movies, books, flowers, tattoos and mantra card

has it really been a week since i last posted???!!!
geez, the time has flown by......

entertainment-wise, brad and i went to see the movie - australia - with my mum and her friend on thursday. despite the mixed reviews i've read, we LOVED it! reece had seen it and, though he liked the movie, he wasn't happy that aussies were kinda portrayed as drongos at the beginning and i can see his point but it didn't spoil the movie for me.

also this past week, i read the last two books in the twilight series, eclipse and breaking dawn. the last book, breaking dawn, was my absolute favourite! to celebrate finishing all four books in the series, brad and i went to see the movie - twilight - at the cinema today. we both thought it was good and are already looking forward to the second movie. i felt that edward was portrayed as a little too serious in the movie compared to his character in the book where he displayed a good sense of humour. it was good to see that the movie did stick fairly close to the book.

52 WEEKS OF ME - WEEK SEVEN
again, i missed posting my self portrait on thursday so here i am for your viewing pleasure....or not


MONDAY'S PHOTO A WEEK
the bird of paradise in my garden is blooming so thought you might like to have a look-see

MANTRA MONDAY

i can hardly wait until i get my tattoo for my 50th birthday next month. i'm still deciding exactly what the subject of my tattoo will be but i'm leaning towards a wolf on my left ankle or an anklet design. i've always loved wolves and have felt a very strong connection to them but i'm having a hard time finding a tattoo of a wolf that i actually like. hmmmmmm..... i will be going with, beau, my son and it will a first time tattoo for both of us. my mum is cool with it but i know my dad isn't happy about the idea of his daughter getting a tattoo and, i guess, at my age...does it really matter? this past week, a male neighbour who didn't know i was planning on getting a tattoo spoke rather negatively about women having tattoos....that's when i told him i was getting one. he changed his tune and it felt good to stand upright in defiance of his judgements.....which leads me to my choice of mantra for this week. i AM unique and happy in my own skin. it's taken me a long time to finally get that. i used to be the type of person who would worry about what other people thought but, through my spiritual path, i see that it matters not what others think. i'm entitled to be the me that i am....and, if people don't like it.....TOUGH!

acrylics on 5"x3½" CANSON ACRYLICmixed media paperclick on any image to enlarge

also, this past week, i have managed to prep a few canvasses ready for my paintbrushes to work their magic....i sure hope my muse is cooperative when it comes to actually painting designs on them ~

have a wonderfully blessed day, my friends, and enjoy being the uniqueness of YOU!

and now...i need to catch up on some of your blogs

love, light and peace

mantra monday and photo-a-week day

MANTRA MONDAY

i had so much fun creating the valentine's canvas that i thought i would do a card in similar tones. sometimes, we can feel different, not pretty, or inadequate and i felt this affirmation card would be a reminder that we are perfect just as we are. who defines what's perfect and what's not, anyways?

the card size is 5"x3½" and painted with acrylics on Canson 300gsm Mixed Media paper
click on any image to enlarge

PHOTO A WEEK MONDAY

a couple of weeks ago, beau and aaron drove out to my ex's (deceased) property for their usual visit with, brutus, the kids' childhood pony. we worked out that brutus would be around 26 years old now. he has certainly aged a lot, poor thing.

whilst out there, beau noticed some prickly pear cactus growing so he took a small cutting which we put in a pot. in the rural areas particularly, prickly pear is seen as a noxious weed but i think it should be okay in a pot. and, look see.....i took this pic today and...

...it's already sprouting new growth! YAY!

happy valentine's day & 52 weeks of me

i hope you all have a very special and happy valentine's day!
i decided to mark the occasion by creating a small canvas featuring.....a heart!

6"x6" gallery-wrapped canvas - acrylics & mixed mediaclick on image to enlarge
the weight of the buddha keeps the heart closed but it opens out to reveal a list of some of the things that i love.

52 WEEKS OF ME - WEEK SIX

YIKES!!! i nearly forgot to post my self portrait pic for the week.
i thought you might be a little bored of seeing my face all the time so, today, you get my feet...lol

well, i was really pointing out that i LOVE long, flowing skirts ~ :)

Awards and Tag catch up

6TH PHOTO IN 6TH FOLDER


mary tagged me to post the 6th photo in the 6th folder of my photo files so here 'tis -

what a surprise! it's cody, my dog ~ :)


genie has honoured me with an 'i love your blog' award. thank you, genie!


bohemian mom has also honoured me with a 'triple award'. thank you, boho!

i'm supposed to pass these on and, as i always say, you are all deserving of these awards so please feel free to take one for your own blog. also, if you would like to play in the 6th photo/6th folder tag, please do so and post your link in the comments here so i can check out your pic.

i know i've not been good at following the rules when it comes to passing tags and awards onto specific numbers of people. i find it easier to leave it as an 'open for all' option for three reasons. one, i just find it way too difficult to pick and choose between my bloggy friends because i see them all as deserving. two, a lot of my bloggy friends have already received the awards. three, more and more bloggers are declaring their blogs as 'tag free zones' which is their choice and totally okay. this is something i have considered doing myself at times, not because i don't like to participate and play along....i love, LOVE, LOVE that part....but because of the reasons mentioned.

love, light and peace

rainbows and lollipops

MANTRA MONDAY

we had a very hot, humid day here. it's now 9 PM and it still hasn't cooled any, however, in light of the ongoing bushfire tragedy in victoria, i'm certainly not complaining about it. last i heard, the death toll reached 108 and was still expected to climb....the stories have been heart-wrenching and it's so upsetting to hear that they are suspecting arson for the area that was worst hit. unbelievable to think that somebody deliberately started the fire for their own warped gratification.

in an attempt to lighten my sad mood, i painted today's card in cheerful colours and a positive affirmation that i seek joy, love and peace in each moment.

to join in on creating your own mantra/affirmation card, click the picture link under 2009 happenings for mantra monday in my side-bar.

acrylics on 5"x3½" CANSON ACRYLIC - mixed media paper


PHOTO A WEEK CHALLENGE


sometimes, life just sucks!

cody would not take his eyes of that lollipop....lol


my chillies are turning red! YAY!

to join the photo-a-week challenge, you can find the link under 2009 happenings in my side-bar


love, light and peace ~

sacred life sunday - devastation and gratitude

as i begin my post on 'sacred life sunday', i feel a deep sadness after following the flood disaster in ingham, in north queensland, due to torrential rains plus, the horrifying bushfire devastation in our southern state of victoria due to the intense heatwave that hit with temperatures around 45ºC/113ºF! two different extremes above and below where i live.....mother nature wielding her relentless power. with 25 officially dead from the bushfires and the death toll expected to climb, i pray for all who have been touched by these tragic circumstances. i pray that relief comes soon.

click here to read more on the current flood situation in ingham, queensland.

click here to read more on the victorian bushfires which continue to wreak havoc and devastation.

click here to read about the 59 fires currently burning in NSW.

pic was saved and posted from an email circulating on the koala's plight

animals need our prayers too. the young koala in the pic above was looking for relief from the heatwave. it's mother had become stressed and disorientated and left her baby alone. click here and here to read more.

in light of all this devastation and loss, it makes me feel so very grateful for (in no particular order) -

• the air that i breathe




• the water on tap




• the food i eat




• the many mugs of green tea throughout my day




• the roof over my head




• the clothes that i wear




• my family

12 secrets & 52 weeks of me

52 WEEKS OF ME - WEEK FIVE



12 SECRETS - CHAPTER FOUR
SURRENDERING TO CREATIVE CYCLES

this chapter discusses how our creativity comes in cycles of birth, death and rebirth. by understanding these cycles, we can go with the flow instead of fighting against the current and, in doing so, our creativity will emerge freely when the time is right.

i believe that creative voids come and go but, the big ones, generally come with situations that make a huge impact on our lives, such as an accident, illness, relationship break-up or even a death.

i have had some major upheavals in my life and there have been some dark voids as a result. the last being when a 2½ year relationship had ended and, while i welcomed the break-up because i knew it was turning toxic, i guess i felt like a failure and found myself in a deep dark well of depression. i went through the daily motions of living in a zombie-like state...on auto-pilot. i was unhappy and mortified inside but i managed to put on a brave face for the sake of my kids. i had absolutely no urge to paint and i didn't care. i just wanted to be left alone to wallow in my deep, dark well. this went on for three months and i don't even know what the turning point was but, one day, i suddenly found myself feeling an incredibly strong desire to decorate my home using elements of feng shui. it was like i felt renewed inside as i went about beautifying my home with a fresh, new outlook....i was smiling again and it felt empowering! my home decorating interest also led me back to painting because i wanted to paint canvasses to match my home decor. i was back in the game!

my own daughter found herself in a similar void last year which i've mentioned in a previous post. michelle had always been creative but, on entering the workforce years ago, it was kinda put to the wayside. it took the car accident and being unable to work for michelle's creativity to break free. so it seems that change, even negative, can be a good thing and i have come to learn that these voids are as important as our active creative cycles. we just need to trust, be patient, and go with the flow.

on a smaller scale, if we want to be creative but feel blocked, it can sometimes help to do things differently. take a break from regular routines and rituals, try tea instead of coffee, walk in the rain, dance like nobody is watching, try a new hairstyle, or wear something you wouldn't normally wear for a day, etc. take notes of any thoughts or ideas that may flow forth because of this variance from the norm. you may be surprised.....

mantra monday and photo-a-week day

MANTRA MONDAY
acrylics on 5"x3½" canson 300gsm mixed media paper

this week, i decided to make my mantra cards the same size as those in professional affirmation decks. i used my canson pad of mixed media paper for the first time. it is designed specifically for acrylics or gouache and I LOVE IT! it has a bit of textural pattern which you can probably notice on the painted card above but i like that look too. i was quite happy with how this card turned out as it was painted completely from imagination with no sketching beforehand.

today's card affirms that the power of the mind is an amazing thing and anything is possible if we put our minds into the right gear.

the text appears a little distorted because the card curled slightly, however, it will flatten out just fine once i have painted the back and set it flat between books.

MONDAY'S PHOTO A WEEK CHALLENGE

the 'lakeview jasmine' shrubs are blooming and, smell OH SO NICE! a pity you can't 'scratch and sniff' your monitor screen to fully appreciate their beauty....but then, if you suffer from hayfever, it's probably just as well you can't.

sacred life sunday and week 4 pic of me

SACRED LIFE SUNDAY
cody - my constant companion

he came into our life in an unexpected way when he was just a tiny puppy. my nephew had bought him but hadn't realised just how much responsibility a pet really was, especially when it came to feeding and training, so he gave cody to us knowing that we would love and cherish him. cody is now two years old and never far from my side. when i go out, he waits at the fixed window by our front door peering outside, eagerly awaiting my return. when i come through the door, he will bark repeatedly demanding a pat and a cuddle before settling, contentedly, at my feet. it is mentioned in the abraham-hicks DVDs that animals are the great energy balancers of this world and i believe it wholeheartedly. when i'm feeling down cody understands that a pat and a cuddle will make me feel better. he senses this with the kids too. he brings us so much joy and gets us all laughing with his playful antics. cody gives us unconditional love....what a sacred and precious gift that is.

52 WEEKS OF ME - WEEK FOUR