WOYWW: Last Day of the Year!

The year has flown by so quickly and it is now the last day of the year!

I have a different desk for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday because we're taking a vacation in the beach. I brought my colored pencils with me...

Because I'll be doing my prayer journal illustrations... 

This illustration was for December 29.  St Teresa of Avila wrote... "The just Simeon didn't see any more than the glorious, little poor child. For by the way the child was clothed and by the few people that were in procession, Simeon could have easily judged the babe to be the son of poor people rather than the Son of our Heavenly Father." And so I wonder, would I have recognized the Messiah? And do I recognize Him today?

As the year ends, I look back and thank God for all the many blessings of this past year.  All of you, your visits and words of encouragement are among those blessings!  May the coming year bring all the best for you!

Also sharing in Inspire Me Monday and Word Art Wednesday.  If you're on Instagram, you may be interested in my other account which is for arts and crafts (username "peggy_aplSEEDS").

WOYWW: A Blessed Christmas!

This day before Christmas is also my birthday! 

And although there is an empty space on my desk, it is only because I have also taken over the floor for my wrapping activities!  This new Christmas book I bought has wonderful quotations...

May this blessed season bring you and your loved ones abundant blessings and like the wise men, may you "rejoice with exceeding great joy!" Matthew 2:10

Wishing all of you from What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday, Word Art Wednesday and Inspire Me Monday a very Merry Christmas!

WOYWW: Finally Getting Started

After the calm of last week, my desk looks like a storm passed through because I finally got started with preparing Christmas presents.  But peeping thru all the mess, I found a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.  This is a study I made for decorations for a Christmas party (I decided on something else though)...

Indeed, great and wonderful are God's works...

...and whatever we go through in life, God is with us.  Whatever challenges we face, we can always have our blessed Christmas Hope ...

May you experience the blessings of Advent and Christmas in the midst of the busyness of the season!  God bless you!

Linking up with What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday, Word Art Wednesday and Inspire Me Monday.

WOYWW: Getting Ready

Advent is a time of preparation, of getting ready.  Ready for Jesus' coming; past, present and future. Past, as we celebrate His birth this Christmas; present, as we become aware of how he comes to us everyday or prepare for when we finally meet Him face to face, and future, when he comes again in glory.

My desk is also getting ready!  All is clear and it looks like the calm before the storm (by the way, the big storm Hagupit - which is a Tagalog word for a beating - did not pass our way.)  I am getting ready to do some gift wrapping and since there was no space on my desk, I just had to tidy up.

For my prayer journal illustration, I have a drawing of Jesus' Mother Mary, my favorite painting subject and a lovely quote from Pope Francis...

"The mystery of this girl from Nazareth, who is in the heart of God, is not estranged from us. She is not there and we over here. No, we are connected. Indeed, God rests his loving gaze on every man and every woman! By name and surname. His gaze of love is on every one of us. The Apostle Paul states that God “chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him” (Eph 1:4). We too, from all time, were chosen by God to live a holy life, free of sin. It is a plan of love that God renews every time we come to him..."  

Like Mary, "let us also recognize our truest destiny, our deepest vocation: to be loved, to be transformed by love, to be transformed by the beauty of God."

Linking up with What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday, Word Art Wednesday and Inspire Me Monday.

WOYWW: A Blessed Advent 2014

Before Christmas, there is Advent, "a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. The term is an Anglicized version of the Latin word adventus meaning 'coming'.  For Christians, the season of Advent anticipates the coming of Christ from two different perspectives. The season offers the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah, and to be alert for his Second Coming." - Wikipedia

There is another perspective of Christ's coming that I also reflect upon, which is how Christ comes to me personally.  This Advent, I will do the Examen of Consciousness, a way of praying developed by St. Ignatius Loyola.  It is a daily exercise which helps people recognize God's presence in everything. Aside from my journal writing, I also have an advent calendar to fill out with keywords of God's "gifts" for each day...

In the few days I have done it, I have found it to be a wonderful way to find God and prepare for His coming.  I will never know at what hour He will come again, or at what hour I will meet Him at the end of my life.  I would like to be prepared...

Linking up with What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday, Word Art Wednesday and Inspire Me Monday.

WOYWW: Aspirations

Nothing much on my desk today except an outdated calendar I bought on sale.  I bought it because I thought the sturdy pages and spring binding would make it good to alter but I realized it also makes for an interesting read because it's about "Women Who Dare."  Its introduction starts, 

"'Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations,' wrote Louisa May Alcott. 'I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.'  The women featured in this edition of Women Who Dare followed their own aspirations, despite often daunting impediments..."

As for me, my aspiration is to be like the woman in Psalm 1...

Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.

Linking up with What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday, Word Art Wednesday and Inspire Me Monday.

WOYWW: Floor Plans and a Desk Ornament

There's serious business on my desk today for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday.  You may not know this, I am an architect.  I am planning something for a friend of mine. No AutoCAD for me, just plain graphing paper and tracing paper! First draft...

I though you would like to see my "desk ornament" in my office desk.  Good thing I work in a family business.  This certainly won't pass the 5S workplace organization method!

And for Word Art Wednesday, a wonderful verse from Philippians...

Great to remember and claim when what we have to do seems too much for our own strength!  Have a great week, dear blog friends!  Thank you for your visits!

WOYWW: Oreo

Nothing much on my prayer desk today except the start of my illustration for today and the usual watercolors and pencil box with my "basics" - a pencil, Pigma Microns (.02 and .05), a Faber-Castell CX5 pen for my journal reflections, a white Uni-ball Signo  and colored pencils to make my prayer journal illustrations like these...

Nothing new in my desk but we've got a new baby in the house!  His name is Oreo!...

So I'm off to play with him!  Happy What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday and Word Art Wednesday!

WOYWW: Textiles from my Travels

Happy Wednesday, dear blog friends!  Obviously, I haven't recovered from my recent trip to Laos and Thailand and my desk is filled with some of the wonderful textile crafts I got there.  From Laos, the detail of one of the bags I bought with awesome applique from the Hmong tribe which comes from the back of their traditional shirt...

Some pillow shams with applique...

Embroidered throw pillow covers and a woven bag...

and a box covered in Thai silk...

And that's what's on my desk today for What's on our Workdesk Wednesday.  For Word Art Wednesday...

I didn't get to do much visiting last week but I am thankful for all your visits.  I'm hoping I can find the time this week.  Til next week, be blessed!

WOYWW: Pattaya, Thailand

S̄wạs̄dī!

I am in a resort hotel in Pattaya, Thailand with an exceptionally large dresser (for hotels) which is perfect for journal painting!

Here is a lei from last night's dinner.  I have never seen this interesting flower before. And some baht I will be spending today ;-)

I found a Thai bible in one of the hotel drawers...

And my prayer journal illustrations are inspired by my time in Laos.  I found the Laotians to be such a quiet and gentle people and I thought of how they are a good example to me...

Something to think about, that hopefully when people meet me they will see gentleness, just as I appreciated the gentleness of the Laotians.

I suppose I have along way to go, but I hope to get there!

I am posting from an iPad so I don't know how this post will turn out, but I didn't want to miss What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday and Word Art Wednesday.

What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday: Luang Prabang

I am in Luang Prabang, Laos and my desk has some of my buys from the awesome night market.

The crafts are wonderful! Take a look at the detailed appliqué and embroidery of this bag I bought...

So many beautiful throw pillows, woven textiles, embroidered bags and wallets... so many things I want to buy!  Best to remember, there is need of only one thing...

Sharing my desk and my prayer journal in What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday, Word Art Wednesday and Inspire Me Monday.  Have a blessed week, everyone! Watch out for pictures of charming Luang Prabang in my next post.

WOYWW: Layers

Tuesday night's desk was uncharacteristically empty and there was nothing to show for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday.  But it never stays empty for long and today there is a box of patterned papers for me to paste unto some blank prayer journal pages...

See how the pages eventually end up, with layers of paper and paint and pencils and pens.  My life is like this, made up of layers of experiences and relationships, joys and sorrows...

But like this journal page, what is important is how all these come together to make me who I am. Hopefully, I am growing in loving God and my neighbor, and in bringing Jesus into the world...

Also sharing my reflections in Word Art Wednesday,  and thank you Ramona, for featuring me in Inspire Me Monday!

WOYWW: Transformation

If you visited me last week for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday, you will see how a free day (we had a holiday in the Philippines last Monday) to tidy up can make a big difference!

If my desk is a whole mess, sometimes I am tempted to only show you the tidy part and I guess that is the way we are sometimes, when we only show our good side.  See how I am giving you a wide view today because my desk is tidy.  

Speaking of transformation, I thought you would like to see how my prayer journal starts out early in the morning.  I often do not finish and have to continue it later...

But in time it will be transformed, with layers of paper, colored pencil, watercolor, paint pens, stamping or whatever else I am inspired to use.  

I like to think I am like this, a work in progress.  Through time, may my life be transformed more and more such that all areas are in good order and ready for any scrutiny!  I hope to also share this in Word Art Wednesday (but sometimes I forget!) and Inspire Me Monday.

Blessing to you, my dear blog friend!