"April Showers Us In Beauty" Mini-Monthly

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. Many of you had asked if the "Remember" cards I had created would be available in my shop. The answer is Yes and they will be in there this afternoon. Thank you for all your inquiries. You made my month!

Mini-Monthly: a place where magnificent works of art are showcased that were created for various themes but did not make it in by the deadline due to different circumstances. These works were simply too beautiful not to share. They are sure to inspire you!

Agathe, creator of Meherio 68, created this lovely piece for the Landscape of the Soul theme titled, "Daredevil Lillies."

"You can see, in the foreground of the first photo, the larger group of lillies-of-the-valley, tucked up in the safe circle, and in the second one, up close, a group of adventurous lillies (paradoxical, I know!), groping their way out into the wild, through rocks and gravel," said Agathe. "I also love the tiny, willful violets you can see here among the lillies— and which spread absolutely everywhere. I always enjoy seeing these, they give me this unexpected example of courage. I think of them and I keep exploring..."

http://meherio68.etsy.com/

Meherio68blog : http://lebarduvent.blogspot.com/

Maureen, a talented artist, created this stunning piece for the Strike of Love theme.

"I'm soooo glad I did NOT submit during Theme 13--Strike of Love," said Maureen. "My feelings about romantic love, in particular, were roiling. The piece I wanted to do would have volcanoed out of me in dark purples with only a hint of red. Now, weeks later, thanks to Natasha's grace in giving us a Mini-Monthly in which to post, I used the same technique of mono-printing (you literally SQUASH the paper against the color, which is what romantic love was feeling like to me back then). But now, joy-hot-pink and summer-day-yellow predominate, and my feelings about romantic love, and whatever letters are used to express it, feel much healthier."

http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com/

Rowena, creator of Rowena Murillo, created this unforgettable piece for the Landscape of the Soul theme titled,"Flying Girl and the Soul Moving, or He Says It's Ten Mile River."

In this piece, Rowena used some collage which she hadn't used that often lately. Please visit her blog to read a great post about this piece. http://warriorgirl.blogspot.com/2009/04/flying-girl-and-soul-moving-or-he-says.html

http://rowenamurillo.etsy.com/

http://warriorgirl.blogspot.com/

Bird, creator of Crow Tarot, Kitty Hawke, Cat Bird Crystals, and One Earth, One Tribe, shared this piece along with her Landscape of the Soul roundtable. However, this was so beautiful I wanted to hold it for the Mini so that it would have a special place all its own.

"Your words the other day caught my heart, so here are some gifts of hope for you," said Bird.

“the works created are hope and I'm hungry for hope...hope is a gift...” - Natasha of the Thursday Sweet Treat

Lady Coco
Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.
King Whitney Jr.

Change can seem overwhelming at times. When everything is seeming to happen at once, it can feel as if it is all too much. But it is important, especially at such times, to stay in a good mindspace. As they are stating above, your outlook on life will be directly affected by your mood, and thus your life is affected by both of them.

Take the time to nurture yourself, both inside & out. Nurture your mind, your heart, your soul. Give them pleasant things, gentle things that allow them to flourish and to be at peace. Nourish your body, so that it may be a pleasant dwelling place for your soul.

And above all, believe in your most positive future. Believe that things will only get better & better in life. :-) Believe that you are worthy to receive all good things. :-) Believe that you can allow yourself to have the hope that manifests change. :-)

Go in peace & hope, dear ones! :-)
-Lady Coco, High Guide of Light for Bird


Muse Adriata
You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world. You impoverish yourself if you forget this errand.
Woodrow Wilson (1856 - 1924)

You do indeed impoverish yourself if you forget the greater service you are here to give. You also impoverish your creations by living only for yourself, or purely in the physical world. But do not think that I speak only of sackcloth and ashes. That is indeed a fine service to give to the world, but it is far from the only one.

And your moments of service do not have to directly relate to your created works, although the mere act of creating Beauty nourishes the World immensely. Serving soup at a homeless shelter, marking clothes at a charity-run thrift store, these acts of service will still nourish your art, even though not directly related to it.

So make sure you remember the real reasons to create Art – to explore your passions, to display them vibrantly to the World. All else flows from that. Remember that. Trust that it will happen. And let it be so. :-)

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Adriata, Muse & High Guide of Light for Bird


Benedetto
It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.
Robert H. Goddard (1882 – 1945)

Truth. Everything starts with a dream. The size of your dreams determines the size of your results. Mankind, humankind, has been notorious over the millenia for not daring to expand their Dreams to encompass all that could really be. There is no limit to what can be done. What needs to be decided is should it be done, and if so, how can it be accomplished?

How can you know the future when, in your terms, it has not yet been written? How can you know the limits of things that have not yet been crystallized into being? Dream your Dreams – make them large, as large as you possibly can. Then expand them even more. And even still, you will have only just begun to see the very point of origin to all that can be.

Pull your brightest Future towards yourself and give it form. Allow it to be created in all of its loveliness & beauty. Then set it free to expand to its fullest potential. You might just be surprised at what happens next. :-)

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Benedetto, Angel, and Guide of Light to Bird


Jeremiah
We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics. They will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks to come. We've been asked to pause for a reality check; we've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.
Barack Obama (1961 - ), New Hampshire Democratic Primary Speech, 01-08-08

Powerful words, these. And true. Hope is the beginning of change, and change is the fundamental force of creation. Cynics believe that there is no change, not really, that once you are on a path, you are forced to continue it. I say this is not so. You are free to hope and dream and change as much as you like. Indeed, the Universe encourages you to do so.

Reality checks aren't all there cracked up to be. In fact, what are they anyway? Reality is not the solid thing that people think it is – it flows & shifts, changing like a gently flowing river. It shifts from person to person and from nation to nation. So with all the choices out there – why not hope???

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
Jeremiah, Muse & High Guide of Light for Bird

Talismans by Crow Tarotfound at www.crowtarot.etsy.com

Etsy Shopswww.kittyhawke.etsy.com

www.catbirdcrystals.etsy.com

www.oneearthonetribe.etsy.com

Weren't these works just fabulous?

Tell a friend, tell your boss, tell your Mom but most importantly, tell these artists. Leave them a little love!

See you next month :)