The Infertile Mind

We Need One Another.....

I took this picture one day while walking the dog.  The sun was shining beautifully behind the tree and drawing attention to the little angel statue.  I'd walked by it many, many times and never noticed it before.

As to what I've been up to for the last month, I'd call it nesting.  I have been cleaning areas of my house like a mad woman.  I think it's both a physical and spiritual cleansing.   I've also found so many wonderful memories. 

One particular find was a touching poem from my Aunt Edda's memorial service that I wanted to share titled We Need One Another by George O'Dell.

We Need One Another by George O'Dell

We need one another when we mourn and would be comforted…

when we are in trouble and afraid…

when we despair, in temptation, and need to be recalled to our best selves again.

We need one another when we would accomplish some great purpose, and cannot do it alone…

in the hour of our successes, when we look for someone to share our triumphs

[and] in the hour of our defeat when with encouragement we might endure and stand again.

We need one another when we come to die, and would have gentle hands prepare us for the journey.

All our lives we are in need, and others are in need of us.

A few highlights from my birthday..

 
 
A box of Godiva Chocolates from my best friend.  She knows me so well.

 
 
A new set of colored pencils that I asked for from my husband. I opened them up immediately and started testing all the colors - so vibrant and smooth!

 
 
Flowers from my parents. Lilies because I'm a Lily, Gerber Daisies because I had those at my wedding and yellow roses because my dad loves them (and me)! These are not only beautiful they smell wonderful, too!  The weather was also gorgeous.  It was a great way to start 35 - hoping it's the best year yet!

Sometimes you can't help but come back to life....

Now that the weather is warming up in spurts I am thrilled to start my routine of walking my beagle again. I always love my dog's enthusiasm for walking around a neighborhood we've walked literally hundreds of times.
So today I made a point to stop and take a picture of the little buds of spring. I'm amazed in all the crevices that life is pushing forward and reaching up for the sun. They don't think about it, they literally can't help but come back to life. I hope this spring I do the same.

 

More fun with decoupage

 

This past weekend I had my beloved sister-in -law and niece over for our monthly crafting afternoon. My SIL gave me this idea to decoupage a clipboard.

With the help of my beautiful Somerset magazines my onetime boring brown clipboard turned out downright inspiring. Check it out here - front above and back below. Pictures taken with Hipstamatic iPhone app - love it!

Decoupage with mercy, frugality and humility....

 
This page is the front inside page of my transformed art journal featuring words & details from Living the Wisdom of the Tao: The Complete Tao Te Ching and Affirmations by Dr. Wayne Dyer.  This is a very long verse so I'm just going to share my favorite section here,

"From mercy comes courage.

From frugality comes generosity.

From humility comes leadership.

Now if one were bold but had no mercy,

if one were broad but were not frugal,

if one went ahead without humility,

one would die." 

P.S. If you want to see.... here's the front and back of the journal decorated with old Winnie the Pooh books.

 

 

 

Decoupage and trusting your inner vision....

 
 Here is another decoupage project - a transformed old journal - where I used more words & details from Living the Wisdom of the Tao: The Complete Tao Te Ching and Affirmations by Dr. Wayne Dyer.  This inside back page features the 12th verse of the Tao Te Ching:

"The five colors blind the eye.

The five tones deafen the ear.

The five flavors dull the taste.

The chase and the hunt craze people's minds.

Wasting energy to obtain rare objects only impedes one's growth.

The master observes the world but trusts his inner vision. (My favorite line!)

He allows things to come and go.

He prefers what is within to what is without."

Decoupage with a message.....

 
 
A few years ago I bought the Dr. Wayne Dyer book, Living the Wisdom of the Tao: The Complete Tao Te Ching and Affirmations.  It's a lovely little book with beautiful details, artwork & words that I would go back to from time to time.  However, now that I'm obsessed with decoupage I decided to pull out the most meaningful messages to me and incorporate them into my creative space.  The jar pictured above reads, "In all of nature, no storm can last forever."

The jar below reads, "Because I know that I do not know, I am guided to find my own way."

 

Believing that seasons change and cultivating trust....

So, I learned about this illustrator, Kristin Noelle, through Jen Lee (one of my fabulous teachers at Squam) and I love her style.  It is so simple and lovely.  I signed up for her Sketch A Day e-mail for 30 days and I have really enjoyed them.  (They are almost done and I'm going to be sad when they stop arriving!) This one came today and really just made me feel good and calm.  Seasons do change and sometimes I take comfort that no matter how good or bad I think things are there will change. 

And I do sense a lot of change coming with my parents moving here this year, trying to find a high school for my stepson to attend which could have us moving, a Spring Break trip and possibly a trip to Spain with my parents.  All hopefully good and wonderful changes and experiences but I have to allow myself to feel uneasy about them at times because there are a lot of unknowns.  I have to TRUST that it's all going to work out for the best.

Speaking of TRUST, that's really the central topic of Kristin's blog/website: www.kristinnoelle.com.  She also posts other illustrations via the blog portion which I have also really enjoyed.  Her site is all about cultivating TRUST in ourselves, which is also a word that keeps popping up for this year so finding her is timely.

Also, circling back to Jen Lee, she is a new favorite resource for me since going to Squam.  (Hearing her do her storytelling live was an amazing experience and to be in her class for a 1/2 day has stuck with me for months.  I think one of her retreats is going to be on a personal wish list.)  She has started a handwritten letter series, which is powerful.  Her latest one on Love, Risk and Comfort Zones is also worth a look at (plus she does beautiful panoramic photography, too!). Find it here.

Giving up on trying to understand.....

 
I am really intrigued by decoupage and combining words.  I was decoupaging a little jar and decided to put a favorite saying from a card deck as a reminder at the bottom.  (The card deck was from Eckart Tolle's Stillness Speaks Inspiration Deck: 50 Inspiration Cards.)  The card reads, "Sometimes surrender means giving up trying to understand and becoming comfortable with not knowing."

Here's the jar from the front:

Cozy keeps popping up everywhere....

We just remodeled our master bathroom and while I liked the soft blue I picked out it also seemed a little cold and a bit like a hotel.

Then I found an old print that a good friend gave me with some stamps & art of beagles and boston terriers.  The significance being that I have a beagle and he has a boston terrier who are best buddies. 

I've always loved it but never had a good spot for it.  Now it's in our bathroom and looks absolutely at home in there.