forgiveness project

today's project is very involved.  it has a lot of pictures.  i have some in progress pictures, some finished pictures, and some in between pictures (which is definitely different than in progress pictures).  

...just giving you a heads up here :D don't want you to be overwhelmed or anything.

anyway.  this project also means a lot to me.  i created it specifically so i could have a visual reminder of a really tough time i went through about two years ago.  things weren't going well with some people in my life, and i was really hesitant to forgive them for the things they'd knowingly said/ done, and for what they unwittingly said/ done to hurt me.  but it still hurt.

and i still needed to go through the act of forgiving them, even though it seemed to be the complete OPPOSITE of what i should and wanted to do.  but i knew it was the right thing (don't you hate it sometimes when you know what the right thing to do is, and you really really REALLY don't want to do it, but you know it will be good for you, so you 'have' to do it anyway?  yeah, that was me.)

so, i created this reminder for me--that no one is perfect, that forgiveness actually loosens the grip that another person has had on you (usually without them even knowing it), and that you can move on with your life.  most, if not all the quotations that i included in the project come from the book "Boundaries" by Townsend and Cloud.  it has been life-changing.  literally.  i suggest "Boundaries" to everyone i know.  again, because no one is perfect.  we all have work to do.

i recently talked with a friend about forgiveness which was perfect timing since i needed to remember my own advice.  but also, since i've made this (quite a while ago but never posted) i've had lots of people ask me about it, and it's always good to explain the purpose behind the prettiness.  because when we create (scrapbooking/ cards/ layouts/ keepsakes) we're expressing a part of ourselves.  and that's good.  but sometimes we forget.

so, this is me.  

my pictures aren't edited (again, the whole "there's a lot of them and i might be kind of lazy" thing) and might be slightly out of order, so i'll do my best to provide explanations.  i think a few of them might even require you to tilt your head to see them properly (*smiles sheepishly/ falls to knees to beg for mercy*)

i'd LOVE to know what you think, or if you've ever created something along these lines (kind of as a healing process) and if you HAVE, could you share a link?  i'd absolutely enjoy seeing your project!

ok, here we go...

first i gathered up supplies in pink, blue, black and green.  i'm talking MUCHO supplies.  i gathered more than i thought i would need. (this doesn't even show close to what i collected)

then i did some arranging.  some background squares were darker, and some had borders or pretty parts i wanted on display, so i messed around with my format.

and then i piled on the embellishments.  and i mean PILED.  there were so many parts to each square that i wish you could see in person, because it's awesome (if i do say so myself :D)

here's an example of one of the squares before it went back into it's designated 'slot' in the scheme of things.  i used quotations in a diagonal way, so some of the squares had a reminder about forgiveness, and others didn't.  this one says:

Your freedom in Christ cannot be dependent upon others whom you have no right or ability to control.

like i mentioned before, some of the quotations i put in this project were things i NEEDED to hear, but not what i WANTED to hear.  sometimes i can be stubborn and bitter.

so that's what the finished square looked like from above.  i couldn't give you a supply list even if i tried, but the paper was a DCWV stack (very pretty!) and i used lots of Prima flowers and PTI buttons.

so on i went through the rest of the squares... creating as i went... sometimes stealing embellishments from different squares when i felt they fit better elsewhere.  basically, going with the flow.

i was definitely inspired to layer my creations via a blog that i read regularly by Christine.  she is the layering goddess!  i kinda had to force myself to pile on the embellies because they were all so pretty and i wanted to be able to see them.  but i love the impact they give.

one thing i do know... is that i could use Recollections flowers (the plastic-y/ epoxy type kind) in every.single.project.  they're fantastic.  if you haven't picked up a pack in EVERY SINGLE COLOR, then hurry to your local Michael's and do so.  like, leave now.  and go.

seriously.  go.


oh, you're back?  good.

some of the quotations on these squares that you can't read will be shared below.

this is where you have to do that head tilt-y thing.  my apologies again.  i know, i'm lazy.  i already said that.  just keep reading :D

i shared the quote in this picture with you already, but can i just point out how AWESOME that butterfly is?  it's awesome.  it's partially transparent.  and awesome.  just sayin'.

the green square has a quotation in in.  it reads:

The cross of Christ makes forgiveness legally and morally right.

again, stuff i needed to make myself remember.

this quotation (the silver bracket surrounds it) says:

Psalm 139: 23-24 “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.  See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.”

the above squares, especially the black background one, were super fun to glitz up.  the angel wings (a find from Jo-Ann's) are some of my favorites.

i used a Hambly transparency frame on the pink background square.  the quote above that square says:

Forgiveness means resolving to live with the consequences of another person’s sin. It means you let them off your hook, realizing that God does not let them off His hook.  Forgiveness is a crisis of the will, a conscious choice, a way to free yourself from the past.

oh, how this pierced my heart.  letting someone off my hook was not what i wanted to do.  i wanted to hold on to that pain, that hurt they caused and hold it against them for an indeterminate length of time.  it's still my MO, my default setting.  but i think i'm learning... that forgiveness does so much more for ME than it does for them.  they don't even have to know you've forgiven them.

here we have a fabulous transparent butterfly, a FLOWER, and lots of buttons and ribbons and glitter.  the quotation goes like this:

God says, “I want you to know something.  No matter what you do in life, I’m always going to love you.  You can be honest with Me and tell Me the truth.  I may not approve of everything you do, but I’m always going to love you.”

this was included because i needed to know in my HEART (not my head) that God loves me no matter what i do.  that includes the things that i need forgiveness for.  see, i told you none of us is perfect!

and lastly, this top edge square had the remaining quotation:

What is to be gained in forgiving is freedom.  You don’t heal in order to forgive.  You forgive in order to heal.  Forgiveness is to set a captive free and then to realize you were the captive.  You don’t forgive others for their sake, you do it for your sake.

the freedom part of this whole thing was the best ever.  like, after i forgave that person for the hurtful things they'd done or said, i had a completely different perspective... it was like i didn't need to include that hurt in our relationship anymore.  it's so true... forgiveness is for YOUR sake.  not theirs.

okay, so now back to the pictures where you don't have to turn your head sideways (sorry about that, i might fix/ edit those pictures someday).

these next few photos focus on the details.  the embellishments galore! (pure crafting heaven!)

hehe, little pom pom poking out :D

ooh, look at the dimension here!

butterfly.  *le sigh*

oh flower, how i love thee, let me count the ways.

so many random objects on my squares.  all good though.

here's where i started getting serious.  everything got lined up and glued down.  put the separator in position.

wait for it...

and here's the final product (the frame is something i found while browsing in Jo-Ann's... which is SUCH a bad idea for me.)

i hung the final product in the hallway leading to my living room at my old apartment.  right now it's in storage (how i miss it!) but will come right back out when i get a new place to live.  for now, i'm happy to just share it with you.

i can't tell you how happy creating this made me feel.  like i was going through a catharsis of sorts.  it was great.  i encourage you to do something special and meaningful for your life soon.  it can change you.

that's all of it.  again, not the greatest photos, but i think you kind of get the picture :D

let me know what you think!  i so appreciate your comments!
xoxo