Gratitudes - Laughter

Laughter

Laughter can be infectious and can lighten and lift your mood...

What are you grateful for this week?

Gratitudes - Weeding

Weeding

Weeding in the garden can be quite therapeutic - making room for new shoots, that burst of colour and wildlife is really fulfilling.....

Gratitudes - Artist Community

Artist community

I have met some lovely people online who share my passion and excitement for creativity, looking forward to future collaborations.....

Gratitudes - Relationships

Relationships

No man is an island and maintaining relationships is important, so too is renewing old acquaintances...

52 Weeks of Colour - Shine

Reflection 

Let your light shine 

Quote

The most important thing is that you love what you are doing, and the second that you are not afraid of where your next idea will lead..... Charles Eames

Scripture

The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.  Isaiah 32:17

Gratitudes - Books

I love to read, sometimes there doesn’t seem like there is enough time to fit in all the books, I often end up reading more than one book at a time..

52 Weeks of Colour - Passion

Reflection

Passion - Look out for the miracles today

Quote

Work of sight is done. Now do heart work on the pictures within you. ....R.M. Rilke

Scripture

For He will give his angels charge concerning you to guard you in all your ways...Psalm 91:11

Creating in Faith - Faith

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

If you would like to see how I made the pockets check out the post Bookmark Pockets

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

Gratitudes - Piano

Piano – my son is very talented though doesn’t realise how much, when he plays it can be a very soothing and healing experience.

52 Weeks of Colour - Tranquility

Reflection

Take the time you need to work on you.

Quote

There will be times in life when impossibility is felt, but then there are dreams - and dreams allow us possibility.....Jeffrey David Lang

Scripture

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it...Hebrews 13:2

Hello from Barbados!

As I write this I am relaxing in the sunnier climbs of Barbados.

Came away with family and friends to enjoy a few weeks in the sun, though in London at the moment I hear they are experiencing a heat wave.  We had a few days of thunder storms but those who know the rainy season in the Caribbean, one minute it pours then the sun comes right back out and its hot again.  We have been touring around, after hiring a car which just makes it so much easier, though the local transport buses are quite frequent depending on where you are going on the island.  Barbados is approx 22 miles at its length and 14 miles at its widest point and some of the beaches are spectacular.  

 

I have been taking lots of pictures and also can't resist photographs of my favourite subjects - flowers and plants, which are definitely a feast for the eyes.  One of my favourite flowers is the Frangipang (which is my current blog photograph), comes in a variety of colours and has a beautiful aroma. 

As this isn't our first time to the island we are trying to do some of the visits that we didn't catch when we were here a couple of years ago at Christmas - which was a lovely time to come by the way!  We have found lots of activities that are easy on the pocket and really informative. 

I have been slacking a bit with my art even though I brought some equipment with me, I'm still trying to get some sketches done...I have no excuse really as there are so many lovely subjects around me.  I've met up with a few artists and visited a couple of galleries which I will share in another post, so that has been great.  


Amongst some of the places we have visited are the Flower forest, Lime Grove - which has the more 'expensive' shops and boutiques among its mix, it also has some lovely courtyards and an art gallery called NuEdge, my favourite piece of work was by an artist called Terrance Piggott - check him out on the NuEdge site to see some of his recent work. Sekani took time out to play the piano, it would be lovely for him to regularly play on one of these!  This particular piano can also be programmed to play on its own!

 

We finished our day at Dover Beach for a swim and something to eat and met up again with a lovely man called Mr Mayers who has a food eatery near the beach and  is very hospitable.  When we visited Barbados on our last trip he very generously invited us and a few other guests into his home for lunch and his wife put on a lovely spread, her cooking is amazing! 

Friday was Fish Fry at Oistins and after catching up with some of my husbands family we went there to enjoy the freshly caught local fish and take in the cool breeze and entertaining music.  Sekani is enjoying his time in the water, and I am sure that he will grow another inch at least while we are here. 

 

Lots more adventures to be had in the coming week.  August marks the main Crop Over Celebrations, though there have been activities taking place from the start of July and people from all over Barbados and the rest of the world come down to celebrate.  We have been keeping ourselves updated with the Olympics and the teething problems with the roads taking place in London, we pick up coverage around 8 hours later here in Barbados.

It is another hot day today so I think a trip to the beach is on the cards, after I get some work done!  I have some mini videos to share, until then....Blessings.......

Gratitudes - Birdsong

Bird song – it sometimes seems as if the birds come out for me, chirping away, just when I need to hear them, makes me feel free and thankful for Gods miracles

52 Weeks of Colour - Progress

Reflection 

Live life to the full every day, don’t take anything for granted 

Quote

Good art is not what it looks like, but what it does to us....Roy Adzak

Scripture 

By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy...Hebrews 10:14

Gratitudes - Walking

Walking 

.......helps to clear my head and get new perspectives, it is also great to

see how the environment 

changes from one day to the next.

With everything we do we have the ability to touch others lives, 

a very special responsibility that we cannot take lightly.  

Whenever you can, take a moment to really appreciate 

the little things in the big picture.  

It would be great to hear about the things that you are grateful for, 

how they have changed your life and 

how they inspire you to change the lives of others....

52 Weeks of Colour - Peace

Reflection

God knows the desires of your heart, trust him in all your ways and he will make your path straight

Quote

For those who have the interest to look closely, life becomes art...Diane Mariechild 

Scripture

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us...1 John 5:14

Creating in Faith - Leap

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.  Psalm 28:7

If you would like to see how I made the pockets check out the post Bookmark Pockets

Come join the group - Creating in Faith, show us how you will be incorporating the words and scriptures in your art. Each week I will be sharing words, reflections, scriptures and the bookmark holder for that week.  Step out and be a blessing and you will also be blessed!

Gratitudes - Morning pages

.........Morning pages 

I love writing.  
Taking time to do my morning pages

allows me to be free with my writing
 and express 

any and every thought...

With everything we do we have the ability to touch others lives, 

a very special responsibility that we cannot take lightly.  

Whenever you can, take a moment to really appreciate 

the little things in the big picture.  

It would be great to hear about the things that you are grateful for, 

how they have changed your life and 

how they inspire you to change the lives of others....

Gratitudes

What is it that you are thankful for?  Where would you begin?

The Friday gratitude’s posts will be my way of taking a minute to be thankful, whether it be for a particular art material or that the sun came out today, being able to take a breath and smell the roses or that my mum had a restful sleep.  I was originally inspired by Ann Voskamp and her book 1000 gifts.  

With everything we do we have the ability to touch others lives, a very special responsibility that we cannot take lightly.  Whenever you can, take a moment to really appreciate the little things in the big picture.  

It would be great to hear about the things that you are grateful for, how they have changed your life and how they inspire you to change the lives of others. 

52 Weeks of Colour

Since completing the 365 days of colour I have missed posting the images.  I am still coming across some beautiful flowers and taking photographs.  I  wanted to try my hand at combining images and using photo-shop, and so I decided that I will continue with a weekly offering of an image with an inspired word added to the mix.


I will be posting on Mondays so you can carry the blessings with you throughout the week. I hope it does continue to bless you over the next year, and that we see much creative growth and development.  

Creating in Faith - Prayer bookmark holders

I have been asked by Mika from Motley Soul to contribute on a weekly basis to her Creating in Faith group.  Each Sunday I will be posting a word and sharing a reflection and scriptures, it would be great to have you join us in the group and share your faith filled insights and the creative activities that you get up to.

For my creative pieces for this project I am making a series of book mark holders for each week, decorated with the word for that week in what ever style speaks to me at that moment with an image or collage or both!  The bookmark holder has a space in the side that allows you to place your prayer requests, thoughts and what ever else comes to mind.

Here is how I went about making them

 I took card, cut to 35cm x 8cm, decorated with stamps and inks and folded in half

I then took some fabric, painted and stamped on it, then cut them into strips that I then sewed in between the  longest side of the book mark holder, the two shorter sides were also sewn together to form a pocket

.  The book mark inside the holder is cut from the same card and 

is 15cm x 8 cm 

 I decorated the sides of the book mark with Washi tape that I also had a go at making - will share the process in another post.  The book mark is where I will be writing my thoughts, prayers, achievements, and wow moments for the week.

The aim is to be able to look back at all the prayers and scriptures and see how God has truely been working in my life.  The bookmark holders will eventually be joined together to create a mini book

This is the holder for last week, with the word for the week being Hope come and see the scriptures shared

Growth is this weeks word.  When I look back on my journey I see how much I have grown as an artist, and the changes that continuously take place, also thinking about the steps that I have taken and have yet to take and the amazing creatives that I am meeting  and have yet to meet along the way.

Come join the group - Creating in Faith, show us how you will be incorporating the words and scriptures in your art. Each week I will be sharing the next word, insight or reflection, scriptures and the bookmark holder for that week.  Step out and be a blessing and you will also be blessed!