Summer of Colo(u)r - week 5

Already we're at week 5 of Summer of colour. Only one more week to go. The colours for this week are red, royal blue, and a pop, smudge, or splash of light blue.

I put together a quick tag with a gelli-print and a tiny tag made from some glossy card I decorated with watercolours and clingfilm. A quick hit of embossing powder and ribbon, and voila!

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Feeling thankful

You might have noticed that my latest pages have held some uncertainty and a hint of moving on. Well, a few weeks ago we found out that we needed to move out of the house we are currently in. It belongs to another church and they have just appointed a new minister and need the house. That, along with a few other factors, meant that we started to look at what the future might hold for us. Was it time to move on rather than just move house?

As an introvert, I don't deal well with uncertainty and change. The past few weeks have not been easy.

However, the Lord is merciful, and He blew a door wide open for us. In the space of a couple of weeks  we went from uncertainty to a new post with a new home that ticks all the boxes for us and much more. So, come September, we will be moving on. Not far - just across to the other side of the city - but we are hoping and praying to finish well where we are and prepare for a new adventure.

I am linking this post with Art Journal Journey (see the badge in the sidebar) where the subject for this month is flowers.

Playing

While sorting out my filing cabinet and giving it a jolly good clear out, I found a big stack of glossy card pieces, approx 9 x 5.5cm. I put some acrylic inks and watercolours on waxed paper and just dipped the cards in randomly. They'll fit nicely on a tag, I think. I'm sure I must have some in a drawer somewhere...

Summer of Colo(u)r - week 4

It's week 4 of Summer of Colo(u)r and the scheme for this week is pink, apple green, and a pop, splash or smudge of dark green. My dark green didn't come out as dark as I would have liked - it looks darker on the page than in the photo.

I played around with some small pieces of glossy card I found in a drawer during a recent clean up. One piece went on to the tag. When I stuck the kirigami flower behind it, it reminded me of a sunrise, hence the wording.

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Wind and rain

It's been a very wet and windy winter so far. It set me to thinking.

Trees need rain to grow and wind to make them strong. In the Eden Project in the UK they found that the trees grown in the giant greenhouses weren't very robust. Now they go in and shake the trees as they grow, just as the wind does to them when they grow outside. Otherwise they grow tall, but the smallest push can cause them to break rather than bend.

A certain amount of water and wind is necessary, otherwise we break under the smallest amount of stress.

But there are times when it can feel like a flood or a hurricane.

Facing the future

This page started with a scrap piece of paper that I was using to clean off my brayer and to pick up the last bits of paint from the gelli-plate. Lots of bits and pieces that I had stuck on have been covered up, but the page was calling for a face. The eyes are done with a hand-carved stamp and the eyelashes added afterwards.

The fact that she was staring head on made me think about how we, as a family, are facing a bit of uncertainty at the moment. However, we have hope and faith that everything will work out.

Summer of Colo(u)r week 3

The colours for this, the third week of Summer of Colo(u)r, are lavender, grey, and a pop, splash, or smudge of plum. Hop on over to the blog to share in the fun - the badge is in the sidebar.

I used the quote by William James: The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.

The end of the Australian tax year is approaching when we review our spending over the past year. I find myself, at 45, looking at how I am spending my life. What will I leave behind? How will I be remembered? How am I investing my time and energy? What have I achieved and what do I want to achieve with the time that is left to me?

Intention

We only have so many days to live. More than a dragonfly, usually, but only so many. So why would we waste them?

Live with intention.

The intention to be generous.
The intention to be kind.
The intention to be thankful.
The intention to leave something meaningful behind.

On the move

Living with the uncertainty… again.

Be surprised

You cannot imagine everything that is possible. There is always room for surprise.