Patience - Lesson for My Son

Life has been wonderful and I really can't complain. I have finally met the person that was put on this earth for me. He is beyond what I have ever wished for in a partner. And to top it all off he loves me unconditionally. I have been in limbo waiting for the next big step and know that I need to be patient. Everything we have ever done was with our children in mind. No rushing. No pushing. No forcing. It has been such a beautiful journey of getting to know and love all of each other. We are so sure of our love that we don't need to rush. But for this impatient girl this lesson has been tough to sit back and enjoy the journey until they are as ready as we are to take that next step. So because of this struggle I thought I would journal and make a new page for my son's book.

Was fun to do and I got to use some velum for the quote. I forgot just how much I enjoy using this simple product. Hope you enjoy!

Here is the journaling  in my son's book:

One of life's biggest lessons is 'Patience'. Patience is a daily chore that you must continuously work at. It is required everyday in so many different situations. Either being patient waiting in line, or patient with a difficult child or patient with yourself as you try to learn something new. Sometimes it's being patient as you are waiting for 'that thing' to happen. Being 'patient'  is hard work, but so worth it! Great things take time and great things come when it's time to come. Not one second sooner.

So Parker, please enjoy the time in between being patient for the things you want. If we got everything we wanted all at once, what would the point of living be?

I love you so much and I am grateful everyday that you are my son!

Worrying - Lessons For My Son Journal Page

So much has happened this past month. Some amazing and some heart breaking. 

First for the good - my son celebrated his 8th birthday (will post pictures soon) and he went away to his first overnight camp. Camp Huronda is a diabetes camp near our home and it was amazing for him! It was the first time he was away from either his father and I at the same time and it was worrisome for me. But he (and I) survived the week away. I am so proud of him for going to this camp. 

During the party planning and the going away to camp, my partner's father passed suddenly and it has ripped a whole in his family. It is a feeling I would never wish upon anyone as I have been there. My heart breaks that he has to go through this. So I am worrying about him and of course he is worrying about his mom and his siblings. So all this worrying sparked this page. 

The journalling reads: 

Worrying changes NOTHING. 

Sometimes our worrying becomes a bigger problem than the problem we are worrying about to begin with. 

Please, set your worries aside and step firmly into this very moment. Look yourself in the eye and tell yourself that from this moment forward you will stop filling in the blanks with scary details. Let life surprise you a little. 

No matter what, worrying doesn't help anything...it just keeps us from feeling peaceful when we have the power to choose peace all along.

Don't forget that everything has always always always worked out somehow. Always. And almost always everything works out beautifully for our growth and our wisdom. 

Let yourself go where the peace is. It feels so much better there.

You are so loved. Everything is going to be ok. 
(From Brave Girls Club)

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Please have a worry free evening!

Use your Light - Lessons for My Son Art Journal

Now that summer is here I have found it hard to be inside and create. But tonight I sat in my craft closet and made this quick page in my son's life lesson's journal. I used four supplies - chalkboard paint (I bought it at the dollar store), chalk, white pen and a gold pen. Love how it turned out. A little bit of chalkboard art in my journal.

The journalling reads:

There comes a time when you must stand alone. You must feel confident enough within yourself to follow your own dreams. You must be willing to make sacrifices. You must be capable of changing and rearranging your priorities so that your final goal can be achieved. 

Sometimes, familiarity and comfort need to be challenged. There are times when you must take a few extra chances and create your own realities. Be strong enough to at least try to make your life better. Be confident enough that you won't settle for a compromise just to bet by. Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself the opportunity to grow, develop, and find your true sense of purpose in this life. 

Don't stand in someone else's shadow when it's your sunlight that should lead the way.

- From author Deanna Beisser

Enjoy the little things - upcycled piece

I was able to find some time to create again and this makes my heart happy! I love playing with paint, watercolours, inks and texture paste. So much fun! I got this piece (brown) at my local thrift store and really enjoyed turning it into something else. Thanks for stopping by!

Rise above - Life Lesson For My Son

You know some times things don't work out like you hope. You just don't have the mojo going on to create. That was me tonight. I have been wanting to create for a while and put too much pressure on myself. But I decided to share anyway so please be kind.

I am behind on the Documented Life Project.  But I'm ok with that. I decided to try May 16th challenge - Rise to the Occasion and use some modelling paste. I couldn't think of anything about rising to the occasion so I went off topic a bit.

My journalling to my son are lyrics to a song I can not find again for the life of me to reference.

Dear Son,

The world is full of people,
content to be what they are
Who never know the joy of success;
they lack the will to go that far.

Yet in this world there is a need,
for some to lead the rest
To rise above the average life,
by giving of their best.

Are you the one who dares,
to try when challenged by the task
To rise to heights you've never dreamed,
Or is that too much too ask?

This can by your year,
for great purpose to achieve
If you accept the challenge,
and in yourself believe.

be the light - mixed media upcycled frame

Hello everyone, sorry I haven't posted in a while but I have been sick and it really knocked me out of the game for the past few weeks.

I was inspired to create a piece from this old framed print I purchased for $0.50 at my local thrift store. It started in a different direction that it ended but I am happy with the finished result. I was inspired by the darkness we all have inside us. I strongly believe that it is a daily choice to choose to let the light in and to be the light. Our gremlins are more vulnerable when we choose to shine the light on them. They are not as powerful and we may even stop listening to them when we realize what they are and what they are really doing to us.

April 18th The Documented Life Project Challenge (yes I am behind) was using a gelli plate. I didn't have one so I googled how to make my own. I found this great video on how to make one. I'm not sure if I made it thick enough but it was good enough to play around and make my own sheets. It was fun and I will be buying a real gelli plate soon. I used the papers I made in this piece.

(original thrift store frame)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend!

Enough is Enough - Lesson's for My Son (DLP)

I am on a roll with this book and I love it! I thought I would also try my hand at the Documented Life Project.

To me 'cry me a river' was a little tough for me so I googled it to see the meaning behind it and decided to journal about how to deal with people's harsh opinions. This came at the right time as today my son told me his feelings got hurt at school the other day because a boy told him he didn't like him for no reason.  I have been really motivated to work on my son's lessons book and this journal entry was very useful for me as well (they always are).

I did use lots of acrylic paints and some inks (spray and india). I did collage some papers on this page but ended up covering most of them.

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The journalling reads:

Sometimes 'enough is enough'. So please be strong and know when enough is enough. Take your stand, speak up and refuse to let others hurt you. Throughout your lifetime some people will discredit you, disrespect you and treat you poorly for no apparent reason at all. Don't consume yourself with trying to change them or win their approval. And don't make any space in your heart to hate them. You don't have control over what others think about you, but you do have control over how you decide to internalize their opinions. Leave them to their own judgements. Let people love you for who you are, and not for who they want you to be. Or let them walk away if they choose. They can't harm you either way; it's their understanding that is faulty, not yours. Please love and respect yourself enough to say enough is enough and choose what your heart tells you. 


Thank you for stopping by!

Every day there are a million choices competing for your time, your brain space, and your commitment. It's so important to look for the good instead of the bad, and to see all of the wonderful little things all around you rather than letting yourself feel annoyed by other little things that really are not important.

Try to find peace, and then remember that feeling and seek out whatever it takes to get back to that feeling when you seem off track or uneasy. When life feels dark, just step into the light. One step at a time. And before you know it, the darkness is gone. Go where the peace is. Go where the beauty is. Go where the good stuff is. Most of it is just a choice. Use the gift of choice wisely. You know this stuff! Just remember to remember it! (Brave Girls Club)

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This week has been a rough one for me and getting to create a lesson in Parker's journal was soothing to my soul tonight. This lesson is also a reminder for myself when life gets crazy to 'Go where the Peace is'.

Have a fantastic night!

It is Ok

I did my first page for my son's lessons journal. I wanted a first page that was more of an introduction to the journal. Lots of paint on fingers for this one! I used this custom element technique from Rae Missigman using washi tape. I added ink, spray ink, alcohol inks and spray paint.

Few close-ups:

The journalling reads:

_________________________________________________________________________________

To my sweet Parker,

I want you to know something that has taken me a long time to learn. It is Ok. It is ok to fail, it is ok to be scared. It is ok to make wrong choices, it is ok to get overwhelmed, and it is ok to get off your path for a while.

That's how you learn. And sometimes a lesson will come to you over and over until you learn it. That is ok too. That is what this book is for. To help you learn how to deal with those difficult days and to learn from every experience - good and bad.

I want you to grow up to be a happy, peaceful man who knows who he is. The lessons in this book are the ones I have taught you  and I hope will serve as a reminder when you need them.

I love you,

Mom
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Happy Easter!

Lessons for my son journal

For the past four years I have been on a journey. A journey that started because I was not happy. I really thought that my happiness was attainable based on outside factors. When I made some serious decisions years ago, I thought things would be miraculously all better. When they weren't and I was still unhappy I knew something had to change. I was 36 years old when I decided to take my life off of autopilot. To take control of my life and to change it. It has been difficult and it has been a tough journey but I keep on trucking. I keep on learning. I keep on challenging myself.

I do not want my son - who is 7.5 years old to be 36 when he realizes that he is needing to look within to be happy.  I have been working hard to teach this little guy everything that I have learned and continue to learn. So I thought I would put all of it in a book for him. I am really hoping that this will be something that he can read and re-read when he is older and have a reminder of all the little lessons I have taught him.

This is the first page. Just a little art for me to kick off this book. I am hoping to do some art journalling in it and lots of writing for him. So please keep checking back for the lessons. 

Have a great night!

DIY Thrifted Wall Art

It's no secret that I love pinterest! It's like going to the candy store for a thrifty-do-it-yourself-addicted-to-pretty-things girls like me. One day a few weeks back I pinned this beautiful piece.

And then a few days later I got notification that my sister-in-law pinned it. So I knew I had to make her one. I went digging in my garage in my over abundant stash of picture frames that I have picked up at yard sales or thrift stores over the past few years and found the perfect one. Now it was a frame that had this dog poster in it with glasses on it. The poster was mounted on cardboard and I am sure some 13 year old loved it at one point of this frame's life. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.

I took the print out, primed it with some regular latex primer then I used some texture paste to give it a nice texture. The flat painted cardboard didn't cut it. I then took some white and off-white craft paint and randomly covered the whole thing. I was able to transfer the quote with regular transfer paper. I was planning on distressing the lettering but it took off the texture paste so I had to kill that idea. I do like the crispness of it. So happy I mixed in some off-white though.

For the frame I mixed up some milk paint and put a thicker layer over the beige burlap strip on the frame and then the rest of the frame just got a white washed layer which was later sanded down. I love how it totally changed the look of the frame.

Hope you like it! Have a great night!!

Trust your Heart

One lesson I have learned since I have taken my life off of autopilot and decided to take control of my own happiness is this: trust your heart. When you trust your heart, and I mean really trust it, then you will learn how to fly.

This piece was originally purchased at my local Thrift Warehouse in Haliburton, Ontario for $0.50. I used gesso to cover up the original artwork and then with some paint and collage I created this. I love how it turned out.

and some close ups:

Thanks for stopping by :)

Coats

Hello Everyone! Sorry for such the long delay in posts! Life has been amazing and I have been taking the time to enjoy it. I have been able to create again! Yay!! Feels so good to get ink on my hands!

I am a visual girl - as you can see. Many of my life lessons have come to me through art and analogies. One of them are my 'coats'. We all have them. We all wear different ones. We think they protect us. They are comfortable. But are they useful? I always imagine wearing a parka in the summer. That parka had it use in the winter when it was cold but wearing it when it no longer serves you is kinda ridiculous but until you get tired of wearing it and carrying around it's very hard to let go of. Like many, I have a whole closet of coats. And some I am still wearing. But fear and doubt - they are no longer required! Happy Family Day (Canada)!