Give Thanks!

Good morning ALL my crafty friends!!  I feel like it has been ions since I was able to post!  Last week was a whirlwind of sick children and running around.  As I had posted, my one daughter had dental surgery and to ALL the precious people who sent their regards or channeled their thoughts or prayers our way for my sweet girl, I can't thank you enough!!  She did marvelous and is healing brilliantly!!  I am a firm believer that prayers hold MUCH power!!  Coincidentally the evening of the day she had her surgery, my other daughter hollered out for me and as I went to her, I noticed her mouth was bleeding!  What in the world?? Her filling had fallen out and her tooth had cracked right down the middle!!  Oh my Lord!  So the next day I had to go take her to have her tooth extracted!!  Nothing like trying to be like your big sister, huh?  LOL  She did famously as well and both girls are on the mend! Thank you again, my wonderful online friends!

Today I have many things to share with you to play catch up!!  In spite of my hectic week, I did get some things accomplished and one was being able to play in my art closet.  I was able to do a journal page and then as a part of several swaps I am involved in, I was able to get ahead of the game on my tags for December!  I know that looks like I capitalized on my daughters' sicknesses, LOL, but one could also call it time management!!! LOL  I was thankful for the time to play as my daughters healed!

I really loved doing this journal page because everything around me was screaming autumn/fall!  It is my very favorite time of year and if time stuck during the fall, it would be lovely!!!  I had in my mind already what I wanted to do, so surprisingly this page came together so fast.

I began with gesso on my page as always and then proceeded to pull out quite a few stencils to just start laying color down with.  I think most were Crafter's Workshop stencils along with Tim Holtz's Burlap Layering Stencil (one of my faves!) and some bubble wrap.  I knew I wanted to use the teal, but when I got through laying the teal and some purple (all cheap acrylics, by the way) I wanted to tone it down some, so I went back over smudging some gesso on with my fingers.

I pulled out my Faber-Castell Gelatos and just began to accent here and there with just random colors.  I then further accented with my charcoal pencil and a little more gesso here and there.  I had downloaded the "acorn" digital from the internet (not sure where) and loved it and knew I wanted to use it.  The acorns on the digital really appealed to me so I took some great cardstock that I had and drew some more acorns and colored the acorns with Distress Ink in Antique Linen, Spiced Marmalade and Vintage Photo.  I then took some old book page and fussy cut some leaves and drew some veins with Distress Stickles in Vintage Photo.  And then Distressed the leaves and the digital in Vintage Photo.

I had the idea of the coffee mug in my mind because nothing says fall or autumn to me than sitting around a fire with a good cup of joe.  So I fussy cut a cup on some wonderful scrapbook paper I had that was teal  and then added some accents with other scrap paper and a cute little stamp I had and then filled it with some neat little items that just said "homey" to me!  I, of course, distressed all of the pieces with vintage photo and then applied everything to the page with mod podge.  I had seen the quote from John Donne online "No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face."  I love, loved that!  it just went with my thoughts on my favorite time of year.  I shadowed everything with my favorite Faber-Castell Big Brush Pen in Nougat!

This is the week that everyone recognizes being "thankful!"  I try to remain in a place of thankfulness on a DAILY basis. God's Word in Ephesians says "Giving thanks ALWAYS and for EVERYTHING to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!" (5:20) That says, always and for everything! No matter the circumstance, no matter the time of year!  I have so many things to be thankful for, but above ALL, I am most thankful for a Father in Heaven who would offer up His only Son on the cross for ME that I might be saved and be reconciled back to Him!!  Thanks speaks of eternity!  Who wouldn't be thankful for ETERNITY?

This week my prayer is that you ALL would bask in the goodness of our Father in Heaven,  He loves you and I and wants nothing in return, but your thankfulness, your honor and your praise!  Be thankful and praise Him today!

I am also SO very thankful for ALL of my online friends that I have met and who have taken the time to encourage me and whom have visited and commented on my blog! Bless you ALL and may you have a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Blessings!