Making Art Together is the New Quality Time

You can create art.

Even if you draw a line and a circle on a piece of paper, that's art.

What makes that line and circle even more special is creating those shapes with your child or any loved one right next to you.

That line and circle become a precious memory when it's done with someone you love.

The beauty of making art is making art with someone you love.

I recently bought one of those adult coloring books with flowers.

I bought it to learn how to draw flowers.

So one evening my youngest daughter and I were watercoloring.  I looked over at her watercoloring and thought hey why don't I do the same thing (that she is doing).

She simply made watercolored lines.  I loved it.

My lines ended up more of a blotch.

We let the watercoloring pictures dry overnight.

The next day I used a sharpie and drew a poppy over the dried watercolor blotch that I made.

Turned out to be pretty unique.

I used PicMonkey to add a little more uniqueness to it!

What have you made lately?

Let me know in the comment section below.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

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After Church Activity: Watercoloring My View

Hey Everyone!

Can you believe tomorrow is September?

Time waits for no one.

...and time has flown by this year.

Today for this post, I want to share with you one of the activities that I sometimes do after church.

One of the things that I used to do with my daughters after church when they were younger was to bring their little sketch pads and colored pencils to a local park.  We would sit on a blanket and draw whatever we saw in nature.

And recently, we took our youngest (the last in the nest) to a nearby lake after church and we water colored.

Yep, we water colored our view.

Just a little simple relaxation thing that we do after church sometimes.

Do you have any after church activities that you do or that you do with your family and children?

Let me know in the comment section below!

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Psalm 97:6 The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.  

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...meanwhile on Instagram

From time to time, I post some of my art doodles and my daughter's artwork on Instagram.

But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works. -Psalm 73:28

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Coloring Challenge 03

A few years ago, I bought a book on "How to draw Sharks".

I bought it from Barnes and Noble.  It was on clearance.  I actually bought three "How to Draw" books.

While my daughter finished up her writing assignment for today, I followed the directions on how to draw a shark.

Since the pastels were still out, I used those to color in an ocean scene.

Do you have any "How to Draw Something" books?  I would love to know!
Let me know in the comment section.

Genesis 1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

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Coloring Challenge 01

I was on Instagram last week and found a 30 Day Coloring Challenge.  I decided to join in and include my daughter in it as well.  For me, it will also be a drawing challenge.

I figured I might as well draw some things for my daughter to color and work on my drawing skills.

So, here is our Entry 1 of that challenge.  The folks already in the challenge are on Day 20.
But for us this will be a 10 Day Challenge.
For the next 10 days we will color something...and I will draw something!  Should be fun!

I love my daughter's coloring!

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? -Matthew 6:26-27

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Special Needs Homeschooling: Art and Literature

This piece of artwork is a treasure to me.

You see my daughter has Down Syndrome and the fact that she was able to look at this picture and bring it to conception is wonderful!!!

I love it!!

The book is entitled, Baby Sea Otter by Betty Tatham.  It is illustrated by Joan Paley.

I love books that have unique artwork and this is one of those kinds of books.

What kind of books do you use for reading with your children?
Do you use books with pictures?  If so, do you allow them to draw pictures from the book?
If you use books with no pictures, do you allow your child to draw what they have read?

Having a place for paper and markers (or any drawing apparatus) make drawing pictures from the book easy and fun.

We have a separate table for painting and this is where she did her drawing.

And I think she enjoyed this!  I know I certainly enjoyed seeing her draw it!

We read the book at her work table which also serves as my desk.

Creating art is a great way to foster a love for reading!


Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read...  -Isaiah 34:16

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Only Believe

Sometimes well meaning people can speak the most unhopeful things to you.  Sometimes not so well meaning people can speak the most unhopeful things to you.

Either way, it can be hard to believe in whatever it is that you were hoping for.

Do you know the story about Jairus and his daughter?

Well, he went to Jesus because his daughter was very ill.  The Bible says that Jairus "fell at Jesus' feet and besought Him to come to his house'.  Jairus wanted Jesus to heal his daughter.

And then those people came.

They could have been well-meaning.

But, basically, those people said that you have no reason to hope any further.

When Jesus heard those people speaking to Jairus, He had two words for Jairus.

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. -Mark 5:36
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Just Go with It - Using Soft Pastels

Today my daughter experimented with using soft pastels.   I probably should have googled how to use them, but someone on Instagram said "just go with it!"  And since my computer is sometimes slower than molasses, I decided to "just go with it!"

Here are a few highlight from our "Just going with it!"

Have you ever used soft pastels?

We will use them again.

But today, we decided to "just go with it!"

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. -Ecclesiastes 9:10
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Hand Lettering - Calligraphy Style

Hand lettering and Calligraphy are very popular these days!

This post is for that one person interested in a quick way to turn regular handwriting into calligraphy style.  You could say faux calligraphy.

Simply write something.  Any word or any Bible verse.

Now everywhere that your pen or pencil went into the downward stroke,  outline that stroke. 

Then fill in that outline.

Look at the photo below.  I wrote the word in cursive and at each letter that I made I outlined the downward stroke.

Simple amazing stuff.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.  -Ecclesiasties 9:10

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; -Hebrews 10:16

Sharing this post with Art is Beauty here
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Painting the Ampersand for my Crafty Home Office

 Arise & Shine & give God the glory!

Those words will be draped across the wall of my crafty office (that I am slowly putting together) slash homeschool room.

Ampersand!

That is the name of the "and" sign.  This & is an ampersand.

So if you ever want to google "decorating with the and sign" try this instead "decorating with the ampersand".

I had my little one paint the ampersand green with touches of white to kinda make the green fade out a bit.

I used the Artist's Loft Watercolor Paint that I picked up from Michael's the other day.

The ampersand sign is made of scrap wood.  I was kinda reluctant to use the watercolors, but it worked.

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. -Isaiah 60:1

Have you ever decorated with the Ampersand?  Let me know in the comment section.

This will be my first time decorating with it.  Can't wait to see how everything comes together!

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Using Copic Markers for the First Time

Since starting this blog, I have learned about calligraphy pens, crocheting, and copic markers just to mention a few of the artful things that I am learning.  Art encompasses so much.

I discovered that copic markers are the markers used for things like cartoons, greeting cards and animation movies.

The colors are vibrant and rich.  When used with other Copic markers, your art becomes almost life-like.

So what do I find today at Michael's Arts and Craft Store?  You guessed it! Copic Markers!

Today I picked up four.  I will get more later.  They were $7.99 each.

Being into art with this much focus is going to take some getting used to as far as spending money on materials.

I am looking at everything I purchase these days as an investment into developing my artistic side.

When I got home, I used one of my daughter's watercolor paintings to kinda outline and highlight and just kinda figure out the Copic Markers.

What I discovered was, the markers have two usable ends.

Actually the tips of the markers are called nibs.

One end is called the Super Brush and the other end is called Medum Broad.

This was my first attempt with these markers and all I can say is "I like!!!"

Are you familiar with copic markers?  If so, have you created anything with them?

Let me know in the comment section.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.. -James 4:8

this post contains affliate links.

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Branding and Blogging

I took a branding questionnaire some time back.  That thing was so mind opening!  It really helped me to focus on something with blogging.   I should say that it helped to focus on something that comes natural for me.

Art.

You see I have blogged about some of everything since 2009.  I blogged about natural hair, motherhood, and vegetarian/veganism just to name a few.

If you are trying to figure out which direction to take your blog, I strongly recommend tapping into the Branding info at the link below.

As you look around my blog, you will see that I am not the world's greatest artist.  And I am totally okay with that.  I don't claim to be anything other than an imperfect Christian.

 I really never would have imagined that I'd be blogging about art.

 But the branding questionnaire directed me to this "very good for me" discovery.

I used to teach Pre-K and my class was filled with art and creativity projects left and right.
I taught an after school Arts and Crafts program for middle school children.
I taught a homeschool art class at Michael's Arts and Craft store for awhile also.
I also created signs and posters for a Summer Program that I taught art there as well.
I have even had several people pay me to create artwork for their school, classroom and birthday party!

Blogging about art is very new to me.  I am not an expert at it, but I like art.

We recently moved to a new place and I decided to create an art space to see what kinda cool creative things that I can come up with!  When I get it all together, I will post photos.

When I found these mason jars at Target recently, I knew I wanted to use them for art supply storage.

Oh and since starting this blog, I have found the coolest art blogs and artsy instagrammers. I will put together a post about them for you soon! UPDATE  here is that post.

Are you into creating things? If so, what kind of artful things do you create?

Do you sew, knit or draw? I would love to know!

Let me know in the comment section.

You can find the author of the Branding Questionnaire here.

And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; -1 Thessalonians 4:11

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4 Tips on How to draw Bible Verses

If you have been following this blog for awhile, then you know that I love art and I love the Bible! That combo is happy happy for me.  I just need to add a little disclaimer that I am not perfect.

Okay so now that it's clear that I am not perfect here, I am going to tell you how I come up with ideas to draw along with a Bible verse.

Well, the first thing I do before reading the Bible is pray.

After that, I read the verse.  And usually when I read the verse, a word will stand out that I can draw. Take for instance chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians.  That chapter is about love.  When I think of love, I see hearts.

So I draw that one word that stands out.  In this case, it's hearts.  So, I draw hearts.

Then the verse goes on through telling what love is.  So, I add what love is beside each heart and voila a little artwork.

Let me demonstrate with another verse.  Let's take this verse in Isaiah:

Isaiah 58:14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.


So, this verse talks about high places.  Well, when I think of high places, I think of various things and also various situations.  Have you ever heard someone say "Take the high road".  I think of stuff like that as well.

But in this case, I was trying to scribble out a hot air balloon one night.  While I was trying to figure out how to make a hot air balloon, this verse in Isaiah came to mind so I wrote it at the bottom of the drawing.

So sometimes I can be drawing and a verse will come to my mind as well.

And there are times when I don't draw pictures, but just write a little summation of the verse.  You can see more of those summations here and here.

I hope this post helps you on your artful journey!

Here is a brief recap of  How to Draw Bible Verses:
1. Pray
2. Choose a word that stands out to you and draw that.
3. Draw a picture first and think of a verse to go along with that.
4. Write a summation of the verse in calligraphy or hand lettering.

Try it!  And let me know how it works for you!

Happy Drawing!

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My Hand Lettering of a Bible Verse

Do you ever use "hand lettering" or use "hand type"?

Hand lettering and Hand type are fancy writing styles.  I love to write period so hand letting is like a way to just love writing more.

I tell you the secret to hand lettering calligraphy style here.

Sometimes when I read Bible verses, I want to write the summation of the verse  Ideally I use hand lettering of a Bible verse to hang around the house.  Yes, I need constant reminders of God, His goodness and His ways.

So here I share a verse that I wrote one day.

God is all these things to me.  He's kind to me.  He forgives me and He is tenderhearted to me.  I love Him for that.

So yeah, I need a reminder to be all these things to others.  ...because real people have real feelings that get hurt for real and this little verse is a reminder that other people need kindness, forgiving and tenderheartedness. ...from somebody.

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. -Ephesians 4:32

Do you have a favorite Bible verse?  Do you have a favorite quote?
Please share in the comment section below.

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Cardboard and yarn Letters



I saw yarn covered letters on Pinterest. One day I decided to use that idea for my youngest daughter's arts and crafts lesson. 

First I wrote the letters we would use with a black Sharpie.  I love Sharpies! 

Then we started the wrapping process. You may have to use tape on the back just in case the yarn is not tight enough or something.

I thought it was a good project for my daughter because of the complexity of the wrapping.

So the supply list included:
Cardboard
Yarn
Scissors
Tape (if needed)
Black Marker to write letters

Since I crochet and knit, I had the yarn.  Some of my family members do a lot of business online so there were plenty of cardboard boxes on hand.  We had scissors, tape and markers.  I did have to use washi tape though. ...ran out of the other kind.

I added a couple of fabric flowers to a few of the yarn covered letters.  I thought it gave the letters a little pop!

John 20:7 And the napkin, that was about His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

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It's the downward stroke

Hey Everyone!

This post is for that one person interested in a quick way to turn regular handwriting into calligraphy style.  You could say faux calligraphy.

Simply write something.  Any word or any Bible verse.

Now everywhere that your pen or pencil went into the downward stroke,  outline that stroke. 

Then fill in that outline.

Look at the photo below.  I wrote the word in cursive and at each letter that I made I outlined the downward stroke.

Simple amazing stuff.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.  -Ecclesiasties 9:10