January 31, 2014 Friendship

A gift and blessing that is true friendship.

Quote for Today:  I could find no quote for today so, I would like to share once again from my book of inspiration.

Friendship

          

         Once, while two very close friends were sharing one another's thoughts, a deep quiet came over them. While the one sat gazing off in deep thought the other contemplated his companion. Long moments passed before they met one another's gaze. The friend who had been in deep thought said, "Why do you smile and look at me that way? What are your thoughts?" To this inquiry he answered, "I am not entertaining thoughts but observing. I gaze upon your face my friend, spellbound at the soft radiance dancing joyously about you. As you turned to me your eyes seemed deep, sparkling and clear as spring water that bubbles up from deep within the good earth. The warmth I feel is neither spoken nor gestured but breathed with every breath and welds itself with every glance of your life filled eyes to the heart of my being. Eternal life has seeded itself in you and has begun to grow toward its bounteous fullness. The glory of that life cannot be hidden nor spoken of as life but seen, known and felt by being fully your friend." At this they both were silent for it was then that both knew their thoughts were one in the same. No further words were possible or needed. Their friendship was fully shared.

 copyrighted by me

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How precious the friend that feels what you feel. Precious is the friend that gives a shoulder during a time of need. Precious is the friend that is there despite their own need to give of themselves because you are in need. Cherish them. They are more precious than anything. So it is with our Lord who gave himself that we may live. It is a love we neither earned nor deserve. He is a precious friend indeed.

I am not sure I know how to proceed from here. How about a few angels? These stamps are from Stamps Happen (Owned by Janlynn). We will start with the easiest of the ones I have and proceed from there.

Copic Colors:  B39, B97, E01, R27, R89, Y28, R02

This is one of the very first images done with the Copic Markers. Very limited number of markers at that time. Still learning anew the techniques to coloring. The next image is a bit more complicated but still very limited to colors available.

Copic Colors:  C2, Y11, Y28, BG18, Y02, E000, E43

I also did this angel in different shades but did not mark down the colors. part of the coloring was in colored pencil.

That went well. Love angel images. As you will see I got a few more markers and decided to take on something a little harder. For someone still learning the ins and outs of INK markers this was a challenge.

This and the next image do not have the copic marker colors with them. Remember this was early on and Jill and I were both learning what was expected for posting images and cards and......well you get the idea. This image was done several times before I was satified. The next one was no different....well yes it was. 

No copic colors with this one either. This one drove me crazy and convinced Jill that there were a few boards and a bell missing from the belfry. Until this was done I wasn't so sure she wasn't correct. This was some undertaking for a newbee. Detail, detail, detail. Lots of it. I'm still a bit cross eyed from this one. 

Hope enjoyed a look at the beginning of the journey. There is a lot more to come. Not sure if I will post Saturday or Sunday. If not I will see you Monday. Blessing on all of you. Just LOVE THE DETAIL...I think.

January 29, 2014 Inner Joy

Joy is with the inspiration of others.

Quote for Today: None today. Instead a piece I wrote for my inspirational journal. It is part of the reason for this blog. Nothing makes me happier than making someone else happy and giving some inspiration.

Inner Joy

          

          There was once a wise man who traveled from kingdom to kingdom spending most of his time among the people of the land. Most knew he was different but it mattered little to them since they were busy with their own lives and never bothered to take notice of him or his attentiveness to what was of little importance to them. Moreover, he did not try to draw attention to his own person but drew his own joy from seeing others happy and by communing with the life given him. Since this tended to set him apart from those around him, few understood him. The wise man knew this and accepted it even though the isolation was also felt, because of his quiet ways, in his heart. For a time those close to him told him it was not good for him but when he persisted they soon gave up and went away shaking their heads as they went. His choice was made even though it meant suffering. He only smiled and went his way.

          What no one saw, since no one cared enough to look, was his great inner romance with life. It had long ago taken root and grown to where now it was a great blossoming tree hidden amid a forest of trees. This tree is of such splendor that its beauty tingles the senses. Its roots are vast and made of love. Its trunk is broad , strong and solidly constructed of life. Its branches reach out with sensitive awareness of all that could nourish and sustain what is growing ever more fully within him.

          The purpose of this great tree of wisdom is to bear fruit. But of what use would any fruit be if it only fermented away on the very branch on which it came into being? To pick it and place it in fertile ground would bring a spark of life renewed and the possibility of a new wisdom tree; a new romance with the complete beauty of life. Here, unknown to most, was the wise man's treasure. It was not with pride or satisfaction of self but of the joy of seeing new life.

          He still travels the byways of the land quietly sowing jeweled seeds of wisdom. Precious shimmering bits of life's sunshine that reflect in the course of lives he has passed through are his reward for his pain and loneliness. His memory in the mind of man shall be short lived but eternity shall etch his name in her bosom  forever.

copyrighted by me. 

This is scriptural. God is Love (1 John 4 v 8 and 1 John 4 v 16). Love is selfless. We are given not to possess but to give away that we may receive. 

Now to hopefully spread a little joy. For those of you who also enjoy journaling and scrap booking The Images at Imagine and Do are innovative and fun. I will share several images from the wedding pack today. I checked with the artist and got permission to spotlight some of her beautiful images. As usual they are colored in copics. Yes I wrote the colors down. Remember these are image sheets and not stamps.

Copic Colors: Copic Opaque White Water Color, R35, R46

The images presented here are from the wedding pack. The doves were a particular challenge because the Copic water color tends to mask the lines in the image to the point they can't be seen. I used the Copic black Multiliner 0.05 to make the lines in the image dark enough to show through the water color. Worked pretty well. I used the same pen to outline any weak spot in the lines for all of the other images, especially when using dark colors. If you use this technique you must do a complete outline as finely as possible. You be the judge as to it working or not.

By the way I left enough of the other images on the card to tempt you just a little bit. Heh Heh, sneaky huh.

Copic Colors:  Copic Opaque White Water Color, G14, R35, R46, E23, E25, E27, YR23, YR30, YR31, R00, R000, R0000, C1, W00

Here a little detail was added to the hair with the Multiliner 0.05 pen and everything outlined to help with the tendency of copics to run on this paper. It does help to confine the alcohol ink based copic markers. This paper is designed more for water color.

  Copic Colors: R00, R000, Roooo, W00, E23, E25, E27

I need to  have Jill take pictures of the images I do. Her camera produces colors that are more accurate than my scanner. I present the husband. TADA!  Much of the hair detail is, again, done with the multiliner 0.05 pen. When the skin on these images is started you would never know it would look like this when finished. That is the secret to blending. 

 

Copic Colors:  Y13, Y17, R85, R02, R23, R30, YR31, YG07, C00, R00, R000, R0000

Why does she need more colors than her husband? I refuse to answer on the grounds it could cause bodily harm. It just does. Again, more detail to the hair and out lined where needed. That #1 and arrow is there to tell me which of the two images on the card goes to which list of colors. If I didn't do that I would have to lie and face Cherokee's taunts later. I do not want either. Good thing he can't read or my spelling and grammar would get it done too.

OK! Back away from the keyboard. I want no reports coming back that your keyboard shorted out due to drooling. I present to you the cake. You can stop scratching the screen it will not come through it.

Copic Colors:  BV02, BV00, YG07, RV25 V04, V01, Y13

Wouldn't these be great for a scrap book or a wedding journal? I had a blast coloring all of the images in this pack. I hope you enjoyed this post. It was fun bringing it to you through the blogger pipe line, better known as the Bugger pipe line. Have a Great Day and I will attempt to post again on Friday, Bugger permitting. Remember, LOVE THE DETAILS.

January 27, 2014 Whispers

The greatest listeners hear even the unspoken whispers.

Quote for Today:   "In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light."
Mahatma Ghandi (1869-1948); Indian ascetic & national leader.

Have you ever played the game of pass it on with words? What was repeated at the end is never what was originally said. Why? One reason is that we are so busy formulating what we need to say that we miss the message? The prophets of old learned how to listen. What we perceive in our world is chaotic and unordered. A good listener will quiet his mind and listen to the order that comes out of the chaos. In 1 Kings 19 verse 9 Elijah was hiding in a cave. The Lord came and told him to stand out side the cave. At that point a great wind shattered rocks and split the mountain but god was not in the wind. Then there was a great earth quake but God was not there. Then there was a fire but God was not there. Then there was a light whispering sound and the prophet went out and stood before God. He listened. He understood the voice in the whisper. The soul listens to whispers. Listen for the whispers and truly hear the word being spoken. It can be done even in todays chaotic lifestyle.

I haven't done any scenery yet have I? Stupid dictionary keeps finding words, common ones at that, it does not recognize. Oh well! It does find some that are misspelled and since I have ten thumbs when I type it is a good thing. It's a good thing all of these derailments aren't gold mining cars. The mine would go out of business. Back on track, for a little bit.

Drum roll please. First curtain please. Finally!!!!  The next two images are from Squigglefly. They have some pretty good stuff there. (I have these in my squigglefly folder. The wife says she isn't sure these were Squigglefly. The stamps are really old and have no markings as to origin. If anyone can verify there origin I will edit this post.)

This is a card waiting to be made. Sorry none yet.

This is a second colored version of the same image. Quite a different look for the same image. 

This is the image used to make this card.

She did a fantastic job with this image. It is why it is fun coloring for her.

Boy it's quiet around here without the Cherokee. He said "Wife send instagram smoke signal." Say WHAT???? "Tell Cherokee come home clean snow out of tepee. Cherokee tell her arm not broke do self. She remind Cherokee of string of scalps. Cherokee leave now." He left so quick his moccasins are still here. String of scalps? Cherokee still has his. She must have been married before. You never know with him. Derailed again. More profit down the tubes.

I started this at 5am in the morning.  This is being done between yawns. Bear with me we will get there. The last selection for today is a sailboat from Sweet n Sassy Stamps.

This was my first use of the Copic "Beginner's Edition" of the spray brush. It is OK but it is a beginning. Jill did make a card out of it. She liked it.......

Doesn't look bad either. Hope we don't have to add any more credits to these. You wouldn't be able to see the work.

Wait one..... Cherokee is sending an Instagram smoke signal. Whew!!  Wish they would change whatever they are using to make the smoke like cedar or something. Smells bad. OK Here we go. "Cherokee still have scalp. Squaw say stay gather fire wood. Like scalp where it is. Do sun dance. Bring warm weather. Melt snow. Squaw giving evil eye. Talk later."  How do they get the smoke signals to work over the email system????? Saw a picture of her once. Hulk Hogan would have a tough time beating her. 

Enough fun for today. If this gets any crazier I will be doing this blog from a cell with six padded walls. Have a great day and you just have to LOVE THE DETAILS.

January 25, 2014 Just Being

Compassion! Allowing the heart to see past what the eyes see to life’s needs.

Quote for Today: "Where I go matters not and where I have been even my foot prints have altered the course of life and time."

Me (1942 - still here) (obviously)

The course of our lives is never set in unalterable paths. Something or someone always enters that path and inexorably alters its direction. How we live our lives may not be noticed by ourselves but it is noticed by others. I was at work one day and one of the newer hires, from Sri Lanka, came to me and said "You are a Christian and I have a question for you." The question is not important here but the statement is. I never walk around preaching in any way shape or form. How you live, how you present yourself, will make a statement often louder than anything else you may do. Living and being who you are speaks very loudly to others. Your foot prints, even the ones in the sands are permanent in time. We can't always leave a squeaky clean impression but with effort and compassion it can be a positive one.

Back to the artsy part of the blog. Now that I have chased away a whole bunch of people with altered paths it is hoped that enough remain to have some fun. Back to sharing the images you have come to help me improve. 

The first thing to share needs no improvement. (sorry ladies) Something the love of my life made especially for me. 

To my lovely wife there is no one I would rather share my days and nights with than you. Love You Too.

There are some of my favorite images that I would like to share with you. The first is called art-nouveau-sleeping-beauty and can be found at coloring pages for all ages. Some really interesting art can be found here.

Copic Colors:  T1, Y0000, Y11, G03, G18, YG23, R02, R81, RV69, E13, E51, E53, YR14, YR16, YR18

Explore it to find a lot of free images for coloring. The next two stamps are from Stamps Happen and are a bit more complicated to do. But there are fun. The first example is called Blackthorn Flower Fairy. It is one of my favorites of the pixie and fairy series.

Copic Colors: R02, E0000, Y1, YR24, RV0000, YG61, E29, E70, G000, E50, YG93, C1 C00, C3, C5, E57, E71, E30, E31, G0000, E00, E37, E41, W1, BV01, C0, E97, YG13, BG72, BV000, YR0000

This was harded than it looks. As you can see by the number of colors there is more there than meets the eye. The next selection is called The Tulip Fairy. 

Copic Colors: YR0000, Y000, R0000, R14, R20, R24, R29, E0000, Y11, Y02, Y13, R22, R29, R32, E07, G94, E04, Y18, YG93, YG95, YG 97, YG61

It is interesting to note that the artist who did the original images was Cicely Mary Barker. She was quite well known for her Pixie and Fairy images and was also an author of note. She was born in 1895 and died in 1973.

I would like to share one more image. It's from the Digidoodle collection Digidoodle collection. 

Copic Colors: YR16, Y02, RV02, R35, E07, C02, R29, RV32, RV23, Bo5

E01, RV0000, E0000, YG17

This one is called Canary Love. Just adorable. Hope you enjoyed your visit. Enjoy your weekend. See you Monday I hope. I just LOVE THE DETAILS.

January 23, 2014 Wealth in Life

If you love life, do not squirrel it away. Leave it where everyone can enjoy it.

Quote for Today: Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it"
Confucius (551 BC - 478 BC) Chinese Philosopher

No comments today, just a few verses from my little book of inspirations. My hand was definitely guided with this one.

                                                                   Wealth

I am  wealthy beyond measure. Can you give a cup of love as payment for a service given? By what scale would you measure long steadfast friendship? What measure of length is there to gauge the depth of compassion? Where is the container by which you would measure the volume of my peace? Is there a place you can pay to keep your happiness from fading away?

How then should I tell you of wealth but to say it is the fullness of life! Wealth is not material but the flavor of sweet and sour of daily experience. Moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, life savored moment by moment. Years overflowing with pain and joy in a mixture of peace, toil and happiness with not one second passing unnoticed. Life is a measure of wealth only when you do not think it owes you but that you owe it for its generosity.

So walk in the summer sun slowly and play briskly on cold winter days. Drink in the panorama of scenery or focus on the single lily in the field. Take a deep breath of cool air or touch a friend in loving attentiveness. Close your eyes and listen to music quietly soothing tensions away. Let every sense come alive to the life that glows so brightly all about you, filling your treasuries to the fullest and making you wealthy beyond measure.

(copyrighted by me)

Hope you enjoyed that excerpt from my inspirational treasure trove. It is one that always helps when I am down or feeling poorly. It reminds me that no matter what, there is richness in everything around us.

How about a bit of fun? What you are going to see next came out of a challenge from my dear wife. One of my favorite saying is "You can do anything you set your mind to. You may not do it well but you can do it." I don't know if she took it seriously but you can decide from the results below.

The challenge was that I couldn't make a suit for our upcoming 10th wedding anniversary. Hmmm! OK. Challenge accepted. Have you ever tried to find a pattern for a man's suit let alone anything for men in the way of patterns? I found one but it was not really what I wanted so, with some guidance from my wife to get started and some help from my mother who was a seamstress, I dove in and not only made the suit but modified it to my liking. Here is the result. (Some of the pictures were lightened in photo editing software to make the details more visible.) 

The photo is a little dark but this is the front of the suit and

This is the back. The black collar is one of my changes. Oh well just let it be known there were several changes.

The pockets are typical 70's aren't they. All bonded too. The material is what both my dear wife and mother said were going to be a problem since it was the biased stretchy kind. It did give me some problems when sewing on the sewing machine. Had to be careful which way the bias ran. (Didn't think I would remember did you Jill?)

I think the sleeve buttons are a nice touch.

The black collar and belt give it a more formal look, at least for the 70's. The button holes were a regular button hole stitch. The inside of the jacket was a challenge. have a look.

Look like fun? Eh! It wasn't!

The tail.

The triple stitching,

Then there is the bonded pockets. Fun, fun, fun.

The suit isn't complete without the pants. No way I show up without them.

I guess I've bored you all again for long enough. I will stick to the art and cards for awhile. Jill wanted me to share this some time ago. She says she still can't believe I did this. Me Either. Here we are in our Sunday finest. I had one of the prettiest brides around. I, on the other hand, look sunburned and uncomfortable. 

I still LOVE THE DETAILS.

January 22, 2014 Believe

Were I to wander with no purpose to the thoughts of my mind, the eternal force of God's hand would ever guide me on my way.

Quuote for Today:  "Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth thrown in. Aim at Earth and you get neither."
-C.S. Lewis

Today is a time of fuzzy focus, a wandering with no focus on where we are going. Much of the path we tread is littered with things and perceived possessions. Few gain something with the thought of giving something back. We all look for a legacy to be remembered by. It is not something that is planned but a fact of our living. We cannot take it with us. It must be left behind. If it is true and good it will live on in others and continue to the benefit of others. You just need to beleive.

Today is snow shovel day! Hooray! Just the most fun day imaginable. RIGHT!! After the curve ball that was throw in the last post it will be nice to share a few of my own drawings. I know, I know I'm no artist but at least I tried. The first offering is the best of the lot. Well, I think it is. At least of this lot anyway. Here we go. We are starting out with a painting.

This was a "By the Numbers" Oil painting from when I was in Junior High school . My parents got it for me. Not bad for a clumsy young teen.

Next the opening page to a book of poetry, prose, thoughts and sayings that I started to put together. Not for sale. Just for me. A sort of inspiration journal for myself. Yes I explored the possibility of publishing but after who knows how many tries I gave up. They were not interested in this type of book. No matter. It is inspirational to me. Besides there are now some entries that are not my work. Can't publish those can I?

There is a flip side to this page but it is the identical reverse so it isn't shown. Just a little note, all is hand done, as if you couldn't tell! Next is one of the pages.

This was done with crayola pencils. That's because the good ones are too expensive and the cheap ones in novice hands is good enough. This is one of the projects that will probably never get finished. Too many projects going on. Sound familiar? 

Next curtain please!

Again this was done in crayola pencil. Why you ask? Because I didn't have the Copics at the time. At least not the colors needed. Those buggers are not cheap. I am but they aren't. I know.... AAAWWWW! The next piece of art will help out with that too.

The strings are crooked as you can see. That's because they are real strings. No you can't play them. I tried. That is why they are all squiggly. Sheesh! Need to explain everything. There was one more graphic that was the most difficult and a first for me. It began as this:

Progressed to this and finally:

And ended as this.

Haven't done much with it yet. Originally there were supposed to be feet. The hands were tough enough but the feet were impossible. They are under the robe. Don't ask! They are there. It is all done in pen so there was a trash can full of scraps when it was all over. I know you are going to tell me what you think. I'm not sure I want to Know! Smile. LOL. EESH, Acronym. Smile. Here is a thought from that book to help soften the blow of the above artwork.

The Promise

          

During a storm of rolling thunder, whose power was released with blinding flashes, a rain fell steadily as if to cleanse the earth and prepare her for the coming twilight.  Even as the light failed there came a stillness of the air and the rain changed to a sparse sprinkle.  An electric quiet filled the air as all of heaven and earth transformed, glowed with golden light.  Houses, trees, air and sky shown with golden hues.  A great orb of translucent pink-orange settled on the earth's shoulder.  Peace abounded and God walked the earth.  His presence was heralded in the golden light of the promised Jerusalem as it shown all about.  As He passed by, He touched the sky with His finger and renewed all His promises with the arch of a perfect rainbow that reached from earth to heaven to earth.  Then he breathed a sigh of love and a second rainbow appeared above the first to gently seal it away forever within the hearts of all who beheld it.

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copyrighted

That is it for today. Not so sure I LOVE THE DETAILS today. Now you know, I really am an amateur.