Autumn paint party Friday

 Paint Party Friday

Show Your Face Friday

29 faces of  Sept

Balzer Designs

Harmony the happy Autumn Witch! Face #25

 I love it when sweet characters like Harmony show up in the paint!
Especially when you aren't expecting her!! She loves Halloween,
Fall weather and Autumn colours almost as much as I do!!

 The otterbox on my phone is badly chipped but  it's

impossible to find a new one since the phone

is so old now...well, old in this millennium...back in the day it 

would be a young whipper snapper at five years old!! 
The case managed to pick up a few ugly blobs  of paint along 

the way pretty much like everything else in my midst

so I decided to give it a proper make over by painting

this little character on it! I love anything to do

with peace! So it had to have a peace sign! 

Photo Credit Pepperpf

Growing up  life wasn't very peaceful for me.

Creativity is born of peace and that's

probably why I cherish it so much!

There is a dance of intimacy in families. 

Some families have good boundaries

 respecting each other thoughts and opinions!

 Others have loose ones void of respect

 for how another member might be 
affected by what's said or done!

#21 Lainie is still grieving but decided to take up hula dancing to get herself out there!!

Addictions can blur boundaries 
in such negative ways

the damage can be irreparable!

Mo is face #22

Thankfully once we grow up we can 
choose to live as we please. If the drama

follows us it can really sabotage 

growth even keep us stuck at times!

That's why I choose peace and laughter
 whenever I can
..... it affords me a lighter heart!
More creative time too! 

I used a dollar store stencil but added my own touches to this revamped lunch kit!!  Face #23

 We've had one of those weeks where things keep blocking

our progress. We keep trying to move forward, and we have. 

Autumn Olive face #24

But for every four steps forward, there are a few steps back.

A tilting shelf needed replacing in the garage...the blessing is, 
it was caught  before it fell over destroying our 
homemade pickles, storage items and damage my car!

Other side of small lunch kit found while purging the garage it's housing my sharpie pens!

 Our fridge is on the fritz. The freezer works but not the fridge. 
If anyone can fix it Beardo is our man!

Beardo with rosebuds Photo Credit Pepperpf

 Several attempts and a new part hasn't brought the chill
back to our fridge! One more part to try or we need
 a new fridge! The week has been full of retrograde glitches!

The kids at a wedding on the weekend!

  I sometimes hear or read 
sad stories that play in my head! 
It can really impede my creative mojo....
at times  it can propel and motivate it too!

I have been sabotaging my self all week and thought

 I hadn't created much  but  I accomplished

 more than I thought!!

   I love digital colour editing! This one makes me so happy!!

I need whimsical fun colours around me. Any

 chance to revamp a cute container I jump on it!

Finding old treasures in the garage has been fun!

Even though my brain is full of thought 

this week there has been nothing 

of substance to speak of!

Although I have completed 29 faces

some are not fit to share. Even

water coloured Haddie and Lainie 

 were iffy....but I guess that's the 

point of this challenge to keep us 

trying new things!!

#20 Haddie  slides on the hardwood floors in sock feet hoping no one  sees her!

 What produces the best creative results for you,

feeling sad, or being peaceful and happy?

Do you need a challenge to keep you motivated?

Intuition, how it works for me!

 Paint Party Friday

Show Your Face Friday

29 faces of  Sept

Balzer Designs

 

Face # 16 is done over gesso on my lap desk. Below are the before and after photos!

 Common sense, intuition, some people don't indulge in these gifts! It's a shame really because they are great guides!! Last time I wrote about intuition I sensed some  commenters didn't thoroughly comprehend the feeling.  So I thought I might elaborate!
If this bores you, and you need a chuckle, then hop down to the end and read my story from Nov 2007.

Before and after lap desk, gessoed and painted then varnished! Win win!!

Chel Face #15 is  quite naive and clearly doesn't always see the true picture of what's going on!

Intuition protects us, and  is built on patterns. By nature humans are creatures of habit. We go about our day sometimes oblivious to  things in our midst. One day we spy something out of place thinking, hmm that's odd! We carry on with our day. Something out of the ordinary pops up that we hadn't noticed. Again we think wow that's odd.... but we brush it aside.  Then another thing tweaks us  that seems out of character or out of sync. It could be a abnormal gesture,  an expression you've never seen on a person  face, or a piece of furniture changed around!  It's the change in pattern, where someone acts different than normal. It can be as simple as a feeling in the air that something isn't right.

I hesitated to put this face on my blog because I detest it so much...done in watercolor crayon and pencils! Face #17 Jess is always looking over her shoulder, not sure she is all that honest!

I remember driving along one night to pick Beardo up, the streets seemed eerily desolate. It wasn't normal!   Things felt weird but I couldn't put my finger on it! I just wanted to scoop him up and get home as soon as possible. The next day revealed some very scary happenings that night!

Face #18 Mixed media Jaylynn is a skeptic with so many doubts!

Recently my kids were at a Foo Fighters concert.  It was an excited crowd, some inebriated. The couple glanced at each other  with a knowing look/ feeling. Still a few songs left, it was time to leave..They darted off before it concluded, beating the  skytrain rush!  They  both had a pressing feeling it was time to go, but unsure why! An act of violence at a stop on their skytrain ride home occurred minutes after they left. It  could  have made for delays and who knows what else. Instead the commute was an uneventful,  an enjoyable conclusion to date night!

Tablet case Face #14 is still in tack even though the rest is pealing!

Before and after, epic fail on painting my tablet case....the binding started to peal a day later!

Some feelings come out of left field, others are small shifts built up over time, and some are   blatant pattern changes! Don't disregard those feelings. They have purpose and meaning! Over the years friends have come to me with their doubts... I say heed those doubts because there is something going on....investigate! If something seems wonky, it usually is!

Repost of a digital that seems to fit this subject!

Observing an  extremely body conscious person  gorge at  a buffet, then  announce they were  going to wash their hands, was odd!  Having the same person tease you when inquiring if they  ate peanut-butter, with slow dragged out emphasis on BU-TT-ER for comedic reaction,  was odd! Discovering that  perfectly sculpted body in underwear on the couch, gorging on a coffee table filled with white cheese buns, chocolate pie, ice-cream and peanut BU-TT-ER  instead of being ready to go. Then have them beckon  you to go alone  with a promise to meet up later, was final affirmation things were awry! I will leave you to guess what was going on! It was not a betrayal of friendship or cheating! Even though this happened a quarter of a century ago, it's ingrained in my head how so few clues could  lead me to such a profound accurate conclusion and amazing learning curve! Intuition can be so obscure and out of left field that it forces you to take note!

Godin face #19 has trouble believing everything people say!

It's those unexplained odd occurrences that leave us knowing things we can't always explain or see. It's our  intuition saying something is not right, pleading with us to take note and investigate.

Certain intuition guides you in the right direction.  If doubts plague you when making decisions then  the right answer is usually no! Don't get it, and don't do it, whatever it is! I've found this to be the best course of action when in doubt! Doubts are intuition too, especially when they feel strong. Oh we all have doubts born of insecurity and if we look back at all the doubts we should have heeded we realize how powerful doubt really is.

Often times when   habits or patterns are broken something inside tweaks.
When we have doubts because of insecurity we can walk away from those! Doubts  coming from a gut feeling  are important to heed!!

Here is a silly intuitive encounter that I wrote about November 2007 that 
may make you giggle! I was about thirty five minutes from home randomly
killing some time while waiting as Cupcake sorted out some important business!
 My intuition tweaked as my body continued to calculate why a lone male of fifty would be shopping in a teen’s store. Not quite cognitive of what my physical self already knew. ( Check out Gavin De becker's book “ The Gift of Fear”) When the final equation was tallied I realized he was familiar to me. In an instant my brain aligned with my physical being and I knew! He was one of the unforgettable weirdos I happened upon during online dating two years ago. An extremely desperate, needy widower who spoke in freaky staccato notes without taking a breath! He was so demanding and aggressive it frightened me. Not surprising he would be in the store trying to control what his now sixteen year old daughter wears. After all he wanted me to wear his dead wife’s clothing. During our first ever phone conversation he wanted my full body size so I could fit into his deceased wife’s clothes. Is that a little presumptuous or what? Even though I am a large woman I am pretty particular about what I wear, it’s not likely you’ll find me wearing a fat ladies cat shirt! Did I mention this guy was into Big Beautiful women? It was more than obvious that he recognized me. Inching himself away from the salesgirl into my direction. I began to panic. He became more blatant in his stares and gestures. He’d never seen me in person before; this was our (almost) first encounter. You know how some days you look better than others. Well today I actually looked not too shabby! I discretely ambled in the opposite direction, making as though I’d not realized him. I pushed my shopping cart nonchalantly towards my escape route, THE DOOR. With relief I bolted pretty fast down the mall towards my daughter, who could see my look of horror as she continued her important phone call. At first she thought I’d had an accident in my pants. Cupcake laughed hysterically when I shared my story. Later while waiting on a chair I saw him pass with his daughter in tow, heading towards the same store I had just been in.  Maybe we were more alike than I first thought…No no,no,no….shakes head…My body wouldn’t lie!

Some people create intuitively for no good reason except
they  have too... that's me, I search
shapes in the paint as the colours guide me! 
 Do you create intuitively?

Have you recently had a personal intuition where you didn't catch the first few warnings?
Be sure to check out the book " A gift of Fear" to truly understand how to listen
to warnings our body gives us about our surroundings!

Find something you like! Paint Party Friday

 Paint Party Friday

Show Your Face Friday

29 faces of  Sept

Balzer Designs

Face #10 Poppy loves the magic of colour!

Some people wake up assuming it's a cloudy day long before opening a curtain! Except for a few aches and pains I like to look at the sunny side of life  here in the outskirts of rain city! Waking up positive is a great way to start the day. It's not easy for some, especially those days when there truly is a money, illness, grief cloud over your head!

Last weeks faces with a Warhol inspiration

Face #13 Sam has way too much on his mind!!

Sometimes  I spot things unappealing, but instead of dwelling on them, I like to park my negative thoughts to focus on things I do like, such as art or scrabble! When something offensive occurs I compartmentalize it  to move on, searching  for the niceties.  It can be difficult when there is such a barrage of negativity constantly streaming online.

If a friend gets an unflattering haircut I'm not the one to fictitiously say I love it. Instead I'll clam up and focus on something I do like. If I love the new cut I'd be the first to mention it  more than a few times as I revel in the flattering difference!

 

I can gauge a persons character when they present an insincere compliment! That kind of character scares me, since they're more interested in being liked than sincere. Or perhaps they're trying to be kind with their fib! That kind of deception is not me.  I find it hard to trust those handing out fake compliments!  It makes me wonder what other deception they're feeding me.

 

It's not necessary to fib about things less appealing because there's usually something  to admire about a person or situation. Hone in on what you like, flatter them with that instead.   Some how it lightens the offensive parts! However I caution you omitting the unattractive parts, or sweeping them under the carpet when making a love connection. Since those less attractive features often double in size into gnarly bits with teeth over time. Just sayin....

Day #9 The Gardener is  looking forward to the harvest moon!

For the momentary short encounters find something lovely about a person. Whether it's their eyes, or smile, the colour of their shirt, their rings, or nicely groomed nails....focus on what's appealing... not on the offensive bits!! The same goes for experiences, events, decor, creativity ... Even when my my mom was dying a few decades ago, I met some lovely nurses, a music therapist, and had my friends who all brought so much joy into my life during a traumatic time! It gave the situation balance, with some nice moments, it made life bearable.

Face #11 and #12 are a couple who love colourful Toques!

My daughter often says." what? what?"  as she catches me admiring her lovely face, fresh nail polish or the way her body moves like a dancer with a pony tail bobbing behind. Don't assume people focus on the bad bits, because some people prefer to hone in on the good ones! Often it's the whole picture of a person that tells the real story anyway.  Even the most attractive people with  moody whiny attitudes become less appealing, and annoying. Where as the plain jovial ones with a twinkle in their eye, a sense of humour, and open heart can be the most alluring!  Looking for the good things where they aren't as evident is a beautiful habit. If you need to share the bad experiences, marry it with a positive good aspect too. It makes the story seem less miserable. Ask yourself what five things you liked about your day so far?

 

Do you prefer to complain and dwell on the bad 
parts of an experience, or hone in on the good bits?

New Desk Paint Party Friday

 Paint Party Friday

Show your face Friday

29 Faces of September

Balzer Designs

Websites where lovely artists connect!

Digitally color edited Colour Freak!

 You know what a winded blogger I am...well
 I lost my  whole post in one fail sweep with no
 way to recover it! Here I am rewriting it....
asking myself the question,
" What am I to learn from this?" 

The kids went to Weird Al this week and loved it so much. Beardo faded into the green screen! It was the first concert I took cupcake to when she was little!

The quick answer, because this now has to be a quickie is, 
"too much talking!"

That has always been my problem,
 blogging is no different!! Instead of sharing 

  the wonderful details about  my new desk
 that took a LONG time in the making

I will present it and leave it at that!
 Quietly praising my son in law in private!

Weird Als many costume changes!!

After all who wants to hear a bunch of my mush about my son in law 

once again. Even if he highly deserves it! Instead I will weep gently 

over what is lost and move on! Much like I have done most of my life! 

Consider this one of my quickest posts ever! Meanwhile the new

 mouse is going in the garbage since I have wrestled with it the

 whole day as it kept taking me back to the dashboard mid sentence! 

 I gladly resort to my old taped up one that I was so tenaciously 

teased about a few days ago!

Here is my gorgeous wrap around desk designed by Beardo!

All cords, printers, papers and the tower hidden from sight!

It boasts a nice deep drawer for my crap  accessories!

A few shallow drawers for Cupcakes crap sewing supplies!

Click on the photos for a more up close and personal perspective!!

Feast your eyes on the  pristine newness of this space! Goodness 
knows  how long that will last! The walls once filled with art are 
staying clear for the moment while I regroup and enjoy!

There is junk in all the other rooms that once shared this space!! 

I'm giving it an eviction notice since it hasn't been earning it's keep!

 I have been so joyful in my new space the last few days!  Pretty sure cupcake will 

love it too! I am so proud of this great desk that took Beardo all his holidays and

 days off to custom design and create from scratch with so much love! It's perfect! Everything feels ergonomically more comfortable too!

Face #5 colour Freak is the original!

The post that vanished I spoke about our healthy

eating plan where Beardo was the winner shedding

quite a bit of himself. Probably 40 or 50 pounds

but no one weighs them self in this house so

that's a guess·ti·mate. He's always carried his weight well

but seriously he is way smaller for a man six three!

Cupcake lost a few pounds and fits into her old clothes too!

It's not as noticeable on her because she's always pretty slim.

 She gauges her weight on how well her clothes fit not on

pounds anyway, and never has!  She looks and feels

fabulous being comfortable in her clothes!

Face #8 Herbie the Herb hider..... ate so many herbs his face turned green!

I feel I have been eating more than I ever have and haven't 
lost a pound. However Cupcake who is bluntly honest says my
face looks a lot thinner! When there is massive weight to shed 
of course the face is the first to go.... 

 I do not feel one pound lighter...I feel heavier...

Day #7 Lady Blue

For years I used sweet and low in my coffee with creamer....

Beardo weaned me off it replacing it with sugar about a year
and a half ago. Then he gradually cut the sugar back.

  I am happy to  say I now couldn't imagine sugar in my coffee!

 

 For breakfast we all have a blender drink with fruit, chia seeds,

hemps seeds, almonds, almond butter and pumpkin seeds with 

Kale or spinach on occasion. The fruit is varied.

On weekends  we have the drink made with

bananas, cocoa, coconut milk and all the seeds and nuts as

a treat or if we run out of frozen fruit!
 

 We graze on fruit and nuts during the day.

The kids have a salad for lunch no dressing.

The salad has feta cheese, greens, cranraisins, 

seeds, radish, cukes, tomato, sometimes peppers

you name it....

I am usually too full from the morning drink and my 

coffee  and water with a few nuts and fruit inbetween

to actually eat a lunch. 

Instead I will have my salad at dinner!

 

 Dinner is whatever they feel like and usually consist of

loads of yummy summer veggies done in avacado oil.

We've cut out most dairy except cheese and some 

sour cream on occasion.. They have had slurpies all

summer long because of the heat, and pizza on their days off. 

Minimal white flour.... way less meat mostly chicken

less sugar too! We are always full and we don't deprive

ourselves... We needed change that we could incorporate

into a lifestyle! This works for us!

 Beardo has starbucks only once a week now and usually

no longer  a fancy one! Cupcakes acid reflux has improved

and she has been able to add coffee on occasion to her diet. 

No sugar in my tea or coffee   and my tastebuds

have intensified again!  Things with sugar are way too sweet

for me now and I eat more regularly! It's been a wonderful

change that we can all live with! Hopefully it continues

into the winter months!
 

Sometimes change is as good as a rest! 

Have you made any recent changes in your life lately?

Face #6 Ms Perplexed

She started out as an old man with a white beard and morphed into 

a woman with an infinity scarf.....go figure! The powers of art!

What is the last nice thing someone did for you?