G is for…

       is for generosity

My peonies began blooming this week.  They always seem other-worldly to me with their enormous ruffly blooms and that intoxicating scent.   And when I see them I always think about generosity.  Is there a flower more generous with its unfolding – layer after layer, ruffle after ruffle? 

And in honor of my beautiful peony friends, here is my contribution to today’s ICAD challenge:

I’ve been musing about all the ways generosity shows up in my life – and particularly the generosity of my friends.   I’m showered with so much love and kindness, and I hope that’s true for you as well.  And it makes me wonder what delicious ways I can be more generous.

I’m reminded of the quote, author unknown, which is often mis-attributed to John Wesley:

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”

Isn’t that a lovely manifesto?

While Tammy of Daisy Yellow is busy these next couple of months running the ICAD challenge, Diane of CraftyPod is taking up the Friday link-love mission banner.  Do stop over and check out the finds.

Here’s my contribution for this week of blogs that spark my creativity:

Quinn McDonald of QuinnCreative has a post this week about sycamore bark paper.   I love bark, I love sycamore trees, I love paper – win, win, win!  I’ve worked with birch before, and I’ve got a piece I’m planning on using for a journal cover, but this article has me inspired in all kinds of new ways.  

Lisa Sonora Beam toured Frida Kahlo’s studio and posted a wonderul series of photographs that simply have me swooning.  Pure delight!  

Laura Ottina’s  blog Animarium is a delightful potpourri of graphic design finds, book illustrations, and assorted other wonders with animal themes.  I’m linking to her post last month that is a collection of wonderful bear illustrations.

Although I don’t sew very much, or well for that matter, I’m fascinated by those who use the medium for their art.  Emma Parker’s Stitch Therapy is a blog I really find inspiring.  I’m linking to a particular post where she’s embroidered words on a dress because I totally love the idea and the power behind it, but I do encourage you to poke around her site as she does a lot of varied things and you might find something else really lights you up.

Rebecka Ryberg Skött’s blog Vintage Fairy Tales is pure whimsy.  She creates little vignettes with vintage finds, and I never fail to be delighted.  I’m linking to the one entitled Hello You Fool I Love You Come On Join the Joyride. 

So there you have it, a little flower love, an acknowledgment of generosity, and some link-love.  That’s a nice mash-up.   What about you?  Where are you seeing generosity in your life?  Is there an area calling to be met by some generosity?  What’s sparking your creativity lately?  Have a link to share, a story to speak?  Do tell, you know I love to hear.