Daily Visual Journal - Gratitude: catching up on the past few weeks...

I have been keeping up with my Daily Visual Journal - Gratitude, just not posting them everyday. It can be difficult to create a habit...

June 3, 2014 - I am grateful to have art everywhere in my life
June 4, 2014 - I am grateful for my memory - even though it's not always great... I am often reminded how lucky I am to have the cognitive functioning that I do
June 5, 2014 - I am grateful for those moments - hours - when I am in a state of flow working on my art
June 6, 2014 - I am grateful for simplicity - the ordinary things in life
June 7, 2014 - I am grateful for the rain - the sound, the smell, the felling of it... thunder and lightening - it's all very comforting
June 8, 2014 - I am grateful for the ability to easily get information for what I need. Grateful that people share their knowledge -grateful for the access
June 9, 2014 - I love to read authentic stories - I am grateful for the truth in art - grateful that there are some people who are willing to share their truth - it inspires me to be more authentic - less afraid
June 10, 2014 - I am grateful for the inspiration that surrounds me - people - art - family
June 11, 2014 - I am grateful for each new day and the opportunity it gives me to renew my commitments in dreams (goals)
June 12, 2014 - I am grateful for the ordinary, everyday things in my life - the small moments that make everything worth it
June 13, 2014 - Friday the 13th opening of Raveled at Live Coal Gallery! I am grateful for the opportunity to show my work and such a supportive gallery.
June 14, 2014 - I am grateful that I learn from experience even if I'm learning what doesn't work
June 15, 2014 - Happy Fathers Day:) I am grateful for the home I share with my family
June 16, 2014 - I am grateful for new beginnings - a chance to start something meaningful
June 17, 2014 - I am grateful for ideas - even though I feel overwhelmed sometimes with choices of which ideas and projects to pursue...
June 18, 2014 - I am grateful for all music
June 19, 2014 - I am grateful that people remember me after many years and still appreciate the work I've done
June 20, 2014 - I am endlessly grateful for the support I get from my husband
June 21, 2014 - I am grateful for meditation - I discovered an app called Insight Timer - it's perfect - guided meditation with a timer or just the timer - it makes developing this habit accessible
June 22, 2014 - I am grateful for such a peaceful relaxing day at home
June 23, 2014 - I am grateful that I am able to be present with a client and create a safe place for them to express themselves
June 24, 2014 - I am grateful for quiet times alone to think and rejuvenate
June 25, 2014 - I am grateful for the renewed sense of commitment I have towards my career

Sunday Street Market at Eastern Market Detroit

June 1st was the launch of the Sunday Street Market at Detroits historic Eastern Market.

Featuring:  "local items such as home goods, art, jewelry, clothing,  Michigan-made products, antiques, and furniture..."

My daughter helped me set up the tables and display the art. We had a great time meeting new people and seeing friends that happened to be shopping the new market. Being an artist, I love to make gifts or buy handmade gifts for my friends and family and this new Sunday Street Market is such a great place to find something unique.


The Sunday Street Market runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Sunday starting June 1st and running through September 28th


We plan to be there most Sundays - so come and say 'hi'!

Daily Visual Journal : Daily Gratitude - joy, stories, connections

Saturday was a wonderful day all around and I am so grateful to share in the joy my kids experience - they are so happy.

On Sunday I met a lot of people at Eastern Markets new Sunday Street Market - lots if local vendors selling (mostly) handmade products. I am grateful that people are willing to share their stories with me and that they are interested in hearing mine. 

Today a great connection was made in art therapy - one of those days that reminds us why we do what we do. I'm grateful that I was able to see it happen.

Raveled opening Friday the 13th!

Raveled

Featuring fiber art by Sarah Mark & Kelly Darke
 

Opening Friday the 13th!

June 13th, 2014 6pm - 9pm at Live Coal Gallery 
There will be an awesome live DJ!! 
5029 Trumbull Street, Detroit, MI 48208
for more information call Live Coal (313) 402-5274

I will be showing new work along side Sarah Mark and during the opening we will have a live DJ! Vince played at the Live Coal inaugural show last year and at the Beauty Debate show at Art Effect gallery a couple years ago, so you may have heard him - he is great, trust me. We hope you can make it.

I am also participating in the new Sunday Street Market at Eastern Market Detroit. I will have a table set up on Sunday June 8th from 10am - 4pm with small fiber art and jewelry. There are a lot of great local artists and businesses, come down and check it out!

Daily Visual Journal : Daily Gratitude - slowing down

I am grateful that I can take time to slow down - to calm my mind and relax. I've been feeling very rushed lately and need to focus - I just need to remind myself to slow down....

Daily Visual Journal : Daily Gratitude - lists

I am grateful for lists! seriously - when i feel overwhelmed with everything I need to do I can write out the list of everything and it seems much more do-able (is that a word?).

Daily Visual Journal : Daily Gratitude - safety

Daily Visual Journal : Daily Gratitude - freedom

I am grateful for freedom - to choose - to live - to speak - to dream...

Daily Visual Journal : Daily Gratitude - Silence

I am grateful for silence and being alone (at time). This morning at 6am I went for a run around our neighborhood and everything was silent except for the birds and cars in the distance. It was beautiful - calming and healing.

Daily Visual Journal : Daily Gratitude - space

I am grateful that I have space to grow a garden, space to work on my art, space to be alone...

Daily Visual Journal : Daily Gratitude - early morning

I am grateful for early mornings, especially in the spring with the smell of fresh air and the sound of birds chirping... and the occasional deer in the park.

This deer has been showing up a lot lately - this morning there were two deer hanging out and eating leaves.

Our Garden - Before and After

I live in a small apartment and therefore don't have the option of planting a large garden in the yard.

Thankfully, we are on the bottom level and there is a nice door wall out to the patio and yard and our view is of a large city park with tons of trees. There is a spot under the kitchen window where the grass never grew well so I decided to claim it for our garden years ago. I lined the edge of it with rocks that my husband has collected over the years from all the places he has gone rock climbing, and this year he and our daughter made a three level shelf thing out of tree branches and old closet shelves.

My daughter helped me pick out some flowers and plant them in our containers - the garden area gets sun all day long and with the containers I can move them to the porch for shade if they look like they need it. I also planted a bunch of seeds that we had either bought or saved from last years flowers. I love to stand in the garden and examine each flower and plant to make sure it's growing well - it's very relaxing and rewarding.


At the end of last summer I let the garden die out and this is what it looked like after the winter snow melted. Some of the clay pots were too damaged to reuse, but all the new plastic pots I had bought were in great condition.  

 

 Next, my daughter went with me to the nursery to pick out some flowers and plants and clean out al the pots...

I knew I wanted my hanging basket to have lobelia, vinca vine, and pink geranium - three of my favorites.

 

Last year it rained so much in spring that when I was finally able to plant things I was so excited that I forgot to label the pots. So, I had a lot of pots with mystery seeds and some plants that I bought at Easter Market in Detroit but I replanted them and forgot to transfer the tag. This year we decided to make some garden tags with craft sticks and seal them with Mod Podge. We did this a few years ago and it worked well. We all worked on the tags and used lots of colors trying to make them really cool.

 After finishing the writing for one, I coated in in Mod Podge and it smeared the colors all over. We decided to try coating the finished tags with a clear acrylic spray instead.

The clear acrylic spray appeared to work well until the tags got wet then most of them smeared or washed off all together. Some of the words written in black were still legible. We'll work on those again later...

My husband and daughter jumped the fence to get some fallen branches to make the shelf in the garden.

Time to place all the pots in the garden area!