M and S doodles to match Pottery Barn Kids bedding...

I finished the M and S that I was working on. I am so excited about these!

M is for Madden. It was requested that this match Pottery Barn Madras bedding.

and

S is for Sutton. This one was requested to match Pottery Barn Lahaina Surf bedding.

As I mentioned before, these were a new challenge for me. I am really glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something different. They were a lot of fun to do!

On to the next doodle! :)

Linking here:

  

Monday Musings... Friends

This is a photo from my 40th birthday celebration in January 2011. These lovely ladies treated me to an evening painting at a local business. We had a great time eating chocolate cake, drinking wine and painting. What could possibly be better?

Of course, that's me in the princess crown. To the left is Gina, to my right, Chris and Aamie. These are the three closest friends I have right now and I love them with all of my heart. I feel I can trust them with anything I tell them. I know they will love me and not judge me for who I am, quirks and all. We have been through so much together. Births of babies, deaths of loved ones, relationship situations and just the every day muck. We have also had the opportunity to share many joys together as well.  

A lot has happened in the year an a half since this celebration. Of course I found out within a month of this photo that I was pregnant with my third child. What a birthday gift! Gina had been in the process of looking for a job for almost 2 years and has since found one, joining the workforce after around a decade of being a stay at home mom. Aamie's family moved to Rio last summer and we went almost an entire year without seeing each other. She has been home for the last month and is heading back to Rio this Wednesday. :( I miss having her beautiful smile just 3 houses down. And Chris, well, this woman prayed fervently for a child in the 6 years since I had met her. Having had 2 miscarriages, she and her husband were on a quest to adopt a child at the time of this picture. In May of this year, their prayers were answered and they are the parents of a sweet baby boy. We get to raise our sons together!

This spring, I had a falling out with a person I thought was a friend. She acted like a friend and there are some wonderful things she did that I am eternally grateful for. But in the end, I learned the lesson of friends vs. acquaintances and she should have only been an acquaintance. I guess I can thank her for the lesson I hope I have learned about discernment of who true friends are and who are just acquaintances. I also was reminded of the beautiful blessings in the above photo. My true friends.

I found this quote while writing this and to me it sums up what true friendship is so well...

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.” ― Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Road to Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey


Gina, Chris and Aamie, thank you for always being there for me. I love you all so much!

I know there are other true friends who are going to read this. Friends who are now in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Idaho, and Ohio to name a few. Friends who stood by me through a lot over the years. You know who you are. Don't ever doubt I remember, appreciate and love you too!

 

Two new doodled letters for little boys in progress.

Can you tell I got a new phone? It is an HTC 1X. I love it and now, I am on Instagram. I'm not so keen on these two photos. I think my regular camera will work much better for pictures of my artwork. But, since I haven't added color to these two tropical letters, I think this will do today.

I received a request to do an S and an M to match some bedding. I will be showing the black and white uncolored artwork today and going over what colors to use with the "client". We will also be discussing what name or saying should be hidden in the letter as well.

I am pretty excited about these. This was a challenge as I am used to doing girly flowers and butterflies in my doodles. But as I got going, I had a really good time. I hope she likes them. I'll be sure to post the finished doodles when they are colored.

I'll keep you posted.

Monday Musings... A space of my own

Part of my space.

This is my drawing table. I have been working to turn it into a place to channel creativity. Upon it you can find a black and white picture of my mother, a small print of a painting my mom did, a picture of my children, a rosary and added just last week, a beautiful orchid.

Habits can be hard to develop, but I realize the importance of some time to myself. It's just making myself do it. I am sure before long I will look forward to sitting at my table once I get in the groove of spending time there.

My mother, rest her soul, didn't take time to nourish herself as we were growing up. She worried a lot about my dad's wants and needs and about what us kids were doing, but she didn't take care of herself. She didn't eat right, she didn't rest when she needed to and she didn't spend time alone spiritually. At least not that I know of. Unfortunately, I have developed my mother's habits of worrying about everyone else but myself. It isn't her fault, she did what she knew and learned from her mom. I think it is time to make a generational change and do my best to save my daughters from the same attitudes.

It will start at this table.

Do you have a space of your own? Is it a corner, a table, or an entire room?