The Rosy Life

Favorite Links and ask me anything (almost)

Happy weekend everyone!

I hope you have some fun planned :) I have some fun links from my favorite spots to share with you today! Then stick around 'till the end because I'm giving you the chance to ask me anything….errr, almost anything.

Creating with Mary: Sketching your new year's intentions

Compassion Bloggers in Ecuador: Flowerpatch Farmgirl

I want to make these.

I made these Valentine's last year! You can find them here.

Now it's your turn!!

Have a question for me? About food, crafting, art, adoption, or something entirely different?!

Ask away in the comments or email me at sunshinebysara@hotmail.com

and I'll gather your questions and write a blog post with the answers next week!

Happy weekend!

Serendipity: the story and a special

Happy Friday friends! I want to share one last story and special with you today, which I hope prompts you toward having some fun this weekend.

You know, "cut a rug",

let your hair down,

invite the serendipitous moments in.

As I look back over the last year or so of my life a giant lesson has been learned for me. I used to over-plan everything. I would list dreams, page after page. I rarely just let things happen. I held on tight to my ideas, plans, and daydreams with a clenched fist. Then, through several of these things not going according to plan I started to let go, open my hand a bit, and let my rigid plans sift through the cracks like sand. Prayer, Bible reading, talks with Brett, and simply time have taught me to not hold so tightly, if to hold at all. The word "serendipity" means "pleasant surprise." And you know what? As I've learned to go with the flow, take one day at a time, and pursue the whole of life as art, I have been pleasantly surprised.

A few of my favorite memories from the past year are camping, going to a concert with my twin and her husband and Brett, traveling to New York, and trying out a new tea shop in town that is simply gorgeous and a favorite from now on. All of these were things it took some faith to say yes to. Take New York City for example. I've wanted to go there my entire life. I decided we should go before our adoption, since we won't be traveling alone for quite some time. I got really excited and then talked myself out of it at least a dozen times. Somehow, I talked myself back into it and hurried to buy the tickets before fear could get the best of me again. I am so, so, SO glad I did! It was by far, the most favorite trip I've ever had with Brett.

So my question for you is….what can you be pleasantly surprised by today? Perhaps leave the "to do" list on the fridge and try out a new restaurant or park instead. Play some music you can really dance to. Cook a new meal with flavors you've never tried. Wander. Daydream.

Embrace serendipity.

This piece ends our "stories" series for now and you can purchase an 8x10 art print all weekend long for half-price (that's $9!). You can find my shop here.

Come back tomorrow for a few fun links and a chance for YOU to ask anything you want!

We are all a beautiful story: The story behind the art and a special

Thank-you all for your enthusiasm and encouragement this week as I've peeled back the layers on my art and shared the story behind it. There is truly a connection to each piece of art I create. Sometimes I forget others can't see inside my crazy thoughts and forget to share the story that is behind each piece. This has been fun for me too!

"We are all a beautiful story" is a piece I painted first many, many months ago in my art journal. Then I painted another piece (the one you see here) just a few weeks ago, as adoption was pounding on my heart. If you've been around the blog for long, you know that I truly believe this. From the people in my community that serve me a smile (like at the post office or the grocery store), to the family members that love us so big, each is beautiful. Ann Voskamp has a quote that says a big heart will trump a big title every time. I have to agree. I don't think big titles, tons of Etsy sales, or thousands of IG followers is what makes our story more beautiful than someone else's. I think it's all about the love. People are really interesting. I am fascinated by people-where they've come from, where they are now, where they're headed.

As we started our adoption process our thinking was mainly one-sided. Us. That's mostly all we were thinking about. As we began to work with Bethany Christian Services our thinking and hearts expanded to make room for the beautiful soul that is also a part of our story now-our birth mom. Not a day goes by that we don't pray for her (multiple times), think about her, and honor her.

I told our case worker that most of the questions I was getting so far were about the process and how when I keep speaking about the birth mom a lot of people don't understand. She reminded me that maybe I could be a voice to help change the perspective on adoption. So today, will you join me in praying for our birth mom (no, we haven't met her yet), and all the other beautiful, brave souls across the world who are united in this miracle called adoption. We are each a part of the other's story, none more important than the other.

And will you see those around you as beautiful stories today?

As living, breathing, walking, interesting stories?

(as always, you can purchase this 8x10 art print here for half-price at $9 for one-day only!)

Happy Camper: the story and a SPECIAL (one-day only!)

This morning I want you to grab a cup of strong coffee and lean in close for one of my most favorite stories and art pieces, "Happy Camper". I remember the early spring morning very well. It was last year and Brett had been working on me for months, wanting to buy a camper. I say "working on me" because I was totally not up for it. I was worried about spending the money, that the girls wouldn't sleep, and that we wouldn't make time to go. Then Brett stumbled across a great deal on Craigslist for a pop-up camper. This was in early enough spring that prices hadn't jumped up yet and I nodded in agreement that we could go look at it. Well, you can figure the rest of this story out for yourself. Once I saw that little adventure on wheels, I was hooked. I'm pretty sure I came home and listened to "Let the good times roll" by Ben Rector and let my imagination run away with me.

I'm ever so glad I did.

Throughout the months of spring and summer and even fall, we had many camping adventures that you simply just can't put a price tag on. There is something in the air about camping that is just magic. It's the early morning fog and sunrise, the campfire smoke and warm breakfast. It's staying up late reading a book and rising early, warm under the covers. It's late nights by the campfire, food so good you don't even think about a restaurant. It's twinkle lights strung on the pop-up, time with cousins and best friends, going for a swim in the river. It's fishing, building sand castles, and hiking. It's country music playing, friend making, outdoor loving, happy camping.

It's all of that and so much more.

It is with great, great excitement we look forward to camping this year!! I'm crossing fingers and toes our sweet baby is with us by then and we can snuggle them in-between Brett and I for early-morning cuddles.

THAT is the story behind "Happy Camper".

For today only, an 8x10 Happy Camper art print is reduced to $9 (that's half-off!)

No code necessary, simply buy here.

**And don't forget, only a few hours left to enter the giveaway for a $50 shop credit! See Monday's blog post***

Beautiful Dreamer: the story behind the art and a SPECIAL!

I really want to be intentional about sharing the story behind my art with the shop re-opening. Sometimes I make pretty things, just to make pretty things. And that is enough. But other times, in fact most often, my heart is deeply connected to the art I'm creating, our stories woven together. It's as if a long thread attaches me to each painting. When a painting sells (especially when it's an original) a bit of me goes along with it. This is my only way to tell if I'm doing my best and being fully myself with both my art and photographs. If they make me feel something, that's my best work. With original paintings, if they're ones I ache a bit at the thought of selling them, or think how I'd really like to keep it myself….that's a sure sign it's my most passionate work and as odd as it sounds, ready to sell.

Today I introduce you to "Beautiful Dreamer." The meaning behind this piece is quite simple to me. We have dandelions almost year-round at the farm and they never, ever cease to delight the girls and I. In fact, we just picked one yesterday. I know to most of the world they are that pesky weed that just won't go away, but to me they're that beautiful dreamer filling up the yard, reminding us over and over to make a wish. Just one more time, slow down time, breathe deep with eyes closed, and make a wish.

There's a quote floating around the internet that says "When you look at a dandelion you can either see a hundred weeds or a hundred wishes." I hope that you choose the wishes and that this art piece is a gentle reminder to do so.

For today only: a special on "Beautiful Dreamer!"

Go here to purchase this 8x10 art print for $9 (that's half-off folks!)

See you tomorrow for another story and special..

Shop Opening and a GIVEAWAY

Happy Monday friends! Are you ready for another week? We had some sunshine this weekend that left me feeling energized and ready to tackle what comes my way. I'm excited to share that my art shop is back up and running, after being on vacation for a couple of months. I don't know what works well for other artists, but I know for me I need space. Space to play, rest, try new ideas, and simply have fun with my art! So that's exactly what I've been up to the past few months and while I'm certainly still having fun, there was a different feeling in the air while the shop was on vacation.

It just freed my fingers up a bit.

You can find my shop here.

If I were to write a few lines about this new collection I'd say that it felt fun, full of joy, deeply personal, and cheerful to me. It felt like putting hope down on the paper as I created each of these pieces.

Some advice I've given myself is to "paint what you know." I suppose that's contrary to what some experts might suggest because there's a whole movement of painting without any end in mind. What I mean is, I gather the colors and ideas that speak loudest to me and then I start and don't stop until I feel that "finished" confirmation in my soul. I paint what my soul knows, which is that art can save, heal, and encourage.

Will our lives be changed by hanging a pretty piece of art? Perhaps not. But I beg to differ. Maybe those few seconds a day of taking in a colorful, whimsical, encouraging word will wiggle their way into the cracks and holes of our days that simply need filling up with something good.

I believe that, you know I do.

I create art because it makes the light shine brighter and the dark less scary.

This post was intended to only be about the big shop re-opening but how could I do that? If I only made art to sell I'm afraid life would feel very empty. Instead, I make art and happen to sell some of it, but a large part of what I make is simply just to fill me up, to express my soul, to feel happy.

It seems only fair I give you a peek into both.

You can find many of these photographs and art prints available as an 8x10 in the shop. There are also a number of original canvases as well as handmade, cedar-framed originals and photographs. I'm proud of these because my husband Brett made them for me!