Monday, March 04, 2013

Redeemed By His Stripes Garland


You know how much I love to talk about art and beauty and the joy of creating. It is quieting and restorative to my heart and soul and mind to be engaged in this kind of activity.

A sweet blog reader, Kristen sent this link to John Piper on A Theology of Art - it is short and very worth listening to!

He defined art as, "Any effort to make something that takes a special skill so that the result is more than utilitarian but moves more deeply with beauty or wonder touching our soul with a sense that life is more than food or drink." And, "God is an artist."



Art is more than utilitarian indeed, but it does fill a very real need. No, it is not as necessary as air, nourishment and water or sleep. It is exactly why in walking through Sam's with Rachel when I saw the color of the above flowers I told her I did not need them but I did really want them. And, in a different way than true need, I did need them for a part of me that is fed by beauty and creating.


And, then there is this quote from Meg Duerksen whose husband had just asked what they were going to do with the painted egg cartons their kids made on their 4th snow day, "Nothing. We made them to MAKE them. It's fun. It's relaxing. It's good for our minds to create."



Looking for Spring inspiration, I pinned this and this.  Joining the two ideas together and using the word Redeemed instead of Remember just because this was the word on my heart and mind during the process.

As I sat and looked at the finished fabric garland - it struck me that they were strips of fabric. Their shape reminded me of the stripes on His back. Their beauty struck me as the beauty of His sacrifice has made a beautiful future for us. We are clean and beautiful to Him because of His free gift to us.

Everything here was pulled from my stash - and as I accumulated a small pile of scraps from the fabric I thought to myself - Ma Ingalls would never throw those scraps away. Meanwhile, an empty jar was staring at me from the mantel and I cut the scraps up smaller and Rachel mixed and fluffed them and now they add color and beauty of their own on the mantel.




What beauty will you create today?

8 comments:

Davonne Parks said...

Very pretty! Today I am starting week three of my five week declutter plan for my home. Cleanliness and organization are beauty to me, as well as adding a lovely sense of a calm haven for my family. God is giving me the strength to do this!

Wendi said...

When I read "Nothing. We made them to MAKE them. It's fun. It's relaxing. Good for our minds to create." My mind was screaming yes, yes, yes! that is exactly why I do so many things. It isn't neccessary for my survivial, but it is neccessary to renew my spirit.

Love it when others get it! Have a great day!

RMFrancis said...

Beautiful idea and so colorful. Love your remark about Ma Ingals. My daughter loves anything that has to do with the Ingals. I did a large unit study with her on the Little House series when she was younger and several years later, she is now a Jr in High School, she still rereads the books, watches the DVDs and often refers to what they did or would do. Great life lessons in those books!!

Jen said...

I love this! Our daughter got married last summer, and I did a lot of sewing for her wedding. At the last minute, I used my scraps to make a rag banner, which ended up playing a prominent role in the wedding and that I got so many sweet comments about! Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder! :-)

Happy week to you!

P.S. Proud momma moment: our daughter's wedding was later featured on the fun wedding blog, Style Me Pretty! Here's the link if you'd like to see some pictures--and the rag banner too! :-)

http://www.stylemepretty.com/2012/12/05/gettysburg-bb-wedding-by-abby-caldwell-photograph/

Lauren (in Savannah) said...

LOve garlands for the fireplace! I uae a pretty fall leaf garland in the fall and a pincone greenery one at Christmas but after that it looks bare.

Monica Wilkinson said...

Jen: WOW!!!!! Gorgeous!

angie said...

I adore the combination of those two Pinterest ideas. Since my Pastor's wife is focusing on the theme of "redeemed" for the upcoming brunch, I think this banner would be a beautiful addition. I don't know if we have enough fabric scraps to make the rag garland, but definitely the letters on book pages. What did you use as tracers for the letters?

Mrs. K said...

I also love your Ma Ingalls reference. Yes, I always look to Christ but in the ways of simplifying my life and being a mom and wife, Ma Ingalls is my gold standard. She (the way I think of her & know her) may be fictional but I always hold my "problems" up next to hers. Love the garland!