Celebrate Life - Wheel of Fortunate

CELEBRATE LIFE

here is my 2-page layout for Choosing Gratitude, week 2 titled Thankful For. the requirements were it was to be a 2-page layout, to use the title Thankful For, pic 10 pics of same size to place on page and make a list of those 10 everyday things i am grateful for. no one said the pics had to be seen on the page all at one time.

this is canvas painted with watercolor paints. i added chip board letters and dots, paper flower and word "life" with a polka dot ribbon running across the page, attached to the ribbon my "celebrate" tag with the list handwritten on the back. my 10 pics are hidden on the proportion scale. each time you turn the wheel it reveals another gratitude pic. my list of 10: sunset, flower, animals, seeds, clothes, home, marriage, beach, water and clouds. i had always wanted to use the thumbnail prints from my Caribbean cruises and that is what my pics were selected from.

i thought my title letters were originally too big. But as i kept working i really felt impressed that gratitude was the focus of this page not the things i was grateful for. i am so grateful to God for so many things - His faithfulness, His mercy and His love. i realize i need to be thankful in all circumstances no matter what! that is why my pics are virtually hidden unless you rotate the wheel. isn't that how most of us are - our attitude of gratitude is hidden or non-existent? and the list is hidden bc quite honestly whatever we are thankful for changes so quickly. i hear it said abroad that we americans are whiners and ungrateful for all that we do have living in america.

i have a question for you - are your hands open to receive and let blessings flow through you to others or do you tend to close your hands rather quickly to try an hold on to everything?

this study is helping me to realize just how much my attitude can change bc of circumstances.
it ought not to be so - bc of what Jesus Christ did for all of us we should be a steady stream of giving bc our focus is not on us but on Him. let today be a day of giving and thanking Him for all things, all situations and all of life right where we are living. it was the best of times.....regardless

White Fluff & Yuck

we have about 8" of snow right now and its still coming down steady.

i love snow, we just never get any.

wonder if i can do a bit of snow dyeing on fabric?!

blankets of white

blinded by the sight

it brings such delight

pouring with all its might.

snow

Gratitude

colleen helped me to see the yuck weighing me down today. so to visually recognize the burdens i decided to wear my ankle weights as a reminder to "let it go."

at the end of the day when i take them off i know i will feel so much lighter.

and

spiritually i will feel strengthened bc i gave it all to Jesus to carry.

thank you colleen.

i also wrote my yucks out and put them on paper, placed them in my prayer bucket

for Jesus to carry and answer however He wants.

then i placed my gratitude/blessings on papers and placed them

in the bucket. At an appointed time i will pull them out and see which ones

i have the most of. Either way i win - letting go, letting God.

Choosing Gratitude-The Yuck

Shadows of The Heart

here is my first journal page working through Choosing Gratitude. i used blue fabric with small hearts throughout the fabric for my background. two photos i took were cut up and incorporated into the page. i used scraps from the cutup photo to make my dark hearts and wrote words on them that are my yuck - presumptuous sin, and preconceived ideas. three pieces of black yarn are dispersed throughout, esp. at the feet of the shadow indicating bondage.
the tiny white heart in the center of her shadow represents Hope in Jesus Christ. there is always hope when we have our eyes fixed on Him and not on our circumstances. they will change and fade away, but He never changes - He will never leave nor forsake us.

When i began thinking of this layout the Lord brought to mind the verse Isaiah 6:10. so i used a white uniball pen to journal it on a piece of black fabric. finally i covered it all with a piece of black, gold glitzy tulle. it reminds me that all that glitters is not gold and many things of the heart are masked over. let go today of those things and let God begin to cleanse your heart.