Met a good friend for breakfast this morning...and then we....
Oh yeah. We did. And I discovered that, when I shoot left handed (unlike this particular picture)...
I'm a Lights Out Layla.
Time With A Friend
Met a good friend for breakfast this morning...and then we....
Oh yeah. We did. And I discovered that, when I shoot left handed (unlike this particular picture)...
I'm a Lights Out Layla.
Beta Launch Giveaway!
Michael Hyatt's post on permanent beta, just this past Monday, has had a profound effect on me this week. As a result, I am going to do a Beta Launch Giveaway.
When a company launches its Beta Project, they know it is imperfect. The whole idea is to launch the product "as is" and get the customer's feedback. Now...particularly in technology, quite often the customer still pays for the product, even in its beta state! The price is reduced, but customers willingly pay to be part of the project, and to get to use the product.
I've been working on my own line of bags, cuffs, and altered couture - not just art! I have a basic design for a bag in mind - I want it to be smaller, reversible, and to always have an inspiring word embroidered somewhere on the bag - sometimes very inconspicuously, sometimes boldly.
My vision is to help women live well-defined lives...artfully and soulfully...in context of the Gospel.
Typically, under the old "wait until it's perfect" mindset, I would tweak until I thought it was perfect - which isn't a bad idea in this context; however, I have a perfectly-imperfect, very use-able bag and a beautiful leather cuff, both of which would be wasted just because I am still tweaking the design!
I hate waste.
So, after mulling over Hyatt's thoughts on beta all week long, I thought, "Why not do a Beta Giveaway?"
I will give you my very, very, very first bag, and my very, very second cuff (first one went to daughter Hannah) - and you use and wear and give me feedback as to how I can improve the design. Tell me how it wears for you and what you might like for me to do better.
Go ahead. I can take it.
Here is the cuff:
...this is a narrow leather cuff, in a medium size, trimmed in a rich mustard gold embroidery - stamped with the word "LOVED" Who doesn't need to be reminded of that? If you have a tiny wrist (as I do), it fits like a bangle. If you have an average or large wrist, it will fit close - more like a cuff should. But I like how it looks on me! I wore this out to breakfast with the Preacher just this morning, and got a compliment on it!
Here is the bag:
Upholstery grade vintage-style fabric outside...
...ticking on the inside, a cell phone pocket (fits all Smart Phones), and a hand-embroidered label, just to whisper to you about the key to - not just a beautiful eternity - but also the key to a beautiful day...
It is reversible...here you see it with the embroidered pocket on the outside...
...and the vintage-style fabric on the inside.
Now I know three things about this bag: 1. It is a bit too floppy to suit me. I will have to tweak that - using something to make the sides stiffer. 2. I think it needs another interior pocket (or exterior, depending on which side you prefer facing out) and 3. There are tiny flaws, here and there. But overall, this is a super cute bag, and is use-able. I still love the shape and the size and the drop of the bag (distance from your shoulder to the start of the bag, when the bag's straps are on your shoulder. Perfect drop!). I know I am on the right track.
Hey - even if you only enjoy it for two days, you enjoyed it for free. If you decide it isn't right for you, you could pass it along to a daughter or granddaughter. Just please give me some feedback!
If you would like to participate in my Beta Launch, here's what I need you to do:
1. Please follow me here on my blog - click "join this site" on the button you'll see in the right hand sidebar.
2. Leave a comment, telling me that, once you receive your gifts, you'll let me know how these items wear for you. I truly want the feedback!
3. If you either: A. "like" Sheila Atchley Designs on Facebook, or B. share the link to this post on Facebook (click on the Facebook link in my sidebar) or C. tweet about my website (sheilaatchleydesigns.com) I will enter you twice. Just please come back and leave a second comment, letting me know that you did either A. or B. or C. and your second comment will be your second entry!
That's it! I will draw a name in one week - Friday, one week from today. If only one person enters, you win! That won't hurt my feelings. I just love to give.
Even if you are local (which lots of you who read my blog are!) I still want to mail your prizes to you, USPS, because I need for you to get the full experience - design, packaging, everything - and give me honest feedback on how special your package made you feel. This is an important aspect of developing my business. (Did I really just call it that??)
Whew. I am so Beta right now. Nothing is perfect.
If I succeed, you succeed with me. If I fail, just don't let me fail alone.
I could never design anything I would not wear myself in an East Tennessee Second. Imperfect as they may be, I. Love. These.
When a company launches its Beta Project, they know it is imperfect. The whole idea is to launch the product "as is" and get the customer's feedback. Now...particularly in technology, quite often the customer still pays for the product, even in its beta state! The price is reduced, but customers willingly pay to be part of the project, and to get to use the product.
I've been working on my own line of bags, cuffs, and altered couture - not just art! I have a basic design for a bag in mind - I want it to be smaller, reversible, and to always have an inspiring word embroidered somewhere on the bag - sometimes very inconspicuously, sometimes boldly.
My vision is to help women live well-defined lives...artfully and soulfully...in context of the Gospel.
Typically, under the old "wait until it's perfect" mindset, I would tweak until I thought it was perfect - which isn't a bad idea in this context; however, I have a perfectly-imperfect, very use-able bag and a beautiful leather cuff, both of which would be wasted just because I am still tweaking the design!
I hate waste.
So, after mulling over Hyatt's thoughts on beta all week long, I thought, "Why not do a Beta Giveaway?"
I will give you my very, very, very first bag, and my very, very second cuff (first one went to daughter Hannah) - and you use and wear and give me feedback as to how I can improve the design. Tell me how it wears for you and what you might like for me to do better.
Go ahead. I can take it.
Here is the cuff:
Here is the bag:
Upholstery grade vintage-style fabric outside...
...ticking on the inside, a cell phone pocket (fits all Smart Phones), and a hand-embroidered label, just to whisper to you about the key to - not just a beautiful eternity - but also the key to a beautiful day...
Now I know three things about this bag: 1. It is a bit too floppy to suit me. I will have to tweak that - using something to make the sides stiffer. 2. I think it needs another interior pocket (or exterior, depending on which side you prefer facing out) and 3. There are tiny flaws, here and there. But overall, this is a super cute bag, and is use-able. I still love the shape and the size and the drop of the bag (distance from your shoulder to the start of the bag, when the bag's straps are on your shoulder. Perfect drop!). I know I am on the right track.
Hey - even if you only enjoy it for two days, you enjoyed it for free. If you decide it isn't right for you, you could pass it along to a daughter or granddaughter. Just please give me some feedback!
If you would like to participate in my Beta Launch, here's what I need you to do:
1. Please follow me here on my blog - click "join this site" on the button you'll see in the right hand sidebar.
2. Leave a comment, telling me that, once you receive your gifts, you'll let me know how these items wear for you. I truly want the feedback!
3. If you either: A. "like" Sheila Atchley Designs on Facebook, or B. share the link to this post on Facebook (click on the Facebook link in my sidebar) or C. tweet about my website (sheilaatchleydesigns.com) I will enter you twice. Just please come back and leave a second comment, letting me know that you did either A. or B. or C. and your second comment will be your second entry!
That's it! I will draw a name in one week - Friday, one week from today. If only one person enters, you win! That won't hurt my feelings. I just love to give.
Even if you are local (which lots of you who read my blog are!) I still want to mail your prizes to you, USPS, because I need for you to get the full experience - design, packaging, everything - and give me honest feedback on how special your package made you feel. This is an important aspect of developing my business. (Did I really just call it that??)
Whew. I am so Beta right now. Nothing is perfect.
If I succeed, you succeed with me. If I fail, just don't let me fail alone.
I could never design anything I would not wear myself in an East Tennessee Second. Imperfect as they may be, I. Love. These.
Faith Can't Be Bought...
But the mixed media canvas entitled "Faith" has sold...
...and will bless its new home inAustralia! Post edit: make that the UK. Keeping up with my globe trotting girl Ursula is a full time job. ::grin::
...and will bless its new home in
More Beta - Stocking the Shop
Purchased a teaching DVD, invested in some equipment. I am teaching myself a new skill set this summer:
This is my very, very, very first cuff. Full of flaws. Very Beta (see previous blog post).
But somehow, probably because it is flawed, it is beautiful to me. And beautiful enough that my daughter Hannah coveted it mightily, so I gave it to her.
Both my hands are bruised. I thonked the junk out of first one, and then the other, using the mallet to pierce the leather. I am telling you, I raised my mallet high...I wound up big time, and brought it down hard.
Mother of a Black Bear. That hurt.
Hannah laughed so hard, she spit her Dr. Pepper.
I'll be working on making more for my shop.
Heaven help and heal and protect my hands. Prayers appreciated, friends...
This is my very, very, very first cuff. Full of flaws. Very Beta (see previous blog post).
But somehow, probably because it is flawed, it is beautiful to me. And beautiful enough that my daughter Hannah coveted it mightily, so I gave it to her.
Both my hands are bruised. I thonked the junk out of first one, and then the other, using the mallet to pierce the leather. I am telling you, I raised my mallet high...I wound up big time, and brought it down hard.
Mother of a Black Bear. That hurt.
Hannah laughed so hard, she spit her Dr. Pepper.
I'll be working on making more for my shop.
Heaven help and heal and protect my hands. Prayers appreciated, friends...
I'm In Permanent Beta Launch - Till Heaven
(mixed media art-in-progress..."Suspended in Grace"...with four being the number of Creativity...and the amount of children I have had to release to God and His unfathomable riches of Grace!)
Love Michael Hyatt's post today on living with Permanent Beta. This is when you find an acceptable level of imperfection, and you roll with it anyhow. (That's my succinct paraphrase, and I think it's great.)
My Spiritual Gift is "Roll With It". You won't find it in Scripture, not in those exact words, nor will you find it on any Spiritual Gift Test. But I promise, my gift is Roll With It.
Not so long ago, however, my gift was more akin to "Wait Until It's Perfect". The crazy thing is, nothing ever was. Perfect.
Thank God He imparted the gift of Roll With It to me. If He hadn't, very little would be getting done, except what I could do to please and bless myself. I wouldn't be actively mentoring other women, creating art and selling it, and we wouldn't even attempt college with our youngest. That situation is wildly imperfect, we have no college fund whatsoever, and he is undeserving.
But we Roll With It. What God says, we do, even when it is BigBig, even when we don't seem to have the resources, even when we can't do it perfectly the first time.
The big revelation (truly) for me was - and I didn't begin to really get it until I began naming my years, beginning with "Create" - that you always tweak as you go. I once knew a man, Godblesshim, who for years was hung up on pride. He worried that The Preacher was prideful, worried about the pride of teenage boys, and prayed endlessly for humility - especially that others who were doing Big Things would Stay Humble. He was the pride police, and of course, you aren't supposed to walk in pride.
So you sit and do little-to-nothing in the area of your true calling and passion, wearing pride turned inside-out like a reversible coat. We all know that pride is what keeps you sitting there until you are no longer proud. And the worst pride of all is to be certain of your own humility. Might be best to shed that deceptively-protective layer and stand up and do something imperfectly. By the way - be proud that you did.
Then you simply face up....man-up...woman-up....to the Tweaking Process. Someone is going to correct/critique/tell you how you must improve.
Hug them, when they do. I did...just last week - and they weren't just correcting my spelling or my grammar.
And I received correction a few weeks before that. If no one is critiquing you, you aren't out in front. (And if you are the one always critiquing...well...I've got sad news. You aren't out in front either. But I'll take your criticism on advisement.)
Does that mean I must embrace all correction? Nah. Only when it is for the Greater Good. Only when it does not compromise the Finished Work of Christ in my life. When it gets petty or personal, I toss it like year-old mascara.
Friend, it's all in the Tweak. Life is one big 80 year Tweak. Get over yourself, and move on. If you make a mistake, own it and fix it. I promise the juju of the universe is not moved when we screw things up. You were born wrong, and you'll be wrong again before dinner.
All my life I thought I had God's stamp of approval because my life wasn't going badly. Now I was faced with the fear that it might actually be the opposite. What if my life was going so beautifully because I wasn't chasing after God?
- Jennie Allen, Anything
Faith Is...
Faith is the substance of things hoped for...
...the evidence of things not yet seen.
And so we keep moving forward.
Small Is The New Big
(I took this via Instagram, about a month ago...a sweet church out in the country, here in East TN)
I love small church buildings, when they hint of history and good, simple, sturdy architecture. So much more beautiful than these huge monoliths I call "airport churches"...you know...when signs hang from the ceilings directing you down which wing is what terminal...I mean destination...I mean classroom or bathroom you need. As though you should never absolutely have to ask a person.
I got such great news this week! In fact, the news is so good, I dare not share it until all details are properly tended. But can I just hint?
Over. The. Dang. Top.
I hope to be able to share soon!
Kairos Time, When It's Difficult
I've heard many definitions for "Kairos" time...that Greek word for the sort of time that is held suspended as a "time between times"...moments when the veil between earth and heaven is very, very thin. Some actually call these moments "portals" in time. Some experience Kairos as the ability to be completely absorbed in the creative...absorbed, and time doesn't feel like ordinary Chronos "tick tock of the clock" time, but is transcended into something otherworldly.
I've experienced breathlessly beautiful Kairos moments...and God-kissed days...stunning in their loveliness, and brevity.
And I have had a huge, whole day of Kairos time, today. It has been a Kairos day, and it felt stressful and painful and peaceful and prayerful.
Painful and stressful, but the heavens were opened in a special way...I could feel myself praying into the future. Leaning into the pain of today, transforming it into prophetic prayer. I take a huge risk with a very small liberty, but I tell you this, for sure: There are those times - those Kairos times, when access to heaven is instant and effective. Sometimes they are achingly beautiful, sometimes they come at a price.
My definition of Kairos is exactly this: a moment or day when past, present, and future collide. A moment or day that has all the elements of past, present, and even prophetic whispers of the future, all wrapped up and colliding into one moment, one event, or the sequence of events in a day. My daughters' weddings were very Kairos. Time seemed to suspend itself, and my heart heard their giggle as small girls, beheld the beauty of them as brides, and saw the faintest hints of the smiles of grandchildren not even conceived yet. All of it beautifully collided. Kairos.
But sometimes Kairos feels like spiritual warfare.
That was today.
As I was in the spirit today...gratefully, completely submerged in bathwater and Holy Spirit, I was praying over our situation, praying into the future - which is what you do in a kairos moment, when past, present, and future collide and the veil between them all is so thin. The Lord very clearly whispered to me:
"I make beautiful things. It's all I know. It's what I do. All this? All the pain? Look at it this way, Beautiful One" (...yes, He called me that...) "Close one eye, and let the other see through the lens of faith...."
"There's your life. There's your son's life. ...it's there in my Collide-oscope. When it all crashes together, the pieces seem to fall apart, past, present and future churning in full view, know this: I'm at work in the collision, making art of your life. Turn your perspective around and around, and breathe into the future all the hope and grace and glory you've come to know. Lean into the pain, and pray into the pain. The picture will keep changing,as you turn and turn and turn your perspective - adjusting it to look like grace. The eye of faith - my Collide-oscope - will rearrange it all until it is as beautiful as anything you've ever seen or could have created all by yourself. I'm here. I am with you. I am very near."
He knows what He is making, here in my home. He makes beautiful things out of the darnedest things.
Life, here at The Cottage? My family? We are the darnedest. We really are.
I've experienced breathlessly beautiful Kairos moments...and God-kissed days...stunning in their loveliness, and brevity.
And I have had a huge, whole day of Kairos time, today. It has been a Kairos day, and it felt stressful and painful and peaceful and prayerful.
Painful and stressful, but the heavens were opened in a special way...I could feel myself praying into the future. Leaning into the pain of today, transforming it into prophetic prayer. I take a huge risk with a very small liberty, but I tell you this, for sure: There are those times - those Kairos times, when access to heaven is instant and effective. Sometimes they are achingly beautiful, sometimes they come at a price.
My definition of Kairos is exactly this: a moment or day when past, present, and future collide. A moment or day that has all the elements of past, present, and even prophetic whispers of the future, all wrapped up and colliding into one moment, one event, or the sequence of events in a day. My daughters' weddings were very Kairos. Time seemed to suspend itself, and my heart heard their giggle as small girls, beheld the beauty of them as brides, and saw the faintest hints of the smiles of grandchildren not even conceived yet. All of it beautifully collided. Kairos.
But sometimes Kairos feels like spiritual warfare.
That was today.
As I was in the spirit today...gratefully, completely submerged in bathwater and Holy Spirit, I was praying over our situation, praying into the future - which is what you do in a kairos moment, when past, present, and future collide and the veil between them all is so thin. The Lord very clearly whispered to me:
"I make beautiful things. It's all I know. It's what I do. All this? All the pain? Look at it this way, Beautiful One" (...yes, He called me that...) "Close one eye, and let the other see through the lens of faith...."
He knows what He is making, here in my home. He makes beautiful things out of the darnedest things.
Life, here at The Cottage? My family? We are the darnedest. We really are.
Grandmothering...
Me and Little Britches (last winter)
Have I ever told you that being a grandmother is just about life's greatest pleasure? Especially when you get to be the "Mimi" who belongs to "Poppy", and share the great joy and responsibility of grand-parenting together. Tim and I are totally diggin' the role of grandparents.
We are nearing the official countdown...our granddaughter will make her appearance towards the end of July, and you know I will assault bless you with many pictures!
Can't wait!
Can't wait!
When Children Are Grown...
That's my Preacher, up there, on the right. That's me on the left. We're fixin' to fly...together...
I realize this is "The Boomerang Generation" - the generation of grown children who, usually through no fault of their own, end up leaving home only to return. The Preacher and I are living that story ourselves right now. So are several other families in our church, and people I know all over this country - they, too, have grown children who have returned home for a season.
This is happening in our generation, right now, in numbers that rival The Great Depression. And my son-in-law has a Master's degree...and works two jobs...no slackers here! (Well, the nineteen year old is sometimes another story...)
I say make the most of it. The grown children living with us are a delight. I say if your grown children are anything but a delight, politely ask them to live elsewhere. Assist them in finding a rental with another couple in their same situation (if they are married) or with a young friend.
Point is...when children are grown...it is your time now. Reconvene. Reconnect. Recharge. Make the very most of it, whether your nest is full of boomerang children, or as empty as can be. After all, both scenarios come with their pros and cons. It will be your perspective and your focus and your choices that make it "your time now".
So go on, love-butterflies. Fly. It's a beautiful day to be together!
(Psssst...this print will be available in the shop!)
Inspiration
I slipped the surly bonds of house and chores today. I escaped. I went on a hunt for beauty and inspiration, and this is what I captured for us ~
I might could have shot this in my own back yard...but hunting and shooting on Rich Mountain road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was way funner.
I'm pretty sure this will become a 12x12 print, and go up in the shop.
I might could have shot this in my own back yard...but hunting and shooting on Rich Mountain road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was way funner.
I'm pretty sure this will become a 12x12 print, and go up in the shop.
My Tribe of Creative Women
I belong to a powerful tribe of creative women. Some are outside my church, most are in my church. But we try to make time to be creative together, to learn from each other, and support one another in any and all creative endeavors.
Some are creative in Children's Ministry, others in Worship Ministry, some are singers, some songwriters, musicians of all stripes...I have young women friends who are gifted dancers, budding professional photographers, and others who are so geared towards the scientific that they dissect mice on their kitchen table...for relaxation and fun. (Yes, a young friend of mine is majoring in forensic pathology at MTSU, and she dissects things when she is feeling inspired. Do not picture an awkward, geekish girl. This girl is stunningly, model-beautiful, with a great personality! And I have found the perfect gift for her, though I won't say what that is, here...)
....other of my women friends are gifted in gardening and sewing and frying chicken (my ambition is to be a "Miss Mary" someday), some wield a mean crochet needle, others can knit you a car cozy in an afternoon....some are budding entrepreneurs (if you would like to start your own business, email my good friend Maria Kear, and she can help you get started doing what she does), some create through cooking and baking, others turn out beautiful blogs (I have to admit, I have encouraged several to begin their own blog - and they've done it!) some of my women friends simply create tranquil, happy grace-filled home atmospheres that draw their children, husband, and friends happily back to their home over and over and over again.
Creativity is vital to our emotional well being.
I belong to a powerful tribe of passionately creative women.
This is part of a small gift that one of my Creative Women Friends gave me yesterday..a tiled canvas, with my business logo on it, propped on an easel, and a beautifully fragranced body scrub (left of the tiny easel). There was also a painter's apron with my logo beautifully placed on the front. She hand made each gift. It was the most welcome and pleasant surprise. I took it as a word from the Lord, that I should keep pressing onward and upward with my own creative endeavors.
Some are creative in Children's Ministry, others in Worship Ministry, some are singers, some songwriters, musicians of all stripes...I have young women friends who are gifted dancers, budding professional photographers, and others who are so geared towards the scientific that they dissect mice on their kitchen table...for relaxation and fun. (Yes, a young friend of mine is majoring in forensic pathology at MTSU, and she dissects things when she is feeling inspired. Do not picture an awkward, geekish girl. This girl is stunningly, model-beautiful, with a great personality! And I have found the perfect gift for her, though I won't say what that is, here...)
....other of my women friends are gifted in gardening and sewing and frying chicken (my ambition is to be a "Miss Mary" someday), some wield a mean crochet needle, others can knit you a car cozy in an afternoon....some are budding entrepreneurs (if you would like to start your own business, email my good friend Maria Kear, and she can help you get started doing what she does), some create through cooking and baking, others turn out beautiful blogs (I have to admit, I have encouraged several to begin their own blog - and they've done it!) some of my women friends simply create tranquil, happy grace-filled home atmospheres that draw their children, husband, and friends happily back to their home over and over and over again.
Creativity is vital to our emotional well being.
I belong to a powerful tribe of passionately creative women.
This is part of a small gift that one of my Creative Women Friends gave me yesterday..a tiled canvas, with my business logo on it, propped on an easel, and a beautifully fragranced body scrub (left of the tiny easel). There was also a painter's apron with my logo beautifully placed on the front. She hand made each gift. It was the most welcome and pleasant surprise. I took it as a word from the Lord, that I should keep pressing onward and upward with my own creative endeavors.
A "Gahw-geous" Day in East Tennessee
...today is...there are no words. Mid-seventies, sunshine, breezes, beyond gorgeous.
So I am making this:
Here is my recipe, (very loosely stated) from my blog post in 2010 entitled "Summer Flavors and Fragrances"...
Hope you can find time to make it. It is a little time consuming, but so very worth it.
Looking back over the "Summer Flavors and Fragrances" post, I miss my clothesline. ::sniff::
Ever since the Great Storm of April 2011 (when we were without power for a couple of days, and our house ended up packed with something like six guests, besides immediate family, which is a lot all by itself - after the storm blew through and took out power, so it's not like anyone came over seeking light and air conditioning - and people were playing board games by candlelight and a Korean man was playing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on our piano, surrounded by tealight candles, and I was reading my Kindle with a Brookstone headlamp on my head)
...yeah... I haven't had a clothesline since then...
What was I posting about? I forgot.
Hope you can find time to make it. It is a little time consuming, but so very worth it.
Looking back over the "Summer Flavors and Fragrances" post, I miss my clothesline. ::sniff::
Ever since the Great Storm of April 2011 (when we were without power for a couple of days, and our house ended up packed with something like six guests, besides immediate family, which is a lot all by itself - after the storm blew through and took out power, so it's not like anyone came over seeking light and air conditioning - and people were playing board games by candlelight and a Korean man was playing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on our piano, surrounded by tealight candles, and I was reading my Kindle with a Brookstone headlamp on my head)
...yeah... I haven't had a clothesline since then...
What was I posting about? I forgot.
New Canvas
Finished this sweet little thing last night. I was inspired by both the need for more faith in my current situation, and the reward of faith in my life, up to this point! (Faith in the Finished Work of Christ, as opposed to faith in my own self sufficiency...) God has done great things for The Preacher and I - and now, we trust Him for college tuition!
A Young Friend of Mine...How I Love This Girl!
If you get a moment, please visit my friend Christina, over on her blog, "Simplicity of Life".
She is such a go-getter, a girl who has fought battles both in her personal life, and for the Gospel. The above link will take you to a short video clip.
Christina is slightly hearing impaired, and yet she does not let that stop her from having major adventures, nor does she let that stop her from staking her entire claim on the Word of His Grace, which, as the apostle Paul said, "is able to save souls"...
I'm praying for her every day, this summer. She's away on another adventure, and I couldn't be more proud of my young friend!
A Peek Inside the Sketchbook...
This is what happens when you ( I ) paint at night. In artificial, overhead, dim light. I was going for orangey-red, and ended up with pinkish orangey red. How the..??
I could have sworn there was no pink on my paint palette, which in this case was a sheet of waxed paper, since this was meant to be kind of a creative Brain Dump, and not a "real" painting. There. Was. No. Pink...anywhere. There were two shades of green, some red, some orange, some yellow, some "lamp black"...no pink. I am betting that, somehow, a dab of the titanium white, which I used with a pinprick of yellow to achieve a softer green (are you following me?), sneaked over and mated with some of the crimson.
My take-away? Never seriously paint in anything but bright natural light.
Or buy an expensive Ott floor light. (Lots of paint-by-nighters swear by them...)
Problem is, I am a paint-by-nighter. My Muse loves sunset. Well, my Muse can be a workhorse and a driver, and once she gets me going earlier in the morning or day, she doesn't want to quit just because the pretty light has sunk in the western sky.
Good thing this was just practice, on sketch paper...
I Can't Believe It
We are done. My home education career - 20+ years - is officially over. And I found myself approaching the occasion as the full, whole, wealthy woman I dreamed of being 20+ years ago.
Against all odds.
And by Grace Alone.
Oh, by grace alone!
One set of home schooling parents actually said, tonight, (and I'll call them "the Williams" - names changed to protect the not-so-innocent legalists) "Our daughter Matilda is number five of eight. We've graduated four before her, and we now have 5 to prove that the Williams System works."
I sat in total consternation. I know my whole face was, like, "Oh no you di'in't. You DID NOT just say that in my presence."
The "system" works?? No. No, a thousand times, no. There isn't a system of child-rearing out there that churns and turns out reliable results, every time. Systems do not lovers of God make.
Systems rob God of the glory that belongs to Him Alone. I almost stood up, in Holy Ghost Authority, to set the record straight.
Not really. Of course, God doesn't need my defense of His grace and glory.
But He so deserves every speck of credit. I am certain, in that moment, that my eyes burned with the flame that is shut up in my bones...a heart that burns with a desire to see the Finished Work of Christ proclaimed. The Preacher and I dared not make eye contact. I am absolutely certain that, had we made eye contact, one of us would have given the other the "go ahead"....and one or the other of us would have gone to preachin', right then and there.
On a lighter note....I came home to a surprise family party. My four adult children gave me the most amazing gift...I walked through my door, weary but happy, and there were candles lit all over the house, James Taylor playing on the Bose system, cake, and presents...and more presents...
Most special of all, there were the letters and cards, thanking me. For. Real. Each and every son and daughter took the time to write out their love and thanks. I dissolved into a complete flood of tears.
Has it been easy? Nope.
You. Have. No. Idea.
Has it been worth it? Yes. A thousand times, yes.
Would I do it all again? Ask me in a few years.
What is next? I don't know.
That is partly why this blog exists! I'm making it up as I go, and I don't care to say so. Transparent honesty is my gift (or so I was told this evening). Come with me, as I explore all the happy possibilities that middle age, ministry, grandmothering, and a for-now- full (but eventually-to-be-empty) nest can bring!
Thoughts on Graduation Eve - Last One
Here I sit...propped up on pillows, wanting to talk to all of you. It is going on 11 o'clock and I am beyond the point of exhaustion. When I stand up, my kneecaps shake. This night, somehow, feels like the end of 20 years of hard work.
We are through the rehearsal part of our home school high school graduation - tomorrow is the Real Thing.
No one can know what it took to get here. Truly. You can't know.
Tonight, after taking me out to dinner (once rehearsal was over) the Preacher and I were riding and talking...reflecting on the journey, reflecting on this Epic Graduation of our youngest. In basketball terms, it doesn't feel like a "blow out win". It feels like we squeaked out with a two-point, one basket win. It feels like we could have....perhaps should have....lost.
But we smiled, and took each other's hand, and said, just like we've said after many basketball games the last few years:
A win is a win.
It was ugly. It was messy. This "win" might even be messy, right up to the final seconds. (Isaac swears that he will not wear a tie - mandatory Home Education Association graduation dress code for our area. But I have no room to talk. I am planning on wearing my linen dress pants, instead of the "mandatory" dress or skirt that the powers that be told us we must wear tomorrow...and I wonder where my son gets his penchant for ignoring stupid rules.)
No Valedictorian speech, no sparkling ACT scores. In fact, he qualifies for college by the skin of his teeth. This child was the one who would have been labeled and medicated in public school. The fact that we made it this far is amazing. He was more work than the other three put together, in every way - academically, emotionally, socially, spiritually.
This is a win that has been barely pulled out, and in the "final moments" of the game, no less. The playing, from the beginning of this game to the end of it, has not been pretty. All members of the team could have done better. The coaches could have coached better. The player could have played better.
In short, nothing about it has been perfect. Fans will leave shaking their heads, wondering, "How did they win??!"
But when all is said and done, I can say I did my best. There were more days I did my best, than there were days I didn't do my best. I did my best...on most days. Can more than that be done, really?
I can't even say there were more good days than bad. Not with this boy.
That's the part of home education no one talks about. Some academic years have more dark days than sunny ones. Some children, from kindergarten through graduation, encounter more hard days than happy days. No one wants to talk about that. However, you know me. The Gospel has made me so free, I can tell the truth.
I did what God called me to do.
The Preacher and I pulled out the Messy Win.
But a win is a win.
And when I look back, many years from now, there will simply be a "4" in the wins column - and a "0" in the losses column. Four wins. No losses. I didn't give up. I didn't quit. I didn't quit, maybe even when common sense said I should have.
That will be what matters to me.
I've Gone Emo...
I've gone Emo.
Real Tears. I've completely cried off what little makeup I put on this morning. And I thought that the distraction of taking my own picture would make it stop. Nope.
It is the week of my youngest son's high school graduation.
And I've gone Emo.
God, help me.
I may as well give in and wear the skinny jeans with the canvas sneakers, paint my fingernails black, and experiment with my hair color, because I am way too in touch with my emotions this week.
I defy you to graduate your youngest from your home school, listen to country music whilst running Graduation Errands, and not cry your butt off.
Pray for me, friends. I am truly afraid of what I might be capable of, this Saturday evening at 6 o'clock, as The Preacher and I walk across the stage to meet our youngest, and hand him his diploma.
What if I sob?
What if I have to exit stage left, crawling on my hands and knees?
What if I decide to sell Amway?
What if I move to Post-Yuppie Farm Road, and start killing my own cows and milking Nubian goats?
Nah. I'd rather get a nose piercing.
Help me, Rhonda. God, grant me the serenity. And get me through this weekend.
Real Tears. I've completely cried off what little makeup I put on this morning. And I thought that the distraction of taking my own picture would make it stop. Nope.
It is the week of my youngest son's high school graduation.
And I've gone Emo.
God, help me.
I may as well give in and wear the skinny jeans with the canvas sneakers, paint my fingernails black, and experiment with my hair color, because I am way too in touch with my emotions this week.
I defy you to graduate your youngest from your home school, listen to country music whilst running Graduation Errands, and not cry your butt off.
Pray for me, friends. I am truly afraid of what I might be capable of, this Saturday evening at 6 o'clock, as The Preacher and I walk across the stage to meet our youngest, and hand him his diploma.
What if I sob?
What if I have to exit stage left, crawling on my hands and knees?
What if I decide to sell Amway?
What if I move to Post-Yuppie Farm Road, and start killing my own cows and milking Nubian goats?
Nah. I'd rather get a nose piercing.
Help me, Rhonda. God, grant me the serenity. And get me through this weekend.
More Pictures - New "Studio"
Someday, I won't have to put quotes around the words "studio".
But for now, I will gladly trade having a whole room to myself, for this:
But for now, I will gladly trade having a whole room to myself, for this:
Little Britches, helping his PopPop set up Mimi's "studio"...
You tell me...is having a "room", quote unquote, better than having a "studio", quote unquote, AND getting to enjoy this sight, each and every day? Nah. I didn't think it was better, either. Hey...when this season is over, it is over. Justin and Hannah are very close to the moving out phase - they are house searching weekly. And once they are gone, I am sure I will be plastering pictures of a whole, new, big, beautiful REAL studio, no quotes involved. But for now I'm sloppy blessed. Wouldn't trade this for a "room".
So we went from what you see up there, to this...
I am the Queen of Making It Work.
This is my "studio", quotes gladly added...
one wall...in my room.
Inspiration wall...
ribbons and embroidery...
some of my paints...actually, a very few of my paints....
Stuff n' things...
...more paints...
...more inspiration...not the least of which is a young friend of mine, Christina Damron, for whom I will be praying this summer, as she embarks on Amazing Adventures in the Gospel...as a photographer!
(You can follow her adventures via her blog, "Simplicity". The link is to your right, under Harvest Blogs)
(You can follow her adventures via her blog, "Simplicity". The link is to your right, under Harvest Blogs)
...what was accomplished today...
not done yet, but almost!
I. Am. Loved.
...and so are you...
Thanks for coming over to my "studio". I'm beyond excited about it, and I appreciate that you took the time to come and see!
My New Studio
Forgive the shadow-y picture, I just now (as in this minute) shot it with my phone, and it is nearly 11 PM. There is no way I'm breaking out the Big Girl Camera at the moment. I'm just too tired.
I'm in the process of moving my "studio" out of my dining room, and into my bedroom. You are looking at my Mother's Day gift from The Preacher. New desk and easel! And I used a gift card from my youngest son to get the cool shelf that you see...with metal bins for paints and rod upon which I hung up all my ribbons and clipped up some of my fabric samples and embroidery.
To the left of that, you see my $6 find from today! A metal thingey. I put a wooden dowel through one part of it, to hang my burlap (used for a cool backing on my small 5x5 canvases) and also my kraft paper (backing for canvases larger than 5x5). Then you see a really large canvas that scares me, so I haven't faced it yet. Then you see some upholstery fabric. Oh, and a small stool that will keep my tiny netbook (upon which I am now typing away) visible but safe from water and paint and matte medium - where I can access it while working.
I've even already started a new Inspiration Wall. There are several pictures torn from various magazines and taped to the wall behind my easel. That wall will fill up soon, I am sure.
More pictures tomorrow. I am worn out, but happy! My Inner Muse is producing and the mojo was full-on today!
"Never forget that the nurturing and preservation of your own muse is job one. Lose it and you may be losing a great deal."
-Robert Genn
My Muse and Keurig Coffee
I never found my mojo today. After a late night, last night, and fitful sleep with vivid dreams, I woke up to the familiar aura or "halo" in the left eye.
Aw, heck no. I have not had a migraine headache since the first week of August, 2009.
And I am happy to report that I still have not had a migraine headache since August of 2009.
But I could not find my mojo. Not to save my life. I tried so hard to power through this day without it. You should see the disgusting befuddlement of purple and pink I put on a canvas today. My very first unmitigated disaster. I ended up gesso'ing over the whole convoluted hot mess.
Mojo matters in art, apparently. I blame my Inner Muse.
I think perhaps my Inner Muse is spoiled on Keurig Caribou coffee, and hid the mojo when I tried to fuel her with reheated leftover Eight O'Clock. I'm out of Caribou. Blasted Muse. After realizing I'd gone the whole day on nothing but a whole wheat English muffin and microwaved Eight O'Clock coffee, I've plied her with a lovely spinach and grilled chicken salad, diet Coke, a nice bubble bath, and WhoNu cookies...still, she has remained unresponsive.
Yesterday was so full of mojo. Yesterday was all art and all business and all prayer and all git 'er done with a side of mentoring a young college girlfriend of mine. I felt powerful yesterday. I wanted a repeat of yesterday, and thought I could have it all and a bag of chips, with or without appropriate rest, self care, and Keurig coffee.
I ended up a pitiful shadow of my yesterday's self, smearing purple paint on canvas and wishing I could down a red Solo cup of Jack. But I'm a Preacher's Wife, so I am limited to Diet Coke.
This being an artist thing is harder than it looks. My muse is a brat. Apparently she requires that I take better care of myself.
Stupid muse.
From My Heart to Yours - For Women Everywhere
...here's what you do...
...click on the image above to enlarge it...
...let it fill your screen...
...let the music play...
...and go about your business.
Just look back here, every so often.
Be reminded.
The Father loves you,
and so do I.
...click on the image above to enlarge it...
...let it fill your screen...
...let the music play...
...and go about your business.
Just look back here, every so often.
Be reminded.
The Father loves you,
and so do I.
Happy Mother's Day
Happy Mother's Day to each woman out there who has nurtured a young one - whether from the womb or from the heart and soul.
I've been blessed this morning by a grandson, by each of my children, and by a heart-child...a note from a spiritual daughter...and it isn't even 9 o'clock yet!
My heart is full, and my wish for you is that your children rise up and call you blessed, both the ones you carried in the womb, and the ones you've carried in your heart.
There are many women out there who have never had biological children, who are truly mothers.
New Art For Missions - "Galatians" Canvas...and More
I have only a few weeks left to contribute to the June mission trip our youth group is taking - so please buy quickly, and visit my shop, if you are considering any of my paintings!
Brand new -
This one is entitled "Galatians". It is a 12x12 canvas, done in all gauche, and graphic style renderings done in General's Sketch and Wash, also inks. The background is the usual antique book pages, but this time they are very visible. Love this one! See the bird standing outside her cage? The text says, "For you are called to freedom!"
Next is a small 5x5 canvas. I wish you could see how these come mounted! I will take another picture of this one mounted, soon:
I've named this one "New Creation". It comes mounted uniquely and beautifully on a cast iron, antiqued "door knob" type of feature. Can't wait for you to see! But for now, you can click on the picture, for an enlarged view of this canvas, done in ink and acrylics and watercolor pencil, and hand lettered with a Pitt pen. Perfect for any woman you may know who has recently chosen to pursue a relationship with Christ.
Last, another 5x5 canvas, and it also comes mounted on antique hardware, but I don't yet have a picture of it actually mounted:
All original photography...the cup is Depression era lustreware in peach. The quote says, "He was my cream, and I was his coffee - And when you poured us together it was something."
Holla. I bear witness to this quote, so much so, I had to put my interpretation of it on canvas. My Preacher and I are like that...a sweet, hot mess, and when you put us together, we are so much more than the sum of our individual selves.
If you search carefully, you will find on each of my pieces of art a tiny, inked key. This is something I began to do about a month ago. On some pieces there is only one key hidden in the painting. On others, it might be more, and on some pieces, the key isn't so hidden. When I sign each piece, I put a number, indicating how many keys are tucked away in the painting, then my initials, then the year I painted the piece.
Why a key?
Because of the Gospel. The Finished Work of Christ is the key to understanding all of Scripture, Old Testament and New. The law and the prophets pointed to Jesus. In the last days, God has spoken to us by His Son.
Once you choose to view all of life and Scripture through the lens of grace ("grace came"), through the lens of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, the veil is lifted, and you begin to walk free.
Brand new -
Next is a small 5x5 canvas. I wish you could see how these come mounted! I will take another picture of this one mounted, soon:
Last, another 5x5 canvas, and it also comes mounted on antique hardware, but I don't yet have a picture of it actually mounted:
Holla. I bear witness to this quote, so much so, I had to put my interpretation of it on canvas. My Preacher and I are like that...a sweet, hot mess, and when you put us together, we are so much more than the sum of our individual selves.
If you search carefully, you will find on each of my pieces of art a tiny, inked key. This is something I began to do about a month ago. On some pieces there is only one key hidden in the painting. On others, it might be more, and on some pieces, the key isn't so hidden. When I sign each piece, I put a number, indicating how many keys are tucked away in the painting, then my initials, then the year I painted the piece.
Why a key?
Because of the Gospel. The Finished Work of Christ is the key to understanding all of Scripture, Old Testament and New. The law and the prophets pointed to Jesus. In the last days, God has spoken to us by His Son.
Once you choose to view all of life and Scripture through the lens of grace ("grace came"), through the lens of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, the veil is lifted, and you begin to walk free.
Chapter IV, In Which Sheila Attempts to Apply Hair Removal Creme to Her Upper Lip Area Without Her Readers On
Some things come with being a raving brunette beauty. Some things come with being over forty. If you don't think you have fuzz on your upper lip area, step out into the sunshine with me. Come on. Don't be ashamed.
For me, however, some things come with being preoccupied, and addled in the brain.
::sigh::
So I was going through my usual beauty ritual of coloring my hair, shaving the legs, yadda yadda. I was applying exfoliant to my face, whilst soaking in the tub, whilst listening to Steven Pressfield's book on Audible, entitled "Do The Work".
Oh. My. Word. I was completely absorbed in Pressfield's book. Completely.
As I was gently exfoliating my face, I sort of thought, "Hmmmmm. I need to grab that little tube of Oil of Olay Hair Removal For Upper Lip Area" - a product tailor made for all raven haired beauties and women over forty. It works great, really, and comes with its own little moisturizing stick that you rub on your lip first, to minimize any chemical burn from the removal creme.
I schlepped out of the tub, and absent mindedly pulled the middle drawer of the vanity open, and grabbed that little moisturizing stick that comes with Oil of Olay's Facial Hair Removal Creme...and grabbed the first other tube that seemed right. I plunked myself back into the warm jacuzzi - after all, getting out makes you cold, so I was in a hurry.
And Pressfield's book is so good.
I applied the moisturizer, and then generously smeared a dime sized dollop of said tube all over my upper lip, glanced at the time on my smart phone (which was also playing my Audible dot com Pressfield book) and sat back to relax. A full six minutes later, I thought...
..."Hmmmmm. This book is so great. But this creme smells really odd. Really. Odd."
I held the tube at full arm's length, and squinted in an attempt to read the words on it:
Itch. Cream. As in...itch cream for a woman's extremely sensitive area. Back late winter/early spring, I had to go on a brief antibiotic for a sinus infection, and as a result, got the requisite, mild yeast infection. That stupid cream was still in my drawer.
Oh dear Lord. God grant me the serenity. Jesus take the wheel! I yelped and grabbed my wash cloth, scrubbing madly. I had just put that...that... that cream all over my upper lip!,
(I can hear you now..."Oh no you di' int!")
Oh. Yes. I. Did.
And...the story gets better.
I schlepped out of the tub and checked the mirror. No whelps, no bumps, upper lip still there. What a relief. So I opened the middle drawer and grabbed a small black tube.
Somehow, I associated that black tube with Oil of Olay hair removal creme.
I was confident. This time I had it right.
I sank once again into the jacuzzi and turned on the jets, and turned up the volume on my book. I then generously smeared the contents of small black tube all over my upper lip. I glanced at the time on my smart phone.
About five minutes in, I thought, "This book is amazing, but this creme smells too good to be hair removal creme."
I held the tube out at full arm's length, squinted as hard as I could, and read:
"Neck Firming Cream"
::sigh::
It was a sample tube that had come WITH my Oil of Olay Hair Removal creme. I had sat for a full five minutes with neck firming cream all over my upper lip.
By this time, I was howling. I sat and giggled so hard, I cried.
Then, I schlepped out of the tub for the third time, opened middle drawer, and really looked, this time. As in, I turned over all two or three remaining miscellaneous tubes, squinted, held them out at full arm's length, and read them. Towards the back of the drawer...bingo. Found it. Oil of Olay hair removal creme for the face.
Dripping wet, I climbed back in the tub. I generously smeared the contents of said tube allllllll over my very, very firm, and definitely not itchy upper lip.
Only this time, I grabbed the smart phone and took a picture:
For me, however, some things come with being preoccupied, and addled in the brain.
::sigh::
So I was going through my usual beauty ritual of coloring my hair, shaving the legs, yadda yadda. I was applying exfoliant to my face, whilst soaking in the tub, whilst listening to Steven Pressfield's book on Audible, entitled "Do The Work".
Oh. My. Word. I was completely absorbed in Pressfield's book. Completely.
As I was gently exfoliating my face, I sort of thought, "Hmmmmm. I need to grab that little tube of Oil of Olay Hair Removal For Upper Lip Area" - a product tailor made for all raven haired beauties and women over forty. It works great, really, and comes with its own little moisturizing stick that you rub on your lip first, to minimize any chemical burn from the removal creme.
I schlepped out of the tub, and absent mindedly pulled the middle drawer of the vanity open, and grabbed that little moisturizing stick that comes with Oil of Olay's Facial Hair Removal Creme...and grabbed the first other tube that seemed right. I plunked myself back into the warm jacuzzi - after all, getting out makes you cold, so I was in a hurry.
And Pressfield's book is so good.
I applied the moisturizer, and then generously smeared a dime sized dollop of said tube all over my upper lip, glanced at the time on my smart phone (which was also playing my Audible dot com Pressfield book) and sat back to relax. A full six minutes later, I thought...
..."Hmmmmm. This book is so great. But this creme smells really odd. Really. Odd."
I held the tube at full arm's length, and squinted in an attempt to read the words on it:
Itch. Cream. As in...itch cream for a woman's extremely sensitive area. Back late winter/early spring, I had to go on a brief antibiotic for a sinus infection, and as a result, got the requisite, mild yeast infection. That stupid cream was still in my drawer.
Oh dear Lord. God grant me the serenity. Jesus take the wheel! I yelped and grabbed my wash cloth, scrubbing madly. I had just put that...that... that cream all over my upper lip!,
(I can hear you now..."Oh no you di' int!")
Oh. Yes. I. Did.
And...the story gets better.
I schlepped out of the tub and checked the mirror. No whelps, no bumps, upper lip still there. What a relief. So I opened the middle drawer and grabbed a small black tube.
Somehow, I associated that black tube with Oil of Olay hair removal creme.
I was confident. This time I had it right.
I sank once again into the jacuzzi and turned on the jets, and turned up the volume on my book. I then generously smeared the contents of small black tube all over my upper lip. I glanced at the time on my smart phone.
About five minutes in, I thought, "This book is amazing, but this creme smells too good to be hair removal creme."
I held the tube out at full arm's length, squinted as hard as I could, and read:
"Neck Firming Cream"
::sigh::
It was a sample tube that had come WITH my Oil of Olay Hair Removal creme. I had sat for a full five minutes with neck firming cream all over my upper lip.
By this time, I was howling. I sat and giggled so hard, I cried.
Then, I schlepped out of the tub for the third time, opened middle drawer, and really looked, this time. As in, I turned over all two or three remaining miscellaneous tubes, squinted, held them out at full arm's length, and read them. Towards the back of the drawer...bingo. Found it. Oil of Olay hair removal creme for the face.
Dripping wet, I climbed back in the tub. I generously smeared the contents of said tube allllllll over my very, very firm, and definitely not itchy upper lip.
Only this time, I grabbed the smart phone and took a picture:
New - Grandmother's Song
This one is named "Grandmother's Song"...for the first song I ever sang to Timothy, and the first song I will sing to Adyn Esther, and the first song I will sing to each and every grandchild yet to be...
12x12, in acrylics, watercolors, inks, and General's Sketch-n-wash pencil, on a background of antique book papers...
If you love this, grab it. Trust me, a happy mixed-media painting is hard to find.
Perfect for a nursery or playroom or any room where you want to be reminded of some little someone who is your sunshine!
"Grandmother's Song" is a happy painting. It should be - becoming a Mimi has been one of the greatest joys of my life.
So far, I can only do happy work. I pray my work will never get moody and broody. The joy of the Lord is my strength!
If you are interested, please either email me, or visit my shop. You'll find Paypal there, and I'll get this out to you right away!
"Grandmother's Song" is a happy painting. It should be - becoming a Mimi has been one of the greatest joys of my life.
So far, I can only do happy work. I pray my work will never get moody and broody. The joy of the Lord is my strength!
If you are interested, please either email me, or visit my shop. You'll find Paypal there, and I'll get this out to you right away!
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