Changes

It has been a while since I posted. My life has been extra busy lately. My daughter moved home early in May after completing her internship at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia and we were busy as she prepared to move to Denver, Colorado. She left yesterday with her dad for the drive out in her vehicle to get moved in and settled. My husband flies home on Friday. Needless to say I have shed many a tear in the last few weeks. I am excited for her in this new season in her life, but it is sad to see her go so far away. Often in recent days it felt as though my heart would literally break apart. I know though, that this is part of motherhood, and so I pray through my tears and hope the very best for her in this exciting adventure.

Meanwhile, I have been busy with work and projects. I've completed a variety of orders for individuals and a retail account. I had the privilege of completing a special gift for a customer to give to her mom for Mother's Day. She ordered a prayer journal and an anointing oil bottle. I used an old hymnal for the covers of the journal with calligraphy and collage work throughout, as well as some pages from the hymnal, old maps, and other treasures. I loved the idea that the hymnal cover had already been used for years in worship and adoration of the Lord and now will continue in use by this mother in her devotional life. I have included some photos of the journal cover and oil bottle in this post.

Love and Wonder

With Easter fast approaching, I thought I would share a quote from the book Entirety: Love Gives All, by Dana Candler.

"In Jesus' giving of Himself, the hidden plan of God's heart was revealed in the midst of time and space, and Love was the message made manifest."

I am absolutely filled with awe, adoration and gratitude as I contemplate this beautiful truth! May you enjoy the rest of this Holy Week and may you have a blessed Easter.

"Loose" script

I was playing around last night with my ink and a Leonard EF Principal nib and did some "loose" style scripts. It was fun and a bit freeing to not worry about straight lines and exact ascender/descender heights, etc. Here are a couple samples of what I came up with rather quickly. They are envelopes for a couple friends who also happen to work with us at Paperworks and More. I think there will be more of this loose "unbuttoned" style coming from my pen in the future.

Lock & Key

I thought I would share a photo of a collage piece I recently completed incorporating a very old lock portion of a doorknob set and an antique skeleton key. These elements made me think of the passage from Matthew about your heart being where your treasure is found, so I included that verse in calligraphy on the piece. This is for sale at our little shop, Paperworks and More.

Wonderful Banner

Over this past weekend, my husband & I attended a conference in Fairlawn, Ohio to hear Dr. James Goll, an author and teacher from Tennessee who ministers across the U.S. and internationally. The conference was held at St. Luke's Church and the banner in this photo was hanging in their entrance foyer against a brick wall. I thought both the lettering and the graphic were gorgeous and I loved the message it presented, particularly in this Lenten season.

Getting warmer...

My post title is not referring to the weather, but rather to my efforts to customize a header for this blog which meets with my approval. I already knew that my computer skills were lacking, so my son, Jordan, got stuck with that portion of this task. However, I'm discovering that the fine hairlines in my calligraphy do not translate well to the computer screen. Thus, it is like the old game from childhood when you would try to guess something or find something and the other player would give you clues by saying, "You are getting warmer; you are getting colder, " as you approached or made your guesses. The changes in my blog's appearance seem slightly more in keeping with my "style" and yet, I think I have more work ahead of me before I am happy with the overall look.

Meanwhile, it is getting warmer outside in recent days as spring begins to make its appearance and for that I am quite grateful!

Beautiful words...

Today I just want to share some words that have struck me with their beauty. This is the final passage from a wonderful prayer -- Celtic in origin, I think.

"bathe us
with the brilliance
of Your light
like dew."

Blessings to you!