The Curiosity Shop

Would you like to hear a story?

One day, there were three girls, four if you count the one month old sweet baby girl in the back seat, who wanted to go for a drive. It was one of thos days, when you hate all men, and absolutly nothing seems to be going your way. Basically, it was a Man-Hating day (ladies, you know you've been there). We had very little money, maybe $20 or so, but we had a car, an iPod, and an already full tank of gas. So what to do? We got in the car, and drove. Where were we going? No idea. What were we doing? Singing and driving. In the country. Talking about how we hated men. We laughed, we cried, we may have gotten a little cranky, but hey, what did you expect?

As we were driving in the country, we passed a sign. What did it say?



A sign for Curiosity Shop. Well, what exactly WAS a curiosity shop? We decided it would be best if we turned around and went back to see what exactly, this place was.
We had stumbled upon an antique shop. Run by an older manand wife. The older gentlemen directed us back, opened the door, and we stepped into what we like to refer to as a Narnian Door.

A door to many untold wonders. Jewelry, couches, books, tea pots, elephant table stands. Who's treasures beguiled us and drew us in...it was lovely. The man left us alone for a while, and this to amazed us. In a world so crazy, so complicated, so ful of people who might be cruel, he trusted us. Perhaps is the was the baby that made hs trust us...perhaps he knew that we were not the stealing type. He evtualy came in a talked about the shop.

Twenty years they had been running this shop. It was mainly his wife's shop, he very loveingly supported her. He didn't see the use for the "junk" but his wife loved it, so he supported her...I pray to God that we can all find love like that.

We poked around, and eventualy left this little treasure. We talked all the way home about the amazing place that is known as the Curiosity Shop. Will we go there again? Sadly, the man and his wife were moving soon...and the shop would be closed...however, for one day, in that time and place, we stumbled upon something amazing and wonderful, and so worth turning around to explore.

You see, the best things in life don't happen when you plan them. It's when you just go that you find something amazing. I took from this a life lesson that I will hold with me all of my days.

Beautiful things can be found...when you stop looking for them.

Here are a few of the treasures that we found.

GodArt, Coming Soon

There's an artist I know, and he's amazing. He creates things in a way that I will never be able to. He does things that I will never be able to do. He has more imagination and spark and love for what He does than I will ever have in one day. I've never seen anything like it before in my life...

He created mountains, so clear that you can see them for miles and miles and miles. And when it rains, you can see where teh ain stops and where it starts.

He gave us the ability ro create life, precious Amazing life. Tangible life, a baby that can be help in our hands. Never, in all my life, have a seen anything more beautiful than a woman giving birth. Never have I seen something more beautiful, than a child coming to this world, to add to it, to create something new and lovely that no other person could create.

He created the Sea. The powerful Ocean, that has tides, that flows, that lives, breathes and moves and does things that we still don't know about. The colors under the water are so bright and so vivid and flowing all the time...it's amazing to see. Amazing to know that He took the time to create all this...all this for us...

"When I consider your Heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" Psalm 8:3&4

Coming Soon from Maddie, A new Blog, dedicated to GodArt.

Ponder Away

I've been really busy, and when I'm busy, writing is the last thing on my mind...
So, let's ponder together, what have I been doing?

Working
I work a lot right now, it's part of that growing up and making sure you have gas in the car thing. I like my work, I think it's fun...but it's tedious. It's hard. But there are people out there begging for jobs, so I'm thankful. I'm well-liked, I do my job well, work isn't all that hard. It leaves my afternoons free, which makes me very happy. Which leads me to what else I've been doing...

Dancing
I'd forgotten how much I just like to dance! And for the record, I'm not a dancer, I'm not good at it, I don't do it all that well, and most of the time I look like a five-year-old who is who is stomping around with their hands in the air. But when I have my iPod on, with my one playlist with all me "dance" music, I just feel good. And I love to just feel good. I don't care who sees me, I don't care what they think, in fact, I think people should dance more.

Here are song of my favoriete songs to dance to:
I'm not Your Boyfriend, 3OH!3
I'm Feeling Good, Micheal Buble
The Way You Make Me Feel, Micheal Jackson
Cottan Eyed Joe and the Cha Cha Slide and the Electric Slide
Untouched, The Veronicas
Stop and Stare, Say, & All the Right Moves, OneRepublic
Dance Dance, Fall Out Boy
Shake It, Metro Station
Super Massive Black Hole, Muse
Just Dance, Lay Gaga

And those are just a few. :)

I would encourage everyone to dance, someway, somehow, somewhere. Just go. Stop being worried about who will see you and what they will say. Dancing has helped me a lot...it was good for me. Try it. See what happens.

Painting
I'm always painting something. A good friend of mine recently gave me an eisle, a huge one. One that stands up! I don't have to sit on my floor to paint anymore! What's even more exciting is that it colaspes and I can take it with me when I go out into the woods! I can go paint in the woods! I'm very excited about this, I really am. Anywho...:) I'm working on three paintings, currently, all about the things that I do in the morning, and three things that I love dearly, when I have them finished, I'll be sure to show everyone. :)

Dreaming
Literally. I have been having the craziest dreams, night after night. For the most par they've been fairly funny, and I wake up laughing. But last night, it was different. It was vivid and it was about my Daddy and it was about something that I used to do...and it as sad. Really sad. I hope I stop dreaming for a little while after this...I'm not sure I could handle another one like it.

That's about it! Thanks for tuning in and keep on the look out for more from the brain of Maddie!

Matthew 6:26 and Psalm 8:3&4

This painting started this weekend, when I met God in a room full of people who were worshiping Him. He told me, You need to stop worrying, and stop fearing this. This is what I want from you, this is what I'm asking. Trust me with it. Other people were on their feet, hands lifted worshipping him. I was hunddled in my chair, sobbing over the love of God. There are things I am worried about, there are things that He is asking me to do that I don't want to do. And I still didn't want to listen. I said, "God, you've gotta give me some sort of sign here or something, confirm this, please!" He did. I know, exactly, what it is He wants me to do, granted, I really don't want to do it. That day, our church sat out on some grass and ate lunch. I laid back and realized how beautiful the leaves were and took pictures. Today I painted those leaves...but...something was missing. A purple bird came to mind, so I painted it. And then I realized. "Why do you worry about things? Don't I take care of you? See the birds, see them, do they worry? Do they freak out? No. No they don't, and I still take care of them. I feed them! And they're just birds, something I put on this Earth for you to enjoy! Don't you know you are much more valuable than they are?" [based off Matthew 6:26, paraphrased]

Now I have a painting commemorating what He has spoken to me.




This painting...ohhh this painting. I had this canvas for months, and I had NO IDEA what to do with it. And then finally, FINALLY, I get this idea, and I start playing with the leaves and the purple...but once again, something was just missing. While this was going on, a good friend of mine had a baby and I was pirviledged enough to see the birth of my god-child, Juilet. On my way out of the hospital, something on the ground caught my eye. It was a butterfly. I took a picture, came home, and translated it to this painting. I added the verse, because God has made all these intricate things. Butterflies, platypus, trees, flowers, giraffs...He is SO creative, and yet...He loves us. Amazing, don't you think?

I did. Now I have a painting on my wall to commemorate God's creativity.

Art Talk

Have you ever met a like minded friend? One you can talk to about the things in life you are most passionate and fondest of? Introduce me to someone who loves Art and loves God and we can be instant friends.

I made an istant friend. And she and I went out together today. There was Micheals, where I bought some primary paint. In that store we stayed and talked and walked and giggled and shared ideas and talked about things we wanted to do, and projects we had seen, what we liked what we didn't like. We discussed our favorite artists, brushes, paints, styles, everything. And then...we headed down the sidewalk to Borders. All the books filled our heads, and we stayed and talked for some time. There were journals that we talked of filling, books we talked of reading, and movies we talked about liking. We sat in the floor and discussed the Bible, the chronological Bible, and the Canon, and ESV (English Standard Version). We shared books that we liked, and that we didn't like. I told her about Francince Rivers and Frank Perreti. She told me about a few books that I haven't read, that I NEED to read. Keep in mind, this all started around 2 this afternoon. We thought it was about 4, maybe 3:30, at the latest. We looked at the clock. 4:00 had come and gone and we were going on 5:00. When great minds get together, time means nothing.

It's been a while since I could just GO and talk about things I loved with someone. I feel like I made a valuable friendship today, and now I have someone to talk to. Someone who understands, and gets excited about the same things I get excited about. Someone who loves God passionatly and whole heartedly, and who shares my immense and scary love for Art.

I'm exhausted. But I feel so blessed today, that I just wanted to share that with everyone. :)

Creativity, Day.13

The Saturated Palette: Ten for Creativity Day.13

Pictures that inspire me? I could go on and on and on about things that inspire me, I like pictures, I like pictures alot. Let me take a gander at whats out there, and come back to you!







So these are the pictures that I found, that inspire me, and I can tell you why.

The first two are pictures from Skyline Drive, which...let me tell you, I could spend days there. Days. I love the way it looks, how peaceful it all is...it's one of the places that I truly love in Front Royal and thats saying alot

The last two are pictures of people who are simply worshiping God, which corresponds to some paintings that I've been working. The concept of Jubilee, and letting go of yourself to worship the God and Creator...well that makes me happy.


Follow the link at the top of hte page and take ten for creativity! Support the arts in your own life, and don't forget that you can take two seconds to simply be CREATIVE. :)

-Maddie

Bad Days

We all have them. Yet somehow, no matter what, they knock us off our feet.

But mine haven't been bad days, mine have been bad weeks, bad monthes, and a bad year. I'm waiting for the Light at the end of the tunnel, but some days [like today] I'm stuck in darkness and don't care about Light, about People, about Anyone.

So I'm going to turn off my phone, and go to sleep. And maybe when I wake up, it'll be all better. Maybe. Even if it's not, I'll be well rested and ready to face it all again.

Maddie

The Park

Have you ever noticed that in places that are known for their art, people are out sketching all the time, and it's not unusual to see someone sitting and just drawing? Have you realized that here in the States we don't see that nearly as often?

That's why I felt so conspicuous the other day at the park. I sat on the bench, had some cool music on, and was just drawing. People didn't really stay still, so I couldn't draw details, which was ok. But I felt so...so odd, sitting there, sketch pad out, looking intently at people. But for what I saw, I think I did pretty good. :)

But the greatest thing that happened at the park, on that bench, were the three children, who were curious, and who asked.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turn to see two little girls and a little boy. They asked me what I was doing, and I showed them. Childlike awe. They were awed by these little drawings that I had done, drawings that I thought were insignificant and poorly drawn. They saw Picasso in my work. The older looking girl asks, "Can you draw us?" I said yes, but warned them that I was still learning, and that I wasn't THAT good. They didn't care. So I drew them.

They thought it was amazing, so they asked if I would draw their little brother. I did.

They talked to me as I drew, they told their names, schools, ages, and what they liked to draw and paint and create. They told me that they weren't sisters, but best friends, and the boy was the brother of the older girl. They begged me to come meet their Gram, who celebrated the fact that there was someone drawing in the park.

Here's the thing though, my art could have been scribbleing and they would have thought it was good. I could have made tentacles coming out of their heads, and they would have thought it was good. Art to them wasn't about how porpotioned something was, or how accurate the placement of the nose was, it was just a drawing. And I was the girl who attempted, and that was enough for them.

Thos kids made my day. Maybe they made my week. And I'm going to start drawing in the park. And hopefully, I'll meet some more kids, who are curious about Art, and want to be drawn. Because hey, I can always use the practice, and kids are so non-judgmental...it was so beautiful. :)

Maddie

Exposing Light

"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,

along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;

I will turn the darkness into light before them

and make the rough places smooth.

These are the things I will do;

I will not forsake them."

-Isaiah 42:16

I think the Bible is the best source of inspiration I've ever had. There are no words, no painting, nothing that could tell you the source of joy, hope, love, and conviction I've gotten from one book.

Lately, I've been trying to put what I see in my head when I read a verse to canvas. This is the first of many more that I hope to share with the world. There are so many references in the Bible to Light. Wonderful Light. Amazing Light. Exposing Light. Loving Light. Light that leads when you don't see the path, Light that exposes when you didn't think that anything was even wrong.

When I read this verse in Isaiah, I stopped and re-read it. Then I read it again, and again and I want to memorize it, to "write it on the tablet of my heart". In my mind, I saw the trees, growing tall and strong, and blocking the way, making darkness with their shadows. And then I saw the Light, beaming through, showing the path, making a way...when before, I didn't see a way.

I'm reminded of a song, "Into Marvelous Light I'm running, out of darkness, out of shame."

Do you ever get pictures in your head while you read the love letter sent by God?

Yes! and "Held"

Why are we so afraid to create? What stops us? What makes us think, "No, I can't do that?" Who says? Who says I can't paint, whenever, where ever, and what ever I want? Who makes those rules? Who decided that to paint you had to be Picasso? Rembrant? Dahli? When and why did people put such rules on art?

Do you want to know what I paint? I paint emotions. All the crazy mixed up emotions that I feel, no matter what they are. I have "dark" paintings, ones that I don't always let people see, because they are my feelings, and maybe that day, I felt like crap. I have paintings that I don't remember doing because I was so angry/upset/hurt/crying/happy/joyous/amazed...whatever. It doesn't matter. And there are paintings that I have where I look at them and go, "YES!" I am amazing. And there are days when there is an idea in my head, and if I do'nt put it out somehow, it will explode in my head. I live for those days.

Here's what happened today:

So? So you may say? What is this about? Why do you think that this is so good? What's so good about this? What's god about this, is that it is mine. Mine. My idea, my love, my passion, and all from an idea I was working on at work yesterday! I have sketch after sketch of this idea, and only when I was painting it today, did I feel led to add otehr arms, holding the people, who are holding the child. Because we are all held, by a power that is bigger than us, and I can only imagion what it would feel like to held like this...in fact, I'm sure I am being held like this, by a God who loves me. Title of this series? "Held"





I haven't painted in a while, and it wasn't until I realized that I hadn't, that I had this inexpliciable urge to go DO something. Last week, I painted a picture of a lone chair. Why? Because I felt like a lonely chair. A chair that wanted to be used and appriciated, and with other chairs. And if that's how I have to express myself, then so what! So what if I'm not the most talented, so what if other people are "better" than me, so what if there are days when my paintings make no sense to anyone else. They make sense to me, and maybe, just maybe, someone else will see it, and say, "Hey, I've felt like that before."

I'm just so sick of being afraid to create because of what others will think. Because, when it comes down to it, am I creating to please you? No, I'm painting, I'm creating, because it's in my nature, and I like to paint my feelings on canvas.

So. There you have it, I had a "Yes!" kinda day, and had I tried to keep that in, I would have s'ploded, and let's be honest, no one wants that. :)

Please, go create something. Anything. Use anything, do anything, stop being afraid. If it's in you to do, then it's there for a reason, and should not be contained...let it be free.

Realizations and Adventures

I hate when you realize something that you were trying not to think about.

It hit me today, the realization that I still do not love this place. Let me explain, every other place that I've lived, I've wanted to live there. Every other place I've lived, I've invited people to come to Church with me. Every other place I've lived, I've prayed for that town. Have I for this one? No. I have no passion for this place, and I feel like I'm hurting it (as a whole) rather thank helping it. I don't want to be here anymore.

I don't paint as much anymore, did you know that? My brushes are lying dejected on the floor, sprawled out, calling to me, and I leave them there. I have books in boxes that I haven't unpacked, because I don't want to admit to myself that I am indeed still here in Front Royal. Four years. I've been here four years, and I still hold no love in my heart for this place. And that is not for lack of trying. I've tried very hard to love this place, I've put on a very good face. But honestly? Here's what's sad, I wouldn't mind if the whole place went up in smoke.

I keep hearing "God has a reason for you being here Maddie." And I know there is truth in that, but can that become a crutch? When does that ever stop? Am I hindering His plan by being here, is there somewhere else I should be? Some place that I will actually love, and show some passion for? Someplace that makes me happy? That's what really hit me hard, I'm really unhappy here, I have my reasons. And I can't help but feel like God would want me to be this unhappy. Never have I blown up at my friends like I have here, never before have I done some of the things I've done. It's tearing me down, and I can't do it any more.

I can't stay here. I need to get out. And soon.

I feel like such a failure, in not loving this place. Because I had passion for people in Nicholson, I had passion for people in Virginia Beach...I have no passion for people here. Something is off, and I've got to fix.

The more I read my Bible the more it tells me that God will lead me in the way to go. I surely hope so, because here in the next week, I'm going to make a choice, one that truly will change my life, and it scares the hect out of me. Not gonna lie.

So I ask for you prayers as I embark on doing what God wants me to do. It's such an adventure, life is, it certainly is never boring. And sometimes, it's just really really hard...I'm glad He's holding my hand through this, because if He wasn't, I wouldn't be able to handle it.

Sunshine and Tutu's

I ran away into the woods. Because honestly, I didn't know what to do this time. I was hit with a curveball, and there are some that would think that my curveball was trivial, but to me, it was huge, and it was everything. And I...I was overwhelmed. There is so much clutter in this world, in my room, in my life, that I needed to be somewhere simple. Somewhere, where nothing matters. How I look doesn't matter, what I'm going through doesn't matter, nothing matters except was is, and what is already there. I wore a tutu in the woods. I laid in the sun. I drew pictures of a friend. I let the sunshine surround me and I let it swallow me up, and I just didn't think for a while. It was brilliant.



I might go back up the woods again soon. I might take my Bible and some worhsip music and seek God on a mountain, seek some of those answers I am in deseprate need of. But for now, I'm thankful for the sunshine, and being able to finally feel like I can indeed face this.

Adding Color

Tye-Dye. It's one of the many things that brings people together. I dare you, go to a friend and say, "Hey you wanna tye-dye some things with me?"

It doesn't take long, adds awesome colors to your life, and is a great way to be creative.

I tye-dyed with a friend for her birthday, she turned 20, we tye-dyed things, because we are, at heart, five years old. And honestly, it's just plain fun. :)

Not only get I get to spend the day outside, I got to spend the day outside with one of my best friends, adding color to our lives, and making awesome memories.

When was the last time you dyed white things to add color to life?