Altering Tradition and more!

Paint Party Friday

Show Your Face Friday

digital colour edit!!

 This is what happens when you take a  smaller

digital flower and turn it into a pattern!!

As you can see I like to alter tradition just as I 

have with my pink flower! 

 

It's rare today to see people enjoying the traditional family

celebration! There is always some loss or worry in the mix!

Every year I like to remind people that they have options

to alter and change things to suit their emotional and physical

 needs despite the Normal Rockwell type celebrations we are fed

to believe is the best or perfect way!

 It's not taboo to buy yourself a much desired gift you 
know you won't receive! It's okay to shut yourself in with 

all your favorite junk food and watch a pile of charming 
 movies.It's okay to bow out of cooking the Christmas

dinner if you aren't  up to it! It's okay to change dinner

 dates to suit your children so they aren't torn between 

step parents and in-laws!

  While you are treating others to a 

 lovely time and beautiful things be sure to

remember to take care of yourself too!

  You are worth it!

Last week we had a little fright... Cupcake was in the kitchen

I  was creating when I smelled rotten eggs.... When I 

queried the queen of smells, "Cupcake" said she 
smelled nothing! Then reverted back to asking me if I was stinky!

In other words, as the saying goes  "Pigs smell their own smells 
first."I knew it wasn't me and told her to quickly turn off the gas
fireplaces!  

Original

All of a sudden Beardo appeared like Scooby-Doo with a 

perplexed worried look, he too smelled the rotten 

eggs from inside a closet way  upstairs.

  I knew then it  couldn't possibly be me..however for a

 nano second I had my doubts! I was worried it might 

be a gas leak! My mind  wondered if I should

quickly change my paint shirt into some clothes 

in case we have to evacuate!! In other words...
where's my bra?

 My quick these days is a turtles pace!
So I was thinking of getting a head start....when

I looked over at Cupcake contently mixing Bath

Fart bombs! She was standing right over them and couldn't 

detect a thing.... We all started howling... they were 

the worst smelling things that's ever permeated this house!

 For a girl who makes the best beard balm, scented oils, and 

lip balm, her bath bombs where a complete fail!

She omitted the pigment which she figured was the 

culprit. Sure enough they turned out much better the 

second try! However the first batch needed to be

 disposed of. As bad as they were it was worth the

 hours of laughter  and teasing it evoked! 
I knew there was a reason I never liked bath bombs!! 

Avocado oil is our new favorite thing in this house! It's

 replaced our olive oil for cooking and everything else!

 The flavor is incredible! Normally a buttered popcorn
girl all the way.  My new favorite snack

is plain popcorn with avocado oil...  It's so amazing...

I will never use butter on popcorn again!

I was thinking of how some of the bests gifts you

get keep giving. When my friend encouraged me 

to do some art journaling and start a blog,  

she gave  me a gift for a lifetime! One I'm ever grateful for!

Do you have any friends who have potential and need 

your encouragement?

My first Christmas after divorce Cupcake got me two little 

fifty cent note books with Besse Pease Gutmann artwork 

on them for my purse. I cherished those little books so much!

They were priceless!

One Christmas my friend sent me one hundred dollars in 

an envelope! It was so needed at the time but

she didn't know that!..I was beyond

shocked and overwhelmed with gratitude!

I have since paid it forward!!

This is a long post and before I continue I'd love to wish 

you all a joyous season filled with love and laughter!

In lieu of cards this year I am donating the money I'd 

use for stamps to a young struggling single mom!

 

#Snow I love snow!!!🎄❤❄

A video posted by @pepperpf on Dec 17, 2015 at 9:57am PST

This is a gift that has kept giving for almost thirty years now 

and I couldn't be more grateful! A happy child who

appreciates everything! One who gives constantly

 with all her heart! I am so blessed!! 

Thanks for being you honey!!

This is the gift that keeps on giving too! 

The other day he put a set of Christmas lights on my

computer to surprise me when I awoke!

  First they took this photo that not only

gave me a chuckle, but filled my heart with joy!

Thanks for bringing this wonderful guy home to stay forever!!

This is a card I created for my niece. She doesn't read my blog 

so I can share it. I was surprised how much I enjoyed

using a limited palette!

What is the best most memorable gift you

 ever received other than your Children?

A Bird Day with My Goddesses

                                     The Card made for Earth Goddesses Birthday!

                   

For just under a quarter of a century I've gathered to celebrate every birthday with a group of five sage women! Over the span of the last decade we started calling ourselves the goddesses...and each took on a suitable name! At one point we all worked together save one who was in the same writers group as two of us!

This is Nature Goddess, she is just shy of  64! Unbelievable!! She looks even better now than she did four years ago! As an avid long distance biker/ hiker, she's outdoors every moment she gets!  Her home is near the beach with the most gorgeous view,  she holidays yearly in Mexico traveling all over the world whenever she can! She made the sailboat cake for our youngest Earth Goddess.

An avid birdwatcher, she  loves to race her sailboat! A decade younger than most of us she was born in the wrong era,  I think our comedic  Earth goddess would have made a great hippy!

This goddess could hold an audience as a stand up comedian, a writer or an artist with her innate humour that  often has us  in fits of laughter! So talented she has yet to tap into any of her gifts with any kind of enthusiasm!

 

It was very last minute that I crafted a card for Earth Goddess

knowing she loves quirky art!

This card was the perfect candidate for a digital color change  in my favorite Pixlr program! There is even a phone app for it, should you be interested!

Gypsy Goddess is an adventurous woman who does anything and everything fun! She loves to dress in costume or otherwise and celebrate anything but herself! Once she turned 50  she began boldly wearing  whimsical leggings which previously she was too timid to wear! Gypsy has a very fun bohemian flair, and the most amazing curly locks!

Constantly helping others  Gypsy has little time for herself. Yet she is a creative in every aspect of her life with the need  to exude her true artists nature! She's either baking a beautiful cakes for others, or  decorating a fancy table with leaves, candles and little characters!  She has written several yet to be published books over the years, does crafts, sews and has done a few gorgeous fun paper mache art pieces.  She's  an amazing photographer who loves the fantasy of  fairies and gnomes!

Our Faery Goddess is also a writer with several 

unpublished books. She did her first triathlon a few years ago

 and became a fitness instructor this year at 55!

Proving with lots of hard work,

dreams can come true at any age!

Often times as our dreams manifest

life throws us a curve ball. Faery is in the process

of waiting for heart surgery. You can read about

her journey here!

  Dream goddess  is an amazing florist, can

 make anything look  beautiful

with her  natural decorators eye!

She possibly missed her true calling!!

A witty generous soul, Dreamer dabbles in art, 
bakes beautiful cakes, and is a wonderful writer.

I've tried to encourage her to write a blog!

 A voracious reader Dreamer remembers 

the most interesting scientific facts about diseases! 

This wise goddess really thinks out of the box, I often

turn  to her for unique perspectives!!

 Earth Goddess, Gypsy Goddess standing, Nature Goddess, Dream Goddess, Me Love Goddess, and Faery Goddess July 16th. 

I love to celebrate these beautiful souls, other than family 
what do you love to celebrate?

 I no sooner gave this card to  Earth goddess and received 

this beautiful card packed with postcard icads that I won, 

plus a  wonderful unexpected gorgeous piece of shoe art 

that I apparently inspired  from the lovely 

Sharon at Art inspirations!!

Created by Sharon  at Art Inspirations!

 Daily I get so much joy out of this

beautiful art sitting on my mantle!

Art Created by Sharon art inspirations!

 

 

Created by Sharon art inspiration!

My contribution to Paint Party Friday!

Paint Party Friday " Someday"

Visit both Paint Party Friday and 29 faces to enjoy a collective of wonderful artists!!

"Manette" a card made from a cheerio box

I did the artwork on a separate mix media page then 

modge podged it to the cheerio box card. 

I used sparkly modge podge because it was 

all I had!!

 Cupcake found "Manette"  on the above card kind of freaky, 

she  didn't like it at all. So I gave my friend two cards.

 Despite how Cupcake felt, my friend loved

the Manette card best!!

"Tea lady" relax, kick up your heels and enjoy your tea!

 I visited a blog where the  artist named her painting of a girl," Someday."  Then the other day I was speaking with my brother, which I've done a lot lately since his life is in crisis. He spoke of getting a tattoo....

 Not that I don't think he should do it, the man has sculpted his body to perfection almost his entire life. Eating properly and working out almost daily since the age of twelve.  It's no wonder he has a freaky god like physique for his fifty one years!! 

 He's quite vulnerable so I think he should wait until 

he gets over the hump then do it!

For years now he has  always said to his son " Someday" I'm going to get a tattoo here and here...as he points to his arm and back. Apparently he's been saying it for years, so the last time he said it, his sixteen year old said, " DAD, "SOMEDAY" is NOW!!" 

 Is your "SOMEDAY" now?  Other than cleaning your closets and dieting which seems to always be on the agenda what is it that you have been putting off to do "SOMEDAY?"  

 For me it's putting some of my wise sayings to artwork! I often hear people repeating my sage metaphors, my son in law has even put one in a song. They usually appear in the moment and I forget to write them down..... However I must try to recollect them to add to artwork. That's a goal I hope to achieve this year!!

What is your Someday? Even if it seems unattainable  what do you want to do Someday??? I think writing it down gives the idea energy to grow!!

A quickie

The spirit moves me to create something, so I sit at the paint program and draw a line. Which quickly turned into this. I have a friend coming for the week and I should be cleaning, but of course I'd rather be doing art! So this woman appears, could be me, void a whole lot of blubber. First thing that comes to mind, is how exercising is for the birds! Especially when you have a bum knee, and crappy hips. But of course that's not politically correct, then I think what would Jillian  (Biggest Loser) say!

And I revise it.....