A Little Reminder

After going through my crafting supplies and formatting an idea for this week, off I went to the local craft store. I found wooden letters that would suit my purpose along with a wood plaque. Instead of spelling my chosen word in Hebrew I chose English. I wanted to make sure the message on this plaque would 'hit me in the face' every time I saw it and I would obey it's direction.

What word did I choose?  PRAY!  Can't get more direct than that. I find I get busy with every day distractions and I need all the reminders to pray that I can get. (I also set my timer 3 times a day to make those prayers happen.) I'm placing this plaque on a narrow wall space next to my studio door at eye level.

These are the components for my plaque. The plaque was unfinished and the letters were painted black. I had to prime the letters so they would take the finished coat of metallic craft paint. The plaque had 2 coats of paint and an eyelet to hang it by was attached to the top. I glued the letters onto the plaque and trimmed it with metallic ribbon.

Dabbling In A Little Time

I thought it was time (pun intended) to learn how to read the clock in Hebrew.  I had an old clock to experiment on and experiment I did.

I forget to take a picture of said clock before the experiment started but this clock is almost identical to  my victim.

First I taped off the glass to protect it during painting then I painted a base coat of craft acrylic paint on that poor battered clock.

That followed with an acrylic paint wash of the finish coat. I was going to put more coats of the color I chose but I rather liked the effect with just the first coat. The tape was removed from the glass and I continued.

Next came wood discs that would show the Hebrew letters to be painted, first with a flat base coat  and then with a transparent metallic paint.

I then painted the appropriate Hebrew letters on each disc to add to my clock.

I carefully glued each letter onto the frame of the clock.

And....the big reveal....

Now I can get used to seeing the numbers on my clock with the Hebrew letters.

Title Page

I finished the title page of my exploring Israel journal late yesterday afternoon but my computer decided it needed a long rest. After three crashes in probably an hour I decided to give up and wait until tonight. It was still acting up so after I backed up all my files my husband took charge and proceeded to show it who was boss. LOL After some adjustments and deletions my computer seems back to it's former self. At least we can hope so.

My first attempt was unacceptable to me so I went back to the drawing board and finally arrived at this:

I decided to use a large 3-ring notebook to place my journal pages in instead of a sketchbook. That way I can add my various entries in any order I wish. The hardest part is where to start. Should I accumulate facts and pictures on cities (Jerusalem being first of course), scenery, wildlife, etc? This will definitely take a long time to do. Meanwhile ideas for new creations are already bubbling to the surface.

I'll be back soon. Lehitraot!

Not Happy With The Results

I decided to work on the first page of my journal. You know... the one I planned to start to gather information about Israel and get to know the country better so I won't be completely at a loss when the door opens to actually walk the land. Well, I'm not happy with my first effort so it's back to the drawing board, so to speak. I'll try to get it on my blog before Erev Shabbat but I can't make it a guarantee.

Meanwhile I've found a website that gives free lessons on speaking Hebrew that you might be interested in.  http://www.free-hebrew.com/  I'm proceeding at a snail's pace when it comes to learning the language and this looks like it may give me the boost I need.

Lots to do tomorrow to get ready for Shabbat. I can almost smell the challah now!

Lehitraot Dear Ones. Have a restful Shabbat!

Still Getting My Footing Back

Shalom Dear Ones. My sweet dad passed away on New Years Day at the age of 96. Needless to say blogging has taken a back seat these last two weeks. However I'm planning to be back next week with new projects. Check back for the fun!

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.......