Be Fearless Mixed Media Canvas and Random Life Photos From 2018

Hello and welcome to my blog.

Depending on where you live, there

are beautiful season changes

happening! May has shown up here in the mountains

in a summery mood

wearing her loveliest of greens.

There are little blossoms appearing and

all sorts of pretty things in the yard

today. All very small but 

very welcome and treasured. I

 will have to get out soon 

and take some

photos. 

There's been an assortment of fun projects

to work on in my little gypsy studio. 

Lots of painting and some paper collaging.

 Clay and glitter... buttons and gems.

It's all so magical and the messes on my table

come and go shifting from one pile of 

goodness to the next. 

I'm so happy that I'm finally 

getting the hang of this

new way of downloading my photos!

And I'm so much more consistent.

There seems to always

be something

stewing in my mind. And though

I'm not a fearful person, I am not

very assertive sometimes and have allowed

negative thoughts to stay too long in my

head. I never realized

that I was so negative inwardly.

 Toward myself.

But I am very happy to share that this

is beginning to change. 

Like a butterfly coming out of it's 

cocoon or chrysalis.

And as I promised, here is the finished

project that

was inspired by a tiny butterfly.

Butterflies don't fly around afraid

of what people think or

of what might happen. 

They are happy to flutter about and gather their

food and enjoy sips of water and take refuge when

they see danger.

This is a 9x13 canvas. I used gesso, acrylic paints, stamps, ink, vintage papers

and stencils as well as random things for texturing.

My beautiful, Sonoron shell 

pink guitar that my husband got me last year. 

I love playing it and get comments on it whenever I take 

it to gigs.  It's perfect for this Shabbi Gypsy!

They don't make them anymore.

I'm still playing a lot of music and am working 

on songwriting as well. There is so much to learn

but I think the most important thing is to

put our whole hearts into whatever we do.

Do you agree?

This beautiful leaf was collected two years ago. 

Did you know that you can use 

rubber stamps on leaves?

My lovely geranium from last spring is still with me. 

Last fall, it was nearly

 four feet tall and three feet wide. I had to 

trim her back some so she could fit inside

for the winter.

These two are so much fun. They are full of 

love and SHENANIGANS! 

Just as they should be ;)

Have you had a first time recently?

I boiled stinging nettle this morning and ate it!

It's very good. 

{The western version.} 

A friend brought us some for making tea to

help with allergies. I scooped it out of the container

with my hands 

and my little finger is still stinging. 

haha.

If you look it up, you'll find that it's packed with

nutrients and is a complete protein. 

I found this little lady at Ross and thought 

she was so special,

I just had to bring her home.

Whatever you're doing this week, 

I hope you're finding

peace and rest and beauty in your days.

Four peaks in the Sonoran Desert.

It's music for me tonight and a month

from tomorrow, I leave to

head to Ohio to get my girl!

I hope that you enjoyed your visit.

Thank you for coming.

I hope you feel welcome and leave inspired.

Have a lovely rest of your week

and a Happy May to you.

Tamara 

Xo

Hello Spring! You are Magical~

Hello.

I hope this finds you all well.

What a glorious time it is with

the weather changing

and all sorts of hope that seems

to accompany the arrival of budding trees and

baby animals and birds galore.

Springtime is the land awakening.

The March winds are the morning yawns.

Lewis Grizzard

The world just has a freshness about it and

 there seems to be a purity and innocence about the world and so a white rose.

She is gorgeous and somewhat regal in her

appearance.

Flowers bloom and sprigs

of all sorts of green come shooting up through

the cold soil to be touched

by the warmth of the sun. 

Came the spring with all it's splendor... 

all it's birds and all it's blossoms. 

All its flowers and leaves and grasses.  

William Wadsworth Longfellow      

Spring is a magical time but it 

comes late to the mountains

and so I have been gathering 

my own bouquets

of pinks and yellows to 

welcome this lovely season of new life.

How do you welcome spring? 

 I have some thoughts of some little vignettes.

Thoughts of faeries, little birds, nests and lovely

green mosses and paper flowers.

I'm slowly working but

life is bustling with all sorts of good things. 

It's all a lot of fun but hard work, too!

I'm reading the book BIG MAGIC

by Elizabeth Gilbert and it's so inspiring

and encouraging. I always thought it was 

about how to be creative but

it's really about how to manage

your creativity. It has been so helpful!

One of the points she makes is that 

she measures her success by how

devoted she is to her craft.

I love that. 

I'll be sharing some of my projects

soon. I've been having so much fun making things and painting.

I watered everything today. My perennials are coming along.

 It will be some time before I get to having

flowers. Even later

this year because.....

My girl is coming home!

She's moving back from Ohio and

I couldn't be any happier.

So I will drive out in June

and her dad will fly out

and help us pack the van and we will 

travel back together. 

We are ALL overthemoon excited :)

So, besides maintenance, my gardening

will have to wait to mid July this year.

But it's ok. 

My herbs will be thriving in the next 

month and I love them.

As I said, 

spring comes late to the mountains.

I hope that you don't 

mind if I share a snow picture.

I know some of you have had enough.

But I do love the mountain wildlife that come

to visit. They are about 10 feet from

 the back door. And as you can see,

they aren't afraid. 

I didn't even realize that 

I had gotten the one 

in the distance until later.

Some of you have met Sunny. 

He's a bearded dragon and the sweetest thing.

This is pretty much proof. 

These are two of my OK grandkids 

and Sunny now lives with them. 

And as you can see, 

they adore him!

He is so gentle and calm. 

I miss him but my son told me that he can

come and visit Grandma's house 

sometimes and we can share ;)

I have moved many of my things

and I'm still in the process of gathering 

and organizing. 

Sometimes it's fun and inspiring

just to do something different. 

With spring and life changes, I'm finding

that the neat little boxes that

 I've held my thoughts in for so long

are growing and changing. 

It's scary and exciting and liberating all at the

same time.

Do you ever feel like that?

Are there things changing in your life?

Are you working on projects?

Here's one of mine. 

In my new living space,

I wanted something to hang 

some jackets and scarves on.

I've been trying to add some color and chose

this red. I am so indecisive about colors so

I have LOTS of Home Depot samples.

They work great for small projects tho

and are inexpensive!

This is somewhat of a random post.

I really just wanted to come and say hello

and...

Happy Spring! 

Here's a funny spring quote that I found.

Finally my winter fat is gone. Now I have spring rolls ;)

Thank you so much for coming by.

 Have a blessed day! X

Tamara

A Few Thoughts About Goals and Being Good to Ourselves

These vibrant flowers 

were for my birthday 

from a good friend of mine.

They are so beautiful! 

Such brilliant, cheerful colors.

And they are lasting so long.

This year I have dreams

that are re-surfacing and I'm finding 

myself on a journey back to me.

Feeling stronger and more confident. 

Finding it easier to focus. After so many years

of feeling like I was losing ground,

it's a relief to have direction.

 There a few things that I have learned.
One is that there is always hope.
No matter how small a thing it seems,
do something that keeps me moving toward
where I want to be.

Another is that not one person is without
challenges in their life. 
No one has an easy time of it
all the time.

One more is that it takes
a lot of devotion and hard work
to get where I want to go. 
Though we need to work hard, I'm learning
to not be too obsessive and to take
lots of mini breaks. 

And honey... 
one thing is sure.
If we give up, 
we will NEVER
get there. 
So we persevere.

This was the most delicious red velvet 

cake that my daughter made me. 

And I had been craving cake thick with frosting.

Is there any other kind? 

I wanted to get a picture of a slice 

but never did.

My two daughters and their families

surprised me with a late evening party.

It was so sweet of them! Handmade cards

and sweet gifts. 

So far, getting older has been good

to me. I try to exercise, a lot and eat lots of

healthy foods and keep my stress down. 

There are some things that 

I don't like about my appearance but I 

have decided to embrace all of me

and really work on loving myself. 

And being very good to me. 

I don't hold to the "hard road"

mindset anymore. Life has enough

bumps in the road

without inviting them! ;)

So let's laugh a lot and create

as many happy moments for ourselves 

and others that we can! 

How do you create happy moments?

Think lots of positive thoughts

and keep on the sunny side.

  These past couple of weeks 

have been a busy time

helping my daughter pack and move 

and helping with her sweet girls as

she started a new job. 

I'm glad that I started my valentines early

and I was still working on them

at the last minute! 

I love making them and get caught up in

the details. Here they are waiting 

for the finishing touches.

 Maybe I can squeeze in a post of close ups before the month is over. 

I have a favorite sugar cookie recipe

and I always use half wheat flour.

I try to make our treats a little healthier.

Did you know that you can substitute oil with

applesauce and it keeps your baked goods moist?

A little trick to save calories and make your baking a bit more healthy.

I baked these to take to the local

people where we play music on Wednesday

nights. They are so supportive and it's nice to 

give a little something back to them.

 We had a huge snow storm come through

last weekend. If you follow me on IG, you already know and have seen these.

With a foot of snow, the mountain was covered in

this frosty white blanket.  The birds were wanting to eat. I bought extra seed to make sure that they had plenty.

I hope your February has been delightful. It will be gone in a few days and March will bringing

with it many thoughts of spring!

Have a lovely week and thank 

you for your visit.

Big Hugs,
Tamara X

~ Paper Flowers and Eclectic Treasures For You ~

It's been a very cold, snowy day here.

I have a cozy fire and some little friends gathered

around. I keep hearing Brutus' snoring and the deep breathing of Liberty as she sleeps nearby. The dear dog is getting older.

I hope that you're enjoying your 

Valentine's week.

With all of the loving thoughts

and expressions going around.

"There is only one happiness in life;

 to love and be loved."

George Sand

Yesterday, I baked 5 loaves 

of banana and zucchini

bread. It was delightful to have that

sweet smell floating 

through the house.

And soon I am going to go

 make some cookie dough

 for sugar cookie hearts 

for friends and the grandkids. 

Are you baking for Valentine's day?

********

Do you ever think about how wonderful

it is to live in such inspiring times?

There are so many resources and ways to fulfill

the creative longings in our heart.

There are so many

fabulously talented and creative

people out there sharing their magic and

knowledge and skills.

I've learned so much and

I'm grateful!

And then there are books.

Are you a book person?

My grandparents always bought me new

books for my birthday. 

I still have some.

And I'm so thankful that my parents

always sent me back to school with

my Scholastic Book order

form all filled out and placed in an 

envelope with the money 

to pay for my new books.

Someday I'll do a book post.

"A flower cannot blossom without sunshine and 

man cannot live without love"

Max Muller

I've been enjoying this 

 mantel so much.

{The antique mirror with her elegant gold roses

feels very at home as the 

blush pink,  paper flower sits nearby.

Sparkling crystal is happy to be near

the Carnation Family as 

their colors reflect in the glass.} 

Do you like mixing old and new with

whimsical and elegant?

It reminds me of life.

All the goodness and textures 

blended together to display the

 beautiful and interesting 

and exciting story.

Do you like old tins?

I found this one at a thrift store.

I love the delicate roses and 

fairy-like butterflies painted in

the soft blues, yellows and pinks.

"Love planted a rose and the world turned sweet."

Katherine Lee Bates

Chalkboards are fun to 

share quotes and doodles on.  

This is a child's from long ago.

I wish I knew the story behind it.

Confession time. 

This saying is actually from three years ago

at Thanksgiving. It brings back such good memories that I am reluctant to erase it.

Paper flowers can be whimsical and pretty.

 They're fun and easy to make.

Their textures and puffy layers 

are cheerful and charming.

These colors make me think of winter.

Sometimes in the evenings 

we have beautiful pinks

as the sun slips away for the night.

Do you like the white flowers?

Since the growing season here in the mountains

is so short and I love flowers so much,

I have started collecting them from

different stores. 

Walmart carries a few pretty ones and

they are reasonably priced.

These looked so happy with their big, 

bright white

petals and soft pink centers.

"God's love is like an ocean;

you can see it's beginning but not it's end."

Rick Warren

Miss Prim ROSE is very curious.

I don't allow her to stay on my table because 

she is a bit reckless. 

haha

She found a sponge that I had been using for acrylics and had to smell it.

What a cutie :)

I hope,

 Dear friends,

 that you find your week is filled 

with love, laughter, friendship 

and many

ways to celebrate 

all the love in your life.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! 

XOXO

Thank you very much for 

your friendship

and for visiting my blog.

Love and blessings to you.

Tamara xo

Winter Scape Wanderings~ Keeping the Wonder

I hope that your

new year is off to a good start.

I'm sitting here by a crackling fire, 

(that needs a log ;)

drinking tea with my feet up. 

My day started very early today for 

which I'm happy. 

That allowed me to get my work done early

and have creative time.

What a lovely "wintry" winter it's been so far.

Most days, when it's cold and snowy outside,

I can hardly wait to lay footprints

in the brand new blanket of white.

I have such wonderful memories 

of roaming the hills of our farm in Ohio.

That was way back when I was a girl and teenager.

Now the mountain you see invites me to

 wander and roam it's canyons, slides,

draws and ridges. 

If you've visited before, you know that we live

 at the base of a mountain. We call it ours,

but it really belongs to the 

National Forest Service ;)

Some mornings, we are 

awakened by the beautiful

creatures that live alongside of us.

Their antlers scrape the house as they bite off the

grass that grows there.

Last winter, it was so dry, they were drinking from

a hose that was draped in a tree.

They heard the water as it 

trickled down to the ground.

So we are very grateful that the mountains

have several feet of snow.

Aren't they such magnificent creatures?

we never tire of seeing them

but we do have to chase them off at

times because they make a snack

of the things we work hard to grow!

They roam the mountain among the trees. 

I saw them this morning skirting 

across the meadow at the tree line.

The deep snows have driven them to the

lower country to forage.

Here is a Yucca plant.  

Pronounced yoo-ka in Spanish. 

They grow wild here. 

They produce tall spikes of beautiful,

creamy white flowers during the rains!

My son and his wife lived in Ecuador for

 a year and they learned how to

cook the root. He baked us some

 Yucca root fries when we visited 

at Thanksgiving. They were delicious! 

Crispy and chewy.

Being the first snow of the season, makes it extra special. 

 I was blessed with a window that day to take a

luxurious amount of time. All I wanted really. To hike around

and take in the sparkles that wink at you when the sun hits 

each tiny little flake. To breathe in that 
cold, fresh mountain air...
Oh my.

I always want to keep the wonder

that creates excitement over these

tiny miracles that pile up and spread the

beauty of winter over mountains and valleys.

Don't you truly believe that there are those 

special little miracles and wonder in every day?

Something that touches you down deep.

I thought this little dried plant 

was so pretty even in it's simplicity.

Maybe especially because of it.

Simple pleasures.

It looked so frail but yet has held up 

through all the rainstorms and wind

and now it stands through 

the snowstorms, too.

Are we like that sometimes?

We will experience times of feeling fragile 

but we are stronger than we know.

Isn't it so lovely in all it's slenderness 

just holding up that snow 

that's reflecting the light of the sun.

(Some of my pictures are sunny and some cloudy
 because the skies cleared up while I was out.)

Thank you for coming by and sharing in

 my wanderings around the mountain.

I hope I haven't bored you.

I get so caught up in nature and life and can

obsess over the smallest thing!

I'd love to hear about something

 that you have found 

that causes you to stop and wonder.

That makes me think of Mary Poppins!

Enjoying the wonder of the simple

things in life seemed to be part of her very being.

Have a wonderful rest of your week.

Tamara xo