Month: February 2012

Coming Full Circle – with Paint

On By ArleneIn New Beginnings

Life is full of cycles and new beginnings.  After years of resisting change, I now embrace it and look forward to what is coming my way.  I can honestly say that over the last 12 years, each year has been better than the one before that.  I have learned something new every year, whether it is a new skill or something about myself or others.

Around this time last year, the relationship I was in ended.  To ease the pain, I decorated most of the walls in my house.  Painting was very therapeutic.  When I ran out of walls, I picked up a paintbrush and made some paintings.  Then I went on holiday and met someone very special.

This year is very different from last year.  The New Year started with a celebration of Love.  What better way to ring in the New Year than at a wedding party!  No, not mine!  Though I am still with that special someone.

Instead of painting walls, I am painting furniture.  I find painting ‘things’ very therapeutic.  There is a process and usually a big mess before it all starts to look good.  I would love to have a workshop and a space to sell stuff I find.  I am also painting ‘art”, though not as much as last year.  I am very focused on working on things I have had in my house for a while.  It is part of my nesting and making a lovely home.

I am learning something new every day.  I am trying out a new type of paint and learning what it can or cannot do.  I am learning to keep things simple.   Sometimes we learn by making ‘mistakes’.  I am in a period of ‘trial and error’ with paint.  The great thing is, whatever I do can be done over if it doesn’t work out the first time.  Kinda like in life, except in life you might just have to wait for quite a while before you get a second chance, while with paint it could only be a matter of hours! 🙂

Pretty Paintbrush Holders

On By ArleneIn New Beginnings

Since picking up a paintbrush last year and learning to paint and draw, I have acquired a nice selection of brushes.  Some are great, and some not.  I have a few favourites that I like to use.  Because I have brushes for different things  – like brushes just for watercolours and some just for acrylics, I like to keep them separate.  I also like to keep brushes together that I use often.

In my attempts at re-purposing items I have been storing my brushes in jars.

I think one of those is a Branston Pickle jar!  Oh, and my daughter gave me the mug that says ‘MUM’!  The mug contains brushes that I haven’t used yet or don’t use often.  Unfortunately, the mug is a bit short for all of those brushes as it keeps tipping over and the jars are too narrow in the neck to hold much.

I was thinking that I needed something to store my brushes in that were a bit taller, wider, and prettier.  This is what I found …

I think they are vases.  I really love them as they are pretty and they hold my brushes!  I get to have my mug back to drink out of and I can use these glasses for a vase as a table setting as they are not too tall! 🙂  They also cost less than £2 each from the charity shop!  How cool is that!