Today's Yin is Yesterday's Yang

Yesterday we had an early day. Our morning schedules overlapped each other and everyone needed to be ready and out the door by 7:40. Sunday evening we put our heads together and figured out a shower schedule and decided who was getting in the shower and when.

Monday morning came and went perfectly. I dropped the kids off at school and as I was pulling back into the driveway my husband was pulling out and was headed to work. I thought to myself, "This morning went off without a hitch...how perfect...how peaceful. A great way to start the new week."

Today, however, was the exact opposite. GGRRRR!! I use my radio as my alarm clock. I didn't sleep well tossing and turning most of the night. I finally fell asleep and didn't wake up until 6:50. I am usually up by 5:45. I saw the clock and thought maybe I was dreaming so I jumped up and ran to the dining room to look at the clock out there. No luck...it really was 6:50. I couldn't figure out why my alarm didn't go off. After investigating I learned that the volume somehow got turned down so I never heard it. Regardless of that issue I woke the kids up and within minutes everyone was moving around. Yes, the chaos ensued.

When all was said and done everything worked out fine. Even though it was a rushed morning I dropped the kids off at school in plenty of time. But as I was driving home I had to laugh. It's so ironic how you can have such a smooth morning one day then 24 hours later you are running around and freaking out.

But isn't that life? Isn't that what happens all the time...even with things you don't even realize? As I was making the beds I contemplated the concept of yin and yang. Everyone has good days, everyone has bad days. You can't have light without the dark. You can't appreciate your health if you've never had sickness.

Over the past few years I've realized that bad days don't have to upset us or piss us off. I try to look at it this way--perhaps crappy, stressful days can be used to our advantage and can help us appreciate the good days.

As I get older and my kids reach adulthood I've learned to look at things through a balanced perspective...or at least I try to do so. I try to appreciate everyday, good or bad.

Contemplating my moments of yin and yang reminded me of a name sign I made a couple of years ago...

Yes, "Balance" (and, of course, the Holey Pokey)...that's what it's all about!

More fun to come...until then,

"The Dragon King" - Book Review

I recently read a wonderful children's book called "The Dragon King" by Vivian Slade.

In "The Dragon King", Ethan is crowned king at a very young age after the sudden death of his father. Though Ethan is very sad over the loss of his father he still has his mother, Queen Sarah, to console him. Sarah spends time every day with her young son teaching him all the values that are needed to prepare a young king for any future battles. Over the years Queen Sarah makes sure that Ethan understands that all kings will, at some point in their lives, have to rise up and fight against great demons to protect their kingdom.

As expected one day out of the clear blue a huge and dreadful fire breathing dragon appears in the sky. This fear spreading monger terrorizes all of the people in Ethan's kingdom with his fiery breath leaving nothing but charred remains in his wake. Ethan summons his knights and they set out to conquer the beast. Sadly only a very few return with horrific stories of this cunning and frightening monster.

Finally the time arrives when Ethan realizes that he can no longer let the chaos continue. He decides that only he is the one who can take on and fight the dragon. Ethan gathers up his courage and sets out to save his kingdom from this ferocious enemy. Recalling the words of his mother, Ethan knows that all just and honorable kings are faithful, courageous and wise. Armored with these values Ethan knows that he must also use his imagination when fighting a beast. He must know in his heart and soul that he can defeat this monster.

This sweet and loving story has a bit of a twist to it as you approach it's ending and I don't want to give away any surprises. I wanted to share this story with you because I sincerely enjoyed it. While it was written for children I believe it can be read by anyone of any age. No matter the battle we all need to know that we all are kings of our own lives. We all must practice faith, courage and wisdom every day. And along with these three valuable traits we also must use our imagination. We must know that when we imagine ourselves defeating our demons--and make our imaginations come alive--we can will ourselves to win any struggle that life puts in front of us.

My review and promotion of this book is two fold. Of course I loved the story. But I also wanted to point out that the author, Vivian Slade, has promised that over the next three years she will give away 1,000,000 copies of the book to help children around the world. Vivian wants kids to truly understand that with faith, courage, wisdom and imagination they can dramatically change their lives. But to reach this goal your help is necessary! You can help the author by making a direct donation to their cause. Or you can purchase the Kindle and audio version of the book

Please consider this worthy cause!

More to come soon!

Strive to be positive...

I know it's hard to have a positive outlook on life. Every time you turn around you get negative messages from T.V., the radio, newspapers, magazines, etc. And all of the beloved social networking sites display drama every other minute...it's difficult to shield yourself from it all.

I stumbled across this quote from The Daily Guru in my email this morning that I, from the depth of my soul, believe is true...

"Thoughts are like boomerangs. What you throw out there into the Universe will always come back to you." -- The Daily Guru

You must make it your own personal mission--every day--to keep healthy thoughts in your mind. I learned about practicing positive thinking years ago. And only recently I realized again how important it is to have a positive attitude and how it can change everything in your life.

You and only you can make yourself happy. Starting your day with a simple thought like this, "Today is a great day!" really can help. Just repeat it over and over again several times early in the morning.

I'm not saying your day will be perfect but it will be better than if you start out swimming in negativity!

Go on and give it a try! I have a feeling it will work for you.

Okay...more happiness on the way...until then,

Dragonflies...

I am intrigued by dragonflies because they remind me of my dad.

Several years my husband bought my daughter a book called "The Secret of the Dragonfly, A Story of Hope and Promise". I fell in love with the story which, in a nutshell, is about how a grandmother uses the life of the dragonfly to help her grandson understand how they will always be together even after her death. It's a sweet story about transformation that displays how even after death we are still together.

It has always meant so much to me because I was still in the grieving stages of dealing with my father's passing when we stumbled upon this book.

Then to tie things together even more...my dad was a fisherman. He loved going fishing with his brother up to Lake Erie. He had a little trailer there and spent lots of time over the summers doing what he loved. And if you've ever spent anytime by a body of water...whether large or small...you will see lots of dragonflies.

We live across the street from our local community park and over the years we've taken our kids there to fish in the little lake located in the heart of the park. Every time we would fish I would see so many dragonflies and I always felt it was my dad saying hello. We were doing what he loved with some of the people he loved most so it made sense that he would want to be with us.

So this explains why anytime I see dragonflies I feel like it's my dad saying hello.

Plus I also love dragonflies because I've seen so many colorful ones over the years. I recall being up at our local dam with our kids when I stopped to take a break and sit on a bench to rest for a minute. As I sat there a very colorful dragonfly came and rested on the back of the bench. It was bright blue and had some red on it as well. I couldn't believe how colorful it was. Since I love to use lots of color in my artwork I am drawn to dragonflies from that perspective as well.

Meanwhile, a couple weeks ago after running to the store I pulled into our driveway. As I walked around the van to start grabbing grocery bags I saw this dragonfly sitting on the tip of my husband's car antenna.

It was unreal how it just sat there and didn't fly away as my kids an I hovered around it to take pictures. I got very close to it and I honestly believe it had a smile on it's face. I tried to zoom in on it's face but it fluttered away before I could get to it. The cool part of this is that my dad was always smiling! That was one thing that everyone always said about him...he had a great smile! Here is a picture of my dad, me and my sister around the year 2000 or 2001. Look at that smile! It was always so bright! I sure do miss seeing it.

So I really believe it was my dad stopping by to see us once again.

You may think I'm crazy to feel this way, but that doesn't matter to me! Everyone has their way of coping and this is one of my tools to help keep me from falling into the sadness of knowing that my parents are both gone now.

To each his own, right?

Okay...I better get a move on. I have lots of work to do today. I'll be sharing more soon so stay in touch! Until then,

Back from vacation

We got back from our family vacation a couple of days ago and now I'm ready to roll. There's a lot to be said about getting away from your regular humdrum days.

We vacation in North Carolina every summer staying in different cottages with family and friends. This year we had a great view of the ocean right out our front door...

Once we crossed over the dunes this was ours all day everyday...

One morning we woke up to this stunning view...

Ahhh...it doesn't get any better than that!

While on vacation I had several customers call and email but I had limited internet access and my cell reception wasn't great. I got a bit nervous when I couldn't get back to my customers and thought, "I hope I don't lose my customer base while I'm on vacation!" A couple of them are repeat customers and I'd hate to lose this precious asset.

Thankfully everyone that I put off for a few days completely understood. The common thought was that everyone needs a vacation from the hectic days of life!

So now I'm back in full swing, revitalized and completely grateful that I have a job that I love!

More fun and sharing on the way...until then,

"The God Box"

I just finished reading a lovely book called 'The God Box' by Mary Lou Quinlan.

I connected with this author on a number levels. I lost my mom several months ago but at times it's still feels as fresh as if she only passed yesterday. I have many fond memories of my mother and I miss her every single day. But reading this book reminded me that my mother truly lives on through me. My mom, like the author's mother, was a devout Catholic and throughout her lifetime she constantly shared her faith with all of us.

I can easily recall the countless times she would offer to pray for a friend or loved one who might be struggling with one of life's difficulties. My mom's practice of praying for others was very similar to Mary Lou Quinlan's mom, Mary Finlayson. The only difference between my mom and Mary was that Mary wrote down all of her petitions to God on tiny bits of scrap paper. After writing her prayers she folded each piece of paper up until it was very small and stuck it in her God Box. Once Mary tucked each little prayer in her God Box she believed the issue was no longer something to worry about. Her prayer was with God and the worry was His to handle. What a wonderful practice of letting go and letting God handle your worries!

The night before her mother's funeral Mary Lou, her brother, Jack and her father were exhausted and trying to hold themselves together. Everything in the house reminded them of their loving mother and wife. Suddenly they remembered the God Box but realized that even after all these years they had no idea where Mary kept it. Determined to find this box they went on a search throughout the house. Finally Mary Lou discovers not only one God Box but ten of them stuffed full of prayers that her mother had written down over a 20 year span.

The book shares how Mary not only prayed for her family, but also friends and even strangers. She prayed for help with simple life decisions like what kind of flooring to choose as well as overwhelming life scenarios such as loved ones dealing with infertility and her own battle with cancer.

In The God Box, Mary Lou Quinlan shares with her readers the emotional journey that unfolds as she discovers the varied wishes and concerns of her mother over the years. You learn about her family from the early days to the present and many of their struggles and happy times in between. This sweet and loving tribute will warm your heart. You will laugh. You will cry. And it's likely that you will finish the book with a desire to create your own God Box.

I highly recommend this darling book...it's a quick and highly inspirational read!

More to come soon...until then,

Quote sharing...

I haven't shared a quote for a really long time! Life at our house has been hectic lately so I'll blame my long hiatus on that!

Here you go...

"Success means fulfilling your own dreams, singing your own song, dancing your own dance, creating from your heart and enjoying the journey, trusting that whatever happens, it will be OK. Creating your own adventure!" ~ Elana Lindquist

I got the quote from one of my favorite inspirational websites, "The Daily Guru".

I loved it and needed to hear it this morning...especially the 'trusting whatever happens, it will be OK' part! Some days I get so caught up in the worry and fear, but I must make a point to tell myself that it will be OK. Things always manage to work themselves out.

And here's a photo of one of my paintings from a few years ago...I like to look at this one when I'm feeling overwhelmed by life...

OK...I have to get moving. Of all things we are bracing ourselves for a big snow storm today! What the heck?!?! It's April 23rd and Mother Nature is playing big time games with us here in the Northeast! Unreal! I say it all the time...why do I live here???

Well, there's not much we can do about it so we'll just hang in there for a couple of days. Then hopefully the warmth will be back!

I'll be sharing more goodies soon...until then,

Catching up...

It's been a while since I've posted some of my own artwork so I thought I'd pop in here for a quick update on my work and my life.

I recently created this painting for a close family friend. She's a teenager and as we all know teenagers have so much garbage and muck to muddle through...especially girls! And I add the part about girls because I have two sons and one daughter so I know from experience. Girls are so much more emotional and sensitive where boys just ignore anyone who is being a jerk to them. Oh the stories I could share!

Anyways...back to my painting...I heard the quote before and when my good friend asked me to paint it for her daughter I was thrilled! I got an image in my head right away with what I wanted to paint.

Meanwhile, things on the home front have been so busy. To update my weight loss...I'm down 11 pounds now! Woohoo! So happy about that! I just hope I can keep it up. I continue to go to the gym about 4-5 days a week now. Plus my daughter and I walk in our local park when it's warm enough and when I can fit  a walk into my schedule.

My oldest son is graduating this year so we are gearing up for a busy couple of months. He runs track so we have lots of track meets to attend over the next several weeks.

My daughter was a the lead in our high school's spring musical. Then a week after the musical was over on a whim she auditioned for our local symphony's Rising Stars competition. She was chosen to move on and compete on the next level. On March 24th she performed a solo on stage and was chosen to move on to the next and final level of the competition! That takes place on April 14th. I'm so amazed and proud of her courage to get up and sing in front of a large crowd! I honestly don't know where she gets it!

Then our youngest son plays baseball so we're getting busy with that as well. So far they've had two scrimmages and opening day is next week.

Needless to say the next few months will be insanely busy! I hope I can keep up with posting! I miss my blog when I'm away!

More to come soon...until then,

Writing My 'Master-Peace'

I have a sketch book that I like to use for doodles or simple little drawings. In looking over my sketch book most of my doodles or drawings are dated in the first half of each year. It seems that in late winter and early spring my business slows enough so that I have the time to spend doing what I really love and that's just creating my own little designs or doodles.

In the 'custom artwork' business world your time is spent catering to creating the designs and themes that your customer wants. In turn you have less time to create what's in your own heart and what is inspirational to yourself.

This issue has been something I've dealt with for the past few years. I've been pining away  trying to create a part of my business that is all about 'my' designs and 'my' themes and 'my' ideas. But it's always a struggle because the custom artwork is the niche of my business that pays the bills.

So here we are.

But back to my sketchbook full of doodles and drawings...

I pulled out my sketchbook and took some photos of some little quotes that I doodled a while ago. They are very inspirational and I thought I'd share them with you.

The designs are utterly simplistic and certainly nothing to write home about, but what I like is the message. Our lives are really in our own hands and we are the authors of our own life stories.

On the second page I like how I used the word 'Peace'. I have a really busy life and I've suffered from a high level of anxiety for many years. I continually tell myself that I need to take more time for me so I can feel 'peace' in my life. I am constantly learning about little things you can do to make your days less anxiety-ridden and using the word 'Peace' throughout my days has helped me greatly.

So I'm spending my days attempting to write my own 'Master-Peace'.

Okay, I just got back from the gym and I need to get in the shower and get my day moving. I'll have more to share soon...until then,

Sharing this simple thought...

I have a small board in my work space that I consider my 'inspiration board'.

I also have a small TV in my work room and I almost always have it on. Even though I don't really watch it because I'm painting and my eyes are elsewhere in the room I can certainly listen to it.

Every so often I hear someone say something that strikes a chord in me and I'll jot it down quickly and post it on my inspiration board.

Here's one I heard and saved a few months ago...I wrote it down but then also took a photo of it...

Pin It

This thought resonates within me because many days I am constantly on the go. I run here and I run there and then I run somewhere else. The next thing I know...I'm exhausted and it's time for bed.

But every so often I get one of those days where things aren't quite so hectic. Yet instead of enjoying the down time these feelings of guilt creep into my mind. Rather than relaxing that negative voice in my head tells me that I'm being lazy and irresponsible. What??? Are you serious??? Why would I ever let those thoughts bother me???

Well, I decided that I have to lay blame on the perfectionist part of my personality. I'm a Virgo and while you might not think I'm a perfectionist by looking at the dust on my furniture or the clutter on my dining room table, I am definitely a perfectionist when it relates to my work. I am highly critical of how each finished product looks and if I'm not satisfied with even the tiniest detail I HAVE to fix it or it will eat away at me.

Sometimes I tell myself that my perfectionism is a good thing. I have many return customers who praise my work and refer my websites to their friends and family. So perhaps it's the 'love in the details' that makes all the difference with my artwork. Or maybe it's the 'devil in the details'??? Hmmm...that's something to ponder for sure!

Meanwhile, as the guilt oozed from my pores last week when I had a slow day I looked up at my inspiration board and saw it and thought to myself, 'Jane, it's okay to take a day to rest! You don't have to constantly run, run, run. As the quote says we are human 'beings' not human 'doings'! So just 'BE' and enjoy it!

Okay more sharing on the way...until then,

Daily Sharing - Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012

Today I'm sharing a simple little sign I made years ago and then sold in an online auction. I always liked this one...

Taken from the Bible 1 Corinthians 13:4-8...

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

This passage was the gospel reading at my wedding during mass. And my mom always loved it as well. It was displayed throughout our house on various plaques or printed on the back of prayer cards that were displayed on our kitchen window for many years. It's a beautiful passage and it has deep meaning for me.

More to come...until then,

Sharing...

I've been very slow at getting back into the swing of things regarding my life and my work in the new year. I'm trying to figure out what my problem is, but I think it's just the season. I think I'm suffering from S.A.D. or Seasonal Affective Disorder and I'm trying to get my positive side in gear and hopefully pull myself out of this rut. If the stinking sun would shine it would help. But there's no use complaining about that. So I've been trudging through my days and I'm focusing on the handful of orders I have to get processed. Slowly I'm getting them finished.

Meanwhile, I just wrapped up a couple of cute ones to be shipped out today and I just wanted to share them...I thought they turned out well...and they lifted my spirits a bit...

Elijah is a custom size sign that measures 32" long x 12" wide. I worked with the customer to come up with the theme and design...it was so fun to paint all the different critters.

The lo-o-o-ong neck giraffe growth chart was custom designed and personalized for a little girl named Cecelia. I love, love, love painting giraffes!

I just don't know what it is...in general I love to paint. But I absolutely LOVE to paint animals more than anything. I've developed my own little signature design for a variety of them and I just can't seem to get enough of painting them. Giraffes, frogs, elephants, turtles and fish are among my favorites, but I really enjoy painting just about any animal. I even had someone request a gazelle to be painted on a name sign! I had to find a picture of one, but I think it turned out pretty well.

Okay...just thought I'd share a few pictures of my work with you today...more to come soon...until then,

'BALANCE'

   Here's a custom sign I painted this past week and I love how it turned out. I'm not one to brag about my work, but I really wanted to share it and I also wanted to tell the story behind the sign.

   A customer bought a sign from me a few years back and recently he called to see if I could create another sign for his family. He said the subject for the sign was 'Balance'. At first I got a bit nervous...how do you illustrate 'Balance'? I did a small watercolor painting last year but it had a more child-like feel to it:

   But that wasn't the style he wanted. He wanted the word 'Balance' painted on the sign but he wanted the design to be clean and uncluttered. He explained that his family was constantly busy and always running out the door feeling overwhelmed all day. He said that he and his wife are making it a priority to teach their kids about keeping everything in 'Balance'. He wanted to see if I could create something to hang over their doorway that would be a last minute reminder as they headed out to face their busy days.

   Oh, Lord! How I understood from where he was coming! With 3 teenagers, running my art business from home, my husband running his own business which is located in a nearby town, keeping ties close with my mother-in-law and my siblings, track meets, baseball games, basketball games, choir concerts, plays, musicals, dealing with a moody cat, an overly anxious dog, doctor appointments out the wazoo...oh geez! Plus my oldest son is getting ready for college! I definitely need some balance, too! I told to him that I really 'got' what he was trying to explain!

   So, we talked for a while about what he wanted and as we spoke I got the idea of the yin and yang symbol. This is the end result:

   I took several photos of it with the hopes of someday being able to create prints of it.

   Some days I get really frustrated creating custom art for my customers. A few customers can be especially controlling and opinionated which makes me crazy. I just want to scream at them and say 'You need to trust my talent!'

   But for the most part my customers are fabulous and this is one of my favorite examples of the positive side of creating custom art! We talked, he trusted me and I created. Just what I want everyday!

   Okay...gotta scoot and get my day moving...more fun on the way...until then,

"Meditating" Signs...

Every so often I get requests for personalized door signs that are basically 'do not disturb' signs, but they are used for meditation purposes.

Again, some fun ways to relay this message...

I can't say for sure which one I like best. I love the colors that were requested with this theme...they are so pretty and soothing.

Okay...time to focus on work. I'm sure I'll be posting more fun stuff soon...until then,

"Happy"

Gotta love John Lennon!

More on the way soon...until then,

Illustration Friday - "Silent"

This week's topic for Illustration Friday is 'Silent'...

The beach was deserted...all was silent...

More on the way...until then,

In A Celestial Mood This Evening...

Maybe it's because of the full moon...

More fun on the way...until then,