Beaded 2 Bless

I finished it!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:24:00 +0000

Okay, I saw a post on Running with Scissors about her makeover. If of course she could wear anything she wanted to and get away with it. In her post was a photo from a UK website of this sweet jacket. I had to have it, only one problem... 72.99 (sterling pounds) translated into over $100 US dollars. Sorry no can do at least not when I am an imaginative sewer. I found a pattern that mimicked the lines on the front and back and began to recreate this look on my own.

In progress with creative bustling happening.

I used Simplicity pattern # 2581 cropped just below the waist and added corseting loops in the back and then made up my own bustle pattern. I had to get really creative with the bustling because the fabric I used was purchased at a garage sale for $3.00 many years ago. There was not enough to do this the way one should be doing it. I made up for some of the missing fabric by using a contrasting solid black for the lining of the collar and center front panels. I think I will do this on future jackets as well.

Here is the finished front on the dress form.

Here is the back on me, my boys helped me with this one.

I have a few things I would change given a chance to recreate this one. First, I would have more fabric to make the bustle properly; second, I wouldn't make the loops go so far up to the shoulders as they are here; third I would pull in the shoulder seams and sleeve puffs a little to make the top a little less warrior like. All in all, I love this top and will be making more for sure. After I get my corset made.... and some more spats... and I think I need more time LOL!

Tell me what you think of this first attempt at a total fashion DIY.

Have a blessed day, and I hope you are enjoying all of your family this Christmas.

It is in the mail.

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:55:00 +0000

I should kick myself for not photographing the bundle I mailed off today to Dot, but I won't. It really hurts when you do that. I will just go back to my last minute Christmas gift making. I also have another knit hat to make. I am thankful that Gina (from church) told me about picking stitches instead of throwing them. I was skeptical at first, I thought there was no way I could retrain my hands again. Well I did manage to learn and find it a dream. Now my wrist is telling me I am overworking it. I don't know what it is talking about.....

I visited some shops on the Historic Decatur Sqare where the most gorgeous courthouse sits- I could be just a little biased. I admit it, this pink limestone courthouse is a familiar childhood icon. You can see it for miles!

One of the shops I visited had the old fashioned flour sack towels that just had to go home with me. There were the perfect thing to add these pretty pieced angels to. So I settled in and this is what I came up with in the time it took my dear family to watch "Dark Asylum". It wasn't really what I would have chosen for my 9 year old to watch, but he was spending time with dad.

The pattern comes from "make-ablility" magazine. It is number 14 of 67 projects and it was originally designed to be a tree skirt. Well not this holiday. I think this one will go to my Aunt Ree.

Here is the "North Star" I created for the childrens ministry. I finally got the computer and camera to talk to each other. It is a miracle everytime...thank you Jesus for the little things in life!

Have a blessed day- I am gonna go work on that knit hat some more.....

More beadin'

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:32:00 +0000

Beading and my bead buddies are really keeping me going this holiday. I have been working on the winter challenge that is due in January. I also want to finish a doll or two to use as samples for the class I am teaching at that same January meeting. In light of all this I have also stumbled upon the greatest idea for a Bead Dreams submission in the wearable catagory that has not been done before. I have even begun to place design elements into that process. I really need to sketch those out soon too, or it is going to eat at me.

Here is my winter challenge entry. His name is Pearl and he belong to my son and he called him sno-puppy. He convinced me last year to buy the "Sno-buddy" from Starbuck's and I put him in his stocking for Christmas. My kids always get a soft animal/doll in the top of their stocking and Nathaniel loves his the most.

This was almost tossed out with the bedroom trash and I saved him. I make it a habit to check their trash since toys are often thrown away instead of putting them in the "right" boxes.

"Her" new name is "Pearl" for the three mother of pearl cabs that she now sports. Two of them are teardrop shaped and the front is a sweet little oval. My beady friends say that the teardrops on the side make her look like a puppy sitting with her haunches stuck out. My mom dubbed that "the puppy sit". We had a rottweiler that loved to "puppy sit" and we had to train her out of it since it wasn't good for her hips. At any rate she is a cutie.

Here is the progress photo I promised. This really needs a name! It has taken some time to get this far and had been an exercise in working with 15s. Gee, I think I need more of them-- there goes the budget.....

I must say it is much better than being in a funk and not wanting any bead at all, I have been there and do NOT want to go back to that -- ever! One day "this" will grow up and I will be so excited.

So far Speedie Beadie Dot, my friend and fellow BAD member, has been the only one to comment on my post about the space that needed attention. I will be sending you something soon. I can get you contact info from BAD. Thanks for your suggestion- I too love sequins!

Have A blessed day and remember to gift Jesus this Christmas with your time and adoration.

What has made me grow?

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:14:00 +0000

I haven't been beading for very long and I haven't taken many classes. In fact I started beading in December of 2004 and since then I have taken 2 classes and both of them were from Sherry Serafini Hutchison. I wanted to share something that has caused me to grow more in the last year than in the previous ones.

Here is a beginning peice that was bead embroidered. It is "ok" but not fantastic-well it was when I made it. It was a custom order and the lady loved it. It is called Beer Lahai Roi- Well of the living one who sees me. It identified with the owner on a spiritual level too because of the story of Rahab's revelation of God.

Then along came this one. It went to a local florist who has been a huge encouragement to me when I needed it the most. Coincidentally she bears the same name as the one person who gives me grief about raising my kids in general. She doesn't mean to but she does. In the growing process I learned to pair more intricate embroidery with some wonderful fringe. The number one thing--- I learned how much I love swirls. They are my favorite design element. I want everything to "flow" as freely as water. This also brings me to learning how to flow in the spirit. Something that is most recently being discovered.

Here is the project that was made for Sherry's class. I learned that I am usually a rule follower, but on this piece I felt free to add the components directly to the collar instead of them hanging. I also learned that you can bead components and then put them together- which will take you to the following two projects. I learned other things to perfect my techniques and designs- thanks a bunch, Sherry.

The greatest lesson of all that I learned is that the Lord heals so many ways. I took these classes because I was attracted to beads by Sherry's work on the cover of that B&B magazine that December of 2004. But I also took it for another reason. It was my first birthday (and my mom's the day after) without her. The Lord used my passion for beads and art and the company of my bead family to pull me through what could have been a horrible grief stricken weekend. I know this because the next year was harder and I had not planned anything to keep me afloat either. Of couse He sent the Comforter to comfort me, and I thank you Lord for that. I still miss my mom but I have been able to love and comfort others because of my mother and sister's passing. I have a renewed compassion and love for people.

I call this one "Chicos Ad" because it reminds me of the gorgeous photography of the lush contents of their catalog. I made this as a gift for a dear lady at church who has been a huge blessing to me. She and her husband have taught me to use the word as I pray because His power is in His word. When you speak it you activate it and it doesn't return to him without accomplishing what it was set forth to do. And of course if you use His word then you don't have to worry about it conflicting with "His will". The neckwire was a result purchasing the materials for the class. The swarovskis on this piece give just the right class to a very earthy and classic show-stopper.

I really need to get a new photo of this one but you can see what is beaded. It was a separate peice before I added it to the paisleys. I am not going to use the back white part after all. You can read in a previous post about how this was going to be a name tag. I have the entire bottom part beaded and am almost ready to seat the green vintage glass cabs. It was an "A-Ha" moment for me to piece it like a quilt to obtain the distinct shapes I wanted.

I am still growing and I am excited to see how much better it can be. I hope you are blessed by this trip through my learning process. If it gives you that inspiration to go at it in a different way to achieve greater results then I will be able to consider this a successfull post.

Blessings to you and your families, God is Good- All the time.

Too revealing? Naahh

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:29:00 +0000

I took this picture to show the chain detailing that I missed on the previous post, then I realized that it has more of my suprise beaded peice than I was ready to share. Oh well,I am almost done with it so you can see a little more. After all, you have to know that I am actually working on something right? Wouldn't be very fair to show you a project and not share the finished project or worse leave it in the UFO bin.

I am so eager to finish so that I can show you the whole picture- with it ON.

Here is the front pocket with the beautiful montees I purchased on ebay. You gotta be careful when you sew them on- they will cut your thread and be very naughty!

This is the back and it also had those pretty montees. There are 51 of them so far. I am not sure if I will use more of them or not. I still have some naked places to work on but I have finally found the inspiration I was waiting for to complete it. You just can't have all that detailing and not continue it throughout the peice.

Here is the section in question. This is the direction I have finally settled on. It mimicks the curves on the top of the peice but still is able to stand alone. There is more to it this is just all I have accomplished.

I think- should there be more ruffles? more rivolis? more montees? What am I missing to complete this?

Oh I also have larger montees that are the same color as the lightest rivoli on the front.

So what do you think? Tell me quick it is supposed to be for Christmas!

Leave a comment and I will randomly pick one of you to receive a care package before Christmas.

God Bless you --

working on that challenge piece

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:34:00 +0000

I had started several times on a name badge challenge peice for the Dallas Bead Society. I have to use the plastic name badge as a base for whatever I make and it had to be 50% beads. Well I came up with this as my third attempt.

I decided after working long and hard on this that I am not gonna ruin it by being cheeky and putting my name on it as it is shown in the picture. This has taken on a new life and will take some time to complete as most of it is done in 15s. I will get the progress photo later. But, I have had to come up with and finish a different idea - before saturday!!! Well with some already in progress pieces that never grew into a full project (the beaded beads and lengths of cellini spirals) I came up with a whole new design.

I don't know if it qualifies as 50% beaded, but I love it anyhow and will wear it with pride. It Has "Ralonda" written all over it (Well it does). The chain is very Victorian in its draping and it has an art glass focal as a counter-balance but my batteries needed a charge and I didn't get that photo .

I did get to take a picture of what this Dec 2nd of 2009 looked like when I woke up.

This one is my favorite because of the flashes of red from the gas can and the log splitter and that blue bucket covering the motor. It is taken out my "studio" window- aka- living room sliding glass door. It is also the same view as my blog header across the creek in the distance.

This one is taken from the front door of our current house and shows the northwest corner of our new house (that will be done soon). The Oak trees are so pretty with snow on them. They have a lovely frame especially when they are bare.

Spats?!

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:23:00 +0000

Why have I never heard of this before? Holy Moly, this would have been a huge help for this long legged lady from the time she was a pre-teen with floods on! How could I have not been privy to these jewels of fashion until now? Thank you Jesus that I now have this knowledge!

Here is a picture my very first pair of spats- there will definately be more in the future. I haven't posted a pic of the jumper these were made to go with, but this was a solution to the problem of not being able to find that perfect pair of boots to match a handmade garment. The jumper is made of the same fabric and is a little on the short side (which is why I needed boots) and I have to wear leggings underneath it (which are always too short) (which is another reason I needed boots). These babies are a dream-- I can now go hog wild!!!

Have a blessed day and don't be suprised if I start puttin' these in my etsy shop soon.

Working with setbacks.

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:02:00 +0000

Here is a sneak peak of another garment in a collection I am making. This is one of the 14mm Rivolis I ordered from Whimbeads. You can see there are supposed to be three. Each one is a different size. I ordered 3 18mm verde rivolis but she only had one in stock so I will use it and two others I ordered. They are on there way, but until then I will work elsewhere on this garment. They were super nice when I called and I took her suggestion on what rivoli to go with to match these. I can't wait to see what they look like together. I am sure I am going to love it- who doesn't like a rivoli?

This is Wolfee (wolf-eeee) and this is typical of her lounging. I actually had to move her paws aside to get to those yummy copper delicas under there. She slept through the whole thing. She was number 4 of Princess' litter.

This is Princess- aka "mamma". She thought she would help me create a pattern from a vintage apron that I found falling apart at a resale shop. She kept attacking my scissors while I was cutting- I was afraid she would loose some whiskers.

Here is the fabric I used for the apron. It so colorful!
She enjoyed playing in the fabric but I had to shoo her off to get it all cut out.

Poor neglected kitty, She didn't come back until much later.

My housework isn't getting done but no one seems to mind- least of all me!

I am enjoying some time off and not feeling condemned for it!

For now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1

Been workin at it.

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:14:00 +0000

Pink angel
Just think about it.

Stump dolls

Tah Dah!

Aren't these booties I mean beauties precious.

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say "Our God reigns" Isaiah 52:7

Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:41:00 +0000

Great turnips from Grandma's garden- what a blessing. This is a great display of color too. I just love it!

What kinda kid puts ice cubes in his warm chicken noodle soup? Apparently mine does!

One of my favorite things about my house has now been covered with siding! I took this picture to remind me that His blessing in on this house! I took pictures of this cross when I first found it (after they poured the concrete in the walls) and it is still there. I almost missed it before it was completely covered up.

I have more pictures to share but I have to wait until the items are delivered to their owners. I am also working on a new altered project that takes me to a place of great peace and joy every time I work on it. More to come on that project too.

Have a blessed day and remember it is God's plan for you to be in health and to prosper.

Land of Odds

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:09:00 +0000

I have been awaiting the day that I could share these amazing photos. Well now I can! They were taken by Bradford Bosher, a fellow Dallas Bead Society member. Let me introduce to you, "Willow" my entry for the Land of Odds 2009 All Dolled Up Beaded Art Doll Competition themed "Earthen Mother". Four of the six Semi-finalists, including myself, are members of an amazing group on yahoo- Beaded Art Dolls (congratulations to you too).

This is the single most spiritually heart wrenching pieces I have ever made. My inspiration for her came from the struggles of mothers of children with special needs and from what Mary (mother of Jesus and the only "perfect" child ever born) must have gone through too. In my opinion all children have special needs, but most of us do what everyone else does to gain support and encouragement. Fortunately that has changed over the years so that children can get more support and encouragement in many different forms.

One of the greatest obstacles I faced when I made the decision to home school my children was my mother's disapproval. My mother had struggled as a single mother of three to get an education and raise her family. She succeeded in many areas and failed in others. Education was a goal for her because she new that with it she could support the other aspects of life. She was my encouragement to graduate, even though I was seven months pregnant with my first child and had quit school the year before.

It is all about perspective, I could see her's but she couldn't see mine. My mother eventually began to understand my decision even though it was keeping me from furthering my own education. Then, she discovered that I was learning many other things that were never addressed in our house before. Art. Craft. Creation. She became a huge fan and found something to be proud about.

Unfortunately, she never got to see this one. This doll embodies the grace and beauty that my mother presented everyday- whether in a suit with heels or in a Hanes her way sweatsuit with sneakers. It embodied the strength she showed in making tough decisions then later having to live with the fact that there may have been other options. She taught me how to be a mother and of course some of the things you don't want to do as a mother. We all have those moments.

But I had to finish this doll. I couldn't leave her undone. I had sobbed and sobbed over the loss of my mother. She lost all hope, and couldn't go on. I wasn't sure I could finish the race and make the deadline. I found a new encourager- The Holy Spirit. He sent so many people and prophesies and so many other encouragements from the word. He kept me working through this tough time. It was a true healing. A supernatural healing. I still miss my mom and my sister, who died the year before, but I am no longer arrested by the pangs of sorrow. I am saddened that their lives were drastically shortened, but it encourages me at the same time to tell others that one "Earthen Mother" had a Heavenly Father send her the Perfect Son born of the Spirit to die and conquer the grave that we may be alive in Him for all eternity.

School

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 18:37:00 +0000

We have completed two weeks of school. Yay!! It has been an undertaking and soon it will level out and be quite enjoyable. I am very thankful that it is a 3 day weekend. My sweet husband is not working this weekend either. Rest, Peace, and more Rest is the name of the game.
Monday we will attend the family shooting tournament. We have discovered after only two opportunities that my oldest child is really good at shooting skeet. I am eager to see him have fun with the family, even if it is shooting at things. I think the little one will get to try for the first time too. My DH even thought of protecting his sensitive ears and bought some Winchester earmuffs for him. He has often had problems with loud sounds overwhelming him.
The children's ministry is in its 6th week so I really need to get a picture of our "Super Heroes". The leaders, teachers, and volunteers wear capes to add a little bit of fun to our lesson. It is wonderful and the kids seem to have really enjoyed it. I have dyed some flames into my hair and altered a pair of navy capris with flame fabric to create an "on fire for God" character. My costume wouldn't be complete without a flame cape too. I am thinking the flames in my hair need to stay even after this curriculum is over. The next one is a western/desert theme, so I am not sure how flaming hair will fit into that character.
It is a blessing to be able to use my creative abilities in ministry. Especially one that has such an impact on so many lives. It is amazing!

Lots going on here!

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:13:00 +0000

I have finally decided on the curriculum for this school year. My boys will be using Switched on Schoolhouse for Language Arts and Bible studies and Life-Pac for history. Together we will be doing the experiments and building the "Power House" by Thames and Kosmos. It teaches all about alternative energy. I think it qualifies as a worthy Science study for these guys- one of which has gone solar power batty on us.

Here are pictures of the progress on our house. The back porch is the one with the door open. The business entrance is the one with the awning. Seeing the doors and windows in gives a good perspective on its size. You can't see it very well but the back porch has the cedar porch swing my dear husband bought me for Mother's day. It was the single most touching thing he has ever done for me. He works hard all the time but when he bought that porch swing-- he was really considering my heart. That Mother's day was the first of many to come without my Mom, and I have never really considered it an honor anyhow. Being a mom has been very difficult, but I guess no great thing comes easy. I learned a lot about how I considered myself as a mother when I turned in my submission to the Land of Odds All Dolled Up Beaded Art Doll Competition. The theme was earthen mother. It was a real growing process for me. I had no idea about what was to come. I will be able to release the photos of the doll I created after the semi-finalists are chosen and posted to the Land of Odds website.

Please forgive me for not blogging more. I always wanted to, but alas, there are only so many hours in a day (and night I am learning) and it costs more to keep the lights on all night too. I am hoping with the curriculum changes and the big projects out of the way, I will have time to blog more. Have a blessed

Where Have I been???

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 03:46:00 +0000

If only I knew! I have been diligently working on my Land of Odds All Dolled Up Beaded Art Doll Competition submission. I just finished the beading and have 5 stories that need to be narrowed down into one. I know you want to see the pictures of her finished but I cannot publish them until after the 6 semi- finalists are selected. You will enjoy what you see, then. I am only mildly biased and definitely captivated by her beauty.
This summer has been a busy one. My oldest child turned 14 and the youngest 9. For the oldest, we took a trip to one of the water parks close by. It was the first time he had ever been and my cousin, his girlfriend and 4 of their 5 kids went too. The youngest is two and he stayed at the baby sitter's. We gad lots of fun being silly and running (uhemm-- walking) around. I was not near as sore as I thought I would be and wasn't as burned as the others either. I had only two small spots that were burned. If the lazy river isn't for you-- try spinning in your tube the entire time you go around LOL-- we did!
Now that I am free from beading on just one project I hope to have pictures of others coming soon. Maybe I can get pictures of the children's ministry volunteers wearing the super hero capes I made on Saturday. They are too fun.
I am so blessed to be able to do so many things that enrich and add joy to my family!
Have a very blessed time -- hopefully it won't take 3 more months for me to add another entry.

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Sun, 17 May 2009 01:45:00 +0000

I love frogs and my little boy looks like a blue frog sittin' like that playin' in the dirt. What a cutie- even from the back LOL.

The flowers are blooming again. The lilies grew really tall this year. We have been blessed with some healing rains. The drought had really taken its toll on the land and we have had timely rains all spring long. The weather tends to skip from winter to summer here with out taking time to nurture the new plants in spring. This year has been wonderfully wet!

Here is Pepper, a sweet little babushka doll that I made from a shared pattern from the Beaded Art Doll group I belong to. Her heart is felted wool on cotton fabric and a stamped then stitched face on felt. She is a very simple little doll and I have just enjoyed looking at her. Then there is this little orangutang that is not even close to being finished. He has a great face and then there is Pink Puppy. Every one has a fit over him. They are using the idea of Dot Lewallen. She uses or recycles unwanted stuffed animals to bead, she calls it "trash to treasure". Whatever it is a great way to bead for fun and not have to make your own form.

I have been blessed with lots to do and enough time to do it in. Have a blessed day!

Fishing for Souls

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:39:00 +0000

Taking an evangelism class at church challenged me to go out and share my faith with others. It is important to warn others what will happen to them if they are judged before making Jesus their Lord. The class equips you with a way to approach people and away to identify with their need for a saviour in an easy unoffensive way. Using a format that can be found at http://www.wayofthemaster.com/.

The picture to the right is a few of our members and a couple of members from another church. They are sharing tracts with each other and encouraging one another after an evening passing out tracts and ministering to people. The lady in the grey hoodie (I believe) is Trish. If I am wrong I am sorry but her link can now be found on the side bar of this blog or click here. I was greatly encouraged to share my faith and also to deepen my walk with God. He has been faithful to show me areas I need to grow in.

This was a huge blessing to learn a way to do what God has called us all to do. Not only that but it has been great to have someone there teaching you and guiding you while you practice-- Thanks Steven, Alicia, Jim and Bill, Chris and Trish (there were others tooo)-- I couldn't gotten to tag along with a better bunch!

Digging in!

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:30:00 +0000

The Lord truly works in some wondrous ways. He wants me to create some "prayer" books for the April craft show but every time I start on it I get lost in the word. Not lost as in -once lost but now found- but totally enthralled. Everything I am reading adds to what I have heard on Andrew Womack's audio teachings, and is further expounded upon by both my Pastor and my Teacher for the Gifts of the Spirit class. It is just like God to make things so clear and understandable, not to mention totally applicable. One thing that stuck out to me was the man who said, " I believe, help me overcome my unbelief." I am so there and am praying this prayer as well.

I don't have pictures of crafts for you but I do have something that is near and dear to my heart to show you. I have pictures of my family spending time together and working on our house. The first photo is a picture of the sign the Lord left on the house when the concrete was poured. I have posted it before but I just wanted to remind myself that it is a treasure and it is STILL there. The roof is almost to the halfway point. The boys had to move the rolls of insulation under the roofed end because we are going to get some much needed rain. Thank you God because the fish were dying in the tank.

I am so blessed by these guys, and what a fabulous place we will have when it is all done. Thank you Lord for your supernatural blessings-- great and small!

Spiritual food!

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 03:51:00 +0000

I realize it has been a month since my last post. I am very sorry I haven't updated you. The Lord has swept me away with two classes I am taking for Life University at the River. They always offers so many enlightening classes that I had to take one on Sunday morning and one on Wednesday night. I had been taking only Wednesday night classes but I just had to double up!
My first class was Prayer 101, it lasted for 12 weeks and we were assigned to draft a prayer from each one of the 13 Books the Apostle Paul wrote. The next class I took was a class that taught about Deliverance and we were required to write a prayer plan that would result in delivering someone from some oppression they were experiencing. The third class I took was Manifesting the Life of Christ. We learned how to identify who Christ is to us in a practical way and show His life through us to others and it was a definite lesson on how we perceive God and how we should imitate Him.
The two classes I am taking now are only magnified by the classes I had taken previously. I am talking about divine order. The class I take on Sunday morning is an Evangelism class. It teaches you how to use gospel tracts to approach people in an unoffensive manner and discuss whether they are good enough to go to heaven. It uses the Ten Commandments to reach a person's conscience and turns them to Christ who ultimately paid their fines. The class I am taking on Wednesday nights is Manifesting the Gifts of the Spirit. This is by far the coolest class I have taken. We are actively learning how to operate in the Word of Knowledge, Word of Wisdom and Discernment. We have activations in class that help us, in a hands on learning environment, experience the gifts. These classes are an amazing wealth of information and spiritual food.
I am learning so much that my prayer has been to ask the Lord to show me how to implement it all on a daily basis. I can even catch myself thinking about the applications of it during the day. Such as, you get a thought that sticks with you and you don't know what it means or why you are having it. I have begun to ask the Lord to give me a word of knowledge concerning this thing. It is simply asking Him what in the world it means.
I had learned that this dream I keep having is from the Lord. I started this one dream a long time ago and it is like I keep having installments or new chapters of the same story. Each time I am seeing something new but it is the same setting. I am going to have to go back and journal it so that each detail can be revealed to me by the word of knowledge (or is it discernment-- I am still learning).

Busy is not always a 4 letter word

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:20:00 +0000

Here is a perfect example of what I mean. I had this jacket that I bought at a pricey retail store and paid only 25% of the retail amount. It was much too expensive to purchase without such a deep discount. I was excited to have it and looked forward to wearing it too.

I had put it in the closet waiting for the appropriate season to come around again (I bought it at the end of the season). When it did 8 month later, I had discovered that a mouse had stalked my closet and used part of the cuff for its nest. I had never gotten to wear this jacket yet and I was soooo sad, but I held on to it. After discovering this post in "Plays with Needles" blog, I found a way to fix it and have it NOT look like a patch job. If you check out the post you can see why it is so inspiring.

My family has been overcoming an attack. We have all had the sore throat and stuff noses and chests. God's grace pulled me through preparing a lesson for our 4 and 5 year old class and we had a great big class. They loved the visual aid we were using to learn that The name of Jesus is the Key. And I could feel the healing that comes from creating and meditating on the word as I do. When ever I create, I have a one on one conversation with the Spirit. I share all my thoughts and even go over some of the word that I have had stick to my heart. I also hear his gentle replies to remind me to rest and not worry. So even though my body felt bad, I had a peace that passes all understanding while I worked on making tags and polymer clay keys for the demonstration.

Since then I have been on busy path meditating and restoring not only the full measure of my health but turning out beautiful results.

I was able to create this journal from some left over fabrics that were resurrected from the pile while I was hunting for the perfect patch for the jacket. I plan on creating a couple more journals with various papers that have cute borders and use more scrap fabrics for the covers.

Have a blessed day, and keep on creating, the Spirit is the perfect muse.

Playing around

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:24:00 +0000

I love to go to the local bead shop on Tuesday evenings to play with the ladies there. This week was especially uplifting. I created this little doll that I affectionately call my "Bag Lady." She was modeled after a tea bag, which is another story. ( I am not drinking coffee regularly- I am substituting it for a hot tea instead-- I just really want to drink something hot, not have caffeine.)Anyhow, being a teenager in New Orleans I grew to love those little old women who were often referred to (in a derogatory manner) as bag ladies. They were just people to and they needed someone to say a kind word to them. I was always more than happy to say something nice or even just smile their way. I ran free a lot as a teenager as public transportation could take you anywhere. This helps you understand the fun I had making this doll. The shop owner's daughter, and dear friend, commented to another lady how she had been watching me smile while I was dancing with this little dolls arms. Every one had to dance with her-- she is the life of the party! BUT she needs a better name!

Also while I was there, I decided I wanted to make an angel in much the same way-- different body but same mold and fiber idea. She is not finished but I also included a sepia photo of her peaceful face. She is more striking in person but I think you get an idea.

I have been so blessed by spending time with these ladies at "Bead Heaven."

On a Roll

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:12:00 +0000

Before I show you any pictures I have to tell you : You got out of the boat on rough waters, but if you take your eyes off Jesus you are gonna sink. I have to admit that I did, but when I looked back up He was still standing there waiting to tell me more.

Here is what He said about me. I find you are always trying to leap "FROG" (see what my previous post about what FROG is) I am going to stop that and just FROG-- after all it is not a children's game we play with our lives. This (Nov) BJP has things that were given to me - frog charms from friends and the cab I was given to me by Sherry Serafini when I took her classes the week before my birthday (in Nov).Having my birthday in November made it perfect to use those gifts. The background fabric was given to me by a fellow BAD member.

The other one Is for January-- I will go back and do Dec later, I already know what it will be just gotta find my pattern. I love this January piece! It is about the Righteous (in Christ) being bold as a lion. I am usually pretty bold until it comes to sharing Jesus with people. Our church is having classes about how to evangelize on the streets. Not being corny about it but really revealing "Jesus to the world"

The last picture is all of the tags hanging from a rod on the front of my cornice box. I will eventually buy a decorative rod and thread the key rings onto it and hang it on a wall like a picture frame-- one that I can keep adding to. The three on the end were the inspiration that called back to me to do the tags again. They are Jan, Feb, and March of 2008. March is the purple one with the picture of my sister on it.

Thanks for all the encouragement from all my fellow BJP'ers. It is wonderful for anyone to be uplifted and inspired by my work. It is truly a blessing to me.

Have a very blessed day and remember to (Psalm 25:15) keep your eyes ever on the LORD.

BJP Pages

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:37:00 +0000

Well I finally have two pages done. I was stumped after beading the purple work for September's page and decided to go back to an old idea I started in 08. I have a love for tags so I went back to my tag template that I began making BJP pages for (unofficially) because I loved the idea. I had made January, February and March before I stopped. March was a biggie for me because the was the month my sister passed away in 07. I also had a craft fair and two funerals in February that kept me from being mentally prepared to finish that project.

After a huge creative block with my first official BJP page I figured it was time to saddle that horse back up and get back on and ride it. I have to say it is a huge blessing. Each one of my new pages have a word on them that God has identified me as. My job is to humble myself and agree with what He says I am. September is "Strength" and October is "Joy" and I haven't zipped up December yet but it is my favorite phrase "FROG- Fully Rely(ing) On God".

Remember that being humble is not passing off a complement saying it was nothing, when it really was. It is agreeing with God that you are great-- you can do great things and do them well. He created you for this, ( I so need to hear this often) to do what you do well for Him and His purpose. Love to you all!

Have a blessed day!

We got it!

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:23:00 +0000

We finally have a high-speed internet provider. There were a few glitches in getting it going but I think we are on an even run now. Who would have thought how important it would be for our internet to work properly? I so glad to be up and running. Now lets see if I can keep up with the net LOL. I will sure try to post reguluarly like I have done in the past, but I am not promising.
I will send pictures and stories later- after I go and get some groceries, study for a test and go to class to take that test. Most likely I will post again tomorrow.
Have a blessed day-- remember God has plans to prosper you and not to harm you.

Techno pro I am not!

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:20:00 +0000

I have been unable to be present on the world wide web lately. We have some how exceeded our FAP guidelines(again) and are currently searching for a new high speed wireless provider that doesn't care how far off in the boonies you live and doesn't limit your band width (or will at least allow you to pay a reasonable rate for what you do use). I have been having difficulty downloading my emails and uploading replies and pictures.

My Dear Hubby is currently investigating (by trial and error) a new system that is allowing me to post. We have discovered that it is not our solution already, however it is allowing me access. If you think dial-up is slow-- try seeing what happens when you exceed your bandwidth. You wait forever for something to load and finally get an error message saying that for some reason it won't!

Here is a photo I have wanted to post for several days now. I gifted this to a very inspiring woman, a true prayer warrior. I think this photo would fit right in with all the Chico's catalogs. It would do well to grace the cover even, but then again I am very biased. It was taken on the small rock garden that we have at the end of my flower bed. Maybe I will be a great photographer yet. The other photo I took was against the blue sky and you could see the necklace better but it was not as artsy as this one.

Great things have been going on with only one minor dent in things-- yeah it really is a dent. My 8 year old turned into a little boy when I wasn't looking. My husband allowed the boys to shoot a blow-gun at a styrofoam target a few times and my little one decided it was a great idea to try to shoot the leaves off of a tree on the other side of mom's car. Do you see where this is going??? Well he is only 8 and is not a skilled marksman yet so, what does he hit? Yup, you guessed it, my car. Did you know that a blow-gun dart will shatter a car window? Let me tell you, it can and it did. The back driver's side window is completely shattered and to add insult to injury my hubby lost his cool and kicked in the glass causing a dent in the door at the bottom of the window jam. Not one of our finer moments but all is well and the car can be fixed, right? I just thank God that we know a man that owns a well renowned paint and body shop that can fix it. I think we all learned a lesson--and I don't think I need to spell them all out either LOL!

I trust that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving-- I had a chance to see my brother for a little bit, and he got to know how attached my little one can get. I think it made him feel good to know that his nephew loved him even though we don't get to spend much time together.

Have a blessed day and I hope to be blogging more.

The first Pink Ribbon Turtle was drawn for today and I am still waiting to announce who the winner was!

Light the Fire!

noreply@blogger.com (Ralonda) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:01:00 +0000

The flame has been fanned into a bright bonfire that sheds light on those things around it. It helps a lot when you can see more clearly what you are setting out to do. The more I bead lately the more He reveals His plans for me.

Let me explain. I beaded a hat to sell on my etsy shop, but instead of taking photos of it sitting on my desk, I asked a special teen to come and model it for me. ( No photos yet, she is a very busy senior in HS) It made me realize that I will get more than a great photo, she will be getting some much needed positive attention (all seniors in HS need extra attention). Scripture says we are to be priests and kings--(not to think of ones self more highly than another, but to present the image of Christ). Why not feel uplifted, encouraged and even valued? Why not be beautiful while we are at it? If one of my beaded pieces does that, then it was worth it, no matter how long it took to make.

I have also begun a secret project- I am not exactly sure what specific plans God has for it, but I know it involves the Rise Youth. Only a couple of people have seen the beginning of this bead project, but it promises to be another growing experience for me in my artistic endeavors.

I do have photos of the Wavy Cuff Class that Sherry taught a few weeks ago. It took a while to do this one as asymmetrical work is more difficult for me to work freely in. The photo is taken before it was sewn to the metal blank so that the beadwork can be seen flattened out. I am extremely happy with the way my "F.R.O.G. Pond" turned out. (FROG stands for "fully rely on God")

In my world (backyard) I stand at the edge of the pond in the warmth of summer and look at the wonders of His creation. If you really think about it, it will blow you away!

I am blessed to have alot of His creation staring me in the face (living in the country). I am also blessed to have a Church family that cares about my family and I they are always praying for us and encouraging us.

Have a blessed day Y'all!