Finally for Fi...

Poor, Fi, you've waited nearly 2 years for the paintings I said I would do for you. I spent the afternoon under a shady tree in our garden with my easel, brushes, paints and Fi's paintings - an "artist" in the garden. Well, they are now done; complete; finished!

They look a whole lot better from a distance and are certainly no where near anything professional, but pretty cool and fun. HOPE you will enjoy them. If they don't fit with the lounge decor then you can recycle them. Don't think I'll be doing any more commissioned pieces - I am just too slow and unreliable in meeting my deadlines! Anyway, now at least I can start a new painting with a clear conscience!

Hanging out in Nam!

That's NAMibia not VietNAM! Yup my first business trip for this year was to the sleepy town of Swakopmund in Namibia (the old South West Africa). It was my first time there and I will definitely go back with Grant and the Kids. We worked hard but got to have loads of fun too! Checked out all the little desert creatures on a Desert Tour, heading up and down the dunes in a landrover. Do you know that there are chameleons in the desert there, they turn black in the morning to soak up all the heat and then turn white in the afternoon to reflect the suns heat! We saw beetles, and geko's and lizards and snakes! Tried sand boarding - what a hoot! My best was quad biking up and down and all over those huge sand dunes! Had sundowners on the beach - I love the beach! I miss the beach! Sand in my toes, wet bubbly salty water as you walk through the shallows! See my photo for proof of my feet on the beach in Swakopmund. I used a slow shutter speed and love the effect this had as the water edged up to my toes!
Anyway, tried to practice my photographic skills and was again reminded just how much practice I need. I HOPE (that's my word!) to be far more skilled by the end of this year.

My word

I was just checking out Ali Edwards' blog and she shared a whole bunch of words that people have selected to be "their" word for the year. I was reading Kal Barteski's blog yesterday and her word last year was GO, this year it is AM. I started wondering what my word would be if I had one. So when I read Ali's blog today, I knew I just had to chose my own word for this year. I have decided that my word for 2008 is HOPE.

HOPE

"Not wishful thinking but firm assurance"

I HOPE for balance with family time and work

I HOPE for new creativity and inspiration

I HOPE for financial security

I HOPE for others less fortunate than myself

I HOPE for blossoming in old and new friendships

I HOPE to be the best me I can be

I HOPE for so much more...

What's your word for this year going to be? I would love to know... since only my mom and Fi ever read it - I challenge you both to pick your own word for this year!

The New Year

I don't do New Year resolutions but decided on a few things that I'd like to do more of and less of to be happy to be me in 2008!

I am so inspired by mixed media art at the moment so had a little go at doing something. This is one of the things I want to do more of this year. I used oil pastels, acrylic paint, stamps, a sticker, white paint pen, a mini roller, paper towling...all to get his effect! Not sure why the paint came off when I stamped on it, to reveal the oil pastels below. I thought they were water soluble pastels, but maybe not. Anyway, it was fun...My desire for this year for myself: to find hope and peace within myself, be happy about me and who I am and to rest in God, knowing that He works all things together for good and that He is in control...and a whole bunch more, but that's a good start for the 1st of January.