Pollyanna Art

Images & Insights On the God Inspired Artful Life… Featuring Cheri Douglas & Her Artful Friends

At the New Year’s time we hear lot about celebrating the new year, adopting resolutions for the new year, and setting goals for the new year.  Well, what about the old year? What do we do to put the old year to bed? Is it really possible to go into the new year successfully without at least saying good bye to the old year?

We have many examples of the importance of endings in our lives. Think about it. Desserts are the crowning glory to a nice meal. Graduations mark the ending of huge efforts. Funerals mark the passing of lives. Even a good book depends on the last chapter to make sense of the rest. Many endings are artistic and ritualistic in nature. Why?

Change is just as dependent upon effective endings as it is on effective beginnings.  Endings are the help us to “let go”, so that we can free ourselves to “grab onto” the beginning.  The things we hang onto and the things we let go of define us in the deepest recesses of our psyches.  We identify with what we hang on to and there is only so much we are able to have in our grasp at the same time.

If we feel limited by events or people who have had a negative impact on us, as long as we hang onto that thought, it has control over us by controlling our focus. Everything becomes an interpretation of that lens on reality and we cannot truly free ourselves from its grasp to strike out on some new success.  The new success would be a violation of the belief we are holding, and people subconsciously want their belief’s to turn out to be right…even the negative ones sadly.

Simply put, what we all know is that “old baggage” drags us down. Some people go through life accumulating so much old baggage, it’s like they travel with a caravan of UHaul trailers loaded to overflowing.  Whenever there is an opportunity to do something new or change for the better, they have oodles of examples from one of their trailers to prove it can’t possible workout.

While the sense of the impossible seems incredibly real at the time, it is amazing how quickly it becomes impossible when someone decides to give up the baggage. I have done it and I have seen it happen in others. Once the old baggage is willingly given up, all the excuses just fall away and life emerges new and refreshed…as long as you don’t go picking through the old trash again.

So this New Years Eve take only the blessing of 2009 along with you that lift and encourage you. The things that happened that brought you joy will continue to bring you joy in the new year. But those things that dragged you down or depressed you will also keep doing that if you hang onto them.

Lots of Americans have a lot of baggage from 2009 to let go of so we can face the New Year with great expectations.  We’ve lost finances, lost jobs, lost business contracts, lost homes, lost credit ratings…possibly even lost relationships under the stress of this challenging year. They all need to be left in the graveyard of 2009. 2010 is a new adventure and you deserve a chance to receive 2010 with enthusiasm and expectation that God Himself is doing a new and even BETTER thing in your life. I am hanging onto that vision!! Join me in having a BIG VISION for a renewed future of success and blessings. And by all means, bury the sense of guilt! You didn’t create this mess and God know it. He is with us and wants to help us all recover for his glory. In the words of Winston Churchill…Never, never, never, quit!!

So I am having an Artful Ending! I am having a funeral and graveside service for the disappointments of 2009. Jeff and I are writing down everything we want to forget and wadding it all up. Then we will stomp on it and say a eulogy. We will bury it under the tombstone I made for the event, and come back  in and eat potato salad…just like every funeral I’ve ever attended. Then we move on for a new adventure! Can’t wait to give some memories up! Try the artful dumping of your bad memories. You will be amazed at how it frees you up to grab onto a renewed vision of your future! Claim your success! God made you for greatness and He isn’t done with you yet!! HUGS Friends and Happy New Year

Silhouettes placed on the inside of glass in a frame with a “Artfelt” note fo a loved one. (tip make the pattern for the silhouette from a digital photo printed on your printer.) Thanks for the example from @Nixinoxo

This next example uses scrapbooking techniques you can find on a Google search.  Make an “Artfelt” page and frame it. Anything from the heart will be art to the receiver, so don’t worry this to death. This one was made with some string and garage sales price tags, a couple of photos and love letters (The most important part!) The text graphics are stickers available in craft stores. Also good are flashy words cut out of magazine articles and ads. Keep your eyes open for materials around you!!!Put your heart into the “Artful Life”…God will bless your efforts!! He’s the author of ART!

We want so much for our children to have a wonderful Christmas season! Sometimes we might get ourselves so busy trying to make that happen that we miss what they really want most. Children want the adults in their lives to make time for them and play with them.  It really doesn’t take much.  They are most excited about the Christmas gifts that will get you to sit down and play with them.  What children really want most for Christmas is YOU!

Arrange your time to have nothing to do but be a kid again on Christmas and you will make memories your children will never forget.  Long after the toys have lost their luster and broken down completely, memories of your love and attention will linger in the most treasured corner of your child’s heart.  If you do not take this time to be a kid again for a few short hours now and then with your child, there will remain an empty spot in the heart that no one else can fill. And you too will lose out on a blessing and memory that is priceless and never again to offer itself as an opportunity in just the same way.

I often caution young parent who struggle with the stress of very young children that a time will come when they long for a sticky  kiss, or a sleepy child with whom they can snuggle. These little ones are are on loan to us for such a short time and it is our honor to shape their memories and character.  The beautiful thing is that God placed within them a powerful desire to spend time with us! If we miss that opportunity…well…we miss it!

Sometimes people do not reach out to try to play with kids because they don’t know what to do. The internet has a vast database on free activities to do at home with kids. Just Google it and see what looks like fun. Better yet let you kids look with you and pick a fun activitie you both like.

Here are a few I have learned never fail…

• Play board games they like.
• Teach them board or card games you like.
• Cook and bake with kids.
• Have a window, balcony, or backyard campout with hot dogs, camp songs, flashlights, and story telling.
• Make notes and cards for others with kids art.
• Go for a walk, skate, or bike ride.
• Exercise together with kids…Wii fit is great if you have one!
• Sing and dance.
• Go on a picture taking scavenger hunt.
• Make stuff…any stuff!
• Make up skits and vidoe shoots.
• Read the same book and talk about it(In fact make sure you read what they read) I even learned to play the same video games so I could know their lingo and what the game makers might be sneaking into their heads.
• Go lay down outside in the dark and study the stars.
• Chase them around with spray string!
• Set up an new blocks game, or train, or anything!
• Take them Christmas shopping at the dollar store.
• Put on a special theme party or banquet with them.

The key, as you can see is that you set aside time and make it a #1 priority on your calendar to build memories with your children. Artful relationships are built as you connect, listen, laugh(or cry), and pray together for the things most important in their world. One day they will be grown with children of their own and you will long for this kind of time. Don’t miss the chance to be significant NOW! Give the gift of YOURSELF…the gift that keeps on giving! HUGS!

Acts 1:14
They all continued to pray in one accord.

There is nothing more solid than a family that prays in earnest for one another. Help a family you love to get bit by the family prayer bug this Christmas. It starts when you write a prayer note to each member of the family.  Make it personal and put it in an envelop with their name on it. Just pray for God to give them the desires of their hearts  and to use them as lights in the world with the unique gifts and talents they have been given.

Find a special box that reflects the importance of the prayers it holds. The goal is that the box becomes a central focus in a room where the family gathers. If  you are crafty get a wooden box in a craft store and decorate it. Better yet, if you have the skill, make a box! If you don’t feel capable of either, there are lots of lovely boxes in the $10 neighborhood in many home gift stores, departments, and garage sales.

You can also get very inexpensive note cards in craft stores or dollar stores. Or just cut up paper.  Place your written notes in the box with your written instructions for the family to place their own prayers for each other, like surprises, whenever they are inspired. It is also a good routine to write a prayer for holidays and birthdays.

Place blank note cards for the family to continue using. A separate color card can be used like an “SOS” for a family member to request prayer for something urgent. At least once a week the family should sit down together and check out the box.  Each person reads their private prayer surprises to themselves,  and everyone prays together for the prayer requests.

A prayer box gives a family another outlet for improving communication, sharing their challenges, and most of all, combining the strength of their own unity to appeal to God for his love and care over their everyday lives! Nothing but good can come from such shared devotion to prayer. Shared prayer creates cords that cannot be broken!

Here’s a great way to start an Artful family tradition and make sure the kids know that Jesus is the one we truly celebrate on Christmas. Have a regular birthday party with a birthday cake and take turns telling each other what you are giving to Jesus for His birthday this year. Write what you are giving Him on a card and put all the cards in a box, to be read next year at the same celebration. Light the candles on the cake and sing Happy Birthday to the baby Jesus. Then go to http://www.worldsbiggestchristmascard.com  http://bit.ly/5IGQU1 and let everyone sign the worldwide birthday card to Jesus. Build memories, build traditions, build heirlooms of faith in your family!

One of my men followers on Twitter tweeted …”Ever notice how men shop? Run into a store, grab what you came for, pay, then leave. Can’t stand shopping!”

So, my Pollyanna Art campaign to help people survive America’s economic mess and still have a blessed Christmas through Artful gift giving, should be especially attractive to men.  It will save you money and keep you from having to go shopping. That’s the good news!

The bad news is that Artful giving requires a lot more commitment and intention on your part than stopping by the mall to grab something on Christmas Eve. Artful giving requires more heart than money.  But if you commit yourself to this, you are sure to be a hero to your loved ones this Christmas

Art happens when you dig down deep inside and find something of beauty, love and joy that God planted uniquely within you…and you share it in an expression of your love for another.  Now before the gag reflex sets in from reading all these girly words, let me sell the idea a bit and give you some specific suggestions to get you started. See, I am a woman and I was a daughter. I have a pretty good idea about what we want from the men in our lives.

Anyone can grab something from a store, and that’s OK.  But it is the truly rare and special man who does something that shows he really notices what we need and long for.  The themes to keep in mind for women are romance and nurture! So lets think about how God might touch a heart through you. I am going to see if I can come up with 12 ideas for husbands and dads, in the spirit of the 12 Days of Christmas.

ARTFUL Gift Idea #1:

Are you a writer?  If you aren’t, fake it or ask an editor to help you. I’ll help you! This is my very favorite idea of all. Nothing says love more than a personal note that expresses why you appreciate your loved one.  Think about these questions…What is your most precious memory of this person? What makes you most proud to be associated with them? What makes you consider them a gift from God’s heart to you? How do they enrich your life? You can answer these 4 simple questions. But make it a true treasure by getting off your computer. Put these answers in your own handwriting (or printing if your handwriting isn’t legible). Put the letter in a fancy gift box that communicates, ”this is important”, or frame it in a beautiful frame! On Christmas, deliver your note by reading it aloud to your loved one(s).

ARTFUL Gift Idea #2:

Another great Artful gift is some spoiling quiet time. Fill a basket with new washcloths, bubble bath, shower gel, and body powder (all available in the grocery or dollar store). Enclose a permission slip for a 2-hour bubble bath retreat while you take the kids out somewhere. When time comes for the bubble bath, be prepared, light a candle and place a fresh flower in the bathroom.

ARTFUL Gift Idea #3:

Now here is a little known secret. There is nothing sexier than a man with a vacuum cleaner.  We women all have fantasies of coming home to a clean house. We think about these little miracles especially, during the busy holidays.

So, find out when there is a window of opportunity, make sure you know where all the cleaning supplies are, and go to work like Santa’s elf cleaning before your sweetheart comes home. Make up a note that says something like, “ Home cleaned for my sweetheart ______________, who deserves being treated like a Princess!”

ARTFUL Gift Idea #4:

Are you a gardener? Secretly plant something like an “American Beauty” Rose and put a sign in front, “An American Beauty for my American Beauty “Cheri” (but don’t use my name or you could be in trouble.) Fill in the appropriate name. Then give her a map to follow in a Christmas card to find the flower planted.

ARTFUL Gift Idea #5:

Silhouettes on the wall are always a sweet reminder of loved ones. Take kids silhouette photos and have them take yours. Print them out and use the prints as patterns to cut silhouettes out of nice solid colored paper. Mount them in a frame or on a nice piece of wood. Place this scripture in the middle – Proverbs 31:28-29 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”

ARTFUL Gift Idea #6

Write a poem about your life and love for your wife and children. Don’t worry about this being highbrow literature. Put your own personality into it. Just tell the story of your life in limerick form with all the craziness, humor, and feelings.

Include a special line or two for every member of the family to honor each of them. Humor is great!  Print a copy for everyone and sign it. Then perform it as a part of the family festivities on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.

ARTFUL Gift Idea #7

Make an acrostic out of your loved one’s name to show what you see as their best qualities. Kids like these for their rooms and wives like them just because! Print it out in color on some attractive paper and frame it. Below is an example of an acrostic name…

Christian Faith

Heavenly Smile

Eternal Truth

Rich in Love

Inspiring Woman

(Pardon the shameless self-promoting sample. Think I’ll give it to my husband @Boomerjeff)

You don’t have to line it all up either.

Could be…

Charming

SHaply

BEauty

CaRing

Kissable

ARTFUL Gift Idea #7

Create a family prayer journal for 2010. Label a binder and put in a section for every member of the family. Insert an opening page that tells your family that you will be praying for their needs every week of the New Year. Invite them to write the concerns they have in their section so you will know how you can pray for them.

Include a section on Thanks, and have everyone put anything they have to thank God for in that section. Pray as a family each week over all the things you as a family have to be thankful for. Sunday is a great day for this type of family activity. You will be leading your family to build faith and trust in the Lord with this activity. All will be emotionally secure as they see your faith grow too.

ARTFUL Gift Idea #8

Make a Favorite Scripture Poster. Print out your favorite scriptures to let your family know what is important to you, and turn them into a poster. Add some favorite quotes by great leaders too, if you like. Poster frames and decorative stickers are available in Craft Stores. You can also start by reading my favorite scriptures on my blog.

ARTFUL Gift Idea #9

Declare a FIX-IT DAY once a quarter next year. Give the dates as a gift with a binder for listing the things that need fixing. Be sure to put the dates in your calendar and keep track of the list so you will have the supplies you need. This will not be a fun gift if your wife has to organize supplies of hear you stomping around grumbling when FIX-IT DAY arrives.  YOU must take care of the details to make this a worthy gift.  In fact you should write a pledge to take care of all the details and raise your right hand and take the pledge on Christmas! EEEWWWWW! (Remember it was a guy who asked for this list!)

ARTFUL Gift Idea #10

Here is another gift that is no good unless you take care of the details. Wives get very tired of organizing stuff in most families. They will esteem you highly for taking care of everything from time to time and letting them have a vacation from responsibility.

So how about a picnic basket with a written promise inside that you will fill the basket, arrange all child care, and take her on a scenic drive and picnic day for just the two of you. Invite her to bring a book or nail polish or just herself to have a day totally devoted to relaxation with you serving her every need and requiring nothing in return. I promise you will get something in return. The key is your don’t require anything.  You will be a hero for sure!!

ARTFUL Gift Idea #11

Pull out a wedding photo and/or marriage license no one has looked at in a long time…maybe even a picture of your first Christmas. Get it a new frame and use some letter stickers from a craft store to spell out something like, “I’d marry you again in a heartbeat!” around the edges of the glass in the frame or on the frame itself.

ARTFUL Gift Idea #12 …Finally !!

I have saved the grand finale for number #12. On my site, under the “Inspirations” section, I have posted something special, just for you. It is a page of Christmas Gift Coupons. Just print copies and fill them out with services, favors, or privileges you promise to various members of your family. They can then cash them in during the year.

Here are a variety of ideas to get you started thinking:

Back rub

Body massage

Cooking & cleaning up dinner

Breakfast in bed

Taking a child to an event

Coming to watch a child’s event

Coaching a child’s sport

Child care, while wife goes shopping

House cleaning

Carpet scrubbing

Picture hanging

An evening of games

An evening our bowling or paintball

Playing dress-up with a daughter

An afternoon of football or going to the gym

Cooking and serving dinner to an evening for girlfriends

A weekend away and you take care of all detail organizing.

…you get the picture

I hope you have found something here to try this year for Christmas that will not only save you money, but will make your family the envy of families everywhere. Being Artful is simply taking time to find what God invested in your heart that turns into a work of beauty when you find it and give it away. Be artful! Be blessed!!

Fine Art happens when we reach into our hearts and find the unique beauty  God placed there, pull it out and give it away to share it with the love and joy invented by God himself. That creates the Artful Life. Football Coach, Ed Thomas lived the artful life and his unique brand of Fine Art still lives on today through the many lives he touched!

Red  Shirt (in my email today from www.redshirtfridays.org)

If  the red shirt thing is new to you, read below  how it went for a man…

Last  week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I  noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a  folded flag, but did not put two and two  together.

After we boarded our flight, I  turned to the sergeant, who’d been invited to  sit in First Class (across from me), and  inquired if he was heading home.

No, he  responded.
Heading out I asked?

No.  I’m escorting a soldier home.

Going to  pick him up?

No. He is with me right now.  He was killed in Iraq , I’m taking him home to  his family.

The realization of what he  had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the  gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that,  although he didn’t know the soldier, he had  delivered the news of his passing to the  soldier’s family and felt as if he knew them  after many conversations in so few days.

I turned back to him, extended my hand,  and said, Thank you, Thank you for doing what  you do so my family and I can do what we do.

Upon landing in Chicago the pilot  stopped short of the gate and made the following  announcement over the intercom.

“Ladies  and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have  had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the  United States Marine Corps join us on this  flight He is escorting a fallen comrade back  home to his family. I ask that you please remain  in your seats when we open the forward door to  allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive  his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the  seat belt sign.”

Without a sound, all  went as requested. I noticed the sergeant  saluting the casket as it was brought off the  plane, and his action made me realize that I am  proud to be an American.

So here’s a  public Thank You to our military Men and Women  for what you do so we can live the way we  do.

Red Fridays.

Very soon, you  will see a great many people wearing Red every  Friday. The reason? Americans who support our  troops used to be called the “silent majority.”  We are no longer silent, and are voicing our  love for God, country and home in record  breaking numbers. We are not organized,  boisterous or overbearing.

Many  Americans, like you, me and all our friends,  simply want to recognize that the vast majority  of America supports our troops. Our idea of  showing solidarity and support for our troops  with dignity and respect starts this Friday –  and continues each and every Friday until the  troops all come home, sending a deafening  message that … Every red-blooded American who  supports our men and women afar, will wear  something red.

By word of mouth, press,  TV — let’s make the United States on every  Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming  football game in the bleachers. If every one of  us who loves this country will share this with  acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family,  it will not be long before the USA is covered in  RED and it will let our troops know the once  “silent” majority is on their side more than  ever, certainly more than the media lets  on.

The first thing a soldier says when  asked “What can we do to make things better for  you?” is. “We need your support and your  prayers.” Let’s get the word out and lead with  class and dignity, by example, and wear  something red every Friday.

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