Homegrown Hospitality

Changing the World, Part Three

Being the home builder on my world was just as fun as I thought it would be.  I simply cut and stuck the way I wanted to without the stress or worry about what coordinated with what or how it looked to others.

What a concept...You should try it out.  I am going to do this more often.

Then I needed to add the thoughts.  I thought a little about hand painting the words, stamping the words or stenciling the words and then, out of the blue, I decided to scan some dictionary paper, add some text, print it out on "newsprint" paper, tear it out and stick it on.

For me (and if I may suggest it to others) to starting changing the world, whether it is a globe, your family, your community, your relationships, etc., stay centered in faith, focussed on your journey and then go for it..well, and remember, home is best.

and what am I going to do with this? You are wondering...

It is for sale, so if you are interested in owning the world, just email me.

Be The Change, Part Two

Working on changing the world with my art is a test of my patience.  When I started, I constantly wanted to skip past the first steps to get to the next. I wanted to do the fun stuff, not the labor intensive stuff (which consisted of Mod Podge and dictionary paper!)

Note to Self: I must lay down a solid foundation before taking the next step. 

It seemed that each time I thought I was finished, there was another spot that needed fixing, needed coverage, needed my attention. It was the longest process of changing the world and it tested my endurance.

Note To Self:  Stay focused on the task at hand. Don't always looks for the easy way out, a short cut or telling  myself  "I will finish it later"  Just keep going. 

Remember my "If you love something you lose the fear" post from last week ? Well, here is another example of walking the walk.  Once the foundation is down, it is time to take the next step, which can be scary, especially if you have spent alot of time forming that foundation.  That "scary" is just the devil sitting on your shoulder telling you that you might mess it up....

go for it.

Note to Self: I must have a little faith in myself and complete faith in God.  Use the skills and abilities that I was given by HIM to change the world.  That is exactly why I was given those gifts and really, it is my responsibility to use them. 

Another Note to Self: Once I rely on faith, it will carry me  far and I can confidently flick that little devil off of my shoulder with excessive force.

Now building and planting is the next step, which I am currently in the process of doing.  Another test of patience and endurance because I have a vision of what my world is going to look like BUT  I can not rush it.  Again. my steps are guided and I am confident so I know that whatever the outcome is, it will be okay.

To be continued.

Right Now.

Before I starting this post this morning or even knew what I was going to write about, I read Mel's newest blog post (and I suggest that after you are done here, you hightail it over there to be lulled by her amazing writing....) then I opened up "The Seed" to this highligted excerpt (remember, I told you I highlighted most of the book...) and knew what I was going to write about.

Don't miss what is all around you right now....because of the muck, the mess and the fear. Please open your eyes...

It was dark when I arrived in PA on Thursday night and this is the first thing I saw Friday morning as opened the curtains from my room in Pennsylvania.

Maybe you will understand it, or maybe you won't...but it made me gasp, I think my heart skipped a beat..and I KNEW I was right where I was supposed to be and had I buckled in fear, I would have missed this sight.  The dark sky, the bright barn, the rusted roof....the green life all around....Do not miss the life all around you right now.

Home is Best...

..but Pennsylvania is REALLY GOOD...and I dream of living, creating and growing old here  (or something similar)

and walking down to the road to pick up handwritten notes from my friends..(friends, you will write me, right???)

On my way to PA, I read a book named "The Seed" by Jon Gordon that my sweet friend Cori brought me and it was the perfect starter to an even more perfect long (yet super quick, too fast) weekend.  I highlighted a quote and/or passage on almost every page and you will see those words come to life via pen and paper.

During my Saturday class, I brought up the book, The Seed, and as I was talking about how much the book spoke to me, my friend Pam approached me with a little gift...a new coffee cup and look what it reads:

These are the things that confirm my purpose and that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing...

Thank you PA, Staci & Jeff and the Shuck Family and all of you who joined me on Saturday, to Kim, Lisa and Tracy for driving me to "The Valley" (Kim..YOU WON!) .....more coming tomorrow..nned to get back to laundry!

Have I mentioned that I LOVE PA????

Insert: Purpose

Yesterday on my way to the post office, a new sign caught my eye. I drove by the building that is the new home to the "Joy Factory", the Jessie Rees Foundation. I can NOT imagine being a mom that would be putting up a sign on a building in honor of my child, but that is exactly what a family in our community, a family in our church is faced with and is doing..and has vowed to keep their precious Jessie's dream alive.

INSERT Purpose.

I am on team NEGU..

NEGUstands for Never Ever Give Up and is something we have really started living by in our little home sweet home.  It was what Jessie did in the 10 month she fought...and ultimately lost.  It is her story, the will of a 12 year old girl that taught us to NEVER EVER GIVE UP and will continue to be a force in our house.

KEY WORD: House

So what in the world can I possibly do to help besides pray? 

I can paint and I can run.

(NOT a the same time, duh!)

What can YOU do?

1. You can Join Team Negu and help spread the word
2. You could simply "like" Jessie's FB page (they are trying to get to 200,000 likes by April 8th, which would have been Jessie's 13th birthday)
3. You could sponsor me and Team NEGU for the 1/2 Marathon by clicking that little red scrolling box up there in the right corner because I am training and will run that race for her and for all of those little love bugs that are fighting with that DAMN cancer (excuse my language).
4. You could go to Ebay and bid on this new 12x12 canvas that I just finished last night:
   

I am auctioning this handpainted 12x12 Mixed Media canvas that reads "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" Joshua 24:15.  All proceeds from this auction will be donated to the Jessie Rees Foundation.

GOD gave me the skills and abilities to paint, doodle...and run so that is what I'm doing...in between laundry, carpool and painting base boards...you know, stuff like that.

So..what are you waiting for???? I just listed the canvas on EBAY...as an auction..for 5 days and I sure hope that I did it right...

Happy Friday!

Works of HEart

I have been creating "Works of HEart" on canvas, paper & wood, even blank journals, for several months knowing the specific purpose for the work but not knowing how, where or even better "what" I was going to do with them all. 

I just kept creating and doing what I was to be doing...and stacking them high.

Yesterday, on a whim, I took my stack and "displayed" them just to see what I had.  At one point, Jack even stopped to ask "Mom, what are you doing???" and I just answered..."Just Playing" (but what I was playing was "Art Show")

so this morning, I get an email from my best pal Staci at Grove's asking if I wanted to bring asome of my orginals to Grove's....

for a little Art Show during my classes.

Of course she asked me that...

and of course I want to...

and of course HE knew...

because THAT IS HOW GOD WORKS.

For months, I have been working on a new purposeful way of teaching, teaching techniques to make things like in the photos above. My new "hands on" (not online) class is designed to teach you how to create art from HEart (which sounds confusing)

BUT, some of you do not want to take a class, some of you do not want to learn another technique and some of you do not want to take another online class...so, I am going to start (slowly) offering my "Works of HEart Art" starting with a little Stephanie Ackerman Designs Art Show at Grove's at the end of April.

For more information on my classes and for the Art Show, please visit the Grove's website at http://www.grovesoffice.com/Home.html

 

Completion & Casseroles

By now you know my OLW (one little word) for 2012 is PRACTICE and so in honor of me and my word, I practiced finishing things (because I have so too many "works in progress") by getting all of these hearts stitched up.

and instead of adding them to my "Basket of Happy" they have their very own place and I call these my "Casserole of Love".  

The name "Casserole of Love" might sound corny, but corny or not, anytime someone needs a little love, I am ready with a casserole..and hey, when I offer someone in need a serving of love and show them my casserole, it is bound to create a smile...

try it, you will see.

Little Reminder Big Reminder

Life can be pretty simple, we I just tend to complicate things (I know we all do, but I will throw myself under the bus so you do not have to admit it out loud) so here is a little reminder (in my tiny doodle book) 

and a big reminder for you to right click, copy, paste, color and do....

 

Two Things..One Word

One word & two simple things, that we as human beings completely complicate:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37-39

It is a new month...Happy February...let's do this..together...as much as we maybe do not want to..

push through it and do it...

Let's create a domino effect of Love.

Doodlin', Sharin', Teachin' & Knowin'

I arm wrestle with myself about my doodling "art" on a daily basis. (That is the "Simply Complicated" part of me, which for the most part, is completely unnecessary.)

The thing is, I love doodling because I love the way I can relax while coloring something, and that seems a tad selfish, because, really..it is not about "me"..duh....but I also love that I can take a plain piece of white paper and turn it into a picture by adding colors, lines,  shapes, a thought and usually a heart. 

I do not know it it is the thickness of the black lines, the colors of the pens I used, the phrase, or a little of all three, but I kinda love this little lost doodle (I have alot of them, lost doodles, that is)

This is another part of my self-arm-wrestle competition...the fact that I have a HUGE, bulging, over flowing file STUFFED with "little lost doodles" and the confusion of what to do with them.

For now,

I will just keep doodlin' what I am doodlin', sharin with you what I am sharin, teachin you what I am teachin and knowin (with out seein) that I am goin in the right direction...

That my friends, is Faith.