Art Inspiration: My Quest ....A Winter Canvas Collage and Keeping Inspired

 I hope that your week has been happy and inspiring. 

Inspiration is one of the staples that I live on.

It's so easy to get in a rut with everyday things. Not that we aren't thankful but it's good to have new experiences. 

I like to work at conjuring up happy thoughts 

and fresh things to do.

How do you keep inspired?

I am trying to work hard at learning new things

and today I wanted to share my winter canvas

with you. It started as a Christmas project but quickly was

set aside for seasonal activities.

So, I turned it into a winter project.

Isn't that one of things that is so lovely about art?

There are really no rules.

Allow yourself a lot of grace, flow with the 

circumstances and  follow your heart.

It's one of things that keeps the inspiration coming.

And how amazing to not have any boundaries or rules but full

freedom through creativity!

This is just one of the wonders of it all.

This project was inspired by 

Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist.

She is an artist of many talents! Lovely, creative and

whimsical. A person who celebrates life at every turn

and shares her inspiration with such generosity of spirit

through her beautiful photos. 

Thank you, Vanessa!

I saw one of her canvas' in a magazine and decided to 

try my own with a little different approach.

 How magical it was to enter this little world of make believe

with pretty papers, glitter and colorful paints to create 

a fairytale story through my imagination and art!

To get lost in it all was simply blissful.

Here are a few new things that I learned..

*large collage piece

*planning a story to tell in the picture

*drawing with detail

*painting animals with acrylics

I learned so much and it gave me confidence to keep moving forward.

By some miracle, I inspired myself.

Isn't it a good feeling to have dreams in front of you and 

to accomplish something that brings you one step closer?

Even if it's just a tiny step?

Most big things are accomplished through small steps.

Have you ever experienced that?

Please..

I would really love to hear about yours!

Thank you..

________________________________

Below are just a few photos of my life..

A bear sighting! :)

I was picking this up for my daughter at Christmas.

One of the ways to get inspired is to do something out of the

ordinary fun or even

a little crazy; like push a bear around the grocery store 

while getting your groceries. 

Smile..

That is a very large grocery cart with a very 

large bear inside!

Reading this Renoir book has been very inspirational.

I learned that many of the artists 

of his time carried their knapsacks 

to the fields and forests to 

paint because having a studio was a luxury.

One of the most fulfilling, inspirational ways to stir up creativity is to be someone else's inspiration and then help THEM accomplish

what you inspired them to do. 

I made a pillow.

My grand daughters saw it and wanted to make one, too.

So the other day, they spent about four hours learning how to hand sew these little pillows.

They did a beautiful job and were so pleased with their work.

It made me so happy to be a part of this 

fun and enriching time! 

Thank you for coming by.  

I hope you find some very lovely inspiration

and then have a wonderful time inspiring someone else.

I find so much creativity on many friend's blogs.

So thank you for sharing your talents and lovely ideas

so that others can be inspired and learn new 

ways to enrich our lives.

Wishing you a happy weekend!

Tamara XO 

Our Family "Holiday" Trip Part 1

Hello to you and Happy February!

A lovely month filled with thoughts and little reminders
that say I LOVE YOU and promises of spring. 

I hope this finds you well.

I am doing well. 

I'm very behind in my blogging because of some internet problems and a little discouragement combined. I'm going to work hard
at catching up. And I'm going to be working on the blog a little.

I'd like to change the name. Is that bad?
I want to change it to match my instagram 
account and the name of my business.
In case you don't know what that is, it's 
The Shabby Gypsy.
I would really appreciate your thoughts on that.

I have not had good experiences with posting lately.

I lost my last post that took me three hours to

complete.

But I'll not whine about it ;) I know everyone has

their issues with theses things from

time to time.

So... Here I am being brave..well not too.

It's taken me a week to feel like doing this again!

Haha.

I'm going to share about our Nutcracker trip and then 
there will another post about the For King and Country
Christmas concert that we adults attended.

How fun it was to surprise our grand 

daughters and our youngest daughter!
We made a mini-vacation out of it because Phoenix is 220
miles from our mountain home.

Not a very good picture but who doesn't love a giant peppermint cookie? 

It was delicious! The six of us shared it.... We were saving our 

dessert allowances for later.

Driving into Phoenix many times offers a lovely sunset.

The Saguaro cacti add such beauty to the landscape. 

A timeless desert treasure. They are actually protected by laws.

Our motel room was lovely. My husband always does a great job of choosing our accommodations. Thank you, Honey!  

I brought a long all kinds of food, Christmas books to read, cozy throws and decorations to celebrate the holiday experience. 

It made it much more like home.

I wanted to have a little something for the girls

and were the giggles excited to see gifts under the tree! 

This sweet threesome came from the holiday craft show that I went to.

They are on my list of favorite things.

Hungry munchkins enjoying a snack. Jeff had picked this little party

tray up and it was perfect!

This little peanut LOVES her hot cocoa! It's not just the lovely flavor but 

I'm sure, in her little heart, that she associates it with celebrating cozy, family times.

Don't most of us? I do for sure. She was so happy that we brought some along. 

Can you tell? It just makes me smile!

Jammied, snuggle bugs with their new stuffed friends. 

 Getting ready for the Nutcracker Ballet. Even that part was so special. Isn't there just a magical excitement in the air while getting all dressed up to attend a special event?

The little princesses. The tiaras were a bit of a challenge to

 keep on their heads but it was so worth it! Every little girl deserves to feel 

like a princess many times over.

The tree in the motel lobby. I always enjoy traveling during the holidays. The festive feeling seems to envelope everyone and transport us into a happy bubble of time. The lights..decorations and the anticipation of holiday gatherings, celebrations, special events,  food and the giving of gifts. I love it all!

I apologize for the quality of some of my photos. Sometimes you're 

feeling thankful and doing good just to capture the moment!

The excitement is building as we leave in the motel shuttle. Jeff was particularly thankful for this because our 15 passenger van does not fit in the parking garages! Also, finding a good spot in the downtown area during a big event,

 can be a real challenge.  

Those are some happy faces!

My daughter liked the bathroom mirrors. 

Oh.. what a gorgeous smile she has and those eyes just light up!

(hmm.. does she look a little mischievous?)

 Sorry... A proud, mama moment.

Here we are about to enter into another world. As the orchestra music begins

 and fills the room,  you hold your breath and wait for the magic to unfold. 

The following photos are property of the Ballet Arizona website gallery.
As I'm sure you know that cameras are not permitted during the performances.

Words cannot express the feelings I had while watching as these dancers took on their roles so perfectly and led us through this outstanding and most beautiful production.

The lighting, costumes and stage sets were so magnificently created and we were drawn into the drama, suspense and gloriousness of each scene!

The grace, poise and energy of every dancers flowed to every 

corner of that hall and left us in awe. 

The curtain call. 

What a triumphant accomplishment and unforgettable experience

 to be part of something so utterly perfect and divine.

What a wonderful time we had. 

It was a delight and such a privilege to be able to attend.

 I would love to see it again and again!

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

Here are a few facts about the Nutcracker.

Ivan Vsevolozhsky and Marius Petipa adapted Hoffmann's story for the ballet. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote the music. Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov designed the dances. The Nutcracker was first performed at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, on 18 December 1892.

(from simple Wikipedia)

While reading through the program, we learned that

 a pair of pointe shoes costs

about 75 dollars and they only last for one performance. The AZ Ballet budget for these special shoes, alone, is 200,000 a year!  

Our tickets were quite pricey and we learned that the cost 

of our tickets covers only a portion of the cost of the production.

The company is sustained mostly by donations.

This photo speaks for itself!

So sweet!

Thank you for being so patient. It was not my intention

 to be posting about Christmas on the first day of February!

But I hope you enjoyed it.

_____

Now to share just a tad about what's happening currently.

I've been deep cleaning and de-cluttering and doing some decorating. When I 

declutter my house, it also de-clutters my head. 

(Did you know that clutter has been named as one of the #1 stressors for women?)

It's been much needed and I'm enjoying the moving around 

of some of my vintage

suitcases and books. 

I'm putting the finishing touches on my winter canvas and enjoying the elk

in our fields. The heavy snow has driven them down to the lower country

to feed. They are so beautiful!

I'm also working hard at focusing on my work and making better use of my time

Puttering is such a robber.

What have you been doing?

 I hope you're staying warm and enjoying 

this last little bit of winter.

Thank you so much for coming by.

Peaceful wishes for your week.

Tamara XO

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas.... And a Few Life in December Photos

Oh my!! Hello friends..

How are you doing?

Well I hope.. 

Christmas day is almost upon us.

Can you believe it?

My mind is swirling with so many thoughts as I'm resting a bit.

 Hanging onto all of the beauty and wonder of the lights,

the gatherings and special events.

Today, my daughter and I went bear hunting at the grocery store.

                  And we caught one and then we took it hostage and stuffed it into

the back of my husband's car!

HAHA... just plain fun.

AND...

our trip, of course.

Which was absolutely

perfect and amazing!

We had tickets to the Ballet Arizona

production of the Nutcracker.

It was spectacular beyond words.

And for our youngest daughter's

late 20th birthday present,

we went to see the 

For King and Country

Christmas Tour concert featuring Lauren Daigle.

I love to go on "holiday"in the winter. 

There's just something so exciting and special about it.

I will save that for another post.

I'm still gathering pictures from the phones and cameras.

There have been some really exciting times but much of the time I have 

 been enjoying everyday things. 

It was quieter and more simple for me. 

And it has been a Christmas to remember.

These past couple of weeks, we've played music with our friends to 

raise money for gifts for local children.

We were able to bring in $500.00 and we had s much fun doing it!

I enjoy such a mix of Christmas music.

Traditional O Holy Night ( one of my favorites ) by Nat King Cole to the

pumped up version of 

The Little Drummer Boy by 

For King and Country.

You can watch it here

Do you have a favorite Christmas carol or song?

I just want to share a few pictures of what I've been

busy at. I have enjoyed seeing others homes

and projects and hearing about their

families and friends. So I thought I'd share a bit also. 

Part of my Christmas village... it's a work in progress!

And I always enjoy making some cards to send some handmade love

to friends and family! 

 A little thrifting and a smoothie outing with my daughter

is always in order! 

I have found some beautiful

things this year. 

My middle daughter, Hannah, says that I'm a 

treasure magnet. 

Haha. 

(Maybe I just spend a lot of time in thrift stores ;)

Just today, I found the most adorable

little music box for my granddaughters.  The cutest

group of snowmen with halos and the music box 

played Joy to the World. 

It was perfect! 

I secretly wanted to keep it but I wanted them 

to have it more. They will love it!

Part of my HUGE pile of CHEX MIX that 

was atop my kitchen counter cooling!

 My Christmas wreath that I made.

 The December craft show.

 The following pictures are all of angel wing ornaments that I made.

This little tree has since been decorated with gleaming

silver, glass pinecones and a string of shiny silver beads.

The giggles had fun making it pretty!

And I am still decorating.. Shhhh!

Am I the only one?

Well tomorrow is Christmas eve.

And all is well.

What we've done is enough.

I am purposely practicing the

discipline of NOT doing that one more thing!

It has helped me to release that

temptation to make things perfect.

Well done ladies!

The baking and shopping and wrapping.

All that giving and doing. 

We might have a white christmas so in lieu of that,

 here's the classic and classy Bing Crosby

 singing one of our favorite songs of the season!

And here's a clip from Meet Me in St Louis with Judy Garland

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. 

So warm wishes to you and I hope that you do!

Enjoying family and friends..cozy fires, good food,

playing games, opening gifts... feeling the love that came down

and that is all around.

And always, always counting our blessings.

Thank you so much for coming by.

I always hope that you find a bit of peace,

happiness and inspiration here.

Love and hugs,

Tamara