We need Solutions!

  Paint Party Friday

 I started the following post last January. Sadly things seem to have exacerbated and we really do have to look for every bit of love and beauty in the world now more than ever if we are to stay sane!! Opening our hearts to new conversations about why people are angry and hurting would probably help too!!

Sharing digital art this week! These have been in my arsenal for months!!

Taking off  the glasses of judgement  to see past the ugliness in our world seems like a great start for change. While raising my daughter if I spotted bad behavior I didn't just assume it was her fault. I asked myself what I could learn from her behavior and how could I direct it correctly. I like to take negativity where ever possible, find out why, what, how it manifested! If one strategy didn't work I'd look  for another until I found a solution!

I haven't shared some of my digital art lately, since I don't have photos of my wip these will have to do!

I was never a mother to tolerate bad behavior. I'd always heard that children will try your patience even seek your attention with negative behavior when the positive isn't working. So I always made sure to leave the room if things were to my dismay. Rewarding only good behavior with my attention. I only wish I'd done that with adults behaving badly. Instead I tended to confront them.  Back in the day, my mindset was  Adults should know better, whereas kids sometimes don't.

This is 90 degrees Fahrenheit...real feel even hotter!! Insane for Autumn weather!

Now I wonder if we ignored the bad acting adults in the world and encouraged only the good  if attitudes might change for the better!  I doubt it!! It seems so many inflate internet banter with trolls who constantly barrage it with nonsense, and stupidity. Not realizing they could be engaging  with a raging alcoholic, a  person in a fit of non medicated mental illness, or a very abused ignorant soul!  When saying nothing can be  message enough. 

This quirky piece was done months ago, I chuckled when I recently saw it!

As a former motor mouth I can tell you silence always spoke volumes to me. I knew instantly there was an opposing opinion. I could be too headstrong for the meek to contend with. Yet I've always appreciated a very strong objective argument written or otherwise.  I often changed my perspective completely after contemplating a fair argument!  Hearing a different perspective often helps me to  rationalize ideas in a new way!  It  helped me grow and change over the years! I'm always grateful to those with opposing views as longs are they are kind in their presentation!

Although I am quite passionate about many issues, I much prefer to spend my energy 

else where  these day! At times I too get revved up, however I  tend to abstain from confrontation! Instead I have passed the torch  to my once very shy Cupcake

 who is now vocal enough for the both of us, and I love it!

  High five Cupcake, always keep your passion alive!! 

Remember it's not what you say, but how you say it that matters!

You make a difference!!

 Cupcake picking blackberries to freeze just like her grandmother use to!

Have you ever had an argument change your

perspective?   

 

Have you ever engaged the internet trolls? 

 

Luckiest Mom

  Paint Party Friday

 This is how my children make me feel!!

Oh what a week this has been! To my surprise, for Mothers Day and
 my upcoming birthday the kids decided to paint my bedroom and
  all the furniture! Imagine the excitement and upheaval that caused!!
I was amazed at how after seven years of the kids nagging me 
to choose a colour. This blog post orchestrated  a conclusion 
and a solid choice was made!  My version of a neutral, dark teal,
already painted throughout my loft and hallway!
 

Afraid I may change my mind the kids rushed to get the

room started!! Giving me the respect of changing my 

mind waited until  preparations were done before grabbing

 the paint! I assured them Adriatic Sea was the colour, 

still they asked several times!  I'm truly impassioned 

about colour so a final decision never comes lightly! 

Digital card with  bits of my older paintings used for my nieces card!!

 Very particular when making decisions. I always start with my 
favourite colours in the moment! In this case every choice seemed
 to have some sort of deterrent! First it must  withstand the test of 
time since I no longer have the capacity to paint my own walls.
The work needs to be done by others. So many deciding factors,
 yet it was in front my nose the whole time! The colour
that I stare at daily! It was too obvious to acknowledge!!

The mirror has been removed so Beardo can mount my tv in this dresser!

As my room was being painted it forced me to reevaluate what to 

keep and toss!! A few emotional moments occurred while reading

  through several old bits of writing! I'm being very selective about

 what stays and what goes into my renewed space!

Now loving my old highboy dresser!!

The majority of the walls upstairs in the loft and hallways 
all match my room with Benjamin Moore  Adriatic sea
  paint! What a glorious surprise the first morning sun shone 
in my room elevating the colour to a new daytime beauty!
With different lighting it changes to a rich jewel tone!
Where as the loft stays darker receiving light in a 
different way! It's been such a thrill to enjoy the new
walls even with the room incomplete.

This old Highboy dresser has gone from eyesore to cutie patootie!!

 I'm going completely out of my box to have crispy
 white curtains not yet purchased!! Totally unusual for 
me.  I have always veered far away from beige
or white in decorating, except  for appliances
and bathroom fixtures! However  I have a revered 
white pitcher for flowers  that is a favourite!
Plain appliances are the only way to go since
 the harvest gold debacle of the seventies!
Which took me only a year or two to regret!!
Now the thought of white, suggested by Cupcake,
excites me!! Even though some apple green ones 
tried to naughtily entice me!! White is my new 
joy and will enhance the room and my spirit!

  Just a sneak peek Benjamin Moore Adriatic sea colour! 

Here is a sneak peek at the colour, which in actuality  is  
prettier  and brighter in person. Cupcake tried her best to 
capture the  shade to share with you!  My kingsize bed 
is in the midst of being painted!!  Cupcakes extreme
 allergy outbreak during sanding is making for a slower
 completion than predicted! However it's amazing to wake
  up in a new room! Admittedly I am spending more
time than normal there  because I'm so in awe of the
changes!!

 I can't even express how grateful
I feel to have such amazing kids!!  
Last week these two  enjoyed their
Christmas and birthday gift concerts!
Three in a row all in the same week,
and still made time to paint too!

The kids met a punk Legend Chi Pig at  Me First and the gimme gimmes concert!

I love "Me first and the gimme gimmes"...they take songs of 
old and make them New and fun!! Interesting how this old guy
has never deflected from what he loves even when so many
outgrow certain music tastes! Not hard to see he's an artist too!
So glad my kids have such eclectic artistic tastes!! It keeps 
me current and open to all things new! 

Cupcakes favourite  exercise as a child and still is!!

I am truly blessed to have a daughter who treats me with
such love and respect! A woman who cherishes the value 
of a dollar, knows how to appreciate what she has, and 
enhance it! A woman who knows how to find joy in 
simple silly moments like getting a photo taken on a
huge costco chair!!

  I was so blessed the day she brought Beardo 
home to join our life! He has  treated me 
with love and respect from the beginning and 
continues to do so daily! By all accounts  
he is my child too!! Having this wonderful 
couple in my life, making sure I'm comfortable
and well taken care of makes me the 
Luckiest mom ever!! These two bring
me love, joy and laughter daily, as 
my two best friends!! Thanks guys 
for all the amazing things you do for me!
I love you both more than you will ever know!
I LOVE my new room too!! 
I hope you have a blast at Mumford &  Sons, and  U2 this week!

What is right in your face that you need to 
change but haven't in way too long?

Would people recognize that you're an
artist by the way you present yourself 
to the world?

Thanks for all the amazing meaty comments last week! Every word
is revered and often sparks new posts! Happy Mothers day to 
all women who make a difference in the world as caregivers to all!
Whether you're a mother to children, parents, friends or animals you 
are to be loved and respected for your dedicated effort and  sacrifice!! 
Appreciate the beauty that is you!! 
Do something wonderful and special for yourself, you deserve it!!
Love Sherrie 

Fun and Happiness?

 Paint Party Friday

These three friends are all pretty unique in flavour

I feel like a hostage to creating these Happy Tiler peeps!

Truly they are nothing special...they just appear.

Even when I try to deviate by creating something else 

they call on me to return! There are three to a page in

my art journal and each page has a bit of a story! 

I photograph them,  digitally cut them out and 

mount them on a digital background! I am showing 

six but there are so many! Each so individual!

I'm just going with it to see where it takes me!

This is Gay she is still cold even though it's spring

  Recently as I peruse social media many bits of

seeming perfection and fun pop out at me!

As I scan the photos I wonder if they are truly happy!

Over the years I have seen many folks filling up on material

items and lavish events and I wonder if that sustains happiness

in their world. Upon inquiry, and over time I realize it's only

fun but doesn't always measure the contented soul.

Or true happiness!

Guy has always hated his name and his nose!

Fun can be a fleeting moment of happiness, sure!

However if happiness isn't at the foundation of

who you are then nothing  can truly be fun enough,

can it?

Kelsey is a dancer but feels she will never attain her dreams

So many people today are chasing fun. Each of us has our

own measure  of fun. For some it may be hiking in a desert, 

which would be my nightmare. Add an "S" to that desert,  

make it a dessert, at a quaint cafe with a side of intimate

 conversation along with a coffee, and I'm all in! 

My kind of fun/bliss! Scrabble too!

Brandon is quirky and happy always looks for something new to learn

Everyone enjoys different types of fun!

Years ago I gravitated to the beach, 

  lake or ocean, it was my momentary fun,

 but more it was a comfort, a place

of solace when life wasn't the happiest! 

For me water was always a conduit to 

spiritual awakening!  

Corey loves solitude and books

 Can you truly have fun when you aren't happy?

I think you can, but it's a quick fix, a momentary high,

a diversion.  It can't sustain joy or that content 

feeling like true happiness does!

Johnson is a creative peaceful soul who writes poetry

 I love the quote, " Do more of what makes you happy!"

I think the distinction between happy and fun would 

needs to be defined to make that happen! 

If you're happy when your kids are around and

they're always joking and laughing then it's fun.

However if they like to argue and fight that"s not

so fun, but having them around makes you

 happy anyway! In that case happiness would

 be your foundation to endure that!

These three hang together and all have low self-esteem

I still believe  happiness can't be found in other people,

or things, or fun,  it truly is a choice. I wasn't always happy.

It wasn't until I truly found what I love to do, and found

joy in the small everyday things that I found how to feel

happiness! It doesn't mean there aren't unhappy times.

There are...but when happiness is your foundation

it's easier to endure the hardships!

Do you need fun to feel happy? 

What is your favourite kind of fun?

Carrying the Lessons

Paint Party Friday

My daughter was shocked at how easily this piece manifested! 

I find it's quite telling considering the state of our world of late! 

Some women seem  more concerned than others!

 Rightfully so!  The older ones know the political strides

gained over the years and probably would prefer not 

to visit those issues once again! However in 2017

so many are left in wonder!

 Mandatory  skirts or dresses in public schools 

instead of pants during freezing temperatures 

were just one of the silly requirements/judgements

 of days gone by! So many difficult choices women

 made because of circumstances beyond their control.

Have we even talked about those times enough

with the younger generations  I wonder?

Times where neighbour hood teen moms were forced 

to secretly give up their children, only to panic years 

later as they frantically searched  their whereabouts!

A time where people worried what everyone was 

doing to keep the moral compass in check. 

Consequences that often scarred people for life!

Women have always been held up to a bright

 light of scrutiny. Sadly they still are but in 

different ways now, like Mommy and body

shaming.  

 As much as some of us may crave a simpler

era. Each generation faces different issues,

some more disruptive than others! If we 
weigh it all who the heck would want to go back!
As much as some may not want to admit it
there have always been those in positions
of power who dismiss ethics
 completely unfazed by repercussions.

Our memory has a great way of protecting 
us from constant internal strife.

  Over time grief and pain can dissipate. 
We learn to cope, forgetting some of the

details! Hopefully remembering more joyful

moments! I think it's probably the best way
to cope. It may even fool us into thinking it was
better than it really was! It may be the reason
we don't dwell on lessons of the past enough! 

Personally I'd love to cherry pick the best parts

of my youth and leave the rest behind. Unfortunately

it doesn't work that way. Each era has it's own

issues to overcome! Some harsher than others

especially when we don't acknowledge 

or carry history's lessons into each new era!

Old curtain panel found at a thrift store years ago!

  Cupcake and Beardo both carry a respect for

the past by upcyling things that can be restored! 

Recently Cupcakes creative mojo has been 

running rampant! She's been sewing so many

 projects that have spent years dormant

in her sewing box!

Recently she made a quilt from an old curtain

 found in a thrift store years ago! For pennies 
it turned out so cute! Even the colours are
 vintage! I love the adorable childrens
 illustrations!

This little quilt inspired the completion of many 

more projects. As she sewed at one end of the room,

Beardo up-cyled an old desk into a wonderful

new piece of furniture that we love at the other end!!

 He took my old oak desk, discarded drawers

destined for the work dumpster during renovations,

and upcyled them! Very little was purchase for this

great new piece of furniture. A bit of oak laminate for

the drawer faces, wood to frame the inside and 

completely cover the back! Plus he saved the landfill

from a bulky bunch of drawers, and six hundred 

  dollars worth of drawer slides. No one ever thinks

about how expensive a good drawer slide is!

My upcyled old oak desk! Below is a super speedy video of the process!

Surrounded by all this glorious creative energy 

can only inspire! I did manage to create a few

digital pieces and started spreading some paint 

around too.

What old school traditions do you value most?

Placemats and Books!

One of my digital illustrations I forgot to share!!

 I had to delete  last weeks post with font size fit for the

eyes of an ant! Nothing I did would fix it! Obstacles
all week were a sign I needed to move on. I missed you all!
Sometimes it's difficult to let go of something you loved
and spent so much time with!  I deleted my art for that post
and took my first  blogging break in over ten years!
  How quickly Paint Party Friday has rolled around again!
Hard to believe I posted daily for years!

My kitchen table tree with my new placemat!

 I got half way done this  post  when my browser
 crashed taking  my post with it.. Hope my second
attempt   is a winner! I wasn't about
to give up once again! Although the art 
and subject matter are completely different! 

One of six placemats we had sitting in a drawer unused for the last six years!

 I had planned to put these placemats in a thrift box at the end
of October when Cupcake asked if I would paint them instead! The
 fabric is quite substantial so I gave it a whirl. I added white
 gesso to my blue acrylic making a nice thick cover for the 
  the former pattern! Then continued to  Paint  and stencil. 
Here are the results of the sneak peak I gave you
a few weeks ago!!

 I wanted to make them reversible too.

  So I did the other side orange, silver and yellow, sealing them
with  poly acrylic sealer! We needed to be able to
 wipe them rather than machine wash them. They weren't
cheap to make. The expense was in the
 time and the sealer. I used a few coats of sealer on
 twelve sides which took the majority of the jar! 

  These were really  fun to make but time consuming. 

 After stenciling them I painted over each flower several times 

 to make them more vivid and  vibrant!  Then waited for each 

layer to dry! The sealer made them quite shiny and pliable!

 The pattern is similar on all the placemats,  but no two are alike! 

I never measured out the spaces I just enjoyed creating each

one free hand! Now we have a unique set of kitchen placemats to

go with our orange Rachel Ray dishes!! 

Each book has 40 pages, equaling 80 illustrations!

 My flipbooks arrived nine days earlier than expected. 

They are above and beyond my expectations!

  Not sure I could capture  just how vibrant and clear 

they turned out in the videos I posted below. 

So exciting to see 80 illustrations actualized in print!

 There was a small glitch  in the dye lot. As you can see here

that bottom color on this front page is looking rather dark blue

 (looks even darker in person) when it was actually suppose to be 

a purple similar but different than in the blond girls shirt! Also

in one book one page was out of sequence!

 The Customer service was incredible. The employee was

kind, efficient, helpful. She even explained why the dye lot 

on that colour might have been different. She suggested

changing it and then sent me three replacement books

at no charge. That is why I LOVE vistaprint!

They are not paying me to say this but if you want to

get greeting cards made up of your artwork this is a

 week to do it!! They have great sales for black friday!

Truth be told they often have great sales!

Check them out! It's pretty easy to

navigate too!! Treat yourself with your

own flip book of your art! It truly is

heavenly to see your work in print!

Below are super short videos of the books!

Sage Suggestions

Have you had to let go of anything lately?

Sage Suggestions two!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my dear American friends.

Have a wonderful safe celebration! I am so grateful

for your lovely friendship!