Little surprises.

I had a busy day planned for today and so I could have missed them. But I am so thankful that I somehow stopped just long enough. I felt the rays of bright sunshine warm my arm through the window. Then I noticed the scrap of paper that one of the little ones had left on the floor. As I looked closer, I turned the paper scrap upside down. It made me smile.

A love note for me if I just took the time to see it! And I did!

As I waited for my friend to open her door later in the day, I noticed an amazing collection of little gauze-like lanterns swinging crazily in the wind. They were breathtaking!

I so want to fill my garden with these!

And today was a full day-filled with meeting up with friends, but also with the added glimpse of The Maker's beautiful handiwork and love notes to remind me that the days can be even richer still when we just take a closer look.

Don't forget to look closely too!

Xxx

Beautiful Chinese Lanterns

Loving the tiny pumpkins!

Autumn Gifts

It was the children's Harvest Festival Service at school a few days ago and it struck me when some of the children read our their harvest thankful prayers that it was the simplest things they were thankful for. To them they were important enough to put into words as a prayer. 

I also went on a walk that same morning and I too began to notice the beauty in some of the smallest things around me! I have come to the conclusion that Autumn might just be my most favorite season!  

The colours! 

The berries! 

The leaves!  

There is so much beauty on my doorstep! So many treasures.  I could stay out here all day! 

Have a Beauty-filled day!

Xxx

Autumn jewels.

Berries dripping with dew.

Long shadows.

Beautiful red!

Grey velvet toadstools.

Lacy leaves.

An abundance of orange!

Golden leaves.

Angel wings!

Rubies on a branch.

The Art of Being Thankful

The mission continues to slow down and take note of all the blessings each day brings. It's amazing how even on the greyest of days, like today, Beauty is revealed in unexpected places, such as raindrops on the window panes. I am loving the practise of looking at things from a different perspective and just noticing more of the everyday wonders that I usually miss because I am just too busy getting through the day!

I must admit my days are feeling richer because of it!

 xxx

Raindrops on the window pane.

Sunshine colour on a grey day!

Autumn's jewels!

Beauty in an old buiding. Loving the door in the middle!

The evening blue quilt across the sky!

Beauty in unexpected places!

Hello there! I can't believe how quickly time has flown by since I last posted! What with the school holidays and my eldest starting Secondary School, things have been busy to say the least!
But now, as Autumn has started to appear I have found a few minutes to sit and put pen to paper so to speak.

I have been really inspired by book lately called 'one thousand gifts' by Anne Voskamp all about taking the time to see all the gifts around us for which we can be thankful. Amidst the daily grind of life there are gifts of beauty and grace presented to us if only we would slow down to notice them.

So I have decided to try and slow myself down enough to find these gifts of grace on my daily journey and try and record them as I go. So with trusty notebook and camera I am on a mission to find beauty in unexpected places and choose to be more aware and thankful for the gifts that are given by the One who lavishes them upon us all.

'Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows.'James 1v17

Have a beauty-filled day! xxx

Beauty in the food shop on a Monday morning. I never knew Limes smelt so fresh!

Dropping a box of buttons turned into a capturing of beauty.

Enjoying the Journey

I am not someone who finds 'the journey'  the easiest to deal with. I am impatient and I like to get to my destination!  Fast and without delay. So even though I LOVE to paint, I have a tendency to want the process to be over with so that I have the finished article in my hands and I can get on with the next project. But I have found with this new way of painting,  I am enjoying the actual process so much more! I don't seem to be stressing over the layout as much, and it is so refreshing to think that if I don't like an element in the painting-I can just go over it until I am happy with it -and  that is a big release for me!

I am also beginning to realise that it is ok for my journey not to look like other people's journeys. We all have different paths to travel and I don't have to copy the way that someone else does their life because I am me and they are not. Learning that it's not easy! But I am coming to the realization that I will be lead down the paths that are right for me, bringing me to the places I need to be and learning the things that I need to learn on the way.
And it is a great adventure, and I will travel to places I never knew as I trust that the One who leads me will be taking me at my pace and through the things I need to go through to bring me onwards. Impatience and fretting about the process just gets in the way of peace and trust! 

Easier said than done a lot of the time, I know, but it will be worth it!

X x x

More Intuitive Painting

I have been inspired lately by the work of  American artist Mindy Lacefield, and love way she paints intuitively! I decided that to try the same idea. So on went the music and out came the paints and mixed media materials. Not thinking too much about what I wanted the end result to look like, I picked colours and shapes that felt right at that moment of creativity and just let myself paint. If I made a mark that I didn't like, I just painted over it! It was really freeing to realise that a 'mistake' actually ended up being part of the journey of the painting-not the end result! If it didn't look right, the painting just wasn't finished yet! I have finished two paintings so far in this style and I am really happy with how they have turned out. There seems to be more going on in them than other paintings I have created before, and I like that!

What do you think?

Hope you are having a great weekend!

X x x

Intuitive Journal Pages

Thought you might like to see some of my recent journal pages. I have been really thinking about what my actual style is, lately. What is it I just like to create, naturally? Flowers? Birds? Swirls? What do I revert to creating when I am just playing? I am hoping that as I keep on experimenting, I will develop that signature style which shows people 'me'. I'm finding it harder than I thought, but am liking the results so far.

This is an altered page from the book 'Doodle, Draw, Journal' by Kirsty Conlin. I am liking the freer approach to flower and foliage that has developed here, and the way the background of the actual page shows through

I am still very interested in developing my own style of faces too. In this journal page I designed and coloured the face on paper before adhering it to the completed background, adding textured hair and collaged clothing. I love the way the white hair stands out with so much texture!

I have also started to create my own stencils which has been really exciting! I have found that plastic booklet covers are just the right thickness to cut with small scissors and a craft knife so I have been experimenting with shapes and doodles which I then cut out to make the stencils. So far so good... 

This is my latest journal page which was very intuitive in its style. I used papers, lace, moulding paste, stencils and acrylic paint and just played until the page looked right. I am still wondering whether it needs some text on it, but I am very happy with the way it turned out, either way! A good afternoon's creativity!

I am excited to see where this freer approach will take me! Hope it inspires you too!

Have a great week!

xxx

To you with love

A message to you all this Thursday! You are loved. You are special. You are delightful. Whoever you are. Never forget it! 

Happy Thursday! :-)

 x x x

Doodling Days!

Spring is finally coming! It is so lovely to wake up to the lighter mornings and get to finally hang the washing out in the sun for a change! I have been doodling lots lately and am really happy with results! Hope you like them too!

xxx

Is it March already?

Wow! It's March already! Time has flown since Christmas! We have had a very wet winter here, with a lot of flooding but thankfully, things seem to be drying out and returning to normal with a minimum of damage, hopefully!

I have been enjoying working on some commissions since Christmas, and am currently trying to concentrate on developing my original style in my work. Trying to be brave in letting my personality shine through in my creations is hard but satisfying!

Here are some of my artworks so far this year. Enjoy!

xxx

You are Worth More than Many Sparrows

Rose doodle

Let's go on an Adventure!

Commission piece.