Zendoodling & More

It's been a busy week, but when I got a chance, I spent a little time creating.  Nothing specific in mind, just looking at how much time I have and figuring out what I can do in that time. 

I saw this super sized yogurt container on my kitchen counter and claimed it as mine before my PG did.  Mod Podge was close, so I grabbed some papers I liked and started the cover up. 

Right now, I think I might use this for my paint brushes after I toss a few glass pebbles in the bottom, but that's not in stone.  That's why I haven't finished decorating it.  But at least I'm doing something!!

And then, I found out about zendoodling.  And created this: 

It's not much different than doodling but instead of using it as an escape, you use it for relaxation.  And it is relaxing.  No erasers, just markers, go with the flow. 

What I really love about it is that you get a different effect when you flip it.  Turn it one way, it's peaceful.  Turn it another and you get the feeling something's not right. 

Hmmmm...Maybe I'm thinking way too deep on this zendoodling.  I think I'll just sit back and enjoy.

Have a happy weekend!!  Enjoy the time you spend creating!!

Inspired Canvas of Words

So, remember when I wrote about this beautiful canvas that Leanne made?  And how it inspired me? 

Well, I decided to try my hand at it.  Leslie at Words of Me Project suggested we do something creative each day for 14 days starting January 23rd.  So for the last week, I've been working on making a companion piece to my Truth canvas. 

Using Leanne's recipe, I started by adding paper scraps to a canvas and mod podging the whole thing. 




I wanted to put all three previous words on one canvas, so I needed to make my own removable letters.  I just took some flimsy cardstock letters from one of my paper pads and put Alene's Tack It Over and Over on the backs of the letters.

I added some butterflies (my fave) to give the canvas a little dimension. 

Then painted it white.  I think the layer of paint might have been a little thin, but I told myself from the start that once I made a decision, I was going to embrace it.  There are no mistakes.

Once the paint dried, I removed the letters and sanded some sections.

Outlined the letters, added some some more scraps and sanded some more.  Then found my K&Co. keys.  I actually had another piece of metal in mind, but I couldn't find it to save my soul.  And I really wanted to complete this project. 

This took nearly a week to complete.  I worked on it every night after work.  It's not nearly as beautiful as the one I received, and quite frankly, if Leanne does decide to sell these in her Etsy shop, I would definitely consider picking some up for some friends.  This took longer than I thought it would. 

Oh, and the scraps from the scraps?  I put them in my art journal. 

I'll figure out something for that some other day.   

Now what have you done to feed your creative soul??

Scratching that Creative Itch

Leslie over at Words of Me Project has issued a challenge for us to do some creating every day.  I did do some this past weekend.  I made these:


32 Valentines for Children's Hospital in Detroit


These little cards are headed to Michigan.  You see, Pat over at The Rubber Maid has asked her followers to consider making some cards for kids in the Children's Hospital in Detroit.  Pat's goal is to have 1500+ cards sent to them to brighten their Valentine's day.  To get the full story, visit her blog here.  And if you email Pat the number of valentines you ship out to the hospital, she'll put your name in a drawing for some Flourishes stamps. 

The valentines can be any size or shape. Remember these from your grade school days? 



Courtesy of thedoodleplace.wordpress.com

 There's nothing better than to be able to create something and then give it away.  You've done something good for yourself and for others!!  SCORE!!!!

Have you heard of Pick Your Plum?  Every day they have a special deal that is good while supplies last.  Sometimes it takes a couple hours, sometimes it takes the whole day for the deal to be gone.  But I'm hooked on these deals.  One deal I scored recently was shipping tags.  I used those tags to make the little valentines. 

So that's my creating for the start of the week.  I have this (almost) nagging feeling that I need to put a brush in my hand.  Maybe I'll scratch that itch tonight after work.  I can't say I am creating each and every day, but the thoughts are there!  I'm going to run with that!!

Have a Terrific Tuesday!

Textured Truth

Maybe you read about it over at Leanne's place.  But I wanted to post here.  Since the Cellar Chicks decided on their One Little Word for 2012, Leanne had this vision.  And we all know that when that chick has a vision, beautiful things result. 

So this is the artwork she created for my word, Truth.  Such lovely texture, and a story behind the creation. 

It's a treat to run your hand over it, feeling all the different textures on one piece.  She posted the "recipe" on her blog and it is inspiring me to make a piece with my previous years' words.  Not that I can match her talent, but I'm loving the inspiration!!

Wouldn't it be nice if some of this showed up in her Etsy shoppe??

I think I'm going to spend part of the day creating.  Something.  Just don't know what yet.  But I scored some sheet music yesterday (Thanks, CE) and it's calling to me!!

Have a great Sunday!

Do YOU have a Dream?

Sure you do.  We all have dreams.  Some of them are goals, some of them border on fantasy.  Some of them are little wishes.  Some of them are humongous.  In my opinion, if what your dreams are make you into the best person you can be, then you are fulfilling your mission on this earth. 

Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday.  He had a dream.  A dream that certainly couldn't be fulfilled overnight.  A dream not just for himself, but for mankind.  "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but the the content of their character."  Isn't that beautiful?   

I'm glad that I've witnessed in my lifetime a shift in how people/races interact with one another.  One man spoke up to voice what others felt in their hearts and moved us to the healing that humankind so sorely needed.  You see, as long as we hold those prejudices and hates, we are not free.  We are shackled by those hates; that anger.  And until we decide that what's on the outside really doesn't matter and that the only thing that matters is what's in someone's heart, we will never be free.  He said it best when he said:

Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring -- when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children -- black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics -- will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Whether or not you have the day off today, have a wonderful day!  And just send a quick note of gratitude to your higher power that we were blessed to have heard the words from Dr. King's heart. 

Make it a great day!!

What a Difference a Day Makes

Only 9 little hours...(c'mon, hum along)

I just wanted to show you how you can leave for work in the morning with nary a snowflake in sight.  Return home 9 hours later to a totally different look!

Thank goodness for my PG who cleared the driveway before I got home!!  He takes good care of me!

No, I won't be playing in the snow today.  Not that much of a fan.  Just an admirerer from afar!

Have a great Saturday!

A Journey in Mindfulness

It's a funny thing about this place known as blogland. Just as if you're at a party with a lot of people you don't know, you move thru the room and meet people.  Some you connect with and others you listen to and decide that you don't want to continue the relationship.  Recently, I came across a blog I enjoy.  LifeUnity is a blog that focuses on awareness. 

About three years ago, I was part of a research group that considered whether mindfulness had an effect on the recurrence of breast cancer.  When we met, we learned mindfulness exercises, yoga, being still and eating healthy.  Unfortunately, I didn't carry on with what I learned.

Back to LifeUnity.  Lisa has a project that started today that invites us to practice mindfulness.  I signed up for it.  It's called Wild Elephant Project. 

Day 1 - it's working.  'Twas a more mindful day for me today.  I paid attention to things that I would normally do without thought.  All because I did them with my non-dominant hand.  (Try brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand).

Looking forward to where this will lead.  I'm expecting delivery of the book that inspired this project in a couple of days.  Should be an interesting journey.

Care to join me?  Stop by here to let Lisa know.  And I'll keep you posted on how things go for me.

Happy 2012!!

Love the sweetness of this song and the interaction between the two. 

What a great way to start the year!!

Happy New Year to all!  May this one be filled with questions answered, wishes fullfilled, dreams come true, and good health and prosperity to enjoy it all. 

One Little Word for 2012

Many of my regular followers are familiar with Ali Edward's One Little Word.  She suggests you identify one word that can be your guiding light for the year.  Similar to a new year's resolution, but different in that it leaves things open for whatever might add to your life experience.  As Ali E says, it "...can be a powerful thing.  It can be a ripple in a pond that changes everything.  It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow."  Sometimes the word picks you instead of you picking the word.

This is the fourth year I've identified a word that I would be my mantra for the year. My words have been Simplify (2011), Serenity (2010), and Gratitude (2009). 

For 2012, my word is  

Truth

1.  sincerity in action, character and utterance

2.  conformity with fact or reality; verity

3.  a verified or indiputable fact, principle, proposition or the like

And it chose me.  As I was driving.  Talking to myself.  Asking questions about others' actions and then I turned it around and asked about my own actions.  And I realized that what I need in my life right now is for me to be honest with myself.  I need to take ownership of things for which I previously blamed (oh, how I dislike that word) others. 

I need to discover and embrace the truth about my relationships.  About weight loss.  About exercise.  About healthy eating.  About homemaking.  About time management. 

I need to be truthful with myself.  And I will not allow myself to believe what Jack Nicholson says...

Oh, yes I can.  Oh, yes I will.  I can't say this will be easy.  I'm a little anxious on moving forward with this.  But I see that as a good thing.  Being anxious heightens awareness.  And then...

All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered. 

The point is to discover them - Galileo

And so the journey begins. 

I'd love to know if you have a word for 2012.  Feel free to share in the comments or to post a link to your blog.  C'mon...what's YOUR word?

"The Look"

As we were growing up, my siblings and I knew "the look" we would get from my mother if we were stepping out of line.  Many of you know about "the look".  Without a word being spoken, while your mother is at the other side of a room, your eyes meet hers and BAM!!  You know if you continue to do what you are doing, you are in BIG trouble. 

I swore I would never use it on my kids.  HA!!!  So much for promises made to yourself when you are 12 years old.  Yes, my kids will tell you that I used "the look" on occasion.  And I can tell that my eldest grandson experiences "the look" from either mom or dad or both, because I catch him occasionally looking up to "take a reading". 

I love how our eyes tell so much.  I love looking at pictures to see whether the eyes match the mouth in what's being told in the photo.  C'mon...you know what I mean!  Smilin' eyes!!  And how disturbing is it when the eyes don't match the mouth?

But the reason I tell you this is because I wanted to share with you my experience when I received the best Christmas present a grandma could get.  I received a gift card for a date at Make a Messterpiece with my 4 1/2 year old grandson.  But it wasn't the gift card that was the best gift.  It was this gift bag, handed to me with a special look.  A look that told me I was going to L-O-V-E what was inside. A look that exuded confidence in how perfect this gift was for me.

In actuality, I loved that he wrote all of this on the bag.  You see, I will scrapbook this.  I will take pictures of my date with him, of his Messterpiece, of our time together and I will scrap those pics right next to this bag.  And I will melt each time I see it. 

I am certain that I am the luckiest grandma in the whole wide world.