KISS

Around 20 or so years ago I heard an interesting saying KISS.  No it isn’t the rock band. It means keep it simple stupid.  Although stupid isn’t a good word we can change that to silly, splendid, what ever.  The meaning is to keep things simple. 

In January at church I watched a video on how we should keep our life simple. The verse they used has been on my mind ever since.  It is Ecclesiastics 4:6.  It is better to have one handful with peace and tranquility than two handfuls with stress and turmoil and chasing after the wind.

The way society has changed we have gone far away from keeping our life simple.  Upon my observation here are some results of our fast paced life.

1. People have become so busy with work and making money they no longer have time to visit a friend resulting in loneliness and higher suicide.
2. We don’t have time with our spouses resulting in a high divorce rate.
3. We say we spend quality time with our children and ignore what they want quantity time. Child crimes, dropout, apathy etc. in our children ha skyrocket.
4. We don’t have time to cook healthy meals so we go for prepackaged or fast food. We now have the most obsessed malnutrition society to ever walk on this planet.
5. We have to make lots of money and have it now the result is people take their work home and even on their holidays having no or little rest.  Stress is causing a high rate of diseases. Many people can’t even slow their bodies down long enough to get decent nights sleep.

This list could go on.

After the January study having a simple life kept popping up.  I have a problem with the little two letter word NO as a result my life was far from simple.  

 I began to evaluate my life and realized I was getting stressed out and more importantly I wasn’t enjoying what I was doing.  I always say if you have to do something you have less joy and more stress and it takes you longer to do it. But if you want to do the same thing then you are at peace and it flows better. I had turned my life into a have to life, frequently this is being a people pleaser instead of a God pleaser.

After much pray and thought I am beginning to let go of things in my life. What is working in my life, what don’t I enjoy doing?  One thing is my Etsy is not working for me so I shall be closing that. Cutting back on local art shows is something else I have been doing. It will take some time but I’d rather have one handful with peace and tranquility than two handfuls of toil and trouble and chasing after the wind.

 As Bobby McFerrin catchy song of the 80’s  said don’t worry be happy.

 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about what you will eat of drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you be worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6: 24-27  Perhaps this is why I find peace in taking pictures of wildlife which I never strive to find.

Clip Art For The Fun of It.

Clip-art designs for your adventures in  scrap-booking, card making, name tags, invitations, stickers, paper crafts, cup cake toppers, jewelry, making embroidery designs, printing on t-shirts and pillows are a fun and lively way to brighten up your page or your life.

Mrs. J from  http://www.etsy.com/shop/artfultrillium designs an array of lovely whimsical clip art. 
You don't even have to worry about the cost of shipping,  delay in shipping or the hurry up and wait for it as she will email the designs to you.

I have shown you only a few.  Be sure to visit her site on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/artfultrillium for more enjoy her lovely collections of clip art.  Book mark them for future reference.

Purple Iris Vase

I am enjoying making vases. Each one is different.
 A few years ago I made one that one side had an iris on it. During show the wind caught the vase and it fell to the concrete. Amazing it only cracked. I now have dried flowers in it.

During the winter I made a white vase, died the clay purple and created the peddles from it. Unlike the first one I put a slightly different iris on each side.

I entered it in the Muskoka Spring Show and it sold.

Tree House

The Tree House

If you remember last winter Ursula and I painted cartoon figures on the nursery wall of our church.

Notice the mouse and rat.

Shortly after we had finished the room we were asked if we would paint the Sunday school room. This time Yvonne, head of children's' ministry, wanted the room to look like a tree-house.

We did not start the project until the winter. The room was smaller so I thought it would take less time.  Wrong!
In the nursery big things were painted on the wall while this room had small things and less cartoon figures so more detail.

I wondered how I should tackle this room. We started by painting a large oak tree in the corners for the tree house to sit in.  Then the wooden walls for the tree house came next, complete with a ladder on the door. The walls were the easy part.

Eagle Looking for Lunch

What would be a tree house with out animals? The animals were the most fun. Birds, nests, squirrels, and an eagle, bears with the honey hive, even a cat hanging in the tree began to come to life.

Mrs. Moose

Moose are very tall so one sticking his head over the wall was added, and a lady one. By the time we got the vulture, the moose and owl we realized we had too much brown and green. The moose became blue, the owl pink and green and the vulture purple. It is amazing how we can see cartoons in weird colours and not even think about it, at least I do and others who paint them that colour.

Vulture Peeking Out and the Raccoon too.

Vulture's Spying the Praying Mantis.

One challenge with this room is that there are two wooden tables that hinge up against the wall when not in use. We painted the tops of the tables to look like wood. Then we painted the tree house both on the wall and the back of the tables so the tree house is still there no matter how the tables are placed. Behind one table is the purple vulture with his head sticking out.

The other table has a cub bear licking the honey while his friend not behind the table watched on.  As we painted we had to remind ourselves not to forget the painting behind the tables.  

Watch the Bee Sings Little Bear

Where' the Other Bear?

Three months later Ursula had the room finished. Again both of our creative talents grew along with our friendship. Following God's plan for us is exciting. God knew that Ursula and I are very much alike and we would get along well so he put us together painting these walls.

Just Hanging Out.

 Enjoy the pictures and if you are in Bracebridge pop into the Wellington Street Pentecostal church to see it.

Fire Works

Fire works are those things in life that we all sit and watch in amazement. The awes and oohhs  come out as we gaze into the night sky. 

With some friends we went to the fire works. Greg and I set up our tripods as our families longed on the lawn to watch.

It is not easy to figure out where in the sky they will explode. I didn't want the camera to move so I could get long exposures. There were plenty of fireworks to take and a few came out great. 

It was an interesting experience. One I will do again.

Blue Jay On A Tray

I enjoy turning on the wheel to makes mugs and bowls, but sometimes I just need to be creative and China paint is one avenue that allows me to do this. 

This winter I bought forms to make platters. I made a rectangular platter from porcelain, bisque fired it than glaze fired it. It was ready for the China paint and just in time to take a course on painting a blue jay. 

For years I have been trying to take pictures of blues, they are flitty. This winter I was able to get a few shots of them at the bird feeder and in the spruce tree.  This one in the tree was just the blue jay for my platter.

I painted the base colours of the blue jay and the background and the tree in China paint. Then into the kiln it went. Next came the shading, then back into the kiln.  Last came any details and finishing touches and a final firing. With China paint you can paint many layers and keep firing it or do only one firing, like my first painting of the apples.

China paint comes as a dry powder and the mixing medium I use does not dry the paint. One advantage is you can easily take off anything you don't want on there. The disadvantage is you can muddy up the painting my mixing the paints. That is why it is done in stages, firing in between each one to fire the paint to the glaze.

China paint brings back my folk art painting techniques, combined with the fine art techniques I have learned.  When I was taking the folk art painting courses back in 1996 I had no idea that training would help me in the China painting. God, who knows every thing, will lead willing people where he wants us to go and even though we don't know were it will lead, if your heart says do it chances are it will lead to something better. 

Setting Goals

Last year I posted a blog that I was going to set a goal and make X amount of pottery for 2011.  Well I didn't make my goals. Due to the economy sales were down so  I didn't need to make a lot of pottery. God knew that I didn't need a lot of pottery.

I have tried in the past to set goals and it has never worked out. Not only do I not meet them, but it also adds undo stress to my life. Being creative with my pottery also gives me peace, but I didn't do very many creative items last year. 

Years ago someone spoke a  Godly word over me. They said I was called Joyce because my life would be joyful. At the time I was in deep depressions as I used to suffer from bipolar. I also did not know whom God created me to be, as a result I was doing every thing for other people and not what God called me to be. To have my joy I must follow God.

I know that I find my joy in making pottery and God has opened many doors for me.  My goals weren't met last year as God had other plans for me. I was introduced to China paint on porcelain, which also excites me.  I also started taking drum lessons which apparently I am a natural at. I had no idea I would do either of these. They weren't in my goals.

God even impressed on me this fall not to attend our ladies bible study as he'd rather I go out to the world and witness.  It is a good study, but its not what God wants for me.  He doesn't want me to go to any more religious activities that don't enhance my life. The day after I submitted to God and said I wouldn't go to the study I witnessed to 3 people in as many days. This was confirmation that I did what God wanted.

This morning I was reading Ezekiel 29. God is cutting down Egypt due to their sin, but also in verse 16 it says, never again will Israel be tempted to rely on Egypt.  When I read this I realized I relied on setting my goals instead of following God. When I follow God I am content and happy, just like this chick-a dee.

As the old song of the 80's went, Be Happy, Don't Worry. Hopefully this year I'll just follow God and be happy and I'll see where God leads me this new and exciting year.