There’s something about the seasons I LOVE! Maybe it’s the constancy of the rhythms of life, the slow excitement of change, or the happy holiday memories that different seasons hold. I love how they seem to transition so gradually, and then BOOM, all of a sudden in spring everything seems green, or like now— pumpkins appear overnight on porches, roadside stands, and pumpkin spice galore! And in wintertime, a lovely blanket of snow makes the mundane darkness of winter sparkle with child-like wonder. Fall is my favorite season. I love the cooler weather, anticipation of the holidays and of course the colorful foliage and pumpkins! Evan’s birthday and my father’s are on Halloween, so it’s extra-special around here. Sadly, last year the groundhogs ate all our beautiful pumpkin flowers and leaves. This year Evan put up a fence to keep them safe. It’s been amazing to watch them grow from seedlings all spring and summer into huge leaves and vibrant orange blossoms and fruit. Now we're watching daily as it takes weeks for the pumpkins to change from green to orange. Here’s the view of our patch outside our kitchen window. We’ve got about 10 pumpkins this year - Hooray!  View from our kitchen window “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night,shall not cease." Genesis 8:22  To me growth is ultimately so mysterious. Why? Why do some seeds grow and some don’t? Why does it take so long? I don’t know. But I trust that the ultimate Loving Creator does know, and has his eye on every seed and every plan of all life. In my not knowing, I can still rest in His love. And believe there’s a real place called heaven where life never ends, and living things that passed away here are alive there. God wants us to know how much He loves us in every season. In good times, bad times, in-between times, and horrendous times. I pray that in whatever season you are you that you experience his deep, personal love for you. In any area we are struggling with today, let’s draw near to God and He will draw near to us. (James 4:8)
Given the turbulent times we live in, I wanted to mention this as a resource. Joseph Prince Ministries is a huge blessing to me, and I highly recommend it if you or a friend are struggling with anxiety or depression. (Click or scan code for more info!) 
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If you are interested in paper art of any kind, I highly encourage you to check out The Guild of American Papercutters. It's an organization with an endless amount of information, teaching and learning opportunities, and ways to experiment with paper art with a fabulous group of talented artists. Below is a snapshot of some of the pieces in the G.A.P. "Mountains and Valleys" Show. You can see the wide variety of papercutting styles and interpretations of the theme! Here's me next to my piece "Spring in the Valley". It's my first time working on creating and framing 3-D paper art-- what a learning experience!
My brainstorming sketches for the piece
The final piece, "Spring in the Valley" unframed (below)  $675 (SOLD) CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS: During the Conference I participated in three fabulous workshops. Paper Engineering Techniques with Jeri Fogel. Amazing class-- Opens up a whole new door to 3-D art! We all created fold-up bridges. Once home, I worked more on mine. (bottom)
  From Flat to Fabulous by Tiffany Budsisz I’ve admired her work from afar, so to meet Tiffany in person and learn her techniques was a dream come true. Check out her work - it’s so lovely! https://artvalleyva.com/. We used leaf templates, tracing paper, colored art, x-acto knives, and bending tools to create this 3-D look!
Folded Paper Cutting with Carolyn Guest I’ve always loved snowflakes and finally learned how to make one from a true expert! On the left is a photo of one of Carolyn's cuts that I used as a template/guide for mine. I’m new to formal ‘papercutting’ so learning her tips was invaluable. I used an x-acto knife on very fine paper Carolyn provided! Carolyn's work will blow your mind! :)
 My 'snowflake' revealed!  CLICK HERE for a closer look Now that I know how to make snowflakes properly 😍, I plan to update the ones on my piece below, "Snow on Love Mountain". Stay tuned for the 'AFTER'.  Work in Progress.... "Snow on Love Mountain" There’s nothing like in-person learning. Loved every minute!
Check out Guild of American Papercutters! Happy Creating! |
WELCOME to my blog! This a collection of photos, art, poems, thoughts, and other stuff on my creative journey since 2010.
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