So Just Crochet

 I know you can relate when I say, " this week was one of those weeks where I wanted to do something, but didn't know what." When this feeling strikes it almost seems a waste of a day doesn't it? It's like being hungry yet nothing sounds good! It's almost frustrating...so even though this week has been a bit trying I thought, okay, so just crochet!

 

 

And, that's what I've been doing. I plan on giving this to my daughter in law for the Holidays. I found this yarn left in my attic, it's really old yarn that was wrapped up nicely. So whoever left it behind took good care of it. I used two skeins to double the yarn as it's sock yarn 100% wool.

The red and white are simply left over yarn which came to good use.

 

 

Here she is finished and looking just great. I am pleased. I can picture the new little one on it's way dragging her around. Although we are yet to find out if it's a boy or girl. I think a girl...after all he already has two boy's and that seems to be the way it goes in our family. Two of the same sex first and the opposite the third time. Who knows though maybe this just might break the tradition, and if so, well it looks like I just might have to make a boy bunny.

 

<3 Pamela

What a Surprise

 

When going to the mailbox knocks your socks off...maybe one should try to knit a pair.

 

 

I couldn't believe it when I opened the box. Merino Cashmere doesn't get any softer than this?

I've been touching it off and on every time I walk by it...it's so incredibly soft!

 

 

My son and daughter in law sent the perfect pre-gift so they called it. I felt so unworthy of receiving such an incredible gift, because so many are going without in the world. I know without a doubt, I will be making something to give away.

 

 

Especially to someone in need of maybe a nice soft blanket, mitten and scarf to keep them warm. This time of year I am in thought of so many who are struggling, maybe looking for a place to lay there heads. It's the best part of this season, thinking of others, ways to reach out and help. Yet it also makes me so very sad... I wish I could make offerings to those who struggle throughout the whole world.

If you read this section  you will understand my thinking. Nothing I can think of other than losing a child in this life, has the same impact as waking up one day, and everything that said home is gone.

To stand as they are in New Jersey and try to process in your mind... there is no place to call home anymore, its gone forever, I can not begin to describe the heaviness in your heart. You literally can't breathe, it doesn't seem real, the feeling of being lost, truly so lost, thinking there is no where to go.

You literally in your mind panic, like you are the only one left on this earth, and no one sees you as your crying out...I don't know where to go.

Stand for one minute in this Holiday Season...imagine everything you know to be home just disappears. What would you do and were would you go if there was absolutely no where to go. You  learn real fast just who's in your corner and it doesn't even come close, to those you really think would be there for you. And that...just adds to the devastation.

 

Be thankful this season for Everything around...you never know what life has in store for you tomorrow. God Bless Everyone, Everywhere this season, may God bless you by sending an angel your way in times of struggles.

 

<3 Pamela

Organizing Made Easy

Hello Everyone!

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and everyone arrived to and from safely.
Did anyone do the black Thursday and Friday shopping? This gal doesn't, in fact, I only did once in my life with my sister in law and mother in law. Note on forehead...sit in food court and read book. Don't ever do this again. And, I didn't!

 

Now this post is about organizing, but one has to tap into Black Friday. The concept is great for the retailers, personally the day I went, it was like watching mice running around chasing the last piece of cheese, hence the rat race. People totally unconscious of anything going on around them. I think they call that a mental ward. As you know by now I am not big on Black Friday and now Thursday.
But, that's me, my own personal ways.
 

 I just enjoy family and sitting the remaining time knitting or crocheting. Yes, I have many projects going at one time. Like this sweater I started in the fall of 2011 making it with lion brand wool ease, in grey heather. It will be just at mid calf in length with quarter length sleeves. Perfect for just a bit of cool weather. Another is this one I showed you here a couple times, then ripping it out to become a heavy sweater jacket.

 

 

And before I forget, wow! I stumbled across a blog I just am head over heels in love with it!
Cozy Things. Just about the most creative person with yarn I have found in my google search. Just amazing, if you haven't heard of the blog, pop over and check it out. It's worth the peek.

 

Unlike this...now this is a before, door closed in organizing skills made easy. I gave a bit of thought this year to painting them, yet since they are solid wood I just can't bear covering them. I do plan on cleaning them with Murphy's oil soap soon. The kitchen is painted off white around the cabinets. Across the room is a wall of wanes coating and molding with a lovely medium green that has a hit of yellow ochre mixed with a touch of black, giving it warm tones. As you can see the wood has a bit of a light golden or what designers would say are yellow under stones.

 

 

Now this photograph is with the door open. Did you ever think you'd be doing things your mother did when you were young? Well, if you don't, get ready because it does happen to everyone.

I use to watch my mother empty plastic food containers (only certain ones) wash them and put them in the cupboard. I'd sit there thinking mother come on just go buy them, after all they didn't coordinate.

Yet as I watched I learned a very valuable lesson, as I started getting older, and of course, living out of my truck for a week, helped me see it.

 

 

This is the only cabinet in my kitchen that holds everything I need to make dinner and store it. I am a visual person so things have to constantly be in one spot, if not, well let's just say I won't know it's there for months.

I am by far not an organized person, and for me it works. It takes the stress off of having everything in it's perfect little place. I really don't care if you like it or not when you open the door. I live here... I

could care less if your not impressed. After all whoever stops by doesn't pay any of my bills.

 

 

 

The two white mugs on the second shelf are for the microwave, came with lids for cooking soup. They also are great cereal bowls or any other purpose they serve. On the first shelf see those clear plastic containers piled up...well that's what my mother did and boy was she right. I can pre-make salads, store left overs and all they cost me was the initial price of what came in them. Picking the mulberries off my tree snap on the lid, walla.

 Oh, and they are great for growing lettuce in the house all winter long.

All you have to have is a grow light bulb, stick it in any lamp, toss in organic potting soil a few lettuce seeds snap on the lid and watch it grow. Take a pair of scissors clip it off and it keeps growing. Another money saver! Now I save the clear ones only because I am a visual person. Do you know what kind of person you are? Once you do the stress is over.

All I can tell you is this one cupboard has all I need for any meal. If I cook I only use cast iron skillets that I don't wash, simply wipe them out and your good to go. They must be seasoned the first time and can go from stove top to oven. What's better than that! Well, not this....

 

 

Last Christmas my son and his wife bought me this knowing I am visual. They also bought one themselves. Have you noticed the dust, what is the point if I have to keep wiping it off! These are the most annoying gadgets on the market. They collect dust like a magnet to a fridge, plus who uses all the spices when you live alone. I currently use it as a battery catch all, used batteries that still have a bit of life for my flash light. People don't realize when a camera says replace your batteries or it shutsdown, does not mean the batteries are completely used.
 

 Frugal gal here! For those who wonder, I am not frugal because I hoard money I live on a budget, just as you get older you realize all these gadgets are just annoying. Who wants to clean them let alone store them. Like food processors, bread machines, and list could go on...if you can use the hands God gave you like your mother and hers before her,  then you don't need the gadgets. Doing things by hand is relaxing much like gardening. Give me a bowl, a wooden spoon and a counter, I'm good.

 

Organizing, I say it's a waste of time. If you have time to organize your wound tightly and that means your stressed out keeping it that way. Now don't get me wrong, I don't like cluttered, but, there is a huge difference. I have a room designed especially for all my projects while I am doing them, and it's often cluttered. It's great because I can just shut the door and go back in when I am ready to spent time on the projects just open the door walla!

 

And if I know your going to visit, I am not going out of my way to dust, vacuum, hide things, etc. My father always said, " a home is meant to be lived in and if it's clean all the time your not living." A visit from a family member, or friend, is just what it is about the time spend with the person who stopped by. After loosing my home, like those in Storm Sandy there is one thing you know for sure...a house is only a structure that only takes seconds to disappear, a home...are the people who weather the times with you and your children around you.

Organizing can wait forever, it will be there long after your gone. But life, it's only one time, that's all you get. Enjoy it!
 

<3 Pamela

Bringing the Outdoors in Part 2

Happy Thanksgiving Eve to all!
 

  *PLEASE ADVISE*

Do not try to adjust your computer... if the photographs all seem a bit odd...they were happily taken by my 6 year old grandson who just loves grammies camera. And is often a better photographer than me, that would be grammie.

 

Now here is my grand babies first photograph, hence, which is why I decided to bring the outdoors in... you see that round chair? I hate them, I mean these are the worst chairs Pier 1 could sell. There is a reason behind why I bought it, which would take waaaayyyy to long to explain and I don't live in the past in negative ways. I can only tell you if falling is what you like this is the chair for you! Everyone who has sat in this chair has hit the floor.

I was really pleased with the little ones clarity of his photography adventure, a bit of his dad's body is missing. I have come to the conclusion it's because of his size.

Now before I jump ahead first and foremost if any one's photographs are picture perfect, like no one is living there, spic n span clean, it's too impress and that ain't me. My home is lived in....but one must admit that chair and that little table had to go!

So the chair went....into the attic except this...

 

 

Large piece of cushion, the best part of that circular disaster. I simply clipped a stitch and just started to pull and rip, then I took out the stuffing packed it all in 3 garbage bags to use later.

This is a nice piece of heavy weight fabric which is why I torn it apart and kept it.

 

 

So in came the outdoor chair with it's aged appearance. Gosh... now this photo was just my grand babies height shows everything perfectly. That is just what I wanted you to see. I have these stacks of round hat boxes or whatever they call them, stacked one on top the other. I put the side table in the attic. Throwing things out is a no, no for me....Now that spot will change at some point, when I see something in another room that pops out and says, hey, what about about this!

As I said here, I am a neutral gal who would rather add a pop of color each season, then to constantly change the paint or curtains. The fan on the left is always out, yes, that's my hot flash turbo fan which runs year round. Ya think you're getting rid of your menstrual cycle and it all ends. Wrong! But that's another whole post topic.

So now, I am trying to decide whether to use the fabric above and make a nice cushion set with arm sides, or to just white wash the chair. Any opinions are welcome!

 

 

Okay who could resist tossing in this photograph. I beginning to think my grand babies head is tilted. Ha, ha...That's the froggy bank they empty (that would be him and his big brother) when they come to my home. Boy and to think they're rich when they empty it, I just don't seem to experience the same feeling. Oh well, as we march on....oh, and that's his shoe.

 

 

As the grapevine drops it's leaves for the winter, I begin to cut...and cut...and cut...this was the first of bringing the outdoors in...I wanted a tree I could keep up all year round, and I just do not like the ones at the craft stores. I'm an innovator, I like things unique that pop.

In my quest to make a tree...

 

I started with a 2" by 2" piece of wood in the middle and made a T shape with the same wood at the bottom. Then began the wrapping and wrapping still adding every year. Once it gets to were I like the fullness and the height I am done. It's a piece when the lights come on that had my daughter in law just claim it asap, as she said, if I ever wanted to get rid of it.  The decorations are from the grand babies, brought to me on there visit. The little elf's on pine cones fits the pine cone theme already on the tree. I usually place creme stamped and aged hearts at Christmas.

Notice the tilt? Bless his little heart.

 

 

This is the near the rest of the tree...the rustic star, on the side, gets put at the top of the tree on Christmas. I simply hang it on the wall above the tree. That's a lot of little elf's hanging around and that's me on the left. I use to be a traditional decorator, until I spent years alone after the divorce. It's been the best part of my life, this second act. To be me, to know me, I can only express with the word Awesome.

It's been the best part of any lesson I was to learn in this life.

As Whitney Houston, May God Bless her soul, said in a song, "The greatest love of all is easy to achieve, I found the greatest love of all inside of me." Once you have that love, nothing anyone can say to you in a negative manner or about you, just goes in and right out with no effect whatsoever.

It's amazing freedom and the best love experience of all time.

I am me, there is no one like me, I am standing, I am a survivor, I am loved, I am humbled, I am free, of society, I belong to no one but me, I matter, I count, I am no label other than female and human, I am a part of this earth and of God. No more, no less.

 

I do have to show you this before I close....remember this post?

 

 

I said it was to be a cowl, well it has grown and grown in to something I was planning to do many, years ago. When I found the pattern I knew I had to start over...I am so excited as it's easy to size to anyone. No it's not a shawl, or a blanket....I'll just keep you guessing until my tad-dah moment, which is not far off. In fact, I have been working on it the whole time I've been blogging.

Stop back for parts 3 and 4 to come of Bringing the Outdoor inside...

 

To end the post, I have this to say, " I miss you mom, the smell of your kitchen this time of night, your Holiday cookies, the stuffing, just everything about you. If I was granted one wish it would be to sit with you in my kitchen on Thanksgiving and ask you so many questions, I didn't think to ask when you where here with us. And to say, just how much you meant to my life, even the bad moments had there meanings. Yet more than that, I just want one more hug, just one :0(

I love you, mom, thank you for everything...even visiting me in my dreams. They are the best!

 

Have a safe, happy, Holiday, Please don't text, drink, and drive.

Everyone deserves there own lifetime.

 

<3 Pamela

Bringing The Outdoors In

  When you get to be a certain age, or of a certain age, things begin to change around you. Your focus changes, the things that normally matter just aren't the same as when your in your 20's or 30's even

into your 40's. I suppose one would say, "your priorities shift" that is, if your one of the lucky ones.

 

Now, that doesn't mean you stay stuck in those years, or you carry them into your 60's. It just means you've grown and if you're lucky it also means your growing with the world, in it's crazy fast moving changes. And if your really lucky... things don't matter anymore, whether there old, worn out, dusted daily, it's when less is more and stuff that sits everywhere ends up at the thrift store.

 

Believe it or not... most of what you find at the thrift shop comes from older people. The trash of there life collected over the years to impress those that walked in and out, becomes something to someone else. Which is not always a bad thing, just simply a sad thing, that we are such a disposable society.

 

 

I found two of these chairs a few years back in an upper class section of town. The elite people so they call them. Funny, you leave high school to join the rest of the people working and walking the world, only to find out nothing has really changed, but hopefully you have.

The clicks still remain, maybe not the ones connected to high school or college, but they find there place in life. The low life's, the poor, the middle class, the rich, the hunger, the lost, the broken hearted, etc, it just ends up on the streets of everyday living...no longer walking the halls of a school.

Yet if you've changed, none of those labels will matter to you....as they are just what they are.. labels. Labels to make those who don't know themselves, who can't look in the mirror to face there own life, think they have a handle, a control of that life. Most often fake, brightened by compliments, labels, things and more things, becomes a never ending circle.

And that's just not me....so I rescued those chairs, Adirondack to be correct. Both in nice shape not a nail or piece out of place. Simply someone with money wanted something more....seems there is a problem there don't you think?

 

 

They have been sitting on my deck for many years now, I've enjoyed there simplicity, there aging, the time it took someone to cut the wood and construct the pieces.

I brought one inside this year, I love bringing the outdoors in as much as possible. I've dreamed of living in the middle of the woods surrounded by it's beauty, it's soothing noises... without a label, it accepts us all.

The chairs have aged... the wood is meant to do so from what my neighbor has mentioned. The space has been a bit of it's own work in progress leading me in the direction it wants to go. I had no vision, no thought that doing this space would even occur....No big hurry though, I just let time show me.... it will mark the way the space is meant to be...

I've crocheted a couple blankets, knitted several pillows. I am not big on color, I find neutrals soothe my soul with pops of white or creams that compliment and brighten my days.

 

 

Recently I was outside cleaning the garden area and preparing the lavender for winter....I passed my grapevines and began to cut them again. I had this old milk type vase in a closet, brought it out and began placing the grapevine in the piece.

 

 

The photograph does not do it justice at all, it has 3 small white little birds perched on the branches with the ends of the grapevines touching the ceiling in a very natural way... as if it belongs. Oh, look what has appeared a little elegant white bird who is the size of a hummingbird.

 

 

The curtains I have had for decades, gorgeous muslin type have grown with me, just as the clock. I am a lover of unusual clocks, especially large ones.

Look closely at the branches, see the 3 canning jars hanging in the vines with 3 round 7 watt bulbs that offer the perfect lighting. They light the space so elegantly, it warms the heart as the branches come alive in the night. The light fixtures my son gave me for my birthday from World Market, they are so easy to use. If I can hang them so can you.

 

In the end, everything finds it's way, it's place in it's own time. I have no time to impress... only time to enjoy...I have no time to care whether someone approves or not, only time to bask in the beauty that brought it's way into my life. Not costing me anything other than being aware of everything around me, not searching for anything other than to be happy in this life...and I am.

 

When we don't expect or want, things have a way of showing up by themselves. And after all, isn't that the best way? The space will continue to evolve on it's own whether the chair stays weathered or white washed. I've cut ivory canvas to add padding to the chair but that's up to the chair. It will let me know if that is what's to happen.

No rush, no worries, no hurry....simply let it be.

Tag along and see how this corner evolves. Oh, and I am getting a bit daring and incorporating a blue egg shell color to the livingroom, through knitting and crocheting. Take time to look around the next time you go outside there are so many beautiful things waiting for you to discover.
 

 

<3 Pamela

 

This is Life or is It

 

There are times in life like these days, with the economy dragging us down, living paycheck to paycheck. Wondering what we will do for funds to fill the Holidays this year. It's tough for so many this day and age. Often, I find words can be the best light of hope for a new beginning.

 

I found this poem, actually on a beautiful wall hanging, which was way out of anything I could afford. Yet for me, I find words to be the most inspiring, if we just read with our eyes, but listen with our hearts.

 

 

 

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.”   

 

Author, Mother Teresa

 

This is Life, or is it?

I honestly believe it is, the only thing I would say, if life is a game and we are to play it. I hope we all do it with others in mind and play it with grace...so nicely written. Don't you think?

Cheap Landlords

 I haven't logged in for several days, it's been a bit of a bad time for me lately. Things just haven't been going well. They say things happen in 3's... I am beginning to believe it's true.

Days were it seems the world is picking on you, or luck just isn't in your cards. Trying to make ends meet and people who just don't give a crap if your just getting by or not.

People like landlords who seem to want more and more, yet do nothing for there renters. Rent gets raised nothing gets fixed, and if it does they want more from the renter. I rent from one of those kind of people, they live in a very nice area, a beautiful home, brand new windows and all. Yet, they don't care how I have to live.

Some may ask why I don't move...It's not easy to find a place in my price range. I rent the whole place and have access to a large field I farm. I have lived here for nearly 7 years and love the open space the quietness of the area. So I don't want to move...yet it seems as the years go by people just don't matter anymore to those with money. And my landlord has a lot. In reality I've always known they were cheap, but I find myself growing tired of it. What happen to the days when if you had a good renter, you treated them good?

So I have been just laying back and doing my best to relax.

 

 

  I had some bulky yarn I bought, gosh nearly 5 years ago. In fact it was discontinued shortly after I purchased. Thank goodness I purchased 5 balls of the yarn. It's been sitting in a white basket for all those years, originally bought for a pattern to crochet a sweater coat.

 Since I had a few inches cut off my hair recently, I'm finding the cold creeping down my back. I always kept my hair long, until the darn hot flashes. I now know why women cut there hair short as they get older. It's just not the best style for cold weather.

 

 

So I took the yarn on those days of troubles and began knitting just to keep my mind occupied,

off of all those nasty little bugs bothering me. And it worked!

I am almost done with the cowl, oh yes, forgot to add that's what I am knitting. Shown in the photograph above It was designed to knit in the round only I didn't have the size needles they required to do so. I don't like to carry a purse all the time and liked the feature of a hidden pocket.

I suspect I will be doing a bit of washing here and there with the color being ivory.

Thank goodness too that I don't wear a lot of makeup the older I get. In fact I like it better.

As soon as I get it finished I will post a photograph with buttons and all.

 

Have a great day, thanks for stopping by, and don't forget in times of troubles just pick up the needles or hook and make yourself something cozy and warm.

 

<3 Pamela

Fair Isle Ornaments

I've been working on a couple fair isle knitting project, two ornaments. It's been a rather a test in patience to learn the process to hold the yarn.

Since I live alone it was hard to photograph the process, which I must add was a bit of starting over many times. This yarn twisted over that one. Whee!

Although frustrating at times, I am one who keeps going until I get it right.

I created these two Holiday ornaments to start.

 

 

I made a heart in the red and white sublime baby yarn. It was a bit of left over I had and this was the perfect project. The heart measures 3 1/2" high by 4" wide. Stuffed with polyester fiberfill with a 1/4" red ribbon and two red bells.

 

 

I also did a Christmas Tree and was quite pleased, if I might add, with the way it turned out.

 

 

If you notice a little spot on the tree trunk, it's a piece of cardboard from punching holes in homemade gift tags. I just noticed it in the photograph, oh well, 

just went to the kitchen and pick it off.

This ornament measures 8" tall by 3" wide at the largest part of the tree.

 

Aren't they nice? Can't wait to hang them on the tree!

 

<3 Pamela

 

Upcycled Owl Ornament

I had so much fun creating these last weekend. It all started with storing my summer items and bringing out the winter. I had forgotten about the cream sweater I shrunk last year. I kept it because it was so lovely, just knew I would find a use. This cute little owl?

 

 

I used a bit of tan wool felt along with the ivory sweater. A bit of deep red felt, some brown, and gray. This was felt I had left over from other projects. The eyes I cut out two dark brown circle glued them on with hot glue, then did the same with ivory strands of yarn from the sweater, a black flat plastic disc brought his eyes to life. He measues 4 1/2" tall by 4" wide.

I did some stitching on the gray overlay on his tan wing using a deep red dmc floss.

 

 

The feet and beak were hand cut and attached as I did the eyes. The I finished him off with a string to hang from a Christmas Tree.

The ivory sweater was tucked under the tan felt and hot glued them together. Inside this adorable little owl is a hard oval foam form. The tips were his ears appear I added some polyster stuffing.

 

 

I made three of these little cuties. There is something about owl's that just captures my heart. I am always fasinated by them! Aren't they just the cuties?

 

 

If you would like one of these little guys simply let me know in the comment section. I do have a paypal account. I am planning on creating a blog page for purchasing some of my handmade items.

I create so many different interesting items and plan on selling them on my blog, as I complete them.

Safely through paypal.

 

<3 Pamela

 

Finding Your Niche

The sun is finally peeking in and out of the clouds after a good 8 days of sprinkles and heavy rain, from storm sandy. Although I do love the rain and it's calming affects, the sun is a bright welcome.

The last time I went to the garden this is what the zinnia's were doing. I did top quite a few and saved the seeds for next year.

 I am not a big flower fan, nor am I high maintenance, practical would describe me best.

It took many years to find my way, myself, things that were really something I enjoyed or for that was good at, like gardening now with flowers added. Zinnia's are definitely my favorite.

I love there resilience, there stability, there over all beauty, the random colors they offer.

Yet in my quest of finding my so called niche, I found it can be something that can take often decades, unless your one of the lucky ones to have life show it to you in your early years.

 

 

I was not one who gained knowledge of my niche at a young age. Heck, if you ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I could  not tell you. In our home the only thing I can remember anyone saying anything about the future, was when my mom would say, "find a rich man, get married and have kids." I suppose it was because the years when I grew up 60's and 70ties it's was a woman's role to be in the home.

So I did what mom said, only I didn't find the rich part, nor was I looking as money has never been my focus. I was never a girl who needed or wanted anything but the ordinary, the simple. Some would say to look at me was very deceiving, and I suppose so as many who finally meant me, were shocked at how down to earth I am. I did find one think in my life, that showed me a bit of what I was to become, when I look back. I was good at putting on makeup in a very artist way, without even being aware at the time. Which is why I appeared to be high maintenance and according to some, thought I was rich. Okay, yeah, right, not! No fake fingernails for me, nor do I go to a salon as I color and cut my own hair, it's true. For me personally, that is not a luxury nor a necessity, it's a waste of money. A luxury for me, working the soil in the sunshine with my bare hands.

This is late summer, I decided to quit doing the entire acre on flat ground and started letting the weeds grow in, after marking off areas with brick for next summers raised beds.

In gardening a niche had surfaced, one day totally focused on being young, and trying to remember in grade school if I told anyone, what I wanted to be when I grew up.
This is what I remember...

 

 

As far back as I can go there is one thing while living on our farm, with chickens and horses. I was always dirty, climbing trees, fences, with my sisters always saying,"mom her feet and hands are so dirty, whats wrong with her, as they wore there fancy dresses and neat hair."  I still to this day at every farm season have dirty feet and hands. I love bare feet in the soil and bare hands moving it. Niches, can we have too many, I do believe some only have one, and many are multi-talented with many niches. I am one of those multi-talented niche gals. Does it get frustrating? At times yes, one day is never the same as the other. I may knit one day, crochet the next, play with polymer clay, sew, and even sketch.

 

Right now, I seem to be sketching, something I haven't done in many months, maybe even a year. It just depends on what moves me at the moment. How did I find my sketching niche you may ask? Totally by accident, I did take a bit of art in high school but, am mainly self taught. I am a huge lover of knowledge of any kind, it truly is power. To know what your talking about when you speak is so powerful when dealing in any walk of life.
 

I do love whimsical sketching and colour pencil art, letting my mind take me wherever it wants to go. What may start out as the original thought ends up taking many twists and turns. It's the beauty of the process, much like a flower in a garden, it blooms on it's own. Just as your life will as you grow, but clearly pay attention to everything you do, your niches are there somewhere waiting for you to find them.

 

 

In the end, life has a way of showing you with your own mistakes. Just what you should be looking for in mistakes, everything, there is always something waiting for you. The meaning of failure needs to be changed, it should read...I failed but I am not a failure, I am a lesson in the making, to a life niche, happiness, whatever, because when we fail is when we truly learn the most. You just need to look at what the failing has taught you.

So how did I learn to sketch? I will tell you, in many failed attempts, in many art lessons to follow to find out what more I could learn. At 34 I picked up a pencil with a sketch pad open and sketched my 8 year old son. It wasn't the best (and when I pull it out I will photo it for you) but looking at it I knew I had something more....so the journey in graphite began, which lead to colour pencil, oils, and more... It wasn't a failure it was a lesson to be learned.
 

In the end our local newspaper caught wind of my talent after a small gallery show casing, Marilyn Monroe, and many of my many prints. They talked me into a full second page of my own. Yes, many artist are what they call, closet artist, not wanting to be focused on, I was one of them.

 

 

Amazing how long it's been since this article. I blacked out my last name for safety reasons, I do not believe in exposing too much of yourself on the Internet, for the world. There are many different personalities out there, lets just say this, its better to be safe then sorry.

 

It's funny when you look back at yourself at a younger age, the saying "I will never look the way I did in that moment. ever again, is true." However, there is one lesson that was so much more important to me, especially after I read the article (which was very well done) no one could ever touch me in a negative way, or make me feel anything I didn't want too, again in my life. That we all have something about ourselves that is unique, special, for only us, that no one can take away. Everyone does, no matter how small or large, it's there within us, and yes, someone may be better than you. But in the end it's yours, no matter what, no matter how small or large, whether your published, successful at whatever it may be or not, it is there, and it belongs to you.

 

 

Whether your a SAHM, a waitress, a cook, into scrap booking, knitting, etc, whatever it is your doing that you love, it's yours, it comes from within you. It does not matter if someone does it better, it's a part of you! Embrace it, own it, cherish it, hide it, expose it, sell it, whatever you want to do with it, be confident that it's a uniqueness that belongs, again, to you!

And perfect, there is no such thing, there is only practice and many failures that will make it better, if that's what YOU want. Even if your at a job right now you don't like, there is a lesson in those moments your there, you have to focus and find them. Reflect on them, at the end of each day, think about everything that happened, everyone you meet, it all means something just there for you.

 

You're welcome to view my artwork page to see what I am up too, as right now gardening is not one of them. Look to my gardening section beginning Feb. 2013.

 

Be who you are, don't strive to be someone else, and embrace your moments, they are teaching you something imporant. Take it from this gal in her 50ties, we do know what we're talking about.

 

Have a wonderful day, where ever you are, be safe, smile at someone, and hug those around you. Time passes way to fast.

 

<3 Pamela