Completed "Things I Love" Art Page

Here are the instructions from Wrapped Emotions: http://wrappedemotions.blogspot.com/

With Thanksgiving being next week everyone begins to ask the traditional question..."For what are you thankful?" This week let's put a little twist on that thought.

What do you love today?

For this week's prompt you will need to set aside a small block of uninterrupted time. *gasp* You can do it. You need to do it. Allow whatever amount of time you think it will take to complete the project. Get any art supplies ready ahead of time. Open your art journal to a clean page, date it and begin listing the things you love today...or whatever day you do the project.

No typing on the computer and printing words. It should be done in your handwriting. Make it neat, make it sloppy, make it uniquely yours. Doodle the words, fine line print, bold line print, scribble. Write horizontally, diagonally, backwards, upside down. Give the page some color and pop...paint the page first...collage the page first...color the page with marker. Do not be limited by these suggestions. But WRITE the lists...no typing and printing. What is important is that you know what you love today.

One more twist...in a creative way include a wrapper from one of the things you love today (or the day you do this). Remember, if a week's project is not completed on an actual journal page, take the time to lovingly place each one into your art journal.

So...What do you love today?

Since it is hard to read what I wrote in gel pen, you can read the list here:
Things I love today are:
my husband, my children, my Lord, memories of butterfly kisses from my children, seeing my children succeed and enjoy life, my close friends. And for the more trivial - not necessarily "love" but like or enjoy extremely : watching the Hornblower movies on the pull-out couch with my family, long walks in the woods, long bike rides, good music - my son's music, my daughters' creations, getting compliments, being told that I am loved, hearing from my son, our property up North on Long Lake, being called "skinny", talking for hours with my good friend, drinking great coffee, looking at books, creating art, listening to my daughter play the piano, dreaming about the future, sunsets on Long Lake, autumn leaves crunching under my feet as I walk, one perfect, tiny crimson leaf lying amid thousands of dried up brown leaves, white birch bark among multiple dark tree trunks, shopping for cute clothes for myself for the first time in years, reading good books, altered anything! still!, going to the art fair and meeting the artists, hand-made, hand-embellished wool felted hats.........

The wrapper I chose is the cup wrapper from a couple of coffees enjoyed with friends - one from Starbucks and the other from Barnes and Noble. Barnes and Noble is a place I love to spend time because I can combine my love of looking at good books, drinking great coffee and spending time with friends or family. I simply scanned them in, along with the cover of a soap container (Mary Engelbright) given to me by my best friend.

The scanned Clinique wrapper represents my new interest in wearing make-up and trying to look my best. And the bicycle - well that is probably obvious.

I have recently lost over 40 pounds and hope to lose 20 more. All of this is part of my trying to re-frame my life. I am trying to re-discover the creative part of me. So finding this creative outlet with Wrapped Emotions seems to really fit. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!