Back to Blogging... in Wedding Mode

I haven't blogged or journaled regularly for nearly a month. I admit I feel a little out of sorts. On the heels of a successful open studio sale my family is now in wedding mode, with our youngest daughter getting married in a few weeks. So I figured the way I could be a better blogger and not neglect all the life-changing things going on in our family is to blog about what is going on with us and how it relates to an artful life.

This is Merri & Sean's wedding invitation. It is so "them" reflecting their personalities, common ground, and well-matched love.

copyright Valerie Sjodin 2011

I put the invitation together in photoshop from a journal they sent back and forth during their long distance relationship.  They each worked on a two-page spread and then would send it in the mail to the other. The base of the invitation is from a page Merri made and the rest of the elements were scanned from other pages in their journal. Then I cut and pasted them in layers in photoshop. The design was sent to a postcard/card company in pdf form to get printed.

Then I ordered "paper bag" envelopes. The serendipity in the envelopes is that when the back flap is lifted, the word "together" is all that shows before the person takes the invitation out of the envelope.

Here's a few family photos from the "Vintage" themed bridal shower. It was a beautiful gathering of women who have loved and influenced Merri over the years.

"Lord, what have you given me grace for?"

Valerie Sjodin copyright 2011

Whew! I'm glad to blog again. I've missed you all. It's been one of those busy times, a time of direction, and changes happening one right after the other. I am thankful the direction I am getting is: Do more Art and bless people! 

I put this image from my "Playful Praise of an Ordinary Woman" because it is where I am at. One thing, one step at a time…. Asking more often, "Lord, what have you given me grace for right now?" 

I also put this image on because it has the golden ratio on it. And I am absolutely fascinated with the golden ratio, also called the golden mean, divine proportion, Phi and probably other terms I can't think of at the moment. I made a journal on it at the first of the year and Somerset Studio published an article I submitted on the golden ratio in Sept/Oct 2011. I would like to make the journal into a book because it shows how to use the golden ratio in art, and knowing how to apply the principles has helped me with design. So I am planning to post some of the pages and thoughts on it. Hopefully it will be helpful.

On the other hand, I hesitate to say what I will do next on my blog. Sometimes priorities shift, and that's okay. Life is changing fast with our youngest getting married next month and others coming back to stay after living in Africa. It's hard to say what next week will hold. 

So onward and forward by grace and "Lord, help me do it with grace and Your peace."