A Dark Good Friday

Greetings!

Today I would like to explore the Good Friday that many Christians celebrate.

It centers around Jesus Christ being beaten almost to death by several groups of people who had made false charges against Him, and then taken to a hill above Jerusalem to be crucified with 2 other criminals.
On a Friday.

This happened around 200 years ago, yet still is alive and current to all of us.

Handel's 'Messiah'

As Paul Harvey would say:

".....now here's the rest of the story..."

Central in the history of Jesus dying while on a cross is that

G-d turned away from His only Son.

I think this was the greatest grief that Jesus could have born.

Earth reacted to this in many rather stunning ways.

There blew in a sudden and severe storm,

turning the sky so dark that it looked like it was night.

There were loud claps of thunder.
The ground shook like an earthquake.

It shook so severely that many tombs that had been sealed broke open.

But wait....there's more!

There are reports all over Jerusalem that loved ones that had died...

 and been buried...

are alive!

They are knocking on doors to see their loved ones again!

Wow.

AND, the seamless curtain that hung in the Temple,

that separated the people from the awesomeness of Y'weh -

split from top to bottom!

To demonstrate how important this curtain was,

the priests would draw "straws" to see which one

had to go behind the curtain every day to wait for Y'weh to speak,

 or to perform religious ceremonies.

They knew the power of their Y'weh,

so the chosen priest would have a rope tied around his waist,

just in case G-d struck him dead.

The rope was to pull him back to the 'people's' side.

Wow again.

c. 1550, Michelangelo sketch

What an incredible event,

and how sad for the followers of Christ that He died in such a horrible way.

....But now for the rest of the story....

c.1900

Jesus' body was taken down from the cross by some friends.

One of His friends lent space in a tomb, because Jesus was too poor to own one.

A pet peeve of mine:

People that leave Jesus on the cross.

check out the dates these were painted:

c.1308, Giotto's 'Lamentations"

c. 1505, Andrea Solario's 'Lamentation'

and a modern coloring page for children:

All of His disciples and followers and at least a few members of His earthly family were sad and grief stricken. They were scared. They were at a total loss.

Why would anyone call this Good Friday?

It sounds more like Dark Friday to me.

But...

Oh yeah, you have to wait for more,

just as Jesus' disciples had to wait too!

by Spencer Williams

see you tomorrow!

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

dominoes@myinkspired.com

Spring lambs, a great blog, a Mermaid project and etsy

A beautiful Sunday -
Enjoy!

Yea, sing, make holiday;

Bid young lambs leap,

And earth laugh after sleep.

- Katharine Tynan

Today we will be celebrating March going out like a lamb.

I found several great lambs for sale on http://www.etsy.com/.

This is the online HUGOMONGOUS store site that has thousands of shops inside.

Mine can be found at:  http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

Take a peek!

from www.MunchieandCo.etsy.com

from www.TotallyOldSchool.etsy.com

this is vintage art by Margo Alexander for sale at: www.LePinkChandelier.etsy.com

"Poor, dear, silly Spring, preparing her annual surprise!"
-   Wallace Stevens

Here is a fun How-to-draw from Dover:

Remember Lamb Chop and Shari Lewis?

I discovered this wonderful blog by Isobel:

http://a-room-of-one-s–own.blogspot.com

I enjoyed her blog so much that I have become a follower. I rarely do that, as I am always behind on my mailboxes and e-mails!

Here is the address to a wonderful blog that she has posted:

http://a-room-of-one-s-own.blogspot.com/2011/01/old-letter-for-new-year.html

I am highly recommending that you take 4 minutes and read it.

Let me know what you think!

"Every spring is the only spring - a perpetual astonishment." 
-   Ellis Peters

Mermaid Craft project:

Here is a super, simple template for a mermaid (for your private use and enjoyment).

The stars on either side of the torso are where you connect the arms of your choice.

Let's all make a SPRING MERMAID!

What is she wearing? Does her tail change color? Her hair?

Remember - you can make her moveable by attaching the different parts with brads, string, ribbons, thin wire with grommets or eyelets.

tip: to make moveable eyelets for parts - place a thin scrap of cardstock in between the top and the bottom eyelet pieces. Set eyelet. Carefully tear away the scrap of cardstock, and you now have enough space to move the 2 remaining pieces.

Wouldn't your mermaid look lovely spritzed with some Glimmer Mists? See sidebar for addy to tattered angels to see what's new.

Here is some spring inspiration:

watercolor by maryjane.blogspot.com



"Come, I come! ye have called me long,
I come o'er the mountain with light and song:
Ye may trace my step o'er the wakening earth,
By the winds which tell of the violet's birth,
By the primrose-stars in the shadowy grass,
By the green leaves, opening as I pass."
-   Felicia D. Hemans, Voice of Spring

I love this next lion and lamb handmade and for sale by:

http://www.sarasark.etsy.com/

Enjoy today. Take time to read Isobel's blog on the Letter. Doodle a little lamb, or go all out for Little Bo Peep. Print out serveral copies of the mermaid template and play.

See you tomorrow!
inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/
dominoes@myinkspired.com
http://www.myinkspired.com/
http://www.inkspiredmusings.blogspot.com/

based on Mary Engelbreit art; Pat's Bargain Basement, etsy 

March Lions, salad recipes, more quotes and rubber stamping tips

good morning!

"If we had no winter; the spring would not be so pleasant;

If we did not sometimes taste of adversity,

Prosperity would not be so welcome."

- Anne Bradstreet

We had the nicest dinner last night. I went to the grocery store (a rare occurrence, as my husband has done most of the grocery shopping for around 2 years). I purchased a fresh round loaf of focaccia bread, sliced havarti cheese and a salad from the deli. Very simple, but very satisfying.

While I don't have the recipe for the salad, here is what it consisted of:

  * fresh asparagus tips, cut about 1" - 1 1/2"

  * mandarin orange slices

  * pistachio nuts

  * green onions (mostly the green part, not the white bulb part)

  * a mild vinaigrette

It was just very tasty. I know the ingredients sound a little hmmmm, but I would recommend that you play around and try this one out!

A little more lion - March comes in like a lion, and out like a lamb

"It's spring fever.

That is what the name of it is.

And when you've got it, you want

- oh,you don't know what it is you do want,

but it just fairly makes your heart ache,

you want it so!"

- Mark Twain

While this big kitty is not an african lion, he is a mountain lion.
This is one of the hundreds of recycled bottlecap magnets that I have made.

Check out my etsy store, where I have many listed:

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

You can see even more at my website:

http://www.myinkspired.com/

Now, I must apologize about my website. A mix of my not being able to sit at the computer for months, new computer program that was not compatible with my website tools, waiting for a new computer, getting a new computer (wha-hoo!) but not having the right software or drivers or some such thing....

So it has been too long since I have been able to update it.

However....the pictures are still great!

This is a picture that I took of one of the lions at the Denver Zoo.

I think perhaps our March Lion is mellowing now, and looking more like this one!

Oh goodie, we can start with the March lambs now!

  

Spring can never come too early for me.

One year, when I was teaching, we had a snow day in May.

I had to shovel snow to get my car out!

"Awake, thou wintry earth -

Fling off thy sadness!

Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth

Your ancient gladness!"

- Thomas Blackburn, An Easter Hymn

Today I'm not going to do much in the way of projects or anything. I would like to pass along some rubberstamping tips that I have gathered through the years.



Budget Rubberstamping tip:

When I started stamping I had no idea what a heat gun was, but there were 'budget' ways of heating up embossing powders, so this is what I did:

Turn on your electric stove top, one burner.

Stamp image with pigment inks, sprinkle on embossing powder, tap excess off.

Hold image embossing powder side up over hot burner, and rotate and move around. You will see the embossing powder actually melt before your eyes!

You can use a clothespin or another clip of choice to hold the paper so your fingers don't get too hot. Just be sure the clip is not leaving marks on your cardstock.

The key to this is to keep that cardstock moving, so it doesn't get scorched!

stamp and sample card from Peddler's Pack. See site on side bar.



Crafting tip:

Glitter. We all love it. It loves us...on our shoes, on our face, in our hair!

* Remember that a little goes a long way*

But then, a little glitter on the dog is festive, right?

Our dear Carl, gone over the rainbow bridge, and happily herding bunnies.

Rubberstamping tip:

A simple way to make a simple card that really pops!

Stamp an image on a scrap of cardstock. Color as desired. Cut out.

Use a small piece of double stick framing or foam back tape. You can now find these easily anywhere stamps are sold. They can also be found sometimes in the framing section of a store. The tape comes in rolls, or individual squares or dots.

Wonderful stuff!

Set up your card as desired - cardstock, quote or saying, layered colors.

Peel off the backing of the tape, so one side is stuck to the cut out image, and now you will stick the other side to your card. Be sure it's where you want it, as the tape does not come off easily.

extra tip - do it in this order! It can be a little difficult to stamp a greeting next to a raised image, so stamp the greeting first!

This is the logo for St. Boniface Center.

Makes a great coloring sheet however.

Well, that's it for today. I'm feeding the kitties next door, so I'm sure they are wanting their breakfast.

" Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world."

- Virgil A. Kraft

vintage song sheet graphics, see side bar for website

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

dominoes@myinkspired.com

The lambs are coming!

March Lions and Lambs

Welcome!

'March comes in like a lion, and leaves like a lamb.'

Well, the lion part of March is supposedly over, so we will play a little catch up with the lion. Then on to the lambs!!!

vintage engraving

This vintage clip is courtesy of Dover. I love how the victorian age artists draw their animals. Some were drawn from a 'guesstimate' as the artist had never seen an actual live one!

Here is a fun puzzle for the young ones, with a great coloring sheet background:

oops, I see I don't have the words for this...so make up some of your own!

"Every animal knows more than you do."

- Nez Perce proverb

While I have been browsing around for informaton on lions and lambs and March ideas I discovered a few things.
First of all, there is some fantastic artwork out there of Lion/Lamb in the context of scripture - the Bible. Some are based on  verses about Yeshua (Jesus) being the Lion and the Lamb of God. This is based on verses from Isaiah found in the Old Testament part of the Bible (the books traditionally placed in the front of the Bible). Judah refers to the original 12 tribes of Israel.

Many refer to a verse that says "and the beast shall lie down with the lamb, and a small child shall lead them" referring to a time of peace. Most artists throughout history have interpreted this with paintings of lions or bears and lambs; sometimes with a small child.

I love the sweet images of peace!

"Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much larger and better in every way."

- John Muir

Here is a page from an old Aesop's Fables book:



A kindness is never wasted; Aesop's Fable

Here is a cool modern take on the lion and the lamb -

You can find the site where they sell t-shirts and more at:

http://www.spreadshirt.com/white-lion-and-lamb-men-C3376A2610195

Lion Fun Fact:

Lions live in families of 20 - 30. There will be a few adult males and a few adult females with cubs. They share in their meals. Lions usually consume their kill all at once. Occasionally they will hide their meat in trees if they are threatened by hyenas.

This looks more like a lion that roars in with March!

"The greatness of a nation and

its moral progress

can be judged by

the way its animals are treated."

- Mahatma Gandhi

Here is another coloring sheet for the kids, or for you!



The second thing I found really surprised me! Evidently the promoters of the hit movie series "Twilight" have adapted a Bible verse for their mass promotion!

It says: "The lion fell in love with the lamb." This means - for all you none teenage savvy folks - the lion (the vampire) fell in love with the lamb (human girl).

Interesting take.

I like this one better however:

The artist of this painting is an amazingly talented watercolorist.

You can find her blog here: http://www.maryjaneone.blogspot.com/

Well, that's all for today. I'm off to physical torture therapy! 

Yes, Christine, you are a wonderful physical therapist.

I love to stretch. I love to exercise. I love to stretch. I love to exercise.

hmmmm.... best finish with a spot of humor!

"Trust me, I'm a vegetarian!"

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

dominoes@myinkspired.com