Neither Do I Condemn You

This is the twelfth doodle in my journey. I confess, this one was done in church. 

I always doodle in church, as it helps me retain the message. 

These are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ to the woman caught in the sin of adultery. 

My primary medium is beads and fibers and I have created bead embroidery collars. 

As I look at this doodle, it reminds me of a collar that might grace the neck of a redeemed woman. 

I am such a one. 

A Cry To The Heavens

This is the eleventh prayer doodle in my journey. This is a picture of intercession that I did when I heard about the suffering of a friend of a friend. Who have we in heaven but the Lord? Who can we call on for help? Who is all powerful and sovereign? Who works all things for our good?

Psalm 73:25 & 26:

Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever.

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

This is the tenth "soodle" in my soaking prayer doodling journey. 

This speaks of the glory of the Creator being seen in the heavens. 

I wonder what the sky looked like the night that David penned Psalm 19. 

Psalm 19:1

The heavens declare the glory of God

And the skies the works of His hands

Blossom Like A Flower

This is the ninth soodle on my journey of soaking prayer doodling. When we belong to God, He promises to sustain, strengthen and bless us. The scritptures declare that the promises of Israel and Abraham belong to the heirs of Christ. I love this scripture from Hosea 14:5

I will be to the people of Israel
    like rain in a dry land.
They will blossom like flowers;
    they will be firmly rooted
    like the trees of Lebanon.

Like A Watered Garden

This is the eighth drawing in my soodling journey.This speaks to me of life, growth, dimension, abundance, growth and fluidity. 

Isaiah 58:11

"And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

Celebration Heart

This is the seventh "soodle" in my journey of soaking prayer and doodling. 

This speaks to me of a heart that is in celebration. The streamers speak of great joy and thanksgiving. 

“Joy is the serious business of Heaven.” ~ C. S. Lewis

I Lift Up My Hands

This is the sixth drawing in my "soodling" journey. This is a hand lifted in submission and praise. 

Psalm 28:2

Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.

Be Like A Tree

This is the fifth drawing in my soaking prayer, doodling journey.This speaks to me of a promise in the Psalms 1:3

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.

Merry Hearts

This is the fourth "soodle in my prayer journey. This drawing speaks of having a merry heart !

Proverbs 17:22 says "A merry heart doeth good, like a medicine"

Happiness depends on happenstance. JOY comes from within. If Jesus Christ lives in you there is an unquenchable supply of joy available to you. 

No matter what your circumstance, you can know that God is with you. He is for you and not against you. We, who are in Christ, always have something to be merry about, and that is the promise that we have eternal, abundant life in Him. This knowledge, when applied and acted upon by faith, has the power to make us very merry, indeed !

Sunflowers

This is the third drawing in my "soodling" journey. I felt the leading of the Holy Spirit to draw sunflowers. 

I have read that sunflowers always turn their faces to the sun. I believe that the Creator created all things to reflect as aspect of Himself as a message to us. Should we not, also, turn our faces toward Him, the only True Light that came into the world ? 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace. 

Psalm 91: 4 He Will Cover You With His Feathers

This is the second drawing in my "soodling" journey. Soodling = Soaking Prayer + Doodling

When the drawing begain I wondered if it was a wing and then it began looking more like a feather in a wing. Either way, it speaks to me of angelic protection, and the promise in Psalm 91:4

He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.

Doodling in Prayer

As an experiment, I have taken to picking up some pens to doodle during my prayer time. This drawing was the first of several, which I shall post. I usually put on some worship music and grab my pens and a tablet and start praying and drawing. When I did this drawing, the first in the experiment, I was praying about laying the foundation for a local creative community, where Christian artists could experience fellowship, training and collaboration on creative projects which will glorify God, our Creator. 

I had no preconceived idea of what my drawing would be, but as the images emerged it spoke to me of organic beginnings and people on the outside being drawn in. 

I think many artists feel irrelevant in the church today. They feel like a square peg in a round hole. Many church leaders do not know how to utilize creative people, with the possible exception of the role of the "worship leader."

I believe that God wants His artists and creative people fully integrated into His body. 

My prayer is that the ones on the outside will be encouraged to cross the barriers that have kept them at bay. 

Blues & Grays In Circular Brick Stitch

I can't get enough of blue and gray these days, and I really enjoy the simplicity and serenity of working this stitch. I was commissioned to do a similar necklace and earring set for a friend. When I was finished with it, I wanted to do another. Here it is ! The shell ring centers are iridescent and compliment the matte gray seed beads and the blue. The color blue is associated with the heavens, and when I think of gray I think of doves. These are lovely things to contemplate, don't you think ?

Home Is Where Your Heart Is ~ Winston-Salem Memories

Today, Dad and I drove around in the town where I grew up, and I thought it would be fun to snap some photos of the places we lived, my high school and the place where my faith journey began. 
This is the apartment where we lived when we first moved to Winston-Salem, when I was a baby. It is at College Village. 

This is the house where we moved next. I was about two years old. 
It is on Lawndale Dr. 
I have a few memories of playing in the back yard with the neighborhood kids. Those were fun days. 

We moved into this house when I was around five. My younger brother was born while we lived here. My grandfather lived with us here for a short while. Dad finished the basement and made him a lovely apartment. I loved playing cards with "Pop." He always let me win. When I was seven years old, I was bitten by a copperhead as I played in a vacant lot up the street. My neighbor helped me get home and my mom took me to the hospital. I enjoyed living here and had lots of friends to play with. I remember playing hopscotch in the driveway. This house is on St. Claire Rd.

We moved to this house on Reynolds Drive when I was fifteen. I thought I had died and gone to heaven ! I had my OWN bathroom, and I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen with the green shag carpet.  There were yellow daisy cornice boards around my bedroom window and the groovy bathroom had  an avocado green toilet sink and even a matching tub. We had lots of wonderful memories in this house. I remember coming home from the hospital when my oldest son was born and my Mom took care of me for a week or so.  My other three kids spent lots of time here with their grandma, too. 

This is a photo of my high school, R J Reynolds. My dad also went to this high school. When I went there, it was not air conditioned. I didn't love high school, but I did love my drama class !

This is the R J Reynolds High School Auditorium, where I grew up attending "Gospel Sings" while my Dad ushered for them. 
Later, I went to high school here, and in my junior year I played Vera Claythorne in our high school play "Ten Little Indians" right here, on this stage. I was officially a drama queen. 

This is Reynolda Church, the place where I met Jesus Christ in 1983. That was the most important event of my life. Our three oldest children were born while we were members here. It is a beautiful place, in so many ways. 

Autumn Cabochon

This beautiful chalky green cabochon gave me a bit of a challenge with choosing a colorway, but I think I was successful in the end. Greens and blues, pumpkin and root beer with a hint of gold came together to make this cabochon pop. I am thankful for Autumn, the cooler days and nights, the beginnings of turning leaves and the beauty of the season as inspiration for creativity.

Autumn Inspiration !

Autumn is here, my favorite time of year !
To celebrate, I whipped up these fun brick stitched hoops. 
Their colorway is so pretty, turquoise, deep blood red and shades of pumpkin and gold. I am planning some open house events to showcase beautiful creations for holiday gift giving (and wearing) ! Starting in October, I will have one or two events per month with mulled cider, beautiful holiday tunes and a welcoming atmosphere for shopping. I will even giftwrap ! Stay tuned for updates !

Feelin' Groovy

I have been working on some bead embroidery "vignettes" and I am really pleased with the way this one evolved. It is full of life and happy colors.I like the way that the millefiori beads and turquoise nuggets work with this piece to give it some textural dimension.

Be Still My Heart ~ Lampwork Heart Necklaces

I have a new obsession with lampwork glass hearts ! A friend of mine bought the one above and asked me to do bead a necklace for it. I decided to needle weave a variation of a spiral rope and it turned out so well that I wanted to do another one (for ME). They are beautiful and easy to wear. Since my focus lately has been on "unlocking my artist's heart" through a course that I am taking, I wanted a keepsake of this time. Be still my heart, and know that He is God.

A Creative "Date" 05/15/12

 In the art course I am taking, one of the assignments is to go on a weekly "creative date". Yesterday I drove around Lincoln and Catawba counties looking for things that inspired me. The first photo I took was of a barn at Cline Farm in Lincoln County. I love the color and texture of the wood. What a grand farm this must have been. There are many old barns and silos here and they are beautiful.

 This is a photo of a stained glass portal at the top of Daniels Lutheran Church in Vale, NC. I adore the colors and the message. "Your ears will hear a word behind you,This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left." Years ago, I was driving past this church and I heard the Holy Spirit say "Go and look that verse up!" I did, and it was exactly what I needed to hear. This photo is very meaningful to me, because of that. 

 This is a very old memorial stone at Daniels Church Cemetery. I couldn't read the name because of the moss. I wonder how old it is. The church was founded in the 1700's. I thought it was interesting and the texture of the moss caught my eye.

 This is a side view of Daniels Church and the cemetery. I love the shape of the windows and the stone work.

 This is the entrance to Daniels Church. I like the way it was designed. I don't know the architectural lingo to describe it, but it is beautiful.

 This is top of the monument at the entrance to Bethel Cemetery in Vale, NC. This is a place I have gone to pray. This is a front veiw of the Angels at the top, although this is actually the back of the monument. The angels face the gravestones, not the road.

 This is the back view of the Angels on the monument, but this is actually the front view of the monument itself. This is the view that greets visitors to the cemetery.

 This is the front view of the middle angel on the monument. I think she is beautiful.

 This is a view of the cemetery in the pastoral scene of the Lincoln county countryside. One day these graves will open.

 This is a magnificent tree at Bethel Cemetery.I love the color and the way the branches provide a canopy of shade.

 This is the back view of Saint Paul's Reformed Church in Newton, NC.

This is the stormy sky that cropped up at the end of my creative date. What a beautiful way to end it !

Effervesce !

Effervesce !

This is my first piece for a class I am taking called Unlocking the Heart of the Artist. 

It is painted on stretched canvas with craft paint. The painting is representative of a word and picture I saw while praying for every participant in the course. During the study, I am studying the book of Proverbs, in the Bible, and especially the scriptures that speak of the heart.

Cosmic Cuff

This cuff was inspired by the heavenly bodies, stars, planets and such. I love the colors ! The heavens declare the glory of God and the stars sing out His name !

Cherry Blossom Bridal Collar

It is Spring, and I am thinking of weddings. The pink Dogwoods and Cherry Blossoms are in glorious array and I was inspired to embroider this collar in representative hues. Can't you just picture it, adorning the graceful neck of a beautiful Spring Bride ?

HOPE