Five Favorite Faith Based Children's Books

Several friends having babies recently found me in a children's book department scooping up copies of beloved titles to enhance these little one's bookshelves. Children's picture books can be a great source of faith based images and symbols. Here are five of my favorites...

Babushka by Sandra Ann Horn tells the story of a journey to Bethlehem to meet a special newborn baby. This is a lovely tale of a star, an angel and the swirl of mystery. What draws me into this book are the illustrations by Sophie Fatus....the camels seen on the cover are a great example of her whimsical artistic style.

I had a phase in which I was obsessed with versions of the Noah story. Maybe that's why I love making our Noah's ark stole? Regardless, Noah's Wife by Marty Rhodes Figley is one of my favorite Noah version for children. This delightful tale focuses on Noah's "very, good wife." If you're a wife you'll love the symbolic image this woman sets forth to be. She'll make you laugh and appreciate what a caring and capable person God gifted Noah with.

Speaking of women, another beloved tale is titled Mrs. Moskowitz and the Sabbath Candlesticks by Amy Schwartz.This is the winner of the National Jewish Book Award among other accolades. It focuses on ritual, tradition, family and making a home. I've enjoyed using this book when discussing keeping the Sabbath and traditions and symbols that span from our Jewish roots into our Christian faith. The author's black and white illustrations are especially charming and cozy.

An additional book filled with delightful black and white illustrations is A Children's Guide to Worship by Ruth L. Boling. This pack filled resource/story will engage children and adults alike while it defines the breadth and depth of the rhythm of liturgy. I've used it with my children at home, in classes on worship and have seen it in pew racks in church sanctuaries. If you like this you'll enjoy Ruth's other titles on worship and the seasons of the church year also.

And last but not least is One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham. This is such a unique version of the Christmas story spanning from the creation story to the Resurrection. And, Richard Jesse Watson's illustrations are nothing short of amazing. They are artistic interpretations that tell the story just enough so you know what it's about but then leave you thinking and wondering. This is a great title to venture through slowly--savor it throughout the days of Advent.


What are some of your favorites?

Angels With Highlights and Other Encouragements

This is part of the scripture I read at the start of today:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4

I lean on Paul's teaching that our inner thoughts don't have to reflect our outward circumstances. He did write the above while in prison, didn't he? His words are encouraging. I remain grateful for Carrot Top Studio's friends and clients and their words of encouragement. Here's a top five list of things you've told us. You humble us and cause me to rejoice especially while in the studio (which is thankfully not a prison!)--

Currently on our design wall.

1. "God's word will be experienced more fully because of the visual images created by your studio."
2. "We were able to give some of your stoles to visiting Russian pastors who felt stoles would give them credibility in a country where they aren't always respected."
3. "I wear the same black dress and black robe every Sunday. Carrot Top Studio stoles are my bit of Sunday morning expression!"
4. When adding angels to a church's banners I inquired about the skin tone and hair color...the client replied, "Pale skin, brown hair--with highlights..this is California after all." 
5. "The images on my new stole are a learning tool for the children on Communion Sunday tieing together the liturgy, the song, and the baking of bread in Sunday School."

Thank you for supporting us by sharing how and when you wear our stoles, how you use the visual to educate and motivate and for making us smile and laugh (what else would angels with highlights do?)

Peace

Peace has been on my mind this week. I started the week working on the pictured stole that will be offered on eBay beginning tonight. Maybe these symbols of God's love caused the Spirit to heighten my awareness and thinking of peace? For example, one of the books I'm currently reading is The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever In An Age of Less by John Robbins. Robbins is from the Baskin and Robbins ice cream family. His book is not on the subject on peace per se but rather his story of why he chose not to inherit his family fortune. This author goes against the grain of popular American culture to embrace a lifestyle focused beyond money and status. While enjoying this read and believing in these principles I am seeing how his choices have created peace in his life. A lesson to be admired and learned from!


Another awareness came to me in my yoga class yesterday. Of course yoga itself equates peace but interestingly my instructor referred to the lotus blossom as a peace symbol. Even though I was struggling through my tree pose my ears perked up because Carrot Top Studio employs symbols and colors in everything we do. Symbols interest me! My instructor went on to explain that the lotus flower grows in muddy water and rises above the surface to bloom with remarkable beauty. At night the flower closes and sinks underwater, at dawn it rises and opens again. Untouched by the impurity, the lotus symbolizes the purity of heart and mind and the peace that is found through this purity. We've had requests over the years for the lotus bloom on a ministry stole and now I have a greater understanding of why.


Lastly, having recently sung the hymn "It is Well With My Soul" in worship has caused the words to spin round and round in my head.  Horatio Spafford wrote these words as a response to personal tragedy. He found peace through horrific events and made life changing decisions because of these experiences. Consequently I will keep meditating on these varied thoughts of peace. I wonder how it will impact my personal life?  I hope I can discover what gets in the way of finding peace and that when I have peaceful times God will use me...because this fruit of the Spirit can be contagious!


P.S....I suspect this pondering will also cause me to add to our peace and healing ministry stole collection.

Art for This Week's Lectionary Text: The Good Samaritan

If you follow the lectionary you know that one of this week's texts is the parable of the Good Samaritan.This is a familiar story from the Bible and has been illustrated by many artists throughout history. Here are two interesting examples...

The Good Samaritan, Vincent Van Gogh, 1890

Portrait of YOU As Good Samaritan, James B. Janknegt, contemporary

Some questions to help you think about this art in relationship to the Luke 10: 25-37 text:

• Do you recognize any images?
• What kind of lines do you see? How are they used?
• What do the colors remind me of, or what feeling do they give?
• Where are the important images placed?
• Would you like to meet these people?
• What does this art mean to you?

Verse 37 (go and do likewise) is currently speaking to me. Last weekend my family had the chance to serve a meal to several families from our community that are temporarily without housing. The program they are in provides shelter, food, and any other support needed to help get them back on their feet. My teenage children brought several friends with them to help prepare and serve the meal. At the beginning of the evening while explaining the program to one of our friends it was interesting to hear her responded with, "Wow, my church needs to be doing this too!" I had a second "ah, ha" moment while conversing with a client as we ate our hamburger dinner. This woman was in her 60's and listening to her banter about her children and grandchildren, her past experiences with her church community, and her pondering about how her husband's day at work had been caused me to think that I could have been talking to so many different women that I know. Her reflections, wonderments and worries were universal. She became my neighbor. Lastly, after dinner was served and the adults were settled in for the night my husband and I returned home. The teens stayed and played with the children because they were all having so much fun. Late into the evening we were all gathered back at our home and listening to everyone's reflections made me proud of the teenagers involvement but also found me causing to confess that we don't do enough to love our neighbor. I'm praying this week that I can have open eyes for who the neighbor is each day and a willing heart and hand to "go and do likewise." I hope the scripture this week and the above artwork will inspire you also.

Vacation Bible School: Craft or Art?

It's Vacation Bible School week at my home church. The time spent planning, the gathering of supplies and the amount of energy doled out by the volunteers always amazes me. My church follows the American standard of the children rotating through stations to learn the Bible story through music, drama, snack and craft all united under a Biblical theme for one week. I've spent several weeks of my life (or maybe a few more than that!) in the craft room. This brings you to my point today. Because I'm a former art educator I'm sensitive to the art vs. craft debate. I think there is a time and place for both and either can be matched with a vacation Bible school curriculum. Where I draw the line is having children produce items that all look the same after they've made them, that have nothing to remind them of the Biblical message, or will be promptly thrown out once they get home. Here are a few alternative ideas:

• create banners out of paper that can be used in worship for the Sunday after VBS. Butcher paper painted or enhanced with construction paper cut outs can make a large impact visually.
• construct masks that can be used in a drama...I particularly like the directions for paper sculpture masks in the book Paper, Masks and Puppets by Ron Feller. Feller's paper relief techniques are easy to do and the kids will be amazed at what they've accomplished.
• pose an "I wonder" question to the children (something regarding the Bible lesson)...let them illustrate their answer...place their drawings or paintings on large cardboard boxes...stack the boxes for a sculptural display of their work in a prominent place in the church building or in your community.
• develop puppets to retell Bible stories...give children wine bags instead of lunch sacks for a little something different. Allow them to use basic scissors, construction paper and glue...don't hand out any patterns! Encourage them to add large details so people can see the puppet and maybe finish it off with a prop (Moses needs a walking stick, Dorcus has to have her sewing basket and Elizabeth should have her baby somewhere near by) You'll be amazed at how clever they are in their interpretations.

So while I'm on my soap box today I'll encourage you to be a creative planner for this year's VBS or revaluate so you can improve your week next year. Think about how the children can express themselves as individuals, how the craft/art can be used or appreciated after the week is over and if the craft/art will allow others that appreciate it to see the story that is reflected in the VBS Bible message. Not using craft "kits" will probably save you time and will make your art/craft room overflow with inventive, imaginative energy!


Putting my soap box back under the desk--for the time being (grin.)

How Many Stoles?

I was recently blessed by visit from an old friend. While being a great encourager she inquired about my studio work. She wondered how our style was developing, the type of hours I worked, and how many stoles pastors typically had. So I shared that I was really enjoying creating stoles that had a feel of a collage created from using batiked fabrics and interesting fibers in combination with exciting colors and the appliqué process we've used for years. I added that I was thankful that my in studio hours were able to vary due to the season of the year and the needs of my family. But the question that got ME thinking was how many stoles do pastors have or need? I chuckled because I have one pastor friend who wears the same stole every Sunday. But of course there are many others that "collect" stoles and each week wear something new or different. 

This has caused me to remember a workshop I led on "Spirituality and Learning Styles." The time in this workshop had the participants examining seven different learning styles--such as kinesthetic, linguistic, and logical/mathematical, etc. The participants first touched base with their own learning style. Then we thought about how this applied to those whom they ministered to. Among other things we learned that:

• varying an approach in ministry connected the leader to more people because not everyone has the same learning style, 
• knowing your own personal strengths and way of learning can better match you to someone else when doing one-on-one ministry, and
• learning someone you are ministering to's strengths will help you encourage them in their faith walk.

And of course this reinforces that in worship you can't ignore that some of the congregation is visual/spatial. These people think in pictures! So if you tend to think that your stole is not important or wearing the same one every week has become a habit we think you should change it up a bit. Stoles are a visual message that enhance the Word and might even give a parishioner a little something extra to think about.

The green stole shown is our bargain buy on eBay this week. Find out more here!

Bible Cake

Do we love this recipe because we've been eating so much cake lately (five year anniversary celebration, studio son's high school graduation, attending showers, etc) or because we love things that encompass all the senses? The answer is probably all of the above! Soooo....we're passing this recipe from an anonymous author onto you. 


Bible Cake

1. Peel and shred Song of Solomon 2:3-enough to make 4 cups
2. Put in large bowl
3. Stir in 1 cup Genesis 28:18 and two of the ingredients mentioned in Isaiah 10:14
4. Mix in 2 cups of Revelation 10:9 and
5. 3 cups of 1 Kinds 4:22 and
6. 2 tsp. 1 Corinthians 5:6 and
7. 2 tsp. 2 Chronicles 9:9 and
8. 1 cup sliced Numbers 17:8
9. Mix well. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Frost if desired after cake cools.

*reprinted from my home church newsletter

If you need to double check your ingredients:

• Song of Solomon 2:3--4 cups apples
• Genesis 28:18--1 cup oil
• Isaiah 10:14--2 eggs
• Revelation 10:9--2 cups sugar
• 1 Kings 4:22--3 cups flour
• 1 Corinthians 5:6--2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 Chronicles 9:9-1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Numbers 17:8--1 cup almonds

Enjoy!

5 Year Anniversary Celebration-DAY FIVE!

This is it! The last day of our week long celebration. We are so thankful for our clientèle--you are wonderful to work with! Today we'd like to thank you for your support by giving away one of our celebration stoles! We've made a limited edition of five and the other four will be offered on the website under the peace and healing tab for a special price of $55.55. 


To be entered to win we ask that you tell (or message) a friend about our website or FB fan page. Then just leave us a message that you'd like to be entered to win. Simple fun!


About the celebration stole: This is a visual statement of celebrating peace. The colors are peaceful yet joyful. The dove is a global sign of peace. The laurel leaves symbolize growth and peace. The flow of the lines and colors are active because we believe peace needs to be constantly worked and strived for.
The stole front is crafted from a variety of cotton and cotton blends. The symbols are appliqued and finished with machine embroidery. The accents are handpainted with textile paint and embellished with textured fibers. It is lined with a teal cotton broadcloth fabric and is interfaced for added body.Stole is 49" long measuring from back of neck to the bottom of the hem on one side.   It measures 5" wide at the hem and tapers to 2 3/4" at the neck.

5 Year Anniversary Celebration-DAY FOUR!

The first stole we sold online was embellished with a beehive. This came to be (ha, ha! no pun intended) from seeing a beehive on a worship sanctuary lectern and feeling drawn to the meaning of why it was there. I must confess that I had to research this to discover that it represented eloquence, 'honeyed words', and an ordered community. Tell us what symbol resonates with you when you see it and you'll be entered to win one of these 8 x 10 pieces of collage art. If you are the one randomly drawn winner you may choose the "jump for joy" collage on the left or the "grow through life" collage on the right. They are both small pieces of fiber art that have been added to a collaged, gallery wrapped canvas.

5 Year Anniversary Celebration-DAY THREE!

You, our clients and friends of the studio, best know what is needed to support your ministry. We're guessing there is never enough prayer, time on the calendar or maybe even--coffee and chocolate?! But today we're thinking about ministry stoles. Do you ever search the markets for a particular stole but can't find it? Tell us what we're missing in our inventory and we'll enter you to win! Win what? Tonight's randomly drawn winner will be able to take 50% off one of our online, in stock stoles. The winner will have until next year's anniversary celebration to use their one time discount.

5 Year Anniversary Celebration-DAY TWO

It's our second day of marking Carrot Top Studio's five year anniversary. Today we're reflecting on the church year calendar. I'm drawn to the seasons of preparation and reflection...Advent and Lent. Creatively I think Lent is a little more challenging. Artistically I thrive on challenge. So if I had to chose a "favorite" season in the church year it would have to be Lent. Therefore today we're giving away a copy of our Lent Art Journey book that came to be from an art exhibit we did based on stations of reflection for the season of Lent. 

Tell us why you're drawn to one particular season of the church year and we'll enter you to win this book. Anyone can play-clients, friends of the studio, former anniversary celebration winners! One winner will be drawn and notified in about twelve hours.

  

5 Year Anniversary Celebration-DAY ONE

Our anniversary is a time
For sharing our affection;
It’s obvious that with our friends and clients we
Have quite a deep connection!


We send greetings of gratitude
And heartfelt thanks, too,
For the five years you've helped us build our business
Through everything you do.


OK...so we obviously aren't in the poetry business! But today we celebrate with a greeting card giveaway. The pictured, five handcrafted cards will be sent to a winner randomly determined twelve hours from now. To be entered in the drawing just post a comment that you'd "like to win!"

The Trinity

We will celebrate the Trinity in worship this Sunday...Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The mystery of the Trinity has allowed artists throughout history to make a visual interpretation based on their theological views and the culture of their day. Here's an interesting piece:

This type of representation of the Trinity-the Man of Sorrows held by God the Father with the Holy Ghost in the likeness of a dove-was widely adopted in European art around 1400 when it was customary to show particular reverence for the dead Savior. The artist is unknown but it is thought to be of Hungarian roots and might have been part of a triptych or diptych. Exploring and examining a piece of art can enhance our feelings and draw us closer to our beliefs. Here are a few questions to get you started:

• What title would you give this work of art?
• What kind of lines do you see (straight, curved, etc.)? Why do you think the artist used these? Does this suggest a kind of movement?
• Is there a light source? What type of colors were used? What kind of feeling does this give you?
• Are the images painted expressively or realistically?
• Does the craftsmanship (whether it is highly crafted or sloppy in appearance) contribute to or detract from your experience looking at this art?
• What is the story the artist is trying to tell?

Inspiration

I believe we're all creative and use creativity in our daily lives. Weren't you creative when you explained to your children why they couldn't watch a movie at 9:00 p.m. on a school night, when you last had a job interview and had to apply your experience to the interviewers questions or when you had to problem solve during a church committee meeting on how your members could be encouraged to be more invitational? Creativity does not escape many aspects of our lives.

Running a design studio I look forward to creative moments. This might be in the way that we market our work, how to answer a client that needs a Christmas stole overnighted to them because they forgot that Christmas happened on December 25th, or by finding design inspiration in daily occurrences. Here are a few of our past studio projects and the story behind how we were "creatively" inspired.

Both of my parents grew up in Kansas and I have vivid memories of driving to my grandparents house past splendid fields of sunflowers. Maybe this is why I have always been fond of this plant. When I read that sunflowers are symbolic of adoration because of the way they turn their heads to the sun and that some people use this as a play on words as a symbol of turning their head to the "son" I knew I needed to create a stole with sunflowers on it.

One summer my home congregation's Vacation Bible School had a theme of the gifts of the Spirit. The curriculum had messages that spoke to me and this stole design came from that dynamic time of music, craft, recreation and Bible study centered on Isaiah 11:2--

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— 

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, 

the Spirit of counsel and of power, 

the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD

This stole is currently available in our ordination collection here.

We worked with a client that introduced us to African symbols known as adinkra that are ever-present in Ghana. The symbols represent popular proverbs. They do not stem from Christianity but we were inspired by the heart symbol used in this culture that represents patience and tolerance and the circle that means greatness and leadership. Combined these symbols seemed a perfect inspiration for an Advent stole. 

I often also find motivation in church architecture and in bookstores. For example, when I see an anchor cross in a worship space I feel inspiration from this symbol/reminder of hope. One afternoon while having a creative stumbling block I headed to my local bookstore to hang out in the stacks. There I came across a wonderful book that documented and described the history of different cross symbols. We have used that reference to create many different versions of a stole that represents crosses of different cultures. This is one is in our current collection here (and it includes an anchor cross!)  

In conclusion I'll share what Alice Bass writes about creativity--"God is around us, above us and in us. When we explore our creativity in him, he is not shocked by our huge ideas. Our giant dreams shatter only our own puny agendas and the glass minds of those around us. We are safe in him." Through Carrot Top Studio I am thankful for the clients that support our creative endeavors. May we all all continue be open to using our inspiration and creativity because it has the potential to  lead to great things someday...as prescribed in Isaiah 43:19....See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up' do you not perceive it. I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.  

Thy Mystery Continues

At Christmas time Christians celebrate the mystery of God becoming man through the virgin birth. As the Church year calendar rolls on we have recalled the mystery of Christ's death on the cross and this Sunday many of us will focus on His Ascension. Then on to Pentecost. Pentecost has always appealed to me. Probably because the story draws wonderful images and wonderments in my mind. I imagine what it would have been like the day the church was born to experience the violent wind, to see the tongues of fire and react to so many people speaking in so many different languages.


I recently read of a group of worshipers that read the Pentecost story from Acts in unison. Then a group of parishioners stepped forward and read in unison from each of their different mother tongues. Wouldn't this be a lovely demonstration of the Spirit being given to all for the common good. We are one body.


My congregation traditionally celebrates Pentecost Sunday by encouraging everyone to wear red to symbolize the Holy Spirit. We often share a birthday cake and fellowship after worship. Trying to keep things visually stimulating we've also had years that have included banners made of streamers that the wind danced through, balloon launches with spiritual messages attached to the strings so the Word can be spread far and wide, eating red foods (like strawberries that are delicious at this time of the year in Pennsylvania) and inviting another congregation to worship with us. Some of this seems trivial but it does typically stir something in our marginally stoic congregation that reminds me of the hope the Spirit gives us. It is the hope of renewal of purpose and mission. 


May we work toward carrying this hope beyond Pentecost Sunday!


To add to the "visual" message on Pentecost Sunday, Carrot Top Studio offers a variety of red stoles. See our collection here.

Wisdom

I've been think about words of wisdom lately. This is partly because I've been reading a Henry Nouwen book from the 1970's. If the copyright wasn't in the book cover you'd never know that the original text was that old. In With Open Hands, Nouwen has written about prayer based on scripture. The categories of silence, acceptance, hope, and compassion are giving me much wisdom to reflect on. 

Secondly, my oldest child will graduate from high school next month. Knowing the graduation ceremony is ahead of us I've tried to recall my own high school graduation. What were the words of wisdom that were laid upon me that day? Sadly I have no idea. My son has already many choices in life that are wiser than what I did at his age. I am thankful for his 18 year old version of wisdom.

Thirdly, a bird has built a new nest inside an old nest on top of our studio back door. I wonder if this is wisdom from the aviary world--kind of a reduce/reuse/recycle mentality? Or maybe this robin is wise simply because this is a proven, safe and secure spot to bring new life into the world.

All of this led me to the new limited edition green stole we're working on. As you can see the lower fabric is a beautiful floral design accented with an outline of gold. The flowers struck me as a fitting motif for Ordinary Time because we focus our energies on Christian growth. So what to use as the symbol on the upper portion became the question. We've decided to use the Christian "fish", the symbol of the first believers. The fish outline was a wise symbol for the early Christian church to adopt. Not only was fish a common food of the day, it was also used by Jesus during His ministry. It is a very simple shape to draw - just two curved strokes. It could be drawn quickly, and erased just as quickly if there was no sign of recognition on the part of the stranger when a Christian was trying to determine alliance. For the early Christians their choice to follow Jesus might have been dangerous. This stole's design can be a visual reminder that we are called to follow regardless of our life circumstances. Maybe it will make others wonder what that is really to mean as they make daily choices. We'll be adding a cross to this stole and then look forward to offering it on our website with several other options for Ordinary Time.


I am not always "wise" but am grateful to be surrounded by examples such as these that I can strive for.

World Labyrinth Day-May 1st

May 1st is world labyrinth day. The labyrinth society describes this occasion as:  a day that brings people from all over the planet together in celebration of the labyrinth as a symbol, a tool, a passion or a practice.  This can be a day to inform and educate the public, host walks, build permanent and/or temporary labyrinths, make labyrinth art or more.


Carrot Top Studio is pleased to offer a line of stoles for labyrinth leaders and lovers. We offer short and full length and a variety of color options. Our stoles are created in limited editions, so check our inventory often because it changes frequently! Our current collection can be found here.

Earth Day Musings

Another Earth Day celebration is upon us. A day to pause and honor the creator by thinking about some of the choices we make regarding this planet. I've had a couple of high and low 'earth day type' moments recently. Several weeks ago my son and I ventured to Philadelphia for a weekend. We were both impressed by the rain collection barrels sitting in the backyard of a college housing system my son was visiting. It was a nice sign that the school was as eco-friendly as they claim to be. A down moment was the landscape designer who I had visit my home for a consultation. She suggested I just needed to throw all my plants away (they weren't any good!) and start over. How wasteful is that notion? But another up moment was hearing my daughter recount with pride that she'd gotten the hosts of a sports team pasta dinner to recycle all of their disposable drink containers. She was one of the last to leave the table and was exasperated that her teammates had just left all of their items for the trash. Nice to know our at home habits are going with her out into the world.


With all of these musing we can't ignore the fact that when Carrot Top Studio thinks green we see the color green in our stoles! Our eBay auctions that begin tonight at 7:00 p.m. EST will all be the color green! The one of a kind prototype pictured in this post will be one of them. We're trying a new fabric collage technique and thoroughly enjoyed combining different fabrics, stenciling of the word "peace" in four different languages, and embellishing with textured fibers and bits of sheer fabric. We look forward to shipping this off after the winning bid is placed in one week. We also offer eco-friendly stoles on our website whenever possible....reclaiming and reusing fabrics and by using fibers such as bamboo. You can see an example here with our white labyrinth stole made from a tone on tone bamboo fabric.


There are so many ways to 'plant' our focus on Earth Day. Regardless of how we do it I hope we do it out of respect to the Word. Our foundation for this Earth Day celebration should be the story of God's creating the heavens and the earth and of God's loving care in redeeming a fallen people and reinstate creation to its unspoiled beauty so that it can once again adore the Creator. May we go about honoring that!

Love Is In the Air

We're approaching the time of year when many weddings occur. It's made me pull out my wedding photos (wow did we look young 24 years ago!) and go down memory lane. I also dusted off The Four Loves of a Successful Marriage that our pastor gave us. It is based on C.S. Lewis' Four Loves and is great to revisit every few years because marriage takes work!


When I got married I of course got caught up in the meaning of the symbols...why does a bride wear white, why use a veil,  why a wedding ring, why the bride and groom feed each other cake at the reception and so on and so on. Even though I love visual symbols still today (that's one reason why our Carrot Top Studio is a fun business) I do firmly believe these are just outward symbols of what is more importantly happening on the inside. I was thrilled to see that my local newspaper ran a letter in an advice column yesterday from a future bride that was miserable working very long days in order to save 10,000 dollars for her wedding. I was pleased to see that the responding advice was hope that the bride would invest this much time and energy in her marriage because for the long run that was more important.


This week as we think of weddings we offer several wedding minister and officiant stoles at bargain prices on eBay!

The Quiet Center

Come and find the quiet center
In the crowded life we lead,
Find the room for hope to enter,
Find the frame where we are freed;
Clear the chaos and the clutter,
Clear our eyes, that we may see
All the things that really matter
Be at peace and simply be.
--"Come Find the Quiet Center" Shirley Erena Murray



Last week we continued our tradition of closing the studio for Holy Week. This year that meant traveling to a place on a beach to sit and watch the rhythm of the waves and tides, a time to ponder and recall the events of Holy Week, and moments of worshiping with Christians that we've never met before. These are all things I cherish and am thankful for. It was very fitting that through our travels we stumbled upon the above sign one day. How many places actually require you to go so slowly? 


We know closing the studio may prevent some of our clients from being able to acquire the stoles that they need. We are sorry if this was an inconvenience but we are grateful for the time that allowed us to find the quiet center as the words from Ms. Murray's hymn remind us of. 


We are rested and ready to be designing, stitching and serving again. Through the joy of the Resurrection we now look forward to celebrating the church's birthday...stay tuned for new Pentecost designs!

The Seven Last Words-conclusion

Georgia O'Keefe, Black Cross

May the Spirit of Christ be with you, may His faith and trust abide within you, and may the knowledge of his love support you both now and forevermore. Amen

The Seven Last Words-The Seventh Word

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, and said, "Certainly this man was innocent!" And all the multitudes who assembled to see the sight, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance and saw these things. (Luke 23: 44-49)

Matthias Grunewald, Isenheimer Altar

The Isenheimer Alter executed for a hospital chapel in the French Provence of Alsace.

Lucas Cranach the Younger (an alterpiece)

Look carefully at this painting. You might discover that the most prominent of the figures gathered at the foot of the cross is Martin Luther. Just as Luther, Christ and others are made contemporary to us by the word and sacraments.

William Johnson, Mount Calvary

Artists often paint reflecting the community they are in. For example, Florentine artists painted Italians at the foot of Christ's cross. Here Johnson depicts his African American community as the Biblical figures.

Edvard Munch, Golgotha

Munch paints death as transforming of not only Christ but also the onlookers at the foot of the cross, whose faces seem as least as skeletal and spectral as his. He was painting in 1900 when many were seeking scientific answers such as Darwinism and others were taking secular approaches to traditional religious motifs. Munch has chosen to paint this anguished scene in a modern rural setting to help us relate the story to our daily life.

The Seven Last Words-The Sixth Word

When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished", and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30)

Graham Sutherland, The Crucifixion

Artist Graham Sutherland uses his art as an avenue for visual metaphor. He painted this in 1946 and relates the subject matter to the terrible destruction Europe suffered in the Second World War.

Stephen Frost, Crucifix with Antlers

This illustration was painted by Stephen Frost who is an ordained Catholic priest. He has a vast, diversified education that includes time spend studying with the Dalai Lama. Think back to the art of Friedrich, The Cross in the Mountains. Stephen Frost also is his own way is bringing the natural world into solidarity with the death of Jesus. He orchestrates this by placing the antlers of a deer on the image of the crucified Jesus.

Diego Valazquez, Christ on the Cross

And he bowed his head-in this moment we relive through other scripture, times that Jesus bowed his head...in private prayer, in attention to a small unnoticed detail, in consideration of what lay before him, in public worship and in teaching. All this was a foreshadowing of this final bowing of his head.