Taking Life as it Comes

“Sometimes we just have to take life as it comes, without resistance, without planning, without judgment. Because when we constantly try to control the outcome, we leave very little room for serendipity and growth.” ~Jeanine Caron

This holiday season my daughter was given Merry Christmas beans, which are these little beans you plant in accordance with a kit, and when they grow the beans have the words Merry and  Christmas on them. And yes, it’s a little late for them to sprout before Christmas, but my daughter was eager to plant her precious little seeds. So the first project we did this new year was plant seeds. Following the instructions, we took out the little, compacted disc of dirt and put in into the mini pot, and we watched in amazement as the soil expand when we added water. Then we carefully placed the 2 little seeds in the soil and put the pot in the cute little terrarium that came with the kit. And so it sits on our window sill in our kitchen while we anxiously await it’s growth. It has yet to sprout, but every day my daughter checks it with anticipation.

It didn’t resonate with me until a couple days later how symbolic this was of this new year. Our first project of 2013: Planting a seed.

See, I’m not very good with New Years resolutions as so many resolutions require an immediate change or action. I’m better with gradual development. In this instant generation where we want to see immediate results, I think sometimes we need to be reminded to just be patient with ourselves. Give ourselves time to grow. Plant the seed, nurture it, but don’t expect an immediate result. That’s what I’m working toward. I know there are things in my life that I need to work on, and my goal is to keep working toward them little by little. Like the little seed sitting on our sill…just give myself some time to sprout and grow.

Take life as it comes.

I suppose everyone has those times when life gives you an unanticipated series of events. I look back on 2012 and all the challenges our family went through, and although I have no regrets as most of these challenges were pretty consistent with just being a military family and relocating, I sometimes think about how 2012 changed the direction of our lives. From not knowing where we would move, to uprooting our lives and unexpectedly renovating a house (which is still a work in progress), to finding out I’m expecting our 2nd girl and dealing with severe morning sickness…yes, you could say 2012 has been an interesting year. And now I’m ready for 2013.

New things await in this upcoming year and I’m so excited. The new baby buzz is in full swing at our house and we get to welcome our new bundle of joy this spring. My daughter keeps asking if winter is over yet because she knows that spring comes next…and with spring comes her new baby sister.

But also with this new year comes a new year of creating. And this is very exciting as well. I have ideas swelling up in my head again (for awhile there I was so sick I could hardly think), and I’m ready to get moving. I’ve signed up for Life Book 2013  ( http://www.willowing.org/life-book-2013/) and I’m eager to see what new techniques I will learn in this new year.

Here are a few things I’ve managed to create in the last few months:

I made this for my Grandma’s 90th birthday. She is very special to me and one of those people that made such a huge impression on my heart. I spent my summers as a girl at her house planting flowers, watching birds, baking cookies and bread for the county fair, and just experiencing all the joys of being a little country girl. Love you, Grams.

The picture quality is not the best with this one, but I painted this piece for my sister as a gift for Christmas. The words on the bottom say: Know in your heart that you are loved.

And these are some Christmas trees I made a few weeks ago. I was inspired by a 2009 Somerset Life mag.

Hopefully I won’t have to wait so long until the next post. Happy New Year!

Just Be Who You Are

Original mixed-media art. Self-guided by Suzi Blu’s Petite Dolls workshop.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind. ~ Dr. Suess

I’ve been a huge fan of Dr. Suess since I was a kid…and it has continued all through my life. One time when I was in college working on a term paper, I secretly snuck into the children’s books and snatched a copy of Green Eggs and Ham…I hid it in my research book so while others thought I was reading the ploy behind WW2, I was actually getting my kicks out of Sam I Am trying to convince a stranger to eat green eggs and ham. Yes, I did that. So you can imagine my delight when my husband bought this same book for my daughter this week. She comes bounding in the house bouncing the bright orange book up and down pleading for me to read it to her. I was in the middle of packing my stash of fabric when she asked. Do I continue to finish what I was doing or have a timeout with Dr. Suess? It was an obvious choice: Green Eggs and Ham. Honestly, I don’t know who was more excited. And as I read through the story, the simple charm of it all brought back a wave of comfort, and I finished it with a smile on my face.

I love Dr. Suess. I’m fascinated by the way his mind works and his imaginative perception of reality. How anybody could think up the quirkiness he has is beyond me. To me, Dr. Suess is the king of doing his own thing, an original, and in the process he changed an entire generation’s ideology of children’s literature. *Over 200 million copies of his books found their way into homes and hearts around the world. But his journey wasn’t an easy one and required persistence. Did you know that one of the first children’s books he tried to publish, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected 27 times before it became published by Vanguard Press? He probably was told in the beginning that his stories were too quirky, too farfetched, unrealistic. Exactly. This is why they carry such an appeal. No more Dick and Jane does this, Dick and Jane did that (and I have no problem with this cute series). But he created these outlandish stories of made up characters intertwined with the philosophy to THINK on your own. Do you own thing. Don’t be afraid to be creative. Pursue your dreams. Oh the places you’ll go! Just BE WHO YOU ARE. Cause being who you are is exactly who you were meant to be.

 

*Resource: http://www.catinthehat.org/history.htm

Ladybug, ladybug…fly away home

This morning when I woke up, I discovered a ladybug perched on a foam flower magnet on my fridge. I have no idea how it got there, but I was certain that it was looking for something yummy to eat. I held out a strawberry for it to climb onto so I could put it outside, but it was terrified of the perspective of leaving its foam flower. So, I flicked it into a plastic cup (along with the strawberry) and took it outside where it could fly off on its own. I’d like to imagine that the ladybug flew off to some quaint little house where it is the pet to some mystical fairy…telling the fairy all about its mighty adventures in the house of fake flowers and forever grateful to the human that saved it.

Picture borrowed from Greenspirit Arts

Maybe it’s a folk fairy that lives there. Like the one I recently painted.

Folk Fairy I painted from Suzi Blu’s FAIRIES workshop

I decided to use pink…and yes, I know that’s a lot of pink. So before you think someone puked pepto bismol all over a canvas, keep in mind it’s for my daughter and she loves pink. And since this is for her new room in our new house, I figured I’d go for what she would like. And I’ll admit it…I love it, too! Yes, I’m a fan of pink…the color…and I’m not ashamed to admit it! I know some ladies who have little girls who refuse to be a pink fan because of the whole cliché of girls and pink. To each their own. My opinion? THEY ARE GIRLS. If they like pink, then they like pink…sobeit. Pink is a happy color, and I’m all for happiness!!

After all, some of the BEST quotes come from “pink” movies/shows:

“Sherlock” A Study in Pink:

“Try not to start a war before I get home – you know what it does to traffic.”

“Anderson, don’t talk…you lower the IQ of the entire street.”

 

Pink Panther (Inspector Clouseau):

[having stepped on and broken the violin] “Oh well, if you’ve seen one Stradivarius, you’ve seen them all.”

 

Pretty in Pink quote from Duckie:

“It’s called a sense of humor – you should get one – they’re nice.”

Perfection Sucks

Why do people try so hard to be perfect at something? “I’m a perfectionist” Have you ever heard yourself say this? …heck, I used to say it myself. Then I stopped. Because aiming for perfection only sets you up to unlimited failure. Why try to be perfect? As if perfection is an attainable goal. Perfection is over rated. Instead tell yourself, “I’m not perfect and I love myself anyway.” Embrace it, expect it, and you will make your life so much easier. Periodically I say stupid stuff, sometimes I make ugly art, most times my thoughts are completely unorganized, and a lot of times I am moody. I’m a moody artist. I’m okay with that – because I am human. One of the best lessons I have learned in recent months is letting go of this idea of perfection.

JUST LET IT GO.

Just be who I am without worrying about if I’m going to say something stupid or make something ugly. In 24 hours most people won’t remember anyway. Release the pressure you put on yourself in order to grow and become someone you never thought you could be. Let go of self expectation. Thrive in the process of imperfection and you will liberate yourself. Liberation = Freedom.

Perfection is constricting.

BE FREE.

At the moment I feel like I’m in a total brain funk. Blame it on the heat of the Mohave desert…which has been in the 100s, OR the fact that I haven’t really accepted that we are moving in a month and I have done absolutely nothing. Whatever the reason, I’m embracing the brain funk. I’m running around in circles trying to figure out what I should do first, and in the end I find myself in my studio painting. Because I firmly believe that painting fairies will make them come to life and organize everything for me.

I BELIEVE IT.

What can I say? I’m not perfect.

So instead of going through closets and purging clothing I haven’t worn in 3 years, I made some ATCs this week:

The Three Princesses

The 3 princesses – Faith, Adelie, and Mariana. My daughter named them…not for sure where she came up with these names (well, except for Faith…that’s her name), but they seemed to fit.

And these were WAY more important then packing. I swear.

*ATC designs are original works of art. Interested in learning this style? Check out Petite Dolls  at Les Petite by Suzi Blu.

Start Every Day with a New Hope

Last night my hubby suggested going on a night stroll with our daughter. I love walking. It cools off after the sun goes down in the desert and it was a gorgeous evening. The only problem? Critters come out at night. You have to keep an eye out for anything moving in the shadows otherwise you could come head to head with a coyote, a bobcat, or worst of all…a rattlesnake. Now, last night was pretty uneventful. Until a good size mouse scattered across our path at break necking speed…my daughter and I squealed and my husband says, “Watch out for the snake!” I could feel the blood draining from my face. I whizzed around so fast I almost fell. My first instinct was to figure out how far the snake was from Faith, our daughter.

“What snake?” I asked searching quickly around us.

Hubby – “The one chasing the mouse.”

Me – “Where?”

Hubby – “He’s gotta be around here somewhere.”

I picked up on the smirky tone of his voice. By this time Faith was giggling.

I squeamishly laughed it off.

Good one.

We watched the mouse dash into his hole in the sand and I thought to myself…”yeah, buddy, I know how that feels!”

We’ve had a lot going on lately. Family visited. We went to Disney…which made me feel like I needed a vacation afterward. And last week we found out the military is moving us in a month and a half. Yippee. So I’m exhausted and a bit overwhelmed, and when that happens I tend to go into my “hole.” Yes, mister mouse, I can totally relate. I may not be chased by a snake (thank God), but I know where my comfort zone is.

Creating in my hole.

I decided to get crackin’ on my Dark Fairy. I’ve been working on her in the background for a while now and was finally able to finish her up this past week. The Dark Fairy, as taught by Suzi Blu in her Fairies class, is not necessarily “dark.” It’s a fairy that has been there for you through your dark times. Now I don’t want to divulge into the course material of Fairies, because I deeply respect Suzi and the amount of effort she has put into this class. But I will say this Fairy workshop will change your life. Suzi’s philosophy of all her fairies is fascinating, enriching and healing. IF there was ever a class I would recommend from her, this would be it. But I’ve said that about all her classes at one point. All I know is, 6 months ago I couldn’t sketch a face if I wanted to. Now? I’m doing stuff like this:

Fairy of Faith

The process of making this Fairy of Faith was invigorating. I feel I have learned so much through the process of this piece, and I’m eager to continue to learn from the other fairies in this workshop.

I’m so grateful to Suzi and what I have learned from her. One of the most important things is to be true to yourself. There are too many people in this world that don’t know how to be genuine because they have not been honest with themselves. One thing I have noticed about Suzi Blu’s school, Les Petite, is that there are so many artists there that have been through hell and back and they just want to paint. They want to be who they are, and they want to be in a place where they can be just that without anybody pointing a finger at them saying, “You’re not good enough.” No judgment. Be free. You can come as you are and discover that “You have everything inside of you to be an artist.” – Suzi Blu And this is exactly why I enjoy being a student at Les Petite.

I’m an artist. Suzi says so.

Un-slump Yourself

I have this vintage Mother Goose Book from 1942. A library was having a book sale a few years ago and I managed to snatch it up before it was donated to some second-hand store. And it was here in this treasured book that I found out the rest of the story of Jack and Jill. Now, I know that all of you are probably sitting on the edge of your seat wondering…what? There’s more? YES! Apparently it doesn’t end with “And Jill came tumbling after.” And so I will enlighten your eager minds.

The entire poem goes like this:

Jack and Jill went up the hill

To fetch a pail of water.

Jack fell down and broke his crown,

And Jill came tumbling after.

Then up Jack got and home did trot,

As fast as he could caper.

He went to bed and plastered his head

With vinegar and brown paper.

I can’t say I have ever heard caper used as a verb in my generation. BUT I do believe the important thing about this poem is that after Jack fell, HE GOT UP. He fixed his head. He didn’t wallow in his pain but did what he had to do to fix himself…with vinegar and brown paper…probably would not have been my choice of treatment, but it worked for him. The point? When you’re down, get up anyway. Sometimes, I honestly don’t feel like doing anything. I get tired and worn out and sometimes I just want to crawl up in the fetal position and tune everything out. But it is in these moments where I push myself to create, push myself to do SOMETHING…anything…even if it’s small. Because self pity doesn’t take me anywhere worth going. So thank you, Jack, for the reminder to get up, even when you’re broken, and fix yourself.

I’m thinking of Dr. Suess’ book Oh The Places You’ll Go where he states:

“And when you’re in a slump,

You’re not in for much fun.

Un-slumping yourself

Is not easily done.”

Un-slumping yourself definitely takes effort. So in my slumpiness this week, I managed to get 2 journal pages done. I’m pleased with what I was able to accomplish despite the way I was feeling. Another reminder to keep at it, even when I don’t feel like it.

Thanks to those of you who have posted encouraging words in previous posts!

Princess Florence and the Most Terrible of Terrible Tea Parties

Princess Florence picked a bad day for a tea party. Everything seemed to go wrong.

Bear got a boo-boo.

She cracked her tea pot.

Flies swarmed her cakes.

She forgot the forks.

Her tea spilled.

She fell in the mud and got her knees and dress dirty.

She tore her dress.

She got a bruise on her cheek.

Dolly’s leg broke.

The flowers were wilting.

And it started to rain.

…Some days are just like that.

*Inspired by the book by Judith Viorst, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Of Days Gone By

Yesterday, I spent the majority of my morning browsing through a local antique mall. This place is a gem and I love how it reeks of oldness. When you walk in, you get hit with subtle scents of old perfume, rust, moth balls, and old books. The combination is very soothing. I love antiquing. The simple joy of holding something in your hand that meant something to someone in years past is wonderfully fascinating. Lately, I’ve been going there not to find collectables, but to scavenge through old books, vintage sheet music and photographs for my mixed media art. Regardless of what I’m searching for, every time I go I find something unique from another time. Another life.

Things I found that I didn’t buy:

A poetry book published in 1779 for $125 – probably the oldest book I’ve ever found. It was locked in a case, the binding was damaged but still intact, and the pages were terribly tainted but still very legible. It obviously was taken very good care of as the condition was not terrible. I actually was tempted to buy this book. Why? This was published in the era of the Revolutionary War. Who had this book? Where did it come from? And how did it make its way to CA which wasn’t a state until 1850?

A periodical featuring Charlie Chaplin for $25.

A newspaper proclaiming the event of JFKs assassination.

Sheet Music of Nat King Cole.

A square bottle of Moonshine (still full) claiming to be from the prohibition.

An early 1900 German to English translation book. Probably brought over during the Hitler Era.

These things caught my eye out of the many things I went through. The journey of America in a few small, forsaken pieces of personal possessions…things that at the time they were published were probably not considered of great importance, but the eras they now represent all played a part in our history in some way.

Tucked away in one of the booths was a stash of old family photographs…all piled together haphazardly in a wooden basket. I spent a lot of my time going through this, as the photos of this particular family really struck me. I have no idea who these people are, but it’s clear they loved life.

A snap shot of young lady in front of a brick building. She’s not the most beautiful girl, but she obviously cared about the way she looked. I love the fact that she smiled. In so many old photos the people don’t smile…I don’t know why, but they don’t. But she is.

A relaxed photo of friends lounging on the grass…again, something you typically don’t find in old photos – an informal pose. They look college age to me…too close in age to be brothers and sister. Maybe cousins? Was this staged or spontaneous? Was this taken on a campus of a college or taken at a park? One girl and 3 guys…not too odd for friends these days, but back then?

And lastly, my favorite. Someone took a photo of this little girl and wrote on the back: “Elizabeth Ann, her bubble gum, and her cat she called “Blondie.” To me this represents the epitome of childhood. Not a care in the world. If it were my daughter I’d probably be telling her to put the cat down because “we don’t touch animals when we have things in our mouths.” I had to laugh out loud. It obviously wasn’t a concern.  And this reminded me not to take life so seriously.

Painting My Way Through Journaling

When I was little, I had a diary that I filled with Lisa Frank stickers. I don’t remember really writing in it, but I remember the bright stickers of rainbows, roses, unicorns and panda faces. I loved that thing. One day I discovered Lisa Frank GLITTER stickers (they were really holographic, but they were shimmery and beautiful). It was life changing. I was discovering my love for color. And then Punky Brewster began to air on TV and all I wanted was to wear rainbow clothes and pig tails with yellow bobbles. But my hair wasn’t long enough, and all my clothes were handy-me-downs from my sister. My sister wasn’t into rainbow clothes.

Painting is just another way of keeping a diary. ~Pablo Picasso

Making time for art has become a priority in my life.  I think at some point everyone hits a certain place in their life where they come to a crossroads. You decide to either dwell in the past and on your “failures”, or learn from your experiences and choose to press forward. Someone once told me that everything that has happened in my life is because it was suppose to happen; where I am now is exactly where I am suppose to be; and where I choose to go from there is my decision.

Recently I’ve had to learn to embrace my limitations and work through them. I may not be able to run a business because of my health (I had a successful artisan business last year), but I’m not going to allow that to stifle my creativity. Through art I have been able to thrive, and it has brought me much peace.

I finished painting my tower journal page from Suzi’s Art Journal class this past week, and as I was finishing it, tears flooded my eyes. I know it may seem corny to cry over art, but each element in this painting represents something very specific, and the symbolism manifested itself intensely. Sometimes art is fun and uplifting…sometimes it’s deep and heavy. I think both are important as I am developing my skill…creating sentiment through my art, even if the sentiment is only for me. The depth allows me to find healing.

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. ~Henry Ward Beecher

On Monday evening I followed an art-along that taught a background technique, so the following journal page was kind of done on a whim through the inspiration of that. It signifies a lady looking back on her youth remembering simpler times.

Ah, the simplicity of a toddler! I was watching my daughter today as she made herself an igloo out of a large cardboard box…the “egloo,” as she called it, looked more like a tent with blankets for a door, but she was perfectly content pretending she was an Eskimo. I thought it was kind of ironic that she was pretending to be an Eskimo when we live in the middle of the desert. I wonder if Eskimo kids ever pretend to play in sand huts. Not that we live in those here in Mohave.

Oranges, Mixed-Media Girls, and Fairies

I am orange challenged. Or so my hubby tells me. I love eating oranges, but I hate peeling them…when I peel an orange, it turns into a pulpy, mushy, mutilated mess. My hubby? Yes, every orange he has ever peeled in his life is perfect. I have orange issues. I’m accepting that. What does this have to do with art? Absolutely nothing.

On Thursday the USPS guy dropped off my Suzi Blu book, Mixed-Media Girls. I’m officially in love with my USPS guy…he’s old, has grey hair and looks like he’s in his 70’s, but I don’t care…he gives me beautiful things. OH MY GOODNESS this book is fabulous. The pictures are bright and detailed and the step-by-step techniques are amazing.

I want to live in this book it’s so beautiful…a mixed-media girl living in a magical painting. If you are a mixed-media artist…this is an AWESOME resource!

Yesterday I received my latest shipment of art supplies from Dick Blick…after waiting a week and half for them to get here (seemed like FOREVER). BUT, I’m not complaining, because it was worth the wait. I have my shiny new Prismacolor pencils all sharpened and ready to go, and I even made a few new notches in my fabric pencil holder I designed earlier this year.

I’m happy pappy and can’t wait to get going on my fairy faces from Suzi Blu’s Fairy class.

I’m currently learning how to sketch fairy bodies and thought I’d share. Sure, they are not perfect, but I’m okay with that. I’m learning things don’t have to be perfect when you’re sketching. Pencil is not permanent. The proportions of these may not be right, but I’m learning to embrace the process…the best lessons I’ve learned in sketching are from my own mistakes.

Coming soon – my first mixed-media Fairy painting! I can’t wait to get started! Stay tuned!