Sunday Gathering, February 14th // 9:30a

Valentines Day

Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. 

It originated as a Western Christian feast day honouring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and is recognized as a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.

There are a number of martyrdom stories associated with various Valentines connected to February 14, including an account of the imprisonment of Saint Valentine of Rome for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire in the third century. 

According to an early tradition, Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his jailer. Numerous later additions to the legend have better related it to the theme of love: an 18th-century embellishment to the legend claims he wrote the jailer's daughter a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell before his execution; another addition posits that Saint Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers who were forbidden to marry.

The Feast of Saint Valentine was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated on February 14 in honour of Saint Valentine of Rome, who died on that date in AD 269.The day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently by association with the "lovebirds" of early spring. In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion in which couples expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). 

Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. 

Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

In Italy, Saint Valentine's Keys are given to lovers "as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver's heart", as well as to children to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine's Malady).

Saint Valentine's Day is not a public holiday in any country, although it is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church. 

Many parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrate Saint Valentine's Day on July 6 in honour of Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and on July 30 in honour of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni).

Source 

Valentine Candy Hearts Tutorial Paintshop Pro

QUICK TUTORIAL

Open a 600 x 600 canvas in Paint Shop Pro 300pixels/inch

Make each candy using the full size of your canvas using preset circle and heart shapes

as shown on background of this image

Choose various candy type colours for the fills.
Arial Font 22 points
Eye Candy Extrude to creat the depth on edges, experiment with settings
Add Noise to create the texture on the candy. 

Save each of your candies in PNG format to add to your projects. 

Keep Smiling Busy Bees

Bring some enjoyment into your time at home whether in lockdown or not.

Just have fun. 

Ignite your creativity, no matter what you enjoy crafting or making with your own hands and imagination. Taking time to be creative is good for the soul. 

In this image creating Digital Art, Digital Scraps, Buzzing Bee and African Mask. 

Keep smiling even in these crazy days we are living in, find something to inspire you to be creative. 

I used the 2021 Pantone yellow for the background. Enjoy your creative skills.

January 6th Epiphany

Traditionally by the 6th of January, your Christmas decorations should be taken down. The twelve days of Christmas are drawing to an end. Hopefully your Christmas and New Year celebrations were blessed and happy. 

The 6th of January marks the last day of Christmas and is the day of Epiphany or Twelfth Night. 

Also know as Three Kings Day. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Mathew ii,11 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Days_of_Christmas

The 12 Days Of Christmas (Twelve Days of Christmas)

I hope that your Christmas is a blessed one! No matter where we are, Let us remember those Who are not so fortunate, Those who are ill or alone, And those that are working, In hospitals and care facilities, and Emergency services, and those serving and protecting our country. Take care, keep yourselves safe and Please don't Drink and Drive!!! The Twelve Days of Christmas (The 12 Days of Christmas) Start with Christmas Day and finish with the eve of Epiphany on 5th January. The Twelve Days of Christmas dates back to English origins in the sixteenth century although the music is reputed to be French. The first publication date for The Twelve Days of Christmas (The 12 Days of Christmas) was 1780. 

It is said that each of the The Twelve Days of Christmas has a religious significance and are symbolised following the lyrics of The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Silent Night - Christmas Eve

The origin of the Christmas carol we know as Silent Night was a poem that was written in 1816 by an Austrian priest called Joseph Mohr. On Christmas Eve in 1818 in the small alpine village called Oberndorf it is reputed that the organ at St. Nicholas Church had broken. Joseph Mohr gave the poem of Silent Night (Stille Nacht) to his friend Franz Xavier Gruber and the melody for Silent Night was composed with this in mind. The music to Silent Night was therefore intended for a guitar and the simple score was finished in time for Midnight Mass. Silent Night is the most famous Christmas carol of all time!. Silent Night Silent night, holy night All is calm, all is bright Round yon Virgin Mother and Child Holy Infant so tender and mild Sleep in heavenly peace Sleep in heavenly peace Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight Glories stream from heaven afar Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! Christ, the Saviour is born Christ, the Saviour is born Silent night, holy night Son of God, love's pure light Radiant beams from Thy holy face With the dawn of redeeming grace Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth " And the angel said unto them, "Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, Which shall be to all people. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David A Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger. - St. Luke ii. 10-12

Kissing beneath the Mistletoe

"Bless us Lord, this Christmas, with quietness of mind; Teach us to be patient and always to be kind." -- Helen Steiner Rice -- Kissing under the mistletoe is first found associated with )the Greek festival of Saturnalia) and later with primitive marriage rites. Mistletoe was believed to have the power of bestowing fertility, and the dung from which the mistletoe was thought to arise was also said to have "life-giving" power. In Scandinavia, mistletoe was considered a plant of peace, under which enemies could declare a truce or warring spouses kiss and make-up. In some parts of England the Christmas mistletoe is burned on the twelfth night lest all the boys and girls who have kissed under it never marry. And for those who wish to observe the correct etiquette: a man should pluck a berry when he kisses a woman under the mistletoe, and when the last berry is gone, there should be no more kissing! by Sara Williams.

More Legend.... The mistletoe has long been considered a magical plant. It was believed to be conceived where lightning struck trees. It was worn as rings and around necks as protection from witchcraft, demons, fits, poison, and sickness. In spite of its toxicity, Germans called this plant Gut Hyl or "all-heal." It was used in various potions as a universal remedy and fertility drug. It gave strength to the athlete, the hunter, and the swordsman. Norsemen often gave the name "Mistelsteinn" to their swords because of the mistletoe's magical and strengthening effects. This plant is Oklahoma's state flower. Like other evergreens, the mistletoe is a symbol of immortality. Since it thrives in the trees rather than being rooted in the earth, it is considered representative of both the divine and the topsy turvy. Like other parasitic plants, mistletoe symbolizes the feminine need for masculine protection and provision. Its white berries make this plant a lunar, female, or fertility symbol. Diana (a.k.a. Artemis), fertility goddess of the Ephesians wore a crown of mistletoe as an emblem of fertility and immortality. [Acts 19:24-41] According to Crippen, any unmarried lady who is not kissed under the Christmas mistletoe will remain single for yet another year. A romantic symbol, this plant represents happiness, peace, and welcome. It is believed that ancient enemies, accidentally meeting under wild mistletoe in the forests, would embrace and enjoy a day of truce. A lot of this kissing may have its origin in the Scandinavian myth of Balder, the Norse equivalent of Apollo the sun god. According to this myth, when Balder was born, his mother, Frigga, goddess of love and beauty, obsessed with concerns for her son's safety, created charms and drew promises from every creature, plant, and object that they would do no harm to him. Unfortunately, Frigga forgot to extract a promise from the mistletoe and the evil god, Loki, tricked his blind brother into throwing a mistletoe spear at Balder and inadvertently killing this god of sunlight and vegetation. The death of Balder brought winter into the world and caused Frigga to cry so pitifully that her tears turned into the plant's white berries. Fortunately, the gods restored Balder to life. Then Frigga declared that the mistletoe must ever after bring love rather that death into the world. Everyone passing under this plant was enjoined to embrace as Frigga planted a kiss of gratitude upon them in memory of the resurrection of her son. Although its pagan associations often caused mistletoe to be banished from Christian festivities, it remained a popular Christmas symbol of love and eternal life. It was called Herbe de la Croix and Lignum Sanctae Crucis or "the Wood of the Sacred Cross" because it was believed to have been the tree which supplied the wood for the cross of Christ. For its part in the Crucifixion, it was condemned to the life of a parasitic vine, in the same way the serpent was condemned to crawl upon its belly for its part in the fall of man. Some believe that an additional penance was required: that the mistletoe bestow good fortune and blessings upon everyone who walked beneath it. Because it grew on the sacred oaks they worshiped, Druids believed mistletoe was of divine origin; brought to earth by a stroke of lightning. It was believed to share in the strength of the oak. After the winter solstice, they gathered the plant with great ceremony in a sacred fertility ritual. It was cut with a golden sickle and caught in a white cloth to avoid its contamination by contact with iron or the earth. It was then offered to their gods along with a sacrificial bull. With the coming of the new year, mistletoe becomes the legendary Golden Bough. Its withered yellow leaves were believed to assist its owner in the search for buried treasure. According to Virgil's story, Aeneas, leader of the Trojan refugees, carried the Golden Bough into the Underworld to seek news of his future from his deceased father. Other legends state that slaves might win their freedom by touching the sacred Golden Bough.

Rudolph and Father Christmas

At one stage it was thought that Father Christmas (Santa Claus) lives in the North Pole. In 1925 it was discovered that there are no reindeer in the North Pole. But there are lots in Lapland, Finland. So today we know that the reindeer live around the secret village of Father Christmas and the elves somewhere on the Korvatunturi mountain in the Savukoski county of Lapland, Finland, which is on the Finnish-Russian border. Long ago, Father Christmas and the elves discovered the special formula of Magical Reindeer Dust which make them fly. This dust is sprinkled on each of the reindeer shortly before they leave on Christmas eve. It gives them enough magic to fly right around the world. They can fly very fast: at about the speed of a Christmas light. Rudolph is the most famous reindeer. He is the leader of the other 8, whose names are Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Dancer, Dasher, Donder, Prancer, and Vixen. The names of the 8 reindeer were published by Clement Clark Moore, an American poet and professor of theology, in his 1822 poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas." Rudolph was first written about only in 1939 by Robert May, who included him in a story for the Montgomery Ward Christmas catalogue. (Of course, the elves knew their names long, long before Moore and May did.) http://www.didyouknow.cd/xmas/xmasreindeer.htm

Christmas Stockings

As with so many of our Christmas traditions, the idea of hanging a stocking up on Christmas Eve, was popularised by the Victorians. The first representation to achieve mass distribution is believed to be the illustrations by Thomas Nast, who in 1886 illustrated the George Webster story Santa Claus and his Works. The illustrations showed stockings hanging on the mantleplace by the fire. The tradition actually goes back much further. Many people trace it to 16th century Holland where Dutch children would leave their clogs by the fireplace in the hope that Sinterklaas would fill them with treats. There is a story of unknown provenance that tells of a father who had three daughters. Since the father couldn't afford dowries, the daughters remained single. One winter St Nicholas decided to help and dropped three gold coins down the chimney of the house. The coins were caught in the stockings which the girls had hung up to dry by the fireplace. The next day they discovered the coins, were soon married and lived happily ever after. Today Today there are many variations on the Christmas stocking tradition. Sometimes it is placed by the fireplace (warning: be very, very careful if you are lucky enough to have a real fire). Other children place them at the foot of the bed - this has the advantage of keeping the kids occupied for a while when they first wake up! http://www.wyrdology.com:80/festivals/christmas/stockings.html

Patterned Paper Tutorial

Patterned Paper Tutorial
by PCArt Creativity
Paintshop Pro

I opened a 600 x 600 pixel 300 pixels per inch canvas
Used my shapes tool to draw out a few coloured butterflies
Applied a texture to the butterflies
Used Simple filter Diamonds to make a seamless pattern.

Opened a 12 inch x 12 inch 300 pixels per inch canvas
Flood filled with white
Used the flood fill tool and selected the butterfly
pattern from the menu at size 200
flood filled my "paper"
merged and saved as .jpg

To Show the sample here
I saved the image again as namepreview
re sized 78 pixels per inch
600 x 600 pixels
smart size
all layers checked
added name to image
and SAVED AS namePreview

Try other patterns, colours, shapes, brushes,
try lowering the opacity or changing the layer options
of your pattern layer before merging and
see what happens!

enjoy!

Stitching in Paintshop Pro Tutorial

TEXT ON PATH use the number 7 to create the stitches around a preset shape on a new layer.

Convert your circle shape to a raster layer and select with the magic wand, go to selections expand x 15 so that the shape fitted the stitches and filled the additional area with  your colour.

Cut your circle of text and then select your circle shape with your wand and paste the stitches into the selection.

Decorating for Christmas

I am sure we are all now dressing up our homes for Christmas. Play your favourite Christmas music to set the tone. I found some lovely candles scented with cinnamon and mulled wine and some pretty floral decorations so will be making a Christmas flower arrangement today too. It certainly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas:) Let us keep Christmas beautiful Without a thought of greed, That it might live forevermore To fill our every need, That it shall not be just a day, But last a lifetime through, The miracle of Christmastime That brings God close to you. --Garnett Ann Schultz--

December is here

December is here and the Christmas planning has already begun, for "The Season of Goodwill!" Enjoy shopping and decorating and spending time with family and friends and celebrating and most of all remember that...... "Jesus is the Reason for the Season". If cold December gave you birth, The month of snow and ice and mirth, Place on your hand a turquoise blue, Success will bless whate'er you do. ANON I have always thought of Christmas as a good time; a kind, forgiving, generous, pleasant time; a time when men and women seem to open their hearts freely, and so I say, God bless Christmas! -- Charles Dickens -

Beaded Wire Words Tutorial Paintshop Pro

Beaded Wire Words
by PCArt


Find a cursive script font where all the letters join and where the line of the script is even. Or choose any other font you wish. Set to Vector and anti-alias.

Open a new canvas 440 x 160 pixels at 300 pixels per inch transparent

Write your word at about size 30 points or 125 pixels colour white. Convert to Raster.

If it appears too thick for you, go to selections select all, selections float, selections defloat, selections modify, contract x 1, invert and delete. This should make your word lettering appear thinner and more like wire.

Apply effects, texture effects, sculpture with these settings,
Set to default, choose - silver from your pattern drop down list
Size 100, smoothness 48, depth 16, ambience 0, shininess 58,
angle 315, intensity 47, elevation 47, colour #808080
Save as wireword sculpture preset so you can use this setting again in the future.

Apply effects, 3D effects, inner bevel with these settings,
Set to default, choose - Bevel shape 9 (it looks like a curved back to front L),
width 8, smoothness 15, depth 20, ambience 0, shininess 40,
angle 315, intensity 50, elevation 35, colour #c0c0c0
Save as wireword bevel preset so you can use this setting again in the future.

IDEAS - Try painting glitter on to your wire words or use other plug ins like Eye Candy or Super Blade Pro to jazz them up. Make your wires other colours. Or, how about making some lovely doodles and decorating them in this way?!

On A New Layer
Find your bead tubes and place them wherever you want them on your word.

Merge visible and Apply a light drop shadow if you wish.

Mine is saved as .png

Happy Turkey Day

"Turkey"was made using PaintShop Pro with the preset teardrop and circle shapes, I used the spray gun and cut-out effects on the shapes.
The Text fill and background were made from the pattern copied and pasted from Turkey's tummy.
Brads were made from a tutorial.
The Font is named Turkey Sandwich !
Image was created 600 x 600 pixels at 300dpi but compressed in JPEG Optimizer x 10 for posting.

Happy Thanks Giving

Basic Window Frame Template Freebie PNG

Window frame image created in Paintshop Pro it is 554 pixels x 554 pixels at 300 pixels per inch in .PNG format.

TOU. The window frame template is free for you to decorate and use any way you like.

Message me, to request the blank transparent PNG

It would be great if you would share your results using this window frame
in the Facebook group

Metal Letter Charm Tutorial

Quick Tutorial Note

Font filled with a nice silver gradient and a bevel applied to give it depth.
Add a little ring for hanging if you wish.
Font used in this result Cloister Black - size 80 points or 333 pixels and stretched taller with pick tool
Canvas 1 inch x 1 inch at 300 pixels per inch saved as .png

Christmas Reindeer Freebie PNG

I drew this reindeer in Paintshop Pro - I copied the idea from a Christmas card I got a few years ago.

E-mail me if you would like me to send you the Free Reindeer 

Image details - transparent background  PNG 916 x 1741 pixels 300 pixels per inch