WOYWW: A Blessed Christmas!

What's on Your Workdesk this Wednesday?

Oh my, even my prayer desk has been taken over by gift wrapping supplies! I haven't been drawing or painting but I did some decorating!...

Have a blessed Christmas, dear blog friends!

WOYWW: Advent

It's that time of the week again! Time for What's on your Workdesk Wednesday. What a difference a week makes, huh?   This is what my desk looks like today. I've been busy wrapping Christmas gifts. There's my box of ribbon scraps and gift wrapper...

In the midst of all the preparations of buying and wrapping Christmas gifts, putting up the tree and other decorations, I have to remind myself to observe Advent, "a season observed in many Western Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas... 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."  After all, as they say, "Jesus is the reason for the season."  

Have a happy week ahead!

WOYWW WOW

I call this my WOYWW WOW edition because this is the biggest area of clear desk I've had in a while! Without those newly purchased books at the far end, it would be even tidier! Wow, it's like the calm before the storm, considering I'll soon be wrapping Christmas gifts. I'm feeling so satisfied with myself... And so ready to mess up my desk again!

That's it for What on Your Workdesk Wednesday!  Happy WOYWW!

WOYWW: Purr-fect

I just got back from a trip to Bacolod, an hours flight south of Manila. My desk was filled with stuff I unpacked and someone was curious about the mess! Her name is Truffles (from the chocolates, not the mushrooms.)

One of the sights we visited in Bacolod is called The Ruins or the Taj Mahal of Negros (because it was built in memory of a beloved wife). There's a glass topped table on the grounds of this place and if you take a picture with it, you'll get this interesting reflection effect...

And that's it for this edition of What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday!  Happy WOYWW!

WOYWW: Something New

There's a new project on my desk...

And here's something I made with a new app I downloaded...

It's called MotionPortrait and animates portraits!  Such fun! 

This will be a short post for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday.  Oh, this is something new as well!  Happy WOYWW!

WOYWW: Mess!

It's not surprising. My desk is a mess.

But good and beauty that can still come out of this mess.

Seems like the world is also in such a mess. The terrorist attacks in Paris are just some of the ways we're in a mess. 

And yet, good and beauty can still come out of the mess we are in. There were stories of people opening their homes to strangers the night of the attacks. And in a Facebook post, survivor Isobel Bowdery shared how in the midst of the chaos, she witnessed numerous acts of heroism...

"To the man who reassured me and put his life on (the) line to try and cover my brain whilst I whimpered, to the couple whose last words of love kept me believing the good in the world, to the police who succeeded in rescuing hundreds of people, to the complete strangers who picked me up from the road and consoled me during the 45 minutes I truly believed the boy I loved was dead, to the injured man who I had mistaken for him and then on my recognition that he was not Amaury, held me and told me everything was going to be fine despite being all alone and scared himself ... you make me believe this world has the potential to be better,'' 

While on the ground during the shooting, Isobel pretended to be dead, closed her eyes and imagined the faces of her loved ones as she waited for a bullet to end her life.

"Wishing that those I love knew just how much, wishing that they knew that no matter what happened to me, to keep believing in the good in people...To not let those men win. Last night, the lives of many were forever changed and it is up to us to be better people. To live lives that the innocent victims of this tragedy dreamt about but sadly will now never be able to fulfill."

Praying for Paris and the world.

What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday
Word Art Wednesday

WOYWW: Contrasts

It's What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday and my post today is a study in contrasts. My prayer desk is neat and tidy, with only what's necessary on it - my journaling bible, my prayer journal, a little basket box of my basic pens and a pencil, some colored pencils...

In contrast, this is my main desk today...

I can hardly see the desktop because it is full of all sorts of stuff I need to put away. Seems like only my laptop is where it should be. And so of course, I can't get any work done on this desk.

I can't help but think about life and how I can't get anything done if my life is so full of unnecessary things. What should I get rid of, I wonder? Too much memorabilia? Old clothes that no longer fit? Pride and impatience for sure!  Something to think about for me.  I guess it is a never ending cycle of tidying up and messing up - my desk, and my life.  Hopefully, it is more often tidy.

Happy WOYWW, everyone!  Thank you for dropping by!

WOYWW: All Saints Day

My prayer desk seems to be getting really small and there is hardly any space to work on an entry in my journaling bible. Time for a tidy up! And this isn't even my main desk!

Last Sunday was All Saints Day, a big day in the Philippines. The cemeteries are super packed on that day so we usually go a few days before. Visiting the graves of loved ones that have gone on before us makes me think about the end of this life and the promises of God for the next. One of them is that...

A wonderful promise, my name inscribed in heaven. And so although goodbyes are always painful (even the passing on of fellow WOYWWers that I've never met saddened me), my greatest consolation is the hope of eternal life.  

My Mom used to go to mass every day and one of the other daily mass goers would say goodbye afterwards by saying, "See you in heaven!" When my mom passed away, we had the wake in the hall beside the church she went to every day. What a surprise we had the following day when we found out that her friend from mass had also passed away and the wake was in the hall upstairs! What a wonderful thought that they would, indeed, see each other in heaven.

That's it for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday and Word Art Wednesday. Happy WOYWW and WAW!

WOYWW: Post Jakarta

Here is my desk today with my journaling bible opened up to my latest page...

I tried using some acrylic paint and Zig Scroll & Brush pens (newly purchased during my recent trip to Jakarta, Indonesia).

The view from our hotel in Jakarta was clouded by haze from Indonesia's worst agricultural fires in years. This is the illustration I made while I was there...

That's it for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday and Word Art Wednesday! What have you been up to?

WOYWW: Bible Journaling

My bible journaling is in full swing! Here is my desk for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday with an illustration in progress.

After getting over the reluctance to draw on a new, empty bible, the next pages were much easier to make.

Unlike my prayer journal illustrations which are quickly kept away after the journal is done, I'll be able to see these illustrations for quite some time. It will be nice to see this bible filling up! And it is always good to have some visual reminders to help me live out my faith.

Thank you for dropping by. I hope all is well with you.  Happy WOYWW, have a great week ahead!

WOYWW: Just do it!

After staring at the blank margins of my journaling bible, I finally took the plunge and did my first illustration! I think the thought of having a blank bible on my desk again for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday pushed me to, as the popular ad line says, "Just do it!"  Since the pages are so thin, I decided to start with using just a Pigma Micron pen and some colored pencils.  

As you can see, I did some major pencil sharpening, and I'm not done yet. I think I need to buy some new sharpeners. 

That's it for this Wednesday's desk!  What's on yours?

WOYWW: Fear of Blank Pages?

My new bible journal is still blank, waiting for me to make the first illustration on its wide margins.  I guess I am a little bit afraid of starting on those nice blank spaces.  Have you ever felt that way with a new sketchbook or journal?

I finally took off the plastic wrap and turned it to the verse I've decided I will illustrate first, one of my favorite verses, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33.  Hopefully, by next week, I can show you what I have done for my "Illustrated Faith" project.

You may think I have gotten my desk cleared up but I guess there is always something that comes along to fill it up.  This time it is some clearbook binders which I will use to organize some travel memorabilia. See how I have again used the push back method to make some space!

That's it for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday this week.  And for Word Art Wednesday, an illustration for my reflection on John 15:19...

Wishing you a blessed week!

WOYWW: Illustrated Faith

Look what just arrived! A new "canvas" for my bible verse illustrations. This bible has wide margins that are great for journaling and illustrations...

I've been using my new brush pens. I need more practice!

Sharing this tidied up desk in What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday and my illustrations in Word Art Wednesday.

WOYWW: What!?

It's Wednesday already?! Oh my, I was tempted to clear up some space on my desk using the push back method just for a picture for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday! But it is so full that even that method can't work! That wire basket is filled with odds and ends bought when I was in Tokyo recently. I haven't finished putting them away.  Looking at this picture (and thinking of how horrified the neat WOYWWers will be) has given me the added push to tidy up!  I hope to show you a freshly cleaned desk next week!

At times, in life we also find ourselves in a mess and this verse from Ephesians tells us that we need to tidy up to get out of the mess.  

Sharing this with Word Art Wednesday.

WOYWW: Art Materials

My desk has new art materials from my trip to Tokyo, Japan...
a set of Zig Brush Pens...

and Japanese watercolors.

And here is one of my prayer journal illustrations...

my excuse for always buying art materials!

That's it for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday and Word Art Wednesday.  Thank you for dropping by!

WOYWW: In Transit

I am in the Narita Airport waiting to board a plane back to Manila so my post for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday isn't really a Wednesday desk! This was my hotel desk before I packed up all this stuff. Can you spot my new Japanese watercolors?

WOYWW: Happy Birthday,Oreo!

My desk is filled with the detritus of my preparations for my fur baby's birthday party. (I learned that word detritus from Julia, also known as the Queen of What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday.)  

Oreo turned 1 year old last August 30 and I made him a birthday hat (and cat ears for myself), decorations with his name, and a tuna birthday cake.  I also prepared giveaways of cat food with stamped labels (of course, I told the humans that it was for cats!)

My very cooperative hubby put ears on the plates...

and decorated our mirror with a cat face!

We all had a paw-some time! Happy WOYWW, everyone!

WOYWW: Office Desk

I completely forgot that it was Wednesday today and time for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday! So since I already left the house when I remembered, here is my office desk in Papemelroti.  You will see that we do not have a very serious office.  Oreo, our CEO (Cat Executive Officer), has taken over my desk...

climbing up...

to the highest position...

He's our stress reliever and inspiration for some of our products.

And when he's not on top, we can often find him inside his favorite red eco-bag...

WOYWW's Julia likes us to keep our posts short but like any proud fur baby mommy, I couldn't resist showing you this cutie!  Happy WOYWW!

WOYWW: Bali

I just got back (a few hours ago) from Bali, Indonesia and my main desk is as I left it...

but my prayer desk is now a dumping ground for my buys.  

I bought a lot of bamboo fans with various batik-like designs...

and some woven "Ikat" material.  That's "What's on My Workdesk (this) Wednesday!"

In Bali, there are a lot of arts and crafts and a lot of them are related to their Hindu religion, which is so much a part of their everyday lives.  Their homes have their own elaborate family temples,

and bamboo pole decorations at the entrance.

They prepare ceremonial offerings every day and you will find them all over as you walk along the streets...

As a Christian, this is the way I also want to be, with my faith lived out in my everyday life.  No little flower and fruit ceremonial offerings every day, but the offering of my time, talent, treasure - the offering of my whole life. 

Blessings to all of you and thank you for visiting me!