Finally, an update

Ahoy there friends! you probably thought I sailed off into the sunset, it's been a few weeks since my last post.
Do you ever feel like you have nothing interesting to say even though you may be busy?  Seems the longer you wait to post, the harder it is.
It has been so hot and humid the last few days in Ontario. I've had a few days off work, hoping to get caught up on some of my online classes, but it's been difficult due to the heat. I've managed to create a few of my little owl  ACEOs though.

 Years ago, I  used to have over 40 houseplants when I lived in a larger home, but I let them go when I moved into the home I am now in. I guess I got tired of maintaining them. It felt like the right time to start over, so I went to one of my favorite green houses and walked out with a dozen new plants. Check out this photo of their cactus section, it's quite incredible to see in person.

A couple of days ago I went with my friend to see the horses again. I always take my camera along hoping to get some good reference photos, but every other time, something prevented it. Like freezing cold conditions, or a dreary cloudy day, rain, etc...but this time I thought my luck would change. It was super hot and sunny. Everything was going well, until the red battery light on my camera started flashing! At least I got a few photos before it totally died on me.
Here I am giving one of the horses some scritches, lol!

This little guy below is an orphan. He's being hand raised right now. We thought we would go in his pen and play with him a bit. Well, he started getting quite rambunctious, running towards us and bucking, so seeing as we were both in flip flops, we thought we'd better get out of there pretty quickly.

Now art wise, I decided I need to open a second Etsy shop for my illustrations. I haven't done this yet, since I don't have enough art to add to it ....and I need to decide on a name for the new shop.
The shop I have right now has too many different styles of art, that it lacks cohesion. The new one would be my drawings on vintage paper.
Once I get a few more of my illustrations finished, I will show them on my blog. Right now, I'm still working out some details.

Forgive me if this post seems all over the place. That's what happens when you don't blog regularly...I promise to try to do better next time.
thanks for reading!

A little something to motivate you

Promises of Youth

An elderly man, in the final days of life, was lying in bed alone. He awakens to see a large group of people clustered around his bed. Their faces are loving, but sad. Confused, the old man smiles weakly and whispers, "You must be my childhood friends, come to say good-bye. I am so grateful."

Moving closer, the tallest figure gently grasps the old man's hand and replies, "Yes, we are your best and oldest friends, but long ago you abandoned us. For we are the unrealized hopes, dreams and plans that you once felt deeply in your heart, but never pursued. We are the unique talents that you never refined, the special gifts you never discovered. Old friend, we have not come to comfort you, but to die with you."


No, I didn't write the above. It had come many years ago from one of my weekly newsletters, and I wish I knew who wrote it. If anyone knows, please let me know.
I find this passage so beautiful, and heartbreaking. It is sad because too many of us let our dreams die. We get caught up in day to day living, and keep saying, maybe next year I will have more time, maybe when the kids grow up, maybe when I retire...but nothing is promised to us. What if tomorrow never came? Would you be satisfied with the life you have led? I know I would not. I am nowhere near where I want to be, but at least I am trying to take steps regularly, to create a more fulfilling life.

I have made so many mistakes in my life. So many wasted years... I used every excuse in the book to justify not sitting down to do the thing I most loved to do, Create. So what changed? I can't even pinpoint it...You see, the love of art and creating was never far from my mind. I may have taken long breaks without drawing, but I always came back to it. I guess I finally understood that this was the one life I was given and that time was ticking.... No more excuses.

Don't get me wrong, I am far from perfect. I have days, even weeks where I don't do anything productive, and that is ok. We can't be 'on' all the time, we would burn out. There is nothing wrong with taking a break from your art (or whatever your goal is), and we should never feel guilty about it. I do love my t.v. shows like "Survivor" and "Project Runway". I just make sure I get back to creating after taking breaks from it.

So is anything holding you back from doing the thing you most love. Don't make my mistakes, dear reader. Print out the above little story and post it on your fridge as a reminder. You and I don't want to come to the end of our lives, and realize that we never lived. Every day you wake, you are given another brand new shiny day, to use as you please. Try to do something for yourself even if it's just for 15 minutes. Most of all, have fun!

Don't let your music die inside you!

Lots of blessing for a wonderful day :-)