I just want to say this one more time before next year: HAPPY EASTER!
Yes, I do realize it's May 23rd, a total of forty-nine days after Easter Sunday, but believe it or not, it is still the Easter season! As some of you may have noticed, at the end of every post since I've begun this blog, I've concluded with "Happy Easter!" That's because the Easter season in the church is fifty days long, lasting from Easter Sunday until Pentecost Sunday, which happens to be tomorrow.
Why do I continue to say "Happy Easter" after most people have forgotten it? Basically, I say it to keep the spirit of Easter alive as long as possible, a reminder of joy and new beginnings. It's a reminder of just how much God loves every person that He sent His only son to not only die for us, but to bring us new life.
The thought of writing "Happy Easter" all throughout the Easter season came to me a few years ago when a book I read challenged its readers to keep the spirit of Easter alive all fifty days of Easter. So, I decided to write "Happy Easter"at the end of things I wrote.
And now, even though Easter is drawing to a close, I challenge you all to keep the spurit of Easter alive next year. It can be through words or actions, whatever you choose!
Hi y'all! I've had a busy past few days and haven't had a chance to post anything, but I'm back! I wanted to show some of my artwork because I enjoy doing art; it's fun. Here's some of my favorites from the past two years.
So, this one is called Spring Awakening. It's a dual medium piece of work using watercolor for the background and permentant marker for the flower.
This painting has no name, but it's one of my favorite paintings I've ever done. This giraffe is made of water color which is really hard for me to use because the painting never goes where it is supposed to go for me, but by some mirace, this turned out! It took quite a few days to complete it and a lot of layering was involved, but I think it turned out well!
This painting has no name again, but it is made from acrylic paint using complementary colors. It's actually based off of a museum somewhere but the name and place has escaped my memory.
Again, this picture has no name. I usually don't name any of my artwork. This here is based of a theme given to me by my art teacher: dragons, castles and wizards. At the time, I had been in the midst of the TV show Merlin and I thought that it was a great theme. Anyways, the picture sort of got it's sides chopped off, so part of the dragon and castle are missing but it doesn't take much away from the piece. This was made using colored pencils.
This here is a pencil drawing of trees to focus on depth and sizing. I think it turned out pretty well, and it was fun to make so many different shaped trees!
This is a frog of some sort created using colored pencils. It was based of a picture of a real frog, so yes, those colors do exist on a frog.
Being as one of my favorite animals is a giraffe, I have lots of drawings of them! This one is simply done in colored pencil, but the shading is not done all that well.
That's all I have right now, but I hope you enjoyed them!
Well, time has really flown by and I've already had this blog for a month. I haven't posted as much as I would like to, but things have gotten pretty busy lately and will probably be that way throughout the next few weeks before school lets out for the summer. So, keep watching for more posts!
Anyways, May is already here, and that old saying of "April showers bring May flowers" often runs through my head. May is also the month of Mother's Day, which just so happens to be this Sunday. In celebration of all these things, I'd like to post a flower card craft that is easy to do.
Step 1: First, you will need to gather all of your materials. You will need three sheets of colored paper, glue, ribbon, scissors and a hole puncher.
(Missing from photo is the hole hole puncher.)
Step 2: Fold the color paper that you want the petals of your flower to be into thirds.
Step 3: Draw three seperate flowers onto one side of the paper you just folded into thirds. The flowers do not have to be the same and can be any size depending on your preferences. Then, cut them out while making sure to keep the same shaped and sized flowers together.
Step 4: Cut the flowers out while making sure to keep them together by both size and shape.
Step 5: Now, the edges of the flowers need to be softer and less flat. To accomplish this, take the eraser of a pencil and push down on all the edges and center of the flowers. It's best to do this on a softer surface such as a mouse pad to obtain the degree of softness wanted. (It's okay if the paper becomes crinkled in this step.)
Step 6: Now punch a hole in the center of all the flowers.
Step 7: Choose another sheet of paper to act as the center of your flowers. Cut this sheet into strips of paper about one inch thick and five inches long. You will need three of these. Then, fray the edge of the paper so that it sort of looks like a comb.
Step 8: Take one piece of frayed paper and roll it into a tight coil. It may help to wrap this around and thin object such as a toothpick. Then, insert the rolled piece into the holes of three of your flower petal pieces.
Step 9: Take the last sheet of colored paper and fold in half like a card. Glue the ribbon near the bottom of the paper and arrange three flowers neatly onto the card and glue.
From here, the rest of the card is up to you. You could make it into a thank-you card, a birthday card, a Mother's day card or more! They work well for any occasion and is the perfect way to brighten someone's day.
Hola! Ayer fue el cinco de mayo! (For you non-Spanish speakers out there, the translation is "Hello. Yesterday was the fifth of May.")
So, many of you have probably heard about cinco de mayo before, but do you truly know what the holiday celebrates?
So, here's a short true and false quiz to test your knowledge of cinco de mayo.
1. Cinco de mayo is equivalent to the United States' Fourth of July. T/F 2. Cinco de mayo is a widespread, major holiday that is celebrated all throughout Mexico. T/F 3. Cinco de mayo commemorates a the defeat of one battle against Spain in 1862. T/F
As I said, it was a short quiz. So, are you curious about your results? The truth is, every one of the answers to those questions are 'false'. That may be surprising to some of you, but don't feel bad. Until I took Spanish class at school, I didn't know much about cinco de mayo either.
There are two main common misconceptions about cinco de mayo that people have. One is that it celebrates Mexico's Independence day, and the other is that cinco de mayo is a major holiday in Mexico. Mexico's Independence day is actually September 16, 1810. Mexico gained independence from the Spanish on this day after rallying under the leadership of Father Miguel Hidalgo. Cinco de mayo actually originated 52 years after Mexico gained independence from Spain.
The story goes that the French army had come into Mexico to collect debt that Mexico owed to France. This day celebrates the Mexican victory in one battle in that war, the Battle of Puebla. Puebla is an area in southern Mexico. This was a day of great glory for Mexico and thus came the celebration of cinco de mayo. Cinco de mayo, though, is not commonly celebrated in areas outside of Puebla in Mexico. People here in the United States celebrate the day more than people in Mexico; here, the day is more of a celebration of Mexican heritage and culture than commemoration of the victory in Puebla.
There are many ways that people celebrate cinco de mayo. Yesterday, my Spanish class and I had a fiesta - or party - to honor the day. We brought in homemade salsas, homemade guacamole and homemade totopos, or chips, to eat and Jarritos - a Mexican soda made with natural sugar - to drink. While listening to music and watching a short clip about how people were going to celebrate cinco de mayo, we enjoyed our snacks. After eating, my teacher took out his guitar and called up a trumpet player and violin player to play a song that we had to sing to. In other words, we had our own little mariachi band as we sang "De Colores." Finally, to end he day, my teacher passed out washable stick-on tattoos of the Mexican flag for us to wear.
This here is my flag tattoo that I got and put on my arm. It's a bit hard to see, but it was the best I could do at the moment.
So, my cinco de mayo was fun, and I hope you learned a little something about this celebration!
A few years ago, I attended a youth ministry program at a church where I was handed a letter that began, "My Dear Child..." To be honest, I was very curious as to what the letter said and why I had it. As I began to read, I noticed that the letter was all written from verses from the Bible about love. The letter was actually very beautiful and well put together that I decided to slip it into my Bible so I wouldn't lose it.
A few weeks ago, I refound the letter that I had been given, and an idea occurred to me. Why not try putting together a letter of my own? So, over the past few weeks, I've been gathering a couple verses based on a central idea that has been sticking out to me lately and organized them into this short note. Now, please be aware, these are not my own words, but the words taken directly from the Bible. (Although some of the pronouns were changed to make the note make sense.)
So, take this note in whatever context your life gives you right now and read it with an open mind. Imagine that this letter appeared in your mailbox one day and was specifically addressed to you.
My Dear Child, Do not let your hearts be troubled. (John 14:7) Peace be with you; my peace I give you. (John 14:27). Do not be afraid. (Luke 2:10) For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. I am faithful and will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation provide a way of escape that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them because I, the Lord your God, go with you; I will never leave you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6) I command you: be firm and steadfast for I will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9) So do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengten you and help you. (Isaiah 41:10) I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) You can do all things in Me who strengthens you. (Phillipians 4:13) I have said these things to you that you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) You will never be alone because I am with you. (John 16:32) Stand firm in the faith. Be a person of courage. Be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13) I love you. (John 15:9) Your Faithful Father, God
You are beautiful. Let me say it again, YOU are beautiful. And since they say that the time is a charm, hear it once more: you ARE beautiful. I know, it feels crazy, right? Well, I'll let you in on a little secret: it's true.
The fact is that many girls today struggle with their looks. According to a survey by Bliss magazine, nearly 90% of the participants surveyed said that they were dissatisfied with their looks. Looking in the mirror at yourself, it's really easy to see your flaws. Maybe it seems your hair is a little too frizzy, or you feel to ate too much ate dinner the other day. Maybe all that you see are the tired droops under your eyes or think your nose is too pointed. Maybe you're plagued with acne or see a million and one of those other imperfections in yourself. You look at yourself with a critical eye, zoning in on what you perceive as those flaws in yourself - flaws that others don't often see in you. And sometimes, the only thought you can think is, "I'm so ugly. How could anyone ever love me?"
So why do you do it? Maybe you've heard some comments about how maybe you should get some more exercise. Maybe someone's mentioned that you should cover up your blemishes with makeup - it'll look "better". Or maybe you've just been receiving those subtle messages that society sends us through pictures, TV, ads, billboards, movies and songs. How many of you have have gone to a grocery store and seen those magazine covers displaying the "perfect" model? You know, the pictures of models with the perfect hair, perfect eyes, perfect shape, perfect size, perfect everything. It feels hard to match that, like you'll never be "perfect" and "beautiful", but here's the thing: many of those models don't exist. Below is a video produced by Dove showing how a model is transformed from their everyday image to that "perfect" model that you see on a magazine or billboard. The difference is staggering. Compared to photoshopped images, you actually exist and are more beautiful and special than a phototshopped image can ever be.
When you see yourself in the mirror, you are not seeing what others see in you. While concentrating on your hair, you might not notice that bright smile you give that makes others feel happy themselves. While focusing on blemishes, you may not notice how your eyes sparkle a certain way when you laugh. You're only seeing part of the picture. Still, these outward things I'm mentioning are nothing compared to where your true beauty lies.
The true beauty that we have is not external; it's internal. It comes from our thoughts, our actions, our words, our intention and our love of God. It comes from our personalities and desires to do something wonderful in the world. Our true beauty comes from who we are, not what we look like. And who are we? We are children of God. We were made intentionally and specifically by God. He created us "in His image and likeness" (Genesis 1:27) and we are not mistakes. We "are precious in His sight" (Isaiah 43:4), and He loves us more than we can ever imagine. Song of Songs 4:7 states, "You are altogether beautiful, my love, and there are no flaws in you." Being the daughters and sons of the one true King, we are all beautiful.
I once told a dear friend of mine that our beauty is like a stained glass window, and I want to expand on that metaphor for you all. Imagine a stained glass window. It's made of broken fragments of colored glass - little parts that make up the whole. When it's dark, it's hard to tell what the stained glass is supposed to look like. That stained glass window without light is the way you see yourself in the mirror externally. Now, let's imagine that the sun is shining brightly through the window, casting its colorful light beans everywhere. It looks absolutely stunning, doesn't it? All of a sudden those little fragments of glass make sense together; they make a beautiful picture. The sunlight is like your inner true beauty - the things that make you you. The sunlight also represents God. The beauty of the stained glass window with light, my friends, is what you are when you let your light from the inside shine. The light shines through and is visible both internally and externally. That's what makes you beautiful.
So, yes, YOU are beautiful. You've always been and always will be. True beauty does not fade with time. The next time you think a harsh thought about your looks, I challenge you to stop for a minute and think. Think about what true beauty really is. Think about one thing that makes you truly beautiful. And then smile. Yes, smile and say to yourself that you are more than what you see in the mirror, more than that outward appearance. You are a child of God who reflects the light and beauty of God to the world. And by doing that, you are truly beautiful.
To go along with this, some songs came to mind that I'd like to post along with this.
The first is called More Beautiful You by Jonny Diaz. It's a song about how the world makes it seem like we will never be pretty enough but that they are only "lies, disguises and hoops they make you jump through." It talks about you are "perfect just the way you are" and how "there can never be a more beautiful you." (And yes, this video takes scenes from the Chronicles of Narnia movies. I thought it turned out well for this song!)
The other song is called Made by Hawk Nelson. It's about how you're perfectly beautiful and made. It shows that God takes pride in you and how you "light up the Maker's eyes" and "put a smile on His face."
One of the things I enjoy doing and you'll probably be hearing a lot about is dancing - more specifically ballet and pointe. Basically, the difference between ballet and pointe is the type of shoe you wear. For ballet, dancers wear technique shoes which are soft canvas slippers that look like this.
For pointe, dancers wear hard shoes that are covered in pink satin. These shoes allow dancers to balance and dance on the tips of their toes. Here's part of my pointe shoe collection.
I know, there's a lot of them. The downside to pointe shoes is that they wear down quickly and become too soft to safely dance on your toes. I often have to replace my shoes every few months or so which is why there's so many. (So, if any of y'all of any suggestions of cool projects to do with pointe shoes, I'm all ears. Right now, they're just hanging useless in my closet.)
That's just a little background on ballet and pointe, but you'll be likely to hear more about them in the future. What I really want to talk about is this turn my ballet class is starting to work on in class. It's called a fouette (fweh-tay) turn. Fouette turns are really hard to explain in words, so I'll give you some videos to watch. This first one is a video my dance teacher recommended to us. First, watch it, then I'll talk.
Isn't that just AMAZING?! She's doing thirty two double fouette turns before the first round of applause, but because the audience continues clapping, she goes back onstage to repeat the sequence of turns! And she does it flawlessly without looking worn down! These turns are difficult to do! Here's another video of another ballerina doing fouettes.
I could watch these all day! Anyways, these are the turns that I'm trying to figure out in pointe and ballet right now. These ballerinas did 32, but at best, I can only do three without getting dizzy. And unlike Natalia (the first ballerina), my turns are only single. I've got a long, long ways to go, but this is my new ballet project for the time being. Thoughts?
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