Introducing Advent Words 2017

Over the past five years participating in an Advent art project has become one of my favorite events of the year. Daily reading a passage of Scripture or an Advent devotion or related article and then responding to it in some creative way has been a way of intentionally slowing down the season. This intentional period of slowing down has provided time to reflect and ponder the deeper things of this season - it's a time of preparing my heart for the coming of Christ.

This  year I decided to create my own Advent challenge and I would like to invite YOU to participate with me! Advent Words will be a daily challenge during the Advent season which runs December 3-24 this year. Each day there will be a word prompt along with a passage or two of related Scripture. You can choose to connect this word to whatever form of creativity you like - art journaling, collage, memory keeping, planner art, photography, poetry, painting - the creative practices to choose from are endless! You choose how you would like to participate.

Would you like to join me in slowing down the Advent season? It's simple:

• Follow this blog by putting your email address in the box in the right hand column. I will post the full Advent Words calendar on Friday, December 1. Then there will be daily posts through Advent sharing my art and my thoughts. At the end of each week of Advent I will share some of the creativity others have shared in the Facebook group and on Instagram.
• Join the Advent Words 2017 Facebook group where you can share your art and ideas and join the conversation through the Advent season. www.facebook.com/groups/adventwords2017. My friend, Bernice Hopper, will be helping me moderate the Facebook group. You can visit her blog Newly Creative here.
• Share on Instagram and other social media with the hashtag #adventwords2017.
• In the days before the Advent season begins reflect and prepare: choose the creative form you will use for your daily practice. Make a journal if that fits your creative form.

As I said in my last blog post, I made a small journal from a book to use for my Advent journal this year. I have completed my background pages and intend to fill it with Scripture passages and quotes, using two pages per day.

What creative form might you choose?

Completed September Tag Book

Last month I was inspired by a challenge Roben-Marie Smith to use shipping tags for art. I took this mini tag book I had found at a thrift store and decided to make an art journal about some of the things I like about the month of September. My completed book:

I really enjoy making books. Whether I fill them completely or not, the joy for me appears to be in the making! I made an accordion book for my next project and intend to fill it with things that connect to my soul for the Get Messy art community Season of Connections.

For most of the year I haven't felt like going thrifting, but I took some time last weekend and went to some estate sales and thrift stores and had a great time. I'm adding a few of my finds to my Etsy shop this week. Tomorrow my sister and I are taking a much needed and long overdue sisters adventure day. We'll see what we can find in Lansing, MI!

September Tag Book

In Roben-Marie Smith's Claim Your Happy group she has a tag art challenge this week. Tag art uses shipping tags as the base for your art pages. Last year while shopping with my sister I found a great mini album with tags in it.

When I started thinking about what I wanted to do for Roben-Marie's challenge I decided to use this little book. Since it had 15 tags and I love the month of September I decided to combine the seven day tag challenge and do a mini book about the things I like about this month.

I took the first few days of the month and prepped all of my tags on both sides, giving me a page for each day of the month.

Here in northwest Ohio we are already experiencing fall temperatures and it's wonderful! The school year is almost in full swing now. Next week we start the walking school bus and in a few week's our after school program, so life is busy again. There's always a bit of adjustment time between the pace of work during the summer and the busyness of the school year schedule. But before it gets really into full swing the hubby and I will take a week of vacation the week after next and spend a few quiet days on the lake in a cottage. Plus take in a ballgame in Cleveland where our Indians are hot and ready for post-season! I hope you enjoy your weekend and take time to be creative, :)