Adding some green

  There is a comforting smell of cinnamon and baking coming from the oven. I have an abundance of carrots in my bin and this morning decided to use some up and make a carrot cake. I used a honey/brown sugar mix for my sweetness. I also had some raisins and cranberries so they went in as well.
    I look outside and snow is gently falling.  We so rarely see snow here on the island that it has me grinning ear to ear! I was outside at 9pm making a tiny snowman the first night. 

I've put the last touches on a couple of paintings. I am enjoying adding some
green to the somewhat limited palette of colours that I like to play with. I layered up the paint
using the envelopes from my mom's letters. (as mentioned in previous post). I really
enjoy adding a colour and then walking away, looking back at it and deciding what colour
to add next. The hardest part is deciding when to stop adding and just let it be.

Hugs til next time.
Suzanne

Letters from my Mom

  Once a week I open my mailbox and inside is a little 4" X 5 1/2" surprise.
Sometimes its bright and colourful, and other times its standard white.
I smile when I see the cursive writing on the front knowing its another letter from my mom.
That's right, my mom and I write back and forth once a week, on paper, slide it into an envelope and put a stamp on it. Sometimes its just talking about the weather, a recipe, sometimes its a funny joke or  sharing some pictures we've taken.
  My mom lives in a small town, and the post office employees there have said
that she receives the most mail of anyone in town. We laughed at this and I definately  tease
her about being so famous.
  I love exchanging letters because it is so nice to receive something that you can hold in your hand.  I still only read books in their natural form...paper.
  Last year, or maybe the year before I was playing around with some paint, and I grabbed one
of mom's envelopes, folded it up and used it to move the paint around on my canvas. I really liked
the texture and coverage I was getting. I have used it quite a few times since. In the pictures below
you can see a canvas that I am playing with and the folded up envelope being used. What is it
about the envelopes from my moms letters? I only save the colourful ones. Its definitely
another connection to her from the other side of the country.
  So, does anyone out there hand write letters or notes to anyone? Let me know, and if you want
to I could write to you too.
;) Suzanne

 

 

2020

  Another year has gone by. The last hours of 2019 were literally blown away with the howling winds and driving rain of winter on the West Coast of Canada. 2020 has started the same. Blowing away the crap, and allowing in the awesome!!

   In a few days I will be 54!  Yikes! Over half of a century of my life has been lived....When I was 10, 50 seemed ancient, and now, at 53, it feels like I'm only half way through my life. What will I do with the other half? What sort of adventures am I going to get up to?

  For this years reflection I am not going to moan and groan about my aches and pains, or about my limitations because of them, but I will try to be thankful for what I do have, thankful for my family and friends. 

     I have a childhood friend and we like to count down the years left to retirement and knowing that I still have at least 11, I need to be able to enjoy my life til then and long after. At the top of my list this year, and only thing, is to take care of my body so it will keep going, at least another half century.

  I will continue to try new things and things that I haven't played with for awhile creatively.
Being creative as often as possible is definitely my zen zone.

  Some things I've already played with.....

I embroidered this butterfly a couple of months ago. Last night I turned it into a broach.

Between Christmas and New Years I took a sheet of paper that I had painted and cut it into strips and made an ornament.

And January 1st just for fun, I did a potato stamp.

Let me know what you are up to this year. And as the first pic says....wishing all of you a peaceful and healthy 2020. Lets be kind to each other.


Suzanne

I am at home among the trees...JRR Tolkien

 

This is so true. 

I do not personally know the artist of this 

poster but wanted to include the link.

September already

I took this photo last weekend as I walked around a golf course with visiting family.

September already.

Where has this year gone? It is crazy that

in just over a week we will be in the last 3 months of this year.

It has felt like summer vacation as a kid....2 months feeling like 2 weeks.

I thought it might be an age thing, but everyone of all ages around

me are feeling the same.

Are we maybe trying to rush to 2020?

Does it sound exciting to be heading into a year that seems quite

futuristic? Especially if I think back to when I was a kid growing up

in the 70"s....2020 was definately a number I probably would have

thought of as way way way way off in the future....with hover craft,

and tri-corders and instant food materializers.

Yes I watched Star Trek and dreamed of a future like that.

Makes me wonder what I've done this year.

Have I changed anything?

Have I been happy staying the same?

Plenty to think about.

How about you?

Random thoughts from me, Suzanne

Wanderlust

I just posted a couple of pics on my tumblr
of cottages on the edge of a body of water.
Feels very calm and solitary...
I just came back from a vacation but I feel
I need more than a vacation....I need something
new.....some kind of change.....

stay tuned......
Suzanne

We all scream for ice cream

Another new thing happening this year for me is a
creative get together group with my co conspirators
from work.....I threw around the idea of getting
together once a month or so and sharing what we
like to do. We had our first meeting at my little apartment.
I played around with honey comb
smocking and some abstract paint on cardboard.

An idea that popped up was to pick a prompt word
and who ever feels inclined to, work on a project
in between get togethers and do a show and tell at
next meeting.

The word was ice cream....I came across a pic of
an ice cream cone online that inspired me, and
using my own hand as my model,  I painted my interpretation
on a perfectly round piece of cardboard I had in my
cupboard.....I really like how it turned out.

So, yay for new things in 2019!!
Suzanne

Virginia Woolf

….there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you
can set upon the freedom of my mind.

—	Virginia Woolf

Henry Miller

““Develop an interest in life as you see it; the people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself.””

—  Henry Miller

is it 2019 already?

Its a darkish, cool January 5th.
One day after my 53rd birthday.

I've started a  New Years post a few times now.

The last couple of years, I have started the new year with a reflection of
the past year and thoughts towards what I would like to accomplish
for the next.  You can read them -- end of 2017  
end of 2016

Last year I actually tested the waters and tried to meet some new people.
All I'm going to say is it was interesting....

I completed my sketchbook project and sent it in. It then went on tour.
You can read about it here--- sketchbook project
I felt very accomplished and super stoked when I finally finished it,
but kind of sad that I was letting it go somewhere else.....
Will I do it again? I'm not sure.....

The beginning of summer I flew to my mom's and we spent a couple of weeks
driving around exploring and searching for family mysteries that she had
been trying to solve for a while.....very fun.

I spent a lot of time being frustrated with my neck issues....lots of pain and
hardly any moments of relief.....which lead me to the decision that I would
have to accept that there are things that I just can't do anymore...... Still, my
creative brain doesn't turn off just like that, and I wouldn't be suzanne the dreamer
if it did....I just have to channel that creativity into other things....

So, towards the end of 2018, I started to eliminate the negative things that were making
me feel frustrated, and to try and find things that made me smile and feel happy to be me.
A couple of things I found were listening to the nature music channel on the t.v.....you know
how I love the seasonal t.v. fireplace. I also found a Youtube channel that is a live
feed of birdies, check them out here -  the cornell lab bird cams
....very chill and happy inducing.

 I didn't post a lot last year,  that might also change this year.....there is writing started
on my desktop, perhaps some will get finished....wink wink.

I feel there will be some good changes this year. I've already decided that I will try
new things. One thing already was a needle felting birthday lesson with my daughter.
My friend who is amazing at it came and gave us a lesson.
We made the cutest little bunny heads. We were going to
set them up as key chains but they are way tooo cute for that, so decorative little bunny heads they
shall remain..
Something else I am interested in trying is needle punch. 

Mine is on the left, my friend/teacher's is centre,  and my daughter's is on the right. She was going for evil bunny. I think we did amazingly well for our first try.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 What are you guys getting up to this year?                                                                             
                               
Anyways, onwards and upwards....

Happy and healthy 2019 to you all, and lets be sure to lead with
kindness and compassion...

hugs, Suzanne