Lifting The Hearts of Others

Hello Everyone!

This is the week we are On A Mission, with Valentines Day only few days away I thought you might enjoy seeing the Valentines I made recently at Heart Lifters.

Heart Lifters is a group of ladies in our church that are On A Mission to make and send cards to encourage our members who are home bound, in the hospital, recuperating or in nursing homes. 

 Our Mission is to encourage and uplift members as well as friends and families of our members.

We also celebrate our church and school staff members during the year. 

On average we have 4-10 regular members that make cards every other month during the calendar year, producing 40-60 cards per session.  

 We love making cards! 

Ribbons, paper, glue flies around the table along with lots of laughter. 

 What a blessing to be able to serve in this way!   I hope you'll be inspired today to send a card to someone you know that needs an encouraging word.  It's never too late to send a card and let someone know they are loved. 

Happy Valentines Day with love,

Suzy

ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

Hello There!
Welcome to Travel Thursday!

A few years back, maybe about 8 years ago, my best friend Bonnie and I took a trip to the mountains of North Carolina.  Our trip plan included a visit with my sister Anne and family (they live out in the country).

painting a mural for my niece Amy and a trip to Cheap Joe's in Boone. We took a day trip to the Biltmore House and a drive up Doggett Mountain where we lived once upon a time.

This is the story of Doggett Mountain.

My brother and I were starting our Senior year of  high school, a VERY large high school in a large city when my parents made the decision to move to North Carolina.  Not only did they move us City Slicker kids to the middle of nowhere, we were stuck on the top of a mountain out in the country in the middle of no-where on a FARM. 

The nearest town was down the curvy mountainside into the valley and the only thing there was the school. Another 20 or so miles into the mountains was a town that looked like it was from another century, seriously.  But back to the school....Kindergarten through High school all in one long hallway.  Did I mention that we had come from a VERY large high school population in the hundreds, multi-level building with a maze of hallways to a single hallway school house that housed K-12?  The Senior class had 24 students, that included my brother and myself.  It was shocking.  I couldn't believe I was there in the middle of no-where.

Not only were we "out in the country" we found they spoke a totally different language which I could barely hear due to altitude and where alien words were spoken like  'maters, taters, pokes....what on earth was a poke?? When asking directions we were told "it's about as fer as ye kin spit times 10"; or "its a fer piece up thar road".  WHAT???   We were seriously in culture shock and definitely "not in Kansas any more".  The only saving grace was the beauty that surrounded us.  We moved in the first week of October and the fall leaves were beginning to change, lighting the mountains on fire so brilliant and saturated with color it took my breath away.  As my Granny would say "it's beauty is beyond words".  If it weren't for that fact I'd have packed my bags and headed back to Florida.

We were from Florida (flat-landers) and there was much to learn from the country folks in "them thar hills".  I learned what real neighbors were like (helpful and kind), that there were poor people that lived in one room shacks with lots of little children and those who had the least were the ones who gave the most.  There was love for God, family, for each other and everyone was friendly and helpful. Lessons were not only in the single hallway of the schoolhouse but were learned from the land and farming it, the people who loved it.  Even though I was a miserable teenager stuck there on that mountain, I did come to love and appreciate the people, the community and land.

I learned to love the mountains through the fall days, and into the winter when the fields were covered in frost and the mountain streams and waterfalls would freeze over and the way the sun would glisten off the ice. The clean smell of mountain air, the cold stillness at night, the soft sound of snow falling and the beauty of the forest being covered in a blanket of pure white.  My heart longed to paint what I was seeing but I didn't have those skills, still I longed for paint and brush to capture the beauty of the seasons.  And although I was quite unhappy being stuck on the top of a mountain, that is where my love of nature really began.....on top of  Doggett Mountain. 

I'd not been back to Doggett Mountain since leaving it in 1973 until my friend and I visited in the spring of 2007. Thirty-four years had passed, things had changed. The schoolhouse was still there and what remained were the fond memories of the people and the beauty of the land, the serenity of the mountain.  

Oh and now I have my paints and brushes and I know just what to do with them! 

Happily painting memories!
Suzy

Handmade Sketchbook Journals

Hello Everyone!

Welcome back to Sketchbook Tuesday! 
 I'm pumped up to begin sketching in a my new Sketchbook Journal made from an old children's book. Even though it was not one of the well loved books my children read, it is a book with fabulous illustrations I couldn't bear to get rid of.  

So I've re-purposed "Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm "into a sketchbook by replacing the pages with a selection of cold and hot press watercolor paper and mixed media paper .  

The first page in a new sketchbook fills me with a feeling of excitement but also overwhelms me with feelings of what if I mess up the very first page! Not this time! I knew exactly what I would sketch and with a feeling of joy as I sketched and then painted my palette! 

You might remember this hand painted cover of another sketchbook, it has been sitting on my shelf and not used after the initial pages I did in 2013. Something about it didn't seem right.  Turns out it just needed a few more signatures added to fill out the large spine.  

I l

Now it is a book filled with watercolor paper and mixed media papers for drawing, sketching and watercolor. 

 It was important to also incorporate some of the pages I'd previously done.

 and NOW the book is perfect for a new sketching and watercolor adventure.  

 My goal is to fill up both sketchbooks in 2015!  Won't you join me on my sketchbook journey?   

Sketch on my friends!

Suzy

CALENDAR AND ART WORKS

Hello There!

I've been working towards my goals of changing my blog posting schedule to include bi-weekly posts on a consistent basis.  This week's feature is Art Works.

Art Works will include paper, collage and paint. I thought I'd show you what's up on my work surface: a mini collage of papers and paint ink. 

I found these great Post It notes with tabs at Office Depot with lined space for notes and a tab on the edge to mark your place or label a section of notes.  Also, I love the Grid Post It! With the Grid Post It I can keep track of developing ideas before committing them to the calendar. I also purchased a pack of clear page holders and dividers.  I LOVE calendars and LOVE LOVE LOVE office supplies!!!

 One of the new features I wanted to share with you is my hand painted calendar for the upcoming month of February.  

There's lots happening February....please join me to see what's new each week!

Bee Creative!
Suzy

PAINT, PAPER AND PALM TREES

Hello There!

A few summers ago I was giving my guest room a summer make over by sewing seasonal pillow covers for the day bed.  The appliqued designs were in the Hawaiian style where the design is cut out in one piece and appliqued to the background. 

Palm Trees 

Sea Turtles

 I diligently traced and cut the patterns for a palm tree from drawing paper to make sure it would fit the background and test out the pattern before tracing it to heat and bond and to fabric.  After the pillows were completed I decided the drawing paper cut out would make a nice collage element.  I've had that idea on the back burner for some time now; finally the idea is ready to come off the burner into reality.  

Do you ever have an image in your head that you'd like to create and it doesn't exactly go the way you had planned?  The collage in my head was a background of neutral paper and paint on which the Hawaiian style palm trees would be placed. All I can say is that it looked good in my head. 

I selected  a 20 x 20 artist canvas and scrapbook papers with lots of texture in neutral colors. 

A limited palette of craft acrylics in peony, linen, flesh and grey.  With a bit of water added to the paints, I laid on a light coat of color to the canvas with random brush strokes.  I like to add some color in the background along with paper just in case the papers don't overlap or touch there will be color to bridge the gap.

You can see in the photo above that I had already added a piece of scrapbook paper to the canvas.  I chose it because of the neutral color and the fact that it has text on it to add interest. AND it has my grandson's name JACKSON on it, in the final product it doesn't show but I know it's there <wink>.

When adhering paper to canvas I use Mod Podge or a gel medium.  Layering the papers and textures so they don't compete with the design is important.  I also add paint around the edges to blend any straight paper edges that look funny to me. 

Here is when I realize I've hit the grey paint a bit too hard in one section and it is standing out under the paper design like a sore thumb.  I tried applying more light color into the background but it wasn't covering the grey ......

Geez, this project just isn't turning out the way it looked in my head! 

Okay then, time to go to Plan B and you will have to wait to see how I solve this problem.  I'll be back in February with another post on the final outcome.  

Until then, grab some paper, paint and canvas and get busy!!

Bee Creative!
Suzy

     

CHANGES ARE COMING

Hello!

Time is rolling along this month at a fast pace and I'm jogging along trying to keep up.  Does that sound like you?  Seriously, I don't know if it is just me trying to keep up or if everyone else feels the same way.  We live in a fast rapidly changing world of technology where once we lived at a slower pace where people wrote letters and waited for a reply, it seems unreal and most unlikely today! Personally, I'd enjoy a slower pace but NOT that slow either, there must be a happy medium. 

Speaking of moving along, have you noticed Sunshine and Lollipops is getting a face lift? A new and improved format arrangement?  What do you think so far?  We are moving toward changes in content and posting on a more consistent basis. My 2015 goal is blogging on a regular weekly schedule. After three years of blogging rather inconsistently,  I've come to the realization blogging takes more thought and more preparation time and more planning than I have been willing to admit and it is important to me. It is important to make more time in my schedule to produce blog worthy posts rather than scramble at the last minute to meet a blog deadline.  This stuff (planning, blogging consistency) doesn't come naturally for me because I'm more of a fly by the seat of your pants kinda gal. But I am trying to change my fly by the seat of your pants style in order to bring you better and more consistent content. To help me with scheduling I've purchased several calendars (pocket and planner) to jot my notes in (because I'm old school), AND printed out a free monthly blog planner online AND I'm making use of an online calendar.  I know, it's a bit overkill, isn't it? Perhaps this is where I go wrong in my effort to keep everything written down (little obsessive that way), but I DO love planners and calendars! How about you? What methods do you use to keep track and on schedule?  

Planning ahead is key to keep things rolling along so I've also created a fun way to track my progress each month in a mini three ring binder (previously a SMASH journal converted to Blog Journal).  It's strictly for blog post ideas and a visual way to keep track of my TO DO and NOTES. I'll share one with you each month.  Here's my January planner pages: 

Goals for 2015 

Monthly Blog Calendar 

WORD Reminder 

Please join me each week for posts featuring Sketchbook Tuesday and Travel Journal Thursday, Heartstrings (featuring crafts, sewing, Home Decorating) Knitting with a Mission, HeART Craft (features Paint/Paper & Collage and Monthly Calendars).  Looking forward to celebrating my fourth year in Blog land with you! 

Bee Creative! 
Suzy

CLEAN UP YOUR ACT

Hello there!

Does this happen to you at the beginning of each New Year, the need to take a good hard look at yourself and clean up your act?  It really just dawned on me that is exactly what all this New Year's Resolution stuff is about, at least for me anyhow.  Just a bit slow here....half a month into the "New Year" it occurred to me that some of the steps I've been taking in the last few weeks are to clean up my act and to get things more orderly.  

It started with a desire to make a change within, starting with getting back into a daily bible study habit.  I've grown lax over the last....well let's just say I've grown lax in my bible study and really felt the Lord was leading me back into the Word on a regular basis, this time it would be an online daily scripture study called Made For Community.

  Love God Greatly.com  is where you will find this study and although the online groups are closed, you can still get the bible study links to print out and follow along with.  The study started on Monday so you can catch up easily.  I like the way there is a Reading Plan with daily scripture to read with a writing exercise that takes me deeper into the Word.

Not only am I allowing God to do some interior clean up there is the outer clean up too.  Yes, like I said, things have gotten lax around here.  I've never been in the running for Good Housekeeping award (as most of my family and friends can attest to) but it is time to start paying attention to the outer clutter again.  Last year I did rid our home of excess clutter and mind you there was a LOT of clutter to go out the front door, even the hubby was impressed with my clutter purging skills.

  I've tried to be more intentional about the stuff that comes into our space by not buying unnecessary items, truly asking myself if this is necessary and can we live without it in our home.  Surprisingly,  we can live without a LOT of things.....things that clutter up our space.  I'm going on another clutter spree, cleaning out closets and drawers and really asking myself if 1) Have I used this item in the last year? 2) Do I really need it to function each day? 3) Do I really love/like it?   I am going to be ruthless in the process of cleaning out the clutter and happy to be blessing others while doing it.  LOL!  IF you struggle with clutter and lousy housekeeping skills check out FlyLady, she is a super hero of cleaning and de-cluttering HERE.

Speaking of cleaning up and cleaning out, I'm totally re-evaluating the time I spend on social media. Oh pleeezzz.....I hear the groans now.  But it is true, the time spent on social media, text and email on my I-phone and excessive TV watching take up too much of my time.

 Time is valuable and it is a gift. We choose what our time is spent on and how much time is spent on it, what we are willing to give up in order to have that time. Is it worth the time spent? Is it meaningful time spent? Could the time be spent doing something else that matters?   I want my time to have meaning and to matter. Lately, I've felt these things have been distractions to my real life and are not that meaningful to me. SO,  hold your breath and give me a drum roll..... I'm opting out of spending time on social media and less TV watching.  That means I'm giving up the time I spend on those things to make more time for the things I really enjoy: spending time in the Word, time with family and friends, serving in the church and in the community,  reading, art, knitting, sewing and blogging about those activities that make me happy and have meaning in my life.

I hope you are inspired to clear out the clutter and make time for what you love.


Suzy