I HAVE MOVED TO WORDPRESS !!!!!

Dear friends and readers, please note that I have decided to blog with Wordpress.
 

 Today I have already published  by first post with this platform.
Please find me at http://embidgloria.com/

Thank you for your patience.
 

Love and light always
Gloria..xxx

The Tag on Heart over Mind

Hello friends and readers,

Just a quick post this week to show you the finished tag on Heart over Mind, a subject I believe in so much.. Please take a minute of you time and join me in the following exercise:

Lets breath: ....mmmmm...inhale...mmmm..and exhale...., a few times...., now focus in your heart..., listen to its beats..., keep breathing slowly and keep listening to your heart..., feel your heart opening..., keep breathing and keep listening... Please try to do this little exercise a few times a day, or whenever you feel it appropriate, it works wonders. Certainly we must try it to do everyday, even if it is only once..

My first sketch on this tag it happened while I was working in the office (I think I mentioned to you that I am a civil servant for UN, in London), when I was really stressed and felt the need to stop and breath and detach completely from what I was doing..., I took a moment, and begun breathing and listening to my heart... I took my pencil and focusing on my heart, I left my mind wonder while listening to the beautiful rhythm of my heart, I begun to sketch allowing the soothing image begin to emerge, I then took my iphone and taped what I could (I know you have already seen it but for those who have not, here it is)..

 

 

Our hearts do much more than plumbing blood to our bodies, scientists now have confirmed that the heart has its own brain called the neuro-inteligents. We also now know that our hearts send the signal to the brain that triggers the chemistry in the brain that is released into the body.....mmmmm... amazing staff, don't you think...., and it is all related to the way we feel.. The electrical signal between the heart and the brain is the key of understanding this relationship and when we are in what is called 'coherence' is when we are sending the optimal signals between our heart and our brain, the brain sends the healing chemistry to the body and even our anti-aging hormes increase enormously... So, now we know it is all about 'coherence' a magical word I need to learn more about... (thanks Gregg!)

I have learnt a lot from Gregg Braden (internationally renowned as a pioneer in bridging science, spirituality and the real world) who speaks about this subject an alike, he is an amazing interesting and knowledgeable man..  I will never forget reading my first book from him years ago called 'the science of miracles', please check it out, is just absolutely food for thought.. In my opinion this book is a must know knowledge for understanding our reality, for growth and for healing..

I am very happy with the final result of my tag, which I have become very attached to.. it is very closed to my heart, never better said...hahaha.. I hope you like it... Here are a few more photos:

 

 

Here is a little video:

 

 

 

And here is a final shot of the completed final tag, which I find very healing and soothing.

 

 



 



As I mentioned earlier this tag is very special to me, but I decided that should any of you really wish to have it, I am prepare to give it away... No requirements, just send me an email with your address and I will post it to you..

Thank you for your patience and your loyalty to keep reading my posts, I really hope that some of you are being inspired and healed by it... 

Love and light for ever and ever...x

A Tag on Heart over Mind

 Hello readers and friends,

"When the heart speaks, the mind finds it indicent to object"

- Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being

I am becoming more and more aware that I am choosing to live my life with a cheerful, joyful and freedom-loving heart; that I want to choose to think from my heart, not from my mind, however difficult this transition might be at times (most of the time..hahaha!)... I see the mind as a conduit of the soul, and I believe the heart gets the inspiration from the soul.. The knowing that we all experience from time to time, or the intuition as most of us call it, are an overwhelming feeling that can only come from the depth of our being and from every cell in our body... Haven't we all experienced that when our decision-making comes from our heart (the power house, the core of our being), the outcome is always so magical, so perfect..  More that ever before so many people are making drastic changes in their lives, professionally and personally that perhaps makes no sense for many people who look at it from the mind point of view.. Last week, for instance, I attended a conference in London  on 'Raw Food' (another subject for another day!!!) and one of the speakers who for many years had a very lucrative job in the famous Silicon Valley, decided to leave it and to become a lecurer on something that his heart told him it was the best for him.., (and indeed it was!!).. 

 

Like you, I so many times wonder, what give the people the courage to make drastic changes in their lifes? The answer I always get is the same: the courage can only come from the heart.. Certainly for me, I find thinking from my mind very fragmentated, but whenever I manage to think from my heart, I find it very spiritual, very holistic, a feeling I must always trust, specially now days when my personal life is about to crumble...

 

Despite my trying to excercise the thinking from the heart, I find extremely difficult to stop my mind and therefore I trust that an opend heart and an open mind will yield the best results.. what do you think?

Here is my first picture of my tag I am trying to finalise...

 

and here are some videos on the making of the tag (ipad on one hand and paint on the other, very difficult !!!)..

 



Yes, those brown bits I tried to glue are dry leaves I picked up from the park yesterday while playing and running with my son.. The ground was covered in leaves, those beautiful yellows, oranges, reds and brown colours.. The beautiful colours of autum I love... Si, el otoño está a la vuelta de la equina.. 

 

It was 1.30am last night (London time), and since there was no planning what so ever in the making of this tag, I was too tired and I'd lost the momentum... So, I just couldn't finalise it, so sorry.. I will continue tonight..

 

 

Thank you for your patience, I hope is worth it..

I am back

Dear readers,

It has been so long since I have published my last post that I feel a bit lost, not only lost for words to write, but also lost on my painting skills; at the same time my inner-self urge me to tell you how much I have missed painting, crafting and writing to you sharing my thoughts and my work.. so, I am back and thanks to those who I know are reading this blog, Ilittle by little I will be getting my motivation and inspiration back... Time, time, time, why are you passing by so fast... I need a bit more of you, 'time'.. I ask the Universe to provide me with more time, but I am grateful of the little free time I've got...

If you ever get frustrated by the lack of time, as I do, please think in the words form Willian Penn, when he said: "Time is what we want most, but what we use worst".. hhhhhuuuuu.. like me, many of you will identify with these words...
 

I have returned from my holidays in Spain (a very hectic holidays in fact. Despite how wonderful and loving my family is, they can also be too sofocating for me.., too much emotioanl preassure.. I ended in hospital with a bad anxiety attack, but I wouldn't bore you with details; it was all my fault for not having been able to establish some limits from the beginning..), which overall were enjoyable and the weather was fantastic. This quote reflects very well part of what I am trying to express..
 

"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you." -Carl Sandburg 

 

I  am so happy and content being back in London.., I feeI I can breath.., yes, breathhhhhhh.... My innerchild that felt so constrained during part of my holidays, feels free to play again... It is hard to explain the profound feeling of being the owner of your own decisions, likes and dislikes... I was also very happy to come back to the office where I work that I felt like taking a little video of my desk (sorry about the mess...) to share with you.. 

The best of every morning when I satdown at my workstation is seeing pictures of my son and realising the difference between the pictures... Time is passing...Ohhh!!!!..so sad in a way and so beautiful in another...

"Time has been transformed, and we have changed; it has advanced and set us in motion; it has unveiled its face, inspiring us with bewilderment and exhilaration". - Khalil Gibran

Do you remember this video?

 

 

and this one?

 



 

I was thinking to make a tag from the above sketch.. I redraw my original sketch again onto a piece of paper and then I tear it off and decided to stick it onto of a piece of card-stock from one of my abstract backgrounds. So far this is what I've got, which is not much, but since it is going to take me time to be inspirted on how to finish it, I thought I would post what I have and who knows, maybe you will get some inspiration, which I hope you can share it with me to get me inspired..(uff!, these last words sounded like a riddle...hahaha)..

 

 

 



 

Thank you ciber-friends for reading, I really apreciate you...





Gorillas in the Mist

L

Hola a todos mis lectores, gracias por vuestra amabilidad (=thank you to all my readers, thanks for your kindnes)

My dear friend and colleague Janet (she is the nurse in the organization where I work) is going to Rwanda to visit the mountain gorillas next month.  The love for the gorillas is something we both share. 

Janet has been going to Africa (Uganda) a few times (her second home as she call it!!) visiting the local school and helping in the supply of all the first aid kit, while working as a volunteer nurse. 

Coming back to the love for the gorillas, a long time ago I made this hand painted book mark for Janet and she loved it. It was a watercolor little painting, I did not finished it as a proper tag, I just plastified it at the time, but I will probably be making another tags with this image in the near future.

 

 

This time wanted to make a little ‘accordion book’ for Janet to take with her and use it exclusively for her brief, but amazing, visit to the mountains gorillas in Rwanda.

A long time ago I watched the famous and true history film (1988) called ‘Gorillas in the Mist’ starring Sigourney Weaver as naturalist Dian Fossey.  It tells the true-life story of Dian’s work in Rwanda with Mountain Gorillas. Her history deeply touched my heart… There are so many women making a difference in this world… Dian was certainly one of them …

 

With this though in mind, I proceed to create the mini book..

 

I am sure you have already seen many videos on how to make this mini book form a single 12”x12” page, if not, send me an email, (I was told that the 'comments' box don't work at all and I don't know how to fix it), and I will try to make a little vide showing how I did it. ..

 

First an image of the so called 'accordeon' book already folded...

 

 

Some videos of the original colour scheme, which as you will see it changed its look completely by the time it was finished...jejeje...

 

Working at the kitchen table at home, as it was very hot in the atic.. London is very, very hot at the moment... :-) ... Don't we love the heat.... (no complaints!)..

 

 

 

 

 

 As you can see, I changed my mind as I felt it needed to be green, I wanted the feel the jungle while I was creating it... So I decide to do another one with more feeling on it...

 

Here is the front of the mini book:

 

 

There are three further pictures I am trying to upload, but the system does not allow me to, and this little video does not show the inside with the extra pockets and tabs.. So sorry, I will show it to you in another post. Today, I gave it to my colleague and she absolutely loved it.. I was very pleased as this was my first try on these mini books and I put a lot of work and emotion into it.. 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed making it and sending my love to Dian and the gorillas on the way...

I couldn’t finish this post without sharing with you one of her famous quote:

 

“When you realize the value of all life, you dwell less on what is past and concentrate on the preservation of the future” – Dian Fossey

Thank you all for taking the time in reading this post.

Love and light always..xx

(P.S. I will be in Spain from tomorrow until the firs week of September.)

A quick folding book for Saul

Hola a todos.. :-)

" So many books, so little time " - Frank Zappa

Yes, I looooove books... En español tenemos un dicho (= we have a saying) que dice:  El saber no ocupa lugar, pero mi casa está llena de libros. (=knowledge does not take place, but my house is full of books..)..  Me encanta.. (I love this saying)...jejejeje... Its so true!!!

" Books are a uniquely portable magic"  -Stephen King

In this post I wanted to show you the folding book I have created for Saul, my toddler, to deceorate during our holidays in Spain next month.

Because...

"Books support us in our solitude and keep us from being a burden to ourselves" 

- Jeremy Collier

I thought this project would be great to get Saul involved in creating an story with paint collage and drawings..   The idea originated from this lovely blue book that his cousin from Spain gave him as a present last year. The book is all about finding 'blue' things. Here is a little video of it.

Saul absolutely loves this book. The fact that he has to open it and close it in such a way means fun for him. So, I thought it would be a great idea to make one for Saul to coloure and scribble during the hols.

I begun by taking a templete from the original book onto a large card stock, I think the size is A1, but I am not quite sure.

As you know I still cannot video-tape 'hands-free', so that is why I take the video after I have done it.

 Then, I cut it out... 

but, before I cut it off, I scored it on the right places as per the original book, and then I folded it.. Ah!, I forgot to mention that I also added the dot of Velcro for closing the book.

Excellent... It does closes well... Great!

and lastly I covered it with gesso..

For being my first time creating such a project, I am very pleased with the results. Please try it yourself and have fun making it.. Your children will love it and I also think if you decorate it yourself it will make a very good present for any child..

When I was younger I used to watch the films from Groucho Marx..., and I loved them.. Oh!.. the laughter I used to had was exhilarating..  So, when I came across this great quote from him I just had to keep it and find the right time to share it with you.. That time is right now...

" I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room to read a book " - Groucho Marx 

 

This quiot brought into my mind the fact that I have not yet introduced the TV to my son . Our set, like in most of houses, is located in the sitting room, but Saul has not yet asked to watch it, and I really hope he waits a bit longer before to be enchanted by the set.. Although I remember to watch TV when I was young, I fully believe it stops creativity and imagination, which I had always been struggling with...

Saul is only 4 years old and I think the ipad is already too much (I introduced it to him about 2 months ago and he loves it) of a technology for such a youg mind. So, I try my best to entertain and play with Saul every evening enough for him not to miss it... and.. it works... It is only when he finds himself getting bord that he asks for the ipad... 

 

"TV.  If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they'll have with twenty-six.  Open your child's imagination.  Open a book"   -Author Unknow

 

 

I hope you enjoy trying out the making of this book, or maybe even better ones, and thanks for reading. I really appreciate your support..

 

L&L always..x

Contadinak Seed Pocket inspiration

It was been a while since my last post and I realy apologise to all of you reading my blog. Just for you guys it is alwasy worht it to keep sharing my artistic work, inspiration, ideas and insgihts along the way....

Todavía sigo teniendo una vida muy intensa = I still keep having a very intensive life.

It has been great to have had my mother staying with us for the last five weeks, but at the same time very stressful. She is wonderful, but she tends to impose her way at all times, if you know what I mean.. It felt like I was back at home when I was younger.... Most of the Spanish mothers are like this; if there is any Spanish reader following this post, I am sure will understand what I am saying..jejejeje....  Nevertheless, my mother was great and enjoying very much her staying.. She was also a great moral support with my troubles and understood my feelings and with regards to my concerns about my unhappy marriage...

In the happy front, my mother enjoyed her grandchild so much she even engaged in dancing and I couldn't resist to take a little video... This will make you laugh, not doubt!
  

 

(bless her, she is going to be 86 years old next August).

Now lets talk about art..

Recently, I came accross with the following quote (me encantan las citas=I love quotes).

"The fact that I can plant a  seed and it bacomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's,  smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises". - Leo Buscaglia
 

Not only I found it very inspirational indeed, but also it gave me the urge to decorate what they call a 'seed pocket', which not only is for collecting seeds, but also it can be used for keeping fotographs, notes or anything you could think of.. I thought this urge came at the right moment, specially after having watched recently a video in YouTube by ContadinaK, which most of you will probably recognize a bit of her style in my design...  Contadinak is a great artist and find her videos very entertained and delightfull to watch as they have such a good quality... Check her out (I do not have her link in this moment) in YouTube..

It was the birthday of one of my colleagues called NANCY, so I took the opportunity to create one seed pocket for her and here is the result. (Sorry I could not take pictures from the beginning to the end as it was at night time when I did it and I did not have my iphone by hand... Yes, I must get a proper camara to create proper videos... Does anyone know which camara would be the most adequately and cost effective ?.... Please drop me a line, I would apreciate it very much..)

This is the front:




and this is the back...




My coleague really loved it, but I wasn't completely happy as I created it too quickly and I would have liked to work a bit more it, specially in the back of the pocket...

I enjoyed very much the exercise and I should be making more of them..

And talking about 'Seeds', I could not leave you without this wonderful quote to close this post with some more wisdom.... :-)

" Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another " - Napoleon Hill

Are you still painting?... I hope you are... :-)

Thank you for reading...xxx