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.

WOYWW #804 - Devotion In Action and Daily Journal

Hello everyone, and for once I remembered to take a photo as I was about to paint in my bible Tuesday morning. Certainly makes a change to an empty desk.

I use my stool and a piece of hardboard as an extra surface whilst crafting (foreground). I have Devotion In Action's You Tube Video poised with the printable ready to choose the image size to trace into my Bible.

We're doing a 10 day More Women of the Bible series following on from the Bible Journaling Conference. I'm loving painting the hair!

Here's the past weeks pages;

First Tabitha who was raised from the dead; 

Huldah who was a prophet consulted by the king; 

Jezebel the evil wife of  King Ahab and 

Bathsheba, the misunderstood woman.

Then the Heiresses / 5 daughters of Zelophedad; 

Peninnah a very sad woman who was the rival to Hannah; and 

Lydia the business woman, who was a dealer in purple cloth.

On the daily journal front, Tuesday and Wednesday I used some more left over images from the conference.

I used one of the smaller printables of Huldah on Thursday. This is the only notable woman I hadn't really been aware of despite having read through the Bible numerous times, so I was quite taken by her story, which is found in 2 Kings 22:14-20 and/or 2 Chronicles 34:22-28. We did actually have her in the conference too.

Friday I used some more conference pieces.

Saturday's page was after the ladies day at church, the angel just asked to be added to the painted background. We'd had a testimony about a midwife called Angel.

For Monday's page I used plasterer's tape to bolster my flimsy pages (see Sunday below), plus a Gecko Gals fairy from a few months ago. 

I had a bit of a "mare" on Sunday night as I was a bit "gung ho" with the watercolours and this penultimate middle page of the last signature got so wet it broke out of the stitching! 

I patched it up as well as I could using pieces of collage to join it back together and back in the journal. Not bad that it's actually taken till October for this to happen really!

So that's my week

Happy WOYWW Everyone.

WOYWW #803 - Ah the desk - Back in Order

Post Conference I am happy to say the desk is back in order.

I didn't get into too much of a pickle this year and therefore didn't need to sleep in the spare room. 

Sorry for not visiting anyone last week as it's been mighty hectic, I hope to do better this week.

I have condensed the 27 conference pages into collages to save space, however you can find each day with links on my previous 3 blog posts.

Day ONE link - 8 sessions

Esther, Accusers, Anna, Mary of Bethany, The Magnificat, Hagar, 

Eve and Leah....

Day TWO link - 9 sessions

Jehosheba, Miriam, Widow of Zarepheth, Rahab, 

Abigail, Huldah, Elizabeth, Eunice & Lois and Deborah.

Day THREE link - 10 sessions

Hannah, 

Mary Magdalene, Woman - Go in Peace, Naomi, Woman of Valour, Sarah, Rebekah, 

and finally Martha, Ruth and the Woman with the bleeding disorder.

What you can see on my desk is the beginning of a 10 day course of More Women of the Word with Devotion in Action and water colouring in my Bibles. 

Here is Miriam now transposed into my Bible.

Also the first new one of Jairus's daughter, who was raised from the dead.

I haven't forgotten my daily journal and have used up conference extras.

The bottom one is an extra printable about Esther.

Top one is a mish mash of various day's elements which I liked.

The bottom one an extra page from Lynn Grobler. I have since joined her FB group as I really like the artwork and devotions.

Top a devotion on The Attributes of God as the 2nd part of The Magnificat presentation which I didn't get round to on the day.

Bottom the strap line from the Hagar presentation about our God being the God Who Sees no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in and knowing He is there to comfort us at all times.

Monday's page is from an extra sheet on the Widow of Zarapheth session about God's Love not running dry. 

Used my new Autumn Posca pens on this one.

Happy WOYWW Everyone.