"Come Sit with Me"

I've been thinking about this blog post for days and days...trying to figure out what I wanted to say.
As usual, though, I finally just start typing and out comes whatever is in 'there' trying to get out.  I'm sure sometimes you are wondering just what I am saying.  Me too.  The beginning might be a good place to start....I found this photo of a settee in a magazine ad and just loved it, so cut it out with my tiny little paper cutting scissors...even the binoculars.  In the ad, they were on the ground.  One day, I was painting over a 14 inch x 14 inch canvas I had previously made a mess of and it became this background.  Next, I just sat that little settee on the canvas...and that is where I got the idea for this piece of art.

It had to have birds.  You know that.  And, leaves...either sewn or cut out of paper.  In this case, I painted some book pages and cut the leaves out freehand.  As you have seen here before, I made a rubber stamp of a bird outline and have used it several times by painting in the bird colors.  I'm not so good at it, but it's fun and that is all that matters.  I used Gel Medium to attach the leaves.  Yes, drew the tree too.  I'm not really an artist, I just pretend to be one for fun, and as with the birds, all I care about is that you realize the trees ARE trees!

 

The butterflies were cut from scrapbooking paper.  They seem to be a recurring theme in these mixed media pieces too.  Do you notice all those colored dots?  I don't know why they are there except that I have that cute 'dot rubber stamp' and love adding them all over and in different colors.  You'll notice them on several of my other pieces too.

And, then, I like to include quotes and other written words when I'm in the mood.  I couldn't find anything suitable for this piece, so I made this up.  It says:

"COME SIT WITH ME...WE WILL SPEAK OF MANY BEAUTIFUL THINGS....FEEL THE
BREEZE SOFTLY BLOWING AND MAKE A LOVELY MEMORY."   pat eaton

Yeah, I wrote that myself.  It felt right, so once again, I didn't worry whether it was good or not, just that I meant it.  And, I had to ask myself....who was I saying that to?  After a while, it came to me, I wrote that to YOU.  I think of you often and think it would be wonderful if we all could sit and make memories....oh, yeah....I guess we do...for isn't that one of the things blogging allows us to do...'speak' to each other?

So, what would we speak of under this tree?  I've no idea, but I know it would be an important conversation, after all....I think we really are each other's therapists.  In a way.  Well, I know I receive comments from some of you and they make my day.  Hopefully, I say something that will help make your day and in that way....well, we make life a little easier for each other.  Don't you think?  I try to keep my posts on the lighter side of life so you won't be depressed when you leave here.  I'd like you to visit often.  And, it makes me feel good to do it.

                                               

It reminds me of something a quilting friend said to me many years ago.  We were having a serious talk and I said I just wish I knew why I was here.  She told me  "You are here to make life easier for everyone else."  I remember thinking "why ME?"  Evidently, I'm still living all these years to discover the why. And, I have to say, I guess - "why NOT me?"   Maybe this blogging thing came to me as a way to spread something good around.  I'd be all over that, to tell you the truth!  Not that I can manage it each and every post....but I'm touching base with you and you seem to be in lots of places over the planet.  And, that's a really great thing!  So, the why of it all is that the planet is small, and we are all on it together.  It's fun knowing we can communicate.  It does make life more interesting to me....and I hope it does for YOU.

And, this leads me to my final  'story.'  (You know by now there is always another story.)  It has to do with making life easier.  That comment worried me for quite a while.  After all, it is quite a heavy thought to imagine yourself making life easier for everyone else.  Very heavy, in fact - impossible.  So, I have tried to do my best even though I realize my efforts come up short.  Being human, I know my best is all I can do.  Being someone who isn't perfect....there is this little addtional bit of a story:

A few years ago, I was asked to show some of my quilts to friends of a friend.  I took three or four of my best quilts to her place of business and there they were...several of her friends, strangers to me.  They looked at the quilts, some admired them, some were quiet, and one of them said this - "YOU HAVE TOO  MUCH TIME ON YOUR HANDS AND SHOULD COME CLEAN MY HOUSE." At that very moment.......

 

                             I KNEW I didn't have to make life easier for absolutely EVERYONE.

So, rest assured, I choose to do my best for YOU....my blogging friends...and I thank you for all your visits to this blog!  take care, pat

"MAKE OF YOURSELF A LIGHT" said the Buddha before he died.   mary oliver