Reflections and New Beginnings

December for me always brings about a feeling of renewal especially towards the end of the month as we look towards a new year.  A time to bring some projects to an end and find renewed strength after a period of reflection. To face a new year with new opportunities, adventures and circumstances.  This is a time to think about the new seeds that you will sow - those ideas, goals and dreams that you want to see in 2013 take shape and grow.  I feel the drive to take stock over what I have done during the year – what was a hit, what missed - deciding what the best choices for what I want to achieve. 

I find it also important this year to look at my current state of health and make changes if necessary.  I didn’t do as much walking as I would normally do this year and definitely felt the effects of an unhealthy body.  I also found out I was deficient in quite a few vitamins which may have been the cause for the allergies that presented themselves.  I tried to convince the doctor that a prescription for a holiday in the sun would be the right course of action, but she couldn’t quite get passed the cheaper version of supplements instead!  So armed with my scarf, gloves and several layers we will see the start of a regular time for exercise as I reinvest in my physical health and well-being.

Personal development is also an area that requires focus to see how you can grow.   It is important to see growth as part of a continual process for all areas of our life, it is essential for our creativity.  I do think it is important to have a personal development plan to enable you to either perfect a skill or learn a new one.  I did a few courses and workshops this year, including Hello Soul Hello Business, 21 Secrets and Motley Soul Mixed Media  - check out some of the workshops yourself.  There is always something useful to learn - it is a continuous process.

There has been also been changes in the health of loved ones and I try and think of new ways to adapt to the changing needs of my mother who has dementia or the resurfacing of the multiple myeloma for my bother.  I ask for you all to continue to lift our family in your thoughts and prayers.

Yes December for me brings thoughts of tying up loose ends and embracing the new journeys and not running from them.  I won’t run from the new challenges ahead, some will be unexpected and some we might have some notice about, but while we have this life, let’s live it to the full and as we are blessed, remember to be a blessing!  Why wait!

Creating in Faith - Mustard Seed

 

^... “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” Matthew 13:30-32

Sometimes if we work on the smallest idea and nurture it, and enable it to blossom it can turn into something much bigger.  When we plant seeds we do not see the work going on in the soil, in total darkness or the nutrients that are drawn into the seed to enable it to grow.  How many of us have seen the very moment the plant first pops up out of the soil and the continuous work taking place within the roots, it happens and we see the results in the growing plant.

We all have ideas, some good, some bad and some really great. If we nurture them they grow and develop and have the potential to reach the world.  Others can be inspired by the work that we have put in to our ideas, collaborations can be formed and ultimately lives can be changed, all because of one simple idea that we decided to do something about. 

What have you been sitting on that if you put your mind to it could mean something great to someone else?, what efforts can you make behind closed doors, in the dark of the night that could be the next ‘big thing’ to impact on the lives of others?  Take a moment to examine the mustard seed and see what form your next idea will come. Take a chance to put in the effort and surprise yourself!

....if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you.’ Matthew 17:20

We have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight.. 1 John 3:21-22

Come join the group - Creating in Faith, show us how you will be incorporating the words and scriptures and reflections in your art this week.  Step out and be a blessing and you will also be blessed!

Creating in Faith - Grace

Grace....Elegance of movement; the unearned favour of God; a prayer of thanks said before a meal; a form of address to a duke, duchess or archbishop; bring honour to something by your presence.....

....it is by grace you have been saved.   Ephesians 2:5

We see variations of the meaning of the word Grace which we can all relate to in one form or another.  Despite where your faith lies we have all felt those times where we are not sure ‘how it happened’ but out of the blue you received the very answer that you needed or you got through to the other end of a crisis without really understanding how the pieces fitted together – this too is grace.

Some might explain it away as ‘luck’ or ‘coincidence’, or indicate a formula that enables one to achieve the same, and there are many who go through a ritual of routines and practices to obtain this illusive luck.  With God it’s not what you do but that He can.  We also see the measure of grace that others extend as they go the extra mile.  When we look at the graceful movements of the swan, it appears to glide across the water without much effort, yet if we were to look closely we would see its’ feet moving furiously under the water, as too in our lives others may look at where you have reached thinking that you have it easy, without seeing all the work that goes on in the background to complete it.

Take time to really think about how you have been touched by grace, let us be the ‘out of the blue’ for someone else and be a blessing in their lives.  Have a blessed week!

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ  John 1:17

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

Romans 5:17

Come join the group - Creating in Faith, show us how you will be incorporating the words and scriptures and reflections in your art this week.  Step out and be a blessing and you will also be blessed!

Creating in Faith - Closeness

What does closeness mean to you?...  We can think about the relationships we have with our families and friends and the closeness determined by how freely we are able to share matters of the heart, how much quality time we spend with them and nurturing the relationships. The closer we get the more we trust and let our guard down, we know we can rely on them we even know their likes and dislikes.

Are you able to do this for yourself, how much time have you really spent getting to know yourself, what you like, and don’t like, and I mean really like.  There are some people who in their later years still don’t know, because it not been something they ever did.  We can find ourselves swept along by the needs of others, constantly trying to please, going through the motions when the real you is crying out ‘what about me’. 

When you do think about yourself you have spent so long doing for others that you don’t even know what you feel like doing anymore and you realise  years have passed since the last time you thought about doing something.  I thought I would remind myself that this one life I have is not a dress rehearsal and it is to be lived fully.  I need to let go of doubts and worries and I’m sure I’ve said this before ‘get out of my own way’.  Not fearing solitude but really listening to my heart, and hearing my own breath.  Not waiting to be chosen, or rescued, but being there for me, choosing me.

One way that I have found my voice has been in my art journal and through creativity, and I do encourage you to find some creative activity that will enable you to find your hidden voice that needs your support and encouragement,  just as you would a friend, and for everything you do this week.   Spend time reflecting, getting to know again what really makes you tick, what excites you, upsets and encourages you, even what angers you, but most of all, make time for you.

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us... 1 John 5:14

The Lord is close to the broken hearted  and saves those who are crushed in spirit Psalm 34:18

He tends his flock like a shepherd:   He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.  Isaiah 40:11

Come join the group - Creating in Faith, show us how you will be incorporating the words and scriptures and reflections in your art this week.  Step out and be a blessing and you will also be blessed!

Painted Pages

I have been taking part in a few courses to stretch myself creatively, to keep my hand in and stay motivated while circumstances can be pressing in what seems like on all sides.  I did a workshop with Mika from Motley Soul called Painted pages.  In this workshop we find new ways to make fabric journals which allows you to combine fabric scraps or old clothes with paper that you might in the past just put in the recycle bin.  Everything takes on a new meaning when you start thinking to yourself exactly what you could make from it. It's not helping with storage space, but it means that I can create on different materials.

Here are some of  the pages I created for the basic pages

Once you start what your left with is a canvas book that you can use to your heart’s content, you can paint on it or sew in it by machine or hand. 

For the painted pages exercise I used different types of material which will give you different  textures on the page, which also responds to mediums in different ways. 

I’ve painted with acrylics, oil pastels, water soluble crayons and pencils and also sewed some of the pages which adds to the textures you can achieve.

Some of the pages worked better with paints than others, but then it meant that other techniques could be tried

This is the front cover, the pages put together as one signature, with a metal butterfly for decoration.  I still have a few pages to experiment on, looking forward to trying out some more ideas.  What new techniques have you been trying?

Creating in Faith - Prayer bookmark holders

I have been asked by Mika from Motley Soul to contribute on a weekly basis to her Creating in Faith group.  Each Sunday I will be posting a word and sharing a reflection and scriptures, it would be great to have you join us in the group and share your faith filled insights and the creative activities that you get up to.

For my creative pieces for this project I am making a series of book mark holders for each week, decorated with the word for that week in what ever style speaks to me at that moment with an image or collage or both!  The bookmark holder has a space in the side that allows you to place your prayer requests, thoughts and what ever else comes to mind.

Here is how I went about making them

 I took card, cut to 35cm x 8cm, decorated with stamps and inks and folded in half

I then took some fabric, painted and stamped on it, then cut them into strips that I then sewed in between the  longest side of the book mark holder, the two shorter sides were also sewn together to form a pocket

.  The book mark inside the holder is cut from the same card and 

is 15cm x 8 cm 

 I decorated the sides of the book mark with Washi tape that I also had a go at making - will share the process in another post.  The book mark is where I will be writing my thoughts, prayers, achievements, and wow moments for the week.

The aim is to be able to look back at all the prayers and scriptures and see how God has truely been working in my life.  The bookmark holders will eventually be joined together to create a mini book

This is the holder for last week, with the word for the week being Hope come and see the scriptures shared

Growth is this weeks word.  When I look back on my journey I see how much I have grown as an artist, and the changes that continuously take place, also thinking about the steps that I have taken and have yet to take and the amazing creatives that I am meeting  and have yet to meet along the way.

Come join the group - Creating in Faith, show us how you will be incorporating the words and scriptures in your art. Each week I will be sharing the next word, insight or reflection, scriptures and the bookmark holder for that week.  Step out and be a blessing and you will also be blessed!

The Week that was....

I have had a busy couple of weeks,  It is still wet and windy here in London,  but luckily every now and then the rays of sunshine continue to tease us of pastures filled with palm trees, the rushing back and forth of the waves and the soft sand between our toes....in the meantime its a toss up of deciding whether or not to dig out my winter wear and thick socks.  The garden is picking up and the Arboriculturist are trimming the trees outside the house which makes them look slightly bare at the moment.  

The neighbours cat still seems smitten with my garden and just comes over and sits on an old chair at the back of the garden sunning himself.  He still has an expression of disdain as if I have interrupted an important meeting.

I have been doing a mixed bag of things this week, alongside work. I love being in the studio, and  I have been working on some of the sessions in the 21 Secrets and will be sharing some of the art that I have been doing.  

After coming to the end of the 365 days of colour, I celebrated with having a massage.  I will be doing another challenge and be sharing some of the digital art work that I have been doing with my photography.  I will also be contributing to Motley Soul and Mika's Create in Faith Group we share our faith, our creativity and so much more!  Here is a page from my prayer journal.

Health wise, started doing some walking again, I also came across nutritionalist Daphne Cohn and I am taking part in her challenge.  She has a range of recipes that she will send you and they are delicious. I made one this week using the following:  

Handful of spinach, 5 x cabbage leaf, Half iceberg lettuce, Nob of ginger, Cup of water, 2 bananas, 1 pear, Fruit sweetener

All of this made 1.5 litres primarily because of the fruits and especially the lettuce is 70% water.  Daphne has got a 10 day challenge going where she sends you ideas and advice for a variety of green smoothies.  

Last week I gave a talk to a group of social workers about my role as a carer and was able to use some creative exercises to enable them to look at how they relate to different issues in their own life and the experiences that a carer can feel, it was interesting to be on the other side of the coin and get a different perspective of my role through their eyes and talk about the role in a positive light. I will be doing more talks and sharing some of the creative tools I have been using.

Our City of London Festival officially begins this weekend and there are over 100 events running until 27th July, I am hoping to go to a few and will share any pictures I take. The fun starts tomorrow with a tour of the Bank of England, and on Sunday running until 13th July - there will be 50 Street pianos just waiting to be played at a variety of locations around London.  

And finally, my son has finished his exams - a big WELL DONE goes out to him, routines have changed and there is now talk of learning to drive and A'Levels which he will be pursuing in September.  He has his Prom dance next week and went out and got a suit, he looks so mature in it, and has grown a bit bigger and currently towers over me at around 6ft 2.  Time has flown indeed.... 

Hope you have a blessed weekend!