Kick Out "Would've, Should've, Could've"

Many of us have regrets in life, the "Would've, Should've, Could've" mindsets that doom us to misery if we wallow in them. I am guilty of saying these things myself and am making a concentrated effort NOT to do this. Yes, I have many regrets in my own life, but I have been fortunate enough to have had many wonderful life experiences and blessings that have enriched me as a person, and enriched my life.  Focusing on these blessings is a great attitude adjustment. Remembering to do this every single day, amid life's daily challenges is difficult some days for sure.  I try to start my day remembering those blessings, life's gifts and to be grateful for them.  They are surely our life enrichments.

Last year, I was inspired by a lady I never met, MaryAnn McKeating, who bravely fought her battle with cancer. Sadly, she passed away from this horrible disease early this year.  She participated in ICAD 2013 and kept us all motivated and truly inspired by her courage and with her "She" series of art, including all the positive affirmations, colorful art and insight into her world.  In her memory, and as a way to focus myself on all the truly remarkable goodness in my own life, a start to a new journal has begun and this is the first page.  I am going to call it my "Positive Living" journal and am undecided how I shall manage these pages for the moment, but think I am going to use one of the many small 3-ring binders I have for this project.  I prefer to create my journal pages individually and then tip them in to a bound journal so I have the liberty to make as big a mess as I want while creating, not worrying about messing up something already in the journal on an adjacent page.

I snagged this beautiful image off  the cover a shopping catalog I receive in the mail from Victorian Trading Company.  She is serene, confident and beautiful. Qualities I choose to emulate in the best way possible.  The page is done on one of the gazillion pieces of cardstock I acquired years ago during my cardmaking phase and they are already cut to half-page size, perfect for my binders and most of my journals.













I applied some heavy gesso to the page, used this really nifty wavy heart I received in happy mail from my internet friend, Tamiko McCurry to create the texture in the gesso.  A thin coat of Steel Gray craft acrylic paint was applied with a wet brush, then I added a medium gray and some cranberry accents.  I smooshed around the cranberry with my fingers, thinning it out quite a bit.  Don't you love painting with your fingers?   I added some lace, also received in happy mail from Tamiko, with a bit of acrylic medium.  Finished off with a "Queenism" quote using my trusty Dymo label maker and embellishments with Sakura Gelly pen and a black Sharpie marker.

She really doesn't need anything else in my estimation, and I am pleased with how she turned out.  A great reminder for me.

Take the "Would've, Should've, Could've's" out of your life and accentuate the postive.  I am.

~~Betty