let’s count it all joy
welcome!
Happy November! This month’s mailer is an invitation for you to slow down and notice what’s around you. There are a lot of really hard things happening in the world and there are a lot of beautiful things too. This is true on a global scale and also in our local communities, homes, and even our hearts. We live in a fallen world full of sinful humans. And yet God is here with us through all of it, and blessing us continually.
As we enter this month of traditional thanks giving, let’s notice His gifts and His presence. Let’s give thanks for His sustaining hand in our days and our moments.
More than anything, I would love for you to USE the items from this mailer - to weave them into your projects and your personal devotions, to add color to your spaces, and to gift them to others.
Feel free to “copy” me, use my work as an inspiration to create a “spin-off” project, or go your very own way.
november/noticing VIDEO
To note: I decided to discontinue the “background / overview” video for now, as it was getting only 1-2 views per month. If you have a strong wish for me to share this again, let me know and I will happily go back to it.
quotes on noticing / gratitude
It is of the small joys and little pleasures that the greatest of our days are built. -Mary Anne Radmacher
Alone - in moments of prayer or meditation, or simply in stillness - we breathe more deeply, see more fully, hear more keenly. We notice more, and in the process, we return to what is sacred. - Katrina Kenison
You notice. And noticing, you live. -John Graves
Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns. -Anne Lamott
Remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for. -Epicurus
When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. – Marcus Aurelius
The best way to show my gratitude is to accept everything, even my problems, with joy. – Mother Teresa
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. -Melody Beattie
Photography begins not in the camera but in the mind and the eye. The real work is one of noticing and appreciating, seeing things clearly and differently, and sharing that vision with others. I have developed my vision and my photographic craft in order to bring the beauty of nature to light in a fresh way that can inspire and nourish people. -Bill Atkinson
Here’s to the moments when you realize the simple things are wonderful and enough. -Jill Badonskyxs
The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely. -Louisa May Alcott
PROJECT IMAGES
SUPPLIES I USED alongside THIS MONTH’S MAILER CONTENTS
Please note that many, but not all of the supply links are affiliate links. And if I missed anything that you are curious about, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask.
Frames/Matting:
Favorite frames and mats from Amazon
Art Journals:
“Soho Urban Artist Sketch Kraft” notebook
Pens:
I most commonly using boring old Bic ink pens.
I recently got this set of iBayam fineliner pens and have enjoyed using them as well - although they do show up on the back of the page, which is not my favorite.
Paint:
I typically use “heavy body acrylic” paints in my art practice and particularly like Golden and Utrecht. Since I have these readily on hand, I also use them in my art journals.
Any sort of “craft paint” like this also works well in art journals.
When I want to thin my paints, I use this flow improver, but water also works well!
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. ”