Tuesday, February 25, 2014

A Gift for You



Hello friends,
Here is your gift this week.  You can use it as you like--for your own personal use--use as a screensaver, print off and frame, print small and send as a card--


but no redistribution please.

Just so you might enjoy this a little more--I spent hours today trying to write the word "flowers."  If I wrote it once, I wrote it a hundred times.  Just wasn't on my game but finally finished it at about 12:30 tonight--

I bought these little miniature roses about a week before Valentine's Day.  They are so shriveled and dried up but I thought they still made a lovely photo.

When I looked at them yesterday, I felt so sorry for them and me (LOL) cause I am kinda feeling like they are looking.

So, anyway, hope you enjoy, even if it's just taking a peek at them here on my blog.

And the scripture says "The flower fades"--but since I had more than one, I took liberties--I don't think I changed the meaning of the verse any--

HIS WORD WILL STAND FOREVER NO MATTER WHAT!






© ALL ART, PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT PROPERTY OF ELIZABETH DIANNE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2008-2014












and Amaze Me Monday


Sunday, February 23, 2014

Still I Am One


I
am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything,

but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything,

I will not refuse to do something that I can do. --Helen Keller

For Texture Tuesday, I used Kim Klassen's texture, musiclovin, at 10% opacity.  The theme this week is still. Photo edited in Lightroom and Photoshop, calligraphy done with a Wacom tablet.


© ALL ART, PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT PROPERTY OF ELIZABETH DIANNE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2008-2014









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Sunday, February 16, 2014

Welcome Monday!


Even though I love winter and dark, overcast days, when I can turn on lamps that cast warm shadows and light candles that radiate a cozy feel, there is nothing quite like the bright morning light to me. 

I want every blind open and every curtain thrown back as far as you can get it.

 Sometimes, I just can't get enough light. My dream home would have skylights in every room.

So that's how I came up with this little quote:


Nothing says welcome like the morning light.


Hoping your day is full of light and all things welcome.

My photograph contains 1 layer of Kim Klassen's texture, Vintage Peel, at 15%.
The calligraphy is mine done with a Wacom tablet.
The flowers came from our yard last summer.

© ALL ART, PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT PROPERTY OF ELIZABETH DIANNE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2008-2014




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Friday, February 14, 2014

Here are the Winners!

Oh, my goodness, I wish everyone could have won. I really do.

Everything was done by Random Generator even to randomizing the earrings themselves and which ones were #1, #2, or #3.  I wanted this to be totally fair and unbiased in every way.


The winner of the Victoria earrings is: SHARON


 THE WINNER Of the Jane earrings is: NOREEN

 The winner of the Dianne earrings is: ANITA

 Be sure and contact me by email with your mailing address and I will get that information to Sandy and you should be receiving your beautiful earrings in a few days.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY FROM SANDY AND ME!


© ALL ART, PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT PROPERTY OF ELIZABETH DIANNE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2008-2014




Thursday, February 13, 2014

Today's the Day--Jewelry Giveaway




If you don't know the procedure for participating in the Giveaway just hop over to this post, read all about it, then come back here and comment.

That's all you have to do to be eligible to win a pair of Sandy's beautiful earrings.

I will announce the winners at 4 this afternoon--that is central standard time.  She is giving away three pairs.

Every one who commented on that first post and this one will be eligible.

Just send me an email (my email address is in the sidebar CONTACT information) with your name and mailing address and I will get that information to Sandy.

Sandy has them all wrapped and ready to mail so we are anxious to get this show on the road.

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day--see you this afternoon at 4--my time.

© ALL ART, PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT PROPERTY OF ELIZABETH DIANNE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2008-2014



Wednesday, February 12, 2014

A Gift for You-Free Printable


Here is a little gift for you. I am going to leave it up for three or four days and then delete it and put it in my Etsy shop so if you would like to print it out free, now is the time.

 Hope you enjoy. I think you will be able to print it in different sizes up to 8 x 10--at least it let me do that on my computer.

 Here's the download link.

I am planning on doing another one in french so keep an eye out if that is something you would be interested in.

 Happy Valentine's Day!

UPDATE:  I decided to leave it up for two weeks since I am offering it on another blogsite.




© ALL ART, PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT PROPERTY OF ELIZABETH DIANNE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2008-2014






Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Wrong Way?

When my first granddaughter was about ten years old, I was bringing her and her little brother to Tulsa from Little Rock (this was when I lived in Tulsa) to stay a few days with me.

 At that point in time, I had been driving this particular stretch of road back and forth several times a year for about twenty-six years.

After taking a rest stop break, I pulled back on the interstate, and my little "know it all" granddaughter said very matter of factly, "Mimi, you're going the wrong way."

At that particular moment, I had what I thought was a good idea to really teach her a lesson about telling her grandmother what to do.

 I groaned in a very pained voice, "Oh no, I got on going the wrong way and it will be at least ten miles down the road before there will be an exit and I can turn around. We are going to be forever getting to Tulsa." (It is about a 4.5 to 5 hour drive with a couple of stops)

I told them over and over to be sure and watch for signs for the next exit. Sure enough, several miles down the road, the signs started appearing but just about the time that we got to the exit, I turned to my left, looked out the window and screamed in delight at a cloud that "looked just like an elephant." They immediately crained their necks and looked to the left.

I started telling them about a book I used to read to my first graders entitled, "Spilt Milk." It is about clouds and their shapes. Then I proceeded to loudly lament that I had just missed our exit.

Of course, they cried, "Oh, Mimi, I can't believe you did that. Now we have to drive another ten miles down the road, etc. We are never going to get to Tulsa. You need to watch what you're doing....blah, blah, blah."

Several miles down the road I saw an exit coming up and there just happened to be a really long tractor-trailer rig up ahead. I made sure I got up beside him and acted like there was no way I could go fast enough to get around him.

I was putting on a big act screaming all the while, "Oh, no, why did he have to speed up and now there is no way I can get around him to exit. It's going to be dark before we get to Tulsa."

 Well, needless to say, they started screaming and carrying on--it was crazy!

But by this time, I was in stitches laughing so hard I could hardly stand it. They thought I was laughing to keep from crying. I finally decided to give it up at that point in time and tell them that I had played a big joke on them for being such "little know-it-alls."

At first they tried to act mad but then they ended up laughing and crying in relief. They had been so worried that they were never going to get to their destination.

Now, just a little point here. I have a friend who admits to telling God how she wants Him to work out situations in her life.

There are times to pray for specifics when the Bible has made clear to us what God's will is in certain situations.

However, we all have things arise that we do not know what the best or wisest answer is. That is when we should, in my opinion and what I believe the Bible teaches, depend upon God for His answer, trusting in His wisdom.

Have you ever known any "little know-it-alls?" Or have you ever been a "little know-it-all?" I'm sure all of us have been at times and after experiencing this with my grandchildren, it made me wonder how amused God must be when we act like they did.

Just can't help but wonder where she got that little touch of 'know-it-all!'


Proverbs 3:5-6


©All art, photographs and text property of Elizabeth Dianne unless otherwise noted, 2008-2014, all rights reserved.







Monday, February 10, 2014

So Strong So Gentle-So Much Love


When I think 'strong and gentle,' the Word of God (John 1:1) is what comes to my mind.

 I know nothing else in the world that can compare to its strength or its gentleness.

Talk about a big bang!  The breath of His lips spoke words and the planets exploded into being.  Genesis 1:1

The breath of His lips spoke words and a girl was raised from the valley of death. Luke 8:53-55
It's strong enough that it revives the soul. Psalm 19:7-9
It's strong and gentle enough that it loves purely. 1 Corinthians 13
Strength to scale a wall?  Yes! Psalm 18:29 
And my favorite on the gentle side--Zep. 3:17 

What greater love than that?

Update:  Getting old is NOT for sissies.  The name of Kim's post last week was Strong & Gentle and right under it said something about theme announcement for next week.

I thought I read the whole post but evidently missed the part that the theme was LOVE--I thought it was STRONG AND GENTLE--well, I'm kinda glad I got it wrong because I like the thoughts that came to me about strong and gentle.

I get so many things wrong any more--now that's humbling--lol!


I used Kim Klassen's derek at 49% for extra texture.

© ALL ART, PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT PROPERTY OF ELIZABETH DIANNE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2008-2014





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Sunday, February 9, 2014

My Greatest Blessing--Something That Didn't Happen and a Last Minute Amendment

Somestimes our greatest blessings are things that didn't happen.  That's what happened to me this week.

Several years ago when I hung this mirror, I felt uneasy about it--concerned that I didn't use a strong enough hanger although I used a really big one.  Over the past three or four years, periodically I would say a prayer, asking God to protect everyone who sat beneath it, etc.

And this past December when we were decorating for Christmas, I had my husband take it off the wall and make sure the hanger was strong enough.  He felt that it was more than adequate.

Now, this is kinda hard to picture since I may be the only person in the world who does this but one day I was sitting on the sofa at one end facing the other end with my feet extended out in front of me on the sofa cushions.

I was leaning against a big fluffy pillow and had my laptop on top of the pillow on the back of the sofa using it as a desk.

Suddenly, the mirror fell.  I have loose pillow backs--the back of the sofa is maybe one inch wide--believe it or not that huge (3 by 4 ft), heavy mirror balanced on the back of the sofa.

It came within one or two inches of my computer.  If it had fallen forward it would have hit my head and I can only imagine the damage it might have done.

The anchor in the wall was fine but one of the screws holding the wire on the back of the mirror came loose.  I never thought about checking those.

I am so thankful for guardian, protecting angels and the answer to that prayer I had prayed.

I don't want to be paranoid but neither do I want to disregard the urge to pray about something that comes to my heart.

Praying you see the hand of God in every day of your week.

LAST MINUTE AMENDMENT:  I just received an email that my link for the free printable was featured over at Create With Joy--what a blessing!  I am very humbled by that.  Thank you so much.

So I guess I have a tie for the top blessing of the week.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

©All art, photographs and text property of Elizabeth Dianne unless otherwise noted, 2008-2014, all rights reserved.


Friday, February 7, 2014

A Beautiful Icy World





It has been icy here all week. Although we have had much lower temperatures since, when it was raining it was hovering around 32 or 33 degrees and we did not get much on the streets.  That was a real blessing.

I have been inside most of the week because the temperatures did plummet later.  I did get out to run an errand and this beautiful red berried tree caught my eye.  Just had to stop and take a few pictures of it.

No matter how you feel about ice and snow, there's one thing I think we can agree on--it is beautiful to look at.  And in Job 37:10 it says "the breath of God produces ice."

The 37th and 38th chapters of Job are really descriptive of Who God is and what He has done and can do.

So, amidst my finds, I am going to take some moments to reflect on His grandeur--to be still before Him and know that He is God.


©All art, photographs and text property of Elizabeth Dianne unless otherwise notes, 2008-2014, all rights reserved


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Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Here Is Your Valentine's Day Gift! Free Printable-

UPDATE:  THIS GIFT HAS NOW BEEN RETIRED--
IT IS FOR SALE ON FINE ART AMERICA AND ETSY LISTED ON MY SIDEBAR.
ALSO, I HAVE OTHER GIFTS LISTED ON MY SIDEBAR THAT HAVE NOT YET BEEN RETIRED.

Okay, remember this post about your gift?

Here goes. I am so excited and hope this works.

From me to you here is the passage about loving our Lord from Deuteronomy.

I did change it up a bit from what I showed you previously this week.  I deleted the shadow and the color overlay hoping to preserve the integrity of the calligraphy piece itself.  It looks more handmade this way, which it was...........and I like that rather than more "boughten" as my father-in-law used to say.

I hope it works for you and that you like it.

I feel like I have learned a lot in this process--now, we will see just how good I learned it. Oh, I hope it works.

Just a little note about printing--

For best results,

*choose the BEST printing choice that you have--

*use bright white paper, cardstock, or photo printing paper

*if you use plain ole typing paper, back it with another sheet when you frame it to give it a brighter appearance

From my heart to yours:  Although I am not the best calligrapher in the world, what you see here represents many years of lessons, practicing, hard work learning Photoshop, etc.

This download is to be printed at home and not taken to a printer for printing a larger size.

Also, if you decide to share a picture of it on your blog after you have printed it and framed it, a link back to my blog would be received with so much gratitude.

This is for your personal use only, not to be used for any commercial purposes.

ElizabethDianneArt retains all rights to any/all prints distributed on this website.

And one more thing:  Please do not alter my images.  Thank you so much.

I really hate to have to say all this you guys.  I know my friends and know that you do NOT need to be told this.

I will be listing these free printables on my sidebar so you can come back and find them when you need them or tell a friend about them.

Did I say I hope this works?

For you with love-----------

Click right here to get it--SORRY, THIS GIFT HAS BEEN RETIRED NOW--THERE ARE OTHER FREE GIFTS LISTED ON MY SIDEBAR.

After you get the picture of it there will be an arrow pointing downward, click on it to download to your computer--

Update:  I did try this on my husband's computer and it worked--HOWEVER, when I got to the print part, it was "grayed out" and I had to choose "PRINT THIS IMAGE" instead of PRINT--hope that helps if you have the same problem.

sharing with Spiritual Sundays





Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Waterlogued


My husband's cousin posted this picture on Facebook yesterday with the cute little comment, 
"There is grass under there waiting to be mowed."




I had been fiddlin' around with a new app I got for my IPad.  

It is called Waterlogue and I LOVE it.

Oh, there's lots of talk going around the internet about how people will try to use it and pass it off as a real watercolor.  





But, to me if I like it, I like it and don't care how it's done.

Granted, I wouldn't want to pay top dollar for a digital watercolor but as many of you know

some of my watercolor prints have a little digital work and I love what it adds to the overall look.

My digital work is my own and not that of an app.

However, to me this is just too lovely not to be enjoyed.

So what do you think and which one is your favorite?




Oh, also, just looking at these pictures gives me ideas of how I would begin a watercolor like this, what colors I would use--very inspiring.

And sometimes just beginning is the hard part.

We are "iced in" here.  It is beautiful but they are saying strong winds are coming in tomorrow which means the danger of tree limbs falling and power outages.

I just got word that a huge tree fell on two bedrooms of a friend's daughter's house.  They are okay, praise God.  Her name is Candace.  Please pray for her and her family as they deal with this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


©All art, photographs and text property of Elizabeth Dianne unless otherwise notes, 2008-2014, all rights reserved

Photo credit:  My husband's cousin, John Haskin, in Michigan. He is an artist/illustrator and creates some stunning images.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Dream Roses


Peonies, tulips and roses--they are my very favorite flowers I think--but these miniature pink roses just took my eye at the store this weekend.

 Forty something roses for $9.99. I couldn't pass them up. I added Kim Klassen's texture 0802 at 54% and I also added my own dream brush.

 Yes, see the word 'dream' in the picture, I added it just by choosing it in my brush palette in photoshop and stamping it on.

 It is one of the things I will be sharing with you in the next few weeks.

 I designed the word and saved it as a 'brush' a few weeks ago. Now I can just use it whenever I wish--it takes about 2 seconds to stamp a picture with it.

So I have a question--how would you spend your 'dream' Valentine's Day?

©All art, photographs and text property of Elizabeth Dianne unless otherwise notes, 2008-2014




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Sunday, February 2, 2014

A Gift of Love For You and My Best Blessing This Week--



This blessing may seem sort of frivolous to some BUT it is the culmination of many, many years of working hard at something I wanted to accomplish and finally having it come together.

One day later this week, I will have this all ready for you (you will be able to retrieve it at www.box.com, download it to your computer, and print it) as a Valentine's Day gift.

One of the great desires of mine for the last twenty or thirty years is to help make His Name known through my calligraphy--maybe that will become a reality.  So I would feel so honored and humbled if you choose to print this out and use it to glorify God.

It is all about the love due our great God--loving the Lord with all our hearts, souls, and strength.

I have some last minute corrections, touch ups, etc. before it will be ready.

It is a combination of my calligraphy and a little bit of typography.

Why the gift?

At the start of this new year as I was praying for the direction my blog should go, it seemed that I just kept getting the message from God that I was to give--give tangibly of some of my talents.

I am hoping to have a regular "giveaway day" (probably on Thursdays) when I will give you a design of some kind, maybe a little watercolor, maybe a scripture--something to cheer your heart and let you know you are loved.

Just a little side note:  They will be much more attractive if printed on cardstock or special photo paper.

It has really been a proces learning how to bring my calligraphy in to Photoshop--cleaning it up, editing it, etc.  I still have a LOT to learn but am so excited about the prospect of learning more.  Adobe Illustrator is on my bucket list.  I want to master it--ha ha

I have to give a really loud shoutout to Erica over at The Flourish Forum.

Not only is she an incredible calligrapher but she is a great teacher and so, so generous.  If you have any interest in learning calligraphy, I think her website is a great place to start.  She gives free tutorials and lessons.

I hope you'll come back later on in the week to download your free printable.

Have a lovely week!

The verse is from Deut. 6:5-7

UPDATE:  The link to the printable is located in the sidebar now--it's all ready for you--Happy Valentine's Day and a big thank you to Inspire Me Monday for the feature.  I am humbled.






Oh, and I must also give a shoutout to my daughter-in-law, Traci, who is the Children's Minister at Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, who asked me to design something with this scripture (this is their main scripture for the children's ministry).  It will hang in a sitting room for the parents of these precious children.  It will be printed very large--probably 3 by 4 feet.



©All art, photographs and text property of Elizabeth Dianne unless otherwise notes, 2008-2014, all rights reserved.