Video – https://youtu.be/lOC3EBSfKNM
Hello friends,
Welcome to Sunday’s ART of Truth. Today is the day for the flip thru of this precious Winter Garden Journal. It has been my hope to share the inspiration for this journal with you.
It goes without saying that the kits that Stephanie creates over at My Porch Prints, are exceptional, but they are also inspiring! I choose kits to work with that speak to me. They are reflective of a story that my heart is trying to tell me. Winter Garden kit is no exception.
FIRST, a bit of info about the drawing…
This is my 1000 subscriber celebration give away!
In order to be eligible, here is what you need to do…
1) Be a subscriber on the channel (prior to January 6, 2022 – the day, we hit 1000)
2) Like the video
3) Leave a meaningful comment
4) In your comments, please indicate that you want to be included in the drawing
5) Reside in the US or Canada
Okay, with the business taken care of, please read on for the inspiration.
I wanted to share with what Winter Garden means to me.
The title of this blog is “Seasons come…seasons go”. As I mentioned in the video, I am reflecting on our actual seasons. Fall melts into Winter. Winter thaws and Spring comes. Spring releases all its joy into Summer.
Winter Garden is still frosty with hints of sunshine and growth. The green sprouts poke up out of the hardened ground. Followed by daffodils spreading out over the fields. It is like the daffodils are chiding all the other bits that are waiting…to BLOOM. There is a contrast between the cold of winter and the beautiful soft colors of spring. The ushering in of warmer, kinder days. The promise of the scent of flowers in bloom, the warm sun teasing the atmosphere, and light, much more light!
It also caused me to reflect on the seasons of our lives. We have cold Winters of loss, grief & broken relationships. We have deep and dark nights of being lonely and wondering when things will get better. The cold can be bitter, unrelenting, and unforgiving.
We also have Spring seasons of our lives where things are changing. We feel the stretching of our hearts, our minds, and our souls. We sense the winds of change, and we reach for the hope that it brings. We wait tentatively for what is coming. Will our hopes be dashed, or will our souls awaken to the biddings of our longings?
As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, I have reunited with my oldest sister recently. It feels like the Winter has been so long. 30 plus years long. Of course, during those 30 years, there were many, many blessings. We have raised children. We have celebrated those children marry and start their own families. We have celebrated births and we have mourned deaths.
We have laughed hard and cried just as hard.
However, it was Winter for me. Choosing healing is the hardest decision you can make. Choosing to face into what has broken us is the definition of Winter, in my opinion. We live and we breathe, but we are cold and longing. Not knowing when Spring will come. Not sure if we can believe in it. Not sure if anything will ever be different.
But…hope springs eternal. It may lay dormant for a long, long time. It may not seem possible. but it is there, right under the top layer of that cold, hard Winter ground.
For me, it feels like my Winter has been escorted off the scene and Spring has arrived. The flowers of hope are fragrant and HUGE. The scent in the air is one of peace, tranquility, abiding and faithful hope. The newness of reconciliation hangs in the air. It is not without concern or some measure of trepidation, but it is tangible. I can almost taste it.
My friends, what season of life are you in right now?
Are you feeling the cold hands of Winter on you?
Have you lost hope?
Please know that I write, and I share because I have been in those dark places. I have sat with grief that I thought would never pass. I have lived in seasons that I thought would never change. I have wanted to die, while everyone else around me was living.
Yes, our circumstances are unique, yes, but our humanity is universal.
Please know you are not alone my friends. After Winter, comes Spring.
Be gentle with yourselves. Be soft with your heart. Surround yourself with things that are comforting and safe. Listen to yourself and your needs.
Sometimes hope is holding on to the end of a bloody rope, but please hang on Dear Ones. Hang on. Spring is coming.
If restoration is what you need, I pray that for you.
If a friend is what you need, I pray that your paths intersect at that perfect time.
If you need Jesus, I pray that He shows Himself to you in ways that only you will understand.
If Jesus is not for you, I pray that you have an unexpected encounter with love, acceptance, and hope like you have never experienced. It will be the right size for you.
You are so loved.
And…my friends, you are not alone.
Until next time,
Blessings,
Beloved-Reborn
Supply list under photos!
Supplies used:
Digital Kit – Winter Garden Kit – My Porch Prints – https://www.etsy.com/listing/921988035/junk-journal-winter-garden-regular-size
Junk Journal Basic Supplies List –
Crop-A-Dile – https://www.amazon.com/Crop-We-Memory-Keepers-Silver/dp/B0019K3QD8/ref=sr_1_3?crid=15OJUXEN3EL2D&dchild=1&keywords=crocodile+craft+tool&qid=1628457809&sprefix=crop+o+dile%2Caps%2C297&sr=8-3
Eyelets – https://www.amazon.com/Bememo-Pieces-Grommets-Eyelets-Clothes/dp/B07DS6HLBV/ref=sr_1_33?dchild=1&keywords=crocodile+craft+tool+eyelets&qid=1628457851&sr=8-33
FabriTac Glue – https://www.amazon.com/s?k=fabritac&ref=nb_sb_noss
Art Glitter Glue – https://www.amazon.com/s?k=art+glitter+glue&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Ranger Archival Ink – Vintage Photo – They no longer make the pad so I bought the reinker and a DIY ink pad – https://www.amazon.com/Ranger-AIP48077-Empty-Archival-Pad-Empty/dp/B016A88EAI/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=ranger+diy+ink+pad&qid=1626104364&sr=8-4
Https://www.amazon.com/s?k=vintage+photo+reinker&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
List of basic mixed media supplies:
TCW Light & Fluffy Modeling Paste – https://www.amazon.com/s?k=light+and+fluffy+modeling+paste&crid=3PFDSLJUPLGOO&sprefix=light+and+flu%2Caps%2C272&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_13
Shoresua Script Stamp- https://www.amazon.com/Shoresua-Transparent-Silicone-Scrapbooking-Embossing/dp/B07PGN3MR3/ref=sr_1_77?dchild=1&keywords=bo+bunny+stamps&qid=1601231832&sr=8-77
Golden High Flow Acrylic – Transparent Yellow Oxide – https://www.amazon.com/s?k=goldenhigh+flow+acrylics&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Liquitex Matte Medium- https://www.amazon.com/Liquitex-Professional-Matte-Medium-8-Ounce/dp/B000IYWYNE/ref=sr_1_1?crid=74CDOKRUL040&dchild=1&keywords=liquitex+matte+medium&qid=1586229506&sprefix=liquitex+ma%2Caps%2C291&sr=8-1
Liquitex Glazing Medium- https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Multi-Purpose-Acrylic-Polymer-GAC-100/dp/B001YJPX58/ref=sr_1_46?dchild=1&keywords=golden+glazing+medium&qid=1586230065&sr=8-46
Liquitex Heavy Gesso- https://www.amazon.com/Liquitex-Professional-Super-Surface-Medium/dp/B001UNREO6/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=liquitex+heavy+gesso&qid=1586229647&sr=8-1
Penny Black Script Stamp- https://www.amazon.com/Penny-Black-Script-Unmounted-40-470/dp/B01HNO5R08/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Penny+Black+script+stamp&qid=1586229678&sr=8-1
Shawn Petite Stencils- https://shop.shawnpetite.com/Stencils-c14287046
Decoart Crackle Paint – https://www.amazon.com/s?k=decoart+crackle+paint&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Rembrandt Soft Pastel – Black – https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rembrandt+soft+pastel+black&ref=nb_sb_noss
Golden Fluid Acrylics – https://www.amazon.com/s?k=golden+fluid+acrylics&crid=1140N398O4PP1&sprefix=golden+fluid+%2Caps%2C520&ref=nb_sb_ss_ac-a-p_1_13
I also choose my journal kits by those that “speak to me”. Your journal is beautiful. I am working on a couple with the same kit. Thank you for the inspiration.
Thank you Cheryl 💛💛💛