Love Deeply

"Being a Mom" - Altered Art

Being a mom is the most amazing, fulfilling and ecstatic experience there is and at the same time, terrifying, frustrating and full of difficulties. A mom loves her child with all of her being and that love never changes. And yet, when they are older, living out that love is a difficult task. Knowing whether to say something or keep quiet, whether to try to teach or let them learn on their own, acting on your feelings or holding back - always, it is a balancing act. And so often, no matter what you choose to do, you are misunderstood and rejected. You don't know what your child is thinking or how they are interpreting your actions, words or lack of either. Only later, you might find out that things were totally interpreted opposite of what you meant. And by then it is too late - the damage has been done. Lost opportunities are only seen in retrospect. Words unsaid, hugs unhugged, feelings unshared, trust undemonstrated. Only grace will allow rebuilding. Grace and unconditional love. May I ever seek to increase grace and unconditional love for all of my children. This is my prayer.

"Spring" Altered Book Two-Page Spread

This is my most recent contribution to an altered book round robin I am participating in. The theme is "Spring", so I thought that to me, robins definitely represent spring. I tried to put more texture on the page this time. I used texture paste through stencils and 3-D paint around the flowers.

The book is actually more like a junk journal, which the owner fashioned out of an old restaurant menu. It is pretty cool and was fun to work in. The ladies have really outdone themselves with creativity this time around. I really like round robins, because you get lots of wonderful, creative people to work in your book and it pushes you to do your best and also to get out of your comfort zone - at least it does that for me.

"Destination Unknown" Altered Book Page

  

I had trouble with this page because of all the texture. The image ended up being pretty bumpy. But I love this image of the woman in the cloche hat.

I think the title, "Destination Unknown" describes me very well. I know who I am and who I am in Christ. What I don't know right now is where I fit in in the world. There are lots of changes going on in my life and things look pretty murky as to what I should be doing. I'm praying that God will give me direction, so that I don't feel so lost and at loose ends.

Shakespearean Lady - Altered Art Page

Altered Book Page - "Be Irreplaceable" & Pink Sat.

This was a fun spread to do in one of my altered books. I used up lots of scraps from other art journal endeavors. The background is made using paper that I used to spray other items with stencils. I just glued the paper down and trimmed. I love the vibrant colors. I also used the remains of a paper stencil that I had used to spray a red ink for another spread. That paper stencil had been used many times for many colors and was on its last legs for usefulness. I used the remains of the background paper to stamp on the quote from Coco Chanel. The image of the woman is from a greeting card and the car is a sticker. The paisley stamps were a one dollar purchase to use for the Bohemian themed book I was just working in as part of a round robin. I didn't actually end up using the stamps for that, but love them here. The quote was recommended by my two daughters. : )


I am linking up today with Beverly over at How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday.

The "Junque" Collector - My Dad

I am reposting this in honor of Father's Day and in memory of my Dad - one of the greatest men to ever live and grace the face of this earth. In the eyes of the world, he didn't have much or accomplish much, but in the eyes of God he was the greatest - humble, loving, servant, lover of his family and lover of Christ. I was lucky enough to call him "Daddy".

 My dad was infamous for collecting junk. He saw it as a way of ministering to other people, since he always wanted to be able to help out, and if he had something they needed, he could give it to them or loan it to them. He always saw the "useful" in things other people felt were only good for discarding. This habit of his was very aggravating to my mother, but I can totally understand his motivation, since I have some of the same tendencies. I know the happy feeling I get when I have something that someone needs and can provide it for them. I don't know what that says about my inner character, but that's the way it is, just the same. It is not necessarily the most rational feeling, but I really like to be able to help someone out, and I guess I get that from my dad. I can still remember when my brother and I were small, my dad gave away my bedroom set to a family whose house had burned down. My mother was furious with him, but the worst thing that happened was that I had to bunk in with my little brother for a while. And I learned a great lesson about meeting other peoples' needs.

This is a picture of my dad clowning around with a "Junque" sign I gave him one Christmas. The following quote by Benjamin Franklin really epitomizes the way my dad lived his life. He had a remarkable way of saying the right thing or nothing at all.

"Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment."
Author:Benjamin Franklin

Strength - Altered Book Page

Time is the Coin of Your Life - Altered Book Page

Dreaming in French Altered Book Page

We are not in France, but we are visiting the Windy City this week. My husband is at a conference and I am relaxing in the hotel. I am looking forward to going to the art museum tomorrow. Our hotel is much like a resort with lots of wonderful amenities. This is a nice way to begin my summer vacation. I did bring an art bag to do some creating while I'm here. I am fortunate to have a husband who gets to travel to fun places and is willing to bring me along.

Altered Book Page - Faith, Love, Hope

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Cor. 13:13

I used my book background and added a few digital embellishments for this one.