She Followed Her Heart to Happiness

I think I have been doing quite a few journal pages that have to do with the heart and heart felt thoughts. I guess those whispers of doubt have been creeping back and I had been  finding procrastination at my door, not completing projects that are started or things that I have intended to do completed! Well listen doubtful whispers be gone! I am doing this for my happiness, I have a plan and am working on it maybe not as fast as I want but I am! I want to say Yes to my dreams, let me trust and follow them. I can say I have planted the seeds! Are you with me?! Lets chase those self doubts away! Trust your heart let it be your guide~

I have to say I love the word happy! It is something that I constantly struggle with, but I am seeking that daily and working on that, I hold that word in my heart.  What I love about the word is its definition and what it means and I think that if you find your happiness that all should follow~
noun Happy adj.Happier Happiest 1. characterized by good luck, fortunate. 2. enjoying, showing, or marked by pleasure, satisfaction or joy. 3. being especially well adapted, felicitous: a happy tum of phrase. 4. cheerful, willing, happy to help.

I love that happiness is enjoying, fortunate and willing to help. It is like a full circle word all in one~ 
I hope this happiness rubs off on you  today and you create a journal page about creating your happiness, planting your dreams and following your heart.
 What makes you happy? Have you made any changes to create your own happiness? If so how?

Journal Prompts: Let Your Heart Lead You, Plant the seeds of your dreams, Happiness~ 

Quote:  Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing you will be successful. ~ Herman Cain

What we think, we become. ~Buddha

Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it. ~Buddha

Food for Thought:

My Inspiration Board

 Click to Enlarge

Today I thought I would share with you my inspiration board. It has words of positivity, images that I took of places I love around our coastal region. The pier was taken at Lake Tahoe, CA. and represents taking a leap of faith. And I have just a few of my art work images posted up there. I am wanting to create another inspiration board of artwork *not mine, color, texture and fabric. I promise to share it when its done.

I have been painting every day, mostly in my journal this week. I have a new journal page and illustration coming up to share on Sunday! It was a busy past weekend helping Sammie with creating a how to make a zine from one sheet of paper, for a school project. We did a step by step board.When I get my camera sorted out I will take pictures of the images to share with you. It was fun! I decorated it with collaged images from a magazine, while Sammie did her own. I would love to make another of artwork and print it off.

What creative projects are you working on?  Do you have an inspiration board? *if so and you have done a post on  or have it posted on flickr it leave a link in comments so we can see it!

Nature Photography

I thought I would share some photography I took when visiting Healdsburg, CA. The fields are lush green, rocks covered in moss, roses frozen but on the vine and the air was crisp. How could you not be inspired?
Below is a collage of images that I took. 

 Then I thought I might take one of the  snapshots and alter it a few times to get some different looks and these are the photographs with some changes & what I used to achieve them.

This is almost true to the original image but I lightened the exposure.

This photograph I added contrast and adjusted the color a bit, fixed exposure and put a cinema scope frame on it.

This last one here has textures over laid and then I played with the exposure to give it a more forest feel.

Honestly I think I have just fallen in love with textures. I might have to take some other images and alter them now. Have you ever altered your photography? Played with textures? How does nature inspire you?

Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing the grass I can appreciate persistence. ~Hal Borland

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. ~Ralph Waldo Emmerson

Journaling & Journal Prompt " Listen to Your Heart"

                         Listen To Your Heart Theresa Huse 2011       

This is a journal page that I created first by just layering on two different colored blues and then decided to create a face, after I thought why not a body holding a heart.Then I added the thoughts I was having.
Sometimes you just have to start playing in your journal and see where it takes you.
There are plenty of days I let things affect me, feel down, don't get off to a good start, am over inspired, tired or what ever and that is when thoughts just start to shut me down. But then I pick up my brushes, start to play with color have no expectations for what is to come and let things evolve. 
Your journals are for you. My journal is just for me. Yes it is fun to show and share pages that come out as beautiful,  or the way you want or have planned out. Yet, I think the greatest thing for me about journaling is when you don't have a clue what you are going to create, you let go and you just let things happen. After creating it has helped you change the way you feel, opened your soul , set your words connecting your intentions, thoughts, and even prayers.
Sometimes you just need to trust yourself, play, listen to your heart and your soul will sing.
So I hope you can just go to your journal, pick up your brush, paint some colors you love, write some of  your thoughts and layer any image that comes to mind. Listen to your heart~ 
Have you ever had to deal with things that set your heart racing? Have you ever just had to listen to your heart for the answers? Have you ever just gone to your page and let your creativity come from your heart?

Journal Prompt:   
Listen to your heart

Quotes: 
True creativity quite simply starts with balancing your emotions and activating the power of the heart. Through practicing emotional management from the heart, you tap into the highest form of creativity possible--recreating your perceptions of reality. ~Doc Childre

The heart has eyes which the brain knows nothing of.~ Charles H. Perkhurst

Food For Thought: free e book   -written by Doc Childre
Website I came across when researching the subject of heart and mind I journaled, HeartMath. 

 Thoughtful reading:







 More Thoughtful Readings~ 

My Favorite Month

Photography by Theresa Huse

One of my favorite times of year is right around the corner just as spring is settled in and the days are warm enough to see a rose in full bloom, hang out the clothes, catch a butterfly on a bush and celebrate family events, such as my youngest daughters birthdays & my oldest daughter getting married.  This year I would have to say my favorite month is going to be May~
What is your favorite month? and why? & if you would like to play along with Inspiration Avenue and their question just visit them.

Sweet spring,  full of sweet days and roses, a box where sweets compacted lie~  George Herbert,

She Had Stars In Her Pocket Acrylic Painting

"She had stars in her pocket and the moon on a string. " I don't know who wrote this but this is the inspiration for the acrylic painting I did. I tried to keep it simple in all respects and only use a few colors on this acrylic painting. Usually I love using colors, layers, papers.... but, this time I thought simple to capture the quote. I am happy with this acrylic paintings simplicity~

Yesterday I painted all day, after a long weekend reprieve. The acrylic painting was the opposite of this. I am not sure if I am done and I haven't been frustrated with a painting lately but this one was having me going there. I redid the face more than three times, finally I went to pick Sammie up from school and showed her the latest face and said what do you think. She liked her, ok with all frustration I thought to myself this is the face she will have. That way I can move on to another acrylic painting or work on the background some more. Honestly thanks for listening. I wish I had an image to show you but I have to purchase another memory card and haven't as of yet. Hopefully this weekend.

Quotes:
Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars. ~Les Brown 
For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream ~ Vincent Van Gogh

Supplies to get you started:  




I have used One Stroke brushes and loved them. This is the first time I have seen them in a set.  I have used canvas board for practicing and its a great way to start along with using journal or mixed media books. Sign up for my newsletter for more tips~

What Inspires You?

I decided to play along with Inspiration Avenue this week and touch on what inspires me. This would be a great prompt in your journals too. So without further adieu here is what inspires me~ 

                         

via we heart it

Things that inspire me and I love~       

Enchanting gardens

Books

Fashion

Nature

Illustration and Art

  

beach fun  image by me

Photography

Travel

Flowers and Botanical s image by me

Capturing my inner Frida by Painting 

Color

I hope you are inspired to record your inspiration~  Use photographs, words, images from magazines.
Create a journal page and a blog post about what inspires you~ 
What inspires you? I would love to know!

Work In Progress & My day

I just thought you might like to see a little work in progress of an acrylic painting on canvas I am doing. I have been painting a least a few hours a day. I am playing with style, color and pushing my drawing. I was inspired by a quote I found and thought was so simple yet beautiful. I will wait to share it when I post my final photographs for you from the work in progress. Yesterday I had one huge migraine by the end of my day and wasn't feeling quite up to par. Sure thing when I took my temp. a little fever. Today I am feeling better and back to painting. Happy to report that the sun is shining, the wind is blowing, I am hearing my chimes outside and I am letting go of the house work today. Paint, rest, pick up the kiddo from school and reading will be it for the day. I hope to soften the blow to hubby, yes another day of un done! But, maybe I can manage to cook the chicken in the oven for dinner? He did get us dinner last night when I was really not feeling well. Do you find it hard to let go of things? Even when you are under sick?  & Don't you just love wind chimes?
I wanted to share a png sound clip of the most amazing wind chimes but I couldn't figure out. So I found this on you tube and I hope you enjoy it. its short, but sweet and makes me want to visit Arizona again!

Reminding myself to Relax & listen  

Flower Photography

Today is cold and gray as the clouds have blown in. I will paint while remembering the colors from nature that inspire my canvas today~ These photographs are from just before the frost, the blooms and greenery that graced my yard have since died.
What will you be doing on your cold, winters day? What inspires you when its cold and gloomy outside?
The pine stay green in winter....wisdom in hardship~ Norman Douglas
Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories~ Author Unkown

Food for thought: Podcast via Jamie Ridler Studio with artist Laura Hollick

"Dream Big" Art Journaling Prompt

Never Let your dreams fail you Dream Big ~

"Dream Big"Acrylic on canvas Theresa Huse 2011 

Dream Big! Use your thoughts for positive affirmations~ The power of positive thinking~

How many times do you really focus on creating and making your big dreams a reality? Honestly I have had lots of ideas only to see them go to the wayside and then later see them as someone else 's success. This year I truly want to focus on dreaming big! It might mean I have a lot of hard work in front of me. I can see some of the things that haven't worked for me and know some changes need to be made to make my big dreams a reality! I hope that you will see some of the big dream changes coming here on the blog and in other ways which I will share later with you. I have some ideas to put into play and hope when I do you will feel like participating. I think it is important to share our learning journeys, creative processes and art work in order to grow. Remember not every idea, piece of artwork or day will have success when you dream big, but if you put those words into action I am positive you are going to see results!

This weeks free journal prompt is for you to write about  "Dream Big" and what it means to you. What steps you need to get there? How will you put your big dreams into action? or How are you putting your big dreams into action? What a perfect time of year to start with dreaming big and positive intentions~

Journal Prompt: Dream Big    

Food for Thought:
Your unique creative talents and abilities are flowing through you and are being expressed in deeply satisfying ways. Your creativity is always in demand. ~ Louise L. Hay

Think Big There are unseen forces ready to support your dreams~ Cheryl Richardson

Related Readings:

Acrylic Painting "She Is Aligned With The Stars"

                                           She Is Aligned with the Stars Theresa Huse 2010
My last painting in 2010~ She is looking to the heavens for guidance~ She sees she can align herself to the stars and be open to all the New Year has to offer. This paintings influence came from my journal page Her Spirit Rose from the Earth and had a Native American prayer in it. Now she is welcoming the New Year and all its offerings. This is done on canvas with acrylic paint, I also used gold leaf for the stars in the sky and layered tissue paper with stars here and there *mixed media, oil pastels and colored pencils.
What are you ready for receiving in this new year? Where do you find your guidance? 
Each star is a mirror reflecting the truth inside you~ Aberjhani
It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but ourselves~ Lisa Mantchev

Below is a snapshot of our holiday festivities and what we did~

Baking cupcakes & cookies, wrapping packages, Christmas with the newlyweds, visiting family *more pics than I can share ;)  good food, window shopping, browsing the bookstore & finding new books to read, playing lots of monopoly, bundling up and blowing bubbles and dreaming in the New Year with Big Dreams and open arms!! Happy New Year Everyone! Wishing you health, happiness and prosperity! & don't forget the creativity!! Now on with the new......

Slide Show of 2010 Artwork

I created this slide show with some of the work that I had placed on Flickr. I thought you might like to see what I created in 2010 all in one space. You can see some of the changes, exploring and outcomes that happened over the year with my art and might see some crafty designs in other mediums too. I know I am missing quite a few pieces but hope you enjoy it none the less. I am planning on starting new sets for my journal pages, mixed media etc. and tag work by year. This way I can keep all the images in Flickr to help organize what I am doing and be able to reflect and share my work. If you are on Flickr feel free to add me as a contact & I'll do the same. *link to page above I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year! I look forward to getting back to creating after settling in from being out of town. I also plan on sharing some photos from our little trip and family fun that we had & more~ Until then happy creating!