Still a kid at heart

I've always loved roller coasters and amusement parks, and I doubt that will change. I imagine being 70 years old and still going on the rides, lol!
On Thursday a friend and I  went to Canada's Wonderland . What a pleasant surprise to find hardly any lineups, the longest may have been about half an hour. We went on the most thrilling rides, including Canada's fastest and tallest roller coaster. I even talked her into going on the antique carousel.I 'm sure we fit in very nicely with all the little children riding it, haha!

It was a long day, and I was so exhausted that I forgot I had wanted to play one of the games, in hopes of winning a stuffed toy.

I almost forgot to mention, I got pooped on twice by birds!! On my nice black pants!I noticed the first one when we were about to go on one of the rides...then a bit later sitting outside enjoying an ice cream, something splattered on my knee. You can see it in this photo, lol! I'm smiling because I have no idea I am walking around like this.

Don't they say it's good luck if a bird poops on you? Well I don't know if that's true or not, but later on, when we headed to the nearest mall for some quick shopping, I bought myself a lottery ticket, just in case....

Here I am, cleaned up, holding my Starbucks coffee in front of a pet store in the mall, carrying a bag from an artstore. My two addictions at the same time, life doesn't get better than this. (the expression on my face is my 'hurry up and take the picture people are looking ' face).

How weird is this, as I was finishing this post, a chickadee flew into my window, I saw it fly back into the tree and ran to the window to make sure he was ok. He seemed fine, the poor little thing! But now I'm thinking, what is it with birds and me these days??

More Carnival Gals and a blog award

hi everyone, here is my second Carnival girl/puppet. I called her 'Black Diamond Desmonda', and she goes with the other one I showed a couple weeks back. Her dress is actually a hot pink, but I couldn't get it to show properly due to the lack of sunshine outside.
Not much other  artwork to show, I've been busy the last week, but finally, I've got all my organizing done. It is an amazing feeling to have things in their place, and I know a lot of you commented that you needed to do this as well. Let me tell you, once you do the work and get it done, you will feel like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders, so trust me, it is worth the effort.
We are having some dreary weather right now, it goes from heavy rain, to that fine misty rain. Perfect day to stay in and create!

 Hey! Someone thinks my blog is fabulous, lol! I'd like to say thank you to sweet Lauren at fairrosie.blogspot.com, do check out her blog.
I am supposed to share 5 addictions with you, so here are mine:

1 - I'm addicted to coffee, yes I admit it. I'm sure I've mentioned it in many a blog post, lol!

2 - addicted to sugar. Even though I am trying to cut back, I love my deserts, pies, muffins, scones, they all go so well with my delicious coffee!

3 - addicted to buying art supplies. I can't stop, in fact I am about to buy a couple more paint colors (yeah, like I really need more!) and some wooden panels.

4 - my TV and DVDs. I actually watch very little tv, but I have lots of movies and TV series. Right now I'm going through Touched by an Angel Season 2

5 - Last but not least, I'm addicted to my computer....I'm on it way too much, and I sure love reading my blogs. Especially while drinking coffee and enjoying my dessert :-)

I would like to pass this award to anyone who would like it, since there is no way I could choose only 5, so feel free to share your 5 addictions. I'm a very curious gal....

Thanks for Reading!

Long overdue re-organizing

The last few days I have decided to completely re-organize my entire home. I couldn't stand the clutter and chaos any longer. So last night I went to Walmart and picked up some shelving units and storage boxes. I removed everything from one of my closets, threw out 2 bags of old clothing that I will never wear, and basically organized it so well I can't believe I never thought of this before.  It has such a better energy now. I don't have to sift through art supplies, canvases, and perfume bottles (they need to be in a cool place) that I had stacked on the floor. Now everything has it's place. 

Today's project is the kitchen, and I am being ruthless, throwing out old recipes that I have torn out of magazines over the years. I figure with the internet, and so many online recipe sites, why would you keep loose pieces of paper? Oh, and the fact that I really don't cook anything that fancy may have something to do with it, lol!

This still life painting you see has been sitting unfinished, started in an acrylics class I had taken many years ago. It was done on the last date of the class, and I remember it well because we had a blizzard that night, and me and another gentlemen were the only ones that showed up, haha! So we got lots of attention from the instructor. She had us stand at our easel, and made sure we painted with a thick brush, very loosely, and at arm's length from the canvas. I had never painted this way and it felt awkward, but in a way,  very liberating. I feel like I could see the shadow and shapes much better this way. I've always loved this painting, probably because I was surprised I could paint this way.
Maybe this weekend would be a good time to finally finish it, so that I can display it - unless I completely mess it up, lol!  We shall see.....

A lovely Saturday

Today I've been cleaning and organizing my home, so I made a cup of coffee, grabbed a pile of papers on which I draw rough sketches and ideas, and went outside for a short break. It was supposed to be unsettled weather today, but instead it is just gorgeous.  Sitting there, I looked around me at the blue sky, the clouds and the trees, and was filled with gratitude for the gift of life. 
Someone is cutting grass down the street, I hear the cars go by, and a neighbors dog is barking, but even with all that noise, everything in this moment is perfect. Whenever I can, I try to remind myself that this is the only moment we have, and we really miss out when our minds are cluttered with stuff from the past, or thoughts of the future.  How wonderful to stop the mind chatter, and just 'be'.

There is nothing like the feel of sunshine warming your body to make it seem like all is well in the world, at least in this moment. Wherever you are, I hope you are able to take a few moments, and remind yourself that being alive, even with the stress and problems, is truly a great blessing.
Have a wonderful and sacred day!

Carnival Girls

Hello lovely people!
Here she is, 'Dancing Delilah',  the painting I gave you a teeny little peak of on my last post. I had been holding onto this idea for a couple of years now, and I finally thought, enough!  I've always loved the gaudy glamour of carnivals since I was a child, and wanted to create these dolls/puppets, on a faded and shabby background.

Why did I wait so long you ask? well, I was plagued with the usual doubts of 'I'm not good enough yet'. You know, that negative voice in your head that is forever trying to hold you down.  That tells you to wait until you are a better painter/ artist/ writer, etc... Do you know what happens when you listen to that annoying voice, and don't create the thing you desire to create? Someone else beats you to it. That's right, and then you think to yourself  " I can't do it now, everyone will think I copied from so and so'.

This is not the case with these carnival girl paintings, but it has happened to me in the past when I've been holding onto an idea until I felt ready, and then one day noticed another artist doing the same thing. It can be very frustrating, and you feel deflated. 
I guess what I want to say is don't wait until you feel good enough. Just get your creativity out into the world, who cares if it is not perfect! Who said our art needs to be perfect anyway? I know I will never be fetching millions of dollars for my work, I simply do this because it is in my soul, and I can't imagine not creating. I do it because it is fun, and fulfilling. If others like my work, that is a bonus.

Creating should make you feel joyful and alive, not scared of making mistakes.  Put love into everything you do.  The world needs you to be who you were meant to be. No one else can do this.
Each one of us is a One-of a-Kind creation, so lets stop beating ourselves up over our perceived flaws, and celebrate them!

Thanks for reading