wish upon a star: by jess gonacha

i can't remember the last time i went outside and layed down to look at the stars. doesn't that sound fantastic? i just might have to do that tonight.

this post is just a little reminder to go for your dreams. and don't forget to ask the universe for them! you can even wish upon a star if it helps. :)

i hope you have a delightful weekend, my dears! i'll see you here on monday.
xoxo

ps- if you haven't been over to my other blog, i posted my wedding animation yesterday.... i thought you might like to see it!

ordinary enchantment: by marcy hall

as someone who recently got a pet (we got our sweet kitty, anika, just 4 months ago!), i am already well aware of how easy it is to get attached to our sweet little critters and how much they add to our lives. i am *beyond* obsessed with anika, and i think i must give her about 200 kisses a day!

so i was touched to hear from marcy hall when she emailed to tell me about her etsy shop, which is dedicated to our sweet little fur balls.

she says:

my etsy site, Ordinary Enchantment, is all about abundance -- the abundance that is the love of our animal companions.

I am trying to concentrate on creating a wide variety of affordable memorial works or "icons" so that even when our animal friends leave their fur suits to enter, what I like to call, their sparkle suits, we can stay in touch with an image that represents all they gave and continue to give to us.

how great is that? sparkle suits! i love it. i think this is such a sweet way to commemorate a dear friend. be sure to check out marcy's etsy shop, website, and blog!

*thank you so much, marcy!*

paintings by leigh madeiros

leigh madeiros is one of my favorite people in the world. the funny thing is, i've never met her in person! you know when you just connect with someone instantly? that's how it was for me with leigh. she owns yes gallery & studio in warren, RI (where i show my work), and i'm beyond excited that i get to finally meet her in just a few short weeks when i travel to rhode island for my show at yes gallery ( it opens june 19th! eek!)

leigh says she doesn't make much art anymore (i think she's pretty darn busy with her amazing gallery!), but she created these pieces last year and sent them over for us all to enjoy. don't they make you want to lay in the grass and watch clouds on a warm summer day? i love them so much. they're just so peaceful and pretty and calming.

if you are in the warren, RI area (near providence), i *highly* suggest stopping in to yes gallery and chatting with leigh. and if you so desire, i'll be there on june 19th, so you could stop in and meet both of us!

and feel free to leave lots of comments on this post telling leigh she should start making art again. maybe if we badger her enough she'll do it! hee hee...

*thank you, leigh! xoxo*

my baby girl: by rachel ballard

There's nothing i can add to what Rachel Ballard said about her photograph to make it more perfect. She says:

It's me again- with another polaroid of one of my children. I can't help it. They make me realize how the tiniest little things can make us so happy. A little patch of dandelions in our backyard. Just sitting outside and enjoying what is already there- what we already have. No need to look too far, or to spend any money. Little yellow weeds and some sunshine. Perfect.

Perfect indeed.

See more of Rachel's beautiful work on her website, in her etsy shop, and on her blog.

*Thank you so much, Rachel!*

abundance: by elizabeth chapman

hello!! i'm back from boulder, and i had such a lovely long weekend and time with my family. (if you want to see a few photos from the trip, check out my other blog...)
i hope you all had a fantastic holiday weekend!

i'm starting off the week here on pecannoot with this lovely painting titled "abundance" by elizabeth chapman-- so pretty, yes? there's something about flowers that makes it easy to appreciate the wonder and perfection of nature, and i love the energy that elizabeth painted into them as well (particularly in that aqua color on the right.)

you can find more of elizabeth's work on her website and blog.

*thank you, elizabeth!*

color explosion by jessica wilkinson

oh, sweet explosion of color! aren't these pieces by jessica wilkinson incredible? i love all the layered and textured elements. beauty! jessica created all these top pieces on polyvore, which, if you haven't visited before, is a really cool collaging website that is supposedly quite addictive. i've never tried it, but tons of people love it! and i love the messages in jessica's pieces.

jessica says:

I love the use of pattern and colour... I'm also a true magpie and drawn to all things sparkly and pretty. To me abundance is about having the freedom to express who you are, through any medium... whether that is the joy and feeling of wellbeing you get from being with a friend, to the more personal and self-led act of creating wonderful things. So I guess it's about living in the now- enjoying the simple pleasures of life. Colour makes me happy- especially a rainbow of bright colours... they really make me feel alive, so much of my work uses the full spectrum of bright colours. But I also love to work in black and white and love to work in intricate detail. I adore pattern.

check out more of jessica's polyvore pieces, and also her blog!

also, i'm going out of town today (i'm going home to boulder, where my little sister is graduating from high school!), so this will be my last post for the week. i'm so excited for a mini break!

i'll meet you back here on monday-- have a great weekend, my dears!!

*thank you so much, jessica!!*

love poster: by anna maria lopez

oh my, you all must must must go check out anna maria lopez's website-- her work is wonderful and amazing!!

she sent over this love poster that she created, and i'm so glad to have been introduced to her work now. oh dear, do you ever feel like you want to switch places with someone? that's how i feel right now about anna.

ok seriously, go check out her website. her work is fantastic!

*thank you, anna, for introducing us to you.* :)

"she wore pink" and "listen": by kelly barton

good morning, pecannooters! oh my, it's monday again already? hopefully your weekend was marvelous and you're feeling refreshed and ready to get back to work. :)

i'm thrilled to be able to share these two pieces by kelly barton with you this morning, because she is one of my favorite blogland friends-- i can practically feel her exuberant personality through my computer screen! so i was really happy when she sent these over, because her work is stunning.

i love how kelly's work feels very empowering for women, like the women in the paintings are reminding us that we get to make our own choices and live whatever kind of life we want.
plus, they're colorful and just plain fun!

you'll most definitely want to check out kelly's website, blog, and etsy shop-- she's one inspiring lady. (and if you need a great looking website, get in touch with her! she makes those, too.)

*thank you, dear kelly!*

abundance: by alma de la melena cox

this piece by alma de la melena cox couldn't be more perfect here on pecannoot, because it's called "abundance," and isn't that the feeling you get instantly upon looking at it? those colors, oh my. so lovely.

alma says:

this artwork took me a long time to make- probably because i don't want to see the truth.
i have caught the biggest fish and don't see it on the line because i'm busy wishing on a star (or pleading!).
i'm piled high on the gifts of this world and don't always notice.
my wise inner knowing, she has my back (thank you!),
she whispers, "look, abundance is yours, reel her in."

ABUNDANCE IS YOURS, REEL HER IN.
i'm taking that idea with me into the weekend.

to see more of alma's work, please visit her blog and her website.

*thank you so much, alma!*

don't let anything stop you: by jess gonacha

sometimes i have little realizations into how i am judgmental towards other people that make me stop for a second and reevaluate how i want to be in the world.

this happened yesterday when i came across a photo of an older, overweight man wearing a fanny pack walking in some european city. my immediate first thought was something like "that's why americans get a bad reputation when they travel. god, people like that shouldn't be allowed to represent us!" isn't that awful? i'm even embarrassed and a bit ashamed to write it, but i figure getting it out there will help me let go of thoughts like that and allow more loving thoughts to come in. so, the great thing is that i stopped, and i realized that this man probably wanted to see europe. maybe he'd never traveled there before. maybe he'd traveled there a million times. maybe he just got a divorce, maybe his mom just died, maybe he just got a big bonus at work and decided to use it to see the world. maybe this was the best moment of this man's life. maybe he was living out a dream he'd had for 20 years. who am i to judge that? i don't know what's going on in anyone else's life.

i'm so quick to judge people on what i imagine them to be, dismissing people for such and such reason, embracing and admiring others for different reasons.... but we're all just people, yes? with our own thoughts and dreams and wishes and fears.... let's give each other a break!

and back to the title of the illustration: i called it "don't let anything stop you" because i imagine the guy in the drawing is visiting europe for the first time, had been saving for many years to do it, and had many reasons NOT to do it, but lived his dream of seeing europe anyway. i'm totally inspired by people that don't listen to the things telling them NO in their lives and just go for their dreams anyway and say a big fat YES to life.

my good friend teresa sent this piece over that she saw on the art in action website and thought we would all love. i think she was right! it's such a nice sentiment, yes? i do love the morning sunlight.... i think this piece would be lovely hanging on a wall by a window, as a reminder to appreciate all the beauty the earth gives us.

i particularly love early morning and dusk.
what part of the day is most beautiful to you?

i need your submissions!

my dears, after a swarm of submissions during the beginning of pecanoot's life, i am running low now! i need your submissions!

if you are a fan of pecannoot, i'd love it if you'd consider posting about it on your blogs and helping to get more artists and creative people involved. and if you are a creative person yourself, please feel free to send over your images! paintings, drawings, photographs, collages, sculptures, videos, links to images that have inspired you... whatever!

let's spread the word! i want abundance to run far and wide. :)

thank you!

seeking your path: by jodi ulschmid

So, i was just on twitter, browsing through all the tweets made by the people I follow, starting to feel bad about myself and think thoughts like "so and so always has such interesting things to say, why don't I?" and "wow, I'm so boring compared to everyone else," when I decided it was time to write a post here, and Jodi Ulschmid's painting and the words she wrote about it smacked me right in the face!

Jodi says:

"Seeking Your Path" is inspired by the quote: "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

I believe this quote fits everyone. We need to be inspired to make our own path in life and not to just be a follower. Sometimes it takes a lot of encouragement and faith to follow our heart and dreams, but life goes by so quickly so why not take a chance now and leave your own trail! No matter what happens, it will be a great learning process.

What a reminder that I don't need to do what others are doing, I just need to do what's right for me. To listen to my heart, and not to my ego. Ahhhh..... it relaxes me just thinking about it.

To see more of Jodi's work, please visit her etsy shop and her blog.
(And I also wrote about her on Pecannoot once before.)

*Thank you, Jodi, for the reminder this morning! I needed it.*

fruit market: by gina o-brien

one of my favorite things about traveling in europe is the outdoor fruit and vegetable markets, so when gina o'brien sent over this image of a fruit market in barcelona, i was immediately reminded of my own travels through europe and lal the delicious food i ate from markets like this. oh, how i love to travel! (and oh, how i love to eat! hee hee)

gina says:

while traveling in barcelona in 2006, I visited the most fantastic fruit market. there was variety, and quantity, but most importantly, there was artistry behind these produce displays. i have never before seen so many wonderful colors in one place. while most talk about the architecture in barcelona, the memory of this fruit market will forever bring a smile to my
face.

isn't that such a lovely memory? you can see more of gina's lovely photographs in her etsy shop right here.

*thanks so so much to gina for sending this beautiful photograph over for us to oogle at!*

the kingdom of bhutan

good morning, friends!

have you heard of the kingdom of bhutan? in the himalayas? it's that little country right above india and below china.


well, recently i learned that bhutan measures their Gross National Happiness, which is "an attempt to define quality of life in more holistic and psychological terms than Gross National Product," (quote via here) and that idea just really struck me. it's a way for them to live in harmony with their religion (they are the only country in the world where a tantric form of Mahayana Buddhism is the official religion.) the government believes that the happiness of the people in bhutan is more important than their economic growth and development, and that one can't thrive without the other.


"while conventional development models stress economic growth as the ultimate objective, the concept of GNH claims to be based on the premise that true development of human society takes place when material and spiritual development occur side by side to complement and reinforce each other. the four pillars of GNH are the promotion of sustainable development, preservation and promotion of cultural values, conservation of the natural environment, and establishment of good governance." (from wikipedia)


i can't help but wonder how using this as a governing principle in my country, the usa, and other countries would shift the world. or what about just using it as a personal governing system? what if our happiness was more important than our bank accounts? what if happiness was more important than being right, or being the most powerful? i like the idea of measuring my own progress by my happiness, rather than the size of my bank account or my "big accomplishments."

if you'd like to learn more about bhutan and the gross national happiness, you can find some some good websites here, here, here, and here, and watch a great video right here.

*have a fantastic weekend! i'll see you on monday.* :)

limiting beliefs

i'm reading a book by wayne dyer right now, and last night i came across this idea. it hit me in a different way than ever before-- some limits just seem like THE TRUTH, yes? you know, just the way it is.

but what if it isn't? what if everything you think is the truth is actually just something you've come to believe for one reason or another in your life? what if you just changed what you believed, because you wanted something different?

what if instead of believing the common notion that most artists never make a lot of money, and instead believing that we are entitled to make all the money we desire doing what we love?

what if we let go of all our crazy beliefs about money and saw it for what it actually is- a tool to use to make our lives more comfortable. we have so many beliefs about money.... ick.

what "truths" in your life can you see as just beliefs that you picked up somewhere along the line of your life?

lucky heron: by betsy thompson

betsy betsy betsy, how do you do it? your images are just too gorgeous! this piece, called 'lucky heron,' makes me want to have a symbol in my life that represents abundance and good luck.

there was a time just before the new year when ryan and i were walking along the coastal cliffs in california, looking out over the ocean and talking about how we wanted to be in our lives, and we were talking about living in the moment. we were saying we needed a reminder of some sort, and a pelican flew by just at that moment. so he said "how about a pelican?" i thought it was perfect, and we decided that we would have little drawings of pelicans all over our house, to remind us. but then we never did it. we forgot. or got busy. or whatever we all do to get stuck back in the routine.

perhaps now is the time to bring that pelican reminder into our lives. do you have a symbol that represents something for you? a reminder, a good luck charm, a memory....

make sure you check out betsy's etsy shop and flickr page, too- her work is pure joy!

dallas clayton: an awesome book

some of you may have seen this posted on my other blog a few weeks ago, but i'm so taken by this project that i have to post it here, too. dallas clayton emailed to tell me about his book, called 'an awesome book,' and let me tell you, it is amazing. AMAZING.

there's a big, big message in this story, and i'm not going to tell you what it is, because you really must go see for yourself. you can preview the whole book on dallas' site, and he also told me it just got picked up by urban outfitters, so you may be able to find it there by now, too!

and if you're as taken by this book as i am, you should buy a copy, so you can look at it every day. or buy multiple copies and give them to your friends and family! it's that good. (and dallas would be very happy if you did.) :)

rian lougheed-smith

rian lougheed-smith sent me a link to her work a few weeks ago, which is posted over at feelsgood, which rian tells me is "a networking site set up by artists, musicians, and other abundant folk in new brunswick, canada."

these two pieces were my favorites from her page.... i'm amazed by that watery, glowing feeling in the piece above, and the image of the sparklers making heart shapes is just beautiful. it makes me want to celebrate all the special little moments in life.

check out the rest of rian's work on her feelsgood page, as well as the rest of the feelsgood community!

*thanks, rian!*

i do i have i am: by saul steinberg

good morning, friends! i hope your weekend was nice and relaxing. i spent mine working on finishing up my wedding invitation design and my wedding animation (the project that will not end)! i can't believe it's monday already-- time to get back into work mode now!

my friend leigh, who owns the most wonderful gallery in warren, RI called yes gallery and studio, sent me a link to this illustration by saul steinberg, and i think it's just perfect for pecannoot. this is the first piece by a non-living artist that i've posted here, but i just love this piece so much and it's so fitting that i thought you all might like to see it, too.

it reminds me of one of my favorite phrases,which i've written about here before: BE DO HAVE.
i think it's a nice reminder to live in the moment, and to just do what you're meant to do and the rest will fall into place. right?

you can read more about saul steinberg here and here if you're interested-- did you know he illustrated 88 covers for the new yorker? wow!

let go of your rocks: by jess gonacha

it's funny, usually i don't have any idea where a drawing is going to go when i start, but when i finish i realize that what came out was exactly what i needed.

this time i'm realizing the "rocks" that i need to let go of are the beliefs that my ideas are not good and that my artwork doesn't mean anything. these are rocks i've carried around for a loooooong time. too long. it's time to let them go, and to fill my mind with flowers. :)

so, i hope this drawing can mean something similar to all of you, and to inspire you to let go of your rocks this weekend and go outside and fill your mind with flowers! that's what i'm off to do right now. see you monday!

xoxo

abundance in flowers: by paula jenkins

One of my favorite parts of springtime is definitely the blooming flowers-- I love walking around my neighborhood, noticing all the different colors and varieties. Yesterday, I saw some beautiful irises that I just wanted to pick out of the person's yard and take home with me! (I decided that wasn't a very good idea..)

Anyway, Paula Jenkins sent over these photos of flowers that she's taken, and her thoughts on how flowers represent abundance are just lovely:

"When I was thinking about abundance yesterday, I realized that I see abundance in flowers. Flowers bloom year after year, needing nothing more than what is already provided for them in nature. They ask for nothing, and yet they put on a glorious show, a testament to creation, a great pageant every spring. I take great delight in tulips and daffodils for their sheer beauty. They remind me that if I can be content with what I have, that everything else will be provided. They remind me that as humans, we are gorgeous in our individuality, and we can be breath taking in our gathering together."

Paula also wanted to share this quote with us:

“It is not only my right and my privilege to walk in the abundance God has for me, it is my responsibility...just as it is my responsibility to live the rest of my truth.” - Jan Denise

Paula has a wonderful blog called Welcoming Spirit, which is insightful, fun, and abundant all at the same time. Check it out! (I love this post that she wrote about being grateful for her life just as it is.)

*Thank you, Paula!*