grow - digi layout

It has been a pretty crazy week and I am finally sitting down and getting some much-needed creative therapy done today! I wanted to do some traditional scrapping, but wasn't able to make it into my scrap room. But, I was able to work on a digi layout while watching some college football.

I wanted to do a faith-booking page and I really love this photo of an acorn from our back yard. So, I went to BibleGateway.com and started searching for a Bible verse that would work with this photo. I searched using the keywords "seed" and "plant" and then had success finding the perfect verse when I searched on the keyword "grow". That was all that I needed to get this layout going in my head. I love how, for me, working on faith-book pages like saying a creative prayer. God gave me the give of creativity and I can't think of a better way to give thanks to God for that gift than to create artwork that honors Him!

Everything that I used to create this layout is from the Weeds & Wildflowers Designs kit called "Kicking Up the Leaves".

Nature Notebook

We have had a lot of neat discoveries in our yard today. I love watching the seasons beginning to change and GG and I are spending as much time outside as we can now before the blustery, winter winds begin!

I couldn't believe it when I looked down and saw this four-leaf clover!

The leaves are starting to turn on our neighbor's tree and floating into our yard. I can't wait to see all of the different colors from each species of tree in our corner of the neighborhood.

This little Johnny Jump-Up is a little beaten up, but still looks so pretty peeking up from under a leaf.

I don't know if I have ever really sat and looked closely at an acorn before. I am just amazed at the beauty of nature that can be found in such small places! Look at the pattern on it's lid!

Now, this guy was not in our back yard! But, GG and I found him this afternoon when we were walking in front of Whole Foods. He flew right by us and scared me to death. He is VERY BIG! I was thrilled when he landed on a plant in front of us, so that I could get a few photos of him. Wow. I can't wait until GG is older and we can study about them. He was so facinating to watch!
I wonder what surprised we will find in our back yard next?

one unfinished project......finished!

Yeah, I had some success today! I was able to get a skirt made for GG. This pattern was super easy to sew and came together pretty fast. I will be making several more of these and maybe even try to make some winter-weight ones from super-cute fleece. I tried to get a better picture of GG in her new skirt, but it's pretty close to impossible to get a photo of her when she's not in motion! I hope that I have another productive day tomorrow!

unfinished projects.....

I have been having a pretty hard time being productive these past few months. I have had good intentions but have not been able to complete a single thing. So, this morning I gathered up a few of these unfinished projects and put them in a pretty basket and immediately started working on this skirt for Gracie. I will probably have to do some adjusting on the length of it, because she is such a little squirt, but besides that, I am hoping that I can have a finished skirt by tonight. I also want to run to the fabric store and buy some tulle so that I can make one of these tutus. How precious is that? Another thing that I need to work on is a lap quilt that I started awhile ago. I am ready to start adding hand-tied tacks to hold it all together. I do not have a walking foot for my sewing machine, so I can't even think about machine quilting it. Maybe I should ask for a walking foot for Christmas! Hopefully I will have some photos to share of some of these completed projects soon! I'm tired of starting things and not finishing them....it's time to start cranking out some super cute skirts instead!

An exciting announcement....

I have been picked to be on the scrapbooking Design Team at Faithfully Yours! I haven't ever done anything like this before, so I'm a little nervous. But, I am so excited to be given this opportunity to share my scrapbooking pages about my faith. I was thinking about faith-booking last night and the easiest way that I can describe it, what faith-booking means to me, is that it is like saying a prayer to God using the grace of creativity that He has given me. Sometimes my mind is in so much of a jumble I can't even think straight to sit and pray, but then I can start working on a faith-booking page and pour my prayers creatively onto a scrapbook page.

I am really looking forward to this experience and especially to work on more scrapbooking pages that focus on my faith journey.

You can see some of my faith-booking pages here....

Our Nature Notebook

Gracie and I have been spending a lot of time outside lately and even though she is only 2, I am really trying to show her all of the wonders of nature that can be found in our own back yard. I can't wait until she's older and we can use these discoveries as a springboard for deeper learning about all of the beauty that surrounds us each day. We just have to take the time to look around....

I have gotten photos of 3 different kinds of woodpeckers in our back yard, but this is the first one I'm sharing. I believe it's a ladder-back woodpecker. We have also seen a golden-fronted woodpecker. The old "Field Guide to Western Birds" book that my dad gave us years ago is really coming in handy! I have it on top of our fridge and every time I see a bird that I don't recognize, I grab that book and try to find the bird inside.

The woodpecker condominium that's located in my neighbors back yard. I'm not sure if the kind of woodpecker in the above photo lives here or not.

Pretty acorns that are keeping all of our squirrels very happy and with full bellies!

Isn't the caterpillar beautiful? He was eating lots of leaves by our back porch and will one day turn into an amazing monarch butterfly. I hope he comes back to visit then so that I can take his picture. ;-) Gracie sat by him for quiet awhile. She doesn't seem to be afraid of bugs at all, but is instead very interested in them....so far. lol

I'm not sure what these are, but they have come up all around my peonies. Gracie loves that they are her favorite color, blue.

One of our trees in our back yard is already starting to change colors and drop it's leaves. It has been such a cool summer. I wonder if autumn will arrive early this year.....

I hope that you enjoyed these photos. There is so much happening in our own, little back yard! I will share more of our discoveries soon......

Restore to Me - digi layout

Here's a digi layout that I was able to do today. Once I saw the lyrics to this song, I knew that I had to do a faith-booking page about it. The song is "Restore to Me" from the Glory Revealed CD.

Here are the lyrics-

Restore to Me

Hide your face from my sins and cover my iniquities Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me

Don’t cast me away from Your presence
or take Your spirit from me

Restore to me the joy of your salvation
Restore to me the wonders of your love
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
Restore to me, restore to me

Deliver me from this hour of darkness
Through the pain and brokenness
And I will sing of Your loving kindness
And of Your righteousness

The song is based off of Psalm 51:9-12. It's a beautiful reminder of how we need to pour out our fears and worries to the Lord and ask Him for His grace in our times of need. I know that this is something that I need to work on......a lot!