White and Wordy?

I did something new last night, something I should be proud of, although I'm not sure that's how I felt:  I went to the Ladies' Craft Night at my church for the first time! I've considered going to them a few times in the past, but I had a wicked cold one month, out of town once, a broken arm....a few times, I admit, I was just too freaked out to try.

It's in the Fireside Room at my church, which is a room I had never been in before, and that's what kept me from going - I didn't know what the room looked like! This is one of the things about being autistic that I really hate. But that's for another series of posts altogether, ones I was hoping to write in April but I'm still processing.

Anyway, I went last night. I saw it in an e-mail I got on Thursday and decided I wanted to go - and then I actually went! Three other women were there this time. While I didn't bring many projects with me, I accomplished even less, but one of the things I did get finished was the first layer for my page this week, the "reflection" layer! It's very simple but I like it. I'll post a photo of it with my final post for this week, not sure which day that will be (depends on when I finish the second layer).

Speaking of which - it's time to share the second card for Week Twenty. (It's very exciting to be back on track with these!)

This card was made using a white ink stamp pad, but I plan to use a white ink pen on my page. Paint would also work. If you enjoy doodling and/or zentangle, coloring in parts of it is a great accent. Even journaling with one would add another layer. I prefer the Uni-ball brand personally, and would recommend coating the page with a gel medium first.

Another post I would like to do one of these days is to explore color theory. Warm and cool, shading, the color wheel, complimentary colors - I've always found colors fascinating. I'd also like to come up with some color combinations as inspiration for pages and projects. Feel free to comment if you have suggestions!

Color Me crEAtivE

My love affair with crayons has been going strong since I was very young. I once gave a “message” at church (women didn’t give “sermons”) about my summer camp ministry, and mentioned this obsession. The next week, a nice lady gave me a BRAND NEW box of 120 Crayola’s!

Of course, the first thing I do when I get them home is open the box, and dump out all of the crayons. I have to rearrange them before I can put them back in. I start at the top left, as if I were reading a book, with the pinks. Those flow into reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, purples, browns, and I end with black, white, and metallics. Some boxes have special crayons, and I group them together in their own section, same color order, at the bottom right.

This particular box of 120 had sixteen neon colors. Well, on this date in 1994, Crayola released a box of 30 scented crayons! They smelled so delicious and real that the next year, a few of them were changed so as not to seem edible by young children (including chocolate, cherry, and blueberry).

There are literally dozens of uses for crayons. Here are three photos of drawings I made about a dozen years ago in University:

     

Nothing fancy. The first is a prayer that says, “When I eat alone, help me pray for those who have nothing to eat; when I walk the streets alone, help me remember those who do not have the strength to walk; when I feel on the outside of every conversation, help me to see the nameless people to whom no one pays attention; when I speak and am ignored, help me hear those whose voices fall on deaf ears; and whenever my circumstances are devoid of familiar voices may I always be able to hear the voice of the Listener.”

The middle one says, “A broken promise can separate friends,” and I used a rainbow because that represents God’s promises to us. The last one simply says “Meet God every morning.” I’ve never been much for drawing, but I’ve always preferred crayons when I need to color something.

Speaking of coloring – I LOVE color books! I have several, and sometimes when I need to center myself or feel restless, I’ll take one out, grab a box of Crayola’s (I still have several!) and color a few pages. (A fun gift idea for young kids might be to color one side throughout the book, and let them color the other!)

Another great thing about crayons, especially fancy ones like the scented set, is being able to melt the wax. I found this photo on Pinterest:



When you have a few extra dollars, why not go out and buy a box of brand new crayons; bring them home, dump them out, sort them – and let your imagination carry you back to the simple trees and flowers of your childhood. (Remember when we drew a strip of blue for sky, and green for grass? Love it!)