Jess Boctor

Blog

  • Mobility: Prepping the Way

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    In a year, Paul, Sabine (our dog) and myself are moving.

    The cool part about it is that we don’t really know where yet. 

    The scary part about it is that we don’t really know where yet.

    We have some hopes and ideas about where it may be, but we have decided to be obedient to wherever it is that God points us to and says, “GO”. It may be across town, it may be across an ocean. We are just trying to get ourselves in the best position to jump.

    This will be a long process, it is requiring a lot of financial discipline and a lot of parring down. I have already been on a “stuff” fast for a few months now. The contents of my closet have already been cut in half. I also completed the daunting task of sifting through all of our paper work, to that it is organized and only what we need. It is time to start looking around at the rest of my possessions and figure out what the heck to do with all this stuff. 

    It is a great creative drive, as it makes me want to complete all the projects which have been piling up. It makes me want to use everything it is I have so that I do not have to lug it to wherever it is we end up. 

    So this is where many of my projects and blog posts will most likely be coming from as Paul and I prepare for whatever it is God has in store for us next, using up what I have, figuring out what it is I need, and letting go of what I don’t. 
    Continuing the adventure, 

    Jessica 

  • @Livescribe Notebook #1

    Here is my latest creation of Livescribe Notebooks. It is a full 160 page A5 notebook that I rebound. The covers are made from an old chessboard which I sealed to prevent wear and tear. The binding is done with a punch style binding, using fabric, and waxed thread. I also added some extra strength to is by adding in a thinner piece of the chessboard. I added a book mark with a rook piece for charm. 

    My favorite thing is the book opens up to lay flat, is very sturdy and is a great blending of vintage pieces and new technologies.  

    Continuing the adventure, 

    Jessie

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    Want a notebook of your own? Buy one here.

    $32.99 – 5.8″ x 8.3″ Lined Notebook $34.99 – 8.5″ x 11″ Lined Notebook 2 $44.99 – 5.5″ x 8.25″ Unlined Notebook 3

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  • A Piece of Healing

    I was having a bad day today. This song was a balm of healing to my soul this afternoon.

    Can you lie next to her
    And give her your heart
    Your heart, as well as your body
    And can you lie next to her
    And confess your love
    Your love, as well as your folly
    And can you kneel before the king
    And say I’m clean, I’m clean

    But tell me now, where was my fault
    In loving you with my whole heart?

    A white blank page and a swelling rage
    You did not think when you sent me to the brink
    You desired my attention but denied my affection

    So tell me now, where was my fault
    In loving you with my whole heart

    Lead me to the truth and I 
    Will follow you with my whole life.

    Continuing the adventure, 

    Jessica

  • Eye Candy

    I was at my parents house the other day, and it was so pretty I grabbed a camera and started shooting.

    Continuing the adventure, 

    Jesse

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  • How to Make a Vintage Magnet Board

    One of my favorite things to do is make old things new. I love re purposing, repainting, and reinventing things in new ways. One of may favorite old things are picture frames, and a great use for them is to convert them into magnet boards. I want to share this easy project with you.

    Supplies you will need:

    1. Old picture frame, the more ornate and detailed the better
    2. A piece of sheet metal approximately the same size as your frame. (Just as a tip, the thinner the gauge of steel the better as these are easier to cut).
    3. Spray Paint
    4. Sand Paper
    5. Ribbon
    6. Hot Glue
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    To begin, select your frame and remove whatever it is currently holding. Including whatever nails or staples may be keeping it in place. I suggest having small jar near by to put the leftovers in so you don’t mistakenly leave a piece of sharp small metal around.
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    Once you have pulled out all the metal, give the frame a light sanding, we are not trying to make it perfectly smooth or even remove all the characteristic giving blemishes, just sand off any large loose pieces which may interfere with the paint adhering to the frame.
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    Next, you simply paint the frame using your favorite spray paint color. For the example I was making, I choose to use two undercoats of bright yellow and a single overcoat of a creamy white. Once the paint completely dried, I lightly sanded through the white paint to let the yellow peak through. It made for great accents along the outer frame, and also on one of the molding pieces.
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    Using whatever was in the frame originally as a template, you need to size and cut the sheet metal to fit into your frame. Remember, it doesn’t have to be completely exact because most frames have a 1/4″ lip that allow you some play in the fitting, but don’t abuse the privilege. Also, when you cut the sheet metal, if you keep the smaller side (most likely your scrap) on your left side, it tends to make cutting it easier. If your shears are anything like mine, this will be the side the rolls up towards you, and the smaller it is, the easier it goes.
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    The last step is to adhere the sheet metal to the frame. Using a bead of hot glue behind the sheet metal into the wood works well and has been my method of choice in the past. In this example though, I decided to lay down some double sided Sealah tape first, and then lay my sheet metal over it. Sealah tape is great product which becomes permanent after 24 hours and work on pretty much any material from wood an d metal to fabric and papers.
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    After you set the sheet metal into your frame and have secured it, it is time for the finishing touches. I like to glue down a ribbon along the back of the magnet board to cover up where the magnet board and frame connect. I also used some brightly colored ribbon and a couple of upholstery tacks to create a hanger. Have fun and let your inspiration take you!
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    So now you know how to make your own magnet board!
    Continuing the adventure,Jess

  • Pray, Sing, Write

    These are three actions I am trying to incorporate back into my daily being. There were seasons where each of these were well disciplined habits, but through the tides of time and lack of careful guarding, they have been worn away to things I think about doing before getting on with LIFE.

    LIFE, you know, that always demanding needing your attention every second thing. That thing which leaves you so exhausted you would rather read what someone else has written, watch someone else sing, and hop onto the coat tails of another’s prayers. LIFE is a hectic, wind tunnel of busyness, and I swear it is picking up speed. I have felt it’s blowing me in directions I haven’t wanted to go, and I realize now that may never change.

    What can change, is me. I have given up on harnessing LIFE and trying to control circumstance, people and economies which are far out of my grasp. My endeavors will now be focused on who it is that LIFE blows around. Will I be someone who complains, and is constantly lamenting past and present circumstances(who is the person I have been of late)? Or, will I be the person who grins at the wind holding tightly only to those things which bring joy and inner peace?

    I want to be the later.

    So, to become that person, I have decided to get back to the basics of what gives me the type of joy which bubbles constantly like fresh spring water. Prayer. Singing. Writing. Each of things need to become so ingrained inside of me, when the wind blows, it can’t help but blow them along. 

    I recognize the muscular structure of these verbs. Each of them take time and repeated use to develop, I won’t be able to do any of them like I once was able right away. Prayer takes a discipline of the spirit and ability to focus which I have lost. Singing requires muscle development and a sharpening of hearing. Writing requires an inner monologue which has been quieted. Though I have never been much of a lover of exercise, I won’t give up. I’ll start slow with simple prayers to invite Jesus into my day and make me aware of His presence. I’ll sing with as much volume as my diaphragm can muster, even if I am alone in the car. I’ll write even if it is nonsensical. 

    And I’ll smile at the wind.

    Continuing the adventure, 

    Jess

  • Scratching it off the list.

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    One of the greatest feelings in the world is when you complete a project that has been hovering on the peripheral of your to do list. For me, this has been the remaking of a bracelet which I have had tucked in the far corners of my jewelry box. You see, this bracelet was made of charms which my mother has been collecting for me since I was a little girl. Each shield is a different place which we have visited in Germany, the original chain was too small for my wrists and so I could never wear it before. Last winter, my cousin gave me a shining silver charm bracelet and I knew exactly what I would be using it for. 

    This Saturday I finally sat down and put new jumps rings in all the charms and added them to the chain. The plane and heart charm were given to me by my uncle Otto and other cousin, Marion. I love wearing my new musical reminder of all the adventures my family has shared. Of course, there is still plenty of room for more!
    Continuing the adventure, 

    Jess