Merry Christmas Everyone

Merry Christmas everyone! I do not know how much I will be around for the holidays so I am wishing you a very Merry Christmas and I pray that you enjoy your families, your homes, good people, good food and are truly blessed. May your New Year bring His great joy, peace and unending love to each of you.

God bless you always and thank you so much for following, reading and commenting on my blog ~ I appreciate you all very much!

Thinking Back Through 2010

This year (2010) my Word for the Year was Breakthrough... I was thinking about that and at one point I thought... hmph! "There wasn't too much of that going on!" Then I put aside my negativity and looked through my posts for this year! Breakthrough was actually the perfect word for 2010:
1. I was able to ween down my medication that I have been on for almost 14 years! (I had tried before and failed but this year I DID IT! YAY!) BREAKTHROUGH
2. I got a new job in January of 2010 and learned how to do accounting which I have never fully involved myself before (it was actually a fear of mine, but this year I overcame and am now comfortably slotted into a book keeping position!) BREAKTHROUGH
3. My husband got a new job and was blessed to get out of a job that he had been in for a number of years but never enjoyed... now he is doing something he really enjoys and is much happier. BREAKTHROUGH
4. I was finally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia - not knowing what has been happening to my body for a number of years I am now able to learn more about this illness and put into place those things that help with the pain - I am finally able to go to the Chronic Pain Clinic and learn more about the resources available. BREAKTHROUGH
5. I started the Artist Blog Hop and since then have met MANY awesome artists who have inspired me so deeply - BREAKTHROUGH



6. Both of my sons are happy with school this year (never happened before that they both love it) BREAKTHROUGH

These are all amazing BREAKTHROUGH's in my life this year and I can see how God has worked in my life through this word that He gave me.

Now onto 2011 and I am looking forward to the HEALING HEALTH that will come! Come Lord Jesus come! Amen.



I pray that all of you can look back over this year and find the blessings that you have received.

Many hugs and blessings to you all - Merry Christmas!

Inspired by Angelia

The above picture is the beginning... it all started here... (I have posted the finished pages at the bottom of this post).


Last week Angelia from Angelia's Art Journal has been doing some amazing art journal spreads with acrylic paint. I have loved seeing the progression of her pages from small blobs of paint to actual faces, birds etc. Her lovely pages have inspired me to try this (for me, very scary) technique. I unfortunately have not experimented with, hmmmm... what's the right word to describe this... is it abstract??? I'm not sure! Finding your painting in through the colors on the page, allowing the images to find you actually is something very new for me. As you can probably tell from my art work I am not experimental, or very abstract... usually what you see is what it actually is, there's no guess work involved in my work! LOL.
I really need to try not to be so regimented as I can feel that creative spirit inside of me wanting to burst free of it's confines that I have placed around it. This is where the lovely Angelia comes in. She is such a wonderful inspiration to me, I can't get enough of her vibrant colors and free spirit that just flows out of her and onto paper or canvas. I just discovered that she is a painter! I can't believe I did not know this before! This is one of her awesome journal spreads - isn't this fabulous???






And this is another amazing spread - look at this detail!








From Angelia's inspiration I was able to work out an image from a few blobs of colored paint and this is the outcome... (surprise, surprise... can you see the tree?)




I must say that at first I wasn't liking what was coming up... I did not like the colors, the way they were blending, I wasn't very imaginative in pulling out the images but in the end I felt it was very liberating to make such a mess and then to be able to clean it up! LOL! I think I will do some more of these spreads, especially after seeing what Angelia has accomplished!

Thank you so much Angelia for all your inspiration!

Hugs and blessings to you all! I hope and pray you are all enjoying Christmas!
Happy Creating everyone!

New Word For 2011 (Journal Spread) - Done Early

I can't believe it! Usually I do not remember to do my "Word Of the Year" until after the New Year has begun! Yahooey! For once I am ahead of myself! (imaginatively doing the happy dance right now!)

This year has been quite the year and I am anxiously waiting for 2011 to begin although I am enjoying the Christmas Season! I am ahead of all the hustle and bustle that plagues many a household this time of year... I do not like the busyness at all! I HATE crowds of people so when I do my Christmas shopping I embrace it as if I am in battle - very strategically! Last week my son Ben and I went and did our shopping together (every year we choose who is buying for who and go off to a store to buy those little gifts)... we mapped out our list of things to do and it was a great success! Nowadays strip malls are going up all over the place so chances of you finding everything you need in one place are very high ~ for convenience I give that a thumbs up! Although, I do not particularily love seeing these strip malls everywhere. We as a society are very commercial, very materialistic and seem to flock to these malls like bees on honey ~ I am guilty of this! I yearn for the simplistic life while I type on my laptop computer in my nice warm and cozy house, all nested in with my Itouch I-pod on one side and my blackberry on the other! Does that sound strange to anyone else? I do not actually know what a 'simplistic life' would look like, though this year I think I am going to try harder to be more simplistic and not have so many "things"...

Anyway, on to my new "Word of the year"



I chose two words this year because they go hand-in-hand: HEALING Health! I didn't have to think too long to know that I really need to focus on Healing and getting Healthy in 2011. As pointed out by one of my dear blogging friends Esther, many of us are in deep need of healing this coming year! Well, it's so very true! How many of us, if not every one of us need that healing touch from the Lord to rain down upon us and set us free from physical, emotional or spiritual bondage?

I say no more!

I can't stand to go through another year of being bound by physical pain and I know that God doesn't want this for me either!

So basically... I SURRENDER! I am giving it ALL to the Lord this year! I have so much junk-in-my-trunk that it's no wonder I am sick! I am talking about toxicity in my body that I really need to find away to get out! I am also talking about healing of my spirit too, all the stress that has accumulated within me that makes me sick! All of it! I give it all to you LORD!

I understand the logic, I understand that God desires so many amazing, wonderful things for His people. He does not want us to hurt or to be physically ill... He wants us to live life to its fullest in health, and love and service to Him. How can we do that if we are bound by illness? I pray that the Lord fills me with Healing and Health this year so that I can serve Him. I pray that you also find that healing and that health you so desire. May 2011 be the year that we are all fully restored in His grace and His love! Amen!

And that all sounds so good... now I just have to hold firm to that for this is my desire!

Many hugs and blessings to all of you, I pray that you are all enjoying the blessings that this season brings. Remember to keep the "Christ" in Christmas and be very full of love and joy!

Don't forget to get yourself some "Happy Creating" time!

Wisdom, Heavenly vs. Worldly

I have attempted to capture what the Lord has placed upon my heart in regards to Heavenly vs. Worldly wisdom many times. In the beginning few chapters of Proverbs Wisdom is seen as a woman, and she is compared to the Adulteress in these chapters as well.

I see Wisdom from a Heavenly perspective as a woman peacefully natured, calm and pleasing to the eye, nothing harsh but beckoning with pure love and consideration of others. Like God looking down on us, Wisdom is calling out to us only desiring to fill us with Heavenly knowledge and understanding to direct our path in life to eternal life with the Father.

I see wisdom from a Worldly perspective as a woman adulteress with harsh, bold lines. From a worldly perspective she is pleasing to the eye, beauty outside but inside is death... void. She beckons out of greed, desire, and temporary pleasures much like the ways of our world. The World fills us with worldly knowledge to live this 'temporary' life but lacks directing us to eternity and instead leads the way to Death.


Wisdom (Heavenly) "She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed" Proverbs 3:18

The Adulteress (Worldly) "For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life." Proverbs 2:18-19

In the past I have gone about capturing one thing about Wisdom at a time, but I was unable to truly capture the vision fully. I am thinking I need to do a series of paintings dedicated to this topic to examine it completely.

This is what I have so far.

I hope all of you are enjoying your December so far.
I have been considering what my WORD for 2011 will be. Last year it was BREAKTHROUGH and I am leaning heavily towards HEALING as my word for 2011. I could really use it.

Much love, hugs and blessings coming your way.

Happy Creating Everyone!

Paper Dolls For My Nieces

These dolls have filled my past time for the last couple of weeks! After learning these whimsical characters from Willowing.org I have had a blast creating them for my nieces for Christmas. I remember playing with paper dolls when I was a girl ~ they would be my entertainment for hours!





The fashion for these dolls was pretty basic, just dresses, pants, shirts and an angel outfit for Christmas. My nieces are 9 and 7 so I think they will enjoy them! Well that's one Christmas present done! Yahooey!

Wishing you all the very best fun while you prepare for your Christmas! Happy Creating everyone!

Hugs and many blessings to you!

The Artist Blog Hop Update

Hello everyone! Did you know there are over 500 artists joined to the Artist Blog Hop? That is a whole lot of inspiration!!!! I have just extended the date another year so others can still join.

Some new additions are:



Chris from the United Kingdom. She has a lovely blog and has just finished the Art, Heart and Healing course through Willowing. This is from the last session of that course. Just click on her name and it will take you to her site.




Joanne Sharpe has a lovely blog of Whimsical journal pages that will make your mouth water. Again just click on her name to take you to her blog. Here's one example of her lovely pages.



Ap Bestari has a very interesting blog, I am not sure what language she speaks but Art is a universal language isn't it. I am really loving the art she produces and she seems like such a fun artist! Her name will get you to her blog. Here again is another sample...



Karen Martin Sampson has a blog showing her very lifelike portraits! This is one talented woman! A definite must see!




These are just a few goodies to wet your appetite! I hope you are still enjoying the blog hop. If you need a quick link to the hop just click on my side bar where it says "Artist Blog Hop" and it will take you there. And if you haven't added your link, why not? LOL.

Have a wonderful, fabulous, amazing day everyone!
Happy Creating and many blessings to you!

Art Journaling At Work

I don't know about the company that you work for, but the one that I work for is pretty amazing! When there is nothing for me to do, when all my work is done... they let me do my art work! Isn't that just the most fabulous thing! As long as I'm there to answer the phone. So most days I am finished my work by 10am and I work until 3PM Monday-Thursday. I can't bring out my paints and set up my easle at work but I can get some art journaling in.

The above page is the result of one slow day at work. There was an old magazine that I usually just recycle at work but I decided to cut out the border for this page, paste them on and color them with my Copics. The mask is a piece of work that I have worked on a little bit at a time on my "Desk Calendar" ~ I doodle when it is slow and when the month is over I cut out my doodles and past them in my sketch book!

The mask got me thinking about people and how so many where masks, pretending to be something they are not. These thoughts came into my head because of my girlfriends experience with on-line dating. She noticed that there were so many men on the site that were simply "players" like they are collectors of women! GROASE! These men REALLY have no clue as to what real life is all about! Needless to say my girlfriend is no longer on the site and she only lasted one week until she gladly gave up!

I feel so very blessed in my life ~ I have an amazing hubby who is God fearing, loving, caring and kind. He is the man you see, not hiding anything about him. He has been like this since I met him - however we have both grown up since then too! LOL!






And while I was searching around online for inspiration I came across Milliande and her amazing zentangles. These two pictures are from one of her pattern pages.

Well I wish you a most amazing weekend. Happy creating everyone.
Hugs and blessings!

Sharing A Lovely Post From Carrie Todd

Today as I was going through my Google Reader I came across this post by Carrie Todd over at "My Studio 13" and it truly touched my heart and humbled me.
In this post she has layed out a number of journal spreads that are absolutely beautiful and heartfelt and are glowing with her love and spirit for Christ. I highly recommend you taking a look if you need inspiration for your day.
Thank you Carrie for inspiring us all.

Finished Journal Pages

I was able to get in some journaling while snowed in this weekend and finished the first spread in my "All Things Lovely" journal as well as the second spread.







I added more color to the second page and some fun doodles as well.





The second spread is all about my being a Girlie-girl in an All Boy household...




Which also allowed me to try out another whimsical girl ~ don't you just love her big eyes!





Well, I hope you all had an absolutely lovely weekend. We were able to put up the Christmas tree and now we have to find the rest of the decorations which none of us seem to be able to find! Yikes!

Christmas Tradition Sharing: Every year when we put up the Christmas decorations we stop at the grocery store first and pick up two very important things...

Eggnog and mandarin oranges!

While we put up the Christmas tree we have always watched "White Christmas"... now that my boys are older and they have watched it now for 13 and 15 years in a row... we re-negotiated the Christmas terms and watched "Elf" then after we were finished decorating I went into my bedroom and watched "White Christmas"! My hubbub stayed for the first half hour ~ Christmas just isn't Christmas without "White Christmas"! (wow, I used Christmas 7 times in this paragraph, now eight!!! LOL)

Do you have any Christmas Decorating traditions in your family? I would love to hear about them.

Wishing you a very warm and lovely week with many hugs and blessings ~ and as always... Happy Creating!

Why I Got Up At 5AM on my Day Off!

Benjamin is the reason I woke up at 5AM on my day off! If it was anything other than my family I would have been sound asleep at least until 9am... okay maybe 10:30 if I'm lucky!
Ben's school had a 'Spirit Rally' today and they had to dress up as something as the same letter as their first name. First thing that comes to Ben's mind is "Blue Man Group"! Great... way to make it easy Ben! LOL!
Actually, I LOVE that Ben has such a fun creative mind and that he chose this because somehow it really suits him! He has an amazing personality that way!
Last year around Christmas time we showed the boys who "The Blue Man Group" was. We found some awesome You Tube videos of them. I believe it was the next day, we went to Canadian Tire and just as we walked in the door we saw this wierd looking instrument and upon closer inspection we see that it is "The Blue Man Group" instrument from one of their videos - we all laughed together and decided we had to purchase it! Now we can actually use it for something other than as a dust collector! LOL




Isn't he a cutie pie! I like his hair all slicked back like Elvis! Hee-hee!



Yes, once again... my son Benjamin is bald! (This time however it is a bald cap - LOL) This summer his Father bet him $40 to shave his head bald to go and watch the movie 'The Last Airbender' ~ AND HE DID IT! AND I HATED IT! Thus the reason I refer to my hubbub as "his Father"! (Now I can laugh at it but maybe I'm not quite ready for capital letters so... lol!






After almost two hours of prepping, blotting, dabbing, and dabbing again...






And Ben is finished! Usually Ben is not so "Freakishly scary looking"! LOL!
He's actually super cute and super Benjamin! My baby is all blue today!

Happy Creating everyone... I think I got my dose of blue today!

Hello Lovelies! I Have Been Working On Something! Really!

Hello all my lovely friends in blogland! I am (unfortunately) snowed in today! On my way in to work I nearly ran smack dab into someone's backyard fence! So... needless to say, I turned around with my tail between my legs and headed home where it was safe! The roads are a nasty place to be today. Praying for all you who have to head into work or are out on the road in the snow! May you make it to your desintations safely!

Meanwhile... I have put my NaNoWriMo writing aside this week and have been able to do a little bit of journaling in my NEW journal. There is something very sweet about buying a new journal... the pages all clean and tidy... the smell of new paper! I know... I'm a sick puppy! I can't help that I go all googly-eyed and get distracted by 'shiny' objects when I see a row of journals in a store! Aaaaaahhhhhh! I LOVE IT!

So this page spread marks the first pages in my "Kelly's Book Of Lovely Things" journal. This book is dedicated to all the lovely things in my life, in my brain, all my blessings., and or any and all shiny beautiful objects that just happen to cross my path. It is going to be filled with girly, frilly, pink, colorful, bright things that make me feel feminine. (After all when one is surrounded by the male species, one must do what one must do, right???) I am getting excited just thinking about filling this one up! Hooray for being a girl!

Well my lovely friends, I wish you all the very best of days. Please be careful if you live in a snowy wintery place like me! Now, since I woke up this morning at 4AM I am going to take advantage of the fact that I am snowed in and am going to take a wee little nap! Stay warm everyone!

Much love and God bless you and as always... Happy Creating!

Great Giveaway

Hi Everyone! I just thought I would mention going over to LULU's blog where she is giving away some awesome things for her blogaversary! Take a look.

Happy Creating Everyone!

Yep, I'm Doing it! Nanowrimo!

So you are probably wondering, "Hey, where's Kelly been?" right? Well, I've been around, on my computer mostly. Not doing my usual routine that's for sure.

The other day I told my son about the NaNoWriMo for National Writing Month of November. I don't know the details but I told him the basic idea of writing 50,000 words in 30 days. We started on November 8th, 2010 and have done pretty good so far. Ben is writing a Sci-fi/fantasy novel and I am writing a Christian Fiction novel. I am up to just over 8,000 words and am amazed that I have gotten this far. I don't know what the end results will be but in the mean time I am spending some wonderful quality time with my thirteen year old writer.




So if you've been wondering... that's what I've been up to. I will still check in every now and again. I hope you are doing awesome and having an absolutely fabulous weekend.

Hugs and many blessings and as always... Happy Creating!

Lesson 1 of Art Heart Healing - different direction

I didn't really get to watching the complete lesson one but I did the portrait, then I decided that I needed to do a little venting and just went with it. Sometimes I just need to do journaling on top of portraits - I find that in itself to be quite healing.
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend filled with many blessings.
Happy Creating Everyone