When my heart is overwhelmed...

Praise the Lord!

It's so wonderful to know that when our hearts are overwhelmed - whether by the cares of this life, or because we mourn a loved one's transition from this life - we can go to God in prayer! The Scripture Psalm 61:2 has given me solace so many times, so I found it very fitting to put it on a sympathy and prayer card for someone who recently experienced her mother leaving this earth.  Although her mother is gone from this earth, the Scripture says that when we are saved and filled with the Holy Ghost, that we don't mourn as others mourn because we have hope in the resurrection! There's a blessing in living pure and holy before the Lord because without holiness, no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14)!

I used Perfect Pearls with a Perfect Medium Pen to write the Scripture and a gold leafing pen to ink the edges. The flower is on a piece of wallpaper, then I added vellum on top of the card to soften the look.

Here's the same Scripture done with a Zebra nib and Au Musee inks (burnt orange and fuschia pink). I would have loved to have written Copperplate on the card with the perfect pearls but the Perfect Medium brush pen didn't allow the hairline strokes to achieve the thick and thin lines needed. Maybe I'm just too picky, but I really wanted to do this card with the Perfect Pearls, so for me, all other options were out! Oh well.  I like the overall look of the card.

May you find comfort in the Rock of ages: JESUS! as you go through this life. It may be filled with many hurts and disappointments, but our stabilizer is prayer to a living high priest who is touched with the feelings of our infirmities and gives peace that surpasses all understanding.

Until the next time...God bless and keep you is my prayer.

Love and prayers,

Angenise

Babies are God's miracles

Praise the Lord!

I trust this post finds you well and in a mind to be thankful for all God's blessings!

As I type, I'm holding my little miracle - Isabella - and I keep having to backspace or hit delete because she's so busy! It's hard to believe that a year has gone by, but they say 'time flies when you're having fun', right?

Well, here a few pictures of her mini photo book I put together for my mother-in-law.

I had found some pretty scrapbook paper packs in the clearance section of Hobby Lobby.  I especially like the pink and white zebra stripe - very girly! I used a dual tip calligraphy marker -in pink of course! Sorry, the last picture doesn't feature the "F" at the beginning of the Scripture penned by the wonderful Psalmist - David - who praised God for everything! 

Now, here is a project I was blessed to do for a dear sister in the Lord who finally had her first baby after many miscarriages - don't tell me our God isn't still a miracle worker, because I've witnessed Him answer too many prayers and seen too many miracles not to believe otherwise!

I started out with white wood letters and a white canvas from Michael's Craft Store, then used Americana acrylic paint for both.  I really like the little swirly pattern on the canvas.  I was trying to do a rose effect but I don't know if that's what it looks like, but I think it's pretty all the same.  Brea's mom wanted a Minnie Mouse theme, so I got stickers from Michael's and put them on after writing the Scripture (Psalm 139:14) I am fearfully and wonderfully made) with a white paint pen. I used E6000 to adhere the letters to the canvas, then sprayed a glossy sealant over the whole canvas when all the embellishments were done! It was a really fun project to do.

Until the next time, may you and your family be blessed with the goodness of the Lord!

Love and prayers,

Angenise

His banner over me was love. Song of Solomon 2:4

He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Song of Solomon 2:4

Wedding bells are in the air! 

A dear friend asked me to address her inner envelopes for her wedding, and of course I was honored to do them! 

The envelopes are a beautiful gold sparkle from LCI.  

The bride-to-be did an excellent job doing her own wedding invitation in Publisher and having them printed on beautiful textured card stock...Thank you for giving me permission to feature them on this post, Debbie!

Invitation by D.L. Brown, photographs by A. Rawls

Congratulations to Debbie and Ricardo and may God bless your new life together!!!

May God bless you and keep you is my prayer.

Angenise

Two are better than one...Ecclesiastes 4:9

O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. Song of Solomon 2:14

How beautiful and romantic are the words of love, and when inspired by the author of love - our God - how pure they are to hear!  In a world where there is so much distortion of what true love is, it is always so refreshing to me to go the Word of God and find truth, and see how God intended for holy matrimony to be, the way He created man and woman and the first marriage...aaahhh, so wonderful!

Well, here is my latest project, a 10 year anniversary wedding suite for my cousin...I only wish I had had more time from the beginning, yet I learned so much in such a short time!  

Her colors are black and white with burnt orange as an accent.  

I hand-wrote the original draft, only to learn that the type of ink I had bleeds!  So, I rushed to Michael's to get Strathmore Drawing Paper after researching online what other calligrapher's use.  Well, the paper wasn't bright white so when I scanned it to place the written text in MS Word, the background came out off white...Not good when you're printing on bright white paper!

Then I ordered calligraphy paper from John Neal Booksellers, but, guess what?  In my amateur-ness (is that a word?), I didn't order black ink!  I was running out of time and money! So, I ended up typing everything, which was quicker but I still had to put everything together by hand, scoring and cutting the paper to size, the whole shebang!

Well, I had more praying to do because in my learning (only my second time putting together a wedding invitation suite together by hand without any pre-cut card stock!), I realized that although I sent pictures to the bride, I should have also sent the MS Word file.  So I learned that when I have a client who is not local to rely heavily on email, but there's no such thing as too much communication! I made a big goof...I didn't include the year, so I quickly re-worked the invitation with the remaining supplies I had...

I was glad my cousin was happy with the redesign!  She opted to hand-write the addresses on black envelopes herself...

The Wedding Program

Wedding Favor Bookmark

The thank you cards were a little bit of a challenge as well....I purchased Dr. Martin's bleed proof white ink along with a Nikko and Zebra nib, but I couldn't control the white ink flow onto the paper.  I even diluted the ink but it just didn't work, and not having enough time (I would need at least six months in advance or longer to complete a wedding invitation suite by hand) just hindered the whole process.  So, I ended up using a Painter's calligraphy marker...

Simple yet elegant...

I like the soft focus added in Photoshop!

And I learned that when doing a handmade project, it's a nice gesture to give the client a little something extra! So I added a little something to a journal purchased from Hobby Lobby...

I added the black and orange organza ribbon

I added the Scripture with a white gel pen...Ecclesiastes 4:9

Two are better than one; because they have good reward for their labour.  Ecclesiastes 4:9

One thing I know about a wedding and marriage is that it takes a lot of work and learning from mistakes to be successful! So, I'd say that with all the trial and error, it was worth the effort I had to put into doing this for my cousin!  And I'm so grateful and honored that she asked me to do such a special work for her! Many blessings Staci and Dana!

God Bless!

Angenise

Isaiah 61

This is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it!

It is always such an honor to be an encouragement to someone else who is going through the storms of life.  I am blessed to know the power of prayer and to have so many who have encouraged me along my life journey.  So it only seems fitting that God would lay it on my heart to do a piece for a special lady (Ms. Linda) as a gift of hope through difficult times!

This piece was done on Recollections card stock with black Sheaffer ink and Prismacolor pencils.

May you be blessed by this Scripture and by the power of Jesus that always brings healing to any situation and any complication!

Angenise

Baby Isabella

Baby Isabella...Finally here!

I'm lots late in posting this because giving birth to baby number 8 at almost 40 is a doozy (is that how it's spelled?)!  It took three months just to really feel my strength come back after a difficult pregnancy...but here is our miracle blessing from the Lord!

I made this photo card using HP Photo Creations and my Nikon pix...After printing it I adhered it to card stock on top of a pink sheet of shimmery paper, wrote Isabella N. Rawls with a white gel pen, then attached a ribbon with the cutest pink footprints!

My husband named our daughter Isabella which means "consecrated to God".  I found her middle name on a website for biblical names...Neriah from Jeremiah 32 (one of my favorite chapters in the Bible because of Jeremiah's revelation that nothing is too hard for God!). I changed the spelling to Neriyah and the name means "light of God" or "lamp of God".

Oh how we love our new little blessing!

 At the hospital.

 Now on her way home.

 Enjoying a nap.

 Big brother kissing Isabella!

 Pretty in pink and zebra stripes!

Can't wait to share photos of scrapbook pages!

Prayers and blessings,

Angenise