Being Grateful

Thanksgiving has come and gone; Christmas has come and gone; and we are stuck in the perpetual gray days of Winter. Small glimpses of sunshine peek out every once in a while - but the moments are short and the cold temperatures keep me stuck in bleakness. I've always had a struggle with this time of year. The days are too short and it feels like there is too little to look forward to. The novelty of the darkness of winter has long worn out and I crave the colors of spring in the flowers, the trees, the blue sky and the sunshine.

In the latter part of January, a friend of mine approached me with the idea of a Gratitude Group. An idea she had seen in a magazine around the Holidays, she found she couldn't shake the idea and wanted to try an experiment. Through an email invitation, she invited a diverse group of women. And those women were invited to invite one other friend. We met on a Friday night at her home, each bringing a component of a simple soup and salad dinner. We dished up, introduced ourselves and told each other a little bit about our lives. And then the fun began. We were each given a journal and told to regularly write down a few of the things that we were grateful for.

I made a committment to myself to do this. I have always been a journal writer - but I go through phases. I love journals. . .I have dozens of them - but very few that I have completely filled. I set my journal next to my bed with a pen so that it was ready to go. Many nights I crawl into bed, pick up the journal and think - there is nothing special about this day that is worth recording. But - that was not what this "assignment" was about - so I begin to think about what I am grateful for. And then the words begin to flow.

Many days the themes are the same - family, husband, home, talents, my art, color . . . nothing earth shattering. But for those brief moments before bed, I forget about the struggles of life. Our stuggles with money, or the needed house repairs, or the frustrations of the little things go away and I am reminded of all that I have. I am very, very grateful!

The Gratitude Group will meet again in March and we will share our revelations as to how this experiment has affected our lives. And I am sure, if the other women have felt as I have, that we will continue for months to come. To share with others in such a positive way is a blessing in and of itself. For those few hours we will not discuss the economy or our jobs or anything negative. We will left each other up with gratitude.

Here's to March

The finished stool . . .

Recently, we took some of my work to a professional photographer to have some portfolio shots done. What a great experience. It was so wonderful to see the work transformed into a 2 dimensional image with full color. The difference of using studio lighting, diffusers, and backdrops was well worth it. Now we have some great shots to use when we apply for the "big" sales that require some pretty heavy jurying.

Although March is only just beginning, it has been filled with frustration. Last year, I managed to stay realitively healthy. When considering all the people that come to work every day coughing and sniffling and sneezing - this was a miracle. This year I have not been so fortunate. I have once again caught the "crud" that everyone seems to be fighting. I was laid up for 3 days in February and felt that I had "served my time". But no . . .I have once again been hit with whatever this lovely stuff is and am flat . . .again.

I have never been very good at being "sick". I don't like lying around doing nothing. I get very tired of watching tv and movies but my brain is a little too soft for reading. By the end of the day, I am generally somewhat cranky and bored out of my mind. And feeling as if time is slipping away. I want to draw or paint or create something - but unfortunately, I am just too foggy in the head.

I will return with more interesting posts once I can conquer this beast. Here is to a wonderful March - hopefully full of Spring like days!

Rock a bye baby . . .

Last summer I was driving through my neighborhood and saw a garage sale. Being the junk junkie that I am, I slowed to see if there anything caught my eye. And there it was. A perfect little children's wooden rocking chair. What is a girl like me to do? I pulled over and was prepared to walk away disappointed. Afterall, I never know if the joints will be strong, if the chair is in good shape, if the price is right. I looked it over, inspected it, and asked the price. It was my lucky day! I brought the chair home and waited for the right moment to transform it. This sweet little rocker was very patient with me, and tonight I put the finishing touch on it.

Here is side view - I love the black and white checkerboard on the rungs . . .

Here is a close up of the chair. It says "With imagination, anything is possible."

And finally, a front view of the chair.

This sweet little chair is just waiting for a little girl to rock her sweet baby to sleep.

I realize I have not been very diligent at posting . . .but that doesn't mean I haven't been working. I have been creating several new mirrors, stools, and black and whites. And in the last few weeks, I fell victim to one of the many colds going around. The universe's way of making me slow down, I guess.

Here are few black and whites to start off with . . .

I particularly like this one . . .it's similar to my usual back and whites, with some newer "doodles" added to it. I was really pleased with the final product.

Here is a new design for a wall mirror. We are trying a "house" design, with an emphasis an the love and blessings of home.

This mirror started with a few flowers and then took on a life of it's own. . .

This is a large mirror - about 2 1/2 feet by 3 feet. This is just a sneak peek of the top portion. I love painting suns - especially during the grey, dark days of winter in the Pacific Northwest.

I bought some stools at a garage sale last spring and they have been patiently waiting for some attention. These are not the typical round stools - rather they have a square seat, with a back. A close up image of the seat . . .

The basic design and colors are laid in; however, none of the details have been added yet. That will come in the next few days.

Thanks for stopping by. I will try to be more diligent in keeping you abreast of all the happenings in the studio!