I know this is up late but I was thinking to post this for those who are getting a late start or for a cute gift idea for New Beginnings. ...

It is with deep regret and profound sadness that The Collection Shop announces the passing of artist James C. Christensen on Sunday, January 8, 2017. Inspired by the world's myths, fables and tales of imagination, James C. Christensen wants his work to add up to more than a beautiful - if sometimes "curious" looking work of art. Having taught art professionally for over 20 years, he likes to think of the world as his classroom. His hope is that through whatever he creates-be it a porcelain, fine art print or book-he can convey a message, inspiration or a simple laugh. He believes that teaching people to use their imagination helps us find solutions to sooth the stresses of everyday life-or get a little lift to help us keep going. In short: all things are possible when you share Christensen's philosophy that "Believing is Seeing." Christensen was born in 1942 and raised in Culver City, California. He studied painting at Brigham Young University and, for a while, the University of California at Los Angeles before finishing his formal education at BYU. Since then, he has had one-man shows in the West and the Northeast and his work is prized in collections throughout the U.S. and Europe. Christensen has also won all the professional art honors the World Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention can bestow, as well as multiple Chesley Awards from the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists. Christensen has been designated as a "Utah Art Treasure," one of Utah s Top 100 Artists by the Springville Museum of Art and received the Governor s Award for Art awarded by the Utah Arts Council recognizing the significance of Christensen s artwork to Utah s cultural communities. He was inducted into the U.S. Art magazine s Hall of Fame and is an Honored Alumnus at Brigham Young University for his contributions to fine art and education. James and his wife Carole, co-chair the Mormon Arts Foundation. He is a frequent guest lecturer at Brigham Young University, and has also given workshops to large companies and organizations on the subject of creative thinking, including the California Art Educator s Association, Hallmark and Intermountain Health Care. In addition to his fine art limited editions on paper and canvas, Christensen s work can be found in five acclaimed books and a series of interactive journals and in three dimensions in porcelain and hand-crafted limited-edition bronze sculptures

Happy New Year 2012 to you all! We hope you enjoyed your Christmas and other holiday celebrations, I sure did! :) Looking forward to the fresh start of a new year! Today I have a

Here are some fun helps that are meant to go along with the Arise and Shine Forth Journals! Throughout the journal experience, the youth are prompted at different times to find stories...

This hand out is a Printable PDF Download that you can print at home. Perfect for a youth group handout. Attach a glowstick to it and you have the perfect object lesson handout!

This week we decided to expand on Integrity Value Experience #2 by creating a time capsule. I remember doing this when I was a Laurel. I have until 2017 to open mine so I do not remember what is in it. I ended up looking in various places and books for inspiration. I basically generated work sheets the girls could fill out that would journal who they are now and who they would like to become. We discussed the assessment portion of the value experience as we filled out each paper. Here is what I came up with: Conduct a self-assessment of your personal integrity. Ask yourself the following questions: Do I avoid gossip, inappropriate jokes, swearing and profanity, and being light-minded about sacred subjects? Am I completely truthful, morally clean, honest, dependable, and trustworthy in my schoolwork and other activities? Pray daily for strength and for the guidance of the Holy Ghost to help you live with integrity. Write in your journal the things you can do to improve your personal integrity and at least one new habit you want to develop. Basically I typed these up in my Word program with a cute font and a quote to support each question being asked, and then put together a packet for each girl to fill out. The quotes are as follows: What qualities do you want to develop in yourself? "Your success in marriage will depend largely on your ability to focus on improving yourself rather than trying to reshape your spouse. It will depend more on being the right one than finding the right one." ~Elder Lynn G. Robbins What qualities do you want in a husband? "In selecting a companion for life and for eternity, certainly the most careful planning, thinking, praying, and fasting should be done to be sure that of all the decisions this one must not be wrong. In true marriage there must be a union of minds as well as hearts." ~President Spencer W. Kimball How many children do you want to have? "Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord, Jesus Christ." ~The Family: A Proclamation to the World How would you like to get married? "The noblest yearning of the human heart is for a marriage that can endure beyond death. Fidelity to a temple marriage does that. It allows families to be together forever." ~Elder Russell M. Nelson What do you want to accomplish in this life? "It's in the doing not just the thinking that we accomplish our goals." ~President Thomas S. Monson What are the things that make you special? "We should remember that saying 'I love you' is only a beginning. We need to say it, we need to mean it, and most importantly we need consistently to show it." ~Elder David A. Bednar Who are the people you spend time with most? "True happiness comes only by making others happy." ~President David O. McKay What is happening in your life right now? "You hold in your hands the happiness of more people than you can imagine." ~Elder Henry B. Eyring What do you believe in? "Our firm personal testimony will motivate us to change ourselves and then bless the world." ~Elder Dieter F, Uchtdorf What do you want to tell your future self? "She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness." ~Proverbs 31:26 Then I had them decorate a manila envelop to store their packet in. We also taped them really good to prevent any peaking from happening. And because I love to bake so much, we actually made my Grandmother's Coconut Bread before we started the packet. That way the house smelt of delicousness while we journaled. Once it was done baking, we had a warm delightful treat to share. (We also took pieces of the bread and extra time capsules to the girls who couldn't make it that night.)

I think you know by now that we love music, all kinds of music, at our house especially if it is uplifting and encouraging. The EFY Arise and Shine Forth CD delivers just this type of music. The so…

I got asked to come and chaperone Girl's Camp this year. So of course, I brought my camera... Scanned masterfully by the peeps at Raw Digital Lab in Australia.

This last Sunday, our young women sang the Jenny Phillips and Tyler Castleton song, Arise and Shine Forth, which is the theme song for the 2012 Young Men Young Women Theme, taken from Doctrine and Covenants, 115:5. Anyway, as I was directing them and trying to get them to sing out, we have such lovely voices in our group, I was really touched by them, their spirits, and the truth of the words they were singing. So to thank them, I decided to make them a little something. I'm not terribly cool these days, so I'm not totally sure what color combos they will like, so I made a bunch. I need some feedback on which are the cutest. or the ugliest. The digital papers were designed by Summer Driggs.

My mom is in charge of the teenage girls at our church and the theme for this year is "Arise and Shine Forth". My mom got these cute hando...

"ARISE, ARISE, ARISE..." If you have seen the youth video from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the 2012 Youth Theme Song, you will recognize this graphic of a mountain below, with

My next download for you is another reader request. She asked for the posters to be done with the pink, green and yellow backgrounds that I used for the calendars so she can put them on eight-by-t…

These fabulous paper mache hot air balloons have sparked a few ideas to go along with the 2012 Mutual Theme: “Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations” Doctrine and Covenants 115:5. * Paper Mache Hot Air Balloons found here * New Beginnings Hot Air Balloon theme When introducing the YW Values I envision a young woman either holding up a Hot Air Balloon in the color of the value - maybe even having the value on the balloon itself - and after explaining the value and reciting the scripture, placing the Hot Air Balloon into a backdrop filled with white clouds and a sun - representing the Savior. Or, the Hot Air Balloons could already be hanging as the backdrop, and the young woman places a tea light into the basket of the balloon as the value is being introduced. Resulting in a backdrop of beautiful glowing value balloons filling the sky. DIY Fabric Hot Air Balloon Mobile found here * Room Decor Have the YW values (and scripture references) modge podged onto hot air balloons and hung from the ceiling (as a backdrop for Opening Exercises). Of course, there would have to be a few fluffy white clouds and a sun - representing the Savior. The value balloon for the month's focus value could be placed on the table for opening exercises. Illuminated with a battery operated tea light. Or you could simply leave it hanging and illuminate it. I can see it! It is beautiful! Paper Cloud Mobile found here Activity The YW could get together before New Beginnings and create a balloon for each value. Realize this would take a couple activities because of the drying time involved. As a class, the girls could make them, fill with goodies and deliver to less active girls Camp Theme Wouldn't a camp filled with colorful Hot Air Balloons be wonderful? Each cabin could create their own Hot Air Balloon, in their color, to place in front of their cabins. DIY Paper Hot Air Balloon Mobile found here * 2012 Mutual Theme Launch Make hot air balloon lumieres for all YM/YW to launch - after a fireside introducing the 2012 Mutual Theme. Sky Lanterns/Mini Hot Air Balloons can be purchased for as little as $2.00 a piece. You can find them here, here, here, and here. Or you could have a separate activity where the youth make their own Hot Air Balloon out of tissue paper. It would take a whole activity. When I was working at a Treatment Center for Troubled Youth we had a night where one of the interns from BYU made these with the kids. They loved it! I loved it! And what an awesome site! Here is another handmade Hot Air Balloon idea: click photo for link to tutorial * ADDITIONAL RESOURCES I found this article Stand on A Cloud, by Richard M Romney, New Era, June 1984. It contains some wonderful lessons using the idea of a Hot Air Balloon being tied to the 2012 Mutual Theme. (I think it does) :) * It begins with a description of an Hot Air Balloon Festival in New Mexico. This is what I took from reading the article - when keeping the theme in mind. Here are a few ideas coupled with a quote from the article: 1. We are to "Arise and Shine as a standard for the nations". 2. You cannot do it on your own. You need your Heavenly Father and a Savior. Your parents and family. Your leaders. A living prophet to guide you. It isn't an easy task to prepare the balloons for flight. And it could not be done alone. "Many of the ward members joined the chase crew—the people and vehicles who follow along behind the balloon on the ground and assist when it lands. That’s where the history comes in. The Komadinas hold the record for the Fiesta’s largest chase crew ever—97 people in 23 vehicles." 3. Learning through the spirit. Line upon line. Then taking flight spiritually. The balloons are filled and take flight. "The propane burner then heats the air, which rises inside the envelope, inflating it even more. The balloon then tries to assume an upright position. But if that happens too fast, the balloon will not inflate properly..." 4. People watch. We are an example. "A standards for the nations". Thousands gather to watch the balloons. "Buses arrive, full of tour groups, senior citizens, school children, the handicapped. City buses, school buses, trucks, trailers, campers, and cars are all guided to parking areas by flashlight-toting service groups." 5. We need to be living the gospel. Stand in holy places. "Balloons only fly in calm, clear skies." 6. Follow the commandments. Pray. Hold to the rod. "They discuss safety (it’s important not to get in or out of the basket unless told to, because ballast is critical), preparation for landing (it’s important to remember to bend your knees to help absorb the impact), and flying techniques (the balloon drifts with the wind, but by ascending or descending, the pilot can usually find a breeze headed in the direction he wants to go)." 7. Importance of a testimony. Keeping a journal. “Sometimes I get cold and grouchy early in the morning,” Amy said. “But then I remember my first flight." Here are a few more quotes from the article: It is flight without wings, flight without a runway or the whine of jet engines. Because the balloon floats with the breeze, there is no sensation of motion. It is, indeed, like standing on a cloud, quietly watching the earth beneath. “When I’m up here, I think about Heavenly Father,” Jennifer said. “I feel close to him, peaceful, when I see the world he’s created and how big it is. You somehow know he’s in charge.” “You get some idea of who you are and how small you would be on your own. But you also get a feeling for what Heavenly Father has made, what he can help you accomplish if you have him on your side.” “Nobody doesn’t love a balloon,” Amy said. “We fly over people’s houses that we know, and you can see everything. People come running out in shower caps and bath robes just to wave. If you drop down low, you can hear the dogs barking and see horses run back and forth, but nobody complains.” “People here are used to balloons,” Jenny added. “It’s a mutual benefit. Pilots love to fly them, and people on the ground love to watch them float by.” I also came across this article, which has a wonderful tie to obedience: Drew Neel of Dayton, Ohio , by Richard M Romney, Friend, October 2002 He tells how he once built a hot-air balloon during a class visit to the flight museum. “We made it out of paper, then filled it with hot air and it flew!” he says. Through that activity, he learned about obedience. “The balloon works because hot air rises,” he says. “It’s a natural law.” And when laws are obeyed, whether they are laws of flight or laws of life, the obedience brings blessings. DECOR AND OTHER FUN IDEAS Hot Air Balloon Decoration Love the stripes! found here * Refreshment Table Idea found here * Hot Air Balloon Cupcakes & Lollipops found here * Photo Op *As I am looking at this picture another idea comes to mind... The bags of sand could represent things of the world, bad habits, etc. which hold you down. As we remove these things we are able to RISE! found here * Up and Away Hot Air Balloon Sugar Cookies found here * Hot Air Balloon Tea Party found here * Hot Air Balloon Invitation You should take a look at the whole party! found here * I just like this illustration. So I thought I'd share. :) found here * Invite Idea found here

The new youth theme for 2012 for our church is Arise and Shine Forth. I am SO excited for this year! As I have searched around different ...