art, good music and kind people make me happy

hi peeps.

it's time for faces! :-)

a tiny acrylic and marker on paper (12 x 12 cm)

There's a video at the end of this post.

It's what i was listening to while i painted last night...

the whole CD, not just the one song. :-)

and then there's this woman... 

i love Jane Goodall, and what she's done with her life.

My first ever blog post was a little watercolor of Jane and a friend...

you can see it here.

I was a woman of few words when i first began blogging.

Now i won't shut up. 

(giggle...)

I had a hard time with this one...

i seem to have made her look much older

- something i'm not so sure she would like.

but it is what it is. 
Sometimes there's a likeness,
and sometimes less.

 I certainly tried to give her compassionate eyes.
Whenever i see her on tv, that's always what i notice about her first.
Those peaceful, loving, compassionate eyes.

You can see a lot in a person's eyes.

I then took time to finish this one too -

just added the word and a few magical dots. 

I kinda like it.

I hope you all know how much i appreciate

your kind comments.

The thing that makes me the happiest

is knowing that sometimes,

I may actually inspire someone out there

to make art

or write poetry

or take a walk outside

or listen to music

or bake a cake

or notice the moon

or write a song...

or just be more appreciative of something.

Anything.

That makes me happy.

Because i believe these are the things

that give life meaning -

and there are too many of us out there

waiting until we retire to find meaning in our lives.

hugs to all of you...

xox

hope you like the song

the difference between dreams that come true, and dreams that don't

A lie can travel half way around the world

while the truth is putting on its shoes.

Charles Spurgeon

It's always so much fun for me to go into my little blue room,
light a candle, put on some music, and paint.

love the name of this one - Tutti Fruitti... yeah.

I'm not the greatest at making marks when i begin a painting.

Mine are usually shapes rather than marks. :-)

a few added red squares and lines of text from a magazine.
I liked the dark blue color...

a bit of black Sharpie marker...

and a bit of white pen and paint.

So much fun to do...

and just for you. :-)

And then something simple and quick in my lovely little yellow book...

with colored pencils.

A gentle little reminder for all of us...

Thank you ALL for your kind words concerning my book.

(and Jez... thank you in particular for all those wonderfully detailed steps!!)

I've often wondered what makes one person's dreams become reality,
while the next person seems stuck in the mud and fails to realize them.

Wanna know what i believe the difference is?

Hard work.

That's it. 

We may think it has to do with money,
or time
or opportunity
or talent
or circumstance
or education...

all of these things may help,
but I believe it has most to do
with a willingness to do the work involved.

J.K. Rowling became a supposed overnight success with the Harry Potter books,
but in reality, it was anything but overnight.

She sat for years in a small café near her home
where she could hardly afford a tea...
and she wrote, and wrote, and wrote.

And we all know what happens when you continue doing something,
day in and day out.... 
you get better at it.

I don't want to say practice makes perfect,
because i don't believe in perfection.

But practice definitely makes "humongous-ly better". ;-)

So yeah, here I am with my little idea for a book,
and i am finally beginning to understand that this is so possible.

They say that if you put things out to the universe,
it gets the ball rolling.

Things start to happen.

I have a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson in my face that i read every day -

Once you make a decision,
the universe conspires to make it happen.

True, yes?

The quote should perhaps be this:

Once you make a decision,

the universe conspires to make it happen -

and then you have to show up for the actual work to be done.

Wishing you all the kind of Saturday you love...

I'm off to do some sketching and take notes for the book... :-)

oncology center...

I can be changed by what happens to me

but I refuse to be reduced by it.

Maya Angelou

I went to the Oncology center again today.

Mom begins chemotherapy again...

after a break that was much too brief.

Every time I go there,

I'm reminded of what I have,

what others have lost,

and how fragile life is.

True wealth has nothing to do with money.

The only true wealth is health.

We all walk around like we have

all the time in the world

to do what we want,

to go where we want,

to be who we want.

We neglect,

we procrastinate,

we find every excuse in the book

to do it later.

Tomorrow.

Next year.

When the mortgage is paid off.

When the kids are gone.

When i have more money.

But when i see the faces

in that sitting room at the Oncology Center,

i know that many no longer have the energy

nor the will

to follow their hearts. 

They have become too busy with survival

to be concerned with dreams

and passions.

All they want is to feel good again.

That has become their dream.

What

are

we

waiting

for

?

Do one small thing today

that makes you feel one step closer

to your dream.

Even if it's just

writing it on paper,

and claiming it as yours. 

xoxo

big dreams

Hey folks - it's Monday! 

I bought a few wonderful books lately

in the hopes of keeping myself inspired.

When i read the first few pages of this wonderful book,

I knew it was exactly what i was looking for.

So inspiring.

A few posts ago, I made a comment about dreaming BIG.

Over the weekend, I was at the Costco.

For those who aren't familiar with the Costco,

it's basically a place where you can buy things in bulk,

like a jar of peanut butter the size of a Buick,

or paper towels in packages of a million.

ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration.

But as i stood in line at the cash register

and looked at all the other baskets full of stuff -

and the zombie-like faces staring into space,

I wondered about the dreams of those around me.

It made me think about how there is as much value

in a small dream

as a big one.

Maybe the woman next to me

wanted to become a published author,

or the man behind me

wanted a herb garden in his back yard.

Some people need a herb garden to give their life meaning,

others need the Taj Mahal.

Whatever your dream is...

however big or small

the important thing is to keep moving towards it.

To make little changes towards a more

fulfilling life for yourself.

To take baby steps.

The saddest thing would be

to take no step at all.

To decide that your dream isn't worth it.

It absolutely is worth it.

Trust me on this one. :-)

xoxo