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.

WOYWW #807 - Textile Retreat

I started a freebie textile retreat on Monday. It's called "Making Zen".

It's got me back into sewing just as my left hand has started tingling again after the Steroid injection back in June! Typical, but have managed to get an appointment to look at my hand for 23rd Dec!

The journal continues...

Days 13 & 14 the mop up sheets were essentially red and white. I added some images, extra marks and some words.

Day 15 & 16 brought me to the end of the first side of my concertina journal. I loved the mop up sheet colours on the right so actually got my paints out and replicated the colours on the left. I used magazine images and words for these. 

Devotion in Action dropped a devotion for November. 

It's about singing praises to the LORD.

My Psalms pages are filling up so couldn't use Psalm 149 so my watercolour is on Psalm 47. Psalm 33 was an option too but as it mentions a harp I really ought to do a harp page....Not played in ages though.

Days 17 & 18 were preceded by the back Cover. I used a piece of a tissue box as I love the design.  I doodled some of the design elements myself and used this for Day 17.

So to Day 18 and my first textile piece which is a "Calico Cottage", so cute, will certainly have to make more of those. 

The tin and box on my desk have my bits of fabric and embroidery floss in them, plus my craft notebook as I'm on the free pass.

Here's my start on Christmas! I got the little basket, lace mat & reindeer, from the Scout Christmas fair. 

Then Asda had the "Elizabeth Tower" ornaments in again and as I'd procrastinated too long last year and missed out I grabbed one plus the little embroidery hoop too.

Happy WOYWW Everyone.

WOYWW #806 - More Junk Journaling

Here's the desk yesterday after doing my journal page.

Still have loads of bits and bobs from the conference printables to use up, which are in the yellow tray along with various tags and items collected too.

My collage for days 5 & 6 includes a sachet from a new tea as a pocket. I sort of actually like Twinings Immune Support but maybe it being my favourite colour is more the reason!

I tried to google my favourite colour to find it's name but that's really difficult but I have kept a few notes and popped that in the pocket too.

Magenta, Orchid, Fandango, Lollipop, Lilac, Seedless Preserves - take your pick.

Collages for days 7/8 & 9/10 I just went with the flow, using up bits I'd come across sorting out an old paper box and various words and scriptures I had left over in my stash.

I completed the study on Mary Magdalene from the conference in the little booklet which was provided. 

Here is my centre spread.

I included a lady image from Gecko Gals plus items from other conference sessions and a magazine picture of a tower as that is what Magdalene translates to.

In my Faith Journal I used the extra resource from Charlene Warwick based on the nameless sinful woman. I made a pocket for the tri-fold sheet on the study for this session.

I love the single continuous line drawings of the women and have quite a few left so they will be popping up in my journal methinks.

Woman go in Peace, Luke 7:36-50.

Also in my Faith Journal I used some of the extra Esther pieces for another page.

The page edge label worked well with my previous pages above, that was a plus.

I church on Sunday we made a tissue Poppy. It was quite taxing for the adults let alone the kids but it's a lovely poignant reminder for Remembrance Sunday. 

For my last two collages for days 11 & 12 I included the second of the prayer cards which I got whilst out geocaching last month.

The pocket was from a conference resource (same as day 4 last week).

All the painting and big black marks, were from the mop-up sheet I'd used in the construction of the journal so there wasn't much to do, just add some words and pictures and doodle a bit more.

Happy WOYWW Everyone.

WOYWW #805 - November Journal

So I too a photo of my desk on Monday as I'd just bought s few things. Namely some more plasterers tape, a colouring book and some gel pens. I also found a tea I quite like, but we'll see....

The colouring book was an idea from an art journaling group where you can use the flower/images cut out on you colourful pages.

So I finished off the Bible water colouring series of more women of the Bible.

Susanna ; The Groupie. Named as one of Jesus's followers who was healed by Jesus and helped the ministry financially. Luke 8:1-3.

Tamar : What a mess! A bizarre story interjected into the Joseph narrative in Genesis 38

Jael : The hand of a woman! Totally hard-core! Judges 4:17-22.

I finished off my little 4" square signature journal for October (see photo below for the sunflower cover).

The cross was from the conference for colouring in.

The last 2 pages were just because...I fancied the colours and had a play around with techniques.

Then November came and it was time for my Bible Journaling Ministries page on Love, Loyalty and Redemption from the book of Ruth.

Then my Faith Inspirations page on loving your enemies.

I made a 5" square no-sew concertina journal for November's journaling, and these are the gel pens I got from Asda Monday too.

November's journal was made using lots of hand painted papers mop up or using up or otherwise...so the pages are kinda already started.

Going to try and use up all my bits and bobs in them too.

I got the Finding Peace prayer card from the last geocaching outing to a church. I had a left over pocket so used that up and have another pair pending the right place for them later in the month, yippee.

Happy WOYWW Everyone.