2010 Life Path Challenge

Here's my tag for this week. I've sure enjoyed doing them and answering the questions for myself. It will be a keepsake when I am done. Jump in at any point and join us if you are new here. If you have questions you'd like to suggest for later in the year please email me at coleenfranks@gmail.com.
Chose one or both questions:

1. WHO IS THE MOST GENEROUS PERSON YOU KNOW? IN WHAT WAYS? IN WHAT WAYS ARE YOU MOST GIVING? (0K, I know that looks like 3 questions, but they are all related.)
2. WHAT IS THE MOST HUMANLY IMPOSSIBLE THING YOU WILL ASK GOD TO DO THIS YEAR?

Family Conference -Village of Hope

The Village of Hope is an orphanage associated with the church we attend in Ukraine. Recently some folks who were sponsoring a family conference there asked if I would come in and do crafts with the children of the parents who were attending. I spent the morning doing various crafts with the kids and then came back that night to do a craft with the children and parents combined. That was a first for me. So the card above is what I did with them. With these same parts we had many different interpretations of this card. I was blessed also with the opportunity to talk to these young parents of the value of encouraging creativity in their little ones and was able to use my own life and my mother's encouragement as an example.

The Beauty of Winter in Ukraine

Backyard beauty of winter.
Gracie watching me take pictures.

Our street and a stuck neighbor. I love the beauty of winter in Ukraine, but I must admit I don't much care for the cold. Now the temperatures, though still chilly, have moderated and we have some melting. Along with spring melting in Ukraine comes flooding and it will be plentiful this year as we have had more snow than in many years. Now is the time when I so look forward to the beauty and freshness of spring.

2010 Life Path Challenge

As the weeks role around so quickly it is just another evidence of how quickly this life passes. Another good reason for doing this sort of thing. You are making a legacy to outlive you with the answers to these interesting questions. Your family will have new insights as to how you think/thought. My children or grandchildren will know things about me that we might never have talked about.

Question: 1. WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE TO HELP SOMEONE?
Question: 2. WHAT'S ONE THING YOU COULD DO THIS YEAR TO INCREASE YOUR ENJOYMENT OF GOD?

If you tap on the pictures at the top of the blog you will see more of the artistic interpretations of this challenge. If you are doing art we'd love to have you share it with us. There above is also where you can get to Flickr to add your photos.

If you're new here, then jump in at any point and just start where we are. Then if you get the chance you can go back, but just start with where we are now. Lots more intriguing questions to come.

Ukraine Winter

I've never seen snow stand up on the tops of a picket fence. Both those pine trees we planted when they were small. Winter makes them bow with humility. Probably good for us all.

I Love Hearts

A friend and colleague, Laura Kanaykina came to me recently for ideas to entertain a women's group with a craft. This is what we came up with and since you all know I like to doodle, well, that is what I did on each heart. No, it may look like Greek, but the Bible verse is in Russian.

VintageTerrace2 Online Shop (My Etsy)

Some of you have already seen our online shop and we've already made sales. The things on here are all sold without profit motive, but are sold to use for missions work in Ukraine. I teach art classes to various groups and the proceeds from this shop go to providing scrapbooks and other items to the children and adults we work with. For those of you who have donated items we are ever grateful for our privilege and ability to be of service here in this capacity. I love what I do and the big payoff is the joy on their faces when they've created something they admire. God has given me a unique tool for witnessing the love of Christ through teaching. Thank you to all who have been a part of making this possible. Please take a look at the things in our shop and see if there is not something there that catches your fancy.

Pretties

Got creative one day and made these pretty little flowers as embellishments. So fun for decorating a page, a box or whatever you want to doll up. Used a paper punch for the bottom flower and the rest is fabric flowers and a gem.

2010 Life Path Challenge Week 7

I've heard from several more who are doing the challenge, I just wish more were interpreting with art, but it's OK to interpret these questions in any way that works for you. Remember, how you interpret the questions is your private business, but if you want to make some art then either go to our Flickr site (search Flickr for "2010 Life Path Challenge)and upload it or mail to us and we'll do it for you. Here's our questions which you can answer one or both:
WHAT IS THE SINGLE BIGGEST TIME-WASTER IN YOU LIFE, AND WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT THIS YEAR?

FOR WHO'S SALVATION WILL YOU PRAY MOST FERVENTLY FOR THIS YEAR?

Again, you can answer one or both questions. Have fun.

Where In The World is Ukraine? FYI

Ukraine, isn't that Russia? No, it used to be part of the former Soviet Union, but it was always Ukraine. My geography got a lot better when I moved from the U.S. to this part of the world. Ukraine is just below Russia on right side of the page. How do I feel about it? I love it here, as well as traveling Europe.....16 years now.

Snow, Snow

Snow, Snow go away, come back another day. I know anyone who lives in a snowy area is getting tired of it by the time they get to February. For us this only means another month or so. I say "or so" because we could get snow as late as April or May, but the stuff that stays on the ground will start melting in mid to late March. This shot is from our front door looking toward the street. I thought it was interesting how the flash in this night shot caught the snowflakes. In summer the arch has clematis growing over it and the sidewalk is surrounded with flowers. Ahemm (sigh, longing for spring).

2010 Life Path Challenge Week 6

Well, the day has gotten away from me for being too busy, but here I am. Here's my tag for this week along with your questions. You can do one or both questions. Just however you feel moved. 1. WHAT IS THE MOST THANKFUL YOU HAVE EVER BEEN AND HOW DID YOU EXPRESS YOUR GRATITUDE? 2. WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU COULD DO THIS YEAR TO INCREASE YOUR ENJOYMENT OF GOD?

Now, let me say that if you fall behind one week then my suggestion is that you just leave a blanks page, blank spot for whatever you are doing and move on so you can keep up. Then maybe you can pick up on that week at a later time and maybe not. Remember, this is a no pressure deal so do it as you like. Have you stopped to consider that you are creating quite a legacy in these questions? It might make a great gift to give a love one later.

We now finally have a Flickr site set up for those of you who would like to post your work to share with us. Find it here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1351653@N21/ or just look for vintageterrace2 on Flickr. I hope you are enjoying these questions as much as I am. I'd sure love to see what you are doing and I would love to hear from some of you as to how it is going in comments below. Have a great week and Happy Valentine's Day to you all. Tell someone you love them.

Painting a Rose by Donna Dewberry

This lady of many talents is fascinating to watch even if you don't paint. Click on the title to watch.

Happy Valentine's Day

My gift to you dear friends....this is how God sees you. Listen to this lovely song from Ginny Owens. She is a blind singer. Then hear her short story below. Click on the title to listen. It's beautiful.

Singer, Ginny Owens

She has a marvelous story and now she is a well-known singer. Click on the title to hear her story on Youtube.

About.com Write Up

It was so fun when I got an email from About.com that they did a small write up on my tags and the 2010 Life Path Challenge. Spreading the word. It's fun to see how many are doing this. You can see their write up here: http://familycrafts.about.com/od/gifttags/ss/ColeensTags.htm

Street Dogs

On a chilly fall day these street dogs were finding a warm spot in the sun. I wonder where they go in winter? This is an ongoing problem in Ukraine as there is not the infrastructure to take care of it. Many of the locals help feed these dogs and most are very meek and harmless.

Art Book Giveaway

The book is called "Collage Fusion" by Alma Cox and they are doing a giveaway to check it out: http://www.favecrafts.com/sweeps/Collage-Fusion-Book-Giveaway

Journaling Crafts

Check this out for more ideas on crafting and journaling. Journaling Crafts

Tutorial by Tania Willis: Altering Fabrics with Ink

Angie from Scrapscene featured this really cool tutorial of a technique for dye/bleaching fabric for your scrapbook layouts. It is such a neat idea I wanted to share it with you here.

Tutorial by Tania Willis: Altering Fabrics with Ink

Life Path Challenge, Week 5 Art and Question

Well I've finally caught up to where I hope to be posting my tag for that week each time I give you the new challenge question. The question for this week: WHAT IS THE MOST HELPFUL NEW WAY YOU COULD STRENGTHEN YOUR FAMILY? Now that one will make you think a bit, but if you take the time to do it you could have a wonderful result show up in your family relations this year.

I've been thinking about something that I'm going to add in here. That is another question each week. You can take your choice or do both. There are just too many intriguing things to consider in life. Will I have two every week? Well, I'd like to, just depends on what I find and how I'm led. If you have a question you'd like to throw into the pot, just leave a comment below or email me at coleenfranks@gmail.com
Question number two: WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT WAY YOU WILL, BY GOD'S GRACE, TRY TO MAKE THIS YEAR DIFFERENT FROM LAST YEAR? Wow, I too often think I don't have control over my circumstances, but that is furthest from the truth. Just considering the question causes things to leap in my brain. Have fun with it.