changed from who we were "before".  I know that I myself am more patient with the world in general, more empathetic, less stressed. I've learned to handle what I can and to give what I can't to God to take care of.  Sure, I'm not perfect, but the change has been AMAZING for my mental, physical, and spiritual health.  

In the Northeastern US where I live, we would never find a monarch on a real Christmas tree.  The cold would have killed them off by this time of year.  They tend to leave the area in September or perhaps as late as early October. However, I recently saw a documentary and was amazed to see footage of pines in Mexico literally covered on each entire branch with monarchs.  These images below cannot possibly due the sight justice.

This butterfly may not "belong" in a Christmas tree, as it is too cold here, but it persisted through the cold and when brought into the warmth and light of the house, emerged as beautiful as God meant for it to be. Like us, as Christians, are called to transform ourselves through meditating on God's Word.

(Another layer to the image... my family has developed a hobby these past 2 years of raising and releasing monarchs through out the summer that we hatch from eggs, so there's a fun nod here to my crazy sister who hatched something like 150 or so this year! It is such a fascinating process to watch! I highly recommend it if you have children.  It is an easy to manage science project that will instill a wonder for life and creation!)

The image was sketched in pencil, water color painted, and inked with a quill pen.

Holiday Gift...

While considering a Holiday Gift for my friend that would be both meaningful and useful, I decided to customize this simple 2020 planner that I picked up at a local department store.  I pictured it being used at work to stay on task, or better yet, to keep a prayer journal - this particular friend is a prayer warrior on the prayer team at his church.

I decided not to be sneaky or stealthy, and straightforwardly asked for some of his favorite Bible verses.  He sent me  four or five of his favorites.  I took his top 2, and made them into artwork for inside the covers of the planner.  The planner had no holidays marked inside it for some strange reason, so I then went through the pages of the book and marked and decorated each holiday on its monthly calendar page.  (There are additional weekly pages where he could keep track of prayer records or meetings, etc.)

This was the artwork that I put on the right side inside the front cover.  As you open the cover, you immediately see this bright and encouraging image.  On the left side of the inside cover, I hand-wrote out the verse and colored the edges of the page in matching blue and gold watercolor.  The image was sketched and watercolor painted, and overlaid with black ink from a quill pen.

The favorite verse, Romans 15:13, from the NLT translation

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

_____________________________________________

Inside the back cover of the book, I similarly sketched, painted, and inked an image for his second favorite verse, Mark 12: 29-31 and on the opposite side of the cover, I hand-wrote the verse.

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. The Lord our God is one Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.” 

The reaction upon opening the package?   

"It's Simply Beautiful."

Full of Light and Color...

I spent a LOT of time on art this weekend!  As I continued to experiment with my watercolors and watercolor paper, I realized I needed to get a lot "looser" and more "painterly" with the brush to really succeed with watercolor.

I spent some time mowing up the leaves in the yard today. I always wear my headset and play my praise playlist when I'm riding the lawn tractor.  Simple inspiration to try some fall colored birch trees for practice and meditation.

I adore the fall colors in my area! I spent time telling God how beautiful his creation is as I worked out these trees.  The conspicuous empty spot on the right needed a verse about trees, but I was called to this quote I found online instead.  And afraid to completely destroy the painting with a calligraphic error, I decided to electronically overlay the quote instead.

I had no idea who John Burroughs was, but after a quick online search, I found he was a naturalist and a writer about the beauty of nature from the early 1900's, and who lived not very far from where I live!  While researching, I saw another of his more famous quotes, "The Kingdom of Heaven is not a place, but a state of mind."  This quote gave me more to meditate and talk to God about.

Housewarming gift...

My good friend moved into a new apartment and had a housewarming get together. I wanted to make her something special, so I painted and inked a hydrangea for her, her favorite flower. 

I wrote in a verse on the back of the painting for her: Luke 12: 27-28

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!"

Here is the picture, framed and ready for gifting... 

Wait Patiently...

This project was simple practice for me.  Experimenting with my watercolor pencils and watercolor paper, and my new brush pens for calligraphy.  It's not perfect, but it is one of my favorite verses, and spending an hour or two focusing on one of your favorite scriptures is always time well spent!