The Shape of Love

Friday afternoon Mailey came running up the hill, bounded into the house and said, "MOM, I found something for you!!"  "What is it Mailey?"  "Look it's a heart shaped leaf!"  "OH MY!"  Love really does come in all shapes and sizes, doesn't it?

Bracelet Love

Just sending you a little bracelet love this morning.  I've had these copper bangles in my drawer of tricks since taking an enameling class over a year ago.  They obviously never got enameled.  They were waiting to become little words of encouragement instead.  Oh they make me so happy!

If you are around the Altanta area, come on to exit 93 Shallowford Road off I-85.  It's St. Pius Catholic High School's Holiday Marketplace today from 9-3PM.  Me, and ALL my little baubles are there waiting to meet you!  Have a lovely weekend in case I don't see you!

Embrace

Embrace: to clasp in the arms, to encircle, to enclose, to include, to cherish, to take in, to welcome, to LOVE.

What a powerful definition of a word, right?  When I painted this almost one year ago, I doubt I truly embraced the meaning I was putting into the words on the canvas.  I embrace things daily....and hope you do as well.  From my children, husband, family, Lily, my home, and my dear friends.  But embracing let's say.... my business, or ME for that matter, let' get real,  no.  It seems a tinge bit selfish to embrace yourself, right?  To truly to embrace yourself  you have to let go of self-doubts, of anger, of pity, of you know.... all those whattheheckareyoudoing? monsters in your head.  So I challenge you with Thanksgiving on the horizon to stop and think about what you are beyond in love with about yourself.  Like so beyond giddy about it makes you cross-eyed.  And welcome those things back into your life.   Because once you truly cherish your being,  you will find that all the other little elements in life will fall neatly into place.  Yep.  They will.  I pinky promise. 

Listening

I'm sitting in the studio, it's late.  But I can't sleep for some reason.  It's really eerie sounding out tonight with the wind rustling the wet leaves.  The seasons are slowly changing here in Georgia.  Seriously slowly.  One more day of flip flop weather and I am cutting off my jeans into "Daisy Dukes".  Yep, that'll be a lovely site. 

For some reason, I am feeling like there is newness on the horizon for me and my paintbrush friends.  I've taken some serious leaps of faith with the business side of Mattie.....I can't wait for you to see where she'll be appearing.  And art shows are so close I can taste the cotton candy.  Billy and I are out of a hole we never thought would end, and honestly, life couldn't be any stronger for either of us. I couldn't help but laugh out loud as I was cleaning the kitty geriatric messes and he was reading the stupid Club Penguin Book with Mailey tonight.  And this was after a 2 hour gun safety and shooting class with the kids.  I mean seriously?  Comic penguins?  AND gun safety in one night?  Anyhoo.....Billy turn 43 tomorrow.  He doesn't read my blog, so he won't be embarrassed that I am telling you his old age.  I am a good bit younger mind you......I was in junior high when he graduated high school.  hehehehe cradle robber indeed!

Sometimes I do I good job of listening, other times I talk too much.  I know this about me.  Hey, at least I ADMIT it.  The past few days have come and gone so quickly that I don't remember much of what anyone person said except the doc saying, "the margins are clean" and the car shop repairman saying, "this belt needs replacing Mrs. Horne".  I think I cried when both things were said.  What crazy things to compare, right?  But my point to the whole matter is, I am listening.  I am listening to what doctors say, what friends are saying, what friends are not saying, what car repairmen are saying, what the gun safety man is saying, what my Girl Scout Troop leader is saying, what my child's teacher is saying, what fB is saying, what my Mother is saying, what my children are saying, what my husband is not saying and yet saying, what my Mother-in-law-is saying, and last but not least, what my heart is saying.  And that is this.  Eliminate.  Take away.  Get rid of.  LISTEN to me.  Start fresh.  And listen to your heart.  Hey, the head says what you want, the heart what you need.  So be on the look out.  Mattie's Social Circle is beginning to encompass a new boundary.  And I so hope that you will be joining the journey and encouraging the circle's growth.  Because it's going to be good.

Home WIll Always Know Me

This lovely mixed media painting says, "It's good to know that home will always know me."  I've been in Birmingham for the past 4 days, my childhood home.  And although I've not lived there in about 20 years, it still feels like home.  It still feels comfortable.  It still makes my heart tickle when I drive over the mountain and see that great big bronze guy pointing towards the sky.  Birmingham still calls to me.  Everytime I leave, a small part of my soul longs not to leave.   In fact, I returned quite reluctantly this time around.  Of course my reason for being home was for personal reasons, and this made leaving even harder.  But nonetheless, a part of me wanted to turn around a stay.

Billy and I used to talk about moving there and raising the kids, getting out of the Atlanta race.  And then he got elected.....and elected and twice more elected.  So we've planted ourselves here in Newnan.  We've grown deeper roots and adjusted our lives to be fulfilled and meaningful in this community.  I can't imagine leaving here.  But on the flip side I can imagine a new life beginning there for us one day.  For now though, life has to move forward in Newnan.  I have much on the horizon both personally and work related.  It's going to be a great holiday season.  And hopefully, I'll get back home to Birmingham very soon.

Mattie's Flea Booth

I really don't know why, but for some reason I've been obsessing over my little 8x8' booth at the Flea for some time now.  On my way to Marist I swung by Heeney wholesale florist (to the tune of $350) for more Christmas merchandise.  I wanted it to be magical in my booth.  I know, many tell me just set up like you do for shows.  But for some reason I can't.  It has to be different.  More.  Different.

 There is sparkle a plenty in this little square.  Oh it made me so happy when I left on Wednesday after setting up.

There are so many special items to buy in the booth; items with my art printed on them to glass votives lovingly embellished with paper flowers and vintage finds.

Oooo...and the Santa necklaces below, you just gotta have one.  The pendant has been gently place on my favorite antique brass bee bee chain.  I think they are priced at just $12.oo too!

Of course, as mentioned in the prior post there are plenty of glass jars with gentle messages about living life to the fullest.

And lots of fun ornaments to adorn your tree.  All have been embellished with a loving touch by me.  :)

Little Jars of Happiness

It's hard to believe that someone would donate these beautiful spice jars to the thrift store.  Man, when I saw them I seriously giggled inside.  And placed them so quickly into my cart it woulda made your head spin (I may have even hid them under something in my cart for fear of someone seeing them...hehehe)!The creative juices were in overdrive this day!  I knew I'd seen a cool idea for glass jars in a past issue of Somerset Life....now where was that darn issue.....I never found it but, I'm pretty certain my own version turned out just fine.

I had a field day embellishing and adding goodies to these little glass vials of happiness.  Seriously my art studio looked like a bomb went off in it.  I kept thinking, "OOOO...I could put these in the bottle, or this or that, or man this would be fabulous!!"  I was like a kid in a candy shop yesterday in my own studio!

There is a special shop in Birmingham I like to visit called White Flowers.  I can walk around the store for hours and become so inspired I want to go out and spend wayyyyy too much money on stuff to make what I saw.  One of the items I saw over my reunion weekend where these amazing glass bottles filled with treasured and sealed with yummy drippy wax.  Well wouldn't you know it, I just happen to have some encuastic wax in my garage getting old.  I was able to seal all the little treasures permanently in their glass encasements with the most yummy smelling wax ever.  And how intriguing does this waxy seal make the bottle have?  Love it.

I pulled out all the stops:  words, charms, vintage buttons, trims, paper flowers, crepe paper, vintage mercury glass beads, and more.  I was really quite sad when the jar bowl was empty.

So where can you find these waxy sealed bottles of goodness?  At The Vintage-Flea in downtown Newnan.  OOOO....and the Holiday Open House on the Square is Sunday from 12-5PM.  It's a wonderful way to spend the day south of Atlanta!  Hope to see you there!