Journey Art Journal

Life is a journey and there is so much going on in my life lately...

I got an early birthday present from my aunt and uncle to buy some new toys at Dick Blick.  I bought a small Moleskine watercolor journal.  I love it!  Right now I'm using it for girl faces with quotes.  They kind of tell the story going on.  This girl I was inspired to make after looking at some eye candy in the Somerset Studio Gallery Summer 2012 magazine.  After I was done with the painting I added the word "waiting...".  My husband found out he may be getting promoted, but we weren't certain.

If my husband were to get promoted I could possibly stop working for a few years and stay home with my kids.  If that happened, I would homeschool them.  It's been my dream for years!  Some people think its a great idea, and some don't.  

My husband and I adopted two little boys when they were 3 and 4.  They came to live with us when they were 2 and 3.  It was a year before we could adopt them because of things slowing down the process.  Our little guys have some challenges that aren't their fault, especially with public school.  They are such a blessing to us and we love them so much.  One has Tourette Syndrome.  His tics have always been issues at school.  Teachers constantly pick on him about it...all but one teacher.  Subs don't understand it at all.  Every year I have to educate his teachers on Tourette Syndrome.  He has always had issues with being bullied, and his Tourette Syndrome plays a big part of it.  He also has OCD with it.  It's made him have to get up in the middle of class, move a chair to move something way up high.  If I could homeschool him, it would benefit him so much.  He has a hard time sitting still long, too.  There are things to use for homeschooling that would allow him to move a lot more.  

My other boy has ADD and ODD.  He's always had issues at school and we get called up to the school a lot.  He's had lots of therapy to help him cope, and we have strategies that help him think through things better.  I can help him through his challenging times, but teachers at the school can't so much.  His teacher last year was amazing...she worked with us so much.  It was his worst year behavioral wise, but there is great improvement.  This year will be interesting with the new teachers to the school.  If I could homeschool him, he would be in class more and I can shape lessons in a way that would benefit him better.  There are lots of worries and oppositions which is why I use the words on the picture below.  I'm trusting in God!

This next art journal page I made after we found out my husband would be promoting.  There are things we are planning to hopefully allow me to stay home and have the life I've always dreamed of since I was a little girl.  I've always wanted to be a stay home mom and I've always wanted to be a teacher.  I loved school as a kid and playing school was my favorite.  In college I wanted to get my degree in teaching, but I let the advice of others to squash that dream.  The words below are God giving my dreams wings to take flight!

We were still waiting on the announcement of my husband's promotion.  We decided to see if we could get our house refinanced to put our 1st and 2nd mortgage into one smaller payment.  If this all happens I will be working until next summer and after that I would be a stay home mom and homeschool my boys.  The journal page below I put the words "She was waiting for things to happen".  That's what I'm still doing.  :)

My final art page has the word "Hope".  I have hope that God will take care of everything and I should not worry.  Now for me to be patient!  ;)

Thanks for taking the time to read about my journey lately!  I hope to have some really good news and some art to post soon!  Who knows...maybe someday I can offer art classes for homeschooled kids.  ;)  

All my art was made with Caran D'Ache Neocolor II water-soluble wax pastels, Derwent watercolor pencils, Derwent Inktense, and Faber-Castell Pitt pens.

Waiting For My Heart to be Pursued Art Journal Page

Girls we are so worried, often times, to have a guy who likes us.  Sometimes we go through many ways to try to get their attention. Some of the ways we do that, we do it the wrong way and not the way God wants us to.  When we go about it the wrong way we create many problems and attract guys that aren't right for us.  The way God designed us is similar to His nature.  God wants us to seek Him, wants us to know Him and to love Him.  This is what us girls want.  We want guys to seek us, to want to know us and to love us.  We need to be comfortable with how we are, who God created us, and don't go beyond His measures to attract guys.  We just need to be who God made us to be and wait.  When we do those things, the right guy will pursue us.  We don't need to change ourselves to something we aren't.  We should be loved how God made us.  God didn't create us to be what others need and want.  God created us for Him and his purpose, which is perfect.  He wired you the way He did and He said you are worth pursuing the way He made you.

Get Out of the Boat Art Journal Page

This is "Get Out of the Boat".  I drew and painted it remembering a book I once read called "If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get out of the Boat".  The book is about the diciples when Jesus walks on water.  All stayed in the boat, but Peter got out of the boat to walk to Jesus.  Peter started to sink when he began to see his fears and took his eyes off of Jesus.  I have so many fears about moving forward with teaching art journaling and using it in a ministry.  I'm trying to not look at my fears and instead keep my eyes on Jesus.

Smile Art Journal Page

This art journal page I made last week.  It's about some things that make me smile.  There is an M&M and a Skittle with arrows pointing toward each other.  The story about the M&M and Skittle is my husband invaded the kids candy from Easter.  They mixed M&M's, Skittles, and jelly beans all together in a baggie.  My husband didn't know and ate an M&M and Skittle at the same time.  His reaction keeps me giggling!  :)  There is a paint brush for obvious reasons.  I drew my cell phone with a couple texts from my husband when I was having a rough night ... they made me smile.  I drew a foot with arrows pointing to a big toe.  It's a game my boys and I learned.  The object of the game is to ask a question and the person you ask has to answer "grandma's big fat toe" without laughing.  For instance, I would ask my kids what they brush their teeth with and they have to answer "grandma's big fat toe" and they can't laugh.  It's gets fun!  I was upset one time ... I was crying.  My son said "mommy, I know what would make you feel better".  I asked "what?"  He said "Grandma's big fat toe."  He was right ... it did make me feel better.  :)

Art Journaling

Art journaling is something I've been playing with for awhile.  I love it! I art journal pretty much everyday.  I have one journal that I use at home and I have one I take with me everywhere.  I use many different kinds of media.  I use acrylic, collage, stamping, watercolor, PITT pens and more.  There is no wrong way to art in a journal.  It's all about being free and experimenting.  It can be a private place to express yourself.

I'm hoping to teach workshops on art journaling soon.  I do hope to use art journaling in a ministry too.  I want to help others in healing, in seeing their identity in Christ, for connecting with God and for their spiritual walk.  An example would be when I was 3 to 6 I was terribly scared of storms. We moved when I was 5 and I met an older girl who lived across the street.  I remember she was hanging out with me in the hallway of our apartment complex and it was storming.  I told her how scared I was.  She told me that when it thunders that the angels were bowling or God was moving furniture.  From that day I wasn't so scared of storms.  So with art journaling I can use paint, other visuals and words to make a page of how I was scared, but God made a way to comfort me.  I even have a picture of the girl that I will put on that page.  It's neat flipping through the pages of my art journal seeing what I was struggling with or seeing encouragement for when my feelings try to get the best of me.  I want to help people see things differently.  I want them to see the good things in all the bad things. I want them to know how people will let us down and not meet our needs, but God loves us so much and will help us get our needs met one way or another.  I want to help others forgive others who don't know how to meet our needs, or are going through things and can't, or are selfish and won't help our needs.  I want them to trust God to change that person and if they don't change, for God to give them the consequences for it.  He's better at it anyway!  I want to help others see God active in their life, even before they really knew Him.  Those are just some ideas.  I'll keep praying and see where God leads me.  :)