Fresh Lemons Anyone?

I did this little sketch of lemons as I was cooking dinner. Here in AZ the citrus trees have been swollen with beautiful oranges, limes and lemons. Our neighbor brought us fresh lemons from their tree a few weeks ago. We used them to make yummy lemon chicken.

A Sketch a Day

A sketch a day keeps the blues away.
Keeps stress at bay.
Makes me want to play.
A sketch a day keeps life simple and free.
Keeps my heart soft.
My eyes open to see.
The simplest things in life.
Are the greatest treasures to hold.
The sweetest messages told.
Keeps me young as I grow old.
A sketch a day is like a soothing embrace.
Like soft flowing lace.
Like gentle waves of grace.

(The sketch above is a bed of cone flowers which mainly grow in the mid to eastern areas of the country. The Native Americans used these as medicine for various maladies including the common cold.

These blossoms are in the same family as the daisy and black-eyed Susan. I love them because they represent healing. Each day presents opportunities for wounding or healing. I personally find healing in the beauty God created.

I almost gave up on this sketch. It was a challenge as I have such "raw sketching tools" Also I am just a beginner. I did this one with a regular #2 pencil and eraser. However, I did use a #6B sketch pencil for a bit of shading. It is a challenge for me to use the various pencils as I want my sketches to appear soft and soothing, not harsh and hard.)

Do Not Grow Weary

The Bell Rings and the announcement is made.

Do not grow weary....do not lose heart in doing good, for in due time you will reap if you do not grow weary and tired. Galatians 6:9

Harvesting grapes requires a lot of tenuous care by the gardener. As we are care takers of our own gardens...our homes, spouses, children, and extended family and friends, we may often become weary. And that is okay. However, we must not stay weary. Weariness will shut us down and hinder us from living an abundant and fruitful life. When fatigue sets in, we must take time to stop, rest, and fill ourselves up with the only water that will sustain us....the Living Water!

Learning to encourage ourselves in the Lord is necessary in times of the unknown and in times of stress. We must think on His goodness, His promises, His faithfulness, His power and most of all His love.

These are some of the things that inspire me........
Inspire me to draw and to write, and to say a prayer of thanksgiving to the Maker of all.
The sky is so blue today. And the air is fresh and crisp. A soft wind is beckoning to me, "Stay outside! Stay outside!" Oh but I have much to do inside!
Oh well, I will be back out in a while. Okay friendly breeze?

(Check out more photos from our backyard. Click on A Heart at Home to the right)

Trumpet Jewels

The daffodil is one of the first blooms that appear at the beginning of Spring. They are forerunners announcing a new season of new beginnings. If you look into the center of each bloom you will see the trumpet stand out and you can almost hear them proclaim. "Behold, old things have passed away! Behold all things are new!"

I saw these in my heart's garden and I picked them for you. These are for faithful friends and family who never withhold a kind word. Thank you for always trumpeting encouragement into my life! You know who you are! I love you!

Make your declaration
Little trumpet jewel.
Winter had you hidden
Its treatment seemed so cruel.
Now here you are again
You arise with songs so clear.
To proclaim a new beginning
Each time that you appear!

Peek In!

I was a little hesitant to post this sketch/collage. I sketched the entire thing and then added color with collage to some of it. Was not sure if anyone would be able to tell what it is. Can you tell? Let me know!!Would love to see if anyone sees it!

Antique Cupboard

My grandparents had an antique corner cupboard which held all of Grandmomma's pretty china and silver platters. I used to love to open it and gaze at all the shiny goodies that were housed there. Now the cupboard sits in my parents home with the doors open to display beautiful decorations.

The cupboard here is not a corner cupboard but it made me think of something. I do not have a cupboard for fancy things in my house. But I do have a pantry with double stacked doors as above. This is where all of our food is kept along with some big appliances.

Today was pretty hectic as I am an avid coupon user. We have saved more than 50 percent each week on food since we have lived here. And when I open the doors of "my food cupboard" I see that the exhaustion is worth it! There is so much abundance and I am grateful! My cupboard runneth over!

Forget-Me-Not

God named all the plants when a tiny one cried out,
"Forget-me-not, Oh Lord."
God replied, "That shall be your name."
-German Legend

The Christ Child was sitting on Mary's lap one day and said that He wished future generations could see her eyes.He touched her eyes and then waved his hand over the ground and blue forget-me-nots appeared.
-Another Legend

I thought about how every person really has a strong desire to have purpose and to leave their mark on this world. Someone may read this today and feel insignificant and discouraged. Take heart. You have not been forgotten. You have much to give. Think of the Forget-me-not and gaze upon the delicate beauty of its bloom. You are noticed. You are important. Do not give up hope. The seemingly quiet seasons with prayers unanswered is simply the rich plot of your heart awaiting blossoms to burst forth bringing rich color to the world.

Bike and Me

I like to think I see myself in this bicycle sketch. Riding my bike was one of my favorite pass times as a child.I would pretend I was driving to all sorts of destinations in the dirt driveway of our home. Now that I am grown, I see myself as a simple vehicle desiring to deliver bouquets of beauty and hope to someone each day.

Little bike I loved to ride
We'd travel to places
Imagined in my mind.
Sometimes to the store
With play money and purse.
Other times to far way lands
Exotic and diverse.
There is no telling where
The little cycle is now.
But I want to peddle goodness
To others somehow.
Whether a kind word,
A note, or a hug around the neck.
Or a helpful deed to someone
whose life seems a wreck.
Little bike
I learned a lot from you
Just riding and gliding
Until the evening dew.
Many thoughts came
As I'd coast down a hill,
With the wind in my face
It was quite a thrill.
Round and Round
I loved to ride.
Inhaling the breezes
Of a love deep and wide.
Now my hope is to be
Much like that toy
Spreading sprays of blossoms
Through endless love and joy.

Homemade

This is the sketch I worked on this weekend. Since I have not done any color, I decided to pull out my colored pencils and gel pens. I used to love the country decor and had it all over my house. I still love it.

To me, homemade is "anything" made at home. If one's hands are in it, then it is officially homemade! I might pull out a box of Betty Crocker Cake Mix, but if I added the eggs and oil,then it is homemade. I may have put on a Stouffers frozen lasagna for dinner, but since I baked it in my oven, it is homemade. And most of all, what ever is made in love no matter how involved, it is homemade from an over brimming heart!

Vintage Door

I saw a picture of an old door that had a lot of charm. So I added some trims and foliage to frame it.I call this a vintage door because vintage does not mean just things pertaining to wine. It is an adjective meaning "enduring appeal". Old and rustic things do have that ongoing and seemingly lasting charm.

Daddy, Don't Mow Yet!

As a child I would love it when the grass grew tall in our yard. Then I could find the best and tallest dandelions. I could spot them from anywhere and would run as fast as I could to pluck them up and blow all the seeds off of them. One of God's toys from nature are a nuisance to those who love manicured yards. But it it is amazing how such simple things can amuse a child. I want to continue to recapture these small gifts.

Tuscany Touched Phoenix

It is so funny to me how this is happening!! HEE HEE. Ok. I look at pictures and see one thing I like. Then I draw it. And as I am sketching, other things just come along....like a tag along game. This is a scene I see in Phoenix. There is a lot of Tuscany trim here in The Phoenix area. I LOVE IT! Can you see yourself sitting under the Palms on the Patio with a nice little glass of Merlot?

No Nap Today

Many afternoons I lay on my bed, read, and maybe take a short nap while the little ones are napping. However, today there was no nap. Yesterday there was no nap. Yes I am tired but too excited. I am sketching and did not know I could do it.HEE HEE!

Anyway, I was just thumbing through a magazine and saw a birdhouse. I thought, "Hmmm. Wonder if I could sketch something similar.So I started with the birdhouse and added the limb of leaves, pot of flowers, sunflower, and fence as I went. I just kept doodling until it felt complete.

I am tired. And now off to cook dinner! Thank goodness the roast has been on all afternoon.

See ya later with a new sketch!!!!

New Beginnings

Faithful Island

This little arrangement sits in the middle of my kitchen island. Much like the kitchen is the heart of the home as there is warmth and comfort there, the little island represents a part of my heart. I can stand there while cooking dinner and grab moments to read a couple of pages in a book, sketch a new idea, or jot down a poem.

Faithful island
In which I lean
Stealing small moments
to think and dream.
To read or cut
sketch or glue,
My heart is warmer
Because of you.

Mystical Whimsical

I am not a sketcher. However, when we moved to the Phoenix area, one of the first things that caught my attention were the beautiful palm trees. So I tried to draw one. For some reason, when I look out into our back yard I am moved by the majesty of the tree. The foliage towers from the top of the trunk. And when the breezes blow through the leaves, I love to watch them bend with the wind. Maybe I will keep working on this one and add some color to it.

Life Chest

Art is kind of like taking a bunch of little "nothings" and making them into "somethings"! Or you could say it is like taking a bunch of little "somethings" that are "nothings" to make a lovely treasure. Sounds like a life to me being touched by a Divine Being!

Romantic Notions

This little goody was made mostly from my little 25 and 50 cent yard sale treasures I found yesterday morning. The Victorian lady is an iron on that I picked up for a quarter. I ironed it onto some "too thick french designed fabric". Some of the lettering would not stick. However, I was able to salvage enough of the iron on to make a Victorian mixed collage. There are cut-up paper doilies,various cloth materials, snips from various greeting cards and raffia.

Dainty Anticum

Little dainty things draw my attention. I like to look at the intricate details of small and elegant things. In my closet I had a little frame I had purchased at the dollar store months ago. I opened it, removed the glass and made a collage of various textures of materials to the card board backing. I then placed little scraps of lace that had come off an old bath towel. Next I glued the broken locket with beads to the background to give it another dimension. With the remaining lace, I tied a bow and glued it to the corner of the frame.