Grattitudes - Music

Comforts and sets a mood.  Music can lift your spirits and make you burst into tears....

 What are you grateful for this week?

21 Days - January Monthly Challenge

My first four cards in the challenge

Have you thought about what you are going to do with all those pieces of papers, cards, or odds and ends that you have in your art collection that you promised you will clear out?  Before you put them in the recycling, why not join me and create a series of twenty one 4 x 6 cards created from decorated paper, scraps, or just about anything you already have.  

 

If you've been to my blog before you know I like a challenge big or small.  I've been playing over at Motley Soul  with Mika on her January challenge and you don't realise how much fun it is until you take part.  There is no fee, lots of encouragement, a series of prompts available if you get stuck, and is a great way to help you de-clutter from all those things you started to create and never quite got finished.  You can create some lovely pieces of small scale art that you can use in future work or bless someone with.  There is no time like the present, so come over and join in!

You can also join me every day this month for the Ultimate blog challenge

Letraset Neon Markers - Product Review

I recently received a free set of 6 Letraset neon markers and I’ve been trying them out to see how versatile they are for my needs, and working with my other mixed media materials.

They are a twin tip water based ink marker and come in a range of florescent colours.  I have been playing around with them on different surfaces to see how they stand up.  

I used moulding paste on this journal and had no problem adding colour using the markers.  And the heart below is made from tissues paper.  They work well over glitter, and gave it extra sparkle.   They are water soluble so it’s a good idea to use them at the end, but you can also use them with water to add a hint of colour to your work.  The Letraset Neon Markers bring a vibrancy to whatever surfaces that you are working on.

 

You can also use them on gesso or to colour your gesso.  I put some of the marker on a plastic sheet then added some gesso.  You get a lovely pastel type finish but with the same vibrancy of the neon marker – depending on how much gesso you use. 

They also work well on fabric, this is a page from a fabric journal that I made recently, I decorated the flowers with the neon markers. 

The other thing I like about the markers is they have a colour stickers at the end of the lid which makes them easy to store and find the colours that you need without having to pull everything out.  All in all have found a use for them in quite a few areas of my mixed media work, and as an additional tool they will definitely come in handy.  If you would like more information about their products you can see more Here

Join me every day this month for the Ultimate blog challenge

Tools for staying motivated - getting past the baggage

Have you had those times where it feels as if nothing will change?  Well that's how some people feel at the start of the year feeling stuck before they have even had a chance to draw breath and think of the direction they want to go in.     

 

Things are changing all the time, you have to remind yourself that this is only a temporary feeling.  What we need to focus on is that the way we respond to the situation/s.  Different responses can often give us very different results, ie: we walk around with a scowl and we get back a scowl or worse, or if we put a smile on our faces we can get a smile back. 

We often talk about baggage that we can carry that weighs us down with the regrets of the past,  the bag in a different light can also symbolise all the equipment and tools we need to help us in any given situation.  If you imagine life like an adventure and along your path you get to pick up tools/lessons that will assist you in the different challenges that you may face along the way. You have to learn which tool will fit your situation and use it correctly.

Our bag contains lessons from life, that you have picked up along the course of your existence.  Lessons learnt the hard way and some though making good decisions.  The lessons where you took the risk and it worked out or it came crashing down but you were able to learn valuable lessons about yourself.  Some of the equipment in our bag take the form of advice and fears that have been inherited, and some you need to let go off as they were the fears and doubts that others have in their own lives and serve no purpose in yours.   

There are so many lessons that we already know ourselves but we never put them into practice. When we think of the advice we can give others to support and cheer them up about their situation, telling them about their talents and gifts, we often forget that these words of wisdom can be used on ourselves as a 'pick me up'.  So where do we begin?

Think about all the things you take for granted.  I started making a weekly list of all the things that I am grateful for in my Friday Gratitudes posts after seeing a video by Ann Voskamp as a reminder to myself that what ever the circumstances - its only temporary, here are some that I have posted:

Laughter

Flowers

Jacket Potatoes

My Son

My mothers joy 

God - my faith 

Mixed media 

Keep going with your own list, and see how many you can come up with.  If we remind ourselves how much we take for granted and start appreciating more, we begin to look at our situation differently and will even see ways in which we can make changes.  Begin to look deeper, see which things that you can work on in your life..

Think about how you become de-motivated,  what are the triggers, and then put in place a couple of the ideas that can stop those feelings in their tracks.  These become your resources, so next time you think about your baggage make sure you identify the tools and lessons you've learnt along the way that can make a positive impact on your life. Blessings for the week! 

Join me every day this month for the Ultimate blog challenge