Jeannie painting with acrylics on canvas board

My 14 year old daughter, Jeannie has created a painting called, “Sacrifice to Save a Life” and entered it into the national Reflections art program. This year the theme is, “Together we can…”. Many of her peers have created artwork for this theme around the ideas of recycling and saving the earth. But Jeannie wanted to express that she believes that people are more important and worth working together for. Her painting speaks of how we can each give a handful of rice and therefore together we can save a starving country.

Jeannie’s 16″ X 20″ painting, “Sacrifice to Save a Life”. November 2010

“And let us consider

how we may spur one another on

toward love and good deeds…”

Hebrews 10:24

My Heartfelt Appreciation For All You Do

Here’s my contributing card:

It’s made with Layers of Color Beaded Frames and Garden Borders art stamp sets, Paper Whimsy image, a copy of a floral textile and a canvas background painted with acrylics; all placed on orange cardstock with a black envelope.

I imagine a boy in his classroom with his schoolwork on his desk in front of him. He should be concentrating on the lessons but, his mind wanders as he dreams of the apple of his eye.

I used old ledger paper that listed one of the purchases as apples, and fruit from a Victorian vignette. Layers of Color Flower Child heart stamps reflect his childish love, as does the golden hue of the gold leaf around the edges. A captivating Paper Whimsy image is the focus of his heart.

Did you ever wonder about the origin of the phrase, “Apple of My Eye”? The saying originally meant the central aperture of the eye, presumably because apples were sphere-shaped objects. Now, this phrase is usually figurative meaning something, or more usually someone, cherished above others.

It first appeared in Old English in work attributed to King Aelfred (the Great) of Wessex, AD 885, called Gregory’s Pastoral Care. The earliest recorded use in Modern English is in Sir Walter Scott’s Old Mortality, 1816:

“Poor Richard was to me as an eldest son, the apple of my eye.”

It also appears in the King James Bible Translation from 1611 in the Book of Psalms 17:8

“Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.”

The original Hebrew for this idiom can be literally translated as “Little Man of the Eye.” This is a reference to the tiny reflection of yourself that you can see in other people’s pupils.

And now you know. There’s your little back-to-school lesson of the day. :0)  Have a good one, and remember…An apple a day keeps the doctor away!

Metallicious

I’m enjoying using Paper Whimsy transparencies. This one is placed over a copy of an 1880 French floral textile then enriched with micro beads, embroidered lace (a wonderful gift from an international friend), acrylic paint, a jewelry finding, and Layers of Color Fleur Heart stamp (leaves stamped, inked, cut out and creased into 3-D form). A small, but sweet 4″ treat.

Mixed Media Silver Dish