Hand Carved Haile Selassie Bowl

I purchased this piece in Jamaica. Well of course! It was being used as a bowl to eat from by a local Rastafarian artist. I looked through his small shop at all of his wares. He was a wood carver and had many pieces to choose from.

I kept coming back to the bowl and finally, I asked if I could buy it. He hesitated. He was utilizing the bowl and he liked it a lot. It was one of his prized pieces. Hand carved on the outside of the bowl was a portrait of His Majesty the Emperor of Ethopia-Haile Selassie I. I was amazed at the detail and equally amazed at how the portrait was achieved on a round object.

We spoke for a while and later he agreed to sell it to me. I know it was hard for him to part with it because I have felt this way before about certain pieces that I have created. I have it hanging on my living room wall and I must confess, I've never used it to eat from.

Amy's Angels

Angels are all around us. They come in so many forms. There are people in our lives that we consider to be angels. I also know of Angel animals and saints that are angels. We see angels in art and hear angels in music.

Angels watch over us and they protect us. I like to think of them as our Lord's helpers.

Angels are so beautiful and graceful. They almost take on a magical quality. Throughout my life I have experienced friends that I would call "Angels". The compassion and caring that they have shown to me and others can be likened to an angel. I suppose they are earthly angels.

"Morning Glory", the angel above, is a beautiful and magical painting that I recently purchased. The photo really doesn't do it justice. The peace and warmth that comes from this angel amazes me!

My life long friend, Amy, is the artist that paints these wonderful angels. Her art is amazing! She is so very talented and it shows in each piece that she creates. Please visit her site where you can see all of her wonderful work and make one of her angels your very own.

Loving Our Animals

My kitties are such an important part of my life. I love them both so much. My older kitty, Tippy (calico with white) was rescued from the local SPCA. She was just a kitten when I got her and was the only kitten left from her litter. For some reason no one wanted her. Maybe because she looked "different" than the others. We named her Tippy because of the two white tips on the top of her ears. She is a sweetheart and has a very unique personality, as all kitties do.









My other kitty, Patience (calico with black) was given to me by my dear friend Amy.

At Amy's home she was one of several kitties and she craved love and attention all of the time. She just couldn't get enough so she whined and cried alot. When she arrived at our home we changed her name to Patience from whatever it was before (her previous name escapes me) because we knew that we would need to have "patience" in order to tolerate her constant demand for attention.

When she first arrived, I understood what Amy meant. We loved her, patted her and talked to her and after some time she became content that she was receiving just the right amount of attention and soon stopped with her whining ways.

Animals, like humans, need love and affection. They are just as happy to provide us with the same. I love my kitties and really couldn't imagine my life without them.

Flowers in my Art

I love flowers so much. I've said this before already. I'm so excited about the flower possibilities I have coming up. Here is the most recent flower art I have made. The Ted painting is one I did for a buddy I am sponsoring on http://www.chemoangels.net/. Check it out, you too can become a chemo angel.

Before the Ted painting I did Catcha Falling Star for the resort where I stayed in Jamaica on my last trip there. If you ever get a chance to go there-you'll be happy you did.

Two of my favorite things...

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Passing of a Flower

Today I learned that LeRoi Moore ,the saxaphone player with the DMB, has passed away. So sad, such a young person-1961-the year I was born. I went to Jr. High School with LeRoi and got to know him through marching band class as I too played a woodwind instrument.

I have not kept in touch with him over the years but have become and will continue to be a big fan of DMB. I have been to many of the band's concert tours and I enjoy so much of their music.

Thanks for the great music LeRoi and God be with you, your family, friends and the DMB.

Flowers in my Blog

In my travels I have been drawn to the island of Jamaica. It is a place where I feel free, where I learn the simplicity of life and where I nourish my soul. I continue to go to Jamaica year after year because I feel so connected to this special place.
I am also a member of a message board where others who love Jamaica-(Negril, Jamaica in particular), come to share their thoughts and experiences, ask questions, plan trips, share pictures and learn about the island.
The flower photos on my blog were taken from my list trip there in July. I have provided a link so that you can visit the board. This particular link is to a post that I made and you can view more photos from my trip. You will see others comments about my post in the link:http://www.negril.com/discus/messages/103/141291.html?1217433285 Keep scrolling down on the page and you can view all of the photos that I posted there. My posting name is irievibes123. More about that another time...

Thankful and Grateful

I must say to all that read this that I am thankful and grateful to God for always providing for me and never putting a load on me so heavy that I can't carry it.

I have so much to be thankful for... a good job, a nice home-so beautiful peaceful and private, for my fiance, my daughter and my friends, for the love that they give me, for my eyes so that I can see the beauty that God has created, for my health and ability to take care of myself each day, for my kitties-Patience and Tippy, for memories of my Mom, for giving me a heart that LOVES others and is open to learning and sharing, for all the wonderful birds of nature-most especially for the hummingbirds that come to my feeders each day, for laughter, tears, sadness, frustration, humility, honesty and for the unconditional love that I feel from Him. For all of this and more I am thankful!

Thanks be to God whose never ending love, peace and understanding lights my path of life and shows me that LOVE is what it's all about!

Flowers

I love flowers. Who doesn't? They are a perfect creation of beauty. They live and die during their brief cycle of beauty; all the while they provide us with vibrant color, bold design, effortless beauty and perfection.

Flowers are universal. Flowers can be given as tokens of affection. They can be given to those who are grieving, to celebrate the union of two people, to beautify an environment or to add color to a space. They are painted, drawn, cut, planted, dried and displayed in so many different places including gardens, landscapes, restaurants, hotels, homes, cars- inside and out. They truly are universal in so many ways.

In my travels through life I have always noticed and loved flowers. In my colorful imagination I have decided to be a flower when I complete my human life cycle. Inside my seed, I will push up through the earth, stretch and grow, reach and burst into a bloom and I will provide beauty to my surroundings and those who notice that I am.