Christmas blues

Hello everyone!

I bought myself these gifts a few weeks ago

because I needed something to make me smile

and because I'm special. :)

A Lamy fountain pen and these Stabilo wooden pencils/pastels/wax crayons.

i LOVE all of these!

Hadn't used a fountain pen in a while

and forgot how much I loved them.

Well here we are, a week away from Christmas.

A busy time,

a messy time,

a beautiful time,

a difficult time,

an exciting time 

a happy and sad time.

An emotional time.

If you feel any of these things

over the holidays,

you are not alone.

I feel a little bit of all of these things,
but Christmas is mostly a happy time for me,
because I have so many great memories (thanks mom).
Yes, I'm sad that they are only memories,
but grateful that so many of the people I love
are still here with me.

Mom loved Christmas
and I suppose her spirit lives on in me. :)

She didn't make it a big deal
with overdone decorations
or expensive gifts...
but she always made lots of food & goodies
and there were always house parties
with friends & family.

I have so many good memories
of waking up (early!) with my 2 brothers
on Christmas morning
and being so excited at the sight
of those beautiful gifts under the tree.

And then, as soon as mom & dad would get up with us,
the smell of coffee and "poutines" in the kitchen,
and the sound of Christmas music on the stereo.

And in the afternoon, we'd rush out in the snow
(because in Canada, there's always snow at Christmas)
to play with our Super Slider Snow Skates,
or our mini-skis,
or our Crazy Carpets
and we'd stay out until our cheeks
were the color purple. :)

There was something so laid back about the holidays
and I just grew to love this quiet time of the year.
We have to make it what feels good for us, right?

If we prefer being alone at Christmas,
and going for a nice walk in nature,
or spending time reading,
then we should do that!
(I always find time for these things during the holidays)

The fact that I enjoy Christmas
doesn't mean everyone does
and it certainly doesn't mean
everyone should.
It's a really difficult time for many.

We all have different life experiences,
and what's good for one,
doesn't mean it's good for the other. 
So let's be patient with one another
and respect the fact that we all have our own ways
of dealing with the hoopla of holidays. :)
And for those who feel alone -
I hope you know you are NOT alone. 

On to the art now!

Have you had time for art lately?
I'm trying to squeeze in little bits here & there
but I've done very little over the past weeks.

I did the blue bow painting (above)
one night last week.
When I finished, I had leftover paint
so you know i couldn't let that paint go to waste. ;)
So I did this quick sketch of a face,
and then dropped a blob of black paint
right in the center of the nose!

Tried to cover it with white,
but it didn't work, so I just painted the whole thing red.
Then I sprayed water on the whole thing
to try & get a 'dripping' thing happening
but it was just going from bad to worse.

When things go from bad to worse,
you just try to salvage what you can
and work with the booboos. :)

Not quite what I envisioned 
when I first started the sketch,
but who cares?
I was painting and when I'm painting,
I'm happy.

I did this watercolor this past week too.
Love doing simple, common things
we all have around the house.

It doesn't always need to be a gorgeous landscape,
or a perfect still life.

Sometimes, the simple things
say more about "us" than the ones we "set up"
to look like perfection.

Nothing about my life is perfection
and I want to keep it that way.

Wishing every one of you
a peaceful, comfortable, healthy holiday time.
Do what makes you smile.
And if you feel like crying - cry.
That's ok too.
:)

Merry Christmas everyone
and all the best for 2017!
xx