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

Simple, Handmade Paper Ornaments

Hello Friends..

I hope this finds you well

and enjoying the peace and beauty of these

almost winter days.

There's so much to take in!

I have to remember to 

*breathe and notice.*

I'm not quite sure what to write in this post.

Last evening, I spent an hour or more 

working on a post and published it.

This morning, I opened my dashboard

and the post is just gone.

Hmmm.

Has that ever happened to you before?

Anyway. I guess I'll try again!

Last week did not go as planned. 

I have been busy with many things.

Mostly getting back on top of this 

rambling home of ours after our

most glorious and fun, and memorable Thanksgiving.

We had sleep-overs

with kids and grandkids.

Guitar music and sweet voices

filled the room as we sang some of our 

old favorites and new songs.

To celebrate

the beauty of the season and everyday

life in song is one of my favorite things.

And there's something very special in that

"sit-around-the-living-room"

kind of singing.

 And to hear our grand children lift their requests

to heaven during family prayer

was one of the sweetest things I can think of.

So sincere and pure.

Our Apples to Apples game got 

very wild and crazy.

My oldest daughter said, "It was a blast!" 

She's 33.

A little organized chaos always adds fun and laughter!

And watching the little to pre-teen kids play Twister

was a highlight for sure!

Blessed would describe our time together best.

And I'm so grateful. 

It won't be like that every year because

the travelers can't always break away.

They were very brave to drive

900 miles with a 6 month

and two year old. And then back

home again through icey Texas and Oklahoma.

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

Are your hands busy with creating

gifts and offerings for this wondrous season?

I hope you're having a most enjoyable and fulfilling time.

And that you're experiencing the warmth that just

seems to surround us during this time.

 music

visits

delicious hot drinks

sweet treats 

wild birds and

 animals outside your window

working with your hands

the lights

(we have ever so many lights)

Here's a bit of what I've been doing.

They are pretty quick and easy.

One could use them as ornaments,

gift tags or package embellishments.

I made a pattern and cut two pieces

of the chosen card stock or paper.

The plan was then to sew them together

and stuff them with pillow filling.

After finishing the sewing,

I used my crop-o-dile to set 

an eyelet in each one. It makes them stronger

and I like the finished look.

I, then, trimmed around the outside edge with

a pair of zig-zag craft scissors

to give them a tree branch look. 

Then comes the fun of embellishing.

I just used whatever I had that

co-ordinated with the paper that I chose.

I enjoy this kind of detail work very much!

And these days, I'm lighting a candle

to remind me, while I'm working, to 

pray for my friends and family.

Thank you so much for stopping by. 

And thank you for your thoughtful and encouraging 

comments that you leave here.

What kind of things have you been doing?

Peace and joy to you all..

Tamara xo 

Linking up at:

Shabbilicious Friday Party

Creating Christmas the Old-Fashioned Way

Art Inspiration: My Journey-- Trust God's Timing In Our Lives

Hello Beautiful Ones...

Isn't it a glorious day to bring to life that
creative gift that is wanting to
burst forth with
beauty and inspiration?

OR..

Do you think it's too late?

To follow your path, somewhat obscure at times,
to find yourself and lose yourself at the same time.

To find the part of you that is waiting to be unbound by the
misconceptions of life that restrict your
thinking and doing.

And that's the part that we want to lose.

Do you look at your situation in the here and now
as if they are abstract and think that they don't fit
into the plan that you had or the
time frame within which you were hoping for
 things to happen?

Do you ever feel like time is running out?
That these things can't or haven't happened
 fast enough?

Or maybe, you're like me, and you've been busy living life.
Following through with the choices that you've made.
Being a responsible, dependable person.




Like...for the past 25 or 30 years!

And now, in the, past little while, your life has come to a point of drastic
change and you're beginning to realize that there's a you
in there that you didn't even know?


Or maybe they are dreams that were buried deep in the
 mire of yours (or someone else's) practicality.

(Somewhere in your memories of the past, you remember
getting excited about making things.

Drawing, playing music, painting
singing. Or taking sticks, feathers and colored
string..  putting it all together to make something beautiful.)


As I look backward through the windows of my childhood,
there's a little girl who used to make up songs.
Draw birds on pieces of leftover sheet rock.
Make rings out of old, pretty colored wire
that came out a telephone system somewhere.

WOW..
Things that I'd forgotten, even until now!

I really wanted to be an artist.
Of the singing, drawing kind.


So, in the reality of NOW...
you have time.
To reflect.
To feel.
To breathe and just be.

Something
 begins to awaken in your heart and soul.

A hunger begins to stir.

This has happened to me. 

And I have begun to follow the calls of my heart to
follow this path.

To unpack these treasures...these desires
that have been stored away for decades.

my hopes..

And though I feel very blessed to see my opportunities
grow and my heart become more full of ideas
and dreams,
there has been one nagging thought
that I fight often.

It seems very late.
I'm too late.
I've missed it.
I will never have enough time to do all
that I want to do.

*

One night, I was sharing these thoughts with my husband.
I was almost in tears and feeling somewhat bitter about it.
And admittedly, having some selfish regrets about what I had spent the last
30 years of my life doing.
(Even though I loved what I was doing.
Raising our children and teaching them at home.)

I have really have had a difficult time with this.

He assured me that my life was spent doing very worthy things
and it was all a sum of who I am.

I had my priorities right.

I fell asleep feeling more at peace.
Trying to hold on to the truth of what he had said and not be
a doubter or negative about things that I
couldn't change anyway.

The next morning,
I picked up the new magazine that I had just bought.
My favorite publications come from Stampington.

It was the most recent
 Where Women Create Issue.

I turned directly to the Barbara Rainey
article. (I am travelling and don't have that issue with me right now,
or I would share more of her lovely, truth-packed thoughts
about this subject.) 

A beautiful, Christian woman full of Godly wisdom,
wonderful talents and she also has a successful business.

She had written a quote..
Her words resonated in my heart and soul and caused
hope to spring up like a shoot

She had stated..

"Trust the timing of your life.
There is a Master Designer who
makes no mistakes."

This was for me.
 I had no doubt and I felt so
grateful.

It was just what I needed to hear.
A truth that I needed to be reminded of.
I know that God in His abundant love and infinite wisdom
is ordering my steps.
And that includes my time as well.

God is ever-watching..
not in an 
'I'm going to get you for that'

kind of way but in the gentle,
attentive way that a father
watches over his own.


Guiding.
Protecting.
Encouraging.

So..
trust your heart.

Trust God..

and take the advice of
Winston Churchill.

Never
Never,  Never
Give up..

Trust the process.
Keep at it.
Enjoy it.
Don't fret.
  And remember...

That He makes all things beautiful in His time.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
__________________________________________________________________

This is a re-peat photo.
I hope nobody minds.
But it's such a beautiful time of year.
And the flowers are so inspiring.
I hope you're touched by their beauty!

Life is good and through it all,

blessings gather.

Wishes for a wonderful week.

Tamara xxoo



Our Refuge

God usually doesn't allow us to be quickly transported out of

challenging times. He wants first that we should grow and rest in Him

in the midst of them. That our hearts would thirst for Him.

 

Not always out of our troublous times,

    And the struggles fierce and grim,

But IN - deeper IN-  to our one sure rest,

  The place of our peace, in Him~

 

Annie Johnson

 

God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

 

Psalm 46:1

 

Peaceful, restful wishes to you on this Sunday.

Tamara XO

 

The Planting of A Seed ~Believe~

I realize that this is the season for the harvest not planting.  But is it ever too early or too late to start dreaming or planning?

When I think of planting a seed. I think of hope. When we actually buy the seed or harvest it from some other place, we are thinking of it's possibilities. There's optimism and excitement about what's coming. If there wasn't, we wouldn't bother. We don't think about drought or the birds that come to steal it away or the flood that washes through and dislodges it's bed of dirt. Our thoughts aren't focused on the possibility of the never-ending rain-showers that turn from friend to foe as the seed rots before it has even a chance to germinate.

No, we imagine sunshine that nurtures and gentle rains that come and wash over it seed slowly coaxing it to open up and let the beauty of the tiny green vine show itself. Reaching through the soft, moist dirt upward toward the sun.

We don't wait for perfect cause it usually doesn't happen. But we know when the time is right.

I see my life in the same way. There are seeds that I am holding in my heart. Pondering over. Imagining how they will grow. Thinking about what possibilities lie within them. And there are hopes and dreams attached to them. I believe God gave us the ability and desire to hope and dream. And Not just about our spiritual lives and who we'd like to become along our journey with the Lord. What about what we'd like to become of the gifts and talents or desires of the kind of life that He has placed within us. 

Just as with the seeds that we put in the ground, there is a right time to put that seed that we have been holding in our hearts into a place where it can be nourished so that it can bring forth the beauty of the life that has been waiting to burst forth.

Maybe it's been there for a long time and you've tried planting it but it just died out. Maybe you thought the timing was right but it just didn't grow. Maybe circumstances crushed the tender plant as it began to grow. It's never too late. Take the precious seed that you've been holding dear and take another chance. Don't worry about the outcome right now. Just start with what you have and take each day as it comes. 

{Nourish the seed with hope and faith. Believe.}

 

  xo Tamara

Finding That Place Full of Grace and Peace

do we really show our true selves to others//
can we embrace the real us//
do we allow others to get close// 
are we comfortable with who we are //
do we follow our hearts//

each one is the only one// 
unique//
beautiful//
a treasure//


                       Sometimes I really struggle with who I am.  As a person... a mother.. a friend...

And I wonder...
am I the only one? But I know that isn't so.

I talk to friends who hide because of the pain of life.  {It's true. Sometimes life hurts.} They are afraid of making more mistakes and of being misunderstood. Feeling inadequate and terrified of rejection.


But there is a place ..
                                     
                               a place of :

                                         ~grace, encouragement and peace~
 
Where we can be seen as we truly are. One with faults but one who is trying. One who desires good but fails sometimes. One who has talents and is learning to use them.  We are seen by One who knows our heart and will never reject us. He will affirm us and help us get through those times when we feel afraid.

He can help us embrace our mistakes and learn from them and love life and the path we're on. I wish I would have learned this so long ago. So much has been wasted. Trying to get it right every time. That makes for a very long dis-heartening journey.

He would say to us..{ You can do this! You can face this life. You can be strong in me and I am here to show you the way when you are unsure. Go for it and don't be afraid.}

He created only one of us.
Fearfully and wonderfully.
{139:14}
 
With a plan to bless us and to give us a hope and a future.
{Jeremiah 29:11}

Sometimes we think too much about our difficult circumstances or relationships! I know I do and my thoughts are often negative. And negative thoughts are usually destructive. Being mindful of our thoughts is a good thing!
{ 2 Corinthians 10: 4&5}

They can create circumstances that don't even exist, complicate our relationships and they keep us from doing what we have the gift and desire to do.

Don't second guess yourself. Make the best decision you can with what you know. And move forward with confidence and peace. If you did your best, that's what counts. If there's some way to make it better, then you've learned and you can do it differently time. It's good to allow yourself a bit if learning curve. Whatever it is that you're trying to accomplish. This has been very hard for me to learn. I was never allowed that as a child. I felt like I needed to now and do it right the first time and to this day, I can get very easily discouraged if I don't stay focused.

And enjoy being beautiful you! Our faults and failures help make us who we are. We build on them, mature and move forward.

 Some  things I've learned.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trust God and trust yourself. And keep a sense of humor about things. Most of my life I think I've taken things too seriously. These are sober times that we live in, for sure and I want to be purposeful and intentional in my living. But to dwell too much on any one thing can create a heaviness about us.

So... do your best. Believe what God says about you. He rejoices over you with song! He loves you and I more than we'll ever know or be able to comprehend. He is with us and He's rooting for us.

He's the proud Father that wants to see you and I succeed and YES! He wants us to be happy.... DILERIOUSLY happy.

So go forward in His grace knowing that you are one-of-a-kind
special and walk in the peace that you will make mistakes but He
KNEW that you would and it's ok.

Blessings to you,
Tamara <3 font="">

It's A Day To Make Beautiful...

 

I love waking up to the morning.

 

Have you ever noticed that

hope is fresh and things looks bright?

 

Most of the time~
 

But even in spite of bleakness that may seem to loom,

 

there are so many ways to make a day beautiful.

 

 

 

New beginnings await as the day breaks.

 

Courage is standing tall. 

 

Resolve seems immovable.

And the windows of the heart have lost their shadows.



Goodness is there to be found.

Blessings.

Sometimes hidden but still present.

 At times clouded by the circumstances of the past.

As the light of hope is allowed to shine, they will appear.


Their grayness will give way.

The beauty that lies beneath the drab will

at first be timid.

As the goodness is revealed,

 it will grow to overcome the

things that make it small.

Discouragement...despair...fear...sorrow...and?


 Look for goodness~

Hope will grow~


Beauty can be seen in every day.


And I always want to remember the butterflies
the flowers..
the people who touch my life..
little conveniences..
my health...
food...

the sun as it warms my back on a chilly spring day..
the cold nose of our dog, Liberty when she wants to "hug"

My list  could go on and on.
 There is
always, always
something  in my life to make me smile.
Even if it's through tears.

Blessings to you,

Tamara






























 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 



God is Our Refuge...That is Sure

A scrap and doodling..... turned into a project....while looking for comfort.

 

Have you ever thought about the content of this scripture deeply?

I don't think I have.  Though, there have been many times that

I have clung to this promise time and again (and

again today)

with no doubt of it's truth.

 

 

 Webster's 1828 definition

 

Refuge:

  That which shelters or protects from danger, distress or calamity;

a strong hold which protects by its strength,

or a sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness;

 any place inaccessible to an enemy.

 

This sounds like a safe place.

From the tempests and storms which rise up from

unforgiving circumstances or people.

 

There is a safe place in Him.

No man should put there trust in me. 

That is sure.

Our surety comes only from the One who

formed us and redeemed us.

 

 

His strength goes beyond our own.

Whatever we cannot face or walk through alone

with Him there is assurance of making it through

as His light leads and guides us.

In letting go of oursleves, we find true lasting strength

for each day and circumstance.

 

His presence is without fail.

Not only is He ever-present, He delights

in us and wants good to come to us.

All the days of our lives.

 

Never doubt that you are His Beloved.

 

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

 

 

Blessings to you,

Tamara

hope has come ...

Lift up your heart..

 

Lift up your eyes.. 

 

In the chaos, God is....

 

In the silence, God is...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Used by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 inaugural speech   Isn't that beautiful?     I love this quote. It is so true and wish that I could make it real to me. Fear of success is huge. And so is hiding. If I could do one thing that could make a difference in peoples lives, it would be to help them move beyond that fear. To be set free from the thing that holds one captive in their hearts and minds could be and most likely would be life-changing. Not just for that person, but those whose lives they could and would touch.     To see others gloriously transformed and sharing their gifts and talents with freedom and grace. Whatever that may be. I pray this for all people. Including myself.      ********************************************************************************* May we all dare to rise above what we fear and move ahead to achieve our goals and realize our dreams~

The Feeling of Not Measuring Up

 There is this feeling that rises up within me. It can come like a tidal wave and catch me
 off-guard or creep in quietly like the mist on a damp summer's evening.

It's the feeling of being inadequate. Do most people face this from time to time? ( Personally,
I think it's rampant among women in particular.) It's a feeling that can debilitate me. It can
cause me to wander from one thing to the next not wanting to make a decision about what
I'm going to do with my time. I don't want to commit to any certain task because I feel it
either doesn't matter or I won't do a good job anyway. And then being indecisive just confirms
the feelings that I had in the first place.

How to get over this, past it or through it is beyond me. It
seems like it's a part of me no matter how I try to STOP IT.

Though I feel that this is something that I will always contend with, there have been a few
ideas that have helped make the feelings pass more quickly.

Comparing myself to others DOES NOT help. And I'm sure that's why God warned us
about doing this in His Word. We can certainly learn from others but judging or measuring
how we shine compared to someone else can either bring discouragement or haughty way
of thinking about who we are. I don't want any part of either.

Unrealistic views of how people get to the place where I consider them successful is
another downfall of mine. However, I AM learning. There has never been any room for the
learning curve that I may need in picking up a new skill or filling a position. I have always
expected such perfection from myself and I am thinking that I have parented the same way.
My poor children. Now it makes me want to ask them. I'm afraid to ask because of the answer.
But I'll ask anyway. Thank you for that courage, Lord.

I have come to realize by watching that it's all a process. (Now one would think that that's
extremely elementary but let me tell you, sometimes I am a very slow learner! ) I used
to think that if what I did was not an instant success and right up at the top that I failed at
it and so I would get discouraged and quit. I am happy to tell you that now I can allow
myself some time to build a successful anything. And I can have peace and wait patiently
while the work goes  and grows in steady steps.

And then there's the problem of trying so hard that one can actually cut off your own foot
as the saying goes. My feelings of inadequacy have caused me to take on too much and try so
hard to make myself  look good at something, that it has come back to cripple and
even cause me to sometimes fall....hard. That was not easy to admit. Life lessons. Not very
pleasant.  I am learning not to take it all so seriously but to to make it count
without making a martyr of myself.

Lighten UP! take a chill pill...stop trying so hard to keep things between the lines...laugh a
little    LOT... especially at myself! ( I have always been annoyed by these cute little sayings.
They seemed so trite and unoriginal. But I am learning to see the value in them as I work at practicing their meaning.)

So, I have to remind myself of all these things often.
There is a re-training that takes place. A re-thinking if you know what I mean.
I have to push forward and make some things happen. I can make decisions easier now. Every
thing doesn't have to have a "purpose." Sometimes a thing can be done just because I
enjoy it. And it all matters. Some things stand a lone for a moment and that is OK. I am getting
so much more done but more importantly ENJOYING the doing and life. 

My black and white personality used to paint me into a corner but I have learned how to
maneuver around it and have been set free from many things that I have taken too literally. Sometime, I would like to share about that. There are MANY.

If any of you have any words of wisdom or advice, I would be glad to hear them.

And remember, you are: Unique. Priceless. Talented. Gifted. Very special.
It truly IS all good. And all is a process.

Black Fades to Gray

These past months have been so enlightening and liberating. During this time, I have come to
realize that many areas of my life have been out of balance for a very long time. Many of them
relate to my beliefs.

One of the things that I attribute these imbalances to is this. Though I had a father
and a mother, and they were both present physically most of the time, they were unable
to be a presence in my life. Their own circumstances were overwhelming. My mother was
in and out of mental institutions before I was 8 years old. My father worked construction
and he drove long distances to the sites where he was a Master Mechanic. Usually an
hour to two hours one way.

I am not blaming my parents. These are just the facts. They did what they knew. They were
just trying to move ahead and do the best they could with the very difficult circumstances that surrounded them.  Life is not always fair and blaming circumstances or people only makes
one weak. However, it does help to reflect and understand.

I remember feeling very alone and that my life was icky. Just messy. And I always felt like
I was odd and stupid. My family wasn't like other families whose
parents did things with the kids. They talked about things. I remember taking a walk with
my older sister once and talking about life and how good that felt to me. It hit the spot way
down deep in my hungry heart. As I look back I understand that these feelings were all related
to a life that felt very much out of control.


I made a decision to live for God when I was 10. But I never felt good enough. And this
began a very long journey for me. A journey of trying to do right to feel loved and accepted
by the One who created me.

Through the many years on the road to living close to God and trying to please Him, I took
many different paths. All of them supposedly the "right" one. There were truths that were
definitely come to and clarified. But my search for the "perfect" path was not to be found.

Being of the "black and white" personality made that very difficult for me. I was very
determined. And so I tried so hard to make things make sense. I needed a box for all
my activities, beliefs and philosophies to fit neatly into. This was a place of comfort a
and ease.

All the while, He was waiting for me to come to the end of this road that I thought was
leading me into the right.

The accepting of the gray has been extremely liberating. At times, however, freedom can
bring a lot of questions and a feeling of insecurity. Not having the answers can be
intimidating and leave a person feel vulnerable.  My understanding of  "the way things work"
has gone from nothing to a little bit to a little bit more.

For the first time in my life, I am at peace with not knowing. I believe in the past, my
insecurities, and my need to belong always kept me stirred up and anxious. I am so glad to
be ok with what I don't know and who I don't fit in with. I am free to be me. To live. To love.
My husband says that I have come out of my cocoon. I am like a transformed butterfly.

I am so thankful that God didn't forsake me during my searching and questioning. I never felt abandoned or rejected. He has once again, proven Himself so loving and real.( It sounds as if
my journey is over. It's not. There is still healing to be done. Questions will still arise and
more is to be revealed. But the peace I have is lasting. )