welcoming 2012, the love of home art-ing + your intentions?

I'm home! A little peak into my space. Funny how time out gets you thinking and appreciating. I love my home, the love and care I've put in to it. The handmade cushions in red you can see, the died black sofa covers when I got fed up of the old colour, the wooden flea-market find art cupboard behind, and the pink mirror I reclaimed from the streets and painted angel pink, filling the edges with some of my favourite inspiring art postcards.

On the cupboard a hand printed 'merry christmas' card printed with wooden vintage letter presses found at another fair, and my alcove of shelves created from chopped wood from a timbers yard with the alcove painted angel pink again, and the shelves filled with my favourite books of artand craft. The wooden cupboard door a skip find (someone was chucking out a stripped pine original door?!!), and some original bits of art I've bought at street and other art fairs. And fairy lights . . . my world just isn't the same without fairy lights :) I could spend my time just making and reclaiming my whole home, even a house (of which regular readers will know I dalliance with doing one day!)

What are you intentions for 2012?

I feel renewed after my break, and renewed with ideas. A health kick means morning tea has gone replaced by boiled water with fresh lemon slices. An alcohol free month (I do like a glass of wine in the evening so only a month).

Going deep into the zone of doing nothing but being during my break I find things naturally come to mind. What came up is a need for more vitamins for my body, and a desire to sink deep into the space of my home and family. I find I run toward things I love doing (art, business, socialising) but they can frequently take me from home and family causing a tension which in turn leads to stress. The saying 'what you resist persists' rings true at this time. Sometimes I resist the hardship that raising children and managing a home brings, but I sense its time to embrace it. Which is why there has been more home-baking going on around here: wheat free cheese scones anyone? And time playing games and going slowly. Doing things I might otherwise baulk at. Where this leaves the other things in my life I don't know yet, as I've also come back to knee deep writing for stage two of my MA art thesis (of which I am procrastinating from doing whilst writing this long blog post). I think there is a realisation happening that I'm always trying to get to somewhere, but maybe I'll never arrive. I am here now. This post acted as reminder of this.

My intentions then: to slow down, to create more, to bake more, to sink fully into home and family oh, and of course somehow finish my MA whilst balancing the other things and not getting too stressed. To take of myself and others. To cherish, appreciate and remain mindfully grateful of the good things in my life, focusing less on what is hard and tough and being present in the moment and nowhere else :)

I wanted to write my reflective post of 2011 but it's not arrived yet. Sometimes when I sit to write a post I see what comes out. The above is what appeared. Maybe a reflection on 2011 will come in time, but right now I leave you with this and I'd like to hear your intentions for 2012? Oh and another of mine is to blog more and be more present here in this virtual space. The MA has seen it slip a little of late. We will see.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you! And I look forward to hearing from you.

Amelia.x

PS I feel a renewed sense of making and creating coming on too so watch this space for some art/making ideas!