Saturday, January 20, 2018

A New way of Connecting

Dear Gracefilled Lillies,


Did you know that God can use anything to reach your heart. He can even use Social Media. What a great platform it can be if you use it to honour God and not just be addicted to it.
For so many women life can become really crazy busy. Between family and work and running your home, there isn't much time for getting quiet. I know that some moms cannot even attend a Bible Study at their local church sometimes as it takes the following to get there: you have to get dressed, be prepared for the event, get a sitter for your kids, feed your family before you go, get into the car, make sure it is filled with fuel, and then drive to church without being late. All of that after a stressful start to a busy week, can make you feel like staying at home.  Attending a Bible Study online can give you the connection you desire, interaction with God's Word without all the prep it takes to get to church and it can also ensure you are still available for your kids. You can attend in your pajamas, no make-up. To me that sounds great! For sensitive temperaments preparing to go into a social situation can also hold a lot of internal stress and turmoil as you may also fear the judgement of others. Attending an online event can help you sidestep all of that and focus on the Study. You are free to engage as little or as much as you want.

I have done a couple of these online classes already and there are a variety of ways to do this.
In South Africa our internet connectivity is a bit spotty depending on your data available and internet provider's service. I find that live video streaming doesn't always work so well, so I load a photo album with the content of the Study and attendees sign in by commenting on the album at the designated time. We discuss and offer witnesses and pray for each other too. I also offer extra creative content and sometimes a FREEBIE or two. The venue of the Bible Study is my private Facebook group. This means it is secure, intimate and private.  You have to be a member of the group to be able to access the content and engage with other group members. As group host, I make sure it is a safe place to share.  You can join by clicking here.

This past week we did a study on the second week's Scriptures from the Five Week Dreambook devotional Program. The weekly program can be downloaded from the Facebook group's files section. Its FREE. This specific program ends mid February 2018.

The resources you will need to work through this Five Week Program are:

  1. The Dreambook Devotional Kit with 24 page workbook and 17 Cute Cuts Card set;

  2. The Weekly Dreambook Program that gives you Daily Scriptures, Dreambook topics and Prayer prompts - Download from the files section in my Facebook group;

  3. Extra content: Tracing cards and lesson Print&Play Journaling Kits

  4. Your Bible

  5. The YouVersion Bible App available to download FREE from the Google Playstore so you can compare your translation with a variety of other translations.

  6. A blank journal or notebook

  7. Basic stationery and art products to express your creative response with and taking notes.

  8. The lesson content found in the photo albums loaded for each Bible Study's online event (see my Facebook group for this) - also FREE

  9. Smart phone with camera that can capture photos of you, your spreads and even maybe a little video.

  10. Obviously an internet connection.



The extra content for this past week's Study: Click here for the Print&Play section in my store.


Here is the original artwork before I turned it into a digital printable resource:


This artwork is based on 1 Chronicles 16:11 that talks about seeking God's face continually. Isn't it great that you can close your physical eyes and yet still seek God's face and His presence with your spiritual eyes open. Even amidst cloudy skies in your life, God's presence will shine through like the sun with the warm rays of His LOVE shining light into all the areas of your life, your concerns, your heart and mind and even your troubling circumstances.  This girl is holding her heart in her hands, ready to offer all that is in it to God in prayer, surrendering herself to Him. She is committed. She WILL seek His face and His presence continually throughout her life. This was what I was thinking when I drew this artwork.

In the Printable PDF you have a tracing card with text and one with just the artwork on an A4 page available in English and Afrikaans in the same PDF so you choose which language you want to print. You can print it on 160gsm white cardstock and use the left side as a colouring bookmark and the right side as a tracing card to add the image to your journaling bible's sidebar or as a tip in page and just colour and write your own words on it. There are so many more ways to use this resource. I hope you try it.

Don't foget to also check-out my Youtube channel for the latest videos. Click here.

Also note that I have updated the "Upcoming events" section in the sidebar here on the blog.  Email me if you need more info or visit the GraceLilly Facebook PAGE here.

Have a wonderful weekend and new week ahead.


Visit Ivytree Studio to see more of what we are up to: www.ivytreestudio.co.za
Buy some of our pretty paper here
Connect with the team on our Facebook page here.
Share your Ivytree Studio layouts with us here
Join our #CreativeGirlPrint&PlayClub here
Watch our Youtube channel here.

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Setting up your own Dreambook Prayer journal

Dear Gracefilled Lillies,



Lately I have found that a travel size notebook is ideal for the "Dreambooking" process. I have adapted my original Dreambook to this size. You can take it wherever you go and keep on praying and working in it. I am a real busy bee and that is why I always try to have a little creative outlet with me. It keeps my sensitive temperament in check and helps me process life and my experiences in a positive way. It is like a little therapy on the go. I can really recommend it. The Dreambook is also a way of keeping you focused on what God speaks to your heart. To keep your eye on the ball so to speak.  Leave a comment to this post if you would like more info or would like to share your own personal story regarding prayer and keeping focused through life's challenges.

Decide on the size book/notebook you want to use. This book is 110mm x 210mm (Travel Notebook size) My original Dreambooks are A4 size and gives me loads of space to be creative in. You decide what fits you life and temperament.

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Devide the book up in sections and tab it using the tabs provided in the Dreambook kit. After marking your prayer sections, start with a Dream statement. 

This is my first entry under the "Dream Statement" section. I have been going through a very difficult season for a long time. I am praying for a release of this season into the next one, hopefully a less stressful and painful one. 







God has given us (my hubby and me) the Scripture of Jeremiah 29:11 for the past 5 years or so, to hold on to. It talks about God wanting to give us a HOPE and a FUTURE. So, when you go through hard times, how do you hold on to HOPE and how do you believe that the FUTURE will be different than the pain of the past? You hold on to God's Word and the promises in it.

Another Scripture that gives me great HOPE is 1 Corinthians 2:9 that speaks about God already preparing unimaginable great things for us who love HIM. 


I decided that this will be my "Dream Statement" for this year...to reach out again to that FUTURE  God has promised me in His Word. The little artwork, (from the Lèèf Magazine - I use it to cut images that help me illustrate my thoughts and prayers in my Dreambook), suggests a reaching out to something...the white birds represent HOPE to me...something that comes from above, from God. It even looks like the person is in a contained situation, locked in, submerged in water/the sea...which may represent the waves of trouble she finds herself in. The birds hovering above like some kind of life line, her hand just touching it, represents her relentless effort to reach for that HOPE...not giving up...holding on to her FAITH. In the background some buildings...a house and maybe a church signifies a place to belong and a community to belong to. Something I am also praying about. 

Secondly I added a reminder to pray aloud more this year so the enemy can flee from me when I quote God's Word or use the Name of Jesus. He cannot stand both, you know. He has to flee. Also, it serves a second purpose: to audibly show you how God through the Holy Spirit have built up and developed FAITH to rise up in you. I belong to God. I always have and always will because He is my origin and He thought me out. I however became a born again believer at age 15. This means this year on the 9th of September, I will be 29 years old in the Lord. 29 Years of God stirring faith in me, growing me, teaching me, molding me, guiding me, prompting me...alive in me...being gracious to me. I am so very thankful for His faithful love and care in my life. I need to believe despite the difficult season I find myself in, that He is and will be faithful again and lead me on.

Finally, as part of my "Dream Statement", a reminder that I belong to HIM. When the enemy uses people like puppets to reject you or sow doubt and unbelief in your life, which he will do, then you have this reminder to WHOM you truly belong to. God will NEVER reject you, my friend...believe it because it is true.


More examples of the sections you can add to your Dreambook: I am thankful, God & me, my Fight Plan, My marriage and so on.


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Add a general section where you can do a five week spread of the month if you have random things you want to pray about that doesn't fall under the sections I provided. 

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Collect magazine images from magazines like "Lèèf Tydskrif" or any faith based magazine. Keep your stickers and paper stash, art products and usual Bible journaling stash handy. 

NOTE: Please don't feel like you have to create a Leonardo Da Vinci artwork for this process to work for you. It should be a no stress activity. Something to help you relax and focus your time and energy on God. Don't let art products, tools and techniques become the main focus here. For me paper is the thing that keeps this process simple. A little glue and scissors and my colour pens/pencils and my pretty paper goodies and I am set. 

Start creating visual prayers and always add the date to everything every time you pray. Later you will see how important that becomes. Enjoy!

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My prayer for you is that God will meet you in this process and that you will only grow in FAITH and His Grace in your prayer journey. Don't give up! It is worth every minute spent on it.

Drop me a line if you are interested in the Dreambook devotional book and kit. The kit includes all the tabs to mark your Dreambook with and the devotional guides you on the process and gives you a Word study for a month.

I am planning on covering a lot of new topics for the Dreambook and feeling very excited about what God is doing in me with this. It feels like He is doing a whole NEW thing in my life and that a new season is starting. May this be true for your life too.

Dreambook Devotional Kit


Visit Ivytree Studio to see more of what we are up to: www.ivytreestudio.co.za
Buy some of our pretty paper here
Connect with the team on our Facebook page here.
Share your Ivytree Studio layouts with us here
Join our #CreativeGirlPrint&PlayClub here
Watch our Youtube channel here.