I make stuff

Sewers sew and whip makers whip.

I make stuff.

I  know you do too.

You've gotta admire those musicians who just keep making music for themselves, but at some point when you're an artist, you just want to share your work. I can understand that frustration. You know how what you do makes you feel and you want others to feel that too. 

Punch art, for me, has been a life saver. Sounds a little dramatic, but I know it's brought a lot of happiness to me. It just has. That sounds dramatic too. But the arts - the dancing, the singing, the drama, the crafty stuff we do, the artsy stuff painters do, the music - all that stuff, it's an expression of who you are, what you like, what you don't, what you love and what you hate really. It shows your style, your passions, your heartbeat. 

Music = notes and they get played. But music is also singing really loud in the car, or in your kitchen when making dinner :o) It's happiness, it's a message, it's who you were with when you were singing really loud in the car or kitchen. It's the funny look on Andrew's face when he walks into the kitchen and then turns the music down. It's the way he feels when I sing along to the songs in the car. He doesn't sing, but he loves it when I do. He enjoys the music, but he doesn't make it. I sing along to it, but I don't make it either. Actually I kinda do because I make up my own harmonies...

(Source: GCD Studios Homespun Chic chipboard shapes)

What I do do is make stuff.

I make cards, photo albums, flower things in vases, envelopes, bags, boxes, canvases, mini books, other flower things in vases, Christmas decorations, bunting, scarves and cushions. I don't make all of those things all the time, but I make stuff and I like it.

My heart though, sits here.

It sits with the little bears and those colourful shapes. It sits with that bear falling into the ocean. It sits with the cream background and all the colours on top.

I can't explain why punch art makes my heart happy like nothing else does. It's funny, I love patterned paper (hello, October Afternoon) and making cards using all the gorgeous bits. I love die cutting and making stuff with those. I love Cuttlebug embossing folders. Like, looove. I was cranking something through the machine earlier in the week and thought, "What's so good about this really? What is so appealing about cranking something through this darn machine?" I have no answer, it just is. And that's the answer, it just is. It's good and it doesn't need explaining. I think I try to work things out too much. 

We all know things we come across in life that make our heart smile. People things, place things, music things, arty things, craft things, doggie things - any things. They're different things for different people, but they're heart smiles.

There was a boy named Mattie on Oprah years ago who faced a lot of life challenges. He and his mother had the same degenerative disease, as did his siblings. I think they'd lost some of the other children when he was on the show (he was on there a few times). He was such an amazing little boy and so wise. He used to talk about heart songs. The song of your heart. The thing(s) in life that make your heart sing. He wrote heart songs too, I believe. I'm not sure, I don't want to get the facts wrong, but I just remember listening to him and the wise words he had to say. He blessed Oprah, and the rest of us too.

What things in your life make your heart sing or smile? They make you feel happy, fulfilled, content and satisfied. They make you feel like you.

For me, there's a lot, I won't list them all here, but they're the special things like God, Andrew, family, Cody and time with all of them, as well as watching good BBC drama!

One of my heart smiles is punch art. I can't explain why, it just is. It's me. 

Heart songs and heart smiles. They're nice thoughts, aren't they?

Bless you today, ladies. Have a wonderful day. 

:o)