Beyond Excited!!!

A collage necklace  I made with ICE Resin®

I am happy and beyond excited to share with everyone that I have been chosen to be on the ICE Resin® Design Team for 2015 along with 5 amazing artists.   This is a phenomenal company with wonderful women leading the way for all of us to learn  and create!!

It has always been a dream of mine to help with the creative process and to continue to learn from the best! And one of my life's goals is to share with others what I have been blessed to receive whether in the daily lessons of life or with art that can so enrich our lives.  I  hope to do that through this wonderful journey this year.

I applied about a month ago with photos and a video (a first for me - which I'll share a little later) and then prayed earnestly that the Lord would open doors for this avenue in my art adventures! The doors flew open on the 24th of December - an incredible Christmas gift!!


To read more about the design team and this wonderful company, visit  Ice Resin® blog

I'll be sharing projects and links to other artists through out this year, please check back often or better yet follow my blog to be inspired to create joy through out the year!

Blessings,
Chantal

A few years ago, during the  Christmas season, I went to one of my favorite craft stores.  As you walk in, there is a massive beautifully decorated tree with large bows and ornaments and of course signs letting you know the trees are 50% off.  Just below the tree is a beautiful large nativity set. As I was walking in, two young sisters were gazing at the scene, the younger sister recounting all the elements of the nativity said "Oh here is the angel and this is the fairy."  I couldn't help but smile as she was blending all her stories into one.  It would be sweet to think of tinker bell fluttering by the stable and adding her pixie dust or the fairy godmother adding her glamour to this stable that was more like a cave or the genie there to grant three wishes.  As a mother, Mary might have wished for protection of her child, provision for their poverty or the promise of better days ahead for her newborn baby.  Yes the delight of imagination  and magic through the eyes of a child is truly a way for us to see the impossible become real, our dreams take flight just as Dumbo did. I love the idea of possibilities and so does God.  Even as imaginative and hopeful as  the little sister blending magic with the nativity, our God did something way better.  He put forth the impossible into the possible, not with magic but with the miracle of Jesus' birth.  And then continued showing us through the scriptures that nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).  Through out the pages of the Bible, we see God working his miracles through his power, his  love and his grace.  We begin to realize that magic is underrated as we witness our God working miracles in our hearts and in our lives.   Some would argue then we shouldn't allow for such silly thinking or allow imagination to thrive.  I would strongly disagree for when we imagine the possibilities, we begin to understand the heart and mind of God (never fully but always increasing) for before you or I were born,  He saw us and knew us.  He sees in each of the possibility of renewal, the ability to be more like him in love and life.  He sees in us what we sometimes cannot see in ourselves- the miracle of a new heart, touched by his saving grace.  As we enter into the Christmas day, the anticipation builds, the excitement is hardly containable for the presents under the tree are filled with possibilities, wishes hopefully granted - a touch of magic.  Greater still is the touch of the master's hand inviting us to believe in the impossible, the miracle of his love coming to us in the form of a baby   -our Emanuel (God with us) over 2000 years ago.  Take hold of the miracle for it is the "possible" to our impossible.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Blessings,
Chantal

**On a side note, our family is heading to Disney World for 6 fun filled magical days- Yes it's ok to have imagination and fun and believe in the miracle all at the same time!!***

Firsts

First - the beginning, the start. the most important.

A first

 - something that has never happened before and is therefore important or exciting:

A first - used in referring to the main or the most important thing

A few days ago, I experienced several first time experiences nearly at the same time.  First, I had to create a video that other people were going to see and not just see it, but see me in it....I have made a zillion short videos where I am behind the camera and generally I am filming my children on a special day, or a special place so as to capture the memory of that incredible moment in my life. With a mother's love and looking through that lens of love- all of my videos are funny, beautiful and worthy to watch again and again.  But being on the other side of the lens, well that was definitely a first! We made it a family affair, with my oldest daughter filming and editing; my youngest daughter gave encouragement and at first, liked saying "Action" but after a few (dozen) takes, she just wanted to give support and watch from the other side of the camera.  Then after we finished filming and editing, my oldest (son), helped us create the link to view it, while in Florida.  This brings me to my next first- our son is beginning his career in Florida.  He has completed his masters and will live and work in a great small city right on the Atlantic Ocean!  We have actually vacationed there for the past 13 years and as a child, I visited my grandparents who lived there also. It's a great opportunity. For me, it's a first in the sense that he will not be home for semester breaks, weekends, or summer.  He, on the other hand,  will have a new home, new opportunities and lots of firsts.  We all experience firsts- some good, some sad, some exciting, some we dread.  But all of us have and will continue to experience firsts. It really is a part of life.  I am encouraged to know that we can share our firsts (no matter the experience) with God and that he understands because, even God has experienced firsts.  

                                 We love because he first loved us.
                                                   -I John 4:19

God's first is on a much grander scale than my video.  In all of our firsts we experience, he has shown us how to be first in the most important aspect of our lives - Love.  When we love first, show kindness first, choose others above ourselves first, create homes with his love first, use our talents looking through his lens of love first, Our lives will be richer, fuller and we will be the first to say "It is because he loved me first."

I hope you will have many firsts that will bring great opportunities to show his love (for us) first!