Pearls of Wisdom

This past week I had the joy and privilege of attending my niece's 16th birthday.  She and her mother prepared a lovely tea party for their guests.

The theme of the party was Pearls of Wisdom and each lady and girlfriend who attended brought their "pearls" to share with Brooke.  I wanted to create a gift for Brooke that would capture the essence of her special day, so I decided on one of my Heart Art canvas creations.

There are several personalized touches added to the canvas.  But I wanted the overall look to be bright and cheery. I'll just take you on a little tour of the canvas. 

Brooke loves lavendar, purple, yellow and green. So flowers were a must.  These were stamped with a few Stampin' Up! images and other clear stamps (source unknown--part of my vast collection).  I painted with acrylic paint, and used a Sharpie pen to add a few doodles.  The saying on the bottom is a rub-on.  In the upper right corner of this picture, you can see a stamp.  Brooke's family vacationed in Canada, and while this stamp isn't from there, I thought the waterfall could represent Niagara Falls (I've always wanted to see the Falls!)

On the other side of the girl I added a few other symbols of Brooke's favorite things.  She loves to cook so I included a recipe card I created, and stamped a teapot image (for the tea party we were having), and a spoon.  Notice too the pearls in her pocket.  I added that fun touch to represent all the wonderful pearls of wisdom Brooke would collect through her day.

 

Here's a little better view of the "title" for the canvas.  Brooke is an amazing Christian young woman.  Her faith and passion for Christ is evident in all that she does. She loves God's Word, and while she will no doubt treasure all that was shared on her birthday, it will be the pearls from His Word she'll treasure the most. 

Finally in the upper right corner, I attached a key with a bright yellow bow.  God's Word is the key to all wisdom and understanding.  The bow doubles as an embellishment that goes with her room decor, and also signifies the Light of the world who came from heaven's glory (iridescent flakes).  The printed page came from a old book I have on prayer.

 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
   all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
   To him belongs eternal praise. 

Psalm 111:10

Wisdom begins with our relationship to God. If we trust Him, and surrender our wills to His, He will grant us wisdom in all aspects of life.  We can reflect His perspective, His understanding by obeying His precepts and living by them.  And when we do, we come to realize His goodness, His faithfulness and His protection over our lives.  This brings joy to our hearts regardless of life's circumstances and trials, regardless of disappointments and heartaches, regardless of incredible challenges to our health or well being.  The wisdom of God, is indeed a pearl!

I'll be posting my fun scrapbook page I created for Brookie next....it includes my "Pearls of Wisdom....from the Kitchen!"

Blessings on your day!