JAN 31st Toon Tuesday On Fire!

Hello there Journal & Friends,

The pain pills have kicked in, and hubby made it through the night without me murdering him in his sleep. Yeah, I was a tad bit grumpy yesterday. :-D

So on to the fun stuff! Last week I posted a free download of a WordBubble doodle (here, if you missed it) 

and today I'm showing my finished doodle. If you'd like to share yours, I invite you to leave a link in the comments to where we can see it.

Here's how mine looked, nekkid of color:

My first pass with the blue family:

Almost done:

Finished, before final varnish (it's hard to photograph with the glare of varnish):

I hope you enjoyed playing around with yours... I liked what Mamajulianna called it... a stress buster. :-D

When I get my new video camera, I plan to do another one. That was fun!

As I discover who played along, I'll add them here, so it'll be easier to visit them and see all the variations:

• Mamajulianna at Abide and Endeavor
• Mary Pax at Wistful Nebulae
• Yellow Rose Jasmine at Yellow Rose of Texas

For you artsy fartsy types, if you'd like more details on materials and method and all that, I invite you to visit my art blog by clicking on link under the pic below. I'll be posting all the deets there later tonight.

My art blog

                               

From Dr Phil's book: "You can create an internal dialogue that is healthy, constructive, and joyful."

My verse for today: "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power."

My quote for today: "If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing." --Marc Chagall

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 897

JAN 24th Toon Tuesday, A Freebie & Playing With Fire

Hi there Journal & Friends,

With the shiny new year of 2012, I am shifting some of my emphasis to what I want: my art, and to live my life to the fullest, becoming who I was meant to be, living with passion and purpose. 

That's why I'm working, afterall, to lose weight and regain health. That's my WHY. I want to focus on that, on what I WANT, not focus on what I do NOT want. To look forward, not backward. 

I was reminded recently that our brain can't tell the difference between a negative or a positive. For instance, think of a pink elephant.

Now... do NOT think of the pink elephant. I don't know about you, but every time I close my eyes and say "do NOT think of a pink elephant"... I DO! This silly example helps to remind me not to focus on "I don't want to be fat"...but rather... "I want to be healthy, strong and lighter". 

So... on to focus on what I DO want. :-D

For my birthday, my sister Karen sent me a birthday card with this quote: 

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." --Albert Schweitzer

Today for Toon Tuesday, I want to offer a VLOG showing--in speed drawing mode--my doodle of Word Bubble #1. It will be blank in the middle, and I offer the finished doodle below as a free download to anyone who would like to play along. You get to pick your own inspiring word to add to the center. 

By the way, I kinda sorta goofed, and didn't leave a very large word bubble in the middle. Sorry 'bout dat. Next time I'll make the blank space bigger. :-}

Here's the finished blank for you to download. Be sure to click and enlarge, so you download the large file, not the thumbnail.

 I'm going to dink around this coming week and color mine. You are welcome to do whatever you want to yours... color it, change it, glitter it, alter it, collage it, whatever. And next Tuesday it would so fun if you came back and gave a link to your blog to share your results, if you're comfortable doing so. 

Only one rule: Have fun! Remember when we were kids and not worried about "being good"? So give yourself permission to just goof around and play, okay?  :-D

Remember the above quote from my sister Karen? The inspiring word I added to my word bubble is FIRE!

This is a first for me, drawing with a camera watching. In INK! No pencil, no eraser. No plan, other than to leave a word bubble in the middle. New year... new adventures!

Speed Doodling - Word Bubble #1 by Retta

(For an easier to see larger version, just

go to my YouTube Page HERE)

For you busybees who don't have 6 min to watch (or maybe you're at work) that's okay, just swipe a copy of the doodle and play along anyway. :-)

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 890

DEC 1st Excited!

Hi there Journal & Friends,

I am SO excited! They arrived yesterday...

My very own first time ever real genuine fancy schmancy designed-by-me and printed up pretty CHRISTMAS CARDS. 

This is one of the art projects I've been dinking around with... I've said for years I wanted to do this, and I finally decided to just DO it! I made the design, then sent it to Zazzle  to be printed. For the curious, the cost came out to $1.75 each before shipping. Yeah, not cheap as Christmas cards go... but it's something I've always wanted to do. It's also on my to-do list to set up my very own Zazzle store next year. Go me, LOL!

As my early Christmas gift to anyone reading this, I offer this large file image for your free download, if you'd like to dink around making your own cards (not at Zazzle with my image, they don't allow that). But if you have a printer and would like to write your own verse inside the card, go for it. When you print it, just set it up to print on the LOWER half of light duty photo paper, then fold it over. Or... whatever you invent. 

First, click on this image to get the LARGE file, then save to your own computer. Be patient, it might take longer to load.

Have fun!

From Dr Phil's book: "Don't just wake up every morning and react to what happens... be proactive by setting goals and making plans for their attainment."

My verse for today: "You are my God, and I will give you thanks."

My quote for today: "Color in a picture is like enthusiasm in life." --Vincent Van Gogh

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 836

DAY 345 Toon Tuesday & Are You Comfy?

Hi Journal & Friends,

Time for Toon Tuesday!

This Toon is about where I'm at, right now. Exactly. Getting ready to bust out of my Comfort Zone. I'm writing this mainly to give MYSELF a swift kick in the tush!

First, a quick explanation.

A while back, I read some info from Tom Venuto (he's Here)  about what he thought were keys to personal change and achievement. And it had to do with not getting comfortable. 

It had to do...

• With hard work.
• With being willing to experience discomfort.
• With pushing beyond our boundaries.
• With facing change and busting through to the next level.

He also said things like:

• Hard work is the price we pay for change and success.

• We must get out of our comfort zone to make progress.

• We've got to get past the discomfort, fears, emotional pain in order to have change and growth.

• We need to push, to go JUST beyond where we are now, in order to grow.

• If it's not hard, we don't grow. So we need to get "comfortable" with discomfort... think of it as Growth! 

Whenever I am tempted to whine "this is haarrdd", instead I  think, "I am getting stronger!"

Is it always easy?? Uh... no. At least not for me. Not yet anyway. Believe me, I dearly wish I WAS one of those that blog about how easy it is. But I'm being honest here... nope, not easy for me most of the time.

Back to Tom...he says that we must step over the boundaries of where we are at, of where we have gotten comfortable, and PUSH into the next zone, the next level. And STAY there, don't pull back. Stay til you feel comfortable again. THAT'S when you know change has happened! You've become stronger.

That's the signal to PUSH into the next level! And you just keep going, at your own pace, for continued growth and achievement.

I think that is the mistake I make too often. I reach out, but then pull back. I want to change that.

Think of this whole idea as a bunch of circles. You are in the middle, in your current Comfort Zone. To get to the next level, you must push through the fear, the discomfort, the unfamiliar, the unknown, and reach for MORE.

It's hard to describe that in words, so I made a fun Doodle out of it (can click to enlarge, and click again if you want details):

I made mine with Sharpies and colored pencils. In case anyone would like to doodle  around and color one as your own reminder to reach beyond your Comfort Zone, here is a black and white version to download. I drew this on gray parchment paper, so don't worry about the hazy marks here and there on the paper. It's not dirt. :-D

This is a thumbnail, because it's a rather large file, so you can print it out full size onto 8 1/2 x 11 paper. Click on it and enlarge to the largest file, then download.

Feel free to play with it and make any changes you like... and if you make one for yourself, would you do me a favor and come back here and leave a comment? Maybe post it on your blog so we could all see it? Most of all, enjoy yourself while you do it.

From Dr Phil's book: "Given your goals, how does your current thinking help you get there?"

My verse for today: "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"

My quote for today: "Comfort is the enemy of achievement."  --Fara Gray

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 338 Let's Play!

Hello Journal & Friends,

I thought I'd do a different sort of Toon Tuesday today. 

I recently made up a generic version of my 2010 Theme for someone, and got to thinking... maybe someone else would be interested. Here is my original:

(can click to enlarge)

And now, here is the plain template. I tried to size it to be printed large on a 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper, with a regular home printer:

Please feel free to download a copy, enlarge it to the size you want, and print it out. 

I hadn't planned in advance to do this, so I had to modify the finished colored version by going grayscale, and then erasing the wording. I kept it gray... that way you can ink the parts you want with a black sharpie, or change it easily.

If anyone wants to play with this and personalize it and color it in, I would LOVE to see your finished Theme! Maybe this will give that extra kick to the second half of 2010!

Have fun with it... goof around.. change it... make it wild or mild... loud or quiet.

Don't feel the need to "color inside the lines." Do whatever your little heart desires!

If you feel stuck, and don't know where to start, here is just ONE way:

1. Download a copy.

2. Decide which medium to use... what kind of colors.  

3. Print it the largest you can. Pick a paper that matches the kind of colors you chose to use. 

For fairly DRY colors, like crayons, colored pencil, and markers, regular printer paper will do fine. 

For WETTER colors, like watercolor or acrylics, etc, you'll need to use thicker paper. You might try matte finish everyday photo paper... but I don't really recommend this... if you just want to have fun and do it the simple way, it's easier to just stick with dryer colors.

I used black sharpies and colored pencils.

4. Make a list of your Motivational words, if you plan to use some. Decide where they will go.

5. Decide on your color scheme. You don't HAVE to do it that way... but it's easier for most people. I sometimes just pick out all the colors I plan to use and put them together, putting all the rest away. That way you can just get lost in the process and have fun, and not have to "think" about the color. Or, just play and wing it! Both ways are right.

6. Play! Relax and doodle and improvise and have fun. 

7. When finished, scan it into your computer or take a photo of it, and share your creation with us!

8. Please come back here and put a link to your post in the comments telling us about it.

These are only suggestions... do it YOUR way. :-)

Remember, everyone has a creative side! There is no wrong or right way to do one of these... so just have fun with it.

This can be very relaxing, but also motivational. Stress melts away. As you play and color, and get lost in the process, you can find yourself really connecting to your own motivational words and ideas. They become "personal", and sometimes you gain insights and energy from it. Most of all, have fun!

From Dr Phil's book: "Change must come totally from within you. This is where the real power to create lasting results is found..."

My verse for today: "I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders."

My quote for today: "The man who has no imagination has no wings." --Muhammad Ali

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=