Moments of a Little Bliss

I am linking up with Liv Lane and her Little Bliss List today.

1. Looking up...in NYC you just don't do it...unless you are a tourist. Well, I vow to do it more often.

2. Visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art on July 4th with Superman. A little exercise for my knees, air conditioning, his hand in mine, and art - it was lovely.

3. Time spent playing and experimenting with watercolors. I am having so much fun doodling with watercolors.

4. Learning that my newly adopted cat, Java, is still a kitten, under a year, she gained a pound in the last 5 weeks and grew. There is hope that I can break her habit of biting, yippee.

Moments of bliss.

Hop over to Liv's blog and see what little moments of bliss others had this week.

What moments of bliss have noticed in your day lately?

Happy 4th of July!

 

Happy 4th of July!

To all the men and women who serve and fight to maintain our freedom, thank you!

To their families who support them, thank you!

Shared Messages from the Universe - Hearts & Love

It is my belief that messages from the universe speak to me and remind me of something that is inside of me. When I first see them, I often don't even know what is really being advertised. Instead, the message conjures emotions or thoughts relating to something that is going on within me; in my heart, in my mind, in my soul. I see them on billboards, in magazines, store windows, church plaques...everywhere.

I secretly call them soul whispers.

The messages are all around us

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Lately, I've been noticing hearts again in my every day. Without consciously looking, I notice them.

The one above was captured in the subway station on my way home from a long day. Now normally, I am in zombie mode at the end of long day simply rushing from work, to the subway and home. Why or how I was actually conscious enough to notice this heart - I will never know.

As I paged through my Instagram photos that I've uploaded to flickr I kept going back to this one this morning. Even though there are no words it holds a lot of meaning for me this morning.

See, I've been reading your comments. Yes, I know I am a little slow to take in all of your kind words that you've left me for me during the past week. And, yes, I know I haven't commented or visited back - but I will. This past week has been a little personally difficult. You know the kind of week where you wish you could get a do over - well that was my past week. All of your comments this morning melted my heart, touched me and brightened my day before it even really got started. I believe that this is why this photo spoke to me this morning.

The shared message today is to capture the love in everything you do. The smile you receive from the stranger as you walk down the street, the thank you the store clerk says as you check-out, the good morning you get greeted with, the simple everyday kindness that we all take for granted...capture the love and hold it in your heart.

Thank you, each of you, for reading, for staying connected, for sending me love via your comments - your words hold such power and love. They have touched my heart. Thank you for sharing!

Photo-Heart Connection - June

This still brings a smile to my face and my heart.

I stumbled upon this hopscotch grid while walking home through Central Park one day last week.

I can imagine the giggles, the excitement of running back to the beginning to do it again, the pure joy the at the children felt while they were playing this before I discovered it.

And, the energy that they left when they were done lingered all around me as I stood in this spot.

For a moment, all my concerns were washed away. 

Honestly, I felt like I was 8 again. 

I tossed a stone and hopped

and

I did it again.

As I walked away, I saw 2 other adults stop and play and I giggled out loud.

Ahh, the joy that those children shared with a little sidewalk chalk.

I smiled from deep within and I continued my walk home with that smile in my heart.

I am linking up with Kat at Kat Eye Studio and her Photo Heart Connection today. Each month she asks us to review the photos that we have taken during the past month and select the photo that speaks to our heart. Please visit her blog and stalk the other participants posts - the photos are amazing and the stories that have been written about them are touching.

Roses, Red and Markers as Watercolors

If you've been following along the past few weeks you may be aware that I am taking Color Love with Joanne Sharpe. Now, I'm a photographer and a jewelry artisan who loves to doodle and sketch.

A friend asked me, in the kindest way, if I was playing with markers and taking non-photography e-courses as a diversion or avoidance. See, I am also working on creating my own e-course and focusing on taking more pictures. I thought about it, because it's a good question, and the answer is no. What most people don't know is that I've known for the past few months that I was going to be getting injections in my knees (an alternative to surgery) and I also knew that this would probably mean that my taking picture expeditions were going to be limited while I worked through physical therapy. And, I was right, PT has been more intense than expected and just my normal walk everywhere in NYC, assigned exercises and climbing the 3 flights of stairs to my apartment has been enough.

Color Love has given me a diversion in the evenings after my long 'day job' days to stay creative and to release stress. I cannot write after my day job, I am just too spent.  It is why I wake up every morning early to write before I go to my day job. So, this week I played with markers and painted.

So, Tombow Bloom was an assignment in Color Love and this month Louise Gale's Creative Color Challenge color and theme was red and roses. I didn't quite follow Louise's full color palette of inspiration because I added blue but there is red and I did create roses.

I used Tombow markers, blended and painted with water.  I'll be honest here... I had no idea that Tombow markers existed until I saw them on Joanne's supply list. I also didn't know that I could turn them into watercolors and paint when using them. So much fun!

For my first Tombow marker, water painted piece...I'm quite pleased.

So, I'm not only going to link up with Louise Gale and her Creative Color Challenge I am also going to be brave and link up Paint Party Friday for the first time. Which is totally inspired by the lovely Tracey Fletcher King. You have to be brave sometime, right? Ok, I'm pressing Publish now so I don't change my mind.