You Capture: Together

Technically, these are not the best pictures. The light is not the greatest, some are a little out of focus because we were moving.

Rather, Gemma was moving. She was sliding off the little ledge she was standing on. I was trying to hold her up, hence the movement.

Sometimes though, good photography is not about technicalities;

It's about the moment.

"Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him." Psalm 127:3



You Capture: Together

And I Quote...

"Next to the wonder of seeing my Savior will be, I think, the wonder that I made so little use of the power of prayer." -D.L. Moody

Heart Art

Apparently hearts have been a theme in my collage art lately. Here are a few pieces that I've finished recently. They've been in my sketch book for quite a while, possibly over a year. Sometimes it takes a while before I can translate what's in my sketch book on to a canvas. Time can be an issue, and so can inspiration.



Bound Up in Love

 This piece above was a long time in the works. The scripture that inspired it is Isaiah 61:1 which says:

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the afflicted; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and freedom to the prisoners..."

The verse is written on the piece. The heart bound up with wire took a long time to make. I made it with clay, baked it, and broke it. Then I painted it, glued it together, and bound it with copper wire. It took me several months to go through that process. Not that it had to take that long, that's just how long it too me to do it.

True Love

The idea for this series of small canvases has been in my sketch book for at least a year, maybe two. I was happy to finally get it out of the book.

The red writing, that you actually can't read unless you examine it closely, are all words pertaining to the events the symbol represents, the birth of Jesus, His death on the cross, and His reign in heaven.

I used Sakura gel pens for the writing, and I have to say I love them. The ink flows very smoothly, dries quickly, and has the appearance of paint. A lot of times I want to feature writing in my collages, but I'm not skilled enough with a paint brush to write such tiny things with it. The canvases in this series are 5x7, pretty small to write on.

You Capture: Flowers

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time,

you know that I have an affinity for flowers.

Particularly the wildflowers growing in my back yard.

Except they aren't really wild because we planted them.

They are cultivated wild flowers;

 and though they are still blooming beautifully,

 I see signs that they are not going to last forever,

even in sunny Southern California,

So I'm going to enjoy them as long as I can.

"Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you? So don't worry your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern."

Excerpts from Matthew 6

You Capture: Flowers

And I Quote...

Charles Spurgeon:

"Prayer pulls the rope down below and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for they pray so languidly; others give only an occasional jerk at the rope. But he who communicates with heaven is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously with all his might."

Pumpkin Love

Query: What do you do when your garden is out of control?

Answer: You ignore it and make a crop of pumpkins instead.

Oh, yes, that's exactly what I did. Why deal with your real fruits when you can make fake fruit.

I made a TON of these adorable pumpkins. Okay, not a ton, but 18. They're not all for me, some are gifts. I love them so much and they are so fun to make. I'm going to make more. I used this tutorial but used my sewing machine for all of the seams and basting instead of doing so much hand sewing. That really streamlined the process enabling me to make a lot of pumpkins quickly. 

If I started decorating with real pumpkins now, they'd be moldy before September was over, so this is a great (and cute) alternative!

You Capture: Your Choice

I love this old rag doll. She lived at my grandma's house for my sister and I to play with. She has two faces, happy on one side and sad on the other. I remember flipping the doll back and forth while playing with her. First she was happy, but then I would give her a shot and over she would go to show the sad face.

I'm not sure where Grandma got her, maybe a thrift store? Since the doll is obviously from the 70's and I am a child of the 80's, it's likely that the doll came from the Goodwill. She always bought toys for grand kids to play with at her house at thrift stores. Actually, she still does that, but now it's for the great grand kids.

I think Grandma might have had another doll just like this one, I seem to remember both my sister and I playing with two dolls together. This old girl, though, is the only one that survived. I found her in a box in a closet at my grandparent's lake house years ago and asked if I could take her home. I'm glad I did. This old rag doll is a tangible piece of my childhood.

She now sits on a shelf on display in my home. Most of the time I show her smiling, but every once in a while I turn her around to show her frowning face. Regardless of whether her face is happy or sad, I smile when I walk by and she catches my eye.

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;

You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness." Psalm 30:11

You Capture: Your Choice

That Mom

Originally Published July 22, 2008

Have you ever caught yourself being "that mom"? You know, the one you swore you would never be: impatient, frustrated, words come out much more harshly than intended, that mom. The one who has answered one too many questions, picked up one too many pairs of shoes up off the floor, heard one too many complaints about dinner, the one who has not had ten uninterrupted minutes all day. That's when that mom emerges. I hate that mom and I'm sure Gemma does too.

"His mercies are new every morning", and I don't even have to wait until morning to have a clean slate. I can start right away, the moment I start to feel that mom waking up inside of me. I love this little girl, as challenging as she can be. I don't want her to remember me as that mom. I want to be a mom who is like Jesus.

God uses our children as a great sanctifier. Every time I get frustrated and feel like speaking harshly, it's an opportunity to stop and put that mom to death. To die to myself and be the patient, loving mom I know Jesus is calling me to be and that I want to be. It's not easy, but as I lean on my Savior, you won't be meeting that mom in the street.

Crystal Cove

We went to Crystal Cove State Beach last weekend. It was a great way to end summer. The weather was gorgeous, warm enough that the cold water felt good but cool enough for walking in the sun without sweating.

Gemma loves the tide pools and all of the little creatures in them, especially sea anemones.

It was such a nice day, we should do it more often. We only live about an hour from the ocean, but this was the first time we've been this summer, if you can believe it!

You Capture: Signs

"You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That's right—you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set."

"You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I'd never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel."

"How can a young person live a clean life? By carefully reading the map of your Word. I'm single-minded in pursuit of you; don't let me miss the road signs you've posted."

"I choose the true road to Somewhere, I post your road signs at every curve and corner. "

"God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what you tell me— my whole life one long, obedient response. Guide me down the road of your commandments; I love traveling this freeway!"

Excerpts of Psalm 119, The Message Translation

You Capture: Signs

Nine

Matt and I have been married nine years today. It seems like a long time, but also like the years have flown by. There have been happy years, hard years, busy years, slow years, but they've all been good years because as we've met each phase of life we've grown together.

How is it that we've grown together instead of apart over these nine years? I'm not sure exactly, but this I do know, Jesus has had a lot to do with it. He's the mediator of our relationship, the strength behind it. When our love for one another runs short, Jesus's unlimited love is there for us to tap into, and we do. When life becomes challenging and overwhelming, we go to Him. When life is rosy and perfect, we go to Him.

I firmly believe that Jesus is the key to a happy marriage.

"What God has joined together, let no man separate." Matthew 6:9

As we continually go to the One who joined us together, He strengthens the bond that binds us one to another. It will become weak without His reinforcements, but with them, nothing will separate us.

The whole process of joining two hearts and making them one is interesting. Two individual worlds collide and then mesh, creating a new one. It's beautiful, it's messy, it's good. And Jesus is the one behind it all.

The Depth of Love

"Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love..." Micah 7:19,20a

In My Garden

A girl who (kind of) likes to help weed and pick and prune,

but really enjoys keeping naughty bugs off the plants.

A pepper, that should be turning yellow or red any day now.

A cherry tomato, one of many.

Green onions, I just trim the tops when I want some so they can keep growing.

The root of a green onion.

A cucumber. They have little spines. I pick them while wearing gloves.

A bee buzzing in my cultivated wild flowers.

A slice of my back yard. What you can see: wild flowers, rose bushes, picnic table.

What you can't see: peach tree, raised garden beds, play house, porch swing, hammock, wall covered in vines.

My garden is a nice place to be.

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever."

 Isaiah 40:8

You Capture: Morning

Last night during dinner, my husband looked at the mason jar of withered wildflowers and said, "I think it's time to throw those out."

I said, "Not yet, I've been waiting for them to die so I can take pictures of them."

My daughter said, "Mom, that's creepy. You shouldn't take pictures of dead stuff."

I said, "It's not creepy. It's art."

My husband said, "All artists are misunderstood."

I said, "I don't think it counts when it's a six year old."

So this morning, because the light is lovely in the my 'studio' in the mornings, I took these pictures. 

(My 'studio' consists of some white foam board propped up on a white table in my craft room and light pouring in from an eastern facing window.)

So now that I've taken my pictures this morning, I can throw the faded flowers out, and pick some new ones.

And stop creeping my daughter out.

The end.

You Capture: Morning