A smile is the beginning of peace

Hi beautiful

Easter is upon us. This quote from Mother Teresa, "A smile is the beginning of peace" is apt at this time. What better place to display it but on an iPad cover!

Front of cover

The cover was fun to make with lots of machine stitching! The top layer is a random collage of fabric pieces arranged over a middle layer of wadding and a bottom layer (lining) of two hankies. The result is a thick and firm piece.

Back of cover

Pieces of tea dyed cotton, each stamped with a quote were hand stitched on the front,  reverse of front flap and on the back. The back piece is a pocket.

Front flap open showing Velcro closure

The hankie lining is visible in the photo above and below. The hankies were a similar size and colourful. The border of the blue one worked very well indeed.

Inside cover

So there you have it. A functional item made from leftover pieces of fabric and old hankies.

I love it when something "old" or recycled is used.

Peace to you and yours.

Love Cara

Journey collage

Hi beautiful

This past week, I got into collage. Pure serendipity from start to finish!

Journey collage

Starting  with a page from an old desktop calendar, already layered with paper and painted with acrylics; armed with a couple of containers of random pieces of scrap paper and open to whatever may happen, I ventured forth.

A deer beckoned.
A quote discovered.

 "Je pourrais escalader des montagnes". (I could climb mountains!)

Torn scraps adhered.
I was so enjoying this journey!

Je pourrais escalader des montagnes!

Stamped and painted.

Et voila, fini!

Journey tag

Deer climbing mountains

It's amazing the buzz I got just flowing along on this journey, allowing the papers to guide me.

Looking at this now, reminds me of one of my favourite movies from my youth - The Sound of Music and one of the inspirational songs which has stayed with me through the years.

Climb every mountain
Ford every stream
Follow every rainbow
Till you find your dream.

May you find your dream.

Love
Cara

Courage

Hi beautiful

The start of the new month, March, brings fresh opportunities to consider my intentions, my direction for the next  31 days. 

I was lucky to find a diary in late January that really appealed to me. Titled "Every Day Matters: a year of inspiration for the mind, body and spirit", it completed perfectly my collection of journals for 2016. I do love my daily journals! This one I'm using to record images of each week. Each month, there is a theme and affirmation, along with inspirational comments. Truth is the theme for March with the affirmation, " I choose to stay close to my truth". In the first week, it suggests to consider 3 emotions I want to be true for my life. One of the emotions I've chosen is courage. 

In a new notebook, very much like an autograph book, (5.75"x 4"), I've combined the artwork of a postage stamp with a quote on courage. Handwritten in ink, with watercolor outline and pencil shading. 

Courage

I thoroughly enjoyed doing this. A great way to ponder on a theme and appreciate the beauty of postage stamps. The first of a series I think.

What emotions do you wish to focus and act on in this month?

Love

Cara

A circle begins anywhere

It's another beautiful Saturday and the weather beckoned me to be outdoors. That's where I have spent the day - a wonderful indulgence to be sure!

Before leaping out of bed this morning, I grabbed a set of oracle cards - the card chosen was the Wheel of Fortune - the ever revolving circle of change. Also a book, Zen Stories and Paintings by Stephen Cassettari, provided the story for the day with accompanying quotes. Its theme was also change. The Cassettari quote I've used is "A circle begins anywhere". 

Doing the journal page was a welcome break from the mini album creations I've been working on. 

In layers, I roughly stepped through as follows:

1. Gesso on watercolour paper page. 

2. Torn illustrations and text adhered.

3. Off cuts of gelli plate pages adhered.

4. Script stamp randomly

5.  Gesso thinly brushed on and painted with mix of green, blue and black water soluble oil pastels. 

6. Stencilled texture onto arches with impasto medium.

7. Adhered people illustrations (coloured with pencils); clock and fleur de lys (made from mould); letter tiles (made from mould), words typed on paper.

8. Highlighted edges with black oil pastel.

Change is constant.

A circle begins anywhere.

Well that was fun! Remember change means we're alive!

Love C. 

Thanks for the memories

Well today was my last day as a working girl. It was a happy one surrounded by people I love and care about.Thank you for the memories!

Here's a peek at some of the lovely farewell gifts and wishes I received this week. 

And a favorite verse that I have referred to over the years, "Salutation to the Dawn" attributed to Kalidasa.

Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence:
The bliss of growth;
The glory of action;
The splendour of achievement;
For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision;
But today, well lived, makes every yesterday 
a dream of happiness, 
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Go well. 

Cara

Memories are a soul pack

 

Mixed media over a number of days. I so enjoyed creating this. It started out as a piece for Creative Every Day Challenge, with the theme being "Lost and Found". http://creativeeveryday.com/creative-every-day-challenge

If you look really hard, above the house with the well lit windows, there is a message "Perdu et Trouvé".

The typed quote is from Sister Stan in her book "Moments of Stillness".

Memories are a soul pack,

our greatest treasure

Always present, 

in any space, in every place."

The scene reflects present day buildings with a glimpse into the dwellings of old. Buried beneath the mounds are lost items of a bygone time. Plough wheels and cogs. Rusty keys, coins and old time pieces can be found. An old church still stands with stain glassed windows providing solace through the ages. 

Treasure the past as its harvest is your present and the foundation of your future.

Go well.

Love Cara

Thought for the day

When I loved myself enough ....

 

I paused and became still. Calm and quiet entered my being.

My healing began. 

I recently bought the book "When I loved myself enough" by Kim McMillen. A beautiful collection of wisdom in all its simplicity.

My thought above was inspired by Kim's ....

"When I loved myself enough

Things got real quiet inside.

Nice. Real nice."

May you be blessed with peace and joy.

Cara

June Birthdays

Here are birthday cards I made for family with June as their special month. The same technique is used with distress ink pads rubbed on embossed water colour paper, sprayed with water, dried and then further highlighted with the inks.  I added some perfect pearls powder to water and sprayed as a final finishing touch, giving a sparkle to the card.

A quick and easy technique giving a great colourful finish.

"The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love colour the most" ~ John Ruskin 1819 - 1900

Enjoy the colour in your life.

October gratitudes

In early October the theme of gratitude began to weave through my thinking.  

First of all, I bought a gratitude diary for 2014 while browsing in a homeware store, The Wheel & Barrow. Compiled by Melanie Spears, it is beautifully laid out and includes inspiration quotes, journal space, astrology guide.

With my interest aroused and wanting to start straightway recording my gratitudes (impatient as ever), I then downloaded an app Gratitude 365 on my iPad. This gave me a visual daily record combining a photo and a page to list gratitudes. The month of October looks like this. 

A few days later, I downloaded the book, The Magic, by Rhonda Bryne. This is about the magic that comes to us when gratitude is uppermost in our thinking. I'm still reading it - there's a chapter for each of 28 days and practical activities to follow. A lot to absorb and practice. I enjoy the daily ritual of recording my gratitudes and choosing a photo to go with it. 

To quote Tecumseh (1768-1813), a Shawnee Native American Leader -
" When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself."

Take care. 

Aout - mois de change

Month of August

Waves of change 

began to roll in. 

Swirling eddies

Circles of uncertainty.










" The beauty of life is that it flows and never stops. It takes us on a journey of twists and turns; life is not lived in a straight line, in a linear fashion.It is an adventure to be experienced and there is no place for failure because nothing is permanent. Life challenges us and redirects us from one dead end to another until we finally come to see the links between the challenges, the patterns of life and the lessons emerging. And the truth that finally dawns is that life is simply a matter of living - from one season to the next - learning as we go." ~ Sister Stan, Moments of Stillness. 

Learning to Fall

I stumbled across this book, Learning to Fall last night while searching for one of my Silvermarks tomes. Written by Philip Simmons and published in 2002. 

Sheer serendipity! Love it. 

I've spent an enjoyable few hours today soaking in its truths. Handwritten on some note paper and now glued into my visual diary, here are a couple of quotes I jotted down. 

This truly is an inspirational book of one man's deepening journey in the mystery of life; I see myself re-reading many times. 

"Seek not a perfect life, but a full one."

April Calendar

April on my calendar was shown as Autumn leaves each giving thanks for a week.

So many gratitudes - I only need open my eyes.

A lovely quote I included on the page is by Rumi:

"Raise your words, not voice.
It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder."

Go gratefully...

Quote of the day

Imagination needs noodling -- long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering. 

~ Brenda Veland

Celebrate

Celebrate the pathway of your destiny by doing what makes you most happy and brings deep joy from within.

it is from this place that we offer our greatest gifts to the world.

~ Cheryl Thiele~

Like a bird

One two three, 
     Like a bird I sing
         Cause you've given me the most beautiful set of wings. ~ Tim McGraw ~

Cara

Live for today

What matters is to live in the present, live now, for every moment is now. It is your thoughts and acts of the moment that create your future. The outline of your future path already exists, for you created its pattern by your past.

Sai Baba

Life is an ocean

Life is an ocean, love is a boat.


In troubled waters, it keeps us afloat.


- John Mc Dermott -






Enjoy the song...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAoVzsH9ESU

Beauty in the garden

Narelle's garden 19 Feb 2012

"If you have a mind at peace,
a heart that cannot harden,
go find a door
that opens wide
upon a lovely garden."


~ Kate Knapp ~

Above all

Created October 2001

      This above all - to thine own self be true. 

      ~ Shakespeare

New Ending

Hayman Island
22/6/2005

Nobody can go back 

and start a new beginning.

But anyone can start today

and make a new ending.

~ Maria Robinson ~