Drawing Fun

For the 12th day of fun this month, I decided to try making a mandala. I have admired how beautiful they are for awhile now and read that drawing is good for relaxing, so I have it a try. Unfortunately I couldn't find a ruler so I ad-libbed. I'm still working on it but my back got tired and it's time to rest, so this is all for now. (I think I'll do better the next time but it's not a competition. It was fun to try and it's the process of creating something new that counts.)

Collaging For the New Year

Finally a collage for the new year! Actually 3 collages! I have been itching to create a collage for the new year and was lucky enough to make several today with a few good friends. Collaging flows so much better with friends. As do many things.

This is my New Year's collage for 2015. 

And because it's hard to stop once I start collaging, two more pages for my collage notebook.

4+ hours dedicated to ripping and cutting and gluing and reflecting and sharing good, creative times with friends. What more can I ask for on a Sunday afternoon?

Football Fun

For Day 10, I was having so much fun that I didn't have a chance to post. But I baked pumpkin cupcakes, got to hang out with family and friends and rooted on our home team on their way to the Super Bowl.

I Love Sunsets

I love sunsets! I never tire of taking pictures of them either. It's like my way of paying respect to one of Mother Nature's wonderful creations. Lately though, my smart phone, which doubles as my camera when I'm on the go, hasn't had enough memory for many pictures, so when I'm unable to photograph the amazing colors and marvelous shapes of the clouds, I really try to stay present and savor the view I'm lucky enough to witness. I'm almost sad on the days when I miss the sunset or can't see it for some reason. I'm beginning to feel equally about sunrises but I most definitely regularly miss those on the weekends. It's such a treat though on the weekdays as I start my long drive to witness such extreme beauty. It's a gift from the earth. And I happily open this gift as often as I can, everyday if possible. Also one of the next best parts is sharing the beauty with friends and family, and Facebook makes it so easy to connect with loved ones from all eras in my life and unite to enjoy the simple beauty of nature together. I love that.

So here is my gift to you tonight, on the 9th day of fun. :-)

What do you love about nature? I know, it's hard to choose. Thankfully we don't have to. Nature is so abundant--we can pick something different everyday and never run out of beauty! 

Twinkly Lights and Fog

This is all I can show for my Fun-A-Day #8. Over all it was a good day but a long commute which pooped me out. But I saw this beautiful fog over my mom's lake after I dropped her off at home and loved the twinkly lights across the lake. Yes, it's a cell phone picture and a bit blurry but I think it almost looks like a painting that way. Add that to my creative to-do list: paint fog. This is in addition to painting clouds, drawing a mandala, art journaling more, and using more random (or not-so-random) print in my collages. I like keeping a creative to-do list. I keep it on my phone in a note and add to it when I think of another artform I'd like to try. That's the benefit of Fun-A-Day--it brings creativity to the forefront of my mind. Helps awaken the natural born habit within me to express myself creatively.

Do you have a creative to-do list?

Yoga for Fun

So for today, I mustered up my energy after a long drive and went to yoga. And the yoga instructor was luckily gentle with us and even passed out little twinkly lights. I love those! So for my Fun-A-Day today, I went to yoga. The end. :)

Here is a flashback from last January when I incorporated yoga into my Fun-A-Day as well.

Selfie Adventures

A year of adventures wouldn't feel as adventurous without some selfies and self portraits, right? I know it feels a bit narcissistic but I recently read about the power of the selfie and how it brings us greater self-empowerment. So for this sixth day of fun, here is another photo collage but this time of yours truly, la Ecua-Gringa. :)

Let Water Roll Off

Thanks to one of my favorite Facebook posters, Liz Gilbert, I decided on New Year's Day to notice what the first animal I saw was that day and that animal would be my totem animal for the year. Without really knowing what that meant, I saw ducks on my mom's lake that day and thought it was pretty fitting, because ducks let water roll off them, just as I would LOVE to let stress roll right off of me this year. 

And as I began to think about ducks more, I realized I'd been photographing them all last year. I also grew up feeding them by the lake near our house, and I think I remember that my babysitter from when I was little loved ducks too. :) 

I read a little about ducks as totem animals on a site appropriately named spirit-animals.com and I saw words like "grace" and "clear emotions" and "living in the moment" and "emotional strength" and "self expression" and "new opportunities." It sounds like a perfect theme for me! And I'll be reminded of my theme when I see my totem animal throughout the year. 

Sometimes Good Enough is the Best Way

Sometimes "good enough" is all I can do, and it's about time to stop beating myself up about not always having the time/energy/motivation to be original all the time. 

I say this because today is the 4th day of the new year and the 4th Fun-A-Day and I find myself making yet another photo collage of my favorite pictures from 2014, this time of our kitty cats. Being it's Sunday and we're supposed to have more time on the weekend, I guess I hoped I'd be more creative and do something different. 

But you know what? It's okay to do something simple and fun. Things don't always have to be extravagant or complicated to be worth it. And I have to remember that one of the points of Fun-A-Day is to have fun! And I like looking back at the past year's photos and I like photo collages, so this really is a great low-key, uncomplicated fun activity I can do entirely from my phone. 

In the process, I'm also writing more and creating a new blog post everyday, which helps me express my creativity in another way. And feeling creative and connecting with friends are some of the best ways and relatively simple ways to have fun and feel less stress. 

So meet Gus and Roo, our Siamese almost twins. :)

What is a low-key fun activity you enjoy?

Nature Lover

For my third day of fun this year, I've created another photo collage but this time of my favorite nature shots from 2014.

"The earth has music for those who listen."

~George Santayana

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As longs as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles."

~Anne Frank

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

~Lao Tzu