Arts and Wellness Cafe - Love

 

What's Love Got to Do with It? - 

Join Me in the Arts and Wellness Café 

How are you showing love to yourself in your creative walk.  We can often put our creative needs on the back burner and be everything to everyone.  Did you spend some creative time on yourself today?

The 'I'll do it tomorrow' never comes.  I find it is in those moments that lead to self nurturing are the ones that fall by the wayside for me.  I know I will feel great but I allow non important things to get in the way.  Going to the beach and swimming in the sea is something I really look forward to and it sets me up, but I don't do it often enough.

Take some time to thing about what it is that you are putting off and how it could impact in a negative way to your creativity.

I shared some of the work that I am currently doing at the moment, stitched pieces made from scraps.  They have been given a second chance to be something else.

Stitched Projects

What ever you decide make sure that at least one of your actions leads to an example of self love.

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Taking time out

I've taken time out, so it seems, well, its pretty evident.  Not sure what happened, felt stuck, as if I were in a fog and could only see a hands width in front of me.  I didn't know when it started, but it felt like the moment that I had resolved to make changes that there would be some resistance.

I think I had taken to much on my plate, as well as posting I am taking part in the courses - Soul Food and Life book, as well as dealing with the day to day.  I think the challenge would have been fine if I didn't try and do a vlog and edit and post. Keeping it real via the video is what I wanted but it seem to take forever and a day to load a 15 minute ramble, and then the fog came, and I stopped.

On top of all this as a family we have mourned the loss of my brother - Robert, there is no preparation to how you will feel, or how to deal with it all, .  The year has gone quickly, it's weird, and then again feels like forever, the loss still raw in our hearts and minds.  We remember his joy, his sense of humor, his love, warmth, his strength.

I paint, I draw, I create, as a way through.  I remember my conversations with Robert and the things I said I would explore, so many things that I don't want to let anymore time pass before I get to do them, and so I change.  Change is good.  I am still going to make the healthy changes that I said I would, I just won't worry about giving you a blow by blow video update, because essentially I want to pour all of that time into creating. I want to paint, I need to paint, it has become as essential to my heart as breathing is to my lungs, and a way to allow the heart to heal from the loss of the past few years.  Perhaps this is another lesson learnt from the challenge.

I will share with you some of the pieces as I finish them, and I am quite excited by the some of them. This painting is called Together...it is about our relationships

Together - Mixed media

Together - Though time and dimensions may separate, you will always be in my heart. Came from the same source to lead different lives, you were a strength and a support from the start.

We have to invest in our relationships and make the most of every opportunity, and knowing our purpose live as if it were our last day on the earth. 

Blessings always!

We have raised £1530 for Myeloma UK, if you want to donate you can do so HERE

Gratitude's and Celebration - Week 34 - Loving Kindness

Gratitude's and Celebration

How long have you gone without a break?  A little bit of space and time for you.  You rush around being there for everyone else and at the end of the day you slump yourself down with barely enough time and then your off again taking care of other peoples needs before you have even had time to draw breath. 

A little bit of TLC is what you need right now, give yourself some time at the end of the day to gather your thoughts, reflect and recharge.  I am grateful today that I am able to recognise these times where I need to take time out for myself, and I celebrate the ‘me’ that once recharged and refreshed can move mountains!

Loving Kindness is what you need

What simple act of kindness are you able to show yourself?

I love you today because - Your Smile

I Love you today because......

You have a lovely smile

Your smile is infectious, warm and caring, you bring the sun out and make people feel at ease.  Your smile is a giving one and despite what you might go through you always have a smile for someone else making them feel at ease.

Self portrait image for the day:

I love you today because - you have a lovely smile - Pen and Ink

Show some love

The next time you look in the mirror, take some time to really look at yourself and smile!

Share some love

Make a point today to smile at the next person you meet, and brighten up their day!

To find out why 'I love you today' February Series click on the image below

Recycled Projects - Directories Journal

Every now and again we get a new directory of local services in our area pushed through our door.  They used to be big and bulky and around A4 in size and about 2 inches thick, they have now been reduced to a more efficient A5 size.

I would normally recycle the old ones but decided that I would come up with a creative solution.  The pages in this directory needed to be glued together as the pages were very thin. On Tuesday I will share the process of making one of them.  

I came up with not one but 3 varieties, each with a different theme and use

I really like the size of these journals, which are A5 and can have as many pages as you require.

My Grace Journal had the theme of 'letters' and was about writing encouraging notes to myself, not being afraid to explore my creativity and having the patient and grace with myself.  The cover was made using tissue paper and then decorated with embellishments and paint.

The Miracles Journal was made using fabric, lace and ribbon.  There is room for me to write my own thoughts as well  

On the inside there are a lot of quotes and tags giving encouraging words.

The third journal called the Love Journal is covered with recycled sari material which has been painted.  In this journal I plan to house experimental ideas and is still a work in progress.

I hope you have a blessed weekend, and allow your creativity to push back the boundaries in order to allow yourself to really soar! 

Come back on Tuesday to see how I made them in Tutorial Tuesday. Do share creative ways in which you have used recycled materials and leave a comment below.

L is for Loving

Love is something that we all want to receive and to have a display of affection is nurturing.  There are also plenty of examples of the effects of lack of love and physical contact on mental health and well-being. We show others in our approach and by what we say, being patient and gentle demonstrates to them that we love and care for them.  

Some people really put themselves down calling themselves all the names you could think and some that you can’t, but we have to love ourselves and show that love in order to be able to love someone else. I celebrate the love I have in my heart for others and myself, and hope to treat others how I would like to be treated, with care.  What loving qualities do you see displayed in your life, how could you be more loving to yourself?

 

Painting for the day

Each day I will show a completed piece of art or journal page hope you enjoy today's..

 More than tangled 18"x15"

 

  Blog Love

I am sharing some love with a random selection of those who are also taking part in the 2013 A-Z Challenge,it's not everyone whose blog starts with the letter L, but a few of them for you to start with.....

 Little Box of Books 

Life at Rest

Living in the Light

Lynne Lives

L D Wolf - Spunk on a Stick's Tips

Love - Creating in Faith

  I was going to write a long piece about the different types of love and the way in which we love our family and friends, but looking at Corinthians 14:4-7 it shows us quite simply the qualities of love.

Love is patient

love is kind.

It does not envy,

it does not boast,

it is not proud.

It does not dishonour others,

it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered,

it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects,

always trusts,

always hopes,

always perseveres,

Love never fails 

This is a very useful measuring stick that removes doubt and confusion we can clearly see the character and quality of what love is and equally clearly what it isn’t.  Many things over the centuries have been done in the 'name of love', and caused more harm.  But when you start to think about the qualities that are listed in the scripture, you can begin to understand that the thoughts we have and all the terms we use for love don’t really add up to much...

 
What Love isn’t

It does not envy,

it does not boast,

it is not proud.

It does not dishonour others,

it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered,

it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil

 

What Love is

Love is patient

Love is kind.

Love rejoices with the truth.

It always protects,

always trusts,

always hopes,

always perseveres.

Love never fails.

 

Take some time to think not only about how you love others, but equally how you love yourself.  What are you saying about yourself to others?  We can be quick to bring and let ourselves down. Do you keep your promises to yourself, and look after yourself the way you would want someone to care for you?  Take time this week to give it some thought, make the necessary change.  In a nutshell anything less just isn’t Love!

 

.....the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel ...  Collosians 1:5