Pay It Forward

Pay It Forward has been going around Bloglandia for sometime as far as I can gather. I tried to learn more but just found others who have done this.

I signed up at Donna's blog Hickory Dickory Mouse Tales.

I really like the idea of creating for others and the total suprise of not knowing when or what you will receive. I am a huge fan of the "Pay it Forward" book, movie and foundation.

Here is the project (just copy the following to your blog):

I will make a handmade gift for the first 3 interested people who comment on this post. I have 365 days to do it in…What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well: you must have a blog and before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. (just cut and paste this one if you like!, which I did)

This could be a lot of fun! :o)

Check-in on My 101 in 1001 List

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the sky yesterday. I love colour in the sky, and clouds - of all different shapes and colours. There are never the same pictures to be seen!

I thought it time as well, to check-in on progress made since I created my 101 List 2 months ago.

The biggest achievement I believe was creating this blog (#14). For someone not too computer savy, this has been a big learning curve. I have been able to post at least once a week and each week, I try to add something to the blog.

The easiest, and most important for that matter, was to tell my husband I love him every day. Which I do and have always done. focus my wishes and dreams, not just for this month, but months to come.

#57 has me reading at least 101 books and #95 at least 10 non-fiction books.

I am trying to read more - usually I manage magazines and newspapers (and now blogs!) while I am teaching full-time. But reading is a great love of mine and I have a huge list (and piles!) of books to read. The past 2 months I have read:

"12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women" by Gail Meekin (NF)

"Finding Noel" by Richard Paul Evans

"Christmas Letters" by Debbie Macomber

"Twenty Wishes" by Debbie Macomber

"A Single Thread" by Marie Bostwick (my fav. of the fiction)

#93 Write 101 comments on other's blogs - that has been enjoyable and rewarding. There are so many wonderful women I have encountered in my "travels". I f I haven't posted 101, then I soon will!

This coming week I will work on #17. Then once I have created my list of at least 50 things I love, I will begin to photograph them (#80). I'd like to create a collage of these as well.

My daily gratitude list (#15) hasn't been written daily, but I do end the evening giving thanks for the many blessings I have. And I have started an art journal (#7) and am having fun with that and my collage course.

Family, friends (old and new), school, Fluffy our cat, art, books, music, great movies (watched 7Pounds last night) are all things I am thankful for this evening.

Happy Day!

After reading Kathryn's post and watching the "Good Day" video, this smiling face made me laugh while I was making supper tonight. I really did need a good chuckle and it certainly did provide that. I would normally just have cut up the squash and cooked it. But as I laid it down I was struck by the face and a smiling one at that. I couldn't resist taking a picture. And, I thought, you might like to see what I observed today. Opening up one's eyes and really observing is a really powerful, and in this case, fun tool.

I will also leave you with one of my favourite recipes. I felt the need to cook some comfort food tonight and Yummy Peanut Butter cookies fill that need.

1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter 1 egg

1/2 cup white sugar

Mix these ingredients then add and mix:

1 1/4 cups flour 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt

Make small balls. Press with fork. Bake at 375 for 10-12 min on an ungreased pan.

A gift for you for Earth Day. (Thanks dear Syd for this recipe - 30 years old and still delicious!)

Colour Challenge and Collage

I have played more with art this past week than in all of the past year!

Leah Piken Kolidas’s Colour Art challenge at Creative Every Day has finally been the push for me to create, rather than just read about or look at, art.

I have loved visiting so many different art blogs through Creative Every Day and “12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women” book club. But, I was not creating.

I even joined an online art class – Media Collage backgrounds at Creative Workshops to spark my creativity.

This week I have hopefully turned the corner. Thanks Leah!

My project for the April 13-19 challenge is a colour collage. Leah suggested using colour we normally do not use. After creating the Full Pink Moon Dreamboard, shades and tints of pink seemed to jump out of magazines. I had such fun yesterday creating my “pink” palette collage.

Collage has always been one of my favourite forms of art. I use collage a lot when teaching children. Children seem to love the freedom of collage, as do I.

One of the best descriptions of collage came from a former student, age 8: “I love collage. You get to glue a whole bunch of stuff together.”

I love the uncertainty when you start a collage, the variety of “stuff” you can use, the fun of just playing.

When my own children were young we spent many summers in Haliburton, Ontario taking courses at the School of Fine arts there. It was a great way to combine a week’s holiday at the cottage with the excitement of creating, with each of us keeping busy each day with something we loved to do.

I tried many different techniques and classes – from basket weaving to silk screening, from watercolour to design. My favourite though, was the watercolour media collage course. Here is a sampling of some of my creations from this course.

Chapter 12 - Goals /planning/dreams

It's hard to believe that the journey has ended now with the 12th and final chapter of 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women. It has been a very interesting and challenging journey to be sure. For the most part I was an observer from the sidelines, content to read the chapters and the blogs. But over the course of the book I came to realize I had to respond - not only to the book and blogs but to the challenges.

My greatest challenge was to create this blog. For an almost computer illiterate it was and is a challenge! But one I have enjoyed.

Thanks to Jamie for hosting this book adventure and for the thoughts, challenges and interviews you have provided. I am looking forward to the next adventure!

Lainie Taylor's words had a big impact for me. Giving myself permission to create, to have my own space, to do what I love is what I needed to hear. I spend too much time helping others, reading about what I would like to do, procrastinating! Her idea of having a list of hundreds of things that fire our imaginations, that fascinate us , really made me realize that I have been limiting myself.

When she asked "What is your big dream?" it made me realize that the past few years I have not really had a big dream.

Yesterday while laying in bed, I happened to really look at an oil pastel portrait I had had done over 30 years ago. I looked at my much younger self and realized that I had no idea then what my future would turn out like. I would teach for almost 30 years, in many different places and at different levels; I would marry twice; have 3 lovely children; write for a newspaper for several years; learn to drive and then survive a horrific car accident, teach children's art courses several summers - just to name a few.

The past few years have been challenging as I have remarried in 2002, donated a kidney to my new husband , moved with him to a new town and started over at age 54 - new school, home, church, even friends. That is much harder to do after 19 years in one place.

Then I lost my Mom last year and I realized I had been in a depression for a while. I feel the fog lifting though. Part of that was due to creating my 101 list - having goals and a future seems to have helped. I also realized that I haven't really been creative in a long time and that is my fault.

So, going through this book, reading all the blogs has really fired me up.

Then seeing my younger self really made me look at myself now. I may be older, but I still have a future and who knows what great things are coming my way? I just have to do it. I will dream and I will take action. More on those dreams later!

First Spring Wekend!

Spring has sprung and even a few buds has riz!! Well maybe not quite these flowers - but it won't be long now!)

This kind a weather really does lift the spirit and clear out the cobwebs in the mind.

"All forward growth begins with letting go."

This was one of my favourite quotes from Gail McMeekin in this 11th Chapter of 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women which Jamie Ridler has been hosting.

This chapter arrived on the first day of spring - quite a coincidence. Spring brings new life, a fresh outlook, growth.

Chapter 11 asks us to subtract those things in our lives that really are not working, that stop our growth as creative women.

Peace and serentity have been lacking for some time. My personal blocks:Clutter, limiting beliefs, health, procrastination, grief, teaching, lack of a proper place to work.

My action plan actually began in February when I created my "101 things" list. It has already helped me focus on being more positive and look for ways to be creative - to actually take action and create.

One way of achieving serentity is to turn to a number of things more frequently - like friends and family, flowers, music, water.

March 18 - Day of Remembrance

Today is a day to remember, to cherish all that I have and to be grateful for the time I did have with my father.

Today was my Dad's birthday. He was only 49 when he died in 1972. Yet from him I learned so much.
I still remember the man who came to me at his funeral and said that he would miss my dad so much. This man was the caretaker at the bank and he told me how much my dad's interest and greetings meant to him each day. That was my father though - it did not matter what a person did. He treated everyone the same - from the president to the caretaker. And he did not suffer fools - whether the person was the president or the caretaker! No one was better than anyone else. Thanks Dad - that is a legacy I hope I have passed on to my children and the children I teach.



Chapter 10 of Gail Meekin's "12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women" hit a chord with me. I needed to be reminded that I do have much in my life - from husband and children, to friends and a job I love. Too often we don't take the time to appreciate those around us. We may dwell on what we don't have rather on what we do have. Grief over my Mom still has a hold on me - this blog, my 101 list, the people I am learning from, my baby steps into the art world - all are helping.
I have started my gratitude journal as mentioned by many people. It really puts into perspective how rich we are in love and intangible things.
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I left this post and came back -and in that time the news of Natasha Richardson's death was announced. How fragile is our time on earth. I am reminded of how important it is to live each day as if it is your last - tell your loved ones how much they mean to you, settle differences, do what you love.
Live, laugh, love - words to live by.