Free PhotoBooks Giveway

So my sister turned me on to this awesome giveaway that was just too good not to share...  PhotoBookGirl is giving away a whole year's worth of free photobooks on her blog to one lucky winner.  Go check it out!
http://www.photobookgirl.com/blog/the-mother-of-all-giveaways-a-year-of-photo-books-dream-prize-package-from-mypublisher/

Congratulations to my Blog Hop Winner!

Congratulations to my blog hop winner...  Letha Richardson!

A great big THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to visit and leave such kind comments.  I appreciate each of you so much.  Below are the results of my random drawing (using the List Generator tool from Random.org):

There were 20 items in your list. Here they are in random order:
Letha
Connie
Glenda
Jo
Amanda
Joy
Cathy
Marion
Gill
Pattie
Lisa
JoAnne
Sam
Donna
Gigi
redjanfan
Cathee
Fairyrocks
Michelle
Beverley Baird
Timestamp: 2013-04-22 14:37:02 UTC

It's Blog Hop Time!

*** GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED ***

I am excited to participate the First Paper Traders Blog Hop. I hope it will be a way for you to get to know me and a few of the other group members better, see our art, and get a chance to win some nice prizes that are being offered along the way.  Maybe you'll even be inspired by what you see and want to join the group.

If you're new to my blog then let me introduce myself.  I'm Beckie and I live in San Diego.  I am one of the group moderators for Paper Traders.  I am a mixed media artist who is still learning a lot and interested in trying new techniques.  If you have some time, feel free to browse my blog to see some of the things I've created.  Or you can check out my Flickr as well.  I work full-time as an office manager for an insurance agency and I am definitely a detail-oriented, uber-organized type of person.  That's why art is such a welcome change of pace for me but also such a challenge.  I am trying very hard to get outside of the box and just be messy!  I think art is a great therapy for me.

For this blog hop, I am offering the following handmade folder filled with 8 coordinating ATCs that I created.  I have cherished these for some time now but am finally willing to share them with someone else.  I hope whoever wins them will enjoy them as much as I have.

Just comment below and provide a way for me to contact you and I will pick a randomly drawn name from those who leave a comment.  One entry per person, please.

The Blog Hop will be open the entire weekend of April 19-21, 2013.  Be sure to start at the Paper Traders Art Blog and follow the blog hop list of participating members below:

1. Paper Traders Art Blog
2. Bockel24
3. Art and Soul
4. Sunshine, Lollipops and Butterflies
5. Creative Solace
6. Art Beckons  <== You are here
7. Scrap Panda
8. Creative Musings
9. A Surcee Life
10. Textile Delights
11. Stampgram's Studio
12. Glenda's Art Escapes
13. FairyRocks

Have fun on your journey and I hope you'll come back to visit soon!

Paper Traders Blog Hop

I am excited to participate the First Paper Traders Blog Hop. I hope it will be a way for you to get to know me and a few of the other group members better, see our art, and get a chance to win some nice prizes that are being offered along the way.  Maybe you'll even be inspired by what you see and want to join the group.

The Blog Hop will be open the entire weekend of April 19-21, 2013.  Be sure to start at the Paper Traders Art Blog here http://papertraders-art.blogspot.com/ and follow the blog hop list of participating members, which will be posted later this week.

Each member will share a little bit about herself and offer either a handmade art piece or other quality prize that will be randomly awarded to blog readers who leave a warm, fuzzy comment.

Come back this weekend to start the artful journey!

Everyday Creativity

http://mypanera.panerabread.com

I recently read this article from Panera Bread about creativity and I thought it was worth sharing:
http://mypanera.panerabread.com/storiestips-view.php?id=100

Sometimes we feel stuck and that we can't create anything because our muse is gone.  But the author here shares five easy ways to spark your imagination instead of wasting time waiting around for an idea to develop.  Worth a read  =)

Congratulations to my OWOH winners!

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by during the One World One Heart event.  It was so much fun visiting everyone.  I hope I will have a chance to go back and see everyone's blogs and spend a little more leisurely time the next time around.

So now, it's time to announce my winners.  Drumroll, please....................
...................................

Winner #1 is Mitz!  As the first name drawn, Mitz will get first pick of one of my books.

mitz said...

... this is ** book-a-riffic** great give-a-way.. thanks for the opportunity mitz_zee@yahoodotcom

Saturday, February 12, 2011 3:24:00 PM MST

And Winner #2 is Shawkl!

shawkl said...

I love crafty books...and love fabric boxes! So, your prize is super for me! I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Happy OWOH! When you have a moment, come visit with me...and I'll be back here again too! Kathy www.shawkl.com

Monday, January 31, 2011 4:27:00 PM MST

Congratulations to you both and thanks so much for playing along!

One World One Heart offering...

http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com/a_whimsical_bohemian/one-world-one-heart-1.html

Welcome to my stop on the One World One Heart worldwide blog event!

This blog is my "home" on the worldwide web... Here, I share a little of my personal life and a lot of my artistic one.  I am a member of Paper Traders, an online artists community and most of the projects I do are for swaps with my fellow group members.  Thank you for visiting my blog.  I hope you will come back soon!

For my offering, I will be giving away one book to each of TWO lucky visitors - either The Wreath Book or Making Decorative Fabric-Covered Boxes.  Just leave a comment on this post and I will select two random winners on February 17th.  If you have a preference for which book you would like to receive, please indicate that in your comment.  Also, make sure I have a way to contact you if you win!

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED... WILL BE ANNOUNCING WINNER SHORTLY...!

Paper Traders

http://papertraders-art.blogspot.com/search/label/Home

As I'm sure you know, I am a member of Paper Traders - an online artists' community.  Several years ago, I became one of the group moderators along with my mom, Connie Holso, and Keron Lee - a wonderful artist from Melbourne.  Being a moderator can be challenging at times but immensely rewarding.  I have gotten to know so many talented and kind artists from around the globe who have inspired me with their creations.  Recently, Keron decided to step down as moderator for personal and artistic reasons.  In her place, Cathy Calamas from South Carolina has stepped up to the task of helping to make Paper Traders a fun and creative place to be.

With that goal in mind, we have jointly created a new blog just for the Paper Traders group - a public face for our private group.  This forum will give us a chance to show other artists what we are all about... and hopefully entice them to join in our artistic journey  =)   We'll have tutorials, free downloads, and galleries of our members' artwork.  I'll still have my personal blog here but I hope you'll have fun finding out what my art friends and I like to do in our spare time...

2011 One World One Heart blog event

One World One Heart is a worldwide event for bloggers only.  It gives all those who blog a chance to meet and mingle and form connections with those they may not have otherwise met from all over the world.  In the past 4 years this event has grown to over 1,000 participants with lasting friendships formed along the way.  It's like a gigantic open house allowing you to travel without ever leaving your home… going from blog to blog (in various countries), seeing the wonder each one has created, and meeting all the fabulous people behind those blogs.  As a bonus, each blogger participant will offer up a door prize just for dropping by, saying hello, and seeing their world.  It’s really that easy.  The fifth (and final) One World One Heart will begin on January 30 and run until February 17, 2011.  If you're interested in participating, click HERE for all the information.

I will each be offering something for the blog event - details will be unveiled when the event begins on January 30th.  I encourage you to join in the fun!

No Spam Allowed

Sorry, everyone, but I keep getting spam comments here so I have had to turn off posts from anonymous users and enable comment moderation.  I apologize for any inconvenience this might cause.  Thanks for understanding.

Yippee for Me - A New Book!

Today my mailbox held a fabulous prize... a new book, Stitch Alchemy, that I won from the beautiful and generous Kim!  I am so excited about this book because I have been wanting to learn these techniques of combining paper and fabric collage.  Thank you so, so much, Kim!!!

One World One Heart 2010

***** COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED - I'LL BE DRAWING OUR WINNERS SHORTLY...

Lisa "oceandreamer" Swifka started the ONE World-ONE Heart event in 2007. The original idea behind this giveaway event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people and, in the process, possibly win a prize along the way. This is more than wanting to win something - it's about finding kindred spirits. It transcends geographical location, social economics, political affiliation, religious beliefs... it's a coming together like the giant community we are on this planet. If only it took a simple giveaway to create PEACE everywhere! In the meantime, here we give from our hearts. We are not solving the world's problems nor are we curing anything nor are we changing the world. We are merely generating a closer community between humans through blogging. The mission of this event is to meet new people and them meet you. It is almost like being in a huge convention room where you meet and mingle - only the "hello my name is" badge is each persons blog.

I participated in this last year and it was so much fun! However, I almost didn't do it this year because I have been so busy but... I just couldn't help myself =) This year, I'm giving away some of my "stash" - fun items for paper collage. I laid these out on my bamboo floor mat for the photos... I guess that's kind of like a magic carpet, right?
There are 3 prizes up for grabs.

PRIZE #1 - Asian Ephemera:


PRIZE #2 - Specialty Paper Collection, includes handmade, mulberry, rice paper, etc:
(This prize will not be awarded to an international participant due to the real leaves, petals, seedpods, etc. that are in many of these papers)


PRIZE #3 - Tissue & Napkin Assortment:


You do not have to be a blogger to enter; just leave a comment below along with some way for me to contact you if you win (a blog link or email). I will draw 3 lucky names from all the comments on February 15th.

Please take some time to view my blog (or bookmark it for later =) and make sure you visit all the other OWOH participants! Have fun and GOOD LUCK!!

***** COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED - I'LL BE DRAWING OUR WINNERS SHORTLY...

Check out KC Willis...

KC Willis Studio offers on-line workshops where she teaches the basics of her techniques and inspires you to new creative heights: www.collagecamp.ning.com

There's also Mixed Media Mania where you take what you learned at Collage Camp and in these workshops KC teaches Altars and Shrines, Altered Books, and Works on Paper: www.mixedmediamania.ning.com

And for those of you already making art and wanting to know how you take it to the next level and get yourself a regional or national audience, she also has the super exciting Marketing Mindset: www.marketingmindset.ning.com

And if video workshops aren't your thing, how about KC Willis Live! You can take a multi-day class with KC in her very sweet Victorian studio house in Longmont, Colorado. Check it out at www.studioretreats.ning.com. (I'd really love to go there!)

(Okay, so if you've checked out KC's site, you'll see that this shameless little promo is my way of getting my hands on one of her FABULOUS hand-crafted creations... but I really am a fan of this gal's work =) Check out her blog, Lipstick Ranch, here: http://www.kcwillis.blogspot.com/

Apologies

For all my dear friends and those of you who have been kind and generous with your time... I realize that I have lately been slow to acknowledge and respond to your posts. After reading Rice's post on etiquette today, this really was brought to my attention:

"...Respond to correspondence in a timely manner. RSVP, for [goodness] sake. They sent you an invitation; the least you can do is let them know whether or not you plan to attend. Answer your emails, return the phone calls, respond to the texts. If you don’t have time to do these things, you must let people know ahead of time, as in, “Here’s my email address, Sally, and you may use it at your will, but you’re not important enough to me to make it likely that I’ll respond any time in the foreseeable future. Just so you know.” Like that. This is one of the toughest for me, as I always leave The Fun Email, the personal correspondence, for last. Like cake. I do all the work stuff first. So sometimes the wonderful personal emails languish in the inbox for days and days while I take care of work. And that’s a shame. And I’m going to try to do better. Really I am. Am I too stuck in my ways to learn to, at least sometimes, go ahead and eat dessert first? Or, sheesh: to even begin to eat dessert at all?"

This blog - and all of the people I have connected with through it - are my candy, the sweet treat that I save to give it the time to formulate a well thought out reply. And I look at my inbox and realize that I am very far behind! I am sorry. Life has been very busy for me lately but I will try to do better. Please know that I truly do appreciate every single comment I receive and I hope you will continue to come and visit me here =)

ARTIVITY Giveaway

My Paper Trader friend, Lorri has had quite a creative frenzy and is sharing some of her resulting treasures... check it out!

http://auslorri.blogspot.com/2010/01/giveaway-for-my-blog-followers.html

A Second (Medical?) Opinion

This morning I had my annual exam and since my GYN has started her own practice, I had to fill out a whole new patient profile including some pretty personal questions about my history.

I thought it was funny how my doctor seemed to think it was strange that I am not currently "active" in an intimate way (apparently no one is expected to uphold any kind of standards these days) and she even went so far as to suggest I try some internet dating in order to find someone with whom I can have a relationship. I told her I'd been down that road and was scared off by all the weirdos!

Any way, I read on Rice Freeman-Zachery's website today about some other internet dating fiascos that seemed to echo my own experiences... I laughed my butt off because it's just so sad and so true! You can read about them here: http://voodoonotes.blogspot.com/2009/12/internet-dating.html

Blue Christmas & Red Hot Thanksgiving

This week, my parents came to visit for Thanksgiving. I was so excited to have them come here! My mom is by very best friend and usually I only get to see her once or twice a year. My dad is a cool guy too and I love doing things with him. When I go home, we often go fishing together. This weekend, we took a drive up to the Florissant Fossil Beds and took a short hike - although the melting snow made the trail alternately slick and muddy. We had a yummy Thanksgiving dinner and did some Black Friday shopping too.

My mom shares my artistic interests and we do a lot of projects together, often participating in online swaps through Paper Traders or other groups. As I posted earlier, our Paper Traders group puts together a CafePress calendar each year. We had to come up with one more spread for December so mom and I watched a few of Teesha Moore's tutorials and then put our heads together for this collaborative creation using magazine ads:


I had so much fun with this! It is unlike anything I've ever done and was very freeing... I think I'll try doing an ATC this afternoon in the same style. Take some time to watch Teesha's how-to videos... she's so easy going with her art - I love it!


UPDATE: Our extra calendar page wasn't needed after all but there are still many lovely pieces of art to display, including my pear mosaic. If you're interested in a calendar, you can order one here: http://www.cafepress.com/PaperTraders.324251835

The Sweet Fruit of Patience

Every year our Paper Traders group puts together an art calendar produced by CafePress. Here is my submission for the upcoming 2010 Calendar (I think this will be for the month of September). I'll add a link here once they're available for purchase - the calendars are sold at the cost of production, there is no profit on these.

I did the paper mosaic of the pear last year but then lost my muse and didn't really know how to finish it. One of our calendar participants had to drop out at the last minute due to health issues so I pulled out this unfinished piece, added the side panels, the leaf, and the words... and I'm much happier with the results =)

BECOMING SAVIORS ON MOUNT ZION

Since I have continued to receive positive feedback in doing this, it's time for another installment of Beckie teaches Relief Society. The lesson below comes from the manual, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, Chapter 41. Entries in italics represent excerpts from the manual or other quotes, as indicated.

BECOMING SAVIORS ON MOUNT ZION

• Note how Joseph Smith and the early Saints grew in their understanding of the doctrine of baptism for the dead.
As the Saints moved forward with this sacred work, “it soon became apparent that some had long records of their dead, for whom they wished to administer,” recalled Elder George A. Smith, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. “This was seen to be but the beginning of an immense work, and that to administer all the ordinances of the Gospel to the hosts of the dead was no light task. Some of the Twelve asked Joseph if there could not be some shorter method of administering for so many. Joseph in effect replied: ‘The laws of the Lord are immutable; we must act in perfect compliance with what is revealed to us. We need not expect to do this vast work for the dead in a short time.’”

• Think about how the Saints might have felt when they first learned of salvation for the dead.
It seems apparent by their actions that they early saints were both excited about the work and also felt a great responsibility to it.

• What were your feelings when you first participated in ordinances for the dead?
I grew up in the Denver area before we had a temple here and our youth group used to take long bus trips to Manti to do baptisms for the dead. It was always a wonderful experience. The first time that I went, I was a bit overwhelmed by all the names there were to do – and by how fast the ordinance worker could say the words before dunking me in again for the next person on my list… there was barely time to catch my breath!
On many occasions, I experience a sensation that seemed to send both chills and warmth from the top of my head all the way down to my toes and I knew, in that instant, that someone was very happy that I had performed this service for them.

The doctrine of salvation for the dead shows the greatness of God’s wisdom and compassion.

• How does the doctrine of salvation for the dead show God’s compassion and mercy?
(Excerpt from: Why These Temples? by President Gordon B. Hinckley):
Was there ever a man who truly loved a woman, or a woman who truly loved a man, who did not pray that their relationship might continue beyond the grave? Has a child ever been buried by parents who did not long for the assurance that their loved one would again be theirs in a world to come? Can anyone believing in eternal life doubt that the God of heaven would grant His sons and daughters that most precious attribute of life, the love that finds its most meaningful expression in family relationships? No, reason demands that the family relationship shall continue after death. The human heart longs for it, and the God of heaven has revealed a way whereby it may be secured. The sacred ordinances of the house of the Lord provide for it. But all of this would appear to be unfair indeed if the blessings of these ordinances were available only to those who are now members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The fact is that the opportunity to come into the temple and partake of its blessings is open to all who will accept the gospel and be baptized into the Church. For this reason, the Church carries forward an extensive missionary program in much of the world and will continue to expand this program as widely as possible, for it has the responsibility, under divine revelation, to teach the gospel to “every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.” But there are uncounted millions who have walked the earth and who have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel. Shall they be denied such blessings as are offered in the temples of the Lord? Through living proxies who stand in behalf of the dead, the same ordinances are available to those who have passed from mortality. In the spirit world these same individuals are then free to accept or reject those earthly ordinances performed for them, including baptism, marriage, and the sealing of family relationships. There’s no compulsion in the work of the Lord, but there must be opportunity. This vicarious work constitutes an unprecedented labor of love on the part of the living in behalf of the dead. It makes necessary a vast undertaking of family history research to find and identify those who have gone before. To assist in this research, the Church coordinates a family history program and maintains research facilities unmatched in all the world. Its archives are open to the public and have been used by many who are not members of the Church in tracing their forebears. This program has been praised by genealogists throughout the world and has been utilized by various nations as a safeguard of their own records. But its primary purpose is to afford members of the Church the resources needed to identify their ancestors that they might extend to them the blessings that they themselves enjoy. They in effect say to themselves, “If I love my wife and children so dearly that I want them for all eternity, then should not my deceased grandfather and great-grandfather and other forebears have opportunity to receive the same eternal blessings?” And so these sacred buildings are scenes of tremendous activity, quietly and reverently carried forward.

• In what ways can this doctrine “enlarge the understanding” and “sustain the soul”?
There is so much to learn and understand about the Gospel and the Lord’s Plan of Salvation for us. Only by studying the scriptures and the words of the prophets will we be able to “enlarge our understanding” of these things.
The answers to our questions and the comfort they bring to us can “sustain our souls” and increase our faith in Heavenly Father’s love for us both collectively and individually.
This great plan of redeeming our dead solidifies this loving bond with our Father by helping us to know that every single one of His children is special and is given equal opportunity to live with Him for eternity.

We become saviors on Mount Zion by performing sacred ordinances for the dead.

• What does it mean to be a savior on Mount Zion?
“But how are they to become saviors on Mount Zion? By building their temples, erecting their baptismal fonts, and going forth and receiving all the ordinances, baptisms, confirmations, washings, anointings, ordinations and sealing powers upon their heads, in behalf of all their progenitors who are dead, and redeem them that they may come forth in the first resurrection and be exalted to thrones of glory with them; and herein is the chain that binds the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, which fulfills the mission of Elijah.”

• Why do you think it is impossible for our deceased ancestors to be made perfect without us?
(Excerpt from Gospel Library – Gospel Topics on LDS.org, Baptisms for the Dead):
Jesus Christ taught that baptism is essential to the salvation of all who have lived on earth. Many people, however, have died without being baptized. Others were baptized without proper authority. Because God is merciful, He has prepared a way for all people to receive the blessings of baptism. By performing proxy baptisms in behalf of those who have died, Church members offer these blessings to deceased ancestors. Individuals can then choose to accept or reject what has been done in their behalf. Jesus Christ said, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Even Jesus Christ Himself was baptized (see Matthew 3:13–17). Many people have lived on the earth who never heard of the gospel of Jesus Christ and who were not baptized. Others lived without fully understanding the importance of the ordinance of baptism. Still others were baptized, but without proper authority. Because He is a loving God, the Lord does not damn those people who, through no fault of their own, never had the opportunity for baptism. He has therefore authorized baptisms to be performed by proxy for them. A living person, often a descendant who has become a member of [the Church], is baptized in behalf of a deceased person. This work is done by Church members in temples throughout the world. Some people have misunderstood that when baptisms for the dead are performed, deceased persons are baptized into the Church against their will. This is not the case. Each individual has agency, or the right to choose. The validity of a baptism for the dead depends on the deceased person accepting it and choosing to accept and follow the Savior while residing in the spirit world. The names of deceased persons are not added to the membership records of the Church.

• Why do you think it is impossible for us to be made perfect without them?
John A. Widtsoe (“The Worth of Souls,” The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Oct. 1934, p. 189.):
“In our preexistent state, in the day of the great council, we made a[n] … agreement with the Almighty. The Lord proposed a plan. … We accepted it. Since the plan is intended for all men, we became parties to the salvation of every person under that plan. We agreed, right then and there, to be not only saviors for ourselves but … saviors for the whole human family. We went into a partnership with the Lord. The working out of the plan became then not merely the Father’s work, and the Savior’s work, but also our work. The least of us, the humblest, is in partnership with the Almighty in achieving the purpose of the eternal plan of salvation.” “That places us in a very responsible attitude towards the human race. By that doctrine, with the Lord at the head, we become saviors on Mount Zion, all committed to the great plan of offering salvation to the untold numbers of spirits. To do this is the Lord’s self-imposed duty, this great labor his highest glory. Likewise, it is man’s duty, self-imposed, his pleasure and joy, his labor, and ultimately his glory.”

God has placed upon us a great responsibility to seek after our dead.

• What is our great responsibility to “seek after our dead”?
(Read excerpt from: Michael Otterson, “In Search of My Dad - Online,” Ensign, Oct 2009, 58–61):
All Done? Some say, “My family history is all done.” Others say, “Uncle Fred is doing it all.” That’s a bit like saying, “I don’t go to Church, but that’s okay because Uncle Fred goes for me.” The fact is that we need to be personally engaged in family history so our hearts will be turned to our fathers. Then we will forge that welding link between our ancestors and us that is so important to the Lord. Think about it. We each have four grandparents and that doubles each generation. In 10 generations we have 512 “grandparents” – not counting the thousands of other family members they bore. In 16 generations, we have nearly 33,000 direct ancestors. Our family history hasn’t all been done – I guarantee it.

Elder Theodore M. Burton, Assistant to the Council of the Twelve, “Genealogy: A Personal Responsibility,” Ensign, Jan 1973, 52:
Stated, …in simple words, I say to every member of the Church that you have a personal, individual responsibility to become engaged in priesthood genealogical activity. The real impact of the priesthood genealogy program is one of individual responsibility. The actual work must be performed by individuals, not by organizations. What is everybody’s business is nobody’s business, so I must say that this work is your individual responsibility and each of you, as an individual, must become converted to this work as a personal responsibility. It is not my responsibility alone, nor that of your stake president, nor that of your bishop alone. It is not confined to the high priests. Neither is genealogy and temple work reserved for older people. It should not be put off until you retire or become too old and infirm to do anything else. Some persons have asked me, “Just what is my personal responsibility in this work?” I answer that your individual responsibility is to be, or to become, worthy to enter the temple of God to participate in ordinances of salvation for yourself and for others. Youth are to be baptized in behalf of the dead. Young adults are to receive an endowment of power and to be married in the Lord’s appointed way. Wives are to be sealed to husbands and have their children sealed to them for all eternity. Thus, just as you can be saviors for the living through active missionary work, so you are to qualify yourselves to become saviors for those who are dead who rely on you for help and assistance.

• What can we do to help children appreciate their family heritage and participate in temple and family history work?
What Young Adults Can Do (from Michael Otterson, “In Search of My Dad—Online,” Ensign, Oct 2009, 58–61):
I doubt there are many young adults who aren’t familiar with how to use a computer. The same isn’t true for many of their parents or grandparents. So I want to encourage you as young adults to do three things next time you are in their home. 1. Download. If your parents or grandparents have a computer with an Internet connection but don’t have an electronic family history program on their hard drive, go to www.familysearch.org and download a free copy of Personal Ancestral File (PAF) or other family history software for them. It will take you only a few minutes. 2. Tutor. If they have never done any family history work, sit down with them and get them to enter their own names into the software. Enter husband, wife, and children—no more for the moment—and just add the names, birth dates and places, marriage dates and places, and death dates and places. That will take about 20 minutes. Then encourage and help your parents or grandparents to gather up any written family history information from shoeboxes, scraps of paper, and pedigree charts and to begin entering it into the computer. In the weeks to come, help them with this goal. Once information is in an electronic format, you will be able to access the power of the Internet and amazing things can begin to happen as you search for your family history. If you do not know how to access this information from the Internet, a Church family history specialist should be able to help you. 3. Interview. If you can, use a digital recorder or digital video camera and ask your parents about their early lives and what they remember of their parents and grandparents. Do this in multiple sittings, but get it while you still have the blessing of living parents and grandparents. If you don’t have that opportunity, then try to gather this information from aunts and uncles or anyone of the previous generations. If you don’t do it, those memories will pass out of existence. Becoming involved in family history as young adults will turn your hearts toward your ancestors, enrich your temple experiences, and help to unite your family together forever.

Pose the following questions to the class:
• What experiences have you had as you have learned about your ancestors?
• How has your love for your family and your faith in God been strengthened as you learned about your ancestors?
• How has performing temple ordinances for your ancestors influenced your feelings about them?

Family Search Basics and FREE genealogical software available at FamilySearch.org

Closing

President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008), “Excerpts from Recent Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley,” Ensign, July 1997, 73:
“I hope that everyone gets to the temple on a regular basis. I hope your children over 12 years of age have the opportunity of going to the temple to be baptized for the dead. If we are a temple-going people, we will be a better people, we will be better fathers and husbands, we will be better wives and mothers. I know your lives are busy. I know that you have much to do. But I make you a promise that if you will go to the house of the Lord, you will be blessed, life will be better for you.”

Making It Up

I am one of the moderators for an online art community and sometimes we find ourselves put in a difficult position. Recently, a new member joined a collaborative project and received art from a couple of other participants but failed to contribute the work in kind that she was committed to do. We tried repeatedly to contact her with no response and were finally forced to make the difficult decision to boot her from the project and the group.

Having had one of my own art journals stolen last year, I felt empathy for the two artists who had made special journal pages for this woman and got nothing in return; I decided to make pages for their journals myself - even though I'm not signed up to participate in this particular project.

Above are the pages I made for a school-themed journal and below are the "Italian Affair" pages I did for the other one.