Overwhelmed by Kindness

I received a BIG Box full of Surprises yesterday!

Drum Roll - - - - - - -- - - Stickers, Flower Petals, Fibers galore

Stamps.... Big Ones! Unmounted and Mounted, Some Brand New and all Never Used...I've got to tell you I was speechless at the wonderful assortment of Stamps. Gotta go buy INK today.

More Stamps

And Ephemera, Vintage laces, crochet, ribbons, Silk Ribbons, Old Papers to thrill my heart

Cabinet Cards, Post cards, Charming B/W Vintage Photos

And it all was Stuffed in HERE!

Thank you so much Cindy. You made me cry with happiness and you fed my creative starving soul. You made my day brighter and you made me want to be a better person and keep the kindness going. So much love and thanks to you my sweet new sister!

If YOU do not know Cindy from My Artful Journey.......... then you're depriving yourself of an amazing artist and woman.

My First Love

Yay......I thought art, collage and ATC's were just a thing of the past for me but recently I met Cindy on Facebook who was having a giveaway and she got me inspired to get back to my art and I joined an ATC Swap with Patti Koosed over at Treasure Barn and set about seeing if I still remembered how to make an ATC! I first of all found that I no longer had supplies and was pretty taken aback at the amateurish card I created for Patti, but I'm learning each day to take it easy on myself so I was just happy I followed through! But Oops! I forgot to make a picture of the card I sent to her before mailing it, so maybe she will post it on her blog.

This is the card she sent me and I am over the moon happy with it. I adore Digital Collage, but do not have a program on my computer which allows me to experiment. The theme was Circus and oh my goodness isn't this the most beautiful circus card ever. The colors are amazing.

If any of you are interested in swapping ATC's, go visit Patti. She has a theme each month and I promise if you're new to ATC's or accomplished in ATC creating you'll have tons of fun while learning.

Thank You For Not Saying It.....

Thanks everyone. Don't you feel just so so silly when you do something and everyone is saying "don't do it...you'll wish you hadn't, or you"ll be sorry"

Well do any of you remember about 9 months ago when I was having severe bouts of anxiety caused by art studio overload and decided that I was through with art. My son had died, I was mourning and in such grief and heartache that I couldn't seem to find my sunshine. I'd take a peek in the art room and see all the STUFF I had accumulated in 3 or 4 years and just get sick.

I truly felt as if I'd never want to do anything creative with art again and I sold a few meager boxes at a fraction of what the contents were worth. Then I ran an ad on Craigslist giving it away. I loaded up at least 16 large moving boxes with every form of arts, crafts and hobby material you could possibly think of and gave it all away.

Yes I did.

I felt so free and my room was clean and manageable and I was content. Fast forward another 9 months and now I'm feeling more like I did before I lost my son. Don't get me wrong I will never stop missing him and I still have my moments where I can go back to those days of grief, but I have come through it. I'm in good shape folks. I am alive. And guess what??? Yep you guessed it. I want to be creative again.

I've been doing lots of reading, spending time in my pool, working tirelessly but joyously in Jake's Memory Garden, crocheting, and getting ready to make baby clothes when I know the sex of my new grandchild. I just now got back to my blogging, joined a fitness group with Lori and I signed up for a couple of swaps. I have done a little frugal shopping. (remember we just bought a new car, ouch) I got some nice stamps which were on sale at Big Lots, some scrap papers, glue sticks, glitter and some chipboard letters. I had thankfully kept all my paints, scissors, glues, metal and tools. And now I can't wait to get in there and ever so softly and slowly begin to make ATC's, journals, altered boxes and do some collages.

So thank you my friends for not telling me "I told you so", although you knew it all along didn't you?

So what's on YOUR art table today?

Happy creating. Love you all, Mollye

MAY I PLEASE COME BACK IN?

Oh I hope you'll say "Yes". I've been gone for such a long, long time. I've missed all of you terribly.

I have been right here, but so far away in my mind. The one year anniversary of Jake's Homecoming came and went.

Casey Anthony was aquitted which left me in a funk. Our state is in a drought and on and on I could go but all in all, it is just Life.

I've started a new Eating Program and it is very similar to Weight Watchers but is an online program, completely Free and is Fun. You can set up a blog and a homepage and it is such a smart program that it calculates everything for you! It is called My Fitness Pal.

Another positive thing I've been doing is creating a little corner of our yard into a Memory Garden for Jake and it gives me much pleasure to work on it, adding flowers and plants that Jake would have probably selected. Also little fun pieces on the fence.

Our city is in mourning this week for fallen Heroes who have come back home to a Heroes Welcome and will soon be laid to rest.I didn't personally know S/Sgt. Michael Garcia but my daughter Shari worked with his brother until recently when he himself re-enlisted and will soon be deployed. The entire family is military and this handsome and amazing man paid the ultimate sacrifice.There is sadness all around.

We bought a new car. Yippeeeeeee. Not actually a brand new car but an "08 Nissan Maxima and it is loaded to the hilt and is the classiest car we've ever owned.

I am still enjoying my Kindle and love to download many of the Freebie books. One I'm currently reading is "Live Like You Mean It" by T.J.Addington and one of the questions the book starts off with is asking What Is The Purpose Of My Life? Well isn't that the million dollar question we've all pondered? But I think I do know it has something to do with blogging because since I've retired and since my Rheumatoid Arthritis has escalated to the point it has, I don't get out and meet and greet like I once did, but OMG I have found and met the most wonderful people by blogging. So many of you have inspired, lifted me up in prayer, encouraged and made me laugh and hopefully there have been a few along the way who have been helped by something I've written about, so I must ask you if you'll accept me back home and back into your busy lives.

And another very exciting little tidbit I must share with you is I'm going to be Grandma again this coming December or January. Do any of you remember my son Buddy who was having such a hard time adjusting to the death of his brother Jake and was in an unhappy state of mind in general? Well girls he and his beautiful wife Miz Jessica are expecting a baby! She hung up her skates during maternity time.

It will be her fourth child but his first and at 44 he was completely taken aback and surprised is an understatement. If a boy they plan to name him after Jake.

And my youngest daughter Shari became a new Grandma for the 3rd time recently to a beautiful baby girl named Lanna.

I "met"a beautiful lady yesterday through someone's Facebook comments and in reading her blog was inspired to get back here. If you don't already know Cindy from An ArtfulJourney be sure to stop by and she is also having a Giveaway.

That's all for now girls because I know you have many many more folks to visit and I'll be coming round your back door real soon for a lookey look. Happy hugs and much love, Mollye