The First Stitch

I started another cross-stitch project, one that my brother Andrew gave to me as a gift... because he knows I love colors, crafts, cross-stitch, Disney, and Beauty and the Beast. It might be small, but look at all these colors!!

After separating out the strands of embroidery floss, framing the canvas, and threading the needle, I'm ready for stitching. And where do I begin? Right in the center... which according to the pattern is a random grey spot that obscurely blends into the background. It doesn't look special or significant in the grand scheme of the picture, but it's a start, and it will act as a guide for where all the other stitches will land.  

On the recommendation of my other brother, Kevan, I've decided to document the progress of this project as the first "miniseries" on this blog, called "The Art of Celebration." The title comes from the Rend Collective's song, "Boldly I Approach," one of my all-time favorite praise songs. I also chose the title because of the realization that being creative and artistic are qualities that we all have in some way, because we've been made in the image of our Creator (Genesis 1:27), and therefore our creative expression can be an act of worship when it reflects His glory. So I will share with you the things that come to my mind and heart, as I stitch and worship through song and prayer and wonder.

"This is the art of celebration: knowing we're free from condemnation! Oh, praise the One who made an end to all my sin!"