Christmas is sometimes a hard time of the year for many people. There are many memories of those that have been lost during the year or previous years. Some families have loved ones who are sick and suffering. Sometimes it is hard to feel joy in your heart at these times. I just want to let you know if you are in these situations that you will smile again. The pain will pass and the loving memories stay with you. I am not trying to gloss it over because some days you just don't want to get out of bed but then some mornings you look out the window and see the sunshine and hear the magpies and you want to jump out of bed. And don't forget to talk about those you have lost. Sharing their stories keeps them alive. 

After the rain comes the Beauty.

Just thought I would show you some little treasures I have painted up recently. Trying to keep up a positive message. I think they will make nice cards and prints

Hope you like them,

Dance

My Weekends Work

Just a short few words today because I am excited to be back painting. When life gets busy art is the thing that I don't give my time to but it is the one thing I should put time into. We all have something that makes our time so happy and hours pass quickly because we are doing that one thing we know we should be doing. Maybe it is reading, writing, art or sewing but we all allocate our time to housework, work or things that people do to make money.

What if life was reversed and things that make us happy came first and work came second? Many wouldn't approve but wouldn't there be so many more happy people walking around. Maybe not so much anger built up - less domestic violence, less shootings perhaps.

So if you can give yourself some time for just you and the thing you love. And if you know someone who might be just a little happier if they did that special thing like fishing or reading or whatever they love maybe you can encourage them to give themselves some time each day.

Here is what I have been working on this weekend. An Angel of Love. I hope you like it.

I Shocked Myself Today.

Well today I got a shock. I have returned to my blog which I have been avoiding because of guilt at not writing for awhile but when I looked at the date of my last blog it was one year ago today.

Nobody could be more surprised than me. I have let life get in the way of things I love to do and I haven't written or painted as much as I would love.

John Lennon understood he said that "Life is what happens to you while you 're busy making other plans" and I am sure you can all relate to his words and how it is reflected in your own life.

 Each year that passes I think of how fast time travels for me now. I plan what I want to achieve in a year and usually at the end of the year I have achievements but rarely are they what I had put forward in January. Do I mind?  Not really, because I feel like there is always an underlying force that is guiding me through that ends up placing me where I should be. I look back on things that I have learnt when I was young and I keep finding that those skills or experiences have helped me through life further down the track. Is this an accident or is life really planned for us at birth? I don't think we will know till it is all over but it is a lovely thought isn't it that someone or something is guiding us through.

The reason I am feeling so philosophical is that this week someone I really admired passed away. Many of you may know him, his name is Dr Wayne Dyer. He is a writer, a speaker and a philosopher. I have seen him speak 3 times in my life and he was an example of how to live your life. He spoke of love and dreaming and achieving what you what in life and the true proof of his success was there in his face. He had a pureness and angelicness (if that were a word) that shone from him and he loved life but he also was looking forward to the next adventure he was going to experience when he passed. I will miss him in this world as so many will but I am glad I got to hear his words.

Just as a last extra to this catch up I want to leave you with one of those unexplained things in life that I was talking of where you are guided towards something rather than head towards it yourself. 

A couple of years ago I was doing some classes where they were talking about using neutral colours which, if you know my work, it is not really me. I love colour and mixing them to create happy pictures. 

So to learn something new  I attempted a background with neutral colours and thought I would later paint something in the foreground of more interest. I let it sit for a few weeks so I could think about this new style. One day whilst putting my shoes on, I happened to stare at the painting and something jumped out at me from the background. I had never seen it before but remembered asking for guidance when I was painting it because it was so different to what I would normally do. It seems someone was guiding me. Have a look yourself and see if you can see what I and many people I know have also seen. If you see something leave a comment below or email me at wjw62@hotmail.com or come and see me at www.facebook.com/wendywinstoncreations  and leave me a message.

I would love to see what you see.

My own products

Throw Pillow

This is just a short blog to let you all know I am selling my products on Society 6. They sell a variety of items made up with my original photos and paintings.

Tote Bag

It is lovely to see my work not only on prints but on household items such as pillows clocks bags. They make me smile and I hope they do the same for you.

Print

There will be many more to follow and I hope you will come back and have a look as my range grows.

Mug

Clock

So head on over and let me know what you think.

http://society6.com/wendywinston/wall-clocks

1 Year Anniversary

Flowers from Work

This week was an anniversary of sorts for me. I have been in my new job for 12 months. 1 year of my life and it has been a happy year. I remember that first day and my nervousness. I was to begin in a job that I knew nothing about and was concerned about remembering all this new information. 

When you are twenty or so and you start a new job you are so sure of yourself because at that stage of your life you are bulletproof. Your confidence will see you through. But as you get older sometimes the bruises and battles you may have had to endure in workplaces make you unsure or nervous about your self. I had been through such an experience in my previous job. I worked for an angry man that impacted my life. Work doesn't just stay with you in those work hours it comes home and becomes part of you. 

What a great pleasure to now work with people who are kind and generous with their knowledge and experience. Every day I am happy to go to work. Each day I have different things happening and although it is a administrative position - no two days are the same.

You know we all have a choice in life and some people choose to make others lives unhappy and every day a battle but yet others take the road of support and encouragement. Which person are you or do you want to be - it is a choice?

The truth is you don't know what effect you might have on someone's life. Look at our beloved actor Robin Williams - on that particular day he left us, life was too much for him but the next day or the day after he may have felt safe and happy again . I don't think he realised what influence he had on others, because there has been such a big out pouring of love for him. He gave us all so much happiness and so many lesson on life. He taught us 

 "Carpe Diem. Seize the day, boys ! Make your lives extraordinary"

"All you have to do is think one happy thought and you'll fly like me"

"To live would be an awfully big adventure"

We never know what a kind word to a stranger or the people you work with may change the whole outlook for the day.So give and receive kindness at work, at home or  on the street.You can make a difference and share someone's load - it happened to me and I always try to pass it on to others.