Cold and knots

I've not created space lately to dig into my art journal, but this weekend I carved out a bit of time.  I have so many parts of this book to show you but I will save it until it is more complete and then I'll do a flip.  

Yesterday I decided I was going to discover how to doodle some Celtic knots.  I can honestly say that I find them gorgeous to look at, but still have to much to learn... maybe it's patience???  They are really challenging.  Even after a few youtube video tutorials I still didn't get it correct so I decided to keep doodling and here is what I came up with:

I actually really like it.

Ok, I'm off to find a sweater and to turn ON the heat its suddenly freezing in here!  Man I hate being cold.

Cheers,
Tammy
x

Day 45 & Jillian Michaels

It's been 45 days today.  I made a commitment to myself to do 45 days of cardio.  The good news is I did it! Woot!!   The negative is I'm no where close to where I want to be - the scale hasn't yet changed, but I will say I have more muscle mass and better cardio health than 45 days ago.   

One of the days I was feeling very poorly about myself - pretty negative actually.   We all have these days I'm sure you know what I mean.  Anyhow I did a journal entry about it.  Then I covered over it and here is what came out of it!  I call this entry Learning to love self:

Here's a close up of the right side - it's mixed media... the flames and candles were scraps of paper I had laying around.  I added gesso, paint and marker to it:

And the left side.  I had some pieces of paper out of a catalogue that I thought were really cool so I pasted them onto the page.  It looked like it was missing something so I dug it out of the recycle bin and cut out the crown.

I did feel better afterwards, but I'm still a work in progress... guess we all are!


Thanks for stopping by,
Tam
xo




PS.  Jillian Michael's sucks by-the-way!  It is her workout I've been doing for the past 45 days.  I'm going to stick with it but now I'm allowed one day off a week until I get to a place I'm more happy with.



Here are the workouts I've been doing:
30 Day Shred
Ripped in 30
Banish Fat Boost Metabolism
No More Trouble Zones

Soothing

This art journal entry came about while I was journaling thoughts that I found soothing.

It doesn't matter who we are we all have 'one of those days' when we need things to help us feel better.

I was surprised to see the cat jump out of this painting. I was about to Gesso over it when my husband's eyes begged me not to harm the kitty! Thanks to him, the kitten lived on and I'm happy I left it in there - so cute!

Anyhow as you can see I find cats, tea and yoga all things that make me feel better on days when I'm not 100% - there were other things too but this is the full expression.

Enjoy Soothing:

Right side

Left side

 Full page

PS. It's a shame the lightening in this picture is so poor - its actually quite vibrant in real life.

PPS. What do you find soothing?

The Sound of now

Do you ever stop and pay attention to the sounds of life within your home?

This week I've been practicing much present moment awareness. 
I practice what I preach mostly because I know it works. 

Sometimes it's not as evident and has an effortless flow.  Sometimes I really have to work toward listening to myself.  This has been one of those weeks.  A week where I need to practice to be present.  A challenge with my inner self.  I've chanted....

I am, here now.
I am here.
Here I am in this present moment.
There is only this moment.
And I breathe.

It's been a process of forgetting in one moment.  A wave of anxiety.  A moment of remembering.  A soothing state of rest of relaxation.

Another tool I've worked with this week is listening to the sounds around me.

Here are some sounds which have brought me into the now....

-Fish tank water cycling.
-Sophie screeching for someone, anyone to throw her ball for her (yes she is one strange cat).
-Bella meowing beside her window (this is one Russian Blue that adores her window time).
-Rodney Yee's Yoga Burn playing in the living room.
-The Oracle's struggle with downward dog (he secretly hates down dog).
-Vishen Lakhiani's Envisoning Method Meditation playing.

I adore the sounds I live with.  Who knew how wonderful and blissful these sounds are?
It's been working albeit slowly.  Give it a go.  Listen then repeat after me:  "Every sound I hear draws me more into the presence of this moment."

And so it will be.

Wishing you much peace,
Tammy
x

PS.  A few changes over on my Etsy page - from its name to some new additions:

Mini journal covers....

 

 

And a book to journal in....

 

 

This is so adorable!  And a great reminder of what is needed this week.

 

Rise.  That's right....rise above it all.

 

Om Shanti Love