My Pure Imagination Life

Color change throughout the day.   So I am trying an experiment in my bedroom: by switching out the white sheer window coverings for lavender ones instead. So far, I am liking how the color from the sheers softens [and cools the color of] the outside light as it comes into the room, plus it looks pretty against my teal curtains. There is honestly much less color change than I expected, considering the depth of color in the material. Who knows, perhaps I'll have to try something similar on other windows in my home, lol. As for the 'shadow' on the lower portion of the progression photos: that is the shadow cast by the wood fence separating my home from my north side neighbor.  Life is beautiful; look for it, embrace it, and cherish it. Peace for your day, Rachel

This may seem weird, but I have this 'thing' which I do where I go outside and occasionally 'pluck' off the new pale green growth from my holly bushes. I do this is while the new growth is tender and pliable and the leaves have not hardened into little poking weapons, lol.  Why? Because it saves my arms. Seriously, by regularly plucking off the new growth, it delays when I have to get out my electric bush trimmer to shape the bushes... which is a real shoulder and arm workout due to the height of top trim line  and the weight of the trimmer with its long cutting arm  [I use a decorative element on my brick as a reference point, which is approx. 3 inches below the top of my shoulders]. Bonus is that I get a little sunshine [beyond weekly mowing] when I go out to check the bushes - which often coincides when I am either dumping tea leaves and/or coffee grounds onto the ground beneath them, or checking the mail... so I might as well. The interesting thing with all of this,...

  It's the first couple of hours of a new day and I am in the midst of a split-sleep night [ 4 hours of rest followed by 1-2 hours of awake time before another 3-4 hours of sleep]. This is a beautiful time when the world is quiet outside and I can use this time of solitude to write, eat, ponder, create something, or just BE with myself.  I've always loved the midnight to 2am pocket of time and before learning about split sleep [aka biphasic sleep or segmented sleep: see article on it at  Humans Used to Sleep in Two Shifts, And Maybe We Should Do It Again (sciencealert.com) ] I would consistently be a Night Owl, but would inadvertently still wake up anyway by 7am or so and thus be facing a lack of sleep. Not long after I completed this painting [in 2019], I tried switching to an Early Bird schedule by starting my day at about 4am [inspired by a grandfather of mine who did this] but I was not able to stick with it. So last night [technically about 6 hours ago] I decided to ...

  For 2020 (as part of my whole Embracing pink realization) I decided that I wanted to find a Christmas stocking for my 'inner child'; something fun and sweet, perhaps even silly... and (most likely) PINK! I was looking around at Hobby Lobby when I came across this sweet pink swan with rhinestone collar [note: the purple heart detail was added by me using Gallery Glass]. I found iron-on letters in the Wearable Arts section in order to add my childhood nickname of Racheigh [thanks, Grandma] to the top of it. And as for it being a swan - yep, it fits as I always felt like a bit of an 'ugly duckling' as a child. Guess what world - I've grown up and discovered who I am, lol. So I thought my 'quest' for a stocking was complete. But then... While browsing the ornament section at Walmart I came across a particular fuchsia stocking. Hmmm... there was NO WAY that I was gonna let this one go! "CAUTION: Wine... may increase chances of getting on the NAUGHTY list....

  Towards the end of 2020 I began to face how much I love the color pink. Now purple [all shades] will always be my favorite color, but pink can be so much fun and silly and cheerful; it makes me happy. I also embraced a love for pastels in my environment. With that in mind, I decided to make a Christmassy wreath for the door leading to my bathroom from my bedroom. It began with a set of pretty ornaments [Hobby Lobby - I added the snowflakes with glitter glue]. The shimmery white base wreath was a Target find. And the purple flower was from Walmart [I don't recall where I found the teal ribbon]. I think it's pretty. Sure, someone may think that it belongs more in a baby's room, but I don't care. This is me adding some Pretty to my world. This is me smiling whenever I see it [yes, it is still on the door - I am leaving it up year round]. This is me honoring the 'lighter' aspect of who I am.... it's one of the many facets which make up the person who I am.  I ...

  Kinetic Sand - I think that it is one of those textural products [like slime or Silly Putty or even playdough] which people seem to either love to play with.... or just absolutely CANNOT STAND, lol. My first experience with the product was when I was wanting a personal sandbox and [without understanding what the product really was] decided to purchase a 'sandbox set' which included natural-colored Kinetic sand with play tools in a cardboard box. I didn't like it. It had an 'off' smell to me, and the sand didn't act like damp beach sand. But then [years later] I began to see Instagram posts [videos] of people slicing thru colored sand and the sound of it was just so AMAZING that I decided to research the product. What I learned from reviews is that more than a few people have not liked the smell of the 'natural' sand by Kinetic Sand, nor have they liked the coarser and larger grain size of the specific product. So I decided to try Kinetic sand once agai...

Welcome to my little world. This blog is just another step in this crazy journey which has been my life. It is the result of me deciding to begin living life NOW instead of waiting for [this] or [that] to happen first. It is my rainbow following tears. It is joy after sadness. It is the strength which I am discovering about myself. This is me allowing the artistic creative person who I am to be set FREE in expressing herself. It is me... well... me basically saying "screw it" to confining boxes and role-playing and being influenced by comments regarding the 'appropriateness' [or not] of anything relating to my life and how I am choosing to live it (past, present, and future). Welcome to my life. Take a walk with me while I paint and sew and create 'stuff' for the sheer joy of adding Beauty to my world. Watch me take chances and 'wing-it' in unfamiliar territories, lol. And allow me the opportunity to be honest about who I am and what I need and how I a...