Boxed In? No Way!

Although I may be struggling a fair bit with cancer and related side effects, my heart is so happy that I’ve still felt the urge to create and share FaithArt…. simple acts of obedience that I’m thankful and grateful to meet…. even if it’s an unestablished goal…. yeah, I pretty much go with the mindset of “just create with an open heart, Celeta. God will take it from there.”

And He does! Whether it’s sharing 100 bookmarks for a local nursing home, or making greeting cards with a personal note (and actually MAILING them!), or creating fun art freebies for you 💖

I hardly see shapes to box in anything….I made these frames to share with the idea of highlighting your FaithArt, Scriptures, thoughts, etc. and I can’t wait to see them pop up here and there! Click below to download 2PDF files and 1zip file of the individual elements ⬇️

framesgalore1-2.pdfDownload

framesgalore2-1.pdfDownload

framesgalore.zipDownload

Wise Words

Corrie ten Boom…. such an extraordinary woman that I know far too little about! Her words of wisdom are powerful and have the ability to shift perspectives….especially when we might find ourselves heading towards a funk❣️

I’m so grateful to be feeling better, which almost always opens the creativity gates… in turn, that gives me the opportunity to bless others with printable freebies that they (in turn) can then share with others 🥰

It should be no surprise that today’s freebie is a set of “Corrie Quotes” I made this morning! Print. Share. Enjoy! To get your freebie, just click ➡️ Corrie Tags

Share the Good Word!

Encouragement “squares” and “tags” are probably on of the first things I started creating digitally – a small white square space seemed far less intimidating than a huge piece of letter-sized paper!

Unfortunately, other than creating sets, it seemed those little squares weren’t as easy to physically share with others….what to do???

Make them a tad bit bigger and voila! you have the perfect greeting card canvas – just print & apply to a pre-made blank greeting card…. the result? Custom cards to share….PLUS the recipient has the choice to frame!

Here’s an example of reducing the print ratio to fit smaller blank cards – I just added a bit of text under the image to fill the extra space😄

My goal this weekend is to share a few of these cards with the residents of my 55+ community since many are still social distancing.

What’s your goal for sharing this weekend? Being intentionally prepared to share your faith has many different looks – to get you started, I’m sharing an Encouragement freebie just for you😄 Click ➡️ hereJoy & Peace Card Kit

Peace

PEACE. What does that look like for you? On this 4th of July our thoughts go to all those before us who fought for the freedoms we enjoy today – freedoms that are so easy to take for granted… but peace…. my REAL peace, begins with the willingness and active decision to trust God, and giving thanks to those willing to lay down their lives (John 15:13) for others. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:7 #faithart #creativeheartspaperstudio #Phil4:7

Happy Saturday!

Each Saturday afternoon, a group of Bible Journaling gals get together via zoom for fellowship and journaling…. more often than not, I forget or not feeling quite up to snuff…. the thing is though, joining in provides such nourishment for this at times weary soul, regardless if I’m actively creating or just enjoying the virtual company🥰

As you all may know by now, one of my greatest joys is sharing FaithArt with others – and today is no exception. As I was scrolling thru the multitudes of FB posts, I saw an advertisement (one of many!) for a daily scripture prompt and prayer – nothing revolutionary, simply a reminder of the power writing the Word and giving it time to percolate through my mind and spirit.

So for today, I created a one-page sheet to share! click here ➡️ to download a free PDF as well as a zip file of the individual images.

Please feel free to share with others!

Just One Thing

Good Morning World! As I’ve been feeling a bit better, I’ve spent a bit more time on social media (who knew that took energy?!?) and entertained to see summer plans unfolding…. it triggered a thought in my little head…. ‘what is ONE thing I can do each day for someone else to share encouragement, joy, inspiration and the like? Well that picture looks different for everyone, doesn’t it? I’m gonna give it a go with a HUGE dose of faith God will provide the energy to share ‘Just One Thing’ for the next 30 days…. wanna join? use #justonething to share & follow!🥰

Hello! I’m still here…

January? Seriously? I’ve been pretty lackluster in consistency before, but this year? Dang! Little did I know on Jan 1st all that might follow…. thankfully, I’ve been present enough to see God on the move…. unfortunately, I haven’t been present enough to share beyond my innermost circle.

NO TIME LIKE TODAY, RIGHT?

January-March

Before COVID-19 transfixed the globe in its unfathomable horror of devastation, in my own little world devastation was front and center as 2020 was in its infancy. Never ever did I anticipate all that might unfold in the days, weeks, and months to come.

Probably one of the top five things a parent prays for is the health of their children’s marriages…. anyone who is, or has been married, knows that marriage is hard work and all too often (speaking to self here!), the reality of allowing life to dictate your path hits you square between the eyes….and heart. I was a child of divorce and as I’ve written before, the one thing I never wanted was my child to experience the pain of divorce. Often that meant putting on my ‘big-girl’ panties & setting pride aside. Granted, I had many failed attempts, but God, family, and friends consistently nudged me in the best direction.

While many were making plans for 2020, my daughter was on the brink of life-changing events and this mama’s heart was breaking for her shattered dreams. The thing is though, as painful as that season might have been, I also found a resounding strength in knowing God would see her through. I had no idea what that picture looked like, but still I was certain God would be there to walk alongside each of us as she/we passed through the storm.

No, I won’t be sharing the details of her story, but I will share mine….the story of a mama crying out to her God – the LORD of her life – for wisdom, discernment, strength, and the ability to be supportive with the knowledge that she (that would be me) could not fix any of it. Kinda hard, right? Well, it was. BUT during that season, God afforded me the physical strength and stamina to be there…. to pack, to move, to nurse, to encourage, and to provide physical shelter from a storm.

Little did I know in the months following, I would be in my own storm. That story is for another day. Just remember this: Through pain, change, heartbreak, illness…..you fill in the blank…

GOD IS THERE

Lauren Daigle is one of my favorite artists, and “Rescue” quickly became an anthem of sorts…..a beautiful reminder that no matter what, God is there

He will not abandon you

He will make beauty from ashes!

Hello 2020!

Happy New Year y’all! A new year and a new decade lies ahead…what victories and challenges will you face in the coming days and months? Time always tells.

While 2019 was filled with valleys for many, I am so thankful it was a pretty good year for this ole gal (OG!) – God led me through a journey towards healthier eating habits and cancer didn’t reveal any new challenges🙌🏻 Those small victories enabled me to be more supportive both physically and emotionally…. and I want more of that!

Over the past few years, I’ve participated in choosing my One Word – for 2020, my one word is gather – that word seems a bit odd, but also on the money! Towards the end of 2019, I did a few new things – after several years of procrastinating, I finally opened an Etsy shop to share FaithArt God lays on my heart, I contributed FaithArt to a longtime FB friend as an accompaniment to her Bible Studies, and I connected with another beautiful soul that I am oh so eager to meet face to face and see how God unfolds our story…

What One Word has God laid on your heart this year? I’ve included a freebie for you to print or save for digital use ➡️ https://celetac.com/creative-hearts-paper-studio/ My prayer this year is for each of us to live a life of intentional love, gratitude, grace, and surrender.

Get To Gals

Earlier this year I participated in Alyssa Keeton’s Wellness Revelation study and one thing (of many!) that stood out was to change our attitude from a “have to” mentality to a “get to” mentality – talk about a game changer!

On that note, I created Get To Gals for my Etsy store and today I created some Quotables for the shop. These are in line with the “Get To Gals” added a couple of weeks ago – the Get To Gal Quotables come with and without borders so you can add to the original Get To Gal collection #creativeheartspaperstudio #faithart #biblejournaling #digitalart #digitalplanning #digitaljournaling https://www.etsy.com/shop/CreativeHeartsPaper

What did YOU get to do today?

‘Tis the Season

A few weeks ago I was thinking about how holidays can be pretty painful for many and last night our Community group touched on the topic again and it brought me back to this post where God has been sitting… and waiting… the October thru December is a time where many focus on thanksgiving. This year I was presented with Ann Voskamp’s one thousand gifts – a study to embrace gratitude and allow God to weave it into the fabric of our daily lifestyle.

As I’ve shared before, for me I’d much rather focus on the blessing of cancer instead of the hard parts… but the thing is, it’s the hard parts that I believe bring about the blessings… which begs the question, ‘if cancer was easy, would I be as grateful?’ – good question, right?

And that thought brought me back to those whose “grief bucket” may be overflowing this time of year and Ann’s FaceBook live video that touches on gratitude and grief (around the 14min mark) Ann Voskamp – one thousand gifts

Are you desperately missing a loved one this season? Is this time of year a stark reminder of who or what you don’t have? Most likely. Ann suggests writing out traits of or experiences with that special someone that brings a smile to our hearts…. and in doing so, perhaps the bitter will become sweeter.

Last year my stepdad passed away the day after Thanksgiving. And even though the head knows a heavenly promotion is coming, rarely is the heart ready. Grief during holiday season last year was sidestepped by the busyness of an upcoming move. This year? Not so much. I watch my mom in her silent sadness and my heart breaks for her – there is nothing I can do that will take away her pain. Only God can fill the void in her heart, but I can do as Ann suggests… counter pain and sadness with sweet, precious memories.

Is there someone in your life struggling this season? Or perhaps you find your heart overwhelmed with grief or sadness? I encourage you to seek God and reach out – it doesn’t have to be some grand gesture – a simple “I see you” can do more than you imagine!

Blessing y’all!