I Love this Line Landscape idea...

I was in the passenger's seat while me and my family were traveling on a long 6 hour drive over the Christmas Break... As a space cadet does, I looked out my window and observed the landscape. I started mentally wandering off to my planet art. I started thinking about lines in nature. I thought about how a landscape used mostly horizontal lines and how in a drawing you can communicate those lines very easily. For example, a horizontal zig-zag line on a page could be mountain tops, a bumpy line could be hills, and a bubbly line could be clouds...
So, I wanted started this mental challenge to create a drawing of a landscape using only horizontal lines going from the left to the right of the page to communicate things in nature. I wanted it to be more challenging by not letting any one line share, overlap, or split into another line. If I broke this rule, it would possibly create a shape... and that would ruin the whole "line" idea. So, I excitedly grabbed my Sharpie and took of to the land of creativity.... Here is what I came up with...

First Simple Attempt (free hand without pencil first)

Second attempt (with pencil first, then thin Sharpie)

Third Attempt (with more strategy and planning out)

Final result of Previous Picture (3rd attempt) Colored...

On my 4th and Final attempt, I got a new idea of using an "umbilical" line to connect (without making a shape) to a different line to make the butterflies. I also got more creative with my coloring by outlining with crayon and then filling in with marker to use a crayon resist method. I like the electric glowing look to it.
I had a lot of fun, you should try it too!

Similar and Simpler lesson here...
http://tabithaannthelostsock.blogspot.com/2014/08/line-landscapes.html

What is Lost Sock?

Every since I was a little girl, I had a sore spot for sad little stuffed creatures. When most kids would use thier allowance to buy a video game, I would find myself a new stuffed creature to add to my collection. As an adult, I started collecting sock monkeys. It was my goal to find the most unique, pitiful, and sad ones. I didn't care how ugly they were, the uglier the better! I found out soon that the unique ones were the expensive ones... so i thought... I am creative... why don't I just make my own sock creatures?! I started collecting socks, buttons, felt, yarn, or anything I could find to use on my dolls. I got so much pleasure in taking old socks and bringing life to them. Each one was so unique and seemed to have their own special personality. It started off as something simple, just to pass the time. But, little did I know, God had big plans for me and my socks...
In August of 2008, I went on a Christian Retreat in Dallas with a friend. I really had no big expectation for it, just was hoping to learn more about God. During the overnight retreat, I went through a spiritual awakening. Christ uncovered a lot of issues that I had buried up inside me for years. These were things I thought He could not see, or did not care about. He let me know that they were things he not only saw, but cared very deeply about. They were getting in the way of our relationship and prohibitting me to grow any closer to Him and strengthen my walk. I had built a giant wall between us that he was ready to demolish! And he did...
After the demolision, I could hear His voice! And he talked to me more and more. This allowed me to hear what he had planned for my life, my creativity, my job, and yes... my sock dolls!
Late one night I was tossing and turning in bed, feeling like the Lord was trying to tell me something. I grabbed my journal and went off into a room to see what he wanted to tell me. He began telling me a story of my sockdolls. All I did was take notes, like a college students with her Professor. He was in charge, it was his idea, and I just recorded his every word. By the time I was done writing, I had an outline for a book! It was a book for the Story of  "The Lost Sock".
The creation of this book had been a journey for me. I have learned so much about our Creator and His love for me. I have learned the importance of reading His word to grow. I have learned the power of having faith in His word. I have learned true sacrifice (will be explained in a future blog). I have learned that even when we aren't hearning his voice, He is still hearing ours. I have learned that His timing makes more sense than ours. I have learned that no matter how hard we work to get something done, if it is not His will, we are just stubbornly "spinning our wheels in mud". I have learned that His big important plan for us may not happen today, but that what does happen today is a little part of His plan. If we skip the little parts of His plan, the big picture will not make sense. We just have to trust Him, and have faith in the unknown.
My plans for this book may be different than His. If I get big headed about the book, He knows how to "knock me off my horse". His plan, I have learned, is going to be grand. It is going to move others. It is going to be real...

Made for my eldest nephew...

Made for my youngest nephew...

Made for My Little One Madelynn for her Asian theme room...

Made for my Mom, created in her image...

Me as a sock doll...

Rock Bottom

Let Go, Loosen your grasp... and just fall there to the bottom.
Just let go of all control and get ready to drop... cause
God waits till we hit rock bottom so there is no doubt that HE IS THE ROCK!
When we cannot stand He is where we land...

These two pictures are from emotional and spiritual experiences in my life. The second one was inspired by an emotion, but not a personal experience.

Give it all you... God

if nobody is perfect, then all people make mistakes. if all people make mistakes, everyone will eventually end up hurting you. you can dwell on this and turn bitter inside... or you can choose to give grace. we must forgive. we must continue, always hope and never give up.
I am not perfect, i make mistakes. i will hurt people. i hope they do not dwell on it or become bitter towards me in their hearts,... but rather they turn to grace. i hope they forgive. i hope they continue to love me and never give up.
too often people are praised for giving up on love or getting back on somebody who hurt them. but that is the easy way to go. why praise the easy way? we need the straight and narrow. real love takes guts, it takes stamina, it takes time to learn and grow in grace.
so don't let go to quick out of pride... pride is overrated. stay a little longer in hope and give a little more than you think you can. Go as far as you can till you can't do it anymore, then take just one more step,,, that's where God is waiting for us. He will catch you there, he gets us at the end of our rope with not a moment to spare, just so we can't deny it was Him. When out last ounce of strength is lost he fills us up with his. God will give you what you need. He will not fail you.

frozen moments

So many loose ends left undone,
when I finally have time to tie, they are all unspun...
Things I forgot or just kicked to the side,
things i somehow intentionally let slide,
the bottom of the list that will never be complete,
so many little things laying right by my feet.
I am forced to choose between what really lasts,
till those forgotten "to do"s are a thing of the past...
I need a moment to freeze so I can look at my face
to confront all the issues of this fast pace.
when i finally sit down  to see myself eye to eye
peering into the mirror i begin to cry,
realizing how all this time had passed unfairly by.
Did I get enough in that really will sink,
because after this short moment after I blink,
it will have passed me once more,
so these sweet memories I must store
in a place in my heart
in the tenderest part.