WEEKLY GRATITUDE

^^ Painting in progress! ^^

Happy Monday! Somehow we are back at Monday again... is anyone else thinking that time flies faster in lock down or is it just me? I am hoping to have a new vlog up in a day or two; I have somewhat fallen off the vlogging wagon, in that I have been vlogging, but not editing as I am worried my content is not up to much, but today I will be attempting to compile all of my recent footage into something remotely watchable!

Last week I had so much more structure to my days, thanks to the accountability posts, provided by Holly for our little academy group. There is something about checking in with others that really gives me a kick up the backside! I am never a lazy human, far from it in-fact, but sometimes it is easy to get distracted and end up spending time on things that could wait. I got really stuck in to winding up a project that has been sat stagnant for a while and that will be coming to Leaf Lane Studio really soon.

Okay, let's dive into this weeks gratitude list...

:: After way too long, I got to video call my wonderful Lobby (Helena) and see her little one, James, who is somehow five months old now. I haven't seen her, face to face, since November 2018, when we went to her husbands birthday party. How mental, I can't believe it has been so long. Thanks to the Coronavirus it doesn't look like I will be seeing them until next year now. Meh! Still, I am grateful for video calls and being able to see her lovely face and the gorgeous view of Lynmouth from their house!

:: Another call which made me smile last week was the Nourishing Soulfully group call on Saturday morning! For the first time we all had our mics on and were able to talk to each other properly, instead of just in the chat box in Zoom. I left that call feeling really happy as there was so much laughter; it was wonderful to catch up with some other humans! Peta set the topic as 'overcoming hurdles', which we discussed this for a while, and then inevitably ended up talking about animals, which is never a bad thing!

:: I mentioned last week how I had been watching Ozark on Netflix... wow! I finished it this week and definitely need to watch it again soon. I have box sets on as I paint, which means I am listening but not watching, so I really need to return to it again. It was incredible. I watched the final episode whilst I was on my spin bike yesterday and literally stopped pedaling when the last scene played out! Now I need to move onto something else... any recommendations for something equally as gripping would be wonderful!

:: There are some really pretty wild flowers appearing everywhere in the hedgerows right now, including these pink ones in the garden, which I think are called 'Red Campion' (slightly confusing as they are definitely pink!). I love opening the back door in the morning and hearing the birds chirping away; I take a deep breath and can smell flowers and grass and sometimes the sea (if the wind is blowing in the right direction!).

^^ I love these bright little flowers so much! ^^

:: I will be telling you more about this once I have it all finalised, but I am going to be selling one of my stickers for charity and have decided on the charity this weekend. I am going to reach out to them first and speak to them before I announce it, but I will be doing so over on Instagram this week I hope. I wanted to try and help somehow, as life is insane for so many right now. I will be raising money for an animal charity, as they have been suffering so much too. Many shelters are having animals dumped there, purely through ignorance about the virus. People are thinking their family pets are endangering their lives and can pass the virus onto them, so are choosing to leave cats and dogs on the doorsteps of rescue centres. On top of this, these amazing places are struggling in general, as much of their fundraising has come to such an abrupt halt and/or staff and volunteers cannot get to work. I know I can't raise enough for lots of places (what a dream that would be), but if I can help and do my bit somehow, then I will! So, this sticker (below) will go up for sale soon, with all proceeds (except for the cost of a stamp and envelope to post to you) will be going to charity. I will break down exactly what amount will be going to charity on the product description when it goes up (I will just remove literally the cost of a stamp and a few pence for an envelope). I will be filling you guys in asap on Instagram, on both my accounts, so just make sure you are following me there. I will so appreciate your support. I will also try and put a 'donate' button up too, for people who don't want a sticker but may want to donate something, even if it is £1. I really want to help and I hope that, together, we can make a difference.

:: I have been really enjoying my 'garage workouts' lately, and am trying out some new core exercises that I have never done before too (I famously hate training core, but have been kind of enjoying the challenge of it). I listen to Heart Dance on my phone and blast it through the blue-tooth speaker, trying to find a good volume above the washing machine and tumble dryer! I have been trying so hard to find a kettle bell for an affordable price online, which is seemingly impossible! I just want a 12kg or 15kg kettle bell, just one! They are sold out everywhere, but I shall persist as I need something else to work with now.

:: Talking of my garage 'gym'; I met 'The Boss' of the garage yesterday. There I was, laying down on my mat, minding my own business, when something black and with way too many legs caught my eye. The garage is full of spider-life, but this dude took the biscuit (in-fact, I think he has taken many biscuits to get that big). Where is the gratitude in this you may ask; well, it is in the fact that he was peeping out from behind the boiler, on his web, so chances are he won't be casually wandering about the garage when I am out there. I am going to name him Sausage; because that sounds cutesy and he is the furthest thing from that... I figure that there must be some psychology involved that will make it all okay if I name him that. If I go quiet, I have probably been dragged off my yoga mat into Sausages webby den... send help.

:: Artwork is definitely helping me maintain some kind of mental health balance at the moment. As you know, I am currently working on a commission, but after that I will dive into the collage project I mentioned in my last vlog. Doing all my computer based work in the morning and then having something chilled to do in the afternoons makes so much different to how I feel. I want to start designing some more Paper Products for my shop soon, so if you have any suggestions of products you would like to see (physical or digital) let me know in the comments!

That is everything I have for today! Keep your eyes peeled on Instagram for my charity sticker announcement and on YouTube for a new vlog...coming soon!