wigs

https://www.paulayoung.com/buy-paula-young-whisperlite-celebrity-wig-379031?bid=entry_collection^recently_viewed^379031

The Savior in our Grief

This was shared by Melissa Triplett  at the WW conference in Provo on Friday - she gave me permission to share it here :

Think about what others have said about your loss. Phrases that start with "At Least..."

"At least he isn't suffering anymore." "At least he is no longer battling addictions. He's free now"

Christ never said "At least." He has never edited my pain, trimmed it down to something more acceptable-more spiritually comfortable. He has never asked me to be grateful for my grief.  He does not rush my hurt towards a silver lining. He does not correct my tears or shame my questions. He does not flinch at my pain. 

He sits where hurts. He lets the silence stretch and tears fall without needing an explanation. He lets grief speak it's native language. With heave groans, sobs and wordless prayers that ache their way Heavenward. He doesn't say "At least this happened for a reason."

He says "Blessed are those that mourn"

He does not say "At least you are strong"

He says "Come unto me all that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

There is no minimizing in His presence. No pressure to be ok before I am healed. Only a Savior, acquainted with grief who never asked me to apologize for my raw and naked grief. 

How do we move forward? By reaching our hand towards our Savior and asking him to walk with you. By waking up each day and deciding to be a fireweed and not the ashes.

wc journals

Light Wish brand on Amazon 

Mendenhall

Canson

Colors and Color Mixing

I created this for the watercolor class I teach.  It shows which direction the warm and cool of each primary leans.  For example, a warm red leads orange/yellow while a cool leans blue/purple.  When mixing a secondary, if both primaries lean toward that secondary color, it will be vibrant. If one leans towards and the other leans away, it will be slightly dulled.  If they both lean away, then the color is more neutralized and can look gray or brown.  For a vibrant orange, you need warm red and warm yellow. For a vibrant green, you need cool yellow and cool blue. However, for a vibrant purple, you need cool red and warm blue. 

As far as determining which specific colors or pigments are warm or cool, if I can't determine it visually I will typically look it up on the brand's web page.  I downloaded a PDF from Daniel Smith that lists all of their colors and whether they are warm or cool.

Cool to me would be a color with blue in it, I think of the sky, the water.  Hot, warm tones , I   think of the sun, yellows, oranges.  A cool red   (  alizarin crimson, has  blue in it.  )  A warm red  has yellow in it, more orange.  (Cadmium  red light.     Cadmium orange )

Take a look on this site, lots of good in depth info, http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/water.html

If you have questions like this I find the www.handprint.com site is great for such information. Bruce Macevoy spent years researching watercolour pigments and their behaviour. He has info on a primary palette secondary palette etc. Pity he stopped quite a few years ago, so some brands and extra colours have appeared since then but it’s still my go to guide!

Easiest way to explain warm and cool colours...All colours in nature go blue grey in the distance and they go cooler...Warmer colors are closer to the viewer....  eg ..cool yellow will have a greenish tinge where a warm yellow will have a orange tinge...green brown is cool  ..a red brown is warm.

Mix burnt sienna with Ultramarine Blue for natural, non-muddy shadows.

tips for saving $ in WC

I use up left over paint on my mixing palette and paint onto watercolor paper or even cardstock. I use the painted papers for- 

Mixed media base 

Gel printing

Card components - use to layer,

   stamp images / backgrounds 

Tags - for gifts, altered books, 

   layers for greeting cards, etc.

Bookmarks (I like to buff with 

   art wax to keep the color from

   transferring with damp fingers

   onto the book)

Postcards (same buffing with 

   wax to protect image thru

   the postal service

Endless possibilities!

When mixing neutrals, I do it on a plastic cover or a small ceramic plate that I just reuse without cleaning. One part is cool neutral, and the other part is warm. I might even just clean my other palettes into this if I need to clean them. All useful for doing value studies.

Good Will store for pallets & cute brush holders!!

Great palette / color pans can be found at Asian stores. 

Have more than one pallet  so that you can save mixes you used for one project for a different project, so the paint doesn't go to waste. 

When you reach the point where you do need to clean the pallet, make pallet cleaning abstracts on cheap paper and use them for backgrounds for crafting or for note cards. Liquefy the leftover paint when it's down to a reasonable amount and wipe it onto other paper with paper towels in nice abstract smushes.

Never throw your empty tubes in trash. Take scissors, cut open the tube and place in a container with lid. Add a little water and mix. You will have a lot of paint coming out of the empty tube.

I have so many paint pallets that I have all the paint I have used so far. Let it dry and use those paints before adding more onto a clean pallet. I have paint tubes bc I prefer to have it already wet to start with…but i let them dry on pallet and then work from those paints till they are gone. Rinsing your pallet after every painting wastes a lot of paint. I buy smaller watercolor paper blocks to take on the go and I keep the larger paper at home for bigger pieces. Also cutting the larger ones in half helps conserve paper and paint. I only have one pad of arches paper that’s pretty large, so I cut those down, but the blocks are good sizes so I leave them alone.

Paint small paintings 4x4, 4x6, 5x7.  Cut them out of larger 100 percent cotton paper

I use the (clean) tops of pizza boxes as a work area to tape my paper to. They work great and are very sturdy. Can recycle them when (IF) they ever wear out.

Paint: 

- Instead of a full set, get only your favorite pigments across brands that you’ll really use. 

- Don’t fall for fancy pigment names, check pigment numbers and properties before buying a new pigment. The same pigment can have different names across brands. 

Paper:

- Even if you love Arches,  maintain a economical cotton journal/sketchbook (Bee Creative sketchbook, Etchr, ArtBeek, Baohong) for regular practice. It is freeing, encourages exploration (new styles/techniques/subjects) and painting more often. 

- Choose a paper that matches your needs of the project (styles, pigments and techniques you’ll be using). Makes painting enjoyable and yields better results. 

Ruling pen: 

- easy masking application and cleanup

Cut a foam drink koozie or pool noodle so brushes can dry tip down. Cut slits in the top and slide brush into slit so it hangs down. 

I buy Arches 10x14 and cut it to 4 5x7s

Declare Truth

If you search for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints online, you will quickly notice something.

The loudest voices are often the most opposed.

Search results, headlines, and comment sections are saturated with criticism, half-truths, and distractions that rarely resemble what members actually believe or how they live their faith.

That did not happen by accident. Controversy travels faster than context, and outrage spreads more easily than truth.

And quietly, steadily, something else has been happening too.

Across social media, podcasts, blogs, comment sections, and one on one conversations, many ordinary Latter-day Saints are choosing a different response. Not by shouting back, but by shining light.

They are putting forward truth, context, and Christ centered faith.

Not with anger.

Not with sarcasm.

Not with attacks.

But with scripture.

With history.

With lived experience.

With testimony of Jesus Christ.

These efforts may never dominate search results overnight. They may never go viral in the way controversy does. But they matter deeply.

Every thoughtful post.

Every respectful reply.

Every clear explanation of doctrine.

Every invitation to read the Book of Mormon and ask God.

Truth does not require volume to be powerful. It requires light.

And light spreads quietly, steadily, and persistently.

I am grateful for those who choose to show up online the same way disciples are asked to show up everywhere else. With patience. With humility. With confidence in Christ.

If you are one of those voices, thank you.

And if you are simply trying to learn, know this. The restored gospel is best understood by sincere study, honest questions, and a willingness to seek God directly.

Truth has a way of finding hearts that are open.

What have you seen or experienced that helped you better understand the Church or draw closer to Jesus Christ?

⸻

Here are just a few of the many voices choosing to share light, context, and faith centered truth about the restored gospel.

 

1. Saints Unscripted

Clear, calm explanations of Church history, doctrine, and culture that help seekers understand what Latter-day Saints actually believe.

https://saintsunscripted.com

https://www.youtube.com/@SaintsUnscripted

 

2. Scripture Central

Thoughtful scholarship on the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and Restoration scripture, with historical and doctrinal depth.

https://scripturecentral.org

 

3. Come Back Podcast

Honest stories of faith, repentance, and return centered on Jesus Christ and lived discipleship.

https://www.comebackpodcast.org

https://www.youtube.com/@ComeBackPodcast

 

4. FAIR

Careful, sourced responses to difficult questions showing that faith and serious study belong together.

https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org

5. Interpreter Foundation

In depth articles and research on scripture, doctrine, and Church history for readers seeking deeper study.

https://interpreterfoundation.org

 

6. Follow Him

Weekly Come, Follow Me discussions that keep Christ at the center while engaging scripture with warmth and insight.

https://followhim.co

https://www.youtube.com/@FollowHimPodcast

 

7. BYU Religious Studies Center

Academic and devotional resources that help bridge scholarship and everyday discipleship.

https://rsc.byu.edu

 

8. Book of Mormon Central

Historical, literary, and doctrinal context supporting the Book of Mormon’s claims and teachings.

https://bookofmormoncentral.org

https://www.youtube.com/@BookofMormonCentral

 

9. Church Newsroom

Official information from the Church that helps separate doctrine and fact from rumor or misrepresentation.

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org

 

10. Everyday members who share faith online

Parents, converts, lifelong members, and seekers who quietly share scripture, testimony, personal experience, and invitations to come unto Christ.

None of these voices claim perfection. What they share is sincerity, effort, and a desire to point people to Jesus Christ rather than noise or outrage.

⸻

For me, this is not theoretical.

Over time, I have learned that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not shared best through volume or confrontation. It is shared the way Christ shared it. With calm confidence. With patience. With truth spoken plainly and without fear.

Jesus did not force belief. He invited. He taught. He testified. He allowed others to choose. Even when opposed, He responded with clarity and peace rather than outrage.

I have felt that same peace when I choose to share the restored gospel that way. When I speak honestly about what I believe. When I point people to scripture. When I invite them to read the Book of Mormon and ask God directly. And when I trust the Spirit to do what no argument ever can.

There is quiet power in sharing truth without contention. There is confidence in knowing the gospel does not need defending through anger. It needs living. It needs light.

Christ still leads this way. And when we follow Him, peace accompanies the message.

That peace has been my witness that this is His work.

#OneMansDeclarationofChristsLove

poem on dying

GONE FROM MY SIGHT

A ship, at my side, spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts for the blue ocean.

She is an object of beauty and strength.

I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says, ‘There, she is gone.’

Gone where?

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast, hull and spar as she was when she left my side. And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me — not in her.

And, just at the moment when someone says, ‘There, she is gone,’ there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, ‘Here she comes!’

And that is dying…”