Beautiful things happen all around us

Happy Saturday afternoon to everyone, yes, it has been another 4 months without a single post from me :( I will honestly try my hardest to get better about posting in my blog, and working harder and getting some hats and journals done. I've not been sitting still by any means, I have done a couple of hats, a few journals and a whole lot of painting has been happening. I'm truly blessed and have endless gratitude for the gifts God has given me, now it's time to start getting back into my hats and journals and then hopefully donating them. I thought my long hiatus was completely done, but apparently it wasn't and I still feel like I'm struggling to get back in the groove of things. A trip to the ocean is approaching pretty fast (well, not fast enough for me)and maybe standing on the shore and listening to the waves crash and sing to my soul is what I am truly in need of :)

Our east coast division The Journey Continues has had some great things happening. We had to make a couple of changes, but hopefully now everything will be full of positivity and spreading of the love and kindness Hats from the Heart is known for :)My Sis Vicky has been creating some lovely journals and her friend Sherry has some pretty spiffy hats she's creating as well. Great things happening and on the horizon, I just feel it!! My endless gratitude goes out to everyone there and here who has helped us on our journey, whether it was a donation of supplies, helping make the hats and journals or just simply being supportive and inspirational, we truly are grateful for our journey including you all!!!

Oh my....I ALMOST forgot to share some exciting news of a personal nature (so yes, I will be doing my best at trying to keep up, but can't make promises lol)! My daughter is recently engaged to the love of her life Ryan....so wedding plans have commenced!!! So EXCITING!!!! Saturday evenings have become our "wedding planning" time, and though we've only had one so far (tonight is our second), this is truly a bonding time for me with my daughter and my son's girlfriend Taress!! Talk about some awesome bonding time with "my girls", it is FABULOUS!!!! Okay, okay...I've yammered on enough about my exciting news, how about some fantastic photo's of the wonderful hats and journals being created?

Here are the few that I have worked on in the past 4 months...I told you, I'm struggling LOL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is what The Journey Continues has been working on, such awesome creativity and beautiful work!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And there you have it, everything that has been happening with our group since my last post, and I'm hoping this works as it seems to be giving me a challenge already (meaning, Google seems to be a little stupid right now). I encourage each and every one of you to spread the kindness....a smile, a kind word, a simple hug, or just a gesture can mean so much to the recipient. Let your light shine brightly for all to see and BE THE CHANGE you wish to see in the world. Until our next update, may the light of God's love touch your heart and soul and help you Glow from Within...............<3

Hiatus over...hopefully!

Happy Saturday everyone! A short hiatus was taken by myself, and so totally unsure of how that came about, but I'm back and hopefully the long wait between posts are over. I guess my creativity needed to be recharged and I had to take a short break in order to do that. Sometimes, my human frustrations get the best of me and I get discouraged, but I WILL NOT let them get the best of me....onward and upward!

I'm still shaking my head over where the time went, because apparently it flew by faster than what I thought....I've only posted one time this year and that just ain't right LOL!! I know I've been doing a lot of different things lately, painting, making bracelets, drawing, etc....and I think I needed that time to get myself refocused. I have never really "lost" my focus on making hats and journals, but one of my goals this year is to NOT be so hard on myself and beat myself up so badly that I feel rotten, so no more of that!!!

I do have some lovely new hats and journal pictures to share with you, so it won't be a totally picture-less post! I'm still trying to get back in the swing of things, so going is still a bit slow. I'm hoping by end of day today to have a little girl's Monster hat made and a decision made on what my next painting will be and who it shall be for. I successfully completed and delivered my first commissioned painting, it was a simple yet challenging piece! It taught me a couple of lessons, one being that just because it "looks" fairly easy to paint, does not mean it is! The other, and this is always a learning process here, PATIENCE!! I cannot express enough, how patience is needed when painting with oils LOL

I won't be too wordy today, as they seem to be escaping my mind faster than I can type today, and I type pretty darn fast....so imagine how fast the thoughts are flitting around in my head!!! We have some lovely hats made by The Journey Continues, our division over on the east coast, and a journal as well. The first pictures I will post from them is a lovely hat and journal created by my sister for her beautiful daughter in law, yes the horrid disease has stricken our family more than once, but our prayers go to her, she is a strong fighter and God has bigger plans for her than she knows!!

 

The next few were made by her lovely friend Sherry, and I just love the colors and simplicity of them all!

This beauty was made by Ms. Rebekah, the blue colors always speak to me!!

The next couple of photo's are the same hat, I made a removable rose so it could be worn two ways. This was made for my beautiful niece in law, such a brave, strong beautiful woman!!!

The remaining photo's are some children's hats and other journals that I have been working on. I truly LOVE what I do, it is such a wonderful feeling deep in my soul!

That's all for now folks, all the photo's of what has been done in the last 3 months. I'm STILL wondering where the time went? I will leave you with these thoughts: Always strive to do the best you can do, and be the best person you can be every day. We are ALL human and make mistakes, don't be too hard on yourselves and try to always BE KIND to all including yourself, we are all fighting battles of some kind!!! Much love to you all for your continued support of our ongoing journey, gratitude is felt deeply for you all! Until our next update, may the light of God's love touch your heart and help you to Glow from Within..........<3

Welcoming 2016!

Good evening all my faithful followers! Thank you for NOT giving up on me in 2015, I'm still here, and will continue to be until otherwise guided! Much love and gratitude for supporting us through and on our journey of bringing sunshine to a cancer patients life! 2015 was filled with lots of challenges, ups and downs and a few trips 'round on the merry-go-round of life, but we made it to another year! I was actually awake to welcome 2016 in this year, *GASP*, I know.....big shock, right? :) I make a few goals at the beginning of each new year, but have always chosen to keep them to myself. This year my goal is to be more positive, fill each day with smiles and laughter, be kind to all put in my path and just try my best every day to be a better person! I hope you will join me in becoming a better YOU, as well! Our goals don't have to be big, they can be many small goals made each day.....no reason to overwhelm ourselves with too many at once!

I've made a commitment to myself to "lighten" up on the self-critiquing as well. A year ago, I started on my journey of painting with acrylics or oils, and feel that I have come so far. I started out simply with a dandelion picture for over my bed (still have to frame it lol), then moved to sunflowers in oil for my beautiful sis in MD, then tried an abstract bass for my son....did a fabulous clouds and tree picture for my daughter, daisies for my sister in Mammoth and some butterflies for my beautiful MIL...I decided I wanted to do another painting for myself (doing something for myself is rare) a purple cloud background with a single white angel feather and just recently finished an angel picture for a dear friend. This journey is quite awesome, because as a little girl, I would sit on the floor and watch my mother paint and create fabulous pieces of art and wish for just a small amount of her talent. Flash forward to my adulthood...I have a fabulously talented little sister who is still doing college art classes, and I would see her art and find myself doing the same thing.....wishing for just a small amount of her talent. Here is what I have discovered............I don't need to wish for any of their talent because I HAVE MY OWN!! I just had to "wake" up and see that I am just as talented at painting as they are, and more than capable of creating beautiful pieces of art for my loved ones! Yep, I am now 48 years old and I still learn something new every single day. I hope I never stop learning because then how boring would that be?! I am blessed beyond belief with physical talents and spiritual talents. I hope you start a journey this year, and I hope that this journey leads you to discover your hidden talents and who you truly are as being, and your true purpose!

I do believe I have rambled probably enough, how about some pictures of some fabulous hats and journals?! I have a few from the beautiful ladies at The Journey Continues, our east coast division, and aren't they gorgeous?

And I have a few from my group as well, with a few journals thrown in the mix also!

My next hat will be a special request by my sister that I am unable to say who it's for at this time, just know that a lot of love will be going into this one....a lot of love goes into them all, but this one more so than usual.

I hope that my update finds you well and happy, make time for yourself and be the light in someones life today by just being kind...a smile, a hug...an ear to listen, a shoulder to lean on....until my next update, may the light of God's love touch your heart and soul and help each and every one of you to Glow from Within............<3