Art Inspiration: My Journey .... Chasing Your Dream to Create Your Future

Hello Dear Friends~

It's been quite a while since I've shared 

anything of my soulful journey of finding my way

 along the winding path of 

this artistic and heart awakening.

*********

It's another day and that's a good thing. 

Everyday is rich with possibilities.

~ Dreams and hopes fly on the wings of tomorrow ~

Tomorrows always seems so full of promise and 

it can seem easier to dream for tomorrow than

to expect reality today.

And though it's good to have hope for our dreams,

TODAY 

is the time to take steps toward making 

those dreams come true.

And so writes :

Victor Hugo.....

an Ohio sunset during one of my visits to my "other" home :)
isn't it gorgeous?

Are we waiting for something in our hearts to be born?

Maybe the birth has already begun.

 A dream can seem very elusive.

Appearing...fading..again and again..

I used to think of it all in terms of

"the being there."

Do you allow yourself the grace for the process?

 The learning of the skill...or the honing of a talent?

Are you thinking of everything little

seed that you sow to get there as a

 part of the beautiful process?

Is it protected by keeping the long-term hopes

in perspective. Are the tender shoots

allowed to grow in the light without being over-shadowed

by the pressure of expectations and the road ahead?

We stay focused.

Guarding that dream with all

the passion of a mother watching

over her babe as it grows.

We run after it every day,

never letting it out of our sight.

Learning how to nurture it in the every day and

adding to it's growth and strength.

Pushing through the hard things.

Remembering that there will be set backs.

Unexpected hardships and disappointments will come.

These things that seem to resist us will only

make us stronger.

Watching step by step.

 Recognizing the beauty as it unfolds before us. 

As the truth of what's in our hearts

begins to shine through the glory of what He

enables us to create with our hearts and our hands!

Always keeping the faith that we are being 

guided by The One Who

inspires and directs our paths.

If you are on a similar journey,

I would love to hear about your revelations. 

And ways that you have overcome as well as 

the beauty that grows in your heart and life.

I know there are so many different ways of expressing 

the passion and beauty that wants to

 overflow from a life!  

My admiration and respect grows for those

who are able to truly listen and stay true to

their hearts and course!

Wishing you blessings and beauty

for the rest of your week~

And always,

thank you so much for coming by. 

I appreciate your visits and comments so much!

Tamara xo

  

An Up-cycled Denim Flower for Spring...

Hello everyone and 

Happy Spring!

Isn't it just so exciting to see 

those little green shoots

coming up around the yard?

And my, oh my! The birds are singing

such happy little songs. 

I hope that your spring is shaping

up to be a happy one. 

Filled to the brim with many blessings.

I find that when I'm feeling blue,

if I practice a little

~ GRATITUDE ~

****

it helps to change my outlook.

I did some cleaning up

and watering around the yard

and in my herb garden this morning.

I'm not feeling very well and so

it felt good to be out in the sun!

I've been using my essential oils like

crazy and they help so much. 

I'm very thankful to have them.

I have a little spring project that I'd like to share.

I really enjoy re-using and re-making things.

And denim is so fun to work with!

I was going through my scrap drawer one day

and decided to just gather some different

pieces of random things to try to 

put something together.

And I came up with this little sign 

and the flower seemed perfect for spring!

It's made of a side seam 

from an old pair jeans.  

I really like the quote. 

We are all so unique and

shine with a special light and have 

a beauty all our own!

Id' love to hear about any projects that you 

have going for spring! Are you planting and 

re-arranging plants outside yet? I know that it's a 

little early for some to be out but it's 

 great fun to be planning, isn't it?

Thank you so much for stopping by.

 Wishes for a peaceful weekend

and I hope you feel beautiful as well!

Tamara xo

Old Windmills, A Vintage Truck and The GiveAway Announcement!

Happy Monday, everyone!

It's a beautiful day here in the White Mountains.

Today, I will announce the winner of my 

altered book but first I'd like to share some 

photos with you. 

I said I wanted to start sharing more 

of our travel experiences.

We do a lot of traveling and sometimes

it's worth the extra time to 

take to the back roads.

That's really my favorite way to go.

It opens up the heart and mind a little and makes

spontaneity more of a reality.

 And doesn't that enrich our lives and

give us a fresh perspective?

It also makes room for surprises

or finding the extraordinary.

That's how we came across this

collection of windmills.

Do you like them?

Maybe some of you have never seen one. 

 But here in the west, they are still

a part of working ranches. 

And there are also many that 

are abandoned but still standing.

 What a beautiful blue-sky day it was! 

With just a few fluffy clouds floating by.

"When the winds of change blow

some people build walls,

and others build windmills."

~Chinese Proverb~

  At the bottom, left of this picture, you can see the

pipe that is fixed over top of the stock tank 

so the water can flow in. 

I just love seeing how things work!

 Aren't they beauties!? 
tall and inspiring....

And there's a little log cabin, too.

Below, there are some photos of a
rusty, vintage truck.

Do you ever wonder who drove those 
old treasures to the store..
school..
church...and maybe the country wedding?
I've always wanted to write a song
about one of those old trucks!

I had a good time trying some different angled shots. 

I hope you all don't mind. 

I recently read a blog post about how 

annoyed some people get with all the 

different shots of the same thing!

I'm sorry if that's me.

I don't know what this place was but

I was very excited to have found it!

 Out in the middle of no where.

I would have liked to ask some 

questions but there was no one around. 

 It seemed a little mysterious 

and that added to it's charm!

I hope you enjoyed the little tour and now onto

the giveAway announcement!

And the winner is.......

 Linda! 

Congratulations to you! Could you please

contact be by email with your mailing information,

I will get your book sent out to you this week!

Thank you very much to all who stopped by and left lovely,

sweet comments about my book and other posts!

You're all very kind and gracious and I

appreciate you so much.

Blessings to you all,

Tamara xo

A Baby Bird and Altered Book Give Away .... Just Because

Happy Monday!

Was your weekend 

restful and productive?

I hope so. 

It's so good for the

 body and mind to 

take time to rest, relax and 

then get something done!

Do you feel just 

"all around better"

if you keep things 

in a balance? 

I do.

The weather is changing and many

of us are starting to focus

on outside projects.

That's always exciting

as well as a lot of hard work. 

We are working on an area

of our property that we

have had dreams about

working into something special!

I will be sharing about 

that in the future.

I know it's been a long, 

cold winter

for a lot of people.

It will be spring soon!

And...this is what 

we have to 

look forward to! Isn't it precious?

This is one of our Sugartree babies.

It's a little Fly-Catcher. 

You'd never know it but there 

are five of them in the nest. 

Those parent birds were

very busy!

*******

It's always fun to win something.

And during the 

2015 Grow Your Blog Party,

it was suggested that we

 have a giveaway.

However, I wasn't sure what to

 give and so I didn't have one.

But I thought of the books that

I had altered and decided

to offer one of those.

I have been wanting to host  

a giveaway for a while now.

I'm a gift giver for sure so this 

will be fun!

Here goes..

So, if you'd like

 to enter, just leave 

a comment. And if you're new

here, WELCOME! If you 

 find some encouragement 

or inspiration here, 

I'd love to have 

you follow along.

Here's the book that I

will send to you if 

your name is chosen.

The winner will be 

announced next Monday.

March 16th.

Thank you so much for stopping 

by and best wishes to 

all who enter!

Tamara xo

A Spring, Collage Tag With A Love Message ~

I hope that your weekend 

is going well. 

And for those who are 

facing a kind of 

hardship in your life, 

I wish you

Peace 

Rest 

and 

Love.

 This project was 
inspired by a

 Tim Holtz  video. 

I tried for an 

hour to find it in my history..

but to no avail. 

If you like paper crafting
or mixed media,
he is a wealth of information,
is such a talented
designer and is so
kind to share.
Thank you, Tim!

I am always learning so

many new, useful and fun

 techniques.

I like to give 

credit where I've gleaned 

information.

Anyway,

 this is a simple collage 

technique that could be 

found among 

many paper crafters.

The design is my own.

I always enjoy working 

with paper and the collage is 

a fun way to add  a lot of interest

to your first layer.

I also enjoy the 
"building and blending."

I have to learn to

photograph the steps!
**********

I'm working on posting more
but have to admit that sometimes
I just stare at that blank post
screen with no where to go!
I'm learning to just 
"do something."
Share something.

Am I the only one who over 
thinks and makes it more complicated
than it is? 

I'd love to hear about what 
you do for inspiration! 

I hope you enjoyed your visit and 
found a little bit of
encouragement or inspiration.

Thank you so 
much for stopping by and 
have a weekend filled with love.

Tamara
xo

“Love recognizes no barriers. 

It jumps hurdles, 

leaps fences, 

penetrates walls to 

arrive at its destination 

full of hope.”

Maya Angelou