~Birds Eye View~

~Birds Eye View~

It's been sometime since I've written, Although I feel the need to apologize for not writting. I won't. I will however apologize to ya, my readers for keeping ya in suspense of what is going on with me. I will warn ya it's not very exciting.

I explained how I my room was in major need of unpacking. Don't get excited for me, I didn't get it done. I'm still sleeping in my tub. lol

I am however in good shape where my room is concerned. I took 3 HUGE boxes of files out of my room and brought them downstairs. I have been going through each box and getting rid of old paperwork I no longer need.

Mind ya all this paperwork is NOT mine alone. I had to keep the kids & hubbys papers. I had a file on each of the kids from the time they were born, till they left home. Each file consisted of some school papers which they were proud of. TONS of Certificates and ribbons from various achievements, Doctor records and such.

The fun was sitting through each file on each child, and remembering the moments. I want to take them and put them into their baby books with their photos.This way they can have them all in one place, and not a tons of boxes. I trashed quite a bit of non essential papers.

I have one box left to go through, Now I will admit It's all mine! Ya see, I toldya I was a Jane of all trades. I do various crafts and I'm pretty good at them. What this one box holds is Quilt Patterns. I know I hang my head in shame. lol I quit quilting in 2005 when I injured my ankle,and had major surgery. I do plan on going back to it, but I'm going to down size my quilting. I haven't bought any fabric since 2003. My goal was to use up what I had. God knows ya can shop at my house if ya need fabric. lol

My goal when I am done with all the quilting patterns, is to keep the ones I've already made a quilt on. Then place the pattern with the photo of the completed quilt so I have a permanent record of it. I will also keep some patterns of ones I'd like to make. When my room is settled I will mark the calendar and if I haven't quilted in 6 months I will go through those patterns and discard accordingly. I do have some patterns I may try to sell, we'll see.

I've been a busy gal trying to work on my art. Haven't done it the past few nights just from sheer exhaustion. My son turned 28 this month and my Lil Love turned two! Where does time go? Why can't we stop time when we want to? I would like time to stop so I can finish my room then it can move on. That would be cool.

Lil Love had a wonderful birthday. All she wanted was "Papa, Da to make hot dog and Amburger and pickles" This was the response we got when Ma asked her what she would like for her birthday. Funny thing is we did a BBQ party for her first birthday. I wonder if she remembered? It's funny what she comes up with. We had a Lil baby named Bailey come over, Lil Love was so gentle with her. She shared toys with her, Lil Love kept bringing toys to her Ma & Da and say "For Baby" How cute is that? I told my daughter that No two year old I know ever shares, That Lil Love has a huge heart.
Papa took Lil Love and the family out for her "pancakes" He does this every Saturday morning and Lil Love enjoys it immensely. When they left to come home Da took Lil Love to go pick out her plates for the party. She chose her favorite Curious George. She then found a lil stuffed Curious George and picked him off the shelf and hugged him. She then placed him back on the shelf after she showed Ma & Da. She started to walk away when her Da told her she could have him. Lil Love ran backed to him and hugged him tight and kissed him. She thanked her Ma & Da. When they told me this story I told them NO two year old EVER does that. Ya usually the one to take the item and put it back while they scream. Lol

Lil Love received a lot of crayons and she was quite happy with them. She kept saying "Nina color me" when she opened them. She also received some pool toys and two Elmos, one Papa got it's Up Up Elmo and one that is Elmo Live. She even got a Curious George which is like a glow worm doll, She loved him.

The above picture is one made with Oil Pastels. I was playing around with them one night and that's what showed up. I like it, I like how the birds are colorful and there's no denying them in the picture.I have the moon shining through a tree branch and a bird in a nest. Love it! lol I know ya not supposed to be impressed with ya own work but I was happy with this piece.

I'm gonna be doing Gary Reefs 30 day Challenge starting May 1st. I need to create art for 30 days straight. Nothing fancy, Nothing demanded from me, Not themes or certain mediums. Just art! Easy enough for me. I will try and share most of them with ya.

~Woven Water Turtle~

~Woven Water Turtle~

I am excited to share this art piece with ya. This is a piece of trash! Ok, Don't make that face! I know ya sitting there looking at the picture and saying "What is she thinking? This is a cute picture" Well I'll explain, on April 10th I was trying to work on my art, the trouble was I had a migraine. Usually my art relaxes me, I pulled out my oil pastels and started to work on a Challenge piece for one of my groups. I totally messed it up, Yes, it was a total mess there was no salvaging it for the Challenge.

As many of ya know I'm a firm believer in waste not,want not. The old motto "Use it up,Wear it out, Make it do or do without" That's how my Da was when I was a child.

My decision was to not make any art that night. I placed this piece away as a journal background for an entry one day. Well last night I worked on a small piece for a friend of mine Robin. Yes, Yes, I'm gonna show ya that one too. I can't have ya thinking I don't share, now can I? lol

~Lil Lucy~

I made Lucy's dress using an envelope from a card, that my friend Robin sent me. Lucy is my nickname and since I had already made a "Regal Robin" to send her, I just thought I'd make her one named after me. Here is "Regal Robin"

~Regal Robin~

The idea to upcycle/recycle the envelopes was easy to make when I received the cards in the mail. I had been wanting to send her a surprise and it was simple when I seen the patterns of the envelopes. I just sent them off today so I can't wait to hear how she liked them. I'll letcha know.

As for the "Woven Water Turtle" It took me an hour to make Lil Lucy and I wasn't tired enough to sleep. I went through my art pieces and seen the "Trash background" I looked at it and decided to cut it into strips. Different sizes but cut them I did. As I was cutting I remembered how I used to make woven art when I was younger. I wasn't allowed to play outside when I was lil because I wore leg braces from the hips down. My mother was afraid I would get hurt, So ya learn to be quite inventive to amuse yaself.

I wove the pieces and glued them to another sheet of paper. When I was done I noticed a turtle looking at me. Not just any turtle but a Sea Turtle. So I brought him out for all to see. I have to say he's quite cute.

That's how I turned my trash into art. How to recycle/upcycle a mistake. I know it would have been easier to just gesso the piece and be done with it to start over. But I'm happy I set this piece aside and that my Turtle came into being because I chose to wait.

~What Kind Of Friend Are You?~

~What Kind Of Friend Are You~

Life...Friends...Hurt...We all long to have people in our life who will be there for ya. We long to have someone we can confide our Fears...Hopes...Dreams to. We believe the people we choose to be involved in our life will remain there forever. When it doesn't, It hurts. Deeply...Painfully...Regretably.... We are left behind, feeling alone...crushed...abandoned. Sometimes we know why someone walks away from a friendship, other times we're left with confusion. Where do ya go from there? How do ya pick up the pieces of the life ya shared with them? Do ya seek them out for answers, of ya wrongs ya might have commited? Does it even phase ya that they walked away?
I would find it sad to be involved with someone and have them just walk away without explanation. Me personally, I admit to ending a almost twenty year friendship with someone I considered a best friend almost sister like. Why did I walk away? How did I walk away? Did my friend have a heads up as to why I ended the friendship?
My friend was given every chance to right the wrong she commited. She chose her path as I chose mine. I am not a person who goes out of their way to cause pain...sadness...hurt...in others. To me that's not the definition of friendship. She had asked me why a friend of hers walked away from her without explanation? At the time I could not give her one valid reason. I now can see why this friend of hers from childhood walked away. It was for the same reason I did. I did what her other friend did not. I explained to her the hurts...pain...sadness...she caused me in a time I didn't need it. When I needed her most she wasn't and couldn't be there for me. Same situation, different time, I was there above and beyond for her. Sadly she couldn't the same for me. I gave her time to correct this and she chose not to acknowledge any of it. There wasn't anything more I could do but to walk away to save myself from further hurt.
Am I sad she's not a part of my life? Yes, I am. Am I in a better place in my life without her in it? Yes, most definately. Would we be friends again...I'm not sure, If she continues the path she's on then a definate no.
When given the chance, to be told the offense or hurt ya committed. Knowingly or unknowingly would ya want to know why someone walked outta ya life? What would ya do to correct the situation? Are ya willing to let people in and outta ya life like a revolvong door? I personally don't have people coming and going in my life. I'm a person who takes each friendship to heart. I treasure the person not for WHAT they can do for me, But for WHO they are. There's a reason why someone crosses ya path in life. They are there to speak into ya life when other voices are silent. They help ya to grow as a person, they bring laughter, joy and memories. Each a special jewel to be taken care of and protected.
I long to keep people in my life, I will go the extra mile to be the friend I would want in return. I wonder... Do ya value who's in ya life right now? If ya do don't hesitate to let them know they matter to ya. Don't put it off, let them know NOW! If ya hurt someone, and ya AWARE ya hurt them, Make ammends today. If ya feel a friendship has shifted or changed and not for the better, acknowledge it to ya friend. Seek the person out and ask them. Apologize for any misunderstandings. Ask to be forgiven and be able to move on from this day forward. Do what ya can to keep those ya love and cherish in ya life for as long as ya can. Ya never know when either one of ya may no longer walk this earth. Time is fleeting and we're not promised tomorrow.

~Roots~

~Roots~

I am EXTREMELY proud of this piece.

Sorry to say the camera doesn't do it justice. Believe it or not, I used really cheap oil pastels and crayons on this. Ya know those kits ya can get at Michaels for children, that have black paper on them which reads oil pastels, or crayons? Those are what I used. Who says ya have to spend a fortune on art supplies to make good art? I was given the kit as a gift from a well intentioned friend, and I'm a strong believer in not wasting anything of use.

The reason why I made this piece was for a Georgia O'Keeffe Challenge, one of my art groups is having. I was quite intimidated, to even think I could even try to interpet her techinique. I didn't plan on doing any art work before bed last night because I was in so much pain. Our family did yard work yesterday and I was exhausted, So my plan was to go straight to sleep. Instead I went to my tub and my supplies called to me. Don't laugh ya know ya listen to inanimate objects speak! I really wanted to work with crayons. I pulled out all my supplies, then decided against them and pulled out the cheapy supplies. Ya know even imitation art supplies need love too.

I call this piece "Roots" since Lil Love and I were pulling weeds yesterday. lol She was such a joy to watch. She would pull up some weeds, or loose leafs and say "I helping" as she put it into the bag. Her Papa tried to get her to pick up gum balls for a penny a piece. She points to the bag and says "hunded dollars Papa" I laughed because she's a smart baby, and she knew there were tons of gum balls already in the bag. When the yard work was all done we enjoyed hamburgers on the grill for dinner. A wonderful family day, all working together for the good of our home and each other. A home filled with Love, Peace and Tranquility.

These are moments to remember and treasure, the small things with those ya love. The heart of any family life.

The Roots.

~Zip It~

~Zip It~

This piece isn't finished, But I wanted to share her anyways. I'm trying to remember to take pictures of my art as I go along. I tend to just keep working until it's done, then I share the finished piece. I'm sure this one will go with one of my Poems for my book.

Has anyone ever told ya to zip it? Ya know the saying, when someone is talking about someone and that person suddenly appears they say "Zip It." Meaning they don't wantcha to reveal what they were saying about the person.

How many times as a child were ya told to zip it, shush, hush,shut up, be quiet, etc...? My life as a child was one HUGE zip it!

As an adult I find it annoying for someone to tell me zip it, even if they do it in a different way. I've been in a conversation where I've been talked over. That's a persons way of saying zip it, ya not to speak. Or ya sharing something to someone and ya have to repeat what ya've been saying, because they say "Huh?" or "I didn't get it" These are ways for people to tell ya not to share what's in ya heart. I find that's when I become rebelious and speak up that much more. I refuse to be silent, when my spirit is screaming for me to say something.

We all have that inner voice in our head that screams for ya to speak up, or remain silent. Do ya listen to that voice? Do ya honor the spirit within you? We are all made to voice our feelings, Share our hurts, dreams and desires. It's as natural as breathing, That is after all why God created us. There's nothing wrong with wanting to share. The error we make, the disservice to our spirit is when we stand by and say nothing.

I love the following quotes...

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter"~Martin Luther King

"No person is your friend who demands your silence,or denies your right to grow"~Alice Walker

"To stand in silence when they should be protesting makes cowards out of men"~Abraham Lincoln

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing"~Edmund Burke

Why am I sharing this with ya? Honestly it's what's in my heart. It's something I felt I should share with ya. Some of us need to be reminded to not hold back what we think. Maybe ya struggling with sharing how ya feel. Maybe ya like me, and allow yaself to be put last so others will be happy. I just wantcha to know it's ok for ya to have feelings, hopes, and dreams. It's ok for ya to say no ya don't want to do something, or go somewhere. Speak up! Please don't be afraid to say how ya feel. Please know it's ok to make yaself happy as well as others. I'm not saying it's ok to abuse people or be obnoxious and demanding in ya wants. I'm saying it's ok to share how ya feel. I know I wasn't given permission to put myself first and share my feelings. I'm learning that now and I regret not doing it sooner.

The one thing I've learned the past two years is... I will only surround myself with people who value me. I wish to be with people, who want me to share what's in my heart with them. I don't want one sided friendships like I've had in the past. I have learned to not remain silent in how I feel and what the desires of my heart are. No longer just going with the flow to make others happy at the expense of my happiness. That's the spirit I've been zipping up for too long. I am giving myself permission to release my spirits voice. I can't wait to feel more free.

~Vintage Nina GiveAway~

Vintage Giveaway!!!

Seems Miss Nina was a busy lil bee this morning and created a BEAUTIFUL Cigar box! She's going to be giving this away along with some wonderful goodies. Please visit her blog and say hello to her at...http://vintagenina.blogspot.com/

I really love her layout and her art is wonderful. Ya can also check out her four adorable children and hubby. She has a slideshow of her work on her blog as well. So please visit her. Don't forget to enter her give away. Here are the rules....

~The Rules~
~ To enter your name in the giveaway simply make a comment on this post before the end of Friday April 10th (That is my sweet Isabella's birthday she will be turning six so I thought she would enjoy drawing the name on her special day). The first name she picks will win. To have your name entered twice, copy and paste the giveaway and any photos of this post onto your own blog, then leave a second comment to let me know! I am so grateful for all the friends I have made in the art world. Each and every one of you inspire me! Thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog and for leaving me a comment I always appreciate them! Good Luck:)!!!
HAPPY DAY!!!
~Nina