Forgiveness and the Freedom of Letting go

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while, but life keeps throwing me curve balls. I am learning to catch them or duck, but the injuries, frankly, have been deep.

Today, in an effort to heal, I offer this wonderful video. I have said for a long time that "Forgiveness is not a reward that we give to the person who harmed us...it is for our own healing". Holding on to hurt feelings only hurts us. The person who harmed us, could often times care less, but if we release our hurt feeling and forgive, we take their power to harm us away.

Just pop down the page and turn off my site music, before you run this little gem....but DO run it. It is very healing.

Namaste

Bettina

BlissChick: Perfection Is Impossible but Fun Is...FUN!

This is a fantastic blog I just discovered. I'm still exploring it, but I had to share.

BlissChick: Perfection Is Impossible but Fun Is...FUN!

I'll be back to blogging, soon! Life is still pulling together, here in NJ!

B

White Springs Yodel - Bettina Makley

Posting this from YouTube. I performed for the last time (as a resident) last night, in Wheeling, WV. Not a perfect rendition of this song, as anyone who has heard it before will know, but...the yodel came out OK....lol. Anyway, it's a song about my family and our years at the Florida Folk Festival. I wish you could hear it with all of them singing with me, but for now, this will have to do. You should probably scroll down and turn off my music player, so it doesn't interfere....and thanks for listening! :)

I'm still packing, just FYI. Should be moving at the end of the week.

Bettina

Moving to Jersey City!

Just when I think things are settling down, upside-down they turn, again!

I'm moving to Jersey City. This is a good thing, though I had to talk myself into believing that. The fact is, as much as I love where I am, the opportunity is too good to pass up. I just got back from a month-long reconnaissance mission and I am filled with inspiration! I guess I'm more of a city girl than I ever realized. Also, my dear, sweet guy, Lance has much better job opportunities there, not to mention that all three of my, beautiful children live in the area, as well.

We have a place lined up and I will still have a studio, though it may be a few weeks before I have time to update this blog, again. The real reason I took the time, today, was so that if anyone of my on-line friends are in the Jersey City/NYC area they can let me know! I have a lot to learn about the place and it would help to have friends there, already (though I've already started to make a few)!

I'm totally new to condo living, but I can see how I could become totally spoiled! I'll be two blocks from the Grove Street Path (train into NYC), so I can bop into the city, any time I want to. I've really enjoyed my visits there and, of course, it is a never ending source of inspiration.

The picture was taken by Lance Kirtley and is the view from our new digs. Pretty cool, huh?

Well...I'm off to finish packing. Wish me good fortune...and lots of energy. I'm going to need it.

Namaste,

Bettina

Make Your Own Metallic Stickers!

OK...so I was cleaning up, in the Lab, yesterday. I tend to "play", as I clean. I began to noodle around with some metallic tape that I got at the home improvement store and some alcohol inks that I bought at Michael's (with a Christmas gift card from Lance's Mom). I had seen, somewhere on the Internet ( I wish I could remember, now) someone using a scribing tool to make impressions on the tape. It's something I have been intending to try. The inks were sitting there, too and since they are intended for non-porous surfaces, I thought I would see what what would happen if I used them on my impressed tape. I'm really happy with the results! The tape is peel and stick, so I can save them and use them later...probably in a journal, but who knows?

Anyway, that was a fun experiment, so I decided to do another and capture myself creating it. It's my first demo-style video and it's really given me the bug to do more...and to get better at making them. This is a mini-tutorial for hand made, metallic stickers. Let me know what you think!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OabLGrC3ss

Tootles,

Bettina

Art Paper Doll

I'm learning to download the pictures from my camera to this machine, but VISTA won't run my favorite editing program, so I have to find a new one. I've been using an old program called Micrografx Webtricity. It was bought out by Corel, years ago and I knew it would, eventually become obsolete, but I was really hoping...sigh....

Anyway, here is a picture, straight from the camera, of a recent project. I wish I could noodle with it to give you a better view, but that will come in time, I guess. This is a little, artist paper doll that I included in a birthday card to my daughter. I also included samples of all the textured paper I have been painting, lately. It's my latest obsession. I've been using it in my art journaling...another obsession.

There's a lot more I'd like to share, but I have to keep it simple, until I'm more familiar with this machine, though it sure is good to be back!

Bettina

New Notebook!

It may be a little while, yet, while I get used to this thing, but I'm finally back on line with a new lap top! This could be a bit dangerous, because I can go anywhere, now and type stuff. Particularly frightening is the fact that I can sit in the Satellite Lab (my bed) and connect. If I'm not careful, I might never get out!

I haven't loaded any programs or learned to add pictures from my camera, but that will come in the next few days and I have been creating, so I will have colorful things to share, soon!

In deepest gratitude to a very special benefactor who has asked to remain anonymous.

Bettina

Computer Still Down

I guess I need to update this blog, though I'm at the Library and can't add anything too interesting. This is just a quick note to say that I am still checking messages and comments, so do feel free to leave them. When I do get back to regular blogging (and I will), I have so much to blog about that my readers (all three of them) may be deluged. I have to tell ya... a Fairywebmother without a computer is a pretty, sad creature, indeed, so if anyone out there runs in to the Fairyhardwarefather, please tell him I need help!

Maybe if I put my hard drive under my pillow....