“Les Fleurs Antique” Clip Art, Scrapbooking Digital Kit Coming Soon!

french garden art, scrapbooking, clip art, digital art kitThank you each and everyone that has emailed me to say you’ve missed my blog and hope that I’m okay!  I have been absolutely buried under deadlines for my new fabric line with Fabric Editions that will debut in September.  It’s called "Chocolate Love" and when I can finally show you the previews I’ll let you know.  It will be available in fine quilt shops all over the USA but I don’t know about the company’s distribution outside of America.

I have been working on a new multi-set collection for a while now and finally have the first set compiled.  There will be at least two art kits and possibly 2 paper packs. 

ivy, quilts, quilted stitching, antique french wallpaper digital clip art kitThese digital art kits were inspired by a magazine spread I saw some years ago about antique French wallpapers.  The papers they showed had such an amazing, faded, distressed but incredibly elegant feel to them.  I’ve tried to capture that feel while designing a contemporary art kit that woud be useful for creating greeting cards, crafts and scrapbooking.

I will have two more previews tomorrow along with a freebie as a way to say "Thanks for your patience!"  There are so many days when I wish I had a clone, but then I’m reminded about how much trouble I have managing and controlling myself let along another "rogue me!!!!!"  I guess I’ll just have to limp along.

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY: Ps 126:4-6  Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negev.  Those who sow in tears  will reap with songs of joy.   He who goes  out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.   NIV

DEVOTION FOR THE DAY:

I am fast approaching the "empty nest" phase of my life and though I have read about it and walked through it with many a friend, nothing in life can prepare you to go through it until you do.  I always try to be honest and share my struggles with my readers, with the hope that there might be a little encouragement to those that are experiencing the same thing I am.

What am I struggling with?  One issue is the changing roles in my life.  I’ve invested hugely in raising my children.  I’ve loved every minute and have also enjoyed letting them go when the time is right.  So it isn’t that I won’t let them grow up, but rather that I enjoy our friendship/relationship so much it’s hard to realize I won’t have that available every day.  Our family is close.  We share our struggles with our kids and vice versa.  The reality is that it is so much more easily done when you see them every day.  Now I have to work much harder at keeping connected and staying close with my kids (and I’m really lousy about making phone calls :-)!)

I also am struggling with a doubly great loneliness, as my "empty nest" also includes that my husband has a new job that requires him to travel extensively.  I’m going from a built in social network of dearly loved friends to working hard not to become isolated.  This requires a total change in my daily schedule and weekly planning.  I’m still not sure exactly what I need to do, but the Lord has convinced me that He’ll help me to figure it out! 

Are you struggling with unforeseen changes to your life (or maybe changes you should have seen and prepared for, but have been pretending weren’t going to come?!)  Have you lost a mate, a career or another loss that has left you reeling?  Do you desperately want life to "go back to normal" but know that it’s a normal that will never exist again?  The Lord is teaching me to allow myself to grieve the changes — and don’t pretend that it doesn’t hurt.  He’s helping me to feel the pain of a losing a life I really enjoyed and treasured and still trust that He has a "new normal" life that He has prepared for me to walk into. 

PRAYER:  Lord, if I had the choice I just might want to go back and stay in the place that I’ve enjoyed for many years, but I don’t have a choice.  Life is moving on.  Life is making changes for me, that I’m not sure I would choose to make for myself.  Help me to feel the pain of that loss, grieve for it, but also let it go and not try to clutch at the past and hold it close.

Help me to find at least a little bit of joy and excitement as I ponder the future that lies ahead.  Help me to make practical changes in my life and routine that will help me cope with my "blues."  Show me new ways to keep in touch with those I love and help me find new relationships and friendships that will be a blessing to me as well as the new people you will bring into my life.  Most of all Lord, thank you for walking me through this difficult stage in life and that you have promised you will NEVER leave me or forsake me!  AMEN 

13 thoughts on ““Les Fleurs Antique” Clip Art, Scrapbooking Digital Kit Coming Soon!”

  1. Pretty new kit! I can’t wait ’til then, but I guess I’ll have to 🙁 No I’m going back to actually read your Blog entry. LOL

  2. No wonder Lambie beat me to posting. She didn’t read yet. Of course if you are still doing contests posts the beginning ones don’t seem to win.

    Anyway, I like the new kit-especially the colors. Glad you’re back and posting.

    Finally, good luck dealing with the changes. I know just what you mean-mine’s not an empty nest one but the are plenty of changes in the offing (sp?) that I’m not too sure about either. We’ll just have to trust God together and pray a lot. 🙂

  3. AJ, I love your new sets!!! They are beautiful. About the other…I, too, went throught some very abrupt changes in my life a whil back. It seemed like everything just kept coming and coming until I thought I would not be able to handle one more day. I said to myself everyday (sometimes several times a day) the the Lord does not put on us what we cannot handle. I really worried about His confidence in me and my abilities.

  4. Ann you are so right. When the ex left I truly did not think I could get through it but He gave me the strength to do what I needed to and come out on the other side.

  5. AJ, I too love your new sets. I also enjoy reading your blog and have missed it. Oh, the changes that come our way–all we can do is trust God, follow His leading as He promised to see us through all our trials and hard times–never promised that we wouldn’t have them! Praise His Holy Name!!!

  6. This is a lovely set, AJ! I love all your work, but I can hardly wait to see your new fabric, as I am a seamstress!

    Sorry to hear you are struggling, know that we are all out here in “cyberland” if you need someone to talk to!
    Valarie

  7. AJ,

    It’s all I can do to type through my tears. As you know I am going through many changes myself and searching my own new normal.
    Your prayer is perfect for me to pray right now & for the coming days ahead.
    Paul and I had grown quite comfortable in our “empty nest” – but when we got together with our daughters who both live in other states – it always took us a couple weeks to get back into our routine. Our daughters are struggling with finding their way without their dad in their own “empty nest” that was “our” family as they grew up. They are now creating their own Nests, but still found comfort in coming HOME and for us to be part of their Homes.
    Without Paul as my anchor in my world now, I find this house, this nest, so uncomfortable and yet in many ways “peaceful” too. Strange how feelings and grief work. But I also know that the Lord will see me through and that Paul himself will be beside me always in my heart.
    Your new art and new ventures all sound wonderful and I am happy for you that your talents and good thoughts and prayers are being shared with us all in so many corners of the world. I will pray too for you that you will find new joys, and new experiences, that bring you happiness. Enjoy that new grandbaby too…they are always sure to give you a giggle and smile when you most need it.

  8. We empty nesters just have to develop new routines to get us through. I somehow found myself going full-time at work when I really wanted to be part-time. But it is really good. And it is nice not to have to worry about every dumb thing they do testing their new wings, just the ones they tell us about!! Kathy

  9. AJ, sooo glad to see you back. I understand your feeling very well concerning the empty nest sysdrome. I had just one son and I had been divorced since he was in kindergarten. Mark and I were soo close all those years that he was growing up. It was even traumatic the night he graduated from high school because I new it wouldn’t be long before he left for college. We made it through the summer and he left by himself going off to college. Tears were raining down my face – just as they are right now. It was the loniest feeling in the world. I cried and cried but I think he was a little homesick also because he called home every night and came home every weekend. I knew I had to let go but I just didn’t know how. But as the first year went on we got used to it and each year he came home less often than the year before and we had finally made peace with it. He is now 34 years old, a fine upstanding young man, whom I am very proud of. He has a wife and 2 children to whom he is a wonderful father. We just don’t have a choice, as much as we love them we have to let go.

    I’m so sorry Steve is having to travel a lot but hope that will change before long. At least you have plenty of work to do and that should help the time past faster. If you ever need someone to talk to just give me a call. I would love to talk to you. You are my inspiration!

  10. AJ, your posts are always so meaningful and
    insightful. Thanks for posting these articles.
    My heart goes out to LibMary.

  11. I’m teary eyed…and my empty nest will not happen for about 6 years now! 🙂 I will keep all you ladies in my prayers…that your lives and hearts will be filled with the Holy Spirit. And I love the new set, AJ! I’m from the French part of Louisiana and I just love anything “fleur”. Thanks!!

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