Advent

News, reviews and an advent challenge.

Hello and welcome to my newsletter, I’m so pleased to have you on board!

Those of you who have been getting my newsletters for a while know that for 2024 I’ve been following the structure of…

One thing I’m learning

Two things I’m thankful for

Three things that are inspiring me

Four things I’ve been working on

I’m going to switch that around a little bit next year, and so for one last time I’m going to use those headers as a way of reflecting on this last year. With that in mind, keep reading for a little gift/resource from me to you, to say thank you for your support this year!

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But first a bit of exciting Advent news…

Last month I mentioned that I’ve been working on some advent resources, they’re now available in my Etsy shop to download and colour.

This time of year can be an be such a busy and stressful whirlwind that there’s a danger that the true meaning of Christmas gets pushed into the background. I wanted to offer something simple and achievable that gives an opportunity for a purposeful few minutes of quiet focus. There are two options, either an advent calendar with a small image and a daily Bible reading, or some bunting to cut out and colour each day. They come as downloadable pdf’s to print at home and there’s no limit to how many you can print (as long as it’s not for profit) so they’re perfect for using as a group or family. Use the code ADVENT24 at the checkout to get 10% off.

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Inspired to focus on Advent this year, I’ve decided to set myself a personal project of taking a verse from the Christmas story each day as a starting point for a creative response. I know that life will be busy during December so I’m just aiming for half an hour a day, and I’m planning to post on substack chat as well as Facebook and Instagram. I have to confess to being a little bit nervous about setting myself a challenge like this – especially at this busy time of year. But then I remind myself that the flip side of this argument is that this is exactly reason to be doing it, I want to be intentional about remembering the true “reason for the season”.

I wonder if anyone would like to join me? Dip in for as few or as many days as you can manage. I’ve listed all the verse below. There are no rules – simply read the verse and respond however you like, you could journal, hand-letter, draw, paint, sew, write… and take as long or as little time over it as you choose. If you have downloaded the advent calendar or the bunting then you could follow along as you colour, the verses for each day are the same.

I’d love to see your creations if you’re happy to share them. It would be a lovely way of connecting and encouraging each other but there’s absolutely no pressure.

If you use Instagram tag @jac.grace_art, or facebook @JacquiGraceArtist and I’ll share your work in my stories. Or simply add your photo to the thread on substack.

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Anyway, back to the usual newsletter structure of one thing, two things etc.

I thought that this would be a good way of reviewing the year and that maybe you would like to use this format yourself as you look back on 2024 (I know - there’s still a month to go, but maybe keep it handy!) If you would find it helpful then here’s a little resource that you could save and print. Feel free to share it

And here’s my take on it… there are lots of photos because I found that scrolling through the pics on my phone was a really great way of remembering what’s been important.

That’s all from me for now, although I will be posting regular updates during Advent. I would really love it if you wanted to join me on this “journey” (I can’t think of a clever title for this challenge at the moment – any suggestions are very welcome!)

Take care, Jacqui x