Little miracles

Are the grand gestures in life really as important as the little miracles?? Often when searching for an answer or help , we ask " please give me a sign that this is the right thing" ...... and then we wait. Are we waiting for the heavens to open and lightning to crash? Will a big billboard say " Yes , you are right! " . Often and I venture to say never ,does this happen.

However, are there tiny moments when a feeling comes over us to say... you will be o.k. . Look outside the window and suddenly notice the most beautiful little bird perched just for you to enjoy. A butterfly flutters around you and you feel like giggling. You look down and there is a shiny penny, heads up ,just for you. Need the correct change and in your pocket.... it is exact. These seem so minor yet somehow uplifting..... could these be the grand gestures that we are looking for? Hope ....... it is a funny thing and when you are looking
you find it in the smallest of places.

Finding Home

These are some pictures of a piece I just submitted to a magazine challenge ( Somerset Studios ). I often use the image of a house in both a literal and symbolic reason. I believe that we are all on the journey to finding home. That said , what does that really mean? Every person is searching for a place to just be ...... no judgement , no pretending ..... a place that we can be who we were intended to become. It is a hard road and at times a long one. But along the way we find such amazing things ..... and surprisingly we may find our home in the most unexpected of places. Home........ it may not have a door or windows , but boy does it have a heart. Enjoy the journey.

Courtneyp

Little masterpieces

I just have to brag about my son's little portrait. He did this in pre-school and I just think it is fabulous. Apparently it is of a monkey in a tree. I call both my boys " monkey face" and I mean it in the most wonderful endearing way. I try not to save every little thing that comes home , and it is getting hard. This one is a keeper. Treasure all of your little " monkey faces " and realize the masterpiece beyond the picture.

Little boxes

I love little boxes. Something about them just makes me feel ...... what is the word, content. I am working on a few of these little boxes and I am not really sure what they will hold or what someone else will put in them. Just knowing there is a place for your things leaves me with a good feeling. Don't we all just want that...... a place for our things be it material or otherwise.

I think I have passed this obsession on to my two little boys. They have little boxes of their own to hold their treasures...... and when I say treasures , I mean old screws, buttons , smooth rocks , scrap paper ....... even a lamp fennel my son thinks is solid gold! I hope they keep their little boxes forever, I know I will .


Coming soon , a tutorial in photo transfer projects and how to make your kids art home accessories. What fun!!!

If you had a secret would you tell??

There is a new book called " Postscript" by a local author here in Maryland. He had asked people to send him anonymous post cards with their deepest secret written on them. He published these postcards in a book, and it was truly fascinating. Some were very creative and had really silly things like ...... eating food off the floor in a bathroom . Most were quite deep, sharing truly painful experiences and insight.

This really made me wonder about how powerful it is to put something out there, even if it is buried in the back yard. Taking something that is weighing on your spirit and just put it somewhere else. It does not make it go away, it just makes it easier to breathe.

Everyone of us has a story , some not so happy and some misunderstood. In the end , I believe that our experiences do not define us......... how we chose to use them in our life, does.

Put it out there........ in a bottle , buried in the yard or stuck in the pages of a book....... take a deep breath and keep walking forward.

Courtney P.

Little Houses......

I seem to be obsessed with little houses. I can not recall when this all started. Houses are like little people. Look around , they all seem to have their own personality. How comforting it is to see a little house well loved. I guess it shows how much love is on the inside. The stories it sees..... the tears , the laughter, the yelling , the sometimes not so happy days and most of all the love.

Little houses , the keeper of dreams.

Favorite things

Oil pastels are among my favorite things. I use them in every piece of art ...... I love paper, but use oil pastels with them and magic happens.

I am not very easy on them either so I go through quite alot of them.

Paper, oil pastels and a cup of fresh coffee and I am set.

Finding Inspiration

I have this box of old letters. They were my mothers from college. I found them a year ago . She had just passed away from a short but difficult time with Cancer. I was packing up her house , and I stumbled across them. At first ,I could not believe that she could keep these after so many years. Then I realized that these were a gift.

These letters give me such inspiration. The life they represent, the history they speak of...... you do not find this , it finds you. I treasure these and love just looking at them. They are a marker of time , something we all hope we can leave behind.

I copy most of them to use , I could not bear to part with them. There are a few that I have passed on in some pieces. I think it adds a bit of magic .

Words on paper........ does it represent a person? I believe it represents a life.

This is a tree that I drive by quite frequently. It is by itself in the middle of a field. I always wonder about these trees. They carry such weight with there position and although small compared to the field , they seem so powerful.

I use this image and this tree in my work quite frequently . They are like people, all of them different yet the same. Some are clustered in groups and some stand alone in a field.

Which would I rather be????? How about you?

Pay it forward.........

We hear the saying all the time, and can even watch a movie dedicated to this very thing. How many of us do this on a daily basis??? I am not talking about the grand gestures you might do once a year , or perhaps during the holidays. I am not talking about donations or monetary offerings....... how many of us on a daily basis think about doing a good deed for another.

Instead of thinking about those in obvious need, think about the person next to you in line at the store. A simple gesture can change the course of anyone's day. It offers a bit of hope when we can connect on a personal level in what is becoming such an impersonal place.

Do it for selfish reasons..... it will make you feel good and could make the day of someone else a bit brighter..... what power we have if we would only use it.

If you are in a bad mood or the world is just not spinning right..... try PIF and see how it effects you.

Look the cashier in the eye and say " Hello " , let someone go ahead of you in line, tell someone they left their car lights on........ look around and notice that the world is here and it is not just for you alone.


Have a great day!!!!! Courtney P