Category Archives: Inspired

Witch’s Brew Art Journal

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I created this witch with colored pencil on a 4″ square piece of mixed media paper last year for an art challenge. Sadly, she didn’t win but she sure was a lot of fun to make so I had to find a way to use her. In my stash I found these fun Halloween cut outs from K & Company and thought they went well together. I really loved that some were accented with sparkly glitter so I didn’t have to add Stickles this time, lol.

I used my 5.5″ x 8″ Strathmore Mixed Media Journal for this layout. I started by coating the pages with white gesso. Once that was dry, I painted the background purple. The darker bottom layer was made using the same purple paint but mixed with black paint. While it was drying I cut a 4.25″ square from black cardstock and mounted the witch drawing. You can draw anything you want on the 4″ square with colored pencils, markers, crayons or whatever strikes your fancy. Just use your imagination and think spooky!

Next I used Ranger Black Soot to distress the edges. I picked the Halloween cut outs I wanted to use and glued them along with the witch to the pages. Next I used a little silver paint for shimmering shadows. Last I added more shading with a dark gray Stabilo pencil and that was it!

Hope you enjoy making your spooky layout. Thanks for stopping by!

Share the Happy!!!

Supplies Used:

  • Strathmore Mixed Media Journal – 5.5″ x 8″
  • Gesso
  • Spooky Halloween Drawing on a 4″ Square piece of Mixed Media Paper
  • K & Company Die-Cut Cardstock (TC Halloween Pumpkin and Friends)
  • Acrylic Paint: Purple, Black, Silver
  • Ranger Distress Ink – Black Soot
  • Dark Gray Stabilo Pencil
  • Paint Brush
  • Paper Towels
  • Aleene’s Tacky Glue
  • Water

Thoughtful Thursday

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THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY

Power of a Smile

Researchers have found that smiling, evokes a feeling of happiness and has many positive effects on our overall wellbeing. On my morning walks I’ve encountered many people on the road especially these days. But to my surprise, a lot of them were, well, grump misers. I would smile and give them a nice “Good Morning” a few would respond but a lot would just grunt and keep going.

My parents always told me stories of how I was the happiest baby, always laughing and smiling and I still am. Truth be told, it just makes you feel good. Sure, life isn’t perfect and things go wrong for all of us, but it comes down to what are you going to do with that curve ball life just threw your way. Are you going to be miserable or are you going to make the best of it and find something to smile about. Personally I prefer to find that silver lining in the cloud.

With all these morning grump misers, I thought I can’t let them be this unhappy, because happiness and positive energy is contagious. So I upped my game. I started giving everyone a big smile with a resounding “Good Morning!” And if that didn’t work, the next time I’d add in a twinkling little wave along with my big smile and greeting. I was determined to share the happy!

Funny thing started to happen, even the grumpiest people would get happy when they saw me coming their way. The happiness and positive energy has been so contagious, that they are now, seeking me out for that “Good Morning” smile and it’s just really nice to know that your smile and positive energy has the power to brighten someone else’s day.

We have unusual circumstances these days where many of us are in environments where we have to wear masks a lot but you can still see a smile in a person’s eyes and you feel the positive energy radiating from them. So don’t use that as an excuse not to smile and share the happy. Imagine how different the world could be if more people would share a smile and positive energy.

Who did you share your smile with today?

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Thanks for stopping by, Share the Happy!

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Autumn Solstice Mandala

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This is another mandala I created. It represents the beginning of autumn, when there’s still a lot of green but just starting to change color. I created this on 8″ x 8″ 140 lb, Cold Press water color paper. I used watercolor paints, colored pencils, pen and acrylic paint pen for highlights.

I really enjoy creating these mandalas and hope you enjoy it too. It’s available for purchase in my etsy shop: FlowingWatersArtShop

Thanks for stopping by!

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Thoughtful Thursday

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THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY

Fear

I read an interesting article written by Chip Gaines in the Summer 2020 issue of Magnolia Journal. In the article he posed a good question: “If fear wasn’t a part of the equation, how would your life look different?”

It really got me thinking. Fear always plays a pretty big role in all of our lives everyday. We don’t move forward with projects out of fear of failure. We hold back on meeting new people because we’re afraid of being rejected. We don’t sing, create art or dance to our hearts content because we’re afraid of being ridiculed or laughed at.

But ultimately, we end up hurting ourselves. We lose out on life, by sitting on the sidelines allowing fear to grip us tight and hold us back. I’m not saying that fear is bad, it’s also a good thing because fear keeps us safe. But often times we let it get out of control when it isn’t necessarily needed. We need fear but we also need to keep it in check. We need to be sensible but when it comes to living our lives and being in the present moment or sitting it out on the bench, please choose to enjoy life! It is so much more fulfilling and it’s one of the reasons we’re here. So live your life to the fullest everyday!

“In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.” ~ Lewis Carroll

Thanks for stopping by, Share the Happy!

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Thoughtful Thursday

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THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY

Words of Wisdom

I am a collector of quotes. They inspire and motivate you and touch your heart and soul. These are a few of my favorites from “Inspirational Quotes illustrated” by Lesley Riley.

This book quickly became one of my favorites. Lesley did a magnificent job collecting 130 quotes and paired them with beautiful illustrations by various artists. The pages in the book are perforated so you can easily tear them out and frame them if you like.

Click on the above image to go directly to Amazon

“We are not human beings have a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” ~Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” ~Helen Keller

“Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as the attitude you bring to life.” ~Khalil Gibrain

“Some days there won’t be a song in your heart. Sing anyway.” ~Emory Austin

“We have a tendency to obscure the forest of simple joys with the trees of problems.” ~Christiane Collange

What is your favorite quote?

Thanks for stopping by, Share the Happy!

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Art at the Speed of Life – Texture Journal Page

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This is another fun page I created from Pam Carriker’s book “Creating Art at the Speed of Life.”

I love how she put this book together with a lesson for each day of the month. It really keeps you going with fun and interesting projects. It always amazes me how much you can learn when you look at supplies and techniques from another artists perspective. It’s the beginning of yet another fun art adventure!

Since this page was created from her book, I can’t go into detail on how it was made. But I encourage you to up a copy and check it out. This is definitely one of my favorite mixed media books!

To find out more information about Pam visit her website PamCarriker.com.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Art at the Speed of Life – Color Wheel Journal Page

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Just a quickie post today. Pam Carriker is a super talented mixed media artist who wrote “Creating Art at the Speed of Life.” This page was a created based on her book so I can’t go into detail on how it was made. I can tell you though, Pam did a fabulous job putting this book together. It’s packed with information and lots of step by step instructions with plenty of photos. It’s full of inspiration and is one of my most favorite books!

I highly recommend you check out Pam Carriker’s website and and her book!

Thanks for stopping by!

Share the Happy!!!

Thoughtful Thursday

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THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY

Confidence

Not sure if you read last week’s Thoughtful Thursday Post but I entered a virtual challenge for the week from Garmin, competing against 9 other runners. The goal was distance. It officially ended on Monday and I walked 33.9 miles and took 1st Place!! That was such a milestone for me. I was never able to do this when I was younger, much less win 1st Place but I was determined. I wanted to throw in the towel a few times but I had to reach down deep and find the courage and perseverance to keep going. Everything in my body was starting to hurt. But I really wanted to win.

I had no intention of walking this much but Jon, who was in 2nd Place was absolutely relentless. Every time I tried to put a little more distance between us he up’d his game and closed the gap. I am very thankful for Jon because he pushed me to do more and more. More than I ever thought I was capable of. Almost 34 miles in 1 week!!! It was unbelievably hard and I’m so glad it’s done because I’m exhausted.

After finishing this race, my confidence in myself definitely went up a few notches. I now know that that I have the drive and ability to tackle what may appear as a monumental task and come out victorious. Even if I don’t know how to go about it, I’m more than capable of figuring it out and that’s a very good feeling.

This wasn’t an official race. There were no trophies, no one cheering you along from the sidelines. It was just me and my Garmin, tracking my miles. But I’m very proud of my virtual win because for me this was so much more than just winning.

What area of your life do you need to boost your confidence in? Take on that monumental task and prove to yourself that you CAN do it!

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The one who falls – Journal Page

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The year seems to be flying by. Stores are displaying fall decorations and before you know, Christmas will be here. So I’m slowly starting to transition myself from summer and into fall. Although I’m a little sad to see summer go, I’m so ready for the cooler fall temps.

I created this spread in my 5.5″ x 8″ Strathmore Mixed Media Journal. I started by coating the pages with white gesso and letting it dry. Next I used Yellow, Fuschia, Orange and Red acrylic paints for the background. Once that was dry, I used black acrylic paint for the tree. Using a white Posca Pen, I added a little detailing to the tree. I went into my paper stash and found pretty shades of green, yellow and orange that I cut into very small leaves and glued them to the pages. I added a little detailing to the leaves with a Sakura Micron Pen 03.

I found this quote which I thought went pretty well with the falling of the leaves: “The one who falls and gets up so so much stronger than the one who never FELL.” I typed it on my old singer typewriter and used pink washi tape to adhere it on the right page.

I stamped a bird with Black Staz On Ink to the right page along with a few circles in pink acrylic paint. I also sprayed a little watered down white acrylic paint to the pages. I distressed the edges and last, I added Stickles to the tree for a little bling.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy creating your journal pages!!

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Thoughtful Thursday

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THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY

Personal Drive

I never thought I would like competing as much as I do. I guess it drives me to do better and that’s why I’ve grown to like it so much. I got a Garmin Watch from my hubby for my birthday a few months ago. I had no idea what missing until I got this watch. I really, really love it! One of the cool things is that you can install the Garmin app on your phone and sync it with your watch. Garmin has different challenges every week and month. So I entered my first challenge last week.

The goal of this challenge was to walk 25,000 steps in a week which is about 12.5 miles so you can advance to the next level. I entered it a few days in and was excited to see I was in 6th place out of 10 other people who also entered. I moved up to 4th and sadly dropped finished in 7th Place. The other walkers had way more steps than me, I didn’t even come close. The winner of the group completed about 29+ miles. Very impressive to say the least!!

After losing that challenge, I entered it again for this week. I’m determined to finish in 1st place so I’ve been doing a lot of walking, much more than usual. The hardest part is the South Florida heat. The humidity has been really bad lately. It definitely slows down your pace but I refuse to give up. Today I walked the furthest yet, a whopping 5 miles. It took me 1 hour, 20 minutes. I really started to fizzle in the end but I persevered and reached my goal! I’ve walked nearly 13.5 miles in 3 days which is not bad considering I would normally have anywhere from 6 to 9 miles for an entire week.

As of this moment, I’m still in 1st Place. But the others are closing in fast. It’s going to be a tough challenge but I’m seeing it through. Wish me luck!!

What is something that challenges you and drives you to do better?

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