New - Recycled Projects Returns - Cardboard Bookcase

Welcome to a long overdue Recycled Project, and I look forward to sharing with you things that I create out of the things that we would normally recycle and give no thought to.

I will be doing a mixture of Art and Creativity and DIY projects that take my fancy.  If you want to see some of the previous projects you can find them HERE and there are a few more dotted around the blog which I will be gathering together into one place - though that's for another time.

Cardboard Bookshelf

I recently finished this bookcase, I am really proud of myself for making it.

It has truly been a labor of love and quite challenging at times but I persevered and here we have it finished, painted, distressed and ready for the purpose it was built. 

It started off as empty cardboard boxes, I got the basic plan from a youtuber HERE, with my limited Spanish followed along then went and added my own flair

Putting it together was fun

I added a shelf on top and a draw for smaller books

  

I made the feet out of masking tape tubes after they had been used on the structure

After covering most of it with paper, I decided to make some paper tubes and decorate the bookcase with these

At the home stretch with painting, sealing and then embellishing with a gold rub-on

My bookcase is ready, this is how the draw turned out

I couldn't decide whether to leave it in the bedroom or the studio which it was originally made for.

It is great to see something that would have been thrown away become so useful.  There are some amazing things that you can make with cardboard, and I will be sharing more here on the blog.  I will also be putting together the video of the process of making bookcase and I hope you give it a try.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think!  Watch out for other creative makes!

Quote Wednesday - Albert Einstein

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds...Albert Einstein

Each Quote Wednesday I share a quote with a painting or photograph that I have created. Quotes can be so inspiring and uplifting it is a good idea to meditate on the words and make a point of saying something encouraging about your life! 

Do something great and share your favorite quote in the comments below. Join me next week for the next inspiring quote and image. Blessings!

Word for the Week - john 15:7

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you..  

John 15:7

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?

Quote Wednesday - Wally Amos

It doesn't matter how many say it cannot be done or how many people have tried it before; it's important to realize that whatever you're doing, its your first attempt at it....Wally Amos

Each Quote Wednesday I share a quote with a painting or photograph that I have created. Quotes can be so inspiring and uplifting it is a good idea to meditate on the words and make a point of saying something encouraging about your life! 

Do something great and share your favorite quote in the comments below. Join me next week for the next inspiring quote and image. Blessings!

Word for the Week - Isaiah 43:2

When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you.. Isaiah 43:2

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?

Quote Wednesday - Henry Ford

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.. Henry Ford

Each Quote Wednesday I share a quote with a painting or photograph that I have created. Quotes can be so inspiring and uplifting it is a good idea to meditate on the words and make a point of saying something encouraging about your life! 

Do something great and share your favorite quote in the comments below. Join me next week for the next inspiring quote and image. Blessings!

Word for the Week - Isaiah 33:6

He will be the sure foundation of your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure... Isaiah 33:6

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?

Gratitudes and Celebration Journal - Week 84 - Change

Gratitude's and Celebrations

Changes have been in process, and it is a funny thing, when you try and imagine how circumstances will turn out they never quite fit with how you imagine they would.  The one thing that I have learn over the years is the need to stay flexible and not be too ridged.

Changes come in different packages

I have had a busy week and I will be sharing about the events of the Barbados Alzheimer's Association tomorrow with more images, and look at what I have been doing with them a bit closer.

I was able to share about my experience with dementia and creative activities to a range of different people at the Barbados Alzheimer's Association Seminar called 'Remember Me', and got to give them a glimpse of what can be done using creativity and reminiscence.

Talking about Art and Creativity for Dementia at BAA

I have had to see my self in a different light, one where I can offer support in a new way and be a blessing to others.  I don't have my mother to look after, and every thing that I learnt caring for her I can share - both the ups and the downs and the many bits in-between!

 

BAA Open day - 'Remember Me'

We all have much to share about the changes in our lives and we have to step into those changes boldly, looking for the opportunities to make a difference in someones life.

I am grateful and celebrate the changes that come and the things that we can learn from each one, how ever big or small! 

I feel that each experience actually prepares us for new adventures and we have to make sure we have all the tools that we need to move forward, gathering them along life's journey and helping us to see things from a different perspective.

I am grateful to still be able to share my creativity and my art and know that someone somewhere is being blessed,  just as you too can use different means to share your story, I encourage you today to reach out and share your story in a different way - shining your light for all to see!

I am on a creative journey in my journal and hope you come along and join me. Why not start your own journal, keep it as simple or complex as you wish, but do something creative!

Gratitude and Celebration Journal

Quote Wednesday - Arianne Huffington

We are not on this earth to accumulate victories, things and experiences, but to be whittled and sandpapered until what's left is who we truly are....Arianna Huffington

Each Quote Wednesday I share a quote with a painting or photograph that I have created. Quotes can be so inspiring and uplifting it is a good idea to meditate on the words and make a point of saying something encouraging about your life! 

Do something great and share your favorite quote in the comments below. Join me next week for the next inspiring quote and image. Blessings!

Word for the Week - Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword... able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart... Hebrews 4:9

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?

Quote Wednesday - Oprah Winfrey

Breath.  Let go.  And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure....Oprah Winfrey

Each Quote Wednesday I share a quote with a painting or photograph that I have created. Quotes can be so inspiring and uplifting it is a good idea to meditate on the words and make a point of saying something encouraging about your life! 

Do something great and share your favorite quote in the comments below. Join me next week for the next inspiring quote and image. Blessings!

Word for the Week - Ephesians 2:8

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.. Ephesians 2:8

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?

Word for the Week - Psalm 68:5

A father of the fatherless....is God in his holy habitation ...Psalm 68:5

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?

Gratitude's and Celebration - Week 83 - Transitions

It has been a weird week as we get ourselves settled here in Barbados and find a routine as individuals and as a family. Without family or close friends here I have found myself experiencing a feeling of displacement.  

My week largely focused around looking after my mother who has dementia and then everything else came after, now being so far away I try to create routines in an environment that had previously only been a holiday destination and it feels weird.  

I retreat to my studio, but even that felt unfamiliar, a larger space that holds so much promise, but I didn't know where to start.  But you need to start somewhere, and so I regroup.

At the moment I am reliant on others to do their part as I try and sort out my official papers for my time here and I guess that is the biggest thing that is contributing to to my feeling of displacement - I am not use to having to rely on others and on top of that I miss my family.

Gratitude and Celebration Journal

I think about what I am grateful for and what I celebrate and I am truly grateful for the experience to be in a warmer climate and appreciate our environment.  I am also grateful for the opportunity to reflect on the experience  and hopefully be a blessing to many far and wide as I share my creativity.

I am on a creative journey in my journal and hope you come along and join me. Why not start your own journal, keep it as simple or complex as you wish, but do something!

Gratitude and Celebration Journal

Quote Wednesday - Rumi

Do not be satisfied with the stories that come before you, unfold your own myth

Each Quote Wednesday I share a quote with a painting or photograph that I have created. Quotes can be so inspiring and uplifting it is a good idea to meditate on the words and make a point of saying something encouraging about your life! 

Do something great and share your favorite quote in the comments below. Join me next week for the next inspiring quote and image. Blessings!

Word for the Week - Mark 13:31

Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away...Mark 13:31

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal - Week 82 - Hot, Hot, Hot!

Gratitude's and celebration Journal

Well, we are finally here, in sunny Barbados!  We have been here for 2 weeks so far and it feels like months already.  I have promised to keep another blog going with the transition, but I have been distracted, with all the newness of everything, and by the time I think about getting round to it another day has passed!

I still do want to share for those who are interested in the journey and so will have to set aside time to start writing and it might be a daily post until I have caught up, so bear with me!

We have been in the throws of unpacking and putting things where we feel they should go, there has been some negotiation needed when we decide on the shared areas.

All my art supplies so far have turned up and I have been arranging my new studio, I have more space than I dreamed of and it will take a while for it to operate exactly how I want it to with all my supplies to hand.

My new studio taking shape

 I am grateful, so very grateful.  I take stock on the journey that we have made so far and have yet to make, one full of adventure, risks, uncertainty, new environments, tastes, smells, creepy crawlies every now and then, friendships, and hot sun to top up my vitamin D deficiency and a new flavor to my art and creativity.

I also think about my family and friends and celebrate the deeper connections that we can make even if we are a plane ride away:)

Gratitude and Celebration Journal - Mixed media art

I am on a creative journey in my journal and hope you come along and join me. Why not start your own journal, keep it as simple or complex as you wish, but do something!

Gratitude and Celebration Journal

Quote Wednesday - Harland Sanders

One has to remember that every failure can be a stepping stone to something better... Col Harland Sanders

Each Quote Wednesday I share a quote with a painting or photograph that I have created. Quotes can be so inspiring and uplifting it is a good idea to meditate on the words and make a point of saying something encouraging about your life! 

Do something great and share your favorite quote in the comments below. Join me next week for the next inspiring quote and image. Blessings!

Word for the Week - Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken ... Psalm 55:22

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?

Quote Wednesday - Samuel Smiles

Hope is like the sun, which as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.. Samuel Smiles

Each Quote Wednesday I share a quote with a painting or photograph that I have created. Quotes can be so inspiring and uplifting it is a good idea to meditate on the words and make a point of saying something encouraging about your life! 

Do something great and share your favorite quote in the comments below. Join me next week for the next inspiring quote and image. Blessings!

Word for the Week - Hebrews 6:18

It is impossible for God to lie...Hebrews 6:18

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?

Quote Wednesday - Edward C Steadman

One must spend time in gathering knowledge to give it out richly...  Edward C Steadman

Each Quote Wednesday I share a quote with a painting or photograph that I have created. Quotes can be so inspiring and uplifting it is a good idea to meditate on the words and make a point of saying something encouraging about your life! 

Do something great and share your favorite quote in the comments below. Join me next week for the next inspiring quote and image. Blessings!

Word for the Week - Romans 8:26

The Spirit also helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words... Romans 8:26

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?

Quote Wednesday - Lao Tzu

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be... 

Lao Tzu

Each Quote Wednesday I share a quote with a painting or photograph that I have created. Quotes can be so inspiring and uplifting it is a good idea to meditate on the words and make a point of saying something encouraging about your life! 

Do something great and share your favorite quote in the comments below. Join me next week for the next inspiring quote and image. Blessings!

Word for the Week - Acts 1:8

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you..Acts 1:8 

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?

Reflections - Painting with limited supplies

Playing with limited supplies

With most of my stuff making its way around the world I look around my home at the moment and it feels as if we have just de-cluttered.  The reality of the move hasn't yet sunk in.  I had created another blog that I wanted to share the adventure, and I will after I get this weekend out of the way I will be updating it some what and sharing some of the images that I have taken. 

With limited equipment now in my studio - which is looking very bare, (I'll share where I am working at the moment next week) I have limited supplies to work with, some ink-tense pencils, a few tubes of acrylic, a bit of clay - that I can travel with and not take up too much space.  I did this painting first creating a background then bringing the image out.  Every now and again I think it is a useful exercise to limit your supplies and see how you get on.  Pull out some of those least used supplies and give them a new lease of life.

It has been a break from working with the clay, which I love and a reminder that we all need to take stock some times.  To look back on our journey as we plan new ones going forward.  I hope you can join me next week and see how we have been getting on with our plans and all the ups and downs of the decision

For today we think about where we want to go, what we want to do, our journey, our destination and the events along the way that contribute to who we are.  Have a blessed weekend and take time to reflect on your journey!