Gratitudes - Inktense Pencils

 Inktense pencils have the vibrancy to them and I recieved them as a gift from my sister.  I really enjoy using them - they work on so many surfaces.

What are you grateful for this week?

Reflections - January Challenges

 

It has been a month full of posts as part of the Ultimate Blog challenge, and I hope you have found some thing to inspire you.  It is always great to come to the end of a challenge and as you look back at your journey, you are able to see areas that you might like to pursue.  I managed to fit in two challenges in the same month and also took part in Motley Souls 21 day challenge and produced a series of Art Cards.  It has also been great doing this as I have been able to experiment with different materials.

Sharing the inspiring websites I come across and celebrating the work of the lovely creatives who follow this blog each week will continue.  I enjoy reading, so will review and post - If you are a writer I would love to hear from you and you can share your journey on my wordpress site.

 

A challenge certainly stretches you and enables you to learn new things about yourself.  As well as my own post it has been lovely to visit new blogs and make new acquaintances which I am sure will continue. If you are contemplating starting or joining a challenge I really do recommend it, you will come out the other end with new insights and purpose!  Let me know if you come across any interesting challenges, or perhaps you too are just completing one!

Delight - 52 Weeks of Colour

A thought for the week....

Know your worth!  Do you constantly find yourself settling or playing it safe because you have always done it that way? For today, take a moment to delight in all that you have and what you could achieve in your life. Do not worry about how you will get there the main thing is that you make a start, having a good support network around you is key, especially when you feel like quitting.

Quote

This human being is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival.  A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still treat each guest honourably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. ...Rumi

 Scripture 

"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." 1John 5:14........

Childlike - Creating in Faith

We often hear the term childlike/childish being used in a negative context with the offending party is deemed to be acting like a child when an adult response is required.

As artists on the flip side we encourage tapping into your creativity the way a child would.  Children often approach creativity with a 'can do' attitude without the baggage and fear that can come over you when you start to tell yourself your not good enough or talented enough.  Fear of anything other than loud noises and falling is a learn behaviour that starts when our children are young and like sponges they soak up the fear of spiders, lack of confidence, or being good enough.  When taking my son to school when he was little you would hear how the children talked to one another, imitating conversations they had heard from parents and some learnt from an early age how to undervalue themselves.

Deep rooted insecurity 
The negativity embeds itself deep in to their minds and I'm sure we can all think of a throw away comment made by someone when we were young that had quite an impact on us even though many years have passed.

Prior to the remark that embeds itself in a child where they think they 'can’t' or worry about what others 'might think' there is a freedom in the way they approach things, an inquisitiveness and a sense of awe and adventure.  Watching how babies explore their surroundings and learn to walk, if they held onto the impact of their first fall they would never walk again.  But they get up time and time again, strengthening their muscles until they take their first unaided steps.

Letting go of the critic
As adults we try to gain that sense of being back to when we were children.  As we approach our creativity our critic often says ‘who do you think you are’ and we stop in our tracks beginning to doubt just who we thought we were. But we have to face it head on, let go of the critical comments and allow ourselves to soar!

When God encourages us to come to him like a child it is so that we come without the baggage and the fears and doubts that can often surround us, wondering if we really are good enough, he says ‘come’ with his outstretched arms with no motive or calculated plan, just the desire to show love.

What areas of your life can you put a different spotlight on approach in a different way?  What possible  results do you think you can get?  I'd love to hear your views.....

Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest...Matthew 11:28

Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
    to silence the foe and the avenger. Psalm 8:2 

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  Matthew 19:14

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Romans 8:16

Come join the group - Creating in Faith, show us how you will be incorporating the words and scriptures and reflections in your art this week.  Step out and be a blessing and you will also be blessed!

Blog love - sharing the love

I come across so many inspiring and encouraging blogs I wanted to share what they are doing

Check out the following sites for inspiration this week:

1. Tonya - Bringing some sunshine on a cold day at Momma's Sunshine - she recently did some really cute crochet phone cases, check them out.
2. Adriano is an amazing illustrator, for inspiration go to his blog Adriano Manzanares
3. Chandra shows us how to create a stylish pom pom beanie on her site A stylish little lady 
4. Jo - always includes a delicious recipe in her posts at Jo on Food, my travels and a scent of chocolate
5. I would also recommend you take a look at the A-Z challenge blog, and consider taking part in the challenge that will start in April.  It is definitely well worth taking part, this will be my third year.

If you have come across any interesting blogs please share, and leave some blog love. 

 Join me every day this month for the   Ultimate blog challenge

Gratitudes - Hugs

A hug can sooth away the pain, provide comfort and help you see things in a different light. 

What are you grateful for this week?

Needing that spark

It's either your spark plugs or your head gasket the Greenflag driver informed me - I had set out earlier to drive to my mums only to find the car wouldn’t start.

An hour and a half prior to that Alan and Sekani had pushed me in the car down the road hoping to push start it, and when that failed to jump-start it but to no avail.  The car stood in the driveway of an unknown neighbour. I knocked on their door, they opened ready to tell me that they were not interested in what I was selling, relieved when I told them about the car, they were happy for it to stay until I got some assistance.

I thought of all the things I had planned to do at my mums had I got their earlier and the impact that not having a car over the next few days would mean especially in this snow. I like things to be organised especially when it comes to my mum – I have accepted that now, to have things crop up wasn’t in my plans for the coming week, nor was the call out fee of £108 as the breakdown cover I had didn’t include home start. I had been feeling a bit off, trying to get into the swing of things but wanting so badly for the first time just to sit and be creative, but I could feel all my plans unravelling as the additional burdens arranged themselves like cheerleaders at the side of the road along with the general feeling of malaise - I knew I should have got the car serviced but decided to leave it for another year.

How like our cars do we unexpectedly stop functioning, out of the blue an unexpected ache and pain, or that numbness you were feeling in your hands suddenly gets worse.  When was the last time you gave your body and over haul?  We can become too rundown from the day to day trials of life that can invariably wear us down and making sure we look after our health and well-being is the thing that will prevent those unexpected visits to the doctors.

Take time as we come to the end of the month to re-evaluate your health, what your putting into your body, and are you getting enough nourishment from the foods you are currently eating? There is no time like the present, and you want to ensure you have more than enough energy to work on your dreams, unlike our cars this is the one body that we have, so we need to look after it!  Blessings

How are you going to look after yourself this year?

Join me every day this month for the   Ultimate blog challenge

Camden Town - Out and a about

As we embark on a new year, I look at the many challenges that will come our way and promise myself to face them head on.  I took my mum out for a walk recently.  She is beginning to find walking distances difficult so I got her a wheel chair for when she gets tired.  We are beginning to note the changes as time passes and can see that she gets more fragile.  You imagine your mum to be around for ever and as I see her fade before my eyes, I think of my own mortality.  At some stage the difficult questions will need to be answered, for the time being as I graze over the surface of the impact of dementia I often retreat back into the practical of how can we make her quality of life better and enjoy the moment on this walk I become distracted by my environment.

We walked down to Camden town – well she walked part way and then sat in the wheelchair for the rest of the journey.  We took in the sites of the spectrum of people and the unusual shops.  Camden Lock seems to be a magnet for tourists from all over the world, each going about their day, trying to get that bargain in the shops.  

It actually has quite a nice vibe and even in the cold there are musicians that play in key areas, commanding a crowd amidst the hustle and bustle.  The canal with the boats and barges as they pass (if you ever get a chance to go on one) is actually a pleasant trip to take.

As we walked further our eyes were drawn to the many shop fronts with the large displays and imagery, which adds character to the eclectic nature of Camden Town.  

People selling their Cd's trying to convince you that it’s what you would like to hear.  It’s a place you can hang around for ages as there is so much to see - and some lovely places to eat.  

 

As mum got tired and started to complain of the cold, I realised just how far I had walked with her in the wheel chair and began to feel tired as well.  We slowly made our way back home and needless to say both had a good night’s sleep.

Join me every day this month for the   Ultimate blog challenge