PLAY BALL!

Tonite's creation was a layout of my youngest son in his first season of T-Ball back in 2004.  I used a sketch from Feeling Sketchy and some sports papers and embellishments that I have had in my stash forever.

Here's the sketch:

and here is my layout:

Hope you have enjoyed your visit.  Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to check back tomorrow to see what I have in store for you.  I'm off to bed!  Sweet Dreams!  

HOPE

A few days ago I did a journal page about FAITH.  I decided that I should follow that up by the other virtues of HOPE and LOVE.  Today I did a page about HOPE.

I started by covering my substrate with white and black gesso scraped on with a credit card.  I chose the colors I wanted to work with and added them with Adirondack Paint Daubers.  On top of that I chose a Crafters Workshop template that resembled woodgrain and took Gold Stickles and scraped it over the template with a credit card.  It filled in some of the sections and left overs blank.

Next I wanted to find a quote that I liked on HOPE.  I chose one by Victoria Osteen and printed it up in sections.  I inked the edges with two of my colors of Distress Ink.

Last I picked out Grungeboard letters to spell it out and colored them with Distress Ink.  They did not seem to stand out enough so I edged them with gold glitter.  In the photo you cannot see all the letters clearly as the gold edging also runs into the gold Stickles of the design.

Here is my page:

Not sure where else to share this besides Word Art Wednesday.  I absolutely love it there as you can share scripture and other uplifting thoughts.

God-sized Dreaming!

Today's message from Holly focused on the following:

I don’t know how far you have to go on your God-sized dream but I do know this: you’ve already come further than you realize.

I don't know if I truly believe that for myself.  My God-sized dream is to do art for His glory and that will uplift others and possibly help struggling and/or abused women and children.

I don't feel like I have budged from the starting gate but if I look at today's message I guess the fact that other than during my black period of severe depression and anxiety that I have just come through I create some sort of art everyday and that I suppose is moving in the right direction.  How far I have come - well not too sure of that.  

This week we need to look back at another time in our life when we took positive action.  I guess I would have to say that the most obvious answer to that would have to be nearly 30 years ago when I took the steps out of the darkness of addiction and alcoholism and into the light of recovery by the grace of God.  It really doesn't say anything towards my artistic goals and plans but what it does bring to mind is that I have just watched my 20 year old son take those same steps one year ago.  Maybe this is indeed a step towards my art goals as much of what I art journal about comes from scripture or positive quotes and that this type of art can uplift and help others in their struggles.  The reason I can even be positive at all is because of taking those steps out of the darkness and into the light of God's love.  I never had read the bible before getting sober and that is really where all our good direction comes from.  

So maybe Holly is right after all...I have come further in my dream than I ever would have thought.  I pray that I will continue to move forward and that I will find ways to share and bring uplifting art to those that struggle that they too may feel the love of God and His Holy Presence in their lives.

Thank you Holly for the encouraging words that showed me that I am indeed moving forward in my dream.

A ROUND AND A ROUND!

CIRCLES CIRCLES CIRCLES

That is what this week's challenge over at Fussy and Fancy Friday is all about.  I combined this challenge with the Random Wednesday Kraft Challenge over at Colorful Creations.  I started with a page from the Recollections Warm Wishes collection.  All the pages in this pad have a base of kraft paper with some really cute prints.  I picked out the one with a stocking on it to go along with some photos of my sons and their Dad opening their stockings this past Christmas.  I added a strip of plain Kraft paper underneath the photos and then I started playing with the circles.  I punched a few out of patterned paper and cardstock and then I used lots and lots of little buttons making for a page full of circles meeting my criteria for the other challenge.

Here is my layout:

And now, short one layout of my goal for this weekend I am going to head off to bed.  Sweet dreams to all.

TWO BIRTHDAYS!

Tonite I worked on two birthday cards and wanted to take this opportunity to share them with you.  The first one was using Mojo Monday sketch #277 and the color combo challenge #166 at The Play Date Cafe.

The Sketch:

Color Combo:

My card:

My next card was done using sketch #243 from Sketch Saturday.

The sketch:

My Card:

Hope that you have enjoyed viewing this evenings creations!

TIME FOR TECHNIQUE

For today's first project I am bringing you a card with technique.  The technique of the day being embossing. I absolutely love my Sizzix Big Kick and embossing folders.  For this card, not only did I emboss on cardstock but I also embossed on foil - specifically on aluminum duct tape.  This is for the creative monthly project over at Colorful Creations.

I chose a simple sketch from this week's Feeling Sketchy challenge-

I decided that I would do a holiday card - specifically a Valentine's Day card since that is the next upcoming holiday.  I went into my embossing folders and chose an A2 folder with all sorts of Valentine words, as well as a small dotted heart folder.  I decided to do the larger folder with the foil.  First I put the tape on a backing of cardstock so that it would be sturdy.  Then I ran it through my embossing folder and colored it with Red Pepper alcohol ink.  I added the sentiment to the strip then embossed my heart from red cardstock and cut it out and added it to the strip and voila - all finished.  A simple yet elegant card very quickly.

Here it is:

Thanks for dropping by to see what I am up to!  Hopefully I will have a bit more for you later today!

Now for a TWIST!

My last creation for today is a layout for Colorful Creations Twisted Blueprints Challenge and the red, black and white challenge at Little Scrap Pieces Cardz TV Color Challenge #23.

The twisted blueprint sketch is:

and the twist was to use mixed alphas and more than two patterned papers.

Here is my layout:

Thanks for stopping by again!  More creations tomorrow!
Sweet dreams!

AND NOW...A CARD THAT REALLY PACKS A PUNCH!

I just finished my card for this week's Paper Secrets CYAO challenge.  I was able to use so many different elements on this card that I am also entering it in Sugar Creek Hollow Challenge #46 use a lot of layers, Little Scrap Pieces Fun Friday Birthday challenge, Pause Dream Enjoy challenge #2 Desserts and Dilly Beans Metal Accents.

First for CYAO - we were to use this sketch

along with 3 of the following elements:

*canvas/linen *twine *heat embossing

*washi tape *chevrons  *wood 

I chose twine, heat embossing, washi tape and wood.  

The twine is wrapped around a wooden popsicle stick, the outer border is done with washi tape and the sentiment is heat embossed.

The card has a lot of layers for Sugar Creek, it's a birthday card for Little Scrap Pieces, the metal embellishment has a cake on it for Pause Dream Enjoy and there is a metal accent and a stamp for Dilly Beans.

Here is my card:

Thanks for stopping by!

IT'S SATURDAY! TIME TO REJOICE!

Rejoice in the Lord always!  
Again I say Rejoice!

I started this art journal page yesterday.  It did not exactly work out like I planned but I learned a bit about the different mediums I was using.  I started by covering my page with black gesso rather than the white base I normally use.  I wanted to use my Derwent Inktense blocks.  I wasn't sure how they would work on this but assumed that I would get brite and vibrant color contrasting with the black background.  I know they are supposed to really come alive with water.  So, I put down some and then wet my page.  BIG mistake.  It blended the gesso with the ink and just gave me dark.  Nothing brite and nothing vibrant.  I did see though that the colors were brite if I just used them over it so that is what I decided to do with the rest of the page and I just used various different colors of Intense blocks all over.  Next I used a few different designs of Tim Holtz tissue tape in different directions all over the page.  Then I put the page away for the day.

This morning I woke up and decided that the theme I wanted to use for this page was Rejoice!  I just kept hearing Philippians 4:4 playing in my head musically.  I wanted to bring back the brite colors of the Inktense blocks but when I made my word selection for Rejoice they were too thick to use to color the letters because they are blocks and not pencils.  This gave me an opportunity to use something else I rarely use - my set of Spectrum Noir alcohol markers.  I still have not quite gotten the hang of blending them but this would give me the opportunity to play in CASual-Friday challenge to use markers.  I surrounded my verse with more tissue tape using the musical notes since it was singing in my head.  This added in Frosted Designs challenge to use music.  I simply love Word Art Wednesday and will also submit yet again for challenge #64 Anything Goes.

Here is my creation:

Thanks for stopping by.  Today I am hoping to rejoice and do a lot of creating so please come back again later to see what else turns up!

SNEAK PEEK FRIDAY - IN THE STUDIO!

Here we are again on Friday with Studio JRU.  Hope you will enjoy a peek into my studio this week.

This turned out to be a pretty productive creative week.  On Saturday I went to a crop with my friend Maraline and was able to complete 5 layouts.

During the week I also created-

3 cards -

another layout:

and 2 art journal pages-

Thank you for stopping by and seeing what I have been up to 'in the studio' this week!  All comments graciously appreciated.

HAVE FAITH

Easier said than done - have faith.  What exactly does that mean - have faith?  It's easy when everything is going well for you in all the worldly aspects but not as easy when you are in the midst of physical illness or perhaps financial problems, without a job, needing to move, questioning a relationship.  Having faith we need to believe that our God has our best interests at heart.  That His plan for our lives is better than ours.  That He does keep His promises.  That He will provide no matter what.  It's not just knowing that He can do all these things but truly believing in your heart that He will.  I had several months recently that were filled with anxiety and depression.  That physically and mentally I just was NOT capable of doing much at all with my life.  Feeling hopeless and helpless.  I had to have faith that God was somehow someway going to bring me through that period.  Every dark day it grew harder to believe, to have that faith.  But through consistent prayer, both mine and others for me, God has brought me to the other side of that dark time.  I am feeling much stronger and more whole again.  I struggle financially.  I moved from New Jersey to Delaware in the hopes of straightening out this situation.  New Jersey just got far too expensive to live on a fixed income and a small part time job.  Delaware had much more to offer in lower cost of housing, no sales tax and more so we had faith that this was where God was leading us and we packed up and moved after a lifetime of living in New Jersey.  I truly believe that God did bring us here and although life is so much better for us here, my financial situation still has not been resolved.  I never thought it was going to be so difficult to replace a 10 hour a week job.  But, I have been here a year and have only been able to find work for 10 hours per month.  But, somehow, through the many blessings of God and my church family we are getting by and I have faith that soon we will be brought out the other end of this.  I know that one of the lessons I had to learn was that you simply can't live above your means and that was exactly what living in New Jersey had become for the last several years that we lived there.  I am carrying a heavy load of debt from having to pay for everyday necessities like food, gas and electric, and docotr bills with credit cards.  This is not being a good steward.  Somehow, someway I have to have faith that God will bring us to the other side of this sea of debt without drowning.  I don't know whether that will be in the form of work, selling art, debt consolidation or even bankruptcy.  I pray to see God's hand directing mine in this matter and to have His discernment when making all the related decisions.  I simply must HAVE FAITH.

Here is the art journal page I created today about FAITH.

I pray that you will also find the faith you need to get you through whatever you are facing in your life today.

I just love Word Art Wednesday and have decided to share this page with them.  Please stop over there and see all the wonderful works of art that have been inspired by God and His Word.

God Bless You Peggy!

Last week we had a call from our old landlady with some very sad news.  Her Mom who was our upstairs neighbor and friend had passed away.  She was a sweet woman.  She was always in such tremendous pain and had a difficult time getting around, needing a walker and a wheelchair.  Nearly the only time she would get out of the house was monthly when I would drive her to the hospital for her doctor appointment.  She was so sweet and always ordered us surprises - DVDs, make-up, household gadgets etc.  Always thinking of someone else even when she suffered so.  Well, as sad as it is to hear that she is no longer with us, at least she is free from all that pain and rejoicing with the Lord.  I made this card for her family in her memory and to bring them some comfort and let them know we are thinking of them and praying for them at this most difficult time.


I used the sketch #80 from My Time Made Easy

I used a creme and black velvet paper by SEI for my background.  I stamped John 14:27 and my sentiment on grey cardstock and matted with black cardstock.  I embellished simply using one of my favorite Sizzix embossing diecuts.

.
Here is my card:

I am also entering this in Word Art Wednesday Chellenge #64.

Thank you for stopping by.

PLANS AND PURPOSE!

Today I decided to do an art journal page.  I saw some scraps of paper that had aqua, teal, green and yellow and decided that would be my color scheme.  After layering down these colors using Distress Inks and stencils I added some course pumice gel for texture.  I then decided it needed to be brightened up a bit and added a little bit of pink and orange.  Then I cut up the scraps I had been looking at into various different sizes and shapes.  I topped it all with a layer of Matte Mod Podge.  As I topped it off with the Mod Podge some of the ink started to run.  It's funny as only one of the colors did that and they were all Distress.  The blue glided across pulling from some of the pink and giving it some hints of purple.  Then I went to my writing from this morning and found some scriptures I had jotted down.  I couldn't decide between a few of them so I chose two, both from proverbs.  They both spoke to me of having a plan and a purpose for life.  Since it is showcasing scripture I decided to submit it to Word Art Wednesday even though I had already submitted a layout to them earlier this week.  I decided that since they are about plans and purpose I would also share it at Holly Gerth.com about my God Sized Dream.

Proverbs 16:3

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

Proverbs 19:21

Many are the plans in a man's heart but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.

Here is my creation:

The God-Sized Dream Plan

Today we learned that it is important to share our God-sized dream with someone that can encourage us along the way.  I have been struggling with even what to say my God-sized dream is.  I have been afraid to say that it is to do art for His glory and that will uplift others and possibly help struggling and/or abused women and children.  I prayed last year for my Godly purpose and that was what came to me yet a year went by without much of anything coming forth from it.  So I have been afraid to share it again.  To want it again.  To strive towards it again.  But, last week in my therapy session with my new counselor, Connie, I shared some of my art journal pages and she was so encouraging and uplifting.  She feels that I have to pursue art as my purpose and when seeking work which will help financially.  She feels that I CAN do it and that something CAN come of this.  I just have to seek it.  I have to look for unusual paths to it.  Standard job seeking may not work in this purpose.  So she gave me some ideas and my job for now is to go forward and try them out.  I need to prioritize this week and I guess THAT should be one of my priorities.  To search out and list places that I can try to find ways to use my art and my heart to help others.  So, in looking at things in this light I have chosen Connie to be my dream partner and encourager.  I must be sure to mention this to her at our next session.  And Lord, please help me to take the steps I need to in order that this God-sized dream can come to fruition.  Thank you.

CONGRATULATIONS ROBERT!

One year ago last week, I left New Jersey to move to Delaware.  On my way here that first night I left my eldest son in a detox.  One year ago today he came out clean and sober.  What a difference a year can make.  I am so proud of him and the changes that he is making in his life.  There is a long way to go but he is only 20 years old and the first steps in getting on with life needed to be getting clean and sober so that he had a life to live.  I thank God for helping him to arrive at the conclusion that those days of his life had come to an end.  He has a wonderful girlfriend that stuck by him through the worst of things and is still with him today.  He has made many new friends through AA and NA and today he feels better about himself than he did at this time last year.  He has a full time job and he just started college.  Way to go Robert!

This is the card I made for him celebrating this first big milestone of his new way of life.  I did it using a sketch from Crazy 4 Challenges.  Here is the sketch:

and here is the card:

Thanks for stopping by.  I appreciate all visitors and comments so if you have a second please let me know you were here.

HAPPY SUNDAY!

Happy Sunday!  What a good day I had today.  First church then teaching the teen Sunday School class.  Today I did art journaling with them incorpoating scripture.  They had a lot of fun.  It is so good to be able to share creativity.  Then I had a nice nap, some prayer time and went to a great woman's meeting.  Came home, had dinner and created a card for the following challenges:

I used this sketch from Critter Sketch challenges:

ABC Christmas - A is for Animals - penguin

Die-Cuttin Divas - Penguins - the penguin is a stamp.  My diecuts are the white rectangle that the penguin is stamped on which is the center of a Sizzix frame and the snowflake which is a Sizzlets die.

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Christmas in January

Here is my card:

Hope that you enjoyed stopping by and that you too had a Happy Sunday!

A FUN PRODUCTIVE CREATIVE DAY!

I am exhausted!  But I wanted to share about all the fun, productive, creative things  I did today!  I went to a crop with my friend Maraline - the first crop I have been to since moving to Delaware last January!  We traveled to Maryland to attend the monthly crop at Holy Trinity Croppers.  It was great!  Lots of friendly scrappers and lots of yummy snacks and food.  I was able to complete 5 layouts while we were there.  They were all done with photos from this Christmas.

The first page I completed was for the Colorful Creations Say It With Words challenge.  The word for this month is BLESSED.  The photos are from the Christmas Eve Worship Service at Kingswood United Methodist - my Delaware church.  I have been so very blessed by so many people there in so many ways over this past year.  I am also submitting this to My Scraps and More OLW Crop using my own word - BLESSED.

My next page were more photos from worship - the choir and the children.  I did this for the My Scraps and More OLW Crop using the word Peace.  I used the scripture Luke 2:10 in which the angels announced the birth of Christ to the shephards.  In the photo of the children you will see that they are dressed as shephards and angels.  I am submitting this also to Word Art Wednesday who is having an Anything Goes challenge this week.

My third creation was for the Colorful Creations Inspired By challenge.  The inspiration photo this month was a photo of food so I opted to do the photos from our Christmas Eve Dinner at The Olive Garden.  For this layout I used a transparency, lots of shiny embellishments and rhinestones.  The title of the page says Tis the Season for love and joy.  I am also submitting this layout to Use It Tuesday for their Make It Sparkle challenge.  The patterned paper has been in my stash for quite awhile as has the transparency and the rhinestones.  

My next page was for the Colorful Creations Guest Designer Sketch Challenge.  Here is the sketch I had to work with:

and here is my page using a photo of my tiny Christmas Tree which we used again this year as I wasn't up to getting our big tree and all the decorations from storage.  I was so happy to get to use 3 little metal trees that have been in my stash for years!  

My final creation of the day used photos of my son Thomas playing Joseph in the church Christmas Pageant. I loved getting to use this wonderful diecut sheet by K&Company. I also got to use some wonderfully sparkly holly leaves and 10 buttons. This page is being submitted for Kaboodledoodles Challenge #154 Buttons!   

I hope that you have enjoyed viewing my days work!  Now that I have shared this I am going to get myself ready for bed.  Sweet dreams to you all!

Sneak Peak Friday - In the Studio

Welcome to my first post for sneak peak Friday from Studio JRU.  Most of that which I created this week has already been shown on this blog but I will post them together here so you can see what I have been up to.  This week - from last Saturday until Thursday I was able to create 2 art journal pages, 1 card and 1 layout.  This may not be much, especially compared to what I used to be able to create but this is a major feat as I am just coming out of a period of darkness of deep depression and anxiety where I was not able to do much of any creating.  I thank God for the healing He is doing within me and bringing my creative self back.  Here are my creations for this week:

Thank you for stopping by my blog to see what I have been up to.  Be sure to check the links on the main page to read and see many other wonderful creations and words from the heart.  

MORE ABOUT HEALING

I am so happy to report that I am really feeling the power of God moving through me and healing me from the deep depression and horrible state of anxiety that I have been in since last October.  Everyday I wake up and feel a little bit more me.  I am eating normally again and just about sleeping normally too.  I feel that this is an answer to prayer...to all the prayers that others have been lifting me up in and for my broken and desperate prayers calling out to my God to restore me.  

Today while I was doing my writing I added the verse Jeremiah 30:17.  I immediately knew that I wanted to do an art journal page with it and I envisioned it with black, red and teal.  I started by putting down layers of paint and gesso, mists, and using stencils.  I planned to write the verse out in white.  I have a white Sharpie paint pen that others have sworn by but when I attempted to use it I got nowhere.  I decided to print the verse out, cut it up and ink it.

Here is the final outcome:

Thanks for stopping by.  Please come again soon!