Tag: summer

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Born to Blog

It took me several years of playing around on social media to realize that my first love on the Net – blogging – is still my passion. I love blogging!

I miss posting photos and blogging regularly. Writing a novel took me away from that, as I needed time offline to get the novel finished, but time on Twitter and Facebook has also cut into my blogging time.

I’d also noticed a drop in commenting in the last few years, and that was discouraging. The LIKE button came along, and many of us – yes me included – now find it easier to simply LIKE a blog post, rather than take the time to log in and comment.

While I can’t promise another novel won’t take me away from regular blogging (that would be a good thing, right?) for now, I’d like to try posting at least once a week again; to have some fun with taking and posting photographs again, and to try commenting on more blogs each week. I know how great it feels to read someone’s comment on my blog. I hope to give that back.

Meanwhile, it’s Saturday and it’s summertime, so I’ve just been chillin’: reading, gardening and picking bouquets of lilies, floating in the pool, and taking lots photographs ….my daughter and I loved these tangerine drinks, and I loved how they made those lilies pop!

🙂

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My Fantastic Summer Finds 2013 (Not as $$$$ as The O List!)

1) Yonanas -The banana ice cream maker: great way to get your kids to eat fruit, no sugar added! I like bananas and blueberries the best, but it’s all so good, and so easy to make.
2) Growing Gladioli and Hibiscus plants and using them to decorate the patio table. I also use white sand dollars and sea shells as a table ‘runner’ along with flower petals, but that’s just my style – you can use natural elements your own way, be creative and have fun.
3) Dollar store wooden jewellery boxes & other boxes – $2 – paint them with your kids!
4) Letting your hair dry in the sun using a natural curl enhancer like Aveda BE CURLY.
5) The poetry of Don Coles. This Canadian should be a cultural icon like Cohen. Re-eading “How We All Swiftly,” and I’m still getting goosebumps.
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Art Inspires Art

One of the reasons I like sharing part of my world with you on this blog is to inspire others —especially those of you who don’t think you have a creative bone in your body—to try their hand at one or more forms of art. I’ve always loved writing, drawing, painting and photography, but I’m not equally good in each discipline. Each art form relaxes me in its own way, and gets my creative juices flowing.

Do you ever tire of one art and feel like your well has run dry? That’s the best time to take a break and try another art form altogether.

In my case, I needed a break from plotting and writing my novel. My 8-year-old daughter wanted to try acrylic painting, and while I wasn’t sure I could teach her much, I decided to try.

She painted a small treasure box with her name on it, and I tried to paint a garden on a wooden jewellery box. Next, she tried a Pegasus with magical pink clouds behind it. Then she tried to do exactly what I’d done: a hibiscus and hydrangea. And she wanted me to talk her through it!

What a challenge for me to try to explain how I paint. I’ve never explained it before. It was exercising a new artistic muscle for me, just to explain how I paint petals and light. I was also afraid to teach her the ‘wrong’ way, since I’m no expert!  But look at her face when she got her hibiscus the way she wanted. Such joy!

I’ve learned today that taking a break from an artistic project doesn’t mean you have to stop being creative altogether. I’ve also learned how working together as artists can be energizing and revitalizing.

I’m feeling refreshed and ready to get back to writing that novel tomorrow!

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One More Chance

One More Chance, text and photo copyright HGS 2012.
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Summer Vacation.