Figuring It All Out

Over Christmas I received a drawing tablet for my laptop!

It's a wonderful little thing that allows me to draw on my laptop using their "pen" they provided. Using it is not difficult at all, it's the program I'm using Corel Painter X.
That's the most difficult part, figuring out what all the little buttons do and how to get the effect I'm looking for.
I have only started using digital art, I have been drawing for years. It's always been a hobby of mine.
It seems to be a surprising hobby for a woman with no fingers I'll admit *laugh* but it never stopped me.
Apparently the Lord gave me a gift and the personality (some would say sheer stubbornness) to not give up, no matter how steep the climb.
At one point I had my work up for sale at a local art gallery, but I had to reclaim it when the gallery went under construction and the owner wanted to charge too much (in my opinion) for my illustrations.

I use ink and dip pens, as well as pencils. Colours have always been an issue with me - but I was able use watercolour pencils to do a faint wash.
A lot of my illustrations were inspired by the artwork in Brian Jacques "Redwall" series. The ink illustrations and the wonderfully cute "critters" (as my mother calls them) were a great reference to help me learn shading and cross-hatching.



Another one of my techniques I use is "blocking". In which I block areas of shadow to make the image more whole. The drawing below is a Tiger Lily, my reference was a photograph of one. The trick is to squint at the reference image, and you'll see where the blocks of shadows are!
My digital art is much less...ah..perfected. I'm not a perfectionist, but I am a detail freak, so once I create something I'm not embarrassed of, I might just post it on here!

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

~ Jenny

Wow, That Was Fast!

I still cannot believe it!
I have my wedding dress! I really thought I would wait, and look around a bit before I bought it but, when I tried it on, I fell in love with it.
I wish I could tell/show you what it looks like, but I know Jeremie frequents my blog and I wouldn't want to ruin it for him! Lol!
Unfortunatly, I don't have it with me. We've ordered the dress and as it's coming from China will take up to a good six months.
It was almost surreal trying on my first wedding dress - - every little girl dreams of the wedding, then it's the dress.
We watch movies, look at magazines and dress up dolls waiting for the day we can put on our own.
My mother said the same thing, how the first few dresses she was too suprised to really have a reaction.
"I stil see you as this chubby little baby!"

It was amazing for me, but I can only imagine what it must be like for my Mom and Dad, they've bought their daughters their wedding dresses. I know it must be a wonderful but hard thing to do as well.
It was a blessing to have my Dad there, and to be with me when I chose my dress.
My sister is my Matron of Honour and of course I wanted my Mother there, but my Dad had never been in a wedding dress store before - so it was a whole new expierence for him, but I'm pretty sure he enjoyed it!

I am going in today to get my measurements and finish the order, then I have a grueling 6 months to wait before I see my dress again.
But as the woman at the dress shop said: "You can come visit the original whenever you want!"
Lol, I don't know if I'll go to visit my dress..but who knows! I just might! ^.^

I've decided to wear bright red shoes under my dress, for no perticular reason other then I love red and I think it would be fun to wear bright shoes under my gown.
I haven't picked a vail yet, but I still have lots of time.

After the dress shop I'll hopefully be meeting up with Nessa and then possibly going out for Chinese food with the family! Yay!

Well, I better get going! Lot's to do today!

~ Jenny

Of Fear And Hope

I am sitting in my school cafeteria as I write this, surrounded by talking, laughing happy people.
And I just had the scare of my life.
I was looking around, seeing everything but not looking at anything in particular and I looked up to this young man standing in the doorway, in a big black coat and large sunglasses, he had a large object in his hand, and from the side profile of him, and at a first glance looked like a barrel of a rifle.
Thank God only a few moments later he turned and I saw that it was filming equipment for the media students.

But it scared the heck out of me – I am not a paranoid or jumpy person, if anything I’m the exact opposite and don’t think enough about the dangers in certain circumstances.
But this actually made me start to shake, my reaction time was slow because I was so shocked at what I thought I had seen, so all I did was stare.

But it made me think: ‘What if it had been a weapon? What would I have done? What could I do?’
I don’t think I can be blamed for coming to the conclusion that a student has taken a gun into the school, what with all the school shootings lately.
I have found myself wondering ‘What’s stopping someone from doing that again?’

And that’s where my thoughts stop. I have to stop them, because I am told not to be fearful and it’s an unbased fear.
Or is it? I am torn between wanting to know that I am safe in my school, while at the same time I don’t want it to be like a penitentiary with metal detectors and police everywhere.
I come to the conclusion that all one can do is trust, and hope nothing like that happens; because as it is, there are no safeguards (that I’m aware of) against it.
Just last week there was a suicide in the residence of my college; a young man had OD’ed on pills and locked himself in his room.
And all of a sudden I look around the cafeteria and I wonder, how many of these people are on the edge? How many feel hopeless, lost and threatened?
It’s a terrifying and disgusting thought, I don’t want to think of my peers as potential threats, but what else can I do?
All I can do is ignore that fear, and trust in God.
Don’t misunderstand, I’m not fearful in my school or am constantly on edge about what people could do. But it’s the little reminders, and memories of the depravity that has happened in other schools and it makes me get nervous.

We are in an unstable world, where there is no set morality and right and wrong are mere shades of grey.
It is then that I find myself thanking God the most for His promises and assurances.
I have someone to lean on and to trust in, someone who will never let me down and never leave me. How many people can claim that? How many students can feel that sort of comfort in a world that tells them to go on feeling and emotion alone?

When a person has nowhere stable to plant themselves, the odds of cracking are huge, I believe that the pressures of the world are too much for a person alone.
I get frightened, but even in that I have hope. I know that everything is for a reason, and that I have the prayers of my family and friends over me.
And so my fear passes, I learn to trust a little more – and all those things that I cannot control, I know God can.


~ Jenny

Goin' To The Chapel

It appears that I have been meme'd!

I'm afraid I don't know enough people (yet!) to pass it onto, but I am willing to answer the 7 random fact about myself.

• As a child I wanted to be a vet
  
• I'm an aspiring artist, my forte' being dip ink child's illustration.
  
• I was going to go to Art school after I finished my Library diploma (until my plans changed slightly, and for the better ^_^ )
  
• I'm a high soprano and sing anything I can by Andrew Lloyd Webber
  
• A personal goal of mine is to be able to sew my own clothing, then husbands and children's eventually.
  
• I own a spinning wheel and have spun materials including: wool, cotton, silk, alpaca and camel underbelly!
  
• I'm a huge fan of the Grimm Fairy Tales and own a complete, unabridged edition I love and am systematically reading through each story.

So there we go! 7 things about me you didn't know and now do!

Last Saturday my mother, sister and I went to a Wedding Show. It was amazing! Not only how huge it was, but how almost every single detail of any wedding was represented there. Everything from venues, cakes, flowers, decoration, honeymoons, destination weddings, invitations, dresses. tuxes/suits and caterers.
We saw a fashion show, where I was able to get a few ideas of what I liked. I quite liked this one:
I liked the bodice and the little sleeves a lot. there was another dress I loved, but unfortunately forgot to photograph! Thankfully both of these dresses were represented by the same store which I hope to be visiting in a few weeks.

Although the whole thing was very interesting, the most amazing part was when I met these 3 people:

I am a bi-lateral amputee. I was born without fingers on both hands, excluding a small thumb on my right hand. How my thumb is positioned, any ring would fall off without too much effort. I had resigned myself long ago that I would never be able to wear rings.
That was okay, I was able to do pleanty of other things, so no big deal.
Well, it wasn't until I got engaged that I realized how much I missed being able to see my ring. Right now my ring is hanging off a beautiful chain around my neck, though to see it properly I need to almost cross my eyes! Lol!
My parents and I talked and we thought, that maybe, just maybe, something could be done so that I could wear my ring.
The Bridal Show was hosted by Jubilee Jewelers and a huge showcase had been set up right at the entrance of the show.
We were about to leave and my mom went over to the counter:

"You don't have any jewelers here do you?" She asked, not really hoping too much. She just expected there to be sellers.

The woman she spoke to smiled. "I am one."

My mom smiled back. "I need a master goldsmith.."

The woman pointed down at the showcase below her. "Those are my tools, I am the master goldsmith for Jubilee." The showcase was full of different tools and moldings, semi-precious stones and crystals. All tools of her trade.

My mom was ecstatic. "I have a challenge for you!" she grinned.

The woman (who we later learned was named Sandy) smiled politely. "Okay.."

My mom laughed "No,this is a real challenge.."

I came up behind my mom at this point and heard the conversation, I stood out from behind her and holding my hands together said: "I would like to be able to wear my wedding ring."

Sandy laughed then. "That is a challenge!"

We were amazed and touched by how quickly she dove into this, and how she tossed around ideas and thoughts. We found out that she belonged to no Jubilee store, and that she never saw customers. As she put it: "I'm just the one behind the bench!"
There would have been no way that we could have met her, and to have met her in the middle of a busy bustling Bridal Show, was pure God.
My parents and I were thinking of going to Montreal to make an appointment with a Birks jeweler if we ran out of options. But here right in front of us was this woman who wanted to help, was able to help and really had an interest. It was simply amazing!
The manager of one of the Jubilee stores was also working with Sandy and had overheard our whole conversation - - he too jumped in willingly, making suggestions and getting different rings, and figuring out what ring size I was.
He was so helpful and the kindness and willingness to help just radiated off of him, his name "Heartly" suited him very well I thought.
We spent a good half hour with Sandy and Heartly, and finally decided that if I wanted to wear my ring without fear of losing it, the best way would be to make a ring, attach a small chain to the ring, which would then also attach to a bangle I would wear around my wrist.

Sandy had no idea how to price this of course, I don't think she had done anything so custom. We decided that the best idea would be to make a "tester" out of silver and allow me a week or so to get used to the bangle/ring and see if I could actually use it!
The meeting is in two weeks, and I'll make sure to post pictures as soon as I have them.

Wow, didn't expect this to be so long! I better stop now or I'll have a novel!

Blessings,

~ Jenny

New Pet

Well, it appears that we have gotten (unknowingly) a new pet. My parents and myself were at Costco the other day and we noticed the "Roomba".

It's a funny little gizmo that moves around picking up dirt. Basically a AI vacuum; he is very smart and will weave in and out of chair legs (though he does bump into them), senses drop offs and stairways (so he doesn't go rolling off a cliff) and even has a dirt detector. (when he senses dirt he spins on it, making sure he gets it all.)

It made me realize what a techo-gadget person I was! I really wanted to see this little guy in action. Somehow or another we ended taking one home - I think it was mostly out of curiosity to see if the proclamations on the box were all they boasted to be.

Eagerly I set it up and was amazed at how effective and smart this small disc was. He makes a good humming noise, followed occasionally by a "thunk!" which means he's discovered another chair leg or a table.

The humming is pretty quiet, it's there, but not nearly as noisy as a regular vaccum.

Clearly I liked this little machine too much as it prompted my mother to remind me:

"Jen, it's not a new pet."

Well technically no, it's not. But it eats! (dirt) it sleeps! (charges) and it seemes to like bugging our dog. (who has taken on the new Roomba as an enemy) and I have cheerfully named it "Bob", just because the name seemed to fit.

*laugh* Well enough talk about Bob, I have been waiting for time all week to finish some of my sewing. I am turning an old pair of overalls into a dress, and making some old ties into funky cuffs and collars! :D
So, if I'm going to do that I better get started.

~ Jenny

A Beginning...

Hello, my name is Jennifer and this is my blog.
I used to have one a little while ago, but I half lost interest and time. It wasn't until my mother started blogging that I began to think about re-starting my blog once again.
I have to admit, it was a little odd teaching my mother how to use blogger, (especially now that she has way surpassed me in blogging knowledge) as well as editing/uploading pictures, and figuring out how to customize her blog.
Then she began blogging! It was amazing! These long beautifully written blogs! I had no idea my mother was such a skilled writer.
She inspired me that it was worth it to blog; the people you met, the things you learned, and the little activities you could do really caught my eye. I didn't know half of this stuff existed!
It was like opening to a whole different cyber-culture, and I was greatly interested.
My mother encouraged me, and now here I am, starting a blog based purely on my life and experiences.

I am a 20 year old Christian woman, I'm engaged to the love of my life, and I am mere months away from graduating college as a "Library and Information Technician."
I really enjoyed my course, and as it as very versatile I have a lot of choice concerning where I decide to work full-time and start my career.
I have experience in academic libraries, business libraries, public libraries and government libraries. I have been blessed enough to have been given many different experiences, and now I just need to pick one.
Oddly enough, out of all those different libraries what I seem to be most drawn to is to become a Children's Librarian.
I have a book addiction (naturally) and even though there are no little ones in my family (Yet! Just a few more months before I become an aunt!) I already own quite a few children's books, both fictional and picture.
So perhaps I'll pursue that.
As I've said, I'm engaged, and fairly recently, as it was just over Christmas that it happened. My fiancee', Jeremie, is becoming a welder and finishing up his apprenticeship in Alberta.
He is french-Canadian and, though I myself am not bi-lingual I am hoping that he will be able to teach me french, and one day, our children.
Thankfully, I was my sisters maid-of-honour at her wedding and experienced everything that has to be done first hand. Yet even that didn't prepare me for having to plan it all myself.
Thank goodness for an organized mother and a willing (soon to be) mother-in-law!
The wedding technically, isn't for another 16 months, which seems like an enormous amount of time, but I know that I will be thankful for the time nonetheless.
I am already planning on attending a Bridal Show this weekend, and I am very exciting.
There's always that thrill of trying on a wedding dress for the first time, and I can't wait!

Well I better go before this gets too long.

God Bless,
~Jenny