To a Homeless Man - A Poem

I almost didn't post this because I felt so terrible about it. But I decided maybe someone would benefit from reading it. You know, in my last post I wrote a poem about compassion. Well, yesterday I found myself in a situation where I could have demonstrated compassion towards an individual........and I didn't. And now I feel terrible. The following poem is about that situation and is a type of sonnet with an a-b-c, a-b-c, d-d, a-e, a-e, a-e rhyme scheme.

To a Homeless Man 

I saw you yesterday at the stoplight. 

Your sign read 'Traveling and need supplies."

Your friend was sitting, his head bent down low,

I worried how you'd make it through the night. 

Your clothes were ragged, despair filled your eyes.

I wondered where you'd been and where you'd go.

What was your story? Why was there no home?

Why were you here now and why on the roam?

Your eyes locked with mine, my stomach curled tight.

Why did I always see men like you here?

Could you be a test for me to choose right?

Why then, suddenly, the shyness and fear?

Oh, how I regret with all of my might,

I looked away when heaven had drawn near. 

If you see someone in need of help today, don't give in to fear or excuses like I did. Please, help them out.

Portrait

This is a portrait I did of two of my friends. It was the first portrait that I had ever drawn and given to someone. I don't usually do portraits because they take me a long time- usually because I'm a bit lazy. I have six more I'm working on. :-) this portrait below took half a year to draw so who knows how long I'll be working on the others!

Compassion - A Poem

When I was in high school, I used to write poems almost every day. They seemed to flow from me. I would find inspiration for poetry in my friends, in nature, from my imagination, from pictures- everything would spark a poetic verse. But, after I finished high school I stopped writing poetry. Some things just weren't the same anymore and I lacked some of the inspiration that I previously had. Three and a half years later, and only a few days ago, I was rummaging through some of my keepsakes and found an old note somebody had written to me. "Never stop writing poems" it said.  This note inspired me to take up writing poetry again.

I searched on Google and came across a long list of different poetry types. After seeing the list, I challenged myself to write a poem for each style. Here is the first poem, an acrostic. I put it in my sketchbook and decorated it up a bit.

Here's the poem, in case you can't read it from the picture. 

Cheerfully laying aside

Our own selfishness and pride,

Making the things that we do

Pleasing and helpful and true. 

As we see another's need

Sympathy will take the lead.

Seeking to help and to care,

In love, their burdens we'll share.

Our virtues ever should be, 

Niceness, love and sympathy. 

Sunset Drawing

I love going to church! Today was extra special - it was the communion service. I had such a wonderful time studying the Sabbath school quarterly, playing the piano, and enjoying the fellowship of my church family. After arriving home late in the afternoon, I went on the balcony to enjoy what I could of the lovely day. I brought out my sketchbook and pencils and began to sketch the trees across the road. All of the sudden, I looked at the sky and realized I was missing a gorgeous sunset. So I hurried and sketched the sunset as best as I could. This drawing took only fifteen or twenty minutes to do. It has a bit of an impressionist look. But it's the best I could do!

Praise the Lord for a lovely time at church and a beautiful sunset to close the day. :) 

Journal Cover

In the last post I said that we have a lot of citrus fruits down here in Louisiana. Today, my mom and I were able to pick some oranges, kumquats, satsumas, an unknown citrus fruit and some persimmons. When we came home we had nine bags of fruits! We intend to make some orange marmalade with it. 

I had the evening free so I decided to do something crafty. I had this one journal that was plain black and rather boring looking. So, I got out my materials with the intent to re-vamp the cover and make it interesting. Here are the results! 

Before:   :( 

And after:  :)

You know what this reminds me of? It reminds me of  Ezekiel 36:26.

   

 "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." 

Praise the Lord that He will take our black, sinful hearts and transform them. He can change your heart, too, if you ask Him! 

Soul Expression

Soul Expression. I have a number of ways I use to express myself- composing music on the piano, sketching my surroundings, drawing pictures from my imagination, making crafts, cooking food without recipes.....

We all have different ways of expressing ourselves and that is part of what makes us unique individuals. However, the greatest thing....no, not thing....the greatest Person I want to express is Jesus. I want Him to exude from me and be part of everything I do or make. I know that may sound weird.....Maybe I'm getting confusing, but I want to be so full of Jesus that every time I express myself Jesus naturally flows into that expression.

Here's a little word art I drew. May it remind you that everyone is unique and special. May it also remind you that Jesus is to be our ultimate 'soul expression.' :)

Embossed Card

Fall is fully upon us, down here in Louisiana. You wouldn't know it if you looked at the trees. All the trees are still green! I saw my first fall-colored tree yesterday. However, I've been seeing plenty of good ole' persimmons and citrus fruits ripening on the trees. Talking about citrus fruits, I've never seen such variety! Of course you've got regular oranges but then I've seen ten other versions of it and even a couple that people didn't know the name of. There are so many different limes too. With all these beautiful trees and with the lovely fall weather you'd think I'd have plenty of creativity. But, unfortunately, that hasn't been the case.

Once in a while, when my creativity gets low, I go on an excursion to the library. So, the other day I checked out a book from the library on card making techniques. I saw some examples of embossed cards and decided I wanted to try them out. Now I don't have all the fancy presses and stuff to make 'real' embossed cards so I did it my own way -with tinfoil, glue and a pen and toothpick. :) I had to laugh at myself while I was making the card. It seemed pretty ghetto to me and I wasn't sure it would work out. But, there you go! I made my first embossed card! The card with roses on it was my own idea.

Materials: 

*White card stock

*Rose motif

*Yellow tissue paper

*Confetti

Materials:

*White card stock

*Purple paper

*Embossed motif (Tinfoil glued onto card stock and embossed with a pen and toothpick :) 

Next time, I want to make Christmas cards. I'm already in the mood for Christmas even though it isn't even past Thanksgiving yet. I'm of the opinion that Christmas cheer, the Christmas spirit of giving, and Christmas music are not to be limited to the Christmas season only. (I'm also of the opinion that stores should reserve their Christmas advertisements, products, and decorations until the week before.) Too bad there won't be any snow down in this Louisiana Bayou area. My dad even suggested getting a palm tree instead of a Christmas tree this year! I told him that next he'd be suggesting we decorate an alligator! 

Haha! Maybe I'll make some special Thanksgiving cards....or wreaths....or food next. Who knows! 

Here's a neat quote I found. When you think of, or see beautiful, fall colored landscapes, remember this quote. 

 The lovely birds making the air vocal with their happy songs, the delicately tinted flowers in their perfection perfuming the air, the lofty trees of the forest with their rich foliage....all testify to the tender, fatherly care of our God and to His desire to make His children happy.  {SC 10.1}  

Ink and Watercolor Sketch

I spent a lot of time in the kitchen to day (ask me if you want a tasty curry recipe!) but I did find time to do a quick sketch. Recently, I've been seeing these sketches that combine ink and watercolor. I wanted to create a sketch using those two things and this was the result. I'm not sure that I'm happy with it yet. I think I need to try a couple more times!

The watercolor part didn't come out strong enough for me so I actually went back and used some permanent marker pens to bring out the color a bit. Anyways....this was just a trial run since I've never tried mixing ink and watercolor before. 

Laos

Laos....In case you don't know what that is, it's a small country in Southeast Asia that borders Thailand and Cambodia. I spent two years there teaching English and those were the best two years of my life. That country, it's people and it's culture have endeared themselves to my heart. I was thinking about Laos yesterday and I ended up drawing this bit of word art. Hope you enjoy it! And, if you ever want to hear any of my stories from Laos just let me know! :)

Goofy Characters Drawing

I was bored the other day and just started drawing random little characters. It kept growing and this was the result. It was so much fun to draw! 

Haha I really let my imagination go free on this one. Letting loose and drawing goofy things is such a fun drawing exercise. :)

Cheerful Card

Today was an absolutely gorgeous fall day - cool temperatures, bright sunshine, and a refreshing breeze. When I sat down to make this card, I think the cheerfulness of the day got reflected into it! 

For this card I used:

*Yellow card stock

*Leaf shaped cut outs from matching paper

*A strip of light green card stock

*Book pages for the butterfly

*Stickers

I hope this card makes you smile! If it does, remember to smile like you mean it! :)  

Proverbs 17:22

A merry heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.  

Heart Card and Happiness Card

I've been busy today.....(sort of). Earlier this morning I wanted to get some cleaning done so I began by cleaning the bathroom. Then I got on Facebook.......two and a half hours later I resumed cleaning by vacuuming the carpet. After I had vacuumed the carpet, I figured that was enough cleaning for the day so I sat down to finish a card that I had started earlier. I was originally going to give this card to my father but somehow it got really girly looking. I guess I'll have to find someone else to send it to! Ha! Anyways....here it is along with a card I made yesterday.

I made this Heart Card using: 

*White card stock paper

*A scrap of denim material (I embroidered the hearts on it.)

*Tan card stock for the sentiment 

*Red card stock

*A heart sticker

I just love that little mouse cradled in the leaf. He looked so relaxed and chilled out! 

For this Happiness Card I used:

*Yellow card stock paper

*Olive green card stock paper

*Various stickers

Fall Time Sign

This is a sign I made. It can be hung on a door or on a wall. Currently, it's hanging above the couch in my living room. If I could do it over I would have made the two dark brown letters a different color so they could be read easier.

Fall Book Page Wreath

Yay for fall decorating! With cooler temperatures come changes in leaves, pumpkins for sale and fall decorating. I wanted to make a wreath for the front door and this is the result. This was my first time ever making a wreath and I can't wait to try again. Maybe I'll make another fall one or wait until Christmas. 

Here's the materials I used: 

* A cardboard circle for the base

*Dictionary pages

*Buttons

*Leaf skeletons

*Various leaves cut out of fall colors

I wrapped the cardboard base with the book pages and stapled the leaves on. I cut out flower shapes from the book pages and sewed them together with a button. I then positioned the flowers and glued them on top. 

Here's a Bible verse: 

"The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down." Psalm 145:14

Thinking of You Card

All in a days work! I had a lot of free time today and so I spent a couple of hours making these cards. I got the ideas for these cards after looking at some pictures on Pinterest. However, I changed them up a bit and the result is uniquely my own. If you'd like to buy any of these cards please let me know either by message or email.

Book Page Card

Here's a new card. 

For this card I used the following materials:

*White card stock paper

*A page from a dictionary

*Colored pencils/black ink pen

*Brown thread

*Yellow tissue paper

*Cream colored card stock paper

*A clear button

I glued the tissue paper on first and then put the embroidered and colored dictionary page on top. Then I sewed the button to the small square of paper (for the sentiment) and then glued that paper on last. 

Enjoy making cards! 

Here's one of my favorite Bible verses just because I love the Bible too!! :)

And even to your old age I am He; and even to your gray hairs will I carry you: I have made and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.   Isaiah 46:4

Pumpkin Card

Here's a new card I made. 

I made it using card stock paper, tissue paper, and a rubber stamp. 

Tree Card

I had a few friends that I wanted to make cards for today so I indulged my creative side and made these following cards!

I started with some plain white card stock paper for the card base. After that I cut out a tree shape from some brown card stock paper. (Tip: Go to the paint section at Wal-Mart and they have free colored paper cards you can take that are great for card making.)  

I used two of these colored papers from Wal-Mart and a hole punch to create small paper circles for the tree leaves. 

Here's the finished card. This is just a basic design and instead of leaves you could make flowers or whatever. Next time I think I will use colored paper for the background instead of plain white. 

Here's some of the cards I made. 

Church in the Woods

Here's a little sketch I did. I used a reference photo for the church and the trees were from my imagination. I drew this to practice perspective (It's still a little bit off, but that's a work in progress!) I drew this using a regular black ball-point pen. Hope you like it! :)

Urban Sketch

                                      Here's a quick urban sketch I did of an apartment building.

Blown Away

This drawing I call Blown Away. 

Watchful Cat

                                          Here's another picture I drew today.  A Watchful Cat.

Bird on a Branch

                   

                           Here's a little bird I drew today. It's the first drawing in my new art journal.

Card Making

I'd like to add some new things to this blog that I've been making. Cards! I like to create cards to send to people. There's just something about matching colors together and adding small details to make the card meaningful. I'd eventually like to get good enough that perhaps people would be interested in

buying them. However, for now I am simply practicing and making these cards for people around me. I like to think of it as sending small blessings to people. I know that a handmade card certainly seems more genuine than a cheap, cheesy card from a dollar store.

Time

Time..... It slowly slips away until it's all gone.

Here's something I read in a book called Desire of Ages not to long ago:

"He [Jesus].... taught that every moment of time is fraught with eternal results; that it is to be cherished as a treasure, and to be employed for holy purposes."

Oops....Where did that hour and a half go when I was supposed to be 'just checking my email?'

New Sketchbook

Newest sketchbook.

This one I actually made by hand in order to save money. I haven't had a sketchbook for a couple of weeks now and I missed having a place to draw my thoughts and ideas.

Happy drawing!! :)

Delight in the Lord

What I have to say this time is short, sweet and to the point.

Psalms 37:4

"Delight thyself in the Lord and He will give thee the desires of thine heart."

Notice: Delighting in the Lord comes before the fulfillment of your heart's desires. God's wants us to find our happiness, joy, peace, love, and contentment
in Him first.

Create

Two days ago I finished reading through the entire Bible. I decided to start reading it again but with a slightly different take. This time I'm trying to find Jesus in every verse. So, I started in Genesis one and verse one.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

There were two things that grabbed my attention in this verse.

1. "In the beginning" God was there. Before the beginning God was there. Before He even created anything, with sanctified imagination, I see God looking down through the ages at what this earth would become. I imagine Him seeing the fall of man, the first death, the first sacrifice, His death on the cross.....all the way to the Second Coming. I imagine Him thinking, "I want my people to have an opportunity to choose to love Me." He knew and saw all that in the beginning.

2. "God created the heavens and the earth." God created. I like that. He didn't just throw stuff together or let a couple objects smash together to form the earth. He created. He put thought into what He was about to do. Once again, I imagine God making a mental list beforehand of everything that would be good for His children and would bring them the most joy and happiness. I imagine Him planning out what needed creating first. But God created. He loved us so much, even before we existed, that He created the earth.

Thinking about Genesis 1:1 inspired me to draw a picture as well. :)

What's Important?

What is important to you? I do not mean your new iPhone or recent paycheck I mean what is really important.

Recently, I had to make a decision and it got me thinking, "I wonder what is important to me?"

"My computer."

"Wait, huh? My computer?"

That is not what I envisioned coming to my mind first. I spend a lot of time on the internet but surely I would have thought of something else a bit quicker. That surprise made me consider what aspects of my life have the longest lasting impact on me. It also caused me to think about who and what are most important.

"So what is really important?"

"God."

"My students."

"My family."

"My friends."

It is funny how easy it is to get confused! There is a Bible verse that says "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." It is my opinion that your heart will be with the things you judge most important. I will be the first to say I need to double check where my treasure is, double check what things I value as important.

"Lord, I ask that what You see as important I would see as important as well."

My Advice for You

Summer's Day 

We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love

-Superchick "We Live"

That's my advice for you today. Live! Try doing something new and different! Love! Tell your family or spouse that you love them! Forgive! Don't hold grudges- they ruin life. Never give up!  Take a break if you need to, ask for help but persevere! 

Here's a painting I did. 

More Sketches

I'll be completely honest- I haven't posted something in a really long time. My mind has been in a lot of places lately. I don't know if you've ever gotten into one of those periods of your life where you are wondering where to go and what to do next but that is kind of where I'm at right now. I've done a number of sketches lately and here are a few. The two crazy looking ones are from my imagination. Shortly explained: 1) I like to fish, I like to eat fish and I like to draw fish. 2) I like to draw random objects and designs altogether. 3) This is a woman from the Asian calendar hanging on my wall. 4) I was thinking about ice cream and was inspired to draw a rather interesting version of the well-known dessert.

Creativity

Abstract

Butterfly

    A streak of creativity hit me today! Enjoy! :)
I've been trying to create more pictures from imagination and these are some of the results.

Flowers...

Random Flowers