This Week

I won't be posting this week as my 96 year old dad is gravely ill. Thank you for your prayers.

Chewing On My Journal

I wrote on my post of three weeks ago that I was starting a journal on the land of Israel. Since I must wait to actually go there I decided to educate myself on everything available about it. Keeping a journal would fit the bill but where to start?

Originally I was planning to accumulate my material in a pre-bound sketchbook but, with so much subject matter available, I decided to use a large three ringed notebook. I will be able to use different materials like watercolor paper, scrapbook paper, cardstock, etc. that appeals to me as a base for each page. By working on individual pages I won't be confined to keeping my pages in order and can skip around to different subjects as I discover them.

I have different ideas for covering my journal still cooking in my brain. However, I've decided to start with a title page first.

The internet is such a valuable tool for this kind of project. Just enter a subject in the search engine and there you will find much more than you thought possible on any subject matter.

A word of caution for you however. You will find free images of Israel on some websites but I found often that after you sign up for the freebies they either want payment (false advertising) or a watermark is left on the photo and you may not be able to use the full image. Be careful to give credit to those who ask for it and also watch out for copyright infringement.

I will be posting a list of subjects as I discover them on a sidebar on this blog and decide which to pursue. To start my list will include places of interest in the land (first and foremost), things about nature like plant and animal life, music, the arts, etc. By the time I fill my journal it will feel like I've already been to the land and settled in. :)

I should have my title page ready to share in my next post. Stay tuned.......

The Five Books Of The Torah

I wanted to do something artsy this week for my readers but my efforts turned more towards the simple. In one of my recent posts I shared a gift created by a dear sister Lois who had gone home to our Abba and sent to me by her husband. When I opened the package I found a beautiful mini prayer shawl inside. On each side was appliqued the letter Shin.

I decided to base my project around this letter. While I forgot to take photos of my progress, my explanation is pretty straight forward.

First I measured the size of an unfinished picture frame I had in my stash. Then I cut out two pieces of watercolor paper to fit the frame. One of the pieces of paper I painted with navy blue craft paint. When that was dry I went over it with a heavy dose of glitter paint and set it aside. Next a stencil was cut of the Shin and transferred to the second sheet of watercolor paper. I then cut it out with an Exacto swivel stencil cutter. (This was the first time I used that stencil cutter and it was really easy and worked quite well. I highly recommend it if you haven't already tried using one.) Around the cut out shape I drew the outline of the letter with a dip pen and gold acrylic ink. After some thought I came to the conclusion that the only thing I could decorated the rest of piece with would be the names of the five books of the Torah. When I was finished penning in those names I glued the two pieces together so that the glittered surface would be outlined by the cutout.Next the frame was painted with colors that would complement the piece. Finally all was assembled and now I have another reminder of what my Abba has shared with me.

Yahweh's Kingdom

We have been studying about Yahweh's Kingdom and His government. And since I enjoy having little decorative pillows on display in my home, I had to add one with The Kingdom in mind.

And I had to add the Hebrew word for Kingdom...another word added to my Hebrew vocabulary.

Not A Finished Project But The Start Of One

After mulling an idea around in my brain for a few days, a conversation with an artist friend of mine prompted me to pursue it and shared it with my readers. My friend stated that she had signed up to go on an artists workshop to Ireland.

My husband's and my dream is to go to Israel. If you're reading this blog this comes as no surprise. I'd love to go to Ireland with my friend and paint but Israel is my obvious first choice. However, Yahweh has not opened the necessary doors to us yet so we continue to learn His ways and unlearn ours.

Now on to my idea. While we're waiting for that day to come, I want to learn everything I can about the land, the history, the people, etc. So I thought why not start a journal just for that purpose.

I could explore various themes with my journal before I get there. And with the internet one can acquire volumes of information just by engaging the search engines. The whole idea came about because of an invitaton from Pinterest to set up a travel category so one can plan a trip. What a great idea I thought! If you haven't set up a Pinterest account you are missing out on a great deal of information about many subject matters.

The hardest part of my project will be to organize my material. So...back to my computer. I will log my links and material and decide what to highlight to enter into my journal. And, of course, I want to make some artwork based on my research. Maybe I'll keep a separate journal just for that artwork.
 I promise I'll share my journal here with each page I complete.

Blessings to you dear ones.