Final days of December

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I hope you're enjoying your week!

Merry Christmas Friends!!

I appreciate you following my Blog and I'm honored that you find my work worth taking the time out of your busy schedule to read, and sometimes comment.  I hope that you spend this Christmas weekend with friends and family, eating all your favorite foods, and remember the birth of Christ (which is why we celebrate right?).  I'll be back to see you on Tuesday. 

Something different

I found some blank blue note cards the other day and since I had just bought a new white gel pen, I wanted to play a little and see if the two worked together.  I'm happy to report I was pretty happy with the results.  I wish the gel pen had a finer tip so the patterns wouldn't seem so big (it's only a 4X6 card) but for a first time try I was not discouraged.  I know when you scan or photo anything dark the color doesn't stay with it, but I do wish you could see the dark blue - it's really pretty.  I thought I would add some embellishments but decided to do it after I posted this since they won't show up anyway.  Sometimes the glitter pens show up a little, but nothing like seeing it in person.

I'm sure you're super busy trying to tie things up for Christmas, or packing to get to that special place, so whatever you do or wherever you go, be safe, have a fabulous time, and be mindful of the birth of Christ.  Without Him we are truly lost in this world.  Merry Christmas my friends!!

Escape from Winter in color

I finally had a few spare minutes last night to color this piece.  After I got it colored I realized where I got the inspiration for the bookmark that I gave to Jennifer.  I'm happy with the way it turned out and glad I had some time to myself to draw/color.  I don't seem to have much of that lately but I'm working on it.  Happy Thursday!!

Challenge 52 - Give again

I've been working on bookmarks and wanted to give one to my step-sons wife when they were here the other day.  I like the way it turned out, except she'll have to read some pretty big books since it turned out wider than I thought it would.  After I added some embellishments, attached it to some textured card stock (thanks LeeAnn for the help there) and laminated it, I was glad I took the time to do it.  Even though the picture turned out crooked, it's just my photography skills (Tim and Jenny I need help!!) the bookmark was actually straight.  Laura hit the nail on the head with her Challenge because it does feel good to make and give something.  It's special for the giver and the receiver.  Happy day my friends!

Challenge 52 - Give

I guess this is the final Challenge for this year.  It's probably good since Laura has so much going on with her kiddo's and if you're anything like me, there's not been enough hours in the days lately so I'm sure I won't have to worry how to fill the time I have been working on the Challenges.  I am looking forward to another year of them come 2012.  Wow - 2012!!!  Weren't we supposed to be eating space food sticks and freeze-dried food by now?  Oh well, just glad we aren't!!!  This Challenge was to give - make something to give a piece of yourself away.  I made this for my step-son as we haven't seen him in a long time.  We've both lived away and are finally moving back a little closer together.  He has a wonderful family (a super nice wife and three adorable kids) so it was great to catch up.  Have an awesome week and be sure to make time for those who mean the most to you!

Floating through the night sky

This time of year always seems to fly by so fast and everyone is in a rush to shop, attend parties, visit with friends and family, and lets not for all the cooking and baking!  Maybe that's why this appears to be so peaceful to me.  Like it's just out there doing it's own thing and following whatever or wherever path it chooses.  Don't get me wrong, I love this time of year for all of the reasons I mentioned above, but through it all we have to take time for ourselves (and to remember WHY we're actually celebrating) so we can have the peace we need to enjoy all that we're doing.  I hope you find time to enjoy some peace in your day!

I've been looking through some old journals and have found some patterns that I haven't used in awhile.  There are SO many patterns that it's almost impossible to keep track of them all.  I tried to make a calendar with them, adding a different pattern on each day, and then I tried making little samples and keeping them together so that I could take them along with me, but even with all of those efforts, there are so many that I know I miss and so many that I've never even seen or tried.  I love looking back at older drawings and seeing the new patterns is so inspiring.  It makes me want to sit and draw, draw, draw without any interruption, BUT since I have to live in the real world, that's not going to happen!!  The next month should prove interesting with all that's going on, but I've vowed to myself that I WILL draw and post!!  Enjoy your Thursday and be well!

Escape from Winter

Even though Winter hasn't officially arrived, the temperatures a definitely heading in that direction.  At home there is snow on the ground, and here the temps are below normal requiring coats and long johns (for those of us that are babies).  We had a wonderful Fall season this year which was unusually long.  Since Fall is my favorite season I didn't mind one bit.  But now with Winter coming on, it seems all I can think about is flowers, sunshine, and blue skies with puffy white clouds - and no jackets!!  I guess once again, we're never satisfied with what we have.  So with that as a reminder, I'm going to try to enjoy whatever the weather is for each day and be thankful that I'm still around to enjoy it.  Today there is plenty of sunshine so maybe I'll find a place in the sun and sit down (inside of course) and soak it all in!  Maybe sunshine in your day is just an attitude.  Hmmmmmm?

Challenge 51 - Fife

This is my last catch up piece for Laura's Challenges until she posts this weeks.  I do hope her kids are feeling better soon!  It's so hard when you have little ones and they don't feel well.  It takes a tole on the whole family but most often the mom carries the brunt of it.  Kids want their mommies when they feel icky!!  Come to think of it, I feel that way too but some luxuries fade away the older we get.  Darn!!  I'm enjoying sunshine here and I hope you are doing the same wherever you are!!

Challenge 50 - Biggify

I'm still trying to play catch up with my Challenge pieces.  If I hurry I might get caught up this week.  I've been busy working on some other projects and haven't had the tangling time I've wanted.  I was able to do some this weekend, so hopefully I can get them shaded and posted this week.  I'm really enjoying being back on my blog.  I'm not sure if anyone reads this (besides Mr. Thisorthat because I send it to him - he he!) but this is a great outlet for me and I truly missed be away.  Well, back to the drawing board as they say......

All hung up

I never seem to be able to just leave a square a square.  I always have to do something to change it up.  This time I decided to make it look like a picture.  The best thing about zentangles is there's never a right or wrong.  I love that!  It takes a lot of pressure off for sure!  Then the art can just shine through.  Happy day to you all my friends!

A String and then some

I started this with the string down the middle and it was too plain for my taste that day.  So I started adding more and more until I felt happy with it.  For some the string is the beginning and ending of their tangle, but for me it's more of a starting place.  I rarely draw a string and only tangle in the string.  More often than not, I draw a string and then add more in sections as I go along, which is what I've done with this one.  Maybe it's because I'm stubborn and don't like to follow the rules, or maybe it's because it doesn't look or feel right so I have to add more to it.  Whatever the case (I tend to think it's the first one) I'm generally pleased with the outcome and that's what art is all about - whatEVER  your medium is. 

And for all of you who know we've been trying to sell our house - IT SOLD!!!!!!  After five months and two different Realtors (it was with the second Realtor only two weeks) we can finally start planning and moving forward with whatever the next chapter holds for us.  Happy Friday my friends!!!

Centered

Sometimes being centered doesn't just mean you're in the middle.  Most of the time for me it means having the things in my life balanced.  It seems especially difficult for women because we wear so many different hats.  We try to balance home life, kids, work, other family obligations, and lets not forget to mention the necessary chores like laundry, housework, cooking, making time for friends, and finally the other things that we WANT to do.  There just isn't enough hours in the day to do it all and do it all well!  Maybe that's the real message - that we all try to do too much???  Do we have to feel centered to feel like we're doing a good job?  Maybe my New Year's resolution will be to be less centered and work at feeling more satisfied with the things I have accomplished.  Are you making your resolutions for the new year yet???

Floating or floundering

As most of you know, we have been trying to sell our house for about six months.  Mr. Thisorthat had to take a job in the city where we're moving to (if the house ever sells that is!!!) so our life has been split up between here and there.  It feels as if we just can't get this current chapter closed and until we do that, we can't turn the page to the next one.  It's like living in limbo which I've decided is no place to be!  Hopefully something will happen soon and then we can get on with our lives together instead of being in this holding pattern waiting for whatever comes next.  I hope you are able to take control of a little something in your world to make you feel like you're not just floating through your day.

Hello Strangers!!!

I'm embarrassed that I've been away so long, especially after making a promise to myself to post everyday.  When I made that promise I wasn't expecting to pack our house and work (like a trooper) to get it ready to sell.  It was a much bigger task than I ever anticipated.  I'm just glad THAT part of it's done!  Now I have to wait for it to sell so I can really get things packed up.  In the meantime, I'm visiting family for the holidays and finally got the chance to play catch up with the things that I REALLY want to do.  This challenge piece is from a few weeks ago, but I figured I need to start someplace.  Happy day to all my Internet friends and followers!