Category Archives: Community

It’s a Girl’s Perogative!

Good evening!

A lot has changed in the past 24 hours! Well, my sweetie and I were camping at the Oregon Coast and were actually planning on being there until Saturday. Well, a girl can only take so much, and Jason knew that I was getting more and more miserable, so we had decided to go home.

On the way home, I decided at the last minute that I didn’t want to leave the coast just yet, and my sweetie found us this sweet little hotel that we could stay at. So here we are: hot shower, ocean front view with sound proof windows!!! AAH!!! Bliss!! and to top it off I have been absolutely blocked art-wise! I don’t know what my problem has been, but I have found this GREAT collage book that has re-inspired me, and I am ready to create, create, create!!!

So, we will see what happens in the next day or so!

Anyway, Jason and I will be here for about 2 or 3 days (I am just LOVING this vacation!!), and then we will eventually mozy on home!! Until then I am planning on arting it up, enjoying this view and spend as much time bundled up in the great outdoors as I can handle!! I will make sure to have some pics to share tomorrow! ๐Ÿ™‚

Have aย  FABULOUS evening! ๐Ÿ˜‰

And We’re Off!

Good afternoon!!

After a somewhat bumpy start this morning, Jason and I FINALLY have the minivan packed to the gills with waaaay too much camping stuff, waaaay to much art stuff, and waaaaay too many books!!

WHOO! HOO!!

MAN I LOVE CAMPING, er…I mean GLAMPING!!!

I will take tons of pics of our campsite this afternoon and evening and make sure to share them all with you tomorrow!!! The weather is supposed to be ABSOLUTELY PERFECT this week in Newport, so that makes me a VERY happy girl!! Faye and Sophie know that something is going on, and they are spazzing out because even though they don’t yet realize we are going camping yet, which they LOVE, they can tell that they get to go for a ride in the car because I just came back from putting their fuzzy blanket in the car, and THEY ARE EXCITED!!

Right now we are waiting for our friend, Don to get here – Don has very graciously agreed to house sit for us while we are gone, and I am sure that he will enjoy the air conditioning, and peace and quiet!!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Ok, back to the whole art supply thing!! OH MY GOODNESS!!! Do you know how hard it was to decide what to limit my art supplies down to??? Well, let’s just say, I didn’t do a terribly good job, but I will take pics of what I brought and show you tomorrow, I am sure it will at least make you smile, because in all honesty, I am thinking I can’t be the ONLY girl with this problem!!! HEE! HEE!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

What else? Oh yes, I have a bag full of books – I never can tell what I will be in the mood to read, so I wanted to make sure that I had options, and we also have a whole armload of games to play together, which should be a TON of fun!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

My goal this week is to relax and recoup my energy, nap often, take lots of walks with my sweetie and the girls, play at arting A LOT, and make sure to blog at least once every day, which means a trip into town every day, which we do anyway, Papa loves him some Starbuck’s – so I think I can be accommodating!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

I think that just about covers anything, and this point if I have forgotten anything I am either going to have to without, or I am gonna have to go buy it at the coast!!

YEAH!! It’s time to go!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Have a FABULOUS evening!!

Chunky Dunker Night!

Good evening!

Welcome to another week evening of the Chunky Dunkerโ€™s Group!

Chunky Dunkers is a weekly weight loss/get fit support group that meet here online every Wednesday evening to get the opportunity to comment, and cheer each other as you each go through your journey to get fit and healthy!!! We will discuss hints, tips, and ideas on losing weight, staying motivated, and achieving your fitness goals, whether that is to lose 5 pounds, to do 10 sit-ups, or just incorporate some healthy habits into your daily life!!

As always, everyone and anyone is welcome to join us, so please feel free to chime in on our conversation in the comment section above, or you are welcome to quietly follow along, whichever you prefer. I look forward to hearing about all of your successes!

This week, I thought I would just take a moment to remind yourself to be gentle with yourself. I know that as I have been personally struggling with this issue of weight loss and getting fit, I let my inner critic really get me down, and I have a tendency to believe the negative things that she has to say while she is berating me for not measuring up, or not making the goal, or not doing as much as someone else, and I realize that when I listen to her, it tends to make me feel worse, and not better. Which in turn causes me to do less of what I know I ought to be doing. So tonight, instead of going through a list of things to do, or not to do, I am just going to leave with you thins:

Dear Self,
Be gentle with yourself, you are a complicated being, and sometimes being out of shape is more about what else is going on in your life and not only what you are doing or not doing. Take time to listen to your needs, pamper yourself, and reward yourself in non-food ways when you have made even the smallest baby-step in the right direction. You are sooo worth it!!
Love,
Your Self!!

Keep that in mind as you go through this week! We are all rooting for you!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Have a FABULOUS week! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Getting In Touch with the Inner Me!

Good evening!

I don’t know exactly where to start, but I had the opportunity to take a Soul Collage class and I am so VERY GRATEFUL that I did. First of all this class was given by the FABULOUSLY GRACIOUS Glenda Goodrich, AKA GG! This was a full class ofย  9 very different ladies, all different ages, coming from very different backgrounds, each with different life perspectives.

It is very difficult to describe this class; more something that you need to experience to really understand, but if I had to try and describe what it is to you I would have to say that this is a class that uses imagery to help you tap into your inner self to help you answer questions and guide you throughout your life. It is kind of like a process to help you build your own deck of personal cards to help you look at anything you have going on in your life with new eyes.

Here are the three cards that I had made, and what they symbolize to me, (please note: these images are not mine and may be subject to copyright laws):

This card represents to me Womanhood.

I Am One Who embodies happiness, wisdom of myself to come, am comfortable in my own skin, and able to live my life in my own way without worry about what others might think of me, while living generously, and with compassion for others .

This card represents Vanity:

I Am One Who looks through a skewed looking glass, I am my inner critic, constantly judging and critiquing and never quite feeling like I measure up, and reminding myself that I never will.

This picture represents Compassion:

I Am One Who loves boldly, deeply, richly, and with my full self. I am the nurturer, the comforter, the nurse, and the protector.

Are you still scratching your head? Well, I was confused too until I actually made a couple of cards, and then did a “reading” for myself using them. A reading is where you look at your card, and you tell yourself what you think your card is trying to “tell” you – AKA what was trying come through to you from your subconscious? During my self-reading of my first card I had quite the emotional breakthrough, which was embarrasing, but also quite surprising, in a very good way. Anyway, while I was describing what I felt my firstย  card was saying to me, and for some reason I realized that every quality that I have been so envious of in others were actually qualities that were already there in me, and I just needed a way to tap into those feelings. Well, I started crying and wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to finish. Thankfully I did, but what I realized afterwards is that I was crying tears of amazement, happiness, and joy. Not what I expected to get out of just another art class. No, that is NOT what this class was.

I know I have said this before, but I just can not say it enough, I am so thankful that I was able to take this class. I highly recommend anyone interested in taking this class, to do so. For me it was eye-opening, and I believe will ultimately be life changing and healing for me. Soul Collage cards are a going to be a great resource for stopping and listening to what my authentic self is trying to say. What a GREAT and extremely helpful resource to add to my already growing artist repertoire.

GG, I know you didn’t invent the technique, but I thank you for being brave enough and generous enough to pass on the technique! I am grateful!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Have a FABULOUS evening!

This card represents to me womanhood.

I Am One Who embodies happiness, wisdom of myself to come, am comfortable in my own skin, and able to live my life in my own way without worry about what others might think of me, while living generously, and with compassion for others .

Chunky Dunker’s!

Good evening!

Welcome to another lovely evening of Chunky Dunker’s!

Chunky Dunkers is a weekly weight loss/get fit support group that meet here online every Wednesday evening to get the opportunity to comment, and cheer each other as you each go through your journey to get fit and healthy!!! We will discuss hints, tips, and ideas on losing weight, staying motivated, and achieving your fitness goals, whether that is to lose 5 pounds, to do 10 sit-ups, or just incorporate some healthy habits into your daily life!!

As always, everyone and anyone is welcome to join us, so please feel free to chime in on our conversation in the comment section above, or you are welcome to quietly follow along, whichever you prefer. I look forward to hearing about all of your successes!

This week, I thought I would share 10 swaps that will help make you get fit goals a little bit easier…

  1. Swap out your daily snack with a piece of your favorite fruit.ย  Save calories and guilt.
  2. Swap one of your daily side dishes for a veggie. Every little but helps.
  3. Swap your high carb breakfast with eggs. The protein with stick with you longer helping you feel full longer.
  4. Swap out pretzels and chips for some unsalted nuts. These are chock full of good-for-you-fats.
  5. Swap one meal each day with a huge salad, loaded with colorful veggies, lean protein, a handful of nuts and maybe some beans.
  6. Swap solid fats like butter or shortening, with olive or canola oil. Your heart will thank you for it!
  7. Swap red meat for more lean cuts of meat like chicken/turkey breast, and fish.
  8. Stop drinking your calories. Water is your friend.
  9. When you first wake up in the morning, spend at least 5 minutes doing some gentle stretches to wake up your body.
  10. Spend at least 1/2 an hour outside EVERY day. Fresh air, sunshine, and exercise will all help you feel more relaxed, and it will help you use up any extra calories you might be holding onto.

I hope that these 10 ideas help you, I know that I don’t always stick to these, but I think I will make a concerted effort to follow all 10 of these for the next 7 days. I will let you know how it goes!

Have a FABULOUS evening! ๐Ÿ™‚

A Weekend of Artist Mentality!

Good evening!
I have literally spent ALL weekend, in artist mode!!! I am sure my husband must be thinking that I am MIA or something!! This weekend has been such an inspiring weekend, and I am feeling WILDLY validated by my new artist community friends that have been commenting like crazy and cheering me on from all over the world!

I FINALLY feel like…

I have found my calling.
I have found my artist medium.
I am findingย  my courage.
I am finding my voice.
I might even have found ME!

Before I spend the rest of my weekend totally and completely focused on spending some quality time with my sweetie (I really am married to the GREATEST MAN – Thank you, Love!!!), I really wanted to show you a few of the projects I have been working on this afternoon!

This one is the only project I have actually finished this evening. I used decorative papers, ink, acrylic, and polymer clay to make this piece. I am calling this one, “Mamma’s Lessons for a Happy Life”.

These next two projects are still works in process. This first one, so far is acrylic paint and ink. I am not sure where I am going with this one yet, but this is a much different color palette than I am used to, but I am playing with textures on this piece.

This one is also a work in process, and this one is made, so far, with decorative paper, crackle medium, cardboard, ink, and polymer clay.

and finally…

This is not a piece in itself, but more of an experiment that I tried today, that I really fell in love with, and that is creating words from metal stamps and polymer clay. I LOVE using words in my art, and this is such a fun way to do it, I am very happy with the way these turned out.

Anyway, I am back to my regular, non-creativeย  full-time job tomorrow, but I have to confess that I will probably have a hard time concentrating knowing that I have got so much that I still want to create back in my art studio!! I will have to be patient!!

IT WILL BE WORTH IT!!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Have a FABULOUS evening!! ๐Ÿ™‚

Someone Went to the Craft Store Today!

Good afternoon!
Before I spend the afternoon playing in my art studio, I just wanted to share that SOMEBODY went to the craft store today…hmmmm…that someone was MEEEE!! I am SUCH a sucker for a trip to the CRAFT STOOOORE!!! Ok, so I MAY have gone a LITTLE overboard!!! EEK!!!

(Click to enlarge!)

Please tell me I am not the only one who has this issue!!! LOL!!

OH, but I did tell the cashier that I was a mixed media artist!! YEAH ME!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Stay tuned…I will post my next project this evening!!

Have a FABULOUS afternoon!!

Putting it Out There!

Good afternoon!

As some of you may know, I am very HAPPILY taking a creative online course called Flying Lessons, which is a course offered by Kelly Rae Roberts.

ย I am taking one small step at a time to turn my passion for creating art into my career. I have done a few things already, including updated my header for my blog, as you might have noticed from above. However, this next step might be one of the hardest for me.

I know I have shared some of my art, sporadically and somewhat hesitantly, over the course of the past six months, but tonight, I want to share all of my scribblings, doodles, and art projects, with the intention of letting the universe know, that I am an artist.ย 

WOW! That is incredibly hard to say, but
I am an artist.

I want to focus my energies on investing time on my talent. I want to take the necessary steps to focus, and learn more skills so that I can continue to put my art out into the world. My goal in doing this is to encourage women to live their lives authentically, with dignity, and pride, and if in some small way I can encourage and motivate someone to do something they might not have done, or try something they might not have tried, or even smile when they otherwise would not have, then I will have done what I was put on this earth to do.

So without further ado, here is my art:

Ok, so the good, the bad, the ugly,theย  gorgeous, the fabulous, and even the huh’s??ย  have all been shared!

They have now all been OFFICIALLY sent out into the UNIVERSE!!!

Officially!!!

Whew! Ok, that wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be! Whew – again!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

ย I totally need a break, my bravery muscles have thoroughly been exercised for the day!!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Have a FABULOUS evening!

Motivational Quote of the Day!

Here is your motivational quote for today!

โ€œ”Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it is good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more artโ€
~Andy Warhol

Thank you to my new friend, ‘Duchess’ Deborah Velasquez for sharing this AMAZING quote!!

Have a FABULOUS afternoon!! ;-)

Sunday Scribbling!

SUNDAY SCRIBBLINGS
suggests the topic ‘Forward’.
LOOKING FORWARD
What is life, but looking forward?
The past is past, what’s done is done.
All that’s left is upward, onward.
Where will you go?
Who will you be?
What will you do?
What will you see?
Life is fleeting,
Time proceeding,
Looking back will not reward
The only progress is forward.
Have a FABULOUS evening!