Tattered Art Studio

My "One Little Word" for 2012

2012-02-06T15:36:00.000-06:00

Thank you so much to everyone who read my last post and for all of your kind comments, encouragement and prayers! They mean more to me than you could know!! I just love this blogging community and feel it is truly a gift to be a part of it!

As I mentioned in my last post, the last year, and especially the last few months, have been quite hard. It has been a time full of heartbreak, loss, huge changes, growing pains and challenges. But it has also been a time full of hope, answered prayers and the beginning of healing. For this reason I've chosen Heal to be my "One Little Word" for 2012!

Photo Credit

I want to take this year and focus on healing. After all we've been through I feel like this is a time to rest, breathe, listen, learn and heal. I'm excited about this new word! I've been pondering how I can focus on healing and restoring my spirit. Here are a few things I've come up with so far...

First, I am a daughter of Christ and He is the Great Healer! No healing will come except through Him!

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." ~ Psalm 147:3

Photo Credit

I'm so thankful for this, for a God that I can go to for everything! It is so important to me to spend daily time with my God. I want to meet with Him, pray to Him, read His Word and grow to be more like Him. I don't pretend to be perfect, and sometimes my day gets away from me and I haven't had that sweet, quiet time with Him, but I always want to try! I know this is the only way to truly heal my heart!!

Next, I am an artist!

"Create" by Jennifer Snellings
Mixed Media painting

"For this reason, I ask you to keep using the gift God gave you. It came to you when I laid my hands on you and prayed that God would use you." ~ 2 Timothy 1:6

My art has always been so healing. It is a place I can escape from the realities of life and focus on my passions! It re-energizes me, reconnects me, and feeds that special place that God created in me as a creative soul. My art is nurturing to my heart, so I hope to spend lots and lots of time creating this year!! It is also my prayer that God will use my art, in His amazing way, to impact others. Serving and helping those around me is another way to bring healing to my heart!!

Finally, of course relationships can be so healing! My goal is to make extra effort this year to nurture those most important relationships, with my God, my husband, my children, my family and my friends. I want to make intentional efforts to spend quality time together and not let the busyness of life get in the way! After all, life is so short and we don't know how much time we'll have with one another!

It is my hope and prayer that 2012 will be a healing year for you as well!

Happy creating,
♥ Jennifer

I Was Fearless!

2012-01-23T23:21:00.000-06:00

Things have been very quiet around here for the past few months. Sorry for that! Life has a way of throwing curve balls at you and it seems like the last year, especially the last few months, has been full of them! If you remember from this post, last year my “One Little Word” was Fearless. Never would I have dreamed how important that would be when it came to facing the year ahead.

Photo Credit

At first I embraced the word Fearless from an artistic and creative standpoint. I took the leap and focused on making my creative business and dream to sell my artwork a reality. I wasn’t going to let my fear get in the way!! I was mentored by the amazing and gifted, Wyanne. I revamped my blog and created my Etsy Shop. I even stocked it with some paintings for sale – be Fearless! (More paintings coming soon!!) I was able to start my youngest in a wonderful Mother’s Day Out program – be Fearless - that allowed me to focus on my business twice a week. I also had the great honor of being asked to join the teaching team at our local Painting With a Twist studio.

My "Whimsey Tree" Class

It was scary starting to teach again when it had been so long – be Fearless - but it has been the perfect part time job for me to stretch my teaching muscles and share my love of painting with others. This was all such a blessing and a very exciting time, but I had to be Fearless to push through and do it!

On a more personal note, my family had been going through the stressful process of a new ministry position/job hunt for my husband who is a Pastor. I had to be Fearless and trust God that He would provide for us while my husband was between jobs. (And He ALWAYS did!) The church interviews take months at a time and I often have to interview with him – be Fearless!! We knew God had a plan for him and a place picked out; the searching for that right place and fit is what can be so challenging.

After a very long process and interviews with countless churches, God led Matt to his new job and our new church home. In October he got the call, we traveled to house hunt, and moved from McKinney to our new home in San Antonio by the end of November – be Fearless. In the process we hit every speed bump we possibly could….from delays in preparing our house to sell (foundation problem, etc) to not being able to fit all our belongings on our moving truck – be Fearless!!! I was determined not to let the fear of the “what ifs” and “unknowns” get the best of me!! I tried to tackle each new problem head on and not give into my fears. God was with me each step of the way.

As we began to settle into our new home and face the challenges of relocating (unpacking, meeting new friends, settling into new jobs, adjusting to new schools, etc) we also were smack into the middle of the holiday season. Busy and overwhelmed doesn’t even begin to explain how I felt!! During this time I tried to keep things simple, take it one day at a time, and remember how excited we were to be here even though transition and change is often not easy – be Fearless.

But, even though it was the end of the year, the challenges were not over. In fact, I was about to face one of the biggest ones of my life…

My step-dad, affectionately known to my children as “Big Jim”, was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia four years ago. He and my mom have a special love story. You see, my dad died when I was 17, very suddenly, of a viral heart infection that damaged his heart. My mom found great comfort in a Widows Support Group, which is where she met Jim, who was also widowed. Three years later they married and have been now for 15 years. About a year ago we learned Jim was out of remission and had developed MDS. This past Thanksgiving he was diagnosed with Acute Leukemia and was in the hospital over the holidays. On December 27th, he met his Savior. We got to be with him before. We said how much we loved him; we said our goodbyes. Be Fearless.

"Big Jim"

Jim was my 2nd Dad. He had been in my life as long as my real Father was. He was such a servant and a strong follower of Christ; a wonderful example of a godly man. He was there for my family always and while he never tried to replace my real dad, he did all the things my dad would have done had he been here to do them. Jim never treated my children as anything but his grandchildren. He loved us.

Big Jim playing!

He has met my dad now and I have a feeling my dad thanked him for his time with us. He took good care of us.

Jesus said, “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” John 16:22

As hard as this past year has been, I know I’ve learned a lot! I’ve been stretched and God has been faithful. I am glad it is over and I’m enjoying the fresh start of a new year! I’m looking forward to 2012 being a better year! Although I’ve chosen a new “One Little Word” for this year, I’ll continue to keep Fearless close to my heart.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Be Fearless!!!!

Check back here soon to hear what my new “One Little Word” is for 2012. Have you chosen your word yet? I’d love to hear all about it!! ☺

Happy Halloween!!!!

2011-10-31T23:11:00.000-05:00

Mama Kitty and her kitten!!!

When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam, may luck be yours on Halloween. ~ Anonymous.

This weekend my daughter joined me for a Halloween dress up painting party I was teaching at the Painting With a Twist studio. She has always loved to dress up and looks forward to Halloween all year! We had such a fun time dressing up as cats together and painting! A good time was definitely had by all!! :)

We also had a great time a few weeks ago painting this fun Halloween scene at a Kids Painting Class.

Such fun happenings at this time of the year! I've been keeping busy teaching and enjoying all of the inspiration the Autumn season brings! So many wonderful colors, scenes and scents. I just love it! Along with all the busyness of normal life, my family has been moving into a time of big transition and big change! I'll share more soon, but in the mean time, I hope you have a frightfully fun Halloween and enjoy your haunting tonight!

Bugs and hisses,

Jenn

I Remember...

2011-09-11T15:47:00.000-05:00

American Soldier
by Jennifer Snellings
Painted at Painting With a Twist Studio

Ten years ago today, I was teaching my young art students (kinder - 4th grade) and desperately trying to hear snippets from the radio without letting them know what was happening. The Internet was frozen with so many trying to learn the latest. My Principal brought in a memo updating us on what had happened and instructing us to not say anything to the kids. I felt so helpless and scared. I couldn't wait to get home! After school we met as a faculty, were updated with the latest and told to go home to our families. The practice I scheduled with my Color Guard girls was cancelled that afternoon. That night my husband and I sat glued to our TV unable to believe what we were seeing before us.

The next day, back at school for our morning assembly, we stood proudly and sang, as we did everyday, our National Anthem, but that day we did it with tears streaming down our faces and a new understanding for what our flag stands for.

Thinking about and praying today for so many whose lives were forever changed that day, ten years ago. Forever thankful to the brave men and women who serve our great country in the military, fire and rescue, and police forces.

I remember...always!

Catching up

2011-08-17T17:01:00.000-05:00

Photo by Jared Tarbell on Flickr

Last month turned out to be super busy! Actually, this summer has just flown by! I can’t believe it is about time for school to start back. It seems like just yesterday we were saying goodbye to the last school year. With the kids home for the summer most of my time has been focused on them, but I have had a few opportunities to catch up on some painting. Here are the two watercolor pieces, from this earlier post as well as this one, finally completed.

Daisy by Jennifer Snellings
Watercolor and Ink

Lily by Jennifer Snellings
Watercolor and Ink

I love watercolor and so enjoyed playing and capturing the softness of the flowers. I do want to continue experimenting with layering and trying to use collage with watercolor. I find it to be more challenging because the watercolor is so very transparent. It is all about building layer upon layer. I like where it is going, but definitely need to play some more!!

With school starting up again I plan on carving out more time to create! I’ve got so many new ideas for the fall! Can’t wait to show you!!

Happy creating!
Jennifer

A New Adventure!!!

2011-07-05T17:10:00.000-05:00

Racing The Storm
PWaT painting by Jennifer Snellings
Acrylic on canvas

If you remember back a few weeks ago in this post, I mentioned a big decision I was prayerfully considering!! I’m so excited to finally share some news and let you in on what has been keeping me so busy lately! I’ve been asked to join the team of artists at my local Painting With a Twist studio! I couldn’t be more thrilled and delighted to be teaching again! I’ve already had my first class which was a surprise birthday party. We had such a great time and the girls created some beautiful artwork! It is amazing how God works and brings new and exciting opportunities and blessings into our lives! This is definitely one of those times and I’m so thankful for it!

God Bless America!

2011-07-04T15:49:00.000-05:00

My Hero
by Jennifer Snellings
Watercolor

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave."

~ Elmer Davis

So blessed to live in a country where we have the freedom and liberty to choose who we love, where we worship, our profession and the way we want to live our lives! So thankful for all of the brave men and women who fought to make this country what it is, and for those who are fighting today to keep us safe!

Have a wonderful 4th of July! Hope you enjoy all of the family picnics, bar-b-ques, fireworks, patriotic music, and jumping in the pool fun to be had!! :)

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty." ~ John F. Kennedy

Happy Independence Day!!

Jennifer

Summer Sweetness

2011-06-24T17:43:00.000-05:00

Photo by Tamaki on Flickr

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time." ~John Lubbock

Summertime is here and I’ve been enjoying the slower pace of life! Life never really slows down, the ebb and flow just changes depending on the time of year. Now that school is out and both the kids are home we don’t have to rush out early everyday to school, but we’ve had plenty to keep us busy.

Here are a few things I ♥ about summer…

Sleeping in…a little ☺

Swimming at the pool

A visit to the grandparents

The Library’s summer reading program

Water gun fights

Afternoon naps

Swim lessons

Longer days

The rare thunderstorm

Art fun: play dough, crayons and coloring books, watercolor painting

Slip and slide in the backyard

Dinners together with fresh fruits, veggies and cooking from the grill

Morning Dance-offs with Just Dance Kids on the Wii

Staying up late reading

Watching the fun and freedom of being a kid

Photo by michibanban on Flickr

“Summer is where the girls go barefoot and their hearts are just as free as their toes.” ~ Unknown

What do you love about summertime?

In between pool visits and keeping the kids busy this summer, I've been trying to squeeze in a bit of time in the studio! It has definitely been challenging! I do have some new paintings to share and I'll also be letting you in on some big news...coming soon!! :)

How are you finding time to create during these hot summer months?

Happy creating,
Jennifer

Painting With a Twist

2011-05-25T14:56:00.000-05:00

I had a wonderful time last night at my first ever "painting party" at Painting With a Twist! If you've never heard of it, PWaT is a really neat place to go for a girls night out with some friends. They also host private parties or whatever fun event you'd like to plan! Everyone follows along and paints with an instructor while visiting with each other and snacking on yummies. At the end of the night we all left with a finished painting. So fun!!

Here is my finished piece from the evening!!!!

I just love the idea behind PWaT! I think it is wonderful that they show their customers that ANYONE can create art! People are being exposed to creating in a way they may have never before thought was possible for them! One story was shared that after taking several PWaT classes a student then began exploring and creating art on her own at home. It opened up a whole new world to her, just by getting a paintbrush in her hands and therefore boosting her confidence. So very cool!! :)

I am prayerfully considering a really big, exciting decision right now! God is so good to open amazing doors of opportunity, just when you're least expecting them! I can't wait to share more...soon!!! :)

Happy creating!!
Jennifer

Paint Splatters and Sticky Fingers

2011-05-04T16:00:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to get into the studio and spend at least 30 minutes a day painting. It isn't very much time, but I'm trying to embrace the whole idea of getting things done in small pockets of time rather than lengthy sessions. Those wonderful lengthy sessions of spending two, three or even four hours painting away in uninterrupted bliss just don't happen these days and I've had to get creative to make time to be creative! One of the blessings of being a creative Mommy; painting in between the Lego messes, cuddles while reading, and chasing after sticky fingers before they touch the furniture!

I've been slowing working on the watercolor pieces I started from the photos I took of the flowers blooming in my front yard. Here is a peek at the progress so far:

I'm still working on the idea of layering within a watercolor painting. I had some fun using my paintbrush to "splatter" some paint across the pieces. I think next I may try some more stamping. I'm loving getting reacquainted with my watercolors! It has been a long time since I've used them. I do find myself missing my acrylics, though! I feel the need to get my hands messy while creating another layered background! So much to do, so little time!! :)

How do you make time in your busy schedule to be creative? I'd love to know!!

Happy creating!

Jennifer

SPRING is in the air...and a little ART too!!

2011-04-22T13:19:00.001-05:00

I’ve totally been hit with Spring Fever!! The weather has been gorgeous and sunny, even though it is quite windy. I’ve loved spending time outside and seeing all the newness…new growth, trees budding, flowers blooming, grass greening and kids playing. The changing of the seasons is always such a neat time. I’m always so excited to see the transformation from winter to spring, from brown and grey to colorfully alive!

Photos taken in my front yard.

I’ve been enjoying the flowers blooming in my front yard and they’ve been inspiring me to paint and create with my watercolors! I just love how the paint flows so softly and captures the essence of spring! Fun, fun playing with paint!! Here is a sneak peek at what I’ve been up to in the studio:

These are currently works in progress and aren't finished yet. I've been enjoying just playing and experimenting with the paint. I decided to use some stamps with waterproof ink to break up the blank paper and add some layering to the background as I got started. I've been wanting to play with the idea of watercolor and collage and using the transparency of the paint to reveal the many layers that have been built up on the paper. I'll post soon the finished pieces!

Hope you are enjoying your spring days and finding some time to be creative! I also wanted to wish everyone a wonderful and blessed Easter weekend!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..."

~ 1 Peter 1:3

Happy creating!

Jennifer

Introducing My New Etsy Shop!!!

2011-03-09T16:30:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited to share that I've finally opened up my own shop on Etsy and my artwork is officially for sale!

www.etsy.com/shop/TatteredArtStudio

I have a few paintings already in my shop and will continue to add more in the coming days! I've also got some new pieces currently in progress and can't wait to show you the finished results soon!

I'd love it if you'd head over to my shop and check it out! By the way, if you know of anyone looking for some new artwork for their home, I'd be honored if you'd send them my way!!! :)

Also, I now have a Facebook Artist's Page where you can find updates, information on sales, photos of my work and lots more! I would love for you to stop by and see what I've been up to there as well!

Thanks so much and happy creating!
Jennifer

In the Studio

2011-02-24T14:52:00.000-06:00

Wow...life has been busy lately! I have several paintings in progress patiently waiting on me to get them finished. Here is a peek at what I've been working on...

I'm excited about these pieces and ready to get them finished up. I haven't had as much time to paint as I would like lately and I'm itching to get back to them!

The past few weeks I've been working hard on getting my new Etsy shop opened up and I'm super excited about this new step! I'll announce here when it is ready! I've had the amazing privilege of working with Wyanne again as my creative coach/mentor. I know I've said it before, but she is an incredible teacher and has an amazing gift of bringing out a person's true, unique inner artist. I highly recommend any of her classes. I've grown and learned so much about myself and my art under her guidance!! She is such a blessing, an inspiration and has so much wisdom to share!!

I am, as always, challenged with the "art" of balancing everything...my painting, working on my creative business and of course taking care of my family and spending time with them. How do you fit it all in?

Happy creating!!
Jennifer

Next Steps

2011-02-02T15:46:00.000-06:00

photo by Leithcote on Flickr

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."
~ Martin Luther King Jr.

I’ve loved creating art for as long as I can remember. The act of drawing, painting, and using “found treasures” to create something new and beautiful has always given me a feeling of contentment, fulfillment and joy. As a child I loved being creative and exploring all I could about art.

My "Crayon Apron"...a birthday gift - age 6

Receiving my first easel, drawing pad and portfolio - age 10

All throughout school I took art classes, continued to explore all types of art and even had my first art show in High School. I was inspired by life that was happening around me; my friends, growing up and learning what it meant to spread my wings and fly.

Retrospective Art Show - Senior year of High School, 1994
Created a Beatnik Coffeehouse with two fellow art students.

Artwork by Jennifer Snellings 1994

Watercolor painting by Jennifer Snellings
Created in High School (1994)
Inspired by my father who passed away a few months earlier

I went on to focus on my love of art in college and graduated with a degree in Art Education and a certificate to teach grades K -12. I remember my first day as a school art teacher and feeling so excited to share my love of art with my students!

My classroom - Aubrey Elementary School, Aubrey Texas

Classroom

In 2003 I entered a new chapter in my life and I began the journey of motherhood. I stopped teaching to stay home with my daughter and really focused on her and lost my art for a little while. A few years later I rediscovered it again and started painting with a new found passion. My art became even more of a necessity in my life; a way to not loose myself in all of my other roles that were equally important to me, but focused more on caring for others. My art became a way to nurture my soul, a place to let out the musings, dreams and thoughts inside me. I learned I have to make time to create. There is an emptiness that comes with the absence of creating and I feel it when I haven’t held the paintbrush in my hands for a while. When I care for that part of me I’m better able to care for and nurture the ones I love.

Painting in my studio

Recently, I’ve been feeling more and more that I need to take the “next step” with my art; I’ve felt God’s urging to start a new chapter in my artistic journey! I feel like my purpose is to not only create it, but to send it out there into the world to hopefully make a difference. It is scary to me to take this step. All kinds of fears creep in…the fear of failure, of rejection, of being hurt. My art is personal and of course I want others to embrace it! But, regardless of my fears I want to step out in faith and see what happens, scary as that may be! I want to be brave!

For awhile now I’ve dreamed of setting up my own online shop that features my paintings. I’ve been inspired and encouraged by so many other artists, many like me who are wives and moms, who have ventured ahead and created this amazing world of online shops and blogs. I’m so excited, grateful and humbled to be a part of it! Such amazing opportunities we have before us now!! I don’t want to miss this chance I have been given!

Each year I love to choose a word to be my “One Little Word” for the year. A word that inspires me, motivates me, and helps me to focus on the goals I want to achieve. This year I’ve chosen the word Fearless.

Fearless –adjective without fear; bold or brave; intrepid.

I want to be fearless in moving forward with my dreams and not allowing the doubts, worries, uncertainties and reservations to seep in and render me unproductive. I want to be fearless with my painting and stretch, grow and gain new grounds as an artist. I want to be fearless with my goals and aspirations, embracing them and taking chances, moving forward and creating a different place in my life than where I am right now. I want to “take that first step even when I don’t see the whole staircase”!

"Create" mixed media painting
by Jennifer Snellings

Making art is part of the fabric of my soul, my being. It is a gift from my Creator, the One who made me, and is there to be nurtured and explored and used for His glory and purposes! I’m so excited to see what the future holds! I hope you’ll join me on this journey! That you will follow along and perhaps be inspired to fearlessly embrace and move forward with your dreams as well!! I’m so looking forward to it!

Happy creating!
Jennifer

Remembering...

2011-01-17T15:49:00.000-06:00

{Photo by Caboindex on Flickr}

"As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation -- either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course."

— Martin Luther King Jr.

On this MLK Day I want to remember! Remember what an inspirational man he was and life he led! How beautiful that he used his life to make a difference for others, to make our world a better place.

I want that.... to make a difference, even a small one.

I truly feel God has put each of us here with a purpose, a purpose larger than ourselves, to make a difference in this world for Him and for others. I know He has also equipped us with everything we need to carry that purpose out and He wants us to look to Him for strength, inspiration, courage and help persevering along the way.

This is something I am so passionate about; discovering your God given gifts, your purpose, and putting them to use. A few years ago I read a book that changed my life: Pathway to Purpose for Women: Connecting Your To-Do List, Your Passions, and God's Purposes For Your Life. This was the beginning of a new path for me, an understanding of my purposes in life. I was very focused on being a good wife and mother, and I love those roles and cherish them, and want to be good at them...but I was missing a piece of myself. I wasn't nurturing the creative being within me, the creative soul that God made me to be. So, I began painting again and creating new art, for the first time in many many years. I was (and still am) so inspired by Him, His Word and His influence in my life and the lives of others in ways I've never been inspired before! I want my art to be a light in this world. A glimpse into who this amazing God is. I want to use the gift He has given me to make a difference!

I continue to move forward now and pursue that purpose, to use my art for His Glory, to share His hand print on my life with others. I don't know where He is taking me, but I'm committed to this journey and enjoying all that I'm learning about Him and myself along the way. I have big, scary (to me) plans and I can't wait to see how He blesses them and what the future holds!!!

Thank you Mr. Martin Luther King, for changing our world for the better. Thank you for making a difference in all of our lives. Thank you for inspiring me to listen to God's whisper in my heart and not be afraid to move forward with the purpose He has for me.

What is your purpose? I'd love to hear all about it!!! :)

Let it Snow!

2011-01-09T18:06:00.000-06:00

Today we are enjoying our first snowfall of the season! We don't get many here in this area, so it is a special treat!

It has been so nice to sit and watch the snow coming down from inside our cozy home, with my favorite new slippers my mom gave me for Christmas and a cup of steaming hot cocoa!

We've also had fun playing outside, making a snowman and a snow castle! My youngest wasn't quite sure what all the white stuff was and never really took to it; he's not used to it feeling so cold yet! But we had lots of fun and I always treasure these snowy days that are such a rare gift!

Coming soon...a sneak peak at what I've been working on in my studio and my One Little Word for the year!! :)

Happy Creating,
Jennifer

A Very Merry Christmas

2010-12-29T23:38:00.000-06:00

We had a quiet, cozy Christmas at home this year with just our little family. It was a sweet time, but we were all pretty tired!! :)

It started with being up late the night before. I had most of the Christmas gifts wrapped and ready to go, but our 7 year old was so excited about Santa, she wouldn't go to sleep. Finally we had everything ready and crawled into bed. We awoke a short time later, 1:30am, to an even more excited 7 year old who realized Santa had indeed visited! She continued to wake me up in intervals throughout the night. I'm not sure she ever went back to sleep! We finally opened our gifts and all chaos, excitement and fun ensued!

We then had a Christmas brunch with egg casserole and fruit salad. The kids played while we tried to pick up the leftover "wrappings". Later, after an afternoon nap for my youngest, we all snuggled up under a cozy blanket and watched "A Christmas Story" while munching on popcorn. Dinner was leftovers from our Christmas Eve meal and then everyone to bed early after a wonderful day of sweet memories!

I just love Christmas and I'm always sad to see it come and go so quickly. I do enjoy looking forward to the new year though, and the fresh start that it always brings. I've been thinking about my "One Word" for 2011 and I'm excited to share it soon!

I hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all the best in the coming new year!

Happy Creating,
Jennifer

Traditions

2010-12-21T21:16:00.000-06:00

I'm so enjoying this special time of the year and all of the fun holiday traditions that come along with it! We have several favorites that we continue each Christmas season!

One thing the kids look forward to is our Christmas Elf, Alfie, coming back to our home from the North Pole (Elf on the Shelf)! Each night he reports back to Santa how the behavior has been around here and then returns to a new "spot" each day. The kids race around to see where he's hiding each morning! They've even enjoyed talking to him and sending notes back to Santa with him. So cute!

The kids also look forward to rediscovering our Little People Nativity Set. It comes out once a year with the holiday decor and it is like a brand new toy! They have so much fun playing with it! Its wonderful because it is a set that is kid friendly and can be handled and enjoyed without the worry of it getting broken.

Another special tradition is our basket of Christmas books! Much like our Nativity Set, we keep these packed up with the holiday decorations so they only come out once a year. The kids love looking through them again and remembering their favorites! We have several including The Sweet Smell of Christmas by Patricia M. Scarry, Merry Creature Christmas by Dandi Daley Mackall, and God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa T. Bergren. We love to cozy up under a warm blanket and read together!

Each night at dinner we try to read an Advent Devotion from this sweet little book, Getting Ready for Christmas. It is perfect for the kids, short but gives us a verse to discuss and an activity to do as a family.

Our family also enjoys a fun family holiday movie night! We break out the popcorn, cuddle up next to the twinkling lights and watch favorites like Elf or the Polar Express. This year we plan to check out The Search for Santa Paws and Disney's A Christmas Carol.

At least one evening during the season we love to grab some hot chocolate and drive around to see all of the Christmas lights and other decorations in our neighborhood and those surrounding us. We listen to holiday music on the radio or a CD and enjoy the view! Each year I treat myself to a new Christmas CD. This year my favorites are Glee: the Christmas Album and Chris Tomlin's Glory In the Highest: Christmas Songs of Worship.

Another thing I try to do every year is put a new picture ornament on the tree for both of the kids. It is so neat to pull out the collection of ornaments each Christmas and see how the kids have changed! This will also be a great gift for the kids to have for their own Christmas trees someday!

These are a few of the things we do to celebrate this season. I'd love to hear all about your favorite Christmas traditions! :) I hope you are enjoying the holidays and treasuring the memories!

December Daily Foundation

2010-12-09T17:31:00.000-06:00

The holiday season is in full swing and I hope yours is off to a great start! We've been busy here with decorating, shopping and planning. I've also been trying my best to keep up with my Dec. Daily album!

Here is a look at the foundation pages...
For the front and back covers I used two pieces of cardboard inserts I had saved from photo frames I bought a while ago. I covered them with Christmas scrapbooking papers and used some embellishments from my stash.

Front cover

Back cover

Close up of embellishments on front cover

For the inside pages I used scrapbooking papers, cut them to 6" x 8" and glued two sheets together to make them stronger. This gave me the front and back of each page in the book.

The patterned paper on the right page is stapled to create a pocket.

I bound it all together with book rings and really like how it turned out, especially since I spent nothing and used just what I had on hand! I've been keeping up with my journaling each day, and I'm working on page construction as I have time. I'll share some of my finished pages soon!

Hope your December is off to a great start!

Happy Creating,

Jennifer

December Daily

2010-12-01T21:59:00.000-06:00

I’m so excited it is December 1st!!! For the past 3 Christmas Seasons I’ve followed Ali Edwards and her December Daily Project. The basic idea is to create a mini album/journal to document the season quickly and easily. At the end of the month (I end mine on Christmas Day) I have a special keepsake album that chronicles all of our fun and festive holiday happenings as well as meaningful traditions, thoughts about the season and any other special moments I want to remember and document. This album really gets to the heart of what the season means to me and my family.

The key is to keep it simple!!! I actually created the foundation of my album (bare bones so to speak) over the past few weeks. Now I am all ready to begin adding content starting today, Dec. 1st, but you can also create you album as you go. Each day I take a picture and write a short note documenting a special moment, tradition, event, memory, etc. to add to my album/journal. Keeping it short, sweet and simple makes it doable in the chaos of the busy season. I have to say it is such a treat to look back on the years past and see what has changed (or stayed the same) and revisit those special moments with my loved ones!

Here are a few pages from my December Daily Album 2009:

Cover

Dec. 3rd
Chloe the cat knocking down my Nutcracker display!

Dec. 4th
I also like to document the everyday moments.
Photo idea: take pictures of your Christmas shopping receipts and/or bags of gifts.

Use an envelope for a page.

Inside the envelope you can hold extra pictures and journaling.
This page is part of our Dec. 9th visit to Santa

Dec. 9th

Dec. 10th

Extra pictures for Dec.10th.
I glued them back to back and inserted them into the book rings as their own page.
See other side below:

I’d love for you to play along this year!! It isn’t too late… Join me today and begin creating an album or journal to remember the season! Don’t make it too difficult!! I just used Christmas papers and embellishments from my scrapbooking stash and haven’t bought anything new to include this year. If you aren’t a scrapbooker, you can find lots of Christmas themed paper, stickers, etc. at your local craft stores (Michaels, Hobby Lobby) and places like Target and Wal-Mart. Another idea is to use found/recycled items like cardboard, holiday wrapping paper, old Christmas cards, tags, etc. and put together you album with book rings. I’ve used several of these items as well and will show you my foundation pages in the next few days! :) Looking forward to some holiday creative fun!!

Be sure to let me know if you are joining in!! :)

Happy Creating!
Jennifer

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!!

2010-11-29T17:40:00.000-06:00

Christmas Traditions
Mixed Media painting by Jennifer Snellings

I'm so excited; the holidays are here!! I just love the Christmas Season! I enjoy the anticipation of what is to come and try to fill the days with fun traditions, sweet memories and special moments all leading up to Christmas Day! Each Christmas, using a shoestring budget, I try my best to make the holidays special and memorable for my family. This season is especially streamlined due to my husband being between jobs. I'm encouraged though because I know this holiday isn't about what I spend, but instead about family, special memories and traditions, and most importantly the birth of our Savior!!

I hope to share throughout the season fun ideas and projects, simple and inexpensive, to cherish the season and the time we have with loved ones! I hope you'll join me and share some of your great Christmas traditions and ideas as well!!

Happy Holidays!
Jennifer

So Thankful...

2010-11-27T16:52:00.000-06:00

Scooby Doo (Turkey in disguise)
by Savannah

Hope you had a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving holiday! We had a special visit with family from far away and it was a great time to reflect on all we have to be thankful for…

family and loved ones together from near and far
fun family traditions…parades, turkey and football
a warm cozy home on a blustery, cold and rainy day
hot chocolate and apple cider
pumpkin pie and chocolate chip cookies
sweetly scented candles
dear friends
good books to read
dedicated troops serving our country and keeping us safe
an amazing God who loves me and continues to always provide

“…that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever!” ~ Psalm 30:12

Very thankful for you as well!
Happy creating,
Jennifer

In the Studio...

2010-11-12T13:09:00.000-06:00

“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.” — Henry Ward Beecher

The past few months I’ve had the wonderful privilege of taking another amazing class with one of my favorite artists, Wyanne Thompson. I’ve taken several classes with Wyanne over the past few years and each time I’ve learned so much from her! She has an amazingly unique gift of teaching, guiding, encouraging and challenging her students to take their work to new horizons. In her Paint Free class she has gently guided and pushed me to explore myself more deeply as an artist and helped me to dive through the multi-layers of who I am to further develop my own unique artistic style. It has been eye-opening, challenging, healing, inspiring and so revealing! I’ve loved it!! Here are a few of the pieces I’ve created through this class.

Loosely Free
by Jennifer Snellings

Lighthouse
by Jennifer Snellings

Purple Kitty
by Jennifer Snellings

These pieces are quite different for me. I've been working to paint very intuitively, allowing the pieces to develop organically rather than forcing things. I have a tendency to over think my process and I'm working to "let go" and just let my heart guide me!

I’m still working on the two final projects, but hope to share them with you soon! :)

Happy creating,
Jennifer

Autumn

2010-10-22T18:05:00.000-05:00

"Fiery colors begin their yearly conquest of the hills, propelled by the autumn winds. Fall is the artist."

~Takayuki Ikkaku

This has always been my favorite time of the year. There is something about the changes that come with fall that are so wonderful! The weather has been so lovely lately, in the low to mid 80s; we’ve finally had some relief from the 100+ temps of a Texas August. It takes a little longer here before the cool weather really hits and the leaves start to change, but at least we can enjoy being outside again. I’m looking forward to it cooling off even more so I can start making my favorite homemade soup and chili recipes.

I love all the wonderful things that come with fall …pumpkins, colorful trees, crisp leaves, hay rides, sweet smelling cider, football games, Halloween costumes, yummy apples, and cute scarecrows! I always feel like nesting for some reason and find myself cleaning things out, organizing more and of course decorating. Here are a few fun things I have in our front yard…

Our Scarecrows and pumpkin

Fall wreath on the door

Blooming flowers

We've been spending as much time outside as we can, playing in the backyard, swinging, taking walks, going to the park and I've even done some planting. I'm not much of a gardener, but I'm learning!! We are actually hoping for some rain this weekend which will be wonderful as we haven't had any in a while! So, what is your favorite thing about this time of the year?

By the way, I've been working hard in the studio lately and will have some new paintings to share soon! :)

Enjoy your colorful, autumn days!
Happy creating,
Jennifer

Little Projects

2010-09-28T20:53:00.000-05:00

I always seem to have little projects going on. They can be home projects, art projects, or projects related to my kids. I just finished the huge project of clearing out our attic of my daughter’s clothes from the first several years of her life. I saved most of them in case we had another little girl, but we were blessed with a little boy instead so it is time to let them go! I worked hard to tag everything and get it ready to sell at a great local consignment sale. I’m so glad I did it, but I thought I’d never get finished. The sale was this past weekend and went so well! A portion of the profits benefit two local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) chapters, a ministry very close to my heart! MOPS can be found all over the country and I would encourage all Moms of young kids to get involved in one! For me, MOPS has been such a wonderful time of making friends in the same life stage, sharing the struggles and joys of motherhood, and a sweet time for my children to play and learn with others their age!

As far as other projects on my way too long list….

• catch up on my kids’ scrapbooks

• go through and clean out several closets

• tackle a huge pile of papers that need to be filed or shredded

• create a book of my daughter’s artwork from Kindergarten

• go through a large bookshelf overflowing with books

• set up a “First Grade Information” notebook to hold all of the communication, newsletters, calendars, etc. that come home from school each week

• I could keep going, but maybe I’ll start with these! :)

So, I love being organized, I even enjoy reading about it! A few books I’ve found super helpful are Coach Mom, by Brenna Stull and Simplify Your Life, by Marcia Ramsland. I found many helpful ideas in both of these. Everything from organizing your kitchen and setting up a work center (for maintaining incoming/outgoing mail, scheduling, etc.) to decluttering and storage ideas for all your kids' “stuff”! If I was only as organized as I have “learned” about being!! :) Again, a work in progress!!

Another project I recently finished was creating an art center for my kids. We had art supplies scattered all over our home and I wanted to consolidate them to one place so they would be easier to use (and easier to clean up)! I just used some sterilite plastic drawers and organized like supplies together inside a cabinet under my kitchen island. Here is a peak:

Two drawer units, large and small.

Inside drawer with smaller containers for crayons, colored pencils, markers, and watercolors.

Small plastic shoe boxes to hold play-doh and supplies.

I really like this set up! My daughter has been using the art supplies even more often than she did before, now that they are all in one spot and easier to access. Here is one of her most recent, beautiful creations:

Created by Savannah
Mixed media: collage materials, watercolor, and marker

What about you? Do you have a list of unfinished projects? I'd also love to hear about your ideas for getting organized or ways you've made your home run a little more smoothly!!

Happy creating,
Jenn

What I've been up to...

2010-08-31T18:11:00.000-05:00

Here is a peak at what I've been up to lately. I've been feeling like I'm in a bit of a creative rut. I've had a tough time moving forward with this one; have several ideas, just can't make them come to life the way I'm seeing them in my head. That can get so frustrating!

This background was created using acrylic paint, scrap paper, a page from a book, and stamps on a canvas board.

Here I added the tree using torn pieces of magazine pages. I love the rough look it gives to the tree bark. Before it is finished, I will go back over it in places with some paint to tie it into the background a bit more.

I'm also feeling like I need to make time to just "play"; get out my art supplies and just see what happens. I've felt drawn back to my roots lately...throughout high school and college my focus was on watercolor and I haven't done anything in that medium in a long time. I'm wanting to get those out again and see what happens! What do you do when you feel you're in a creative rut or you are just having a hard time getting motivated?

Back to School

2010-08-24T20:47:00.000-05:00

It is so hard to believe it is that time of the year; summer is winding down and school is starting up again! I have always loved this time of the year. I enjoy the feeling of new beginnings in the air, the search for new school supplies, finding that perfect 1st day outfit, football games to attend, and the wonderful excitement of a new school year and all the possibilities it brings.

Before I had my kids, I taught art in a public school for a few years. I remember the fun I had setting up my room and anticipating seeing my students again after the summer break. (I will admit going back was hard after some much needed time off, but it was fun to start a new year as well!) I always tried to do something special for my students at the beginning of the year. New bulletin boards, welcome signs, table markers, etc. One year I had them make time capsules to be opened up at the end of the year; they so loved that!

Now that I'm a mom I want to make going back to school special for my own kids, so I went on a search for fun "back to school" traditions and wanted to share what we have done to celebrate this special time of the year!

"The 12 Days Before _____ grade" or "The 12 Days of ____ grade": A take off on the 12 days of Christmas. Each night I put a surprise in my daughter's backpack. I've used books about starting school, fun school supplies, cute socks, hair accessories, stickers, etc.
Our annual back to school shopping trip for school supplies. It is always so fun to pick out the new items needed for school. This year my daughter picked out a fun globe shaped pencil sharpener among other goodies!
New backpack and lunch box! No surprise, this year we went with a Scooby Doo theme (her favorite!). We found a cute scooby book bag and the mystery machine lunch box!

First day outfit! I always let my daughter pick out a special outfit for the first day of school (mom approved, of course!) This gets her excited and makes her feel included in all the preparation and decision making!
Purchase a small gift for her new teacher and include a short note wishing her a great first day!

I journal my thoughts for my child on their first day, hopes about her year, my feelings, etc.
Have chocolate chip cookies for a special after school snack and talk about how her first day went.
Have a school themed dinner with ABC pasta noodles.

These are just a few ideas for getting my kids excited about going back to school and making this time special for our family! Do you do anything fun and creative to celebrate back to school?

The Vertu Art Experience

2010-08-10T17:23:00.000-05:00

The Vertu art exhibit was such a wonderful, amazing experience! Just taking the leap and seeing what would happen if I submitted my work was a big step for me. To be blessed with having two of my pieces accepted to the show was more than I could have hoped for! I'm so glad I gathered up the courage to do it! I've felt God gently nudging me and can't deny the doors He is opening! I'm truly grateful to have been given this opportunity!

Here are the two paintings that were in the show:

"Cherish"
Mixed Media by Jennifer Snellings

"Rest"
Mixed Media by Jennifer Snellings

So, the day of the reception was a whirlwind. We were having some work done on our home and everything was a wreck. My entire family joined me that evening at the gallery. I decided to bring my kids so they could experience the show with me; a decision that proved to have it challenges, but overall went well. I'm so glad my daughter especially was able to see my work in a gallery show (my son is still to young to know what was going on). She is very artistic and I want to expose her to all that I can! And my amazingly supportive husband of course wouldn't have missed it!!! We finally got ourselves dressed and ready to go. Then on the way there the skies opened with a huge thunderstorm. At least we needed the rain!! :)

When we arrived at the Artist's Showplace Gallery, it was already full of people. I couldn't believe how well the show was attended, especially with the yucky weather! I had several dear friends come to support me which meant the world to me! It was a wonderfully festive atmosphere with an amazing saxophonist, wine, and great company!

We browsed the show and of course found my artwork!!

The night was a huge success and an unbelievable experience! I'm so thankful to have been a part of it all and will definitely remember it always! :)

No Time Like the Present

2010-07-08T17:57:00.000-05:00

It is amazing how time flies. Here we are having already soared through June and are now flying through July! I feel so overwhelmed at times trying to balance (there is my "One Word" again which you can read about here and here!) life...family, home, ministry, relationships, art, creativity, etc... There is so much I want to do...how do I fit it all in?? So often I find myself putting my dreams on the back burner. I don't have time in between chasing the kids, preparing meals, doing laundry, spending quality time with loved ones, grocery shopping, bill paying, and on and on and on (sound familiar) to start taking steps to pursue my dreams. I've thought "I'm pregnant now and feel so yucky, have no energy, so I'll do it when I feel better" or "Not now, I have a newborn to take care of, so I'll do it when he is sleeping better", or "We may be moving, I better wait until after the move"! I can think of every excuse in the world not to move forward. One of my favorite artists, Kelly Rae Roberts, recently posted this on her blog:

"things are still a little wild and unbalanced over here but i'm trying to let it all go, embrace the chaos, and move along with an open heart. i was reminded on my birthday (i turned 35 on on father's day!) that we're so often living in the future (i'll do xyz when our house is done being renovated, when we have a baby, when the e-course is over, when when when). but really i want to be in the very center of where i'm at right now. because where i'm at right now is in the middle of my life's living dreams. it's so remarkable. i don't want to miss anything." ~ from Kelly Rae Roberts

I so needed to hear this! I love the idea of "being in the very center of where I am right now", not allowing time to slip away, but grabbing hold of it and making the most of it! And realizing that "where I'm at right now is in the middle of my life's living dreams"! I too don't want to miss anything! I want to dream and explore and take chances and fall and pick myself back up and see what doors God will open for me! I want to not only live in the now with my family and cherish life passing so quickly with my kids, but also dream big creatively and go for it! I want to stop making excuses and start planning, creating, and acting on those dreams and the steps needed to fulfill them! I want to open that Etsy shop I've been talking about (and putting off for months now)! I want to make my art a priority (still a struggle) and see where God will take me as I explore this gift He has given me.

I'm so excited to see what the future holds, but I want to live into the now, pursue my dreams and take those steps to make my dreams come true! There is no time like the present! Will you join me on this journey?!

Vertu: An Art Exhibit

2010-06-22T15:23:00.001-05:00

I'm super excited to share that two of my mixed media paintings were selected to be in a juried gallery show. This is my first juried show! I took the leap of faith and decided to go for it; the worst that could happen would be that they said "no thanks". I'm so honored that my pieces were chosen and my work will be shown along side such amazing local artists! The Artists' Reception is July 9th and I'll be sure to take lots of pictures to share!! If you are in the Dallas area, my work will be up throughout the month of July at the Artists' Showplace.

More Gut Art

2010-06-17T16:10:00.000-05:00

Here is another journal page from my Gut Art Book. It was inspired by the artist Terri Hallman using Mystele's pulled art technique. She is a bit different for me, but I loved creating her! The words at the side are a journaling list of all the things I love and that inspired me about Terri's work. That is the cool thing about the Gut Art Class; it pushed me to look deeply at what draws me to other artists, artwork, imagery, etc. I want to keep pushing myself to notice these things and then explore them more in my own artwork.

This little gal was inspired by my daughter. Just a quick, blonde blue eyed girly.

Here are some more background pages in my book just waiting to be explored further:

Super fun working in my Gut Art Book. I'm looking forward to spending some more time with it! By the way, Mystele is currently taking registrations for her 3rd Gut Art Class. I highly recommend it!! :)

Work Of Art

2010-05-27T14:17:00.005-05:00

I've always loved shows like Design Star, Project Runway, and Debbie Travis' From the Ground Up, so when I heard about this you can't believe my excitement!!!!

It looks to be exciting, creative, even a bit edgy, but I can't wait for it to start!!! :)

Balance

2010-05-11T16:46:00.007-05:00

Balance is my "One Word" for the year. Balance in my life; balancing my family, my ministry, my art...my time! I've been struggling a bit to find balance, but I'm still working toward it and I think maybe I'm getting a bit closer. Having two young children (6 years and 11 months) really makes this challenging. I have a tendency to focus on them and not allow myself any time at all. Of course meeting the needs of my husband and children is very important, but I've realized when I make time for me (usually time for creating, reading or just relaxing) I'm a much better wife and mommy. So, I'll keep working on it! I'd love to hear some of your ideas on how you balance life and fit in "you" time, especially how you carve out time to create your art!!

One thing I have really found helpful is taking online art classes. They not only stretch me and allow me to grow as an artist, but they are also incredibly inspiring, motivating and force me to make time to create. I've been taking my dear friend, Mystele's, amazing Gut Art class. Wow, so creatively transforming! Mystele is one of the most creative and innovative people I've ever met and she is truly gifted as a teacher. Check out her community and dive into some creative loveliness!! :) I've been working in my Gut Art Book, pushing myself to really play as an artist and learn/discover more about my inner creative voice. Here are a few things I've had fun with:

This is the unfinished cover of my Gut Art Book. I created it out of recycled cardboard materials, mostly junk mail fliers and food boxes (like cereal, crackers, etc.). I layered collage elements and paint along with some stamping. I plan to go back and add a title and some other fun embellishments to finish it off.

My Gut Art book is basically an art journal, an area for me to play and not worry about the result. It has been very freeing to try new things and take chances!

This is a background I created on one of my book pages. It turned into this:

Mystele has this amazing technique of "pulling" art out of your background. Through the shapes, lines and colors in my background I was able to "pull out" this figure. It is a very cool experience to create an image of something from the elements that were placed before it. I've really loved learning this technique!

Below is another background page ready and waiting for some creating to happen. To make this page I glued several pages from an old phone book together, then used acrylic paint and water soluble pastels to cover it.

I'll share a few more peeks into my Gut Art book soon!

Happy Creating!!

Jennifer

My One Word

2010-02-08T15:01:00.008-06:00

It is hard to believe we have already flown through January! This year is off to a quick start and as usual I'm running to catch up! I always love the beginning of a new year. There is a unique feeling that comes with it...that of anticipation, renewal, new beginnings and fresh starts. I always feel like I want to wipe the slate clean and start fresh! It is such a great time to take inventory and set goals.

One thing I really enjoy doing at the start of each year is picking my "One Word" for the year. I first heard of this concept through Ali Edwards' wonderful blog three years ago. My word for 2008 was "Create" and that was the year I committed myself to rediscovering my art. Last year I chose "Simplify" due to the big changes our family would be experiencing as we prepared for the arrival of our second child and I begun working toward my newly discovered desire to begin selling my artwork. I feel like I did well with Simplify; I focused on a few major areas such as:

my home where I decluttered, purged, rearranged and tried to set up more simple systems and routines. Below are a few pictures of one of my biggest projects last year, my newly redone studio area.

The bookshelves hold a lot of my scrapbooking supplies, stamps, art books, and albums. I keep my canvases, collage items, and sketch pads in the white cubes. Our kitties like it in here as well! That is Chloe catching a quick nap.

my life by doing my best to say "no" when I really need to focus on other things. There are so many wonderful opportunities out there and different ways to spend my time. I've learned that it is okay to serve or help in some areas, but I don't have to, nor can I do everything!

my art by reorganizing and purging my supplies. I'm trying my best to buy only what I need rather than "collecting" art supplies; they can be so addictive!!

my ministry by stepping down from some much loved responsibilities.

I made a lot of headway...but still continue to look for ways to simplify this busy life even more so I can concentrate on and make time for the things most important to me!

So, my One Word for 2010...oh, it is a good one! One that I need a lot of work on! I'll share in my next post, but in the meantime, do you have a special One Word that you are focusing on this year?!! :) I'd love to hear all about it!

December...where did you go???

2010-01-07T15:09:00.010-06:00

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and a great start to your new year! December sure got away from me. We had a wonderful Christmas, but I was even busier than I expected to be. My whole family also caught a nasty cold that slowed things down for a bit. It was my son's very first and he felt his worst on Christmas day. His first Christmas and he felt so yucky; I felt so bad for him! Aside from being sick we had a great time with family coming into town to visit, a surprise snowy white Christmas Eve, a fun visit from Santa, lots of yummy food and special time together celebrating the birth of our Savior, our blessings and sweet family traditions.

I did keep up with my December Daily Album, although I'm not quite finished with it yet. I'd planned to print pictures and post them along the way, but my printer wouldn't cooperate. I finally gave up and just got all of them printed at the same time last week. I hope to sit down and finish it up soon.

This week I need to finish getting the Christmas decor packed up and put away. Do you ever wonder what to do with all of the Christmas Cards you get from dear friends and family? Ali Edwards has a great post about punching out parts of your cards and making a layout with all of them. I have a Christmas Album that I include my family's Christmas photo card and newsletter in along with that season's pictures. I'm thinking I may try this and stick it in as a closing page for each year.

I found another idea for storing your holiday cards in the book Simple Scrapbooks: 25 Fun and Meaningful Memory Books You Can Make in a Weekend by Stacy Julian. Stacy created an entire album for her holiday cards. She keeps it simple and has a section for each year. Within each section she has a place for her family photo and card from that year, a photo pocket to easily store photos she received from family and friends, and a few pages for favorite cards. She also suggests keeping "Letters to Santa" and a collection of Christmas stamps in this album. Cute ideas!!

What do you do with your Christmas cards each year?

My Favorite Time of the Year

2009-11-23T15:41:00.009-06:00

I'm so excited! I know Thanksgiving hasn't arrived yet, but the holidays are just around the corner and I'm already enjoying the early preparation in anticipation of what is to come! I'm big on nurturing special family memories and traditions and since I'm an artist and scrapbooker I love creating during this season! I've been listening to Christmas music and getting a head start on my holiday planning and projects! I find that the earlier I start the more I can relax and enjoy this time of the year. Here are several fun ideas and helpful links that you may enjoy as well!

The Christmas Station: 103.7 Lite FM: 24 hour holiday music. If you are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area you can listen on the radio. If not, you can listen online.

OrganizedChristmas.com - Simplify Your Holidays and Celebrate the Season: I found this to be a very helpful website that has everything you need to easily organize for the holidays and allow your family to enjoy them with less stress and more time for what is most important during the season. You'll find great holiday plans you can follow, wonderful articles, and creative ideas. I'm setting up my Christmas planner and following the Christmas Countdown plan. This plan officially started the last week of October, but you can jump in at any time and get going. Adapt it and make it work for your needs!

December Daily: Ali Edwards' holiday mini album project. I am so in love with the idea of this! December Daily is a mini album you create the foundation of before the holidays and then add to each day of December until Christmas. It is a mini journal/scrapbook that documents the special times you have throughout the season. This isn't meant to be a stressful, "how in the world can I get this done?", project. It needs to be a fun, stress reducing, holiday activity that allows you to capture and remember the wonderful traditions, activities, and yes, even mundane, everyday happenings during the month. It will be so fun to look back through the albums each year at Christmas and remember the holidays before. I've been enjoying working on my pages for the album, doing a few at a time whenever I have a few spare moments. Here is a little sneak peak:

Go here to learn more about Ali's amazing ideas and philosophy behind the project. I hope you'll join me in the fun and share your album as well!

Fit-To-Be-Scrapped Holiday Letters E-course at Big Picture Scrapbooking: I just enrolled in this fun, inexpensive, self paced class in which you learn new, out of the box ideas for your holiday Christmas card letter. I create an annual letter each year and I'm so excited to be inspired by others and get some new ideas, as well as get some tips on getting my letter done quickly and easily.

I'll be back soon to share some of our family traditions and fun ideas for kids, as well as more of my December Daily album. Have you started doing anything holiday related yet?

Happy creating!! :)

Jennifer

Autumn Has Arrived

2009-10-15T14:50:00.010-05:00

I just love this time of the year. The temperatures are now down from the suffocating 100+ degrees they were during the summer. The leaves will soon change to their beautiful new colors and I love the amazing smells of the season; spiced cider and the smell of a cozy fire in the air are favorites. I just put out my apple and cinnamon candles! I'm also looking forward to finally being able to make some of our favorite fall dishes. Chili and homemade soup are especially tasty this time of the year! I've got the mantle decorated with a fall vine, scarecrow and pumpkins. The fall wreath is on the door and scarecrows are happily welcoming friends to our yard! All the fun fall activities are now beginning. We are looking forward to our yearly tradition of going to the pumpkin patch soon and Halloween is just around the corner.

So, Halloween is a big deal in our house! My daughter has always loved to dress up. She never watches or listens to anything without also dressing the part. Whether it is a Disney Princess or Velma from Scooby Doo, she is in character. Naturally she loves the opportunity to dress up and actually leave the house to go trick or treating. She is still deciding on who she will be this year. It ranges from Woody or Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story or Daphne from Scooby. Such fun memories to make. I'm so excited for her!

We will be carving the pumpkin soon and enjoying the yummy roasted pumpkin seeds to snack on. Here is last years Jack-o-lantern:

Lately I've been trying to catch up on my scrapbooking. Catching up is a never-ending process, but I figure I'll keep plugging away a little bit at a time. I found the cutest Haunted House album from Deja Views. I plan on starting an album for each of my children showcasing their Halloween Costume for each year. I'll just add onto it every Halloween. I hope to have some of it done to share soon!

What fun fall traditions does your family have?

Artist Love

2009-08-27T23:54:00.006-05:00

I'm so looking forward to this:

I've always loved Georgia O'Keefe, especially her amazing flower paintings. I did a really cool project with my 1st graders when I was teaching based on her flowers. We drew enlarged flowers, cropped up close, outlined all the shapes with thick lines of white glue and then painted them in with watercolors. I wish I had a picture of one of them; they turned out so beautiful. The glue outline resisted the watercolor paint and created a cool effect.

I feel inspired! Flowers, watercolors, me....it's a date!! :) What is inspiring you these days?

Summertime Fun

2009-07-20T15:59:00.014-05:00

Summer is flying by! Things have been super busy but we are enjoying the more laid back schedule. Here are some favorite summertime things I've recently been enjoying...

Sleeping a little later

Spending time with family we don't get to see as often as we'd like

Reading - I'm totally into the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer; almost finished with Eclipse and can't wait to dive into Breaking Dawn.

Ice Cream, smoothies, Italian Ice, frozen fruit...anything to beat the 100+ degree weather

Spending sweet time with my kids

Having my hubby home from his recent youth trips (camp and mission)

Catching up on movies I haven't seen (He Just Not That into You, New in Town, Confessions of a Shopaholic)

Tackling some projects around the house (cleaning out the garage and pantry, decorating my son's room, purging stuff we don't use anymore...feels so good!!)

Seeing the new Harry Potter Movie...been looking forward to it for a while now

Taking lots of pictures; now I need to start getting them scrapbooked

I haven't had much time in the studio these days. Things have been super busy with the kiddos home, but I'm hoping to finish up a few pieces that are almost complete. I also want to try some smaller "quick and easy" paintings; I've really been itching to get out my watercolors! I really hope to have some new art to post very soon!! :)

In the meantime...here is one of my favorite summertime songs...

New Painting!

2009-05-14T16:26:00.007-05:00

I had hoped to post this much sooner, but life has thrown us a few curve balls lately. I've had some health issues come up, but I'm hanging in there. The hardest part is how much I've missed painting! I can't wait to get back to it very soon!! :)

This is the piece I created for our church's Easter Show. I've called it My Salvation and the verse is from 1 Peter 1:8-9, "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls". I was trying to illustrate the inner feelings of my relationship with Christ. How even though I can't see Him, I know He's there...protecting me, loving me, guiding me and teaching me. He is my joy and He is my salvation! I am so thankful for my relationship with Him!

It is mixed media on canvas with acrylic paint, collage, and painting crayons.

Thanks so much for visiting! I hope to be back soon with a post about my new, reorganized studio space! Hope you are all enjoying your day and finding some time to be creative!!

Take care!

Jennifer

Happy Easter!!!!

2009-04-12T12:27:00.004-05:00

"God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned!"

~ John 3:16 - 18

I just wanted to wish everyone a blessed Easter! I hope you and yours have a wonderful day!

I'll be back soon hopefully to share a new painting I did for our church's Easter art show!

Take care,

Jennifer

Me at 33!

2009-03-30T16:32:00.002-05:00

"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart." Jeremiah 1:5

Wow! Another year has passed and another birthday is here! Time really does seem to fly faster as I get older. It has been a great day; I've taken it easy and while my daughter was in preschool I painted and started planning a new scrapbook layout. My hubby is taking me out to dinner tonight; what is better than not having to cook on your birthday? :)

The past year has been a good one, full of blessings. I have so much to be thankful for! A healthy family, a wonderful church home, amazing people in my life. I'm blessed with an amazing, supportive husband and wonderful, free spirited little girl! I can't imagine my life without them! I also feel so privileged to be a part of the ministries God has blessed me with, from my MOMS group to our LifeGroup. Such awesome things happen within these ministries and I'm thankful He can use me to make a difference!

I've loved how this past year I've really taken time to re-dedicate myself to my creative side and made it a priority. I feel like God has given me this gift of art and I love to express it. It makes me so happy to create new things! I lose myself in the process. It has been a blessing and gift to become involved with our Collage Ministry and get to know the other artists at our church. God has provided some amazing opportunities for me through this group and I'm humbled and honored to be able to share my work with these new friends!

I'm also thankful for this amazing world of "artful bloggers". I've had the opportunity to get to know some amazing people/artists from around the world and have learned so much from the online art community! I love that I can share my work and life with others this way.

I'm excited about what lies ahead on the horizon and what the future will bring. I feel like I've stretched and grown a lot in the past year and I'm curious as to what life will be like next year at 34. I hope I continue to grow in all areas and I can find new ways to balance life...my family, my art and my ministry.

I'm finishing up a few new paintings and finally took some photos of my newly reorganized studio space, so I hope to post some new images very soon!

Thanks as always for stopping by! Have a wonderful, creative day!
Take care,
Jennifer

Rainy Day Musings

2009-03-11T15:08:00.004-05:00

It is a cold, rainy day here in north Texas. I'm enjoying it, even though I'm missing the beautiful 80 degree weather we've had the last several days. I don't know what it is about the rain, but it makes me want to cozy up inside, get some things done around the house and be creative! Perfect for sipping Hot Chocolate as well...one of my faves! :) Next week is Spring Break and I do hope we are back to spring-like weather again by then.

I'm still sorting through "stuff" in my new studio area. I can't wait until I finish organizing. Most everything is put away; it is little odds and ends that I need to find homes for or just get rid of. I'm trying to purge a lot...simplify!!! I also have a lot of "memorabilia" from years past up until now that I need to sort through and find a better way to organize and store. Someday I hope to include most of it in my scrapbooks, but it is too much to think that will happen anytime soon. It will definitely be a process! Anyway, I can't wait to take pics when I'm all finished. What a big job it has been, but so totally worth it.

Here are two newly finished pieces. They are both on 8" x 8" canvas, mixed media with collage, acrylic paint, and painting crayons.

This is "My Strength", inspired by Psalm 43:2, that no matter what we face God is there for us to cling to.

This is "Waiting in Hope", reminding us that even though we sometimes have to wait on God, He is always there supporting us through everything.

I hope you are having a wonderful day! Thanks so much for stopping by!! :)

My Girls

2009-02-23T15:38:00.005-06:00

Happy Monday!! I finally got a few pictures of some recently finished pieces to share. These are two paintings I did while taking Wyanne's Mixed Media Painting with the Girls class. I had so much fun and Wyanne is such a great teacher. This is my first time painting the full figure in one of my mixed media pieces. I had lots of experience drawing figures in my figure drawing classes in college many years ago, but this was new to me. It was challenging, but really fun to see their personalities develop!

Here is Autumn Resting:

She is peacefully resting under the tree with the colorful leaves falling around her. The verse is "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken." Psalm 62:1-2.

This next one is Spring Ballerina:

I've always loved dancers! I took a few ballet classes in my earlier years; it was great exercise! I even decorated my daughter's room in a ballet theme! I just love the grace and beauty of ballet dancers. Her verse is "Let them praise His name with dancing and make music to Him with tambourine and harp. For the Lord takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with salvation." Psalm 149:3-4.

In both of these I used acrylic paint, collage elements (paper flowers, decorative paper, old sheet music, tissue paper, and recycled magazine clippings) along with water soluble oil pastels and watercolor pencils. As I mentioned in my last post, I'm planning to open up an Etsy shop soon and hope to find a good home for these sweet girls!

I have a few newly finished portraits to post soon and I've got several fun projects I'm currently working on. I started a piece for my newly reorganized studio space and I'm working on ideas for an upcoming show. I can't wait to share what I've come up with!

Have a wonderful day and I hope you find time to do something creative!! :)

Take care, Jennifer

Catching up!

2009-02-10T10:50:00.002-06:00

Wow! Where has the time gone? I hate that it has been so long since my last post. The new year has brought with it the same busyness as always! I've been working hard to simplify things in preparation for some big life changes coming our way. I chose "Simplify" (from Ali Edwards' One Word Challenge) to be my "One Word" for this year. The word I chose last year was "Create" and I really enjoyed seeing the progress I made from the beginning of last year to the end with trying to focus on creating more in my everyday life. I started painting again, took several online art classes, participated in a few art shows and just made time for creativity and tried to make it a priority everyday. Now I'm adding "Simplify" to my life! I've been very busy re-doing, re-organizing, and re-thinking several areas in my home, including my studio! I can't wait to share pictures when I get things a bit more organized and cleaned up. I'm also revamping my filing system, trying my best to purge and remove clutter and just all around re-evaluating my organizational systems in all areas of my life. I feel like I'm off to a good start!

I've also been busy painting and I have a few pieces almost finished that I can't wait to share. I've been having a few blocks when in comes to finishing up and I'm not sure where they are coming from. I think I've been struggling with fear and perfectionism. Thoughts of "If I do this will I like it or will it mess up my piece? What if this changes that?" and so forth. I know I need to just push past it and create! Why does it get so hard at times? Do you ever struggle with this? I'm reading a great book, Taking Flight: Inspiration and Techniques to Give Your Creative Spirit Wings, by Kelly Rae Roberts. I so love her! Anyway, it touches on many of these things and has been so inspiring. I'm really enjoying it!

So, now that I've been building my body of work, I'm getting excited about the possibility of opening up my own Etsy shop. I've had some interest in my work and I'd really love to dive in and take this next step, but of course all of those fears and anxieties rear up again and make me wonder if I know enough to be doing this! Any advice out there from you pros? I would sure appreciate it! :)

Well, I'd better be off to get some painting done before preschool is over for the day!
Take care,
Jennifer

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-23T14:33:00.007-06:00

I hope the holiday season finds you well and enjoying all the festivities! Hopefully things are stress-free and relaxing rather than overwhelming and crazy! I love this time of the year, the pretty lights, great music and wonderful smells all put me in a cozy, spend time by the fire type mood.

I wanted to share my latest painting with you. It is called Christmas Traditions and I created it for a Christmas art show that Collage, our visual arts ministry at church, is having.

The show is meant to coordinate with our Pastor's latest series, "When God was One of Us", and leads up to our Christmas Eve service. I wanted to capture some of the special traditions our family has this time of the year. I love to decorate for Christmas so I included the tree and the hearth along with the Nativity Scene. The verse is Isaiah 9:6 and hopefully helps to convey the reason we celebrate Christmas - the most wonderful gift we have received through the birth of our Savior!

It is a mixed media piece with acrylic paint and collaged paper, flowers, and buttons.

If you are in the Plano area, the show is at Chase Oaks Church and can be viewed through the middle of January.

Here are a few pictures of my process...

Sorry this last one posted sideways! Blogger keeps turning them for some reason! I'll try to get that fixed. :)

I hope you each have a very blessed holiday and sweet time with family and loved ones!

Merry Christmas,
Jennifer

Painting Faces

2008-10-02T15:52:00.004-05:00

Last Spring I took Paulette Insall's All About Faces class. I learned all about creating a face using acrylic paint, something of which I had never tried before. I enjoyed it so much! I've always loved Paulette's work and to learn from her was such a privilege!

It has taken me a while, but I finally got the two pieces I started in her class complete and photographed so I could share them.

Here is Hope...

Here is Love...

I never dreamed I'd be able to paint a face like this. I'm so thankful for all I learned from Paulette and appreciate her willingness to share her art with others. She offers several different classes. If you are interested, check out her blog here.

Busy Creating!

2008-09-09T16:33:00.003-05:00

Now that preschool has started I'm enjoying a little more time to work on my painting. I've been busy working on pieces for the two classes I'm taking with Wyanne. I'm enjoying them so much. She is a great teacher; very encouraging, inspiring, and full of knowledge! I'm also still trying to finish up a few paintings I began this summer. Here is one I just completed called A New Creation!

It is mixed media on canvas. At the top of the piece it says "Just as a caterpillar casts off it’s old self and transforms into a butterfly, a new creation of beauty….We also, who are in Christ become a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come!" At at the bottom, I put the verse is 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

I love how God created the caterpillar to turn into an elegant, beautiful butterfly, often with amazing colors and details. I think this is such an awesome illustration of how Christ transforms our lives!

I'll try to post more soon! Thanks for looking!!

Summer Coming to a Close

2008-08-27T15:04:00.005-05:00

Wow, life has been keeping me busy! I can't believe the summer is coming to a close. Things are beginning to start up again for the fall and I've been preparing. My daughter starts her last year of preschool next week and my MOMS ministry as well as the LifeGroup that my hubby and I lead are all starting up again in the next few weeks. It is going to be fun to get back into the swing of things again!

I thought I'd share some more photos of my artwork! Here are a few more finished pieces.

This is titled "Beginnings of Creation" and is mixed media on canvas. I created this for a show that our visual arts ministry at church, Collage, was participating in. It was a local community event called the Live Green Expo. The theme of the show was recycling and taking care of our planet so I used recycled magazine pages to create the tree and leaves. I also wanted to convey the idea that God is the ultimate Artist, the Creator of the earth! The verse is from Genesis 1:11: "Then God said 'Let the land sprout with vegetation - every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.' And that is what happened." Here is a close up of the verse, Genesis 1:11...

This piece I did for a dear friend who just had her first baby! It is also mixed media on canvas and the verse is Psalm 119:73, "Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands."

I've got several still in the process, all in different stages. I also began Wyanne's Art Play class and am so loving it! I worked on some new watercolor pieces last night and had so much fun. It has been a while since I've used watercolor and it was nice to pick it up again. If you are looking for online classes, I highly recommend Wyanne as well as Paulette Insall. Paulette is currently taking sign ups for her fall mixed media classes. You can check them out here! I'm just so thankful to these ladies for sharing their wisdom and talent with others!

Harvesting Creativity

2008-08-20T15:25:00.013-05:00

Here is the follow up to my last post about ways I try to nurture my creativity. It was fun exploring my environment and spending time thinking about how I try to live artistically and creatively in day to day things. These are a few I came up with; I'm sure I could think of even more!

I've always tried to create a warm and welcoming feeling in my home. I want it to be a safe haven for my family. We are all artists in my family and so being in an inviting and stimulating environment is important to us. I love to decorate and through that share my own unique style. I also love to surround us with color and art on our walls. Above is just a little snapshot of a vignette on top of my kitchen cabinets.

Of course painting is one of my creative outlets. Here are a few of my in-progress pieces waiting to be finished. I find I enjoy having several going at one time in different stages. This allows me to work on whatever part I'm feeling drawn to at a given moment. I'll post these when I finish them up!

Scrapbooking is part of my art as well and I love the idea of leaving a legacy of memories by creating pages that tell our family's stories. Of course I love the artistic and creative process involved and all the supplies, but more and more I'm enjoying the telling of simple, everyday moments that make up our story during this season of our lives!

This is my studio area. It is a studio/guest room and I really need to get in here and do some purging and organizing. I also do a lot of my painting at the kitchen table...so worried about messy spills on the carpet in here. Anyway, I look forward to someday soon painting the walls a yummy rich color, adding new window treatments and creating a space that is a bit more reflective of me and what I love. This is a good start though! And my kitties love the way the sun comes in brightly every morning!!

I decided to get creative with my hair recently and added some fun and funky highlights!

Love, love, love to read and this definitely inspires my creativity. I read everything from fiction novels, christian life books, magazines, and art/scrapbooking related books.

I enjoy music as well and feel like it helps in creating a creative atmosphere. I listen to a wide variety including rock/pop, 80's classics, musicals, praise and worship and contemporary christian.

Finally, I try to harvest creativity by nurturing other's growth and interest in the arts. That is why I became an art teacher!

I truly enjoyed exploring the everyday ways I try to harvest my creativity! It is nice to think through an idea or concept and see how you are actually living it out in your life! :) Thanks to Stacy Julian for the great idea!

8.8.08

2008-08-08T15:25:00.002-05:00

So I didn't even realize until today that the date was 8.8.08. Wow, that's kind of cool! :) Stacy Julian posted a really neat challenge related to this on her blog. First, I was to watch this 4 min. video called The Harvest. Very interesting! Next I am to take another few minutes to think about how I'm harvesting my own creativity. What is working, what is holding me back, what do I wish I could do and why am I NOT doing it?

Hmmmm...lets see. I've been much better this year about harvesting my creativity in that I'm creating more art and creating more often than I have been for a very long time. Back in January I found Ali Edward's One Little Word challenge and my word for this year has been CREATE. I've actually made it a priority and I'm creating on a more regular basis. I wish I could say that daily I was getting in some painting, scrapbooking or other creativity, but at least it is happening much more often that it used to! I really feel God created me to be creative, to share my passion for art with others and ultimately to glorify Him with my work. He has opened so many doors for me just in the past 6 months. I can't wait to see what He has in store for me and my work in the future.

So, what is working as far as harvesting my creativity? Again, making it a priority. Scheduling time for my art, sharing it with others, not being afraid to take chances and step out there to see what will happen. The worst thing that can happen is someone says no thanks, and I move on to the next open door.

What is holding me back? Time definitely! Wouldn't it be awesome if I could paint all day and not worry about cleaning my house, doing laundry or cooking dinner. Okay, so I am thankful I have a family to do these things for, but it sure would be great to have more creative time! I am so thankful for the support and encouragement my family gives me to pursue my artistic dreams!

What do I wish I could do and why am I not doing it? I guess my wish is that my art could be my ministry. That I could create and sell my work to make a little extra income for my family. That I could teach others who want to learn more about art. That I could inspire others with my story that God has a unique plan for each of our lives, different from anyone else's. Why am I not doing it? I'm not there yet, but I am taking steps and getting closer!

Now, Stacy says to "grab your camera and take 8 pictures that are evidence of your personal creativity. Anything that is flourishing because of your unique blend of spiritual gifts, skills and talent (yes,this includes children) can be seen as the result of your creative process, so photograph these things today and use this opportunity to realize just what a difference you make. You, like today's date will NEVER happen again." Very cool! I think I'll just give this a try!

Off to take photos! I'll try to post what I come up with soon! :)

Where has the time gone?

2008-08-05T23:51:00.003-05:00

Wow! July flew by! We stayed busy with a trip to Houston, VBS, and lots of visits to the pool trying to survive the crazy 100+ heat wave. It is hard to believe the summer is almost over. I did have some time during VBS to get some painting it! That was nice! :) I need to finish several new pieces and get them posted. I'm also so excited to begin some new online classes from one of my favorite artists, Wyanne Thompson. She is incredible and I can't wait to get started!

I've also been on a mission to get myself and my home better organized. I just finished Simplify Your Life; Get Organized and Stay That Way by Marcia Ramsland and so loved it! I have so much to do! Life just seems to go so much more smoothly and I get so much more accomplished (less wasted time) when I am more organized. I'm drowning in old paper clutter, my studio is a mess and all my supplies (both scrapbooking and painting) need much better order, I have a spare room that needs to be cleaned out, and we have a neighborhood wide garage sale coming up in Oct, so needless to say I have lots of projects to get to! Now just finding which one to start with....! Well off to bed so I'll have energy to get started tomorrow!! :)

Home Sweet Home

2008-07-09T15:20:00.005-05:00

I love the idea of the home...not just a house, but creating a unique, safe environment for my loved ones. I love having a place that is our sanctuary, our warm, inviting place to relax and get away from the craziness of life. I love to see other people's homes too, to have a peek inside and learn about who they are and what they love! I get so many ideas this way.

Here are a few more pieces I've finished recently...

These are both mixed media on canvas and the verse is "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15. I love creating the little houses out of paper. They are of course all the same shape, but they have a uniqueness to them, all their own. Just like each of our own homes have! I'm looking forward to creating more of these!

Organic Backgrounds Class

2008-06-29T23:51:00.000-05:00

Here are the two pieces I created while taking Paulette Insall's Organic Backgrounds online class. They are both mixed media acrylic paint on canvas. I learned so much from Paulette about creative ways to apply the paint in layers. I loved this class and looked forward to each lesson so much! I highly recommend Paulette as a teacher; she is wonderful!

Remain In Me
Mixed Media

The verse is John 15:4 - "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit it if is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me."

I Am the Vine

Mixed Media

The verse is John 15:5 - "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing."

The Path I've Taken

2008-06-26T16:12:00.000-05:00

I've always loved and had a passion for the visual arts, for as long as I can remember. It started when I was in Elementary School and took art classes from a gal in our neighborhood for several years. She open my eyes to all the possibilities of art! My passion continued through college where I got my Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Visual Arts Studies (art education). I taught art for four years in a public school before becoming a mommy! Now I'm a stay at home mom to my 4 yr old daughter!

Jump ahead to a little over a year ago when my husband, a youth pastor, accepted a new job. It was an amazing blessing; he'd been searching for over a year for a church that was a better "fit" and God answered our prayers above and beyond what we could have hoped or imagined. So, we went through a big life change, moved, and in a way, started over. During this transition I really felt the need to search within myself and look to God to figure out what He wanted me to do as far as ministry involvement and my focus outside of my family. He really opened some incredible doors for me...I discovered the amazing world of artist's blogs and began seeing what other artists (who often were moms, wives, etc. just like me) where doing out there. I began to feel a pull back to my artistic roots which I had let go because I was "too busy" with life.

So, through visiting artist's blogs, I found YouTube and was captivated by videos of artists creating their work. I still can't get enough of watching some of my favorite artists creating! I was also led to Etsy, such an amazing place of inspiration and talent! I love seeing what other artist's have available and what a blessing to have a place dedicated to all things handmade! I LOVE it!! About this time, I also joined a book study at my church and read Pathway to Purpose, by Katie Brazelton. This book is amazing! Through it she speaks about how God has a unique and special purpose for each of us. He created us to do amazing things for His kingdom that no one else can do in the exact same way! It has become so clear to me that God has created me to create art for Him! To use the gifts He has given me to share who He is with others in a way no one else can! What an amazing honor!

So, for the first time in 10 years I've picked up a paintbrush again! I'm creating art that is inspired by God and the blessings He has placed in my life! I had the privilege of taking online painting classes from Paulette Insall, an artist whose work I just fell in love with, and learned so so much from her! (Thanks Paulette!!) Paulette's classes have been a huge impact in my journey! I never dreamed I would be taking painting classes right now! My painting focus in school/college was watercolor, so I never really felt acrylics were in my comfort zone. I have learned so much and have fallen in love with this media! I feel so content, "right where I need to be" when I am creating! This was hugely missing in my life!! I've become involved in the Visual Arts Ministry at my church, had a piece hanging in a show (so God!!) and have even had some inquires about buying my work! My hubby and I are also in the planning stages of starting a Visual Arts Ministry for the youth at our church. This is such a need that has not been available to young artists and I'm so excited to see where God is going to lead us!

So much to be excited about and thankful for! I am so humbled by the creative spirit within! I can't wait to see what is around the next bend and what the future holds! I'll post some of my work soon!! :)

New Adventures

2008-06-26T15:56:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm finally diving in...my first blog post! For months now I've been drawn into the world of blogging, especially artful blogging! What an amazing thing to be able to see, communicate and relate with other artists! I've been so inspired by and in awe of the wonderful artwork out there. Such talent! It has been so fun to get a peak into other people's lives and so interesting to see how other's live! So, I'm jumping in! I want to play too! I'm looking forward to getting to know new friends, keeping in touch with dear ones, and sharing a bit of myself and my art as well! Let the fun begin!! :)