Flowers and a Spider

I've been a bit slow to get to this...

A collection of photos of the flowers in our garden when we arrived and a spider. 'twas Spring! Still is, even though it feels like winter.

Wisdom is Supreme

Therefore get wisdom. Proverbs 4:7



Inspired by Meredith and her gorgeous owls.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

I am tempted to just post the pictures. Suffice it to say...
I am doing Viv Bonder's Art Journal Workshop.
This is a collage page.
When I was finishing this page I looked up here and found a Latin version of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
Here are the pics - the process and the finished product.
TFL

Living Vicariously

Last night a wrote a whole blog post in my head - it was great! Eloquent, precise, meaningful. All those things. It's gone now.

In this world today we have many opportunities to live vicariously. We can experience love, romance, violence, revenge, loss, grief, travel, sports, excitement - Oh so many things! Whether or not this is a good thing, I don't know.

It's a bit scary, really, to think of the experiences that any person, young or old, can participate in through movies, computer games and the Internet. It makes me wonder if we are not careful enough with what we allow even ourselves to experience. We don't need to take on (as our own) the romance of a friend's relationship, the pain of someone else's broken marriage, the loss of someone else's loved one, or even the joy of someone else's happy event.

There is one experience that is the ultimate vicarious experience that is ours for the taking - Christ's death on the Cross. Jesus died once for all. Hebrews 7.27 says Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.

The death of Christ on the Cross was a legal action. Jesus took the punishment that we are required to experience. He was our substitute. The payment for our sin is paid. All we have to do is believe it.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10

And, that's all I have to say about that. (For now.)

Happy Birthday, Grace!

From little girls to little ladies - and in a blink of time. Look at those cute little teeth - two years ago!

Happy Birthday to Grace, Caitlin's very special friend since birth (Grace's birth, that is!).

This is what Caitlin made for Grace (with a little bit of help from me).



I have been doing some workshops with Vivian Bonder and having the greatest time playing with LuminArte products. We needed to work out if the structure gel that I had would work with the pigments so we tested it out on a little bit of chipboard and this is the result.

There was a bit left over so I fished around and found some other nice chippie shapes and added the polished pigments to them.

Solace

My greatest solace comes from God. My faith in His abundant grace and mercy, His love and goodness towards His creation, His justice, is firm and unwavering.

Psalm 121
A song of ascents.

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Having said that, I am sad. Not just sad-cos-I didn't-get-what-I-want-type-sad. Sad because one of my very best friends has left this world cursed by sin and has gone to be with the Lord. Sad for her husband and family. Sad for her friends. Today - sad for myself.

Words elude me - the words that Kim and I played with together, shared a love of, edited and elaborated - they are all hiding in the recesses of my mind refusing to come out and express how I feel. So I am turning to unspoken prayer and mixed media.

I started this "piece" before Kim left her earthly abode and I almost wasn't going to finish it. But it reminds me of Kim - just a bit. The fabric that I used as the background actually came from Kim - she was having a clean-out and offered me a whole pile of upholstery samples. I just couldn't let them go (this is like 4 years ago!) so I hid them away, every so often wondering if I should just chuck them.

It just so happens that the mixed media challenge at Blue Bazaar for this month is fabric.

Here's my rendition.



I have digitally added the black edge for now but it is my intention to sew some kind of black edge to it - just need to get the black stuff.

Here's a close-up.


Products: Upholstery fabric from a sample book; feather wool that Sophie-Lee knitted (well, sort of) into a shawl but she didn't want it and I couldn't throw it away!; Hand dyed silk fibres from Vivian Bonder - love those colours; foam protective net from a custard apple - my fave fruit; K&Company fabric brad with a foil chocolate wrapper arranged underneath it; brads of various brands - I'm pretty sure there are some Basic Grey ones; KaiserCraft Rhinestones; Reeves gold paint; and some thread that was Mum's and we've had "forever".

Psalm 23 and a layout

I'm back! A bit.

I've had a little bit of creativity to alleviate the drought (my drought).

Every so often a scripture pops into my head, often in song, and I start pondering the things of God. The other day it was Psalm 23 - a well known Psalm so full of comfort and praise. I know lots of songs with The Lord is my shepherd as the theme so after I had hummed my way through them I got down to meditating on the the meatier bits... the valley of the shadow of death, rod and staff they comfort me.

Then my creative juices starting flowing (just a little bit) as I was unpacking my scrapbooking stuff. So in amongst the mess of moving I started pulling out bits of patterned paper and cardstock. I decided to do a layout inspired by Psalm 23.

My starting point was a layout that I did in a class with Loretta Grayson - I love her layering of papers and other bits and pieces - keeping the green pastures and the sheep in mind. Even though I had taken only a cursory look at the Aussie Scrap Source blog there was a sun that made an impact on me. There may have been another sun somewhere else too, but I can't remember where it might have been.

So without further ado...


There is not a day goes past that I don't think of my dear friend Kim. This is for her.

My Dearest Kimbo,
If I could take the length and breadth
and depth of all the beautiful words and meanings
I could find, then they are all in these simple words...
My love and prayers are with you.
Blessings from your Pud xx

Products: Bazzill; Love Elsie; Creative Imaginations: Alison Ellis Designs: KaiserCraft; Doodlebug Designs; Scrapware Karen Day Designs; KaiserCraft Rhinestones; Gold Folk Art paint; Uniball Gel Impact; Sequins;

The Last Post

For now, at least, and in words of Scott of the Antarctic, said with a stiff upper lip, "I may be some time."

The 'puters are being packed today and we have no connection to the Internet, yet, where we are going.

I'm changing my email address to mama.pud at gmail dot com

Innocent?

I'm taking a momentary break.


Innocent? I think not.

I was packing the blankets and other bedding and remembered that my pink blanket was in my room and thought it would be a good idea to put it in the box with all the others.

I headed downstairs fully intent on getting the blanket. Alas, I was distracted. By what? I looked out the window as I heard Susannah firmly telling Hudson to go to Mum. In that instant I saw Hudson, firmly refusing to do what he was told, walking towards the house with yellow paint splashed down the front of his clothes.

I proceeded outside, relieved Susannah of her stress, told Hudson to stand in the middle of the lawn, ordered Reuben to switch on the hose, and hosed Hudson down.

At that moment it occurred to me that I could/should've take/n a photo as I recalled an earlier blog post regarding paint. Too bad. Most, but not all, of the paint washed out of the clothes. Hudson was dressed into dry clothes and I headed back to what I was doing - well that is what I thought.

I sealed the blanket box, stacked it in the ever increasing pile of boxes and wondered what to pack next. Then I remembered - the pink blanket. Oh well. It will have to go into another box.

While we're on the subject of packing...

Where is the pen?


This is Sophie-Lee's solution.

Other questions...
Where is the packing tape?
Where are my rubber gloves?
What was I doing?
Why is this here when I put it there?

...You get the gist.

Therapy

I am having the greatest fun packing. One of my fave things to do is clean out and consolidate. And then there is cleaning - the amount of dust, cobwebs and other things is mind-blowing (yet not altogether surprising - is that oxymoronic?). Too much fun to have in one day!!!

Except for the empty shelves, the lounge/dining/kitchen look relatively normal, but head up to the rumpus room and you will encounter the depot look. I stole the 'depot' term from my Mum who has just recently moved.



Interestingly, nearly ALL my family will haved moved (major, significant-type moves) this year.

Things I have noticed...
- Any time after I have sealed the box, I will find another piece that should go in that box.
- I reckon that even when the house appears to be completely empty I could find another piece of Lego!
- There will always be an odd sock!
- There will always be a bit of Blu Tac or Pritt Sticky Stuff (much better) stuck somewhere (besides the carpet!).

That's all for now.