Category Archives: Phrase Art Phriday

Phrase Art Phriday: Time

Does the passage of time seem to keep speeding up? It does for me! The cry of my heart is that in my remaining years, days, hours here on earth I will use my time wisely. But what does that look like? How do I know when I’m spending time in the best way possible? I want to lean more heavily on the leading of God to direct my steps. I don’t want to waste my time on frivolous things or in useless ways. In other words, I don’t want to waste my life!

Spending time with family, nurturing friendships, volunteering for a worthy cause, spending time with God, cooking a nice meal for my husband, spending time outdoors soaking in the beauty of nature, exercising. These are all things that fulfill me and feel worthy of the time spent doing them.

If you feel there are not enough hours in the day, perhaps you should re-evaluate how you are spending them. What fulfills your heart and soul? What leaves you feeling energized and excited about life? Time invested in those things is never wasted. Are there things that you walk away from feeling lethargic or purposeless? For me that can be too many hours on social media or watching TV. Taking note of these feelings will help you determine what activities need to be in check and what activities you should engage in more often.

Enjoy your weekend and cherish the time!

Phrase Art Phriday: Seed Days

Welcome to another Phrase Art Phriday where I share a piece of original photography overlaid with a favorite quote, phrase or thought. As summer winds down I would like to share another picture from my garden.

As much as I adore fall, I am always sad to see summer go. Mostly because of the cold weather that looms ahead but also because all of the beautiful green will soon fade away.

Do you ever have days that feel like you’re spinning your wheels and not accomplishing much? Then all of the sudden one day you feel like you are knocking things out left and right? Those days seem like the most productive days when in fact they are the “flowers of tomorrow” that were produced during the “seed days” of putting in the hard work. Who doesn’t love to see the blooming take place ~ that sense of accomplishment after completing a long, difficult project that turns out better than one imagined? I love that feeling.

But I’ll admit, there are some projects during which I hate the process and when it’s finished I don’t even like want to look at what I’ve created. Sad, right? Whenever you find it difficult to “enjoy the journey” change your approach and remind yourself that you’re in the “seed days”. When you feel like you can’t wait to wrap it up and move on, try to see the mundane task as a precious seed that you’re planting, watering and watching over in order to bring forth the sweet smelling bouquet of accomplishment. Then not only will you have the beautiful flowers, you will be able to remember fondly the time well spent planting the seeds.

Phrase Art Phriday: Thirst

Have you ever been so parched that all you can think of is downing a huge glass of water as soon as you can get to one? You know that feeling when the ice cold water hits your mouth and you chug, chug, chug it down like you are dying of thirst? That feeling of being satisfied, having your thirst quenched that only water can give. That kind of thirst is a satiable thirst.

Then there are the thirsts in life that cannot be satisfied. I’ll be honest and say that when I have a sugary dessert I am not satisfied. I want more. And more. My sugar cravings are insatiable and somewhat life-controlling if I allow them to be. For some it might be shopping. The “thrill of the hunt” never goes away. I love to shop but I do get my fill after a really long day of it. For others the desire for success might be a relentlessly driving force. No matter how much this person achieves it is never enough.

All of these things are fine, maybe even good, in and of themselves. They just aren’t meant to be that which fulfill our very souls. I will be honest again and admit that most of my thoughts are preoccupied with how to make a successful business out of doing what I love, here on the blog and in some creative form whether it be jewelry design, graphic design, DIY or something else. I don’t necessarily classify this as an insatiable thirst for me because I have yet to achieve it to any degree, monetarily anyway. And yet it tends to consume me.

I certainly have been doing a lot of soul-bearing in this series! #16 on Trust dealt with a similar topic but I’m now taking it further. Recently I decided to embark on a specific personal journey with God. I made the decision to finally surrender my yearning for success in exchange for a closer relationship with Him. I have come to realize that my desire for success has been holding me back from experiencing the thirst-quenching nature of intimacy with my Creator. Until now I have been trying to “serve two masters” and if I’m totally honest I would have to say that the success thing had my heart. I am sure this will not be a once and for all type of surrender. Especially since I will continue to blog and create. I believe that’s the path I’m on for a reason. But it will be a balancing act. Is it possible to pursue those passions and still keep my heart where it belongs, fully trusting God for the outcome? If I can have my thirst satisfied through a closer walk with Him perhaps the outcome won’t really matter.

Phrase Art Phriday: Embrace Your Flaws

Welcome to another post in a series where I combine original photography with a favorite quote, phrase or thought. Embrace Your Flaws is #21; the subject is a simple berry and bottle arrangement. I have been experimenting with my new camera, enjoying the way it can capture so much detail.

I had no idea when I took this picture that there was a cobweb running between the berries. But thanks to the wonderful macro, there it is for all to see.

No worries. Every house has them, right? Does the cobweb detract from the beauty of the shot? It depends on one’s focus. If I choose to view it as a negative thing that is marring the photo then I am less able to see the way the light reflects off the bottle or the way the cobweb shows movement or the way it depicts real life.

I choose to see the cobweb as a happy accident. It enhances the picture and makes it a realistic snapshot of life. Though I hate cobwebs in my house and am forever trying to get rid of them, I will embrace this one.

Phrase Art Phriday: The Fabric of Friendship

I am a sucker for a beautiful fabric, so I love the analogy of friendship as fabric. Some are thick and strong, others are thin and frail. Some are bright and colorful, others are plain and practical. Some are best at blocking the sun, others are meant to let light in. Some can stretch, others are only stiff and rigid.

Reading this quote that I DEARLY love made me think about friendships in my own life. There have been times in my life when I have leaned heavily on the support of a friend. So much so, that I’ve worried if I’m wearing out the fabric of our friendship. But then we share good times together again, laughing after a good cry, and I know nothing could be further from the truth. I know, too, that the time will come when I will reciprocate and be her support. True friendship cannot be worn ragged. The more you use it (not abuse it) the stronger it becomes. In good times and bad.

Being a true friend means seeing all the crusty, peely imperfections and loving in spite of (or even because of) those flaws. Most friends, like my curtains, will come and go. But a few remain for a lifetime. May you be draped in the forever kind of friendship.

Phrase Art Phriday: Creativity ~ Bud To Blossom

Welcome to Phrase Art Phriday, #19. This series is a way for me to explore photography and experiment with graphic design. Combine those with an inspirational phrase and my thoughts and writing around it all and you have Phrase Art Phriday.

This week I have squeezed every drop of enjoyment from my beautiful peonies, in my home and in my blog posts. In my two previous posts I showed you four of my five arrangements.
Here is the fifth.

Now onto the featured photo with a phrase that I absolutely LOVE.

The funny thing about this quote is that while looking for the original author I discovered that it is somewhat unknown. Almost all of the references to it that I could find online (and there are MANY) give Anais Nin the credit. But no one has ever been able to document it for a fact. I also came across an article that gives credit to Elizabeth Appell a.k.a. Lassie Benton, along with some pretty convincing documentation to back it up. For this reason I have not included an author’s name with the quote on my photo. This bit of information also served as the jumping off point for my deeper thoughts on the quote itself.

As a creative person, I have had to deal with the protective feelings that creative types feel for their creations. Anyone who is creative knows how it feels to have their work copied or “stolen”, and how the fear of that happening can cause one to hold tightly to their work and be afraid to share it with the world. I absolutely confess to having had those feelings at various times in my life. I have also fully understood what this quote is expressing and have known the freedom afforded to those who embrace its truth. I have discovered that as I share my creativity I am filled again with ideas and designs that I can’t wait to become immersed in. There is no end! Shared creativity never runs out and can never be used up. The ultimate creator, God, has an endless supply! He is an infinite source of creative thoughts and ideas. But if I keep my ideas to myself and hold onto them selfishly they can never blossom.

I find it ironic that the author of this quote is disputed. What a shame it would have been if the person who thought it never shared it for fear of having it stolen.

Tarnished Royalty

Design Your Life