live today

will spring ever get here?

will it get here quicker if i whine about it?

what would happen if next year we rigged the groundhog's den so he couldn't ever go back in it?

would he pronounce winter to be banished forever like some beneficent king?

would his queen shower the lands with soft white petals of dogwood?

were winters this long as a kid?

did we say "ah, man, will spring ever get here?"

anyone want to join me in my whine fest?

there's always a silver lining and for me right now it's having time to play in photoshop on the weekends. i created the above piece by combining a photo i took last fall of a zesty orange gerbera daisy with 3 photos from my message in a bottle series (click here to see). thanks to dan at biel photographic for giving me tips on using the blending tool. love it!!

"live today" is available as a print in my etsy shop.

i'm thinking it would be a lot easier to live today if it was spring. do you see a theme here?

life-sucking vortex

i get a lot of nice comments and e-mails from people saying how motivated i am -- blogging, mixed media, photography, poetry, etc. they only think that because of the selective vision that i share with the world. i don't show my half-finished projects or the piles of things ready to photograph. take the photo above for instance. i created about 25 different pendant designs like these, starting back in early december. they sold like hotcakes to my and hubbie's co-workers at christmas. are they in my etsy shop? no. are they photographed and ready to load to my etsy shop? no. do i have plans to do so any time soon? rock solid plans, no. an inkling of an idea that i really should do so, maybe.

i must confess that i'm a procrastinator. it's my dirty little secret.  ok, just one of many. the truth is i enjoy wasting time. i can hang out in my art room for an entire day and have nothing to show for it. i rationalize my idyllic creative time with the statement that i work hard all week so i should be allowed to play on the weekends. i can rationalize anything as long as it allows me to do what i want when i want for however long i want. this is where hubby would pipe in and say "ask me. i can tell you all about it."

when i first starting blogging my bff said she planned to stay completely away from blogging as it was a downward-spiraling vortex that would suck the life out of you. i laughed and plunged on anyway. looking back over the last almost 2 years of blogging i feel like the experience has given me way more life back than it has taken away. i'm happier, more fulfilled, and much more creative and excited about waking up each day.

so i'm raising my cup of tea today to procrastinating, wasting time and being sucked into the vortex. this is the life, my friends, this is the life!!

life . . . bite into it!!!

"sweet tart cherries"

8" x 8" x 1.5" canvas

mixed media collage

(c) julie king

when i posted this photo of a bowl of cherries, char at we blog artists said "maybe a painting is called for". and, wow, just like that i had to give it a try. this was so fun!! the piece was completely done before i even thought about what i wanted it to say. and the words . . . well, they just tumbled right out of my brain. i love that kind of serendipity!!

it's available in my etsy shop!

raising little gangsters

we have two little gangsters-in-training living at our house these days. they lurk in the background just waiting for us to lay something down or leave a door open. they then sneak in and grab it. bella tends to bring it to wherever i am in the house while she tries to destroy it. zoe is smarter and knows to hide with it. so far they haven't ruined anything. mostly their sneaks have been on toilet paper, trash in the art room, scrapbook paper and tissue paper. two of my teddy bears have been drug down onto the floor but no damage has been done. i've started laying items out on the living room floor and then making them stay away from them for long(er) periods of time. they're getting the hang of it.

it's going to get more and more challenging now since zoe is quite the jumper. she can jump onto both of our living room chairs and the coffee table but not the couch yet. i'm in training, too, i guess. i look the place over for possible puppy attacks before leaving the room.

gangsters they are -- they've definitely stolen our hearts!!

joy abounds

 

joy abounds

love surrounds

hope is found

in the hearts

of those

who believe

(c) 2010 julie king

available in my etsy shop!

happy sunday!!

bowl of cherries

the weekend is finally here -- just in time! i had the flu on monday followed by a head cold and then bill fell on the ice and broke two bones in his leg on tuesday morning. luckily, he did not have to have surgery and is in an air cast. the theme song from the jetsons ran thru my head when they brought the cast out. it looks like some oversized space boot. he can't put any weight on it and is on crutches for 6 weeks.

so what does my less then easy week have to do with a bowl of cherries? well, part of it was sweet and cheery and part of it was well, the pits!

being off work  sublime
bill in pain  the pits

spending extra time with the puppies   sweet
bill on crutches and not able to take the puppies out at 3 am   the pits

our son clearing all the snow off our driveway   awesome
driving bill around (he's NOT a good passenger)   the pits

getting to be the caretaker  gratifyingly weird
rearranging everything to make way for crutches  the pits

overall, things are going really well. i may need an extra large sock to stuff in bill's mouth when i'm driving but he has been very humbled and gracious by this experience.

don't you just love that little white bowl in the photo? you can find more like it in farmer julie's etsy shop or on her blog.

love dances

"love dances"

original mixed media collage

12" x 12" x 1.5"

gallery-wrapped canvas

(c) 2010 julie king

this was a fun piece to create, especially the drips!! i meant to give this dancing gal little wings of vintage sheet music but i got in a hurry and painted her hair before i remembered to place the wings. maybe i'll angel wing my next little creation. this one reads "love dances, hope whispers, joy sings out loud", which popped into my mind while i was showering one morning. i guess my mind never really turns off it's quest to be creative. hee hee

it's available in my etsy shop!

just for today revisit

"just for today"

photographic print

(c) julie king

back in february 2009 i posted a poem titled "just for today". a couple of weekends ago i added a bit of the poem to the altered photo above to create a unique, inspirational piece of art. parts of the poem are a struggle for me to live, i must admit. i need reminders in my life to not take the people i love for granted. feeling blessed on the other hand is very easy for me. i find joy everywhere and never hesitate to say how very blessed i am. the hardest part is learning to want less. i'm not talking about material things, although i am truly blessed in that area as well. i'm talking about more living, more sunshine, more time with loved ones. it never seems to be enough for me. that feeling always has me longing to retire and spend my time being creative and giving back to the world. i need to remind myself to live "just for today" and not longing for what i can't have right now. 

not to self:  practice what you preach!

"just for today" photographic print is available in my etsy shop.

be the change

 

"be the change"

photographic print

(c) julie king

readers of this blog know that as a young woman, i wanted to change the world. my belly was full of fire and my rose-colored glasses were firmly planted on my pert nose. today my sights are set on much smaller venues. my attempts to implement change are done in small gestures and small words, a hug here and a word of praise there. then there are times when i simply live within myself without motivation to do anything positive. i find those times a bit depressing and am always glad when i can push them aside and let my optimistic self shine thru. 

i love this quote by ghandi. if only we could all live up to his challenge. wouldn't our lives and those around us be richer and fuller? ghandi DID change the world but his message is clear to me. we don't have to set our sights as high as the world, we can make a difference at home, at work, in our neighborhoods. or just by spreading a cheerful word on our blogs.

the above print is available in my etsy shop.

snow angels

 

 

my little snow angels are growing up so quickly! they love the snow followed by a good snuggle in a warm blanket. they took naps with me over the weekend in our big king bed. they lay right up next to me as close a possible and sleep so soundly and sweetly. they are able to jump up on chairs and down from the couch. i've had to put the trash can up in my art room as they knock it over to pull out any bits of cardboard or paper hidden away in there. when they have something they know they aren't allowed to have all i have to do is make one sound and they drop it and roll over on their backs in a submissive way. we are working on lay down and bella is getting the hang of it quite quickly. zoe is more easily distracted (think "squirrel!!" from the movie up) and we need to separate the two of them in order to work on tricks with her. best of all, they find any tiny bit of sunshine on the floor in the art room and settle in for a nice sunbath. just like big brother presley always did. it warms their little bodies and warms my heart!!

snow glistens

 

i love snow as long as i don't have to drive in it or be out in it for any length of time. saturday's winter wonderland was gorgeous and lended itself to some perfect photo-taking moments. 

enjoy!

p.s. the winner of my recent print give-away is carmen! please let me know your address, carmen, so i can ship you your print! 

letting go

 

"letting go"

photographic art print

(c) 2010 julie king

 

 i first learned of the idea of letting go from a boss i had a few years ago. he had taken a seminar on how to forgive others and yourself so you could get on with your life. i've always embraced the notion that holding grudges and feeling wronged basically robs you of life. and since then i've learned to cope with the little frustrations of life in the same way. if i can't control it then it is best to just let it roll off my shoulders and not worry about it.

my most recent lesson in letting go was with presley when i had to make the tough decision to let him go in september. even though it was very painful i knew it was the very best gift i could give him at that time in his life. he was too tired to fight anymore and needed to go on to a painfree, carefree place. it tested my resilience but i feel blessed for having the strength to give him that gift. 

what is something you've had to let go of recently? was it a dream, the idea of perfection, a job, or maybe just that morning caffeine that was causing heartburn. whatever it was, i hope you're better off for having had the strength to let it go.

the above print is available in my etsy shop.

bookless

i was feeling a little uneasy when i went to bed last night but couldn’t quite put my finger on the cause. my mind ticked down the list of possibilities. did i take my meds? turn the iron off? check my e-mail (one last time)? no task seemed undone so off to bed i went.

a few hours later i woke up for a bathroom break and could not get back to sleep. as i wandered toward my reading chair it hit me. i was bookless! i had finished the weight of silence by heather gudenkauf and john grisham’s short story collection yesterday. i hurriedly headed for my bookcase in the art room, confident that i would be able to unearth a gem of an unread tome . nothing new showed its face. i considered rereading an old favorite like my antonia by willa cather or margaret atwood’s the handmaid’s tale. but my mind was thirsty for a new read, some racy literary speed.

i ended up reading the latest issue midwest living but it was hard to concentrate. my mind was racing trying to make a tough decision. My heart thumped with excitement as i pondered “should i go to barnes & noble or borders at lunch tomorrow?

hope whispers

 

"hope whispers"

(c) 2010 julie king

i found this quote online on sunday and couldn't wait to pair it up with a photo. there was no credit next to the quote so i'm calling it author unknown. i really relate to the idea that hope whispers. if you've read this blog for any time at all you know that i'm a rose-colored glasses kind of girl. i always have been and hope to always be. so hope and i are really good friends. i guess you could call HER my bff. she sits next to me when i'm worried or scared, like when i had a tumor on my parathyroid gland and i had to wait to see if it was cancer. she plants ideas in my head when i'm searching for a way to retire and do my art full-time. best of all, she whispers encouragement and love when i'm feeling blue. everyone should adopt hope as their bff. i'm more than willing to share her with the world!

hope whispers is available in my etsy shop. don't forget to click here and leave a comment to register for my giveaway!

seriously!!

seriously!! can my hands, face and legs get any drier? i’ve always heard that post menopausal women have dry skin but seriously! when more magazine first came out a few years ago i was humored by the fact that every other page seemed to be an ad for face cream guaranteed to decrease wrinkles and give a youthful glow.  now i’m thinking forget the glow, just let my face bear no resemblance to lucy lizard. over the last year or so i’ve tried at least 4 different face washes that will let my face feel clean yet not dried out. i use olay daily face moisturizer in the morning and olay night cream before bed. i keep two different kinds of hand lotion on my desk at work, a tube in my purse, two by my reading chair and two on my nightstand. my entire body is slathered with neutrogena sesame seed body oil after my shower and i apply neutrogena body butter every other morning before I get dressed. even my bottom (cheeks) are crying out “hey, we need some attention down here, too!!” soon i may have to take out a second mortgage to support my keep-it-supple habit!

and, what’s up with my cuticles??!! i can get a professional manicure and by the next morning my nails will be lined with nasty ridges of dry skin. it makes me feel like some prehistoric reptile has taken up residence in my body. seriously!

looking at all the labels, i see that my current hydrating system includes shea butter, vitamin e, oatmeal, murumuru butter, glycerin, vitamins, anti-oxidants . . . and the list goes on and on. and, it must not be working; hubby winced this morning when i cradled his (face) cheek in my hand. hee hee

don’t even get me started on my feet!! seriously!

photo credit getty images

awakening window vase #11 give-away

 

awakening window vase #11

(c) 2010 julie king

over the last year or so i've had a few requests that i combine my photos and my poetry to create one-of-a-kind original photographic prints. this is the first of many that i'll be listing in my etsy shop. i adore creating these -- finding the just-right photo to accompany poems that i've featured on my blog. it's fun, fun, fun to layer and play in photoshop! you can find this one here along with a few others!

so to kick off the introduction of these little creations, i'm hosting a give-away. please just leave a comment here to get your name in the hat. the winner will get this print or any one of my prints free and clear, shipped to their door with a smile and maybe a surprise or two thrown in for good measure!! mention this give-away on your blog, facebook or twitter and receive 5 more chances to win! be sure to let me know so i can give you your due share of chances.

thanks to all of you who shared comments on my silent prayer post. your sweet words mean the world to me as i push thru with caring for aging parents and some aging woes i've been feeling myself. ((hugs))