Faithbooking 2: Sacredness

this week's faithbooking class is about Sacredness, or Faith Defined. what is faith to me? what does it give me, when do i need it, where do i find it? i included a poem on the first page, though what you put there is up to you. perhaps a picture of your meditation space, church, holy book, yourself in prayer, maybe even a prayer that you've written out. the journaling on page 2 is how you define faith, whatever it means for you.

i realize that this is a very personal topic that we're scrapping here. i'm not saying you need to come to the class with your journaling already written or even planned. i'm just giving you the medium on which to preserve what you believe at this point in your journey. there is no right or wrong answer for this, and no one (least of all me!) is going to judge your beliefs.

i also realize that this layout may be somewhat challenging for some people, not only because of the subject, but the layout itself is challenging. all that space! (pam made me add the picture in the bottom right corner on page 2 - the original version has more space there.) for me, the whole layout is a definition of my faith and sacredness. i find my faith in the space between. between you and me, me and Him, moment to moment. my faith restores my personal space, balances my space, helps me find peace in my space, generally makes my space more live-able. faith is the white-space in my life that draws my focus to what really matters, puts everything back into perspective, and lets me breathe again. that's why there's so much space on this layout.

i urge you to give this layout a try. i really enjoyed making it. it's simple, with some fun techniques (painting, tearing, doodling, stamping), but i think the impact of the design is striking. it's simplicity is what makes it work.

i hope you enjoy this layout as much as i enjoyed creating it. hope to see you wednesday night! :)

ps - i'll post better pictures when i get them. we forgot to scan the layout before hanging it in the store. :(

on the first page is the poem Zero Circle, by Rumi.

my journaling on the second page reads:
faith is what you find at the end of your rope, when you're lost, confused and weak. it picks you up and carries you when you just can't do it on your own.
sometimes i'm too stubborn to admit that, and then i'm screwed. i need help sometimes, i admit. faith is a helping hand.
when i'm quiet and still, even - especially - in the chaos of my life... that is when i find my faith.
and my strength.

Faithbooking layout - Guideposts.

ok, i've finally gotten around to posting the layout for the first Faithbooking class at Cut N Paste. the first class was about scrapbooking those texts/verses/quotations that speak to your soul and help you along your journey.

the kit and instructions are available at Cut N Paste for $15. i'll post the next class's layout as soon as possible. thanks! :)

ps - the fun little technique on this layout, which you'll find in the corners. here's how to do it:

1. doodle lightly in pencil.
2. randomly punch holes along the doodles, using a variety of sizes of hand-held punches (Silent Setters also work nicely, especially if you want to go more than a couple inches from the edges).
3. erase the lines.
4. adhere a co-ordinating paper to the back of the layout. this will show through and give a nice contrast.
5. enjoy listening to all your friends asking "how'd you do that?" and making it seem infinitely more complicated than it really is. ;)

i clicked, i drooled, i scraplifted.

all i needed was an uninterrupted day, an inspirational blog, and a phone call from annie. ;)

i'm admitting it here, folks, sometimes, my layouts don't work out. and lately, this seems to be especially true when i use a sketch (i know, it gives me sadness, too). so, you should know, the reason it took so long to get the layout completed for the second Faithbooking class is because i did a layout already... and hated it! so i resolved to do it better. at first i thought i could salvage the original one, and improve it. but alas, that idea, yeah, not so good. so, i decided to just start over.

and the result is hanging up at CNP. it's called Faith. totally pared down and simplified, and i really like it. once i get a picture of it, i'll post it here. and i'm going to post the details about the class itself later tonight, or sometime tomorrow. in the meantime, pop over the CNP and check out the layouts for the Faithbooking courses (and sign up for the next class, or pick up the kit for the first class). talk to you later! ;)

Faithbooking... the course

i don't know how many of you know this already, but i'm going to be teaching a course at Cut N Paste, starting 10 September. it's a course on Faithbooking, scrapbooking your faith. classes will be every third wednesday, with samples in the store (and on my blog) at least 2 weeks ahead of time. here's the schedule:

1. Sacred Words. our favourite verses, passages/texts, quotations.
2. Sacredness. spirituality/faith defined. "what i believe."
3. why i believe. "faith gives me..." "faith makes me..."
4. my spiritual heritage. what my family believed. where i come from.
5. my spiritual legacy. core beliefs i wish to pass on.
6. my spiritual role models.
7. "i feel closest to the Divine (or whatever you call It) when..."
8. my sacred spaces
9. "I Know This Much Is True." my sacred truths.

i'm trying to keep this course as "spiritually neutral" as i can, so that as many people with as many different belief systems can participate. granted, i'm an evangelical christian, but if you're muslim, agnostic, catholic, jewish, or "miscellaneous" (as rev lovejoy calls it), please feel free to join us.

if there's any topics i've missed that you feel would be beneficial or important to preserve creatively, please let me know, and i will do my best to accomodate you. but there's the list as it is now.

i've included a link to CNP's website on the sidebar. check it out for the calendar and class descriptions. and if you're interested in the course, please feel free to visit Cut N Paste in St Thomas and sign up. hope to see you there! :)

ps - i'll also post the samples here, as they become available.