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Wednesday, December 15, 2010

What's on your Workdesk Wednesday: The Third Week of Advent

Time is flying by so quickly and it is now the third week of Advent!  This Christmas, we are simplifying our gift giving.  We usually give little gifts to many of our friends who already have so much that they wouldn't know what to do with those token gifts anyway.  Instead we will be making donations in their name to projects that help people who have so little.  One of them is "Patak ng Pag-asa" (meaning "Drop of Hope"), a project my daughter and her friends created to help bring clean water to an indigenous community in the province (imagine having to walk two hours to get a bucket of water to bring up the mountain!).  Just one drop can make ripples.  As it is said, "Our deeds are like a stone cast into the pool of time.  Though they themselves disappear, their ripples extend to eternity."


And so on the far left side of my desk are Christmas cards that I am preparing (they aren't handmade, sorry!)  All I did was print out our letter about our donations, paste it unto the cards and label them.  These friends also have a heart for the less fortunate (there are so many very poor people in the Philippines) so I hope they will appreciate this.  Notice how I cleared up my desk to make space for the cards and for some gift wrapping?  You can actually see a clear space on my desk!

My Advent ATC set is coming along nicely and I am so pleased with it.  Early in the week it looked like this...


and now it looks like this...



Can you make out the words "God with us Emmanuel"?

As I mentioned last week, each ATC sized portion has a symbol for a bible character and story, just like the Jesse tree symbols I found here.  Here is the Ladder which represents Jacob, and the Assurance of the  Promise in Genesis 27:41-28:2...

a Ram's Horn Trumpet representing Joshua and The Fall of Jericho in Joshua 1:1-11, 6:1-20...

and the Rainbow and Dove representing Noah and The Flood in Genesis 6:11-22, 7:17-8:12, 20-9:17.

Pam commented that this is an ambitious project and as I was making it I would giggle and think to myself, it sure is ambitious, what was I thinking! What a thing to be making when I'm supposed to be busy with lots of other stuff like preparing presents.  But then, I have been enjoying reflecting on these stories and how they all come together to form one big story, just like this piece I am making.  Making this has helped me celebrate Advent.

For more peeks into desks, tidy and otherwise, go visit Julia's Stamping Ground.  This time of the year, other than the desks, you'll see Christmas trees, Christmas cards and snow and all sorts of other interesting things.  Hopefully, I will be able to visit more desks than I did last week.  Happy WOYWW!

28 blog hugs:

Monica said...

Peggy this is going to be stunning! So much work going into this project but it will be worth it. Lovely lovely lovely!

Alexandra said...

This is really coming to life! So beautiful!

jude said...

Peggy your ATC is absolutely stunning,and beautiful.Lovely neat tidy desk too.
Happy wednesday hugs judex3

Chrissie said...

I think your gift giving idea is superb, you're right about lots of those not necessarily unwanted, but un-needed gifts. Your idea is so much better.
I thought your desk looked tidy this week and your picture is beautiful!
Chrissie #1

Rhonda said...

Peggy, as already said, your work is beautiful! I like the vibrant color palette. Thanks for sharing. Happy WOYWW! #5

Marjo said...

Absolutely gorgeous!

Thanks for the peek and sharing, hugs Marjo #25

Helen said...

You are an inspiration. Good on you. I love your work, it will be so fabulous when - when, not if! - you finish.

Minxy said...

Your art as ever is just stunning :D
happy woyww
hugs Minxy #28

donnalouiserodgers said...

I TOTALLY agree Peggy - as I have been making my gifts and also deciding to make donations in lieu (and letting the person know the donation is made in their name) - I have also been snatching time in my room to finish my thank you ATCs (nothing to do with Christmas) and felting my rug and wondering why any one would want to be any where near a center of commerce at this time when it should be about people not things?

I love your challenging project- the symbolism embedded in the piece makes it Powerful Indeed...

Happy Christmas to you and yours,

dx

Susan said...

Inspirational as always Peggy.
Susan xxox #16

airing cupboard crafts said...

WOW I don't know what else to say it's stunning xx

laura 61 x

karen said...

This has turned out so beautifully! And as you said it has helped you to celebrate Advent as well! This is what Christmas is really about!
Thanks for sharing!
xoxo Karen

Kate said...

Your ATC composition is just stunning!

** Kate **

Pam said...

Fab ATC. Hugs Pam x

Amanda said...

The ATC advent is genius. The idea of giving more than a gift is something I agree with, we have also simplified our gift giving and am much more content and less stressed this christmas.
Amanda

Twiglet said...

What a clever little work of art that is - lovely!!

Cardmaking Galore said...

Great gift idea and your work is stunning.

voodoo vixen said...

Peggy your giant ATC collection is beautiful, what a lot of work! Love your idea for giving where it is needed too. Annette #7

Janine said...

This painting is absolutly phantastic.
It is so beautiful

Serendipity Stamping said...

What a wonderful organization you are supporting. Your ATC's are amazing! Happy Holidays to you all. #79

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Once again I am in awe of your drawing, coloring, and painting abilities. This is truly gorgeous.

And things we take for granted, like water right from the tap, are so rare and precious in some parts of the world. Thanks for that reminder (#4).

Zue said...

I love your idea for Christmas it is much closer to the true meaning and will be so beneficial to so many people.
Sue xx 86

oneoff said...

What a clever and meaningful ATC set. I love the way that the dimension has jumped out as you have been working on this. Very thought provoking and an item to treasure.

And what Elizabeth said about things we take for granted. Thank you.

Bernie #29

Elizabeth said...

Your Advent ATC is beautiful. I so admire your daughter's enterprise - here in the UK we rather take water for granted, there's such of lot of it you see, that is until we have a drought. Thanks for sharing. Elizabeth #71

Neet said...

What a truly tremendous way to celebrate Advent - your painting is, as always, beautiful. Well done on your idea of gift giving - there should be more of this type of giving in the world. What a lovely person you are.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I finally got around to reading the question you asked me on Wednesday. I do NOT have a special printer. In fact, I purchased my printer in 2000. It is a HP and is just a printer, not a 3 or 4 in one.

I iron the fabric to freezer paper cut to A4 size, making sure I cut any stray strings that could get caught in the printer spools/wheels. I use mostly cotton, muslin, or sheets which are percale, so I use my "Cotton" setting. I don't let the iron sit on the fabric because all I want to do is "tack" the fabric to the freezer paper. It will sort of melt or fuse to the paper, but pulls away when you peel it after it's been through the printer. Hope that makes sense.

Julia Dunnit said...

Lovely - I cherish the gifts people give me that are donations. And I can barely tear myself away from your Advent ATC project...but am experiencing trauma over your plan to cut it up now!!

Šolanje na domu-Waldorf said...

That's a lovely gesture and a great idea for christmas gifts. :) Your ATC looks amazing! :)

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