Art Inspiration: My Quest .. Insecurities, Commitments and Guarding Your Dreams

Hello friends.

I hope this day finds you inspired and at peace.

Today, I'd like to share some thoughts and

revelations that have been on my heart for some time.

I call this my journey.. my quest.

 I have been blogging/journaling

about it because someday, I may want 

to re-trace my steps or share.

This involves many aspects of my life. 

There are the personal parts that

involve my own discoveries about myself

and how I have lost layer after layer

to get to who I really am.

Finding my heart.

Silencing the noise.

Unloading the clutter.

And it's also about:

CREATING

I hope that you don't mind my sharing.

(I guess that's partly why I title it like I do.

So readers can filter.)

I must say though that I find such inspiration

and feel a real connection when people

share their stories. 

Sometimes, they can be 

gritty and raw.

 I like raw. 

Raw is real.

And real is authentic.

It's where we live and learn. 

**********

This part of my journey has been difficult.

This has been a choice.

And a hard one.

But sometimes often times it's necessary to 

make hard choices to get you where you

want to go and it's wise to count the cost.

I'm not trying to be mysterious.

It's just difficult for me and it pricks my heart 

and brings tears when I think of it.

I have had to begin guarding my time very

carefully in order to 

protect it from being whittled away.

Please don't get me wrong,

I love people and doing what I'm able to 

help ease their burdens. 

And just spending time with people.

(With Quality Time being 

my first Love Language,

cutting my time with others

 has been very difficult!)

However, sometimes it can be 

unhealthy for others and yourself

if expectations and motives are out of balance. 

Recently I have begun to notice that

after hours of phone calls and texting and

visits that there is very little...and I mean

VERY little time to work at what

God has put in my heart to build on and work at.

  IF YOU DON'T 

BUILD YOUR DREAMS,

SOMEONE WILL HIRE YOU

 TO BUILD THEIRS.

Why I do what I do.

And here is the not-so-fun part of sharing. 

~Transparency~

I can be very insecure.

And so sometimes I do things for people 

because it feels safe. Then I will be liked. 

Or it makes me look good or if I am helping someone 

else, surely that makes me a good person.

Or maybe I wouldn't be liked, if I said no.

(And unfortunately, the latter has happened.)

But anyway

It's been very enlightening and freeing

 to work through all of that.

Facing my own insecurities.

The anger and disappointment of others.

The loneliness.

Sometimes it can be very lonely.

But the quiet is what I need to focus and create. 

Some understand and respect the need for

time and space and it's beautiful when that happens.

It's been a matter of serious consideration,

 getting over feelings of extreme guilt and feeling

selfish because I have had to begin to say.. 

I'm sorry.. I can't right now.

(And it's not easy because I really do care.)

 At times, it's not even people asking.

My personality is that of a nurturer

  and so it's been a combination of 

wanting to and feeling obligated.

In order to guard the time that I have to study, learn 

and create, I have had to consider my motives for and

commitments to others very carefully. 

Being very sensitive but paring down. 

Anyone who wants to dedicate time to learning and

creating knows that it takes a lot of time of focusing

and hard work!

THE ARTIST IS NOTHING 

WITHOUT THE GIFT

 BUT THE GIFT IS NOTHING 

WITHOUT THE WORK. 

Emile Zola 

I am happy to say that the most difficult part of this 

journey is past. I have come to a place where I can 

give time to people in a more pure and balanced way. 

My husband and I talk a lot about these kinds of things.

And one of the things that I want desperately for my

children to get is to be wise in their decisions.

If you have dreams, and most people do, be careful

not to create a life that locks you into spending 

most of your time doing what you HAVE to do,

 instead of what you want to do. 

Those have-tos can be created

very easily and it's SO very difficult to 

then carve out time for your...

~DREAMS~ 

Some people spend literally hours every day

working at what they love and pursuing their dreams

and goals. I would have been very grateful as a young adult

to have these nuggets of truth safely tucked away

in my treasure chest of wisdom.

But I know as I have said before, 

~I can TRUST GOD with the 

TIMING of MY LIFE. ~

I do so hope that this has been encouraging to you

today. I hope the rest of your week is filled with peace

and fulfillment.

As always, I'm grateful for your visit here.

Thank you!

Tamara Xo

Steaming, Apple Blueberry Crisp For a Cold Winter's Day

Hello everyone.

I hope you're safe and warm on this winter's day.

I know that there's been a lot of weather 

in the mid-west and east.  

I'd like to start sharing some of my

favorite recipes and ideas about food.

I do love to cook and bake.

And isn't there something so satisfying when

your hands and heart are at work to create  

 delicious, lovely to look at and good for you food.

When I was married, I had no idea that there was

 so much more to serving what we eat

 than just prepping it and getting it on the table! 

Our four boys and five girls gave me 

LOTS of opportunities

to learn creativity, grace and skill. 

And I'm still learning! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today, I'd like to share this very easy and delicious

crisp recipe with you.

It's perfect for a last minute throw-together dish

and is easily adjusted to different kinds of fruit.

Fresh or frozen.

Apple Blueberry Crisp

4 C. fresh blueberries

4 C. apples sliced thin

2 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice

 1 & 1/3 C. packed brown sugar

1 C. wheat flour*

1 C. old-fashioned oats*

2/3 C. butter, softened 

2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

*In baking and cooking, I try to use the healthiest 

ingredients possible. You could use white flour and quick

oats if desired.

Heat oven to 375.

Mix apples and blueberries together.

Arrange fruit in an un-greased, 13 by 9 baking dish.

Squeeze the lemon juice over the top.

Mix brown sugar, flour, oats, butter, cinnamon and salt. 

Sprinkle over the top.

Bake until topping is light brown and apples are tender. 

About 30-40 minutes.

You can serve this with ice cream as a dessert or 

topped with whipped cream.

We also eat it for breakfast as a fruit, topped with

vanilla yogurt and sliced almonds.

 I like mine with sliced almonds ANYTIME!

This really is such a quick, simple and delicious dessert!

The crumble on top just melts in your mouth. 

And it's so pretty! All the bubbling blueberry juice.

My husband noticed that the apples had taken on 

a lovely purplish- blue color as 

they baked in the  juice.

He loved this crisp. He complimented it by saying

it just might be the best dessert he'd ever eaten.

Wow.. I was surprised.

It was perfect for a cold winter's afternoon. 

We sat by the wood stove and relished 

in the warmth of hearth and home. 

I hope you've enjoyed coming by today.

I always appreciate your visits and comments.

Thank you and have a wonderful day

Tamara xo

linking up at 

Julie's Lifestyle... Cooking and Crafting with J and J

Hope in Your Heart : Mixed Media

Here we are and it's Monday again.

We have only dipped our toes into the creative spring

of the new year 

and there's already so much inspiration 

to be found.

In our hearts and all around.

What inspires you? 

Some of my most inspired moments come through...

Writings

Music

Movies

Nature

People

Art

I love that moment when I read something or 

hear a song and for whatever reason

it finds it's way to the depths of my heart.

 I am somehow forever changed

and awed by the beauty of the moment.

Does that ever happen to you? 

**************

Today, I'd like to share with you

a mixed media piece that I made. 

It doesn't have a name but

HOPE in your Heart 

is the theme.

This is one of my all-time

favorite words. I think the reason needs 

no clarification.

Sometimes I just like to grab some things from my 

scrap drawer and from leftovers laying

on my desk and try to fit them altogether to 

create something.

C*R*E*A*T*E*

Have you been creating?

I try to work on something every day.

It feeds my soul!

The desire to create is one of

the deepest yearnings of the human soul.

Dieter  F. Uchtdorf
________________

May your basket of HOPE be full

to overflowing..

in spite of your circumstances.

 With God all things are possible..

Matthew 19:26

So, there's always reason to hope.
And I have always thought that hope is what 
sets us to action.
If we don't have the HOPES 
that things could be different or better
somehow, we wouldn't take that next step.

Now, I'm going out to take a walk. 
I promised Miss Liberty and she's waiting!

Thank you for coming by.

Blessings and hugs,

Tamara

Making Fun, Winter Cards And Jeanne Oliver's Creative Network

Hello Everyone.

It's another week with

opportunities to see

the beauty in the everyday and for me to 

count my blessings. 

I hope you had a good weekend.

Mine was quiet but not unproductive.

Our home has taken on a stillness like never before

and I wish to share with you some revelations about my art

journey very soon.

Before I share about the cards that I'm making, 

I wanted to mention an inspiring

"class" that I'm taking.

It's being offered by 

Artist/Teacher/Designer

Jeanne Oliver.

Just click on the name to go to her blog

and join her creative network for free.

Once you're in, you can browse all of the wonderful

classes that they offer! 

It's an amazing network of all kinds of artisans.

Right now, I'm taking part in the inspiring video series,

"Listening: Finding the Quiet"

I have been so blessed by the wisdom, testimonies

and encouragement by these entrepreneurs and artists.

The inspiration and authenticity just flows from their "realness".

It began on 1/1 but there's no deadline for finishing and this

one happens to be free.

There's an amazing group of support and networking.

If you'd like to learn more, you 

 can click on the link above to do so. 

It's a four week study about finding the quiet in this 

world that seems to never stop. It's also about

tuning into God and finding out what He has for

each of us. This isn't an ad, I just want to begin sharing

 more about the people and resources that

give and inspire!

**********************

I've been wanting to send my grand daughters

a card. I haven't seen them in a 

few weeks and I like to keep in touch.

As this cold weather keeps us in by the warm,

crackling fire, sipping tea, it creates the 

cozy setting to make some.

  

The giggles love snow...    and pink...   and sparkly things.

Very much like a lot of little girls,

I believe. 

What a delight they are!

The cards were fun. I wanted them to be very

informal. I tried to capture the whimsy of snowy

frolic with the rough and uneven design.

The shimmery strip is a piece of ribbon from

 the dollar store. The snow girlies

are cut from gessoed sheet music.

The thought of sheet music had come to me for this 

before but the colors without the gesso

didn't fit with my desired colors.

The little hats were cut from a pattern that I drew.

The girls would not wear black top hats!

They wanted something a bit more stylish and fun ;)

(doesn't it look as though she's glancing up 

at her hat just to show it off?)

You probably recognize that her flowing scarf

is a bit of seam binding.

As I looked through my bag of sequins to find some

little extra embellishments,

 I found these perfect pink snowflakes

for their hats and the turquoise swirls

that looked like a small gust of wind!

SO fun!

I'd love to hear about your inspirations!

Thank you for coming by. 

I do so appreciate your visits. 

Best wishes for your week.

Tamara xo

Thrifted Purse to Re-Loved Shabby With Vintage Trims, Doilies and Antique Buttons

I hope you are all looking forward to 2016.

I can hardly believe it's here. 

Though my 2015 was not a "fly-by" year.

Last year was a turning point for me for learning to

live in the moment.

If I was pressured to think about the future or tasks ahead

too much, I realized that I was trying to fit too

much in.  It was a helpful gauge for

keeping me within realistic boundaries.

And in working to stay true to that,

 it increased the quality of my time and focus. 

It also slowed the passing of my valuable time. 

Don't you love learning new things? 

I sure do.

 So...

CHEERS to 2016 

and all that we will learn

and be the richer for!

****

Today, I'd like to show you this really cute purse 

that I found at a thrift store.

As usual, I don't have a before photo.

I had one but have misplaced it.

This is the first purse I have re-loved.

 The color and style caught my eye and I thought it

would be perfect for a project.

It was so fun thinking it through and dressing it up 

with vintage trims, doilies and antique buttons!

 Here, I added a bit of chain for interest.

The flowers are made from a cotton, thrift store shirt. 

I thought the detailed stitching 

on the purse added a lot.

 I have a few of these tiny antique metal buttons.

It was just what I was looking for!

I so enjoy finding treasures that I

can re-love and use or find new homes for.

What do you enjoy doing?

I'd love to hear about it.

Life is so interesting.

Thank you so much for coming by.

Blessings,

Tamara XO

Linking up with
Share Your Cup Thursday

Shabbilicious Friday