New blending tutorial.

I have had many folks ask me about how I color my images.  So, I have just uploaded a new color pencil blending tutorial on YouTube.
Hope you'll check it out and give me some feedback.  I'd LOVE to hear from you.

Let's Dance. . .

Remember that David Bowie song from the 80's.  I never was a big fan of it, but for some reason, I have had it stuck in my head lately and I don't know why.  Don't ya just hate that!  UGH! But I guess it's all good.  Sally seems to be enjoying herself, although she seems to have some of John Travolta's movies from Saturday Night Fever. :)  It's all good…..

Join in. . . .won't  ya!

Dancers keep time, while others waste it.~Terrnece Taps

Small is good

Anyone who has met me, knows that I'm not very big.  Meaning, I'm short. I guess I get that from my momma's side of the family, and most of us ladies are short.  I'm about  5'2" and my sister, and mom are shorter than me and my Grandma Reba was WAY under 5". She came to about my chin.  I LOVED that woman.  

I don't mind being short, in fact, I prefer it. I used to get picked on all the time, or rather teased, about seeing over the counter, seeing over the steering wheel, etc., but I didn't mind.  My granddad Grant used to say, "Good things come in small packages."  I guess that's because he was short too.  :) But I believe he was right.  Some of the best gifts I've ever had, came in small packages.

I'm a blessing wether I'm 5'7" or 5'2". . .I LOVE being me and I wouldn't change a thing.  How's about you!

The largest of blessings come in small packages.~Unknown Author

Sing it loud. . . .

Do you ever just want to sing at the top of your lungs?  I know I do.  But I refrain, because I am a terrible singer.  Even in the shower.  As a kid, my sister and I used to sing ALL the time.  We'd grab those old 45's stack them up, let them play and sing the old tunes, using the fireplace hearth as a stage.  Oh, those were the days.  Singing, dancing and entertaining ourselves for hours.  Oh, I do love the smell of a record and the smell of an album cover.  I think it had something to do with the plastic.  I miss that smell.  Don't you?! Most of my parents records were from the 60's, including the Beatles, Elvis, The Statler Brothers. They just don't make music like that anymore, do they.  

And I bet if you would admit it. . . .you did something similar, didn't you!

I believe in singing.~Brian Eno

Loving life.

Loving your life and yourself is the only way to truly be happy.  God made you special.  Growing up, I was always comparing myself to other people.  Hair, body, looks, etc., and then as I got older, I realized that I was insulting God by doing that.  He made me and he thinks I'm perfect.

"…I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14

And that is good enough for me.  I'm not one to question him, so I'll just leave HIS perfection alone.  Be happy with who you are.  Be happy with your life.  Say to yourself. . . ."You're AWESOME!  You go girl!"

Be happy.  You deserve it!  Even if you have to dance by yourself.

Be kind. . .

. . .and always gentle.  

I love birds!  I get it from my mom.  Growing up, my mom ALWAYS had bird feeders and a bird bath.  We lived way out in the country and in the winter, the birds were our entertainment.  I knew just about every name of every bird that came to our feeder. I don't see too many birds here at my apartment complex, although there are several hawks that I see from time to time.  They are beautiful birds!  So independent, free and stealthy.  Sadly, other than that, it's mostly just blackbirds and crows.

I remember many a time my mom yelling to my sister and I, or my dad, telling us to come look at a rare bird that would come to our feeder.  "Girls, Gene, come look, here is a Baltimore Oriole at the feeder."  It was the highlight of our day sometimes.  Other times, we'd count how many Grosbeaks were at the feeder or in the trees.  Yep, we entertained easily, but it was always fabulous.  I miss those days, but my mom updates me in the winter, how many, of what kind of bird were out at the feeder on a certain day. And I always hear about the first Robin sightings.  Gotta love it!

Are you a nature lover?  A bird lover?

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.- Lao Tzu

Relax. . .

Time is a precious commodity.  It seems like the minutes, hours, months and years, just fly by.  I know the older I get, the faster it seems to go.  It seems like there is always something to do and just not enough hours in the day.  Even at 46 and with a 19 year old that pretty much does his own thing, it still seems like I am always on the go, with no real downtime.  Even in the evenings, when I do sit, I'm still always doing something.  Answering emails, working on a new illustration or something. But, so far this year, I have been really good about making time for me!  Whether it's being curled up on the sofa watching a program or movie, chatting with friends or going to the gym.  I'm not a new years resolution person, but I did read an article about the best way to accomplish something is to schedule it.  So that's what I have been doing.  Penciling in time with myself.  How about you…..do you take time for yourself?

The time to relax is when you don't have time for it. - Sidney J. Harris