WOYWW #814 - Black Skirt

Unusual desk scene, I actually have my sewing machine out and am altering some baggy black trousers (which I bought back in the Summer!) into a skirt. I have wanted a black skirt for ages and the shops don't seem to be obliging...

I have a childhood memory of this transformation being the "thing - back in the day" with denim, although I didn't flatten out the crotch, I just sewed it straight.

Other things this week are the last She Sketches Scripture pages. Really loved this series and it even got me to do the Jonathan page which has been pending for ages.

Day 30 : Forgiven to Forgive

Day 29 : HE Makes a WAY (Grace)

Day 28 : Rejoice Always

Day 27 : Not Alone

Day 31 : Big Prayers

Day 32 : She Believed GOD

Day 33 : No Falling Here

Jonathan and the Stone of Ezel.

I did my One little Word page at the start of my new Faith Journal. I have settled on Surrender.

I did the facing page with a few other words/flowers from the printable, covering the pigs nicely!

Last but not least are the samples I have done for our church's prayer week and the Bible Journaling table. It is based on the verse of the year John 12.26.

I seem to be struggling with a lot at the moment, all little things like the gas main and our road closed for 7 weeks, the cold, health stuff, and being anxious about going out anywhere. Hoping for a brighter tomorrow.

Happy WOYWW Everyone.

WOYWW #813 - Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everyone.

I DID IT!

YES, I did a journal page a day for 2024 and have 12 little journals to show for it. Whoop Whoop!

I even filled a whole Faith Journal last year too. (back left) The previous one took 10 years!

The Blue Journal on my desk (right) is for this year.

I'm still managing to do my Bible watercolours in the only 2 journaling Bibles I have. (front left).

Not sure I have perfected or decided on the best journal construction for me yet though?

Here's the last 8 pages

Did yesterday's in a haze of headache but thankfully hubby made me some dinner which helped.

I finished off my advent word journal last week too.

Day 25 : Fruit plus the back cover.

Also the Advent Bible watercolour series over at Devotion in Action

I also did a few more watercolour pages with She Sketches Scripture. 

There are 7 left to finish her challenge, which I must aim to do by 5th when the free subscription ends.

Happy WOYWW 2025 Everyone

WOYWW #812 - Merry Christmas

Oh my life chaos reigns on my desk! Trying to do my daily pages and the watercolours on top and son is here wanting me to watch films with him too! 

Sat at dinner which hubby made only to realise I hadn't wrapped anything (except son's birthday stuff which was a few days ago!) We reuse gift bags these days which is a help. 

Anyway what I really wanted to say was Merry Christmas to you all. Thank you for being there each week to brighten my days and inspiring my creativity. Love you all. Here's a little plaque I made from the wreath making left overs.

My son's birthday card. 

Just now (gone midnight) realised I hadn't done cards for my boys, well not special ones - oops.

Fortunately have a couple of the new Christmas cards I made left over - phew.... they'll have to do.

And my pages for the past week.

Advent Words

Daily pages - only 11 to go for a whole year of one page a day.

Also I have been asked to prepare a Bible Journaling activity for our church prayer week in the New Year.

The signpost page above is my initial idea based on the verse for the year John 12:26

Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

My Bible watercolours from Devotion in Action

And the "daily" She Sketches Scripture Course (free till 5th Jan)

I love the Lion but the Deer has to be my new favourite.

Happy WOYWW Christmas Everyone.

WOYWW #811 - Advent Week 3

Yes I was standing on a stool but thought you all deserved a different perspective on an otherwise much the same desk each week.

1) my daily journal 

I used the last of the freebies on days 11 & 12, but plenty of bits and bobs left over to add to successive pages, plus some old Christmas papers too and I even cracked out the acrylic paint and stencils!

2) the advent words in my tab journal; 

Prepare, Righteousness, Salvation, 

Proclaim, Rejoice and Gentleness.

3) She Sketches Scripture 30 day challenge Days 8-13 

Rest, Kind Words, Overflow, 

A Mind Of Peace, Burdens, He Grows Roes, 

Days 14-15 

Light of my Life and Deep Waters.

Bible getting pretty full on some pages, do you remember the gnomes for last year's advent?

4) Devotion in Action

God's gift of Eternal Life

The Holy Spirit

Reconciliation to Him

Us being His Children

(All links in Advent Week 1 post)

You may have noticed my little treat to myself hanging from my shelf. A craft box organiser for my magazine letters, cool or what!

Hubby thinks I'm intending to blackmail someone with a magazine ransom note!

Also I got a thank you for using and sharing my pages from all the 12 freebie sheets. A 2025 Calendar which I printed 9 to A4 and made a little tab bound desk diary.

Hope you are all sorted for Christmas. I'm quite anxious and will be glad when it's over really. Gosh and that from a Christian too! Just don't like all the hype and excessiveness and want to worship my God and Saviour every day not just Christmas. 

And breathe again....

Happy WOYWW Everyone.

WOYWW #810 - Advent Week 2

I was doing really well with all my Advent crafting then some prompts were late due to tech issues then they came all at once and I lost the plot.

 Anxiety set in, Christmas looms and I'm all of a tither. 

Maybe the little Elf on my desk is to blame???

Anyway I am trying to let it go, concentrate on my daily journal so I complete my year of a page a day for my 60th year and anything else is a bonus.

My daily journal is made up of pages from the freebies I mentioned last week.

The advent words are in the journal made on the craft retreat last month.

I've managed a few pages in my Bible as well.

But this is where it all went a bit skew-wiff.

The devotion in action is a series of 12 pages but published on random days so they just "appear" as and when....I have ONE outstanding...

Still can't remember where my carbon paper is and struggling with tracing when there are paintings on the reverse of the pages.

The She Sketches Scripture is supposed to be daily but for tech issues mentioned above. 10 have now been published but I have only just done Day 7...

I did go to my first wreath making afternoon at my new church on Saturday.

And I did get the decs up on Thursday too, gone with Gold and Pink for my main tree this year.

I put all the gold on first and said to hubby, "Shall I add the Pink or NOT?" to which he answered, "Have you got red?" Oh my life.

We did have a plumbing issue Friday evening as well this week where hubby broke the outside stop cock as he was turning it off so he could replace the internal one which has seized. Waited with only a trickle of water for 4 hours but the SES Water guy came and sorted us out to full pressure and places a job card to get the tap fixed - still waiting on that bit.

And Breathe....

Happy WOYWW Everyone.

WOYWW #809 - Advent Week 1

Advent is upon us the tree has been bought and erected but I've opted to craft instead!!! Oopsey. 

Had a lovely box of happy mail yesterday, quite bowled over. From Twiglet/Jo just "a few bits" to get me going on needle felting. 

Well it looks more like a start up kit to me. 

Such a cutey little card too. 

So completely touched.

Here's last month's pages to finish off my November concertina journal, just one to go for the year's worth now...

Day 27 - homage to the film JOY which was brilliant.

Day 28 - somewhere to include another of my Zen Retreat items.

Day 29 - who doesn't like butterflies?

Day 30 - using more bits and pieces up.

So to the Advent crafting...

The December journal made from old Christmas cards and papers.

The Zen tab journal that I added 4 more pages to so I'd have 25 sides.

The Advent Bible Journaling challenges. Nothing like immersing myself in the Word and being creative at the same time.  

Day 1 -  from left clockwise (A) (B) & (C)

(A) The 30 day She Sketches Scripture challenge.... with a daily sketch which I'll watercolour in my Bible. I believe it is free to join until January 2025.

Day 2 - from left clockwise (A) (C) (F) (E) & (B)

(B) A 12 day freebie printable if you grab it in the 8hrs it's available from Eshet Chayil Bible Journaling. I'm doing these in my daily December journal.

Day 3 - from left clockwise (A) (D) (C) & (B).

(C) The 25 Advent Words words for Advent chosen by Jenna Burne Art Journaling I'm doing these in my Zen Retreat tab journal which I extended for the 25 days.

(D) Devotion In Action has just started a 12 day series called Sparkling Advent

(E) My monthly Bible Journaling Ministries page

(F) My monthly Faith Inspirations page 

Happy WOYWW Everyone.

WOYWW #808 - Making Zen Retreat

Well I had a textile filled week on the "Making Zen" retreat. Apparently they do them twice a year so I'll be on the look out in May 2025.

In the red tray is the beginnings of my December journal made from old Christmas cards and papers.

For my daily journal, I chose from the 4 retreat sessions we had each day:-

Day 19 - I added the paper cutting - cracked egg. (only non textile session)

Day 20 - the bee was my pattern for the one on the fabric collage below.

Day 21 - we sewed embellished words.

Day 22 - we did a bit of weaving.

As the week went along I tended to combine different techniques on one piece. Lots of appliqué and fabric collage plus embroidery. I did some Broderie Anglaise (gosh I always thought it was Embroidery Anglaise) plus some Japanese Sashiko work. Also some rug hooking. I only "shopped my stash" so some sessions weren't possible for lack of the correct supplies but I had fun all the same.

Back to my journal..

Day 23 - back to paper but I did add some threads to represent the tangled mess Jesus sets us free from.

Day 24 - Inspired by our church talk about the significance of the "corner" of a garment, I made my own. (see below)

Day 25 & Day 26 - Using up more paper scraps/pictures but I did add some of my dyed fabric scraps.

- Identity - 1 Samuel 24:5

- Marriage Proposal - Ruth 3:9 asking for protection & provision from guardian redeemer.

- Covenant - Ezekiel 16:8

- Tassels - Numbers 15:38-39 visual reminder of God's commands

- Healing - Mark 6:56 all who touched the edge of his cloak were healed. Also our main reference of the woman with the issue of bleeding found in Matthew 9:21, Mark 5:25-34 & Luke 8:43-48...

My back is improving slowly but now I have an issue with a sore mouth as well. Had an ulcer (lower right) and that healed, then thought I'd burnt the roof of my mouth (top left) but it isn't healing so seeing an Advanced Nurse Practitioner at my GPs this morning....

Happy WOYWW Everyone.