Coffee Creamer Pals...

My Deer/Kangaroo Cup

My Toddler's Lion Cup

As I mother, I am continually getting my beverage snatched by little hands, drunk up, and spilled.

So, I love cups with safety lids.

But, they can be expensive.

So, I decided to start saving my flavored coffee creamer bottles to help me with this problem.

I discovered you can rip off the plastic and it is either clear or white underneath.

This can be helpful in many creative  and organizational ways. 

I decided to whip up some cuddle creatures to snuggle the cup.

So, I am taking each member of my family's favorite animal and making them their own cover for their own personal reused creamer bottle for their own beverage.

Or if they decide to snatch mine, at least it won't spill!

Madelynn with her GIrly Monster Critter....

Poodle Cup Critter

Bumble Bee cup critter

A kitty for my Teacher Friend...

SHHHHHHHHH!
the Monster Mug Pal... that I made for my hub.

It is secretly my favorite of the bunch. 

I just may have to make myself a monster!

Thanks for reading!

Fruit of Death... Lily of Life!

FRUIT OF DEATH... LILY OF LIFE

by Tabitha Seaton

From the tree of life is a fruit of death.

a blister sprout as poison as meth.

If I eat that forbidden fruit I will surely die.

I took a bite and became fearfully shy.

I realized my sins were exposed, 

and in haste I covered with clothes.

I wanted to hide from Him who knew, 

so under a dark rock I swiftly flew.

As I heard His gentle footsteps growing near,

I felt a peaceful melting of my fear.

There was a ceasing of my tremble

when He showed me His love a symbol.

It was a cross that was to come erected

where Heaven and Earth would become intersected.

The curtain between them would disappear

and His love would finally become more clear.

To this cross our spirits would be led

and all of our sins would finally be shed.

On this structure a Savior would be hung

on which his life in blood will be slung.

When it is finally finished the curtain will be torn.

When our Savior dies... We will be reborn.

No other lamb will have to be slain.

That kind of act will now be in vain.

He is now the one true Lamb... they've been replaced.

With Him all the sins will be erased.

There will be a hope that is new, 

and a Holy Spirit that is true, 

Now every lily will praise His name.

Nothing after will be the same.

From his death sleep He will rise again

and His death defeat will remove all our sin.

So, the guilt I carry from this apple I bit, 

It is buried now and on it's grave I spit. 

I will not think of it again

I will not let lies eat me from within. 

He put to death all my doubt...

and from it's seeds, love will sprout.

The apple seed that's buried in the ground

will be the lily that's voice is heard all around, 

singing songs of praise and rejoice,

forever more I am drawn to it's voice!


Sketches

Illustrated Verses... by Tabitha Seaton

Ever since I was spiritually transformed, 

 (http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/03/supertab-autobiographical-comic-of-my.html)

I have made it my life's legacy to "Create for my Creator".

My goal is to glorify the Lord in all the things my hands create.

Sometimes when I just feel life doodling, I pick a verse that is meaningful to me

and start adding to it.

This is very relaxing to me. I love to just fill the page with doodley text and go around it with lines and patterns. 

I have been really inspired lately by Art Nouveau Posters. 

I like the massive amounts of tightly knit detail filling up the background, the flowy text, and aged neutral color tones.

"Zodiac" by Alphonse Muche

These are my doodled Bible Verses below... 

Enjoy and be blessed.

to see more illustrated verses similar to these, see...

http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/03/lord-bless-work-of-my-hands.html

to see more of my artwork, go to...

http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/p/my-art.html

Balloons of Freedom by Tabitha Seaton

1 Peter 5:7

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Little girl stands in a patch of dirt, 

no longer imprisoned by her hurt. 

She labeled all she can feel

and is trusting Him to heal.

She put them in capsules that fly

releasing every single lie

that made her heart sink.

With one final blink

she mumbles a prayer

as her sins float to the air...

"Dear Lord, I give you all these things.

Now, will you give my heart wings?

I trust you now as I let go.

Please, take my faith and make it grow!".

Art and Poem by Tabitha Seaton

This idea was inspired by

Victoria Osteen's words...

I saw her on TV talking about how she takes all the bad things she feels, all her anxieties and imagines them like balloons. Then she lets them all go.

sketch

If this inspired you,,, 

go to see more spiritual artwork i created, 

got to my blog homepage and visit 

My Art and My Poetry pages..

Native American Accessories... a journey back to childhood.

I am not sure why, but I am a sucker for all things that look like cheesy Native American souvenirs.

When I was little, my dad had this guitar strap that was make from this ribbon like this...

Top Ribbon: found at Goodwill in the form of a belt
Bottom Ribbon: Walmart Fabric Dept.

I was a very visual child, and I remember having an attachment to the way it looked. 

It is now nostalgic to me and makes me feel like a kid again. 

Also, as a child, we used to sped out summers staying at 

7A Ranch Resort in Wimberley, Texas.

http://www.7aresort.com/index.php/pioneer-town/

In the pioneer town, there was a souvenir shop that had this little beaded purses, doll necklaces, and cheap Native American trinkets (although probably made in China). I used to have all that stuff from there at one point, but it got lost, broken,  or thrown away as I grew up. 

But as most people, you want all the stuff back you had as a child... 

I guess to feel like a child again. 

So, I am going through this weird phase where I am trying to gain back all these things Native American "ish" trinkets I once had.

Here is my journey attempt back to my childhood...

 I saw these purse necklaces at Canton TradeDays ( AKA First Monday)

I remember then asking about $20 for them there...

and I was thinking that I could just make them if I found ribbon like that. 

So, I began searching for this style ribbon.

I bought the two ribbons above from Goodwill and Walmart.

These are some things I have been collecting over the years. 

If I see something that sparks a memory, I buy it. 

I made this with the belt I bought at Goodwill using the picture I took from Canton as a guide to making the purse necklace... It was actually pretty easy.

I found this Red Tank in HighSchool when I used to shop at the most awesome thrift store ever

called Value Village in Pasadena, Texas. 

If you ever get the chance. GO GO GO there!!!

                                                            

These two barrettes I got from a friend who understands my bizarre style (Thanks Cara!)

This Indian girl necklace I got as a girl from 7A Ranch Store, but it is broken. 

I am thinking of somehow repairing it or changing it, but it is very delicate and I fear it may break even worse.. I'll sleep on it.

I got these shoes for Christmas to wear around the house. 

I found them at WalMart of all places!

I used the ribbon I bought from Walmart to sew up a bow to wear as an accessory. 

Pinstripe Jean vest, Jean skirt, and orange leg warmers (I cut from a sweater's sleeves!)  from my latest GoodWill trip, Tuxedo red shirt from Old Navy. 

I am going to try to put together an outfit to go with my Purse Necklace when i have time...

This is what happened today while I was busy picking our the outfit today!

I laughed my head off!

Maddy got into Big Sister's make up kit (accidentally left open!).

Maybe i won't get "mother of the year", but maybe I will get "thrift store fashionista queen"!

More picture posted soon!

Lord, Bless the work of my hands...

Lord Bless the Work of my Hands...

I finally illustrated this verse that I discovered yeas ago while working on

my autobiographical SuperTab comic. 

See it here...

http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/03/supertab-autobiographical-comic-of-my.html

I had gone through a real spiritual high where I felt like God was instructing me or commissioning me to do work for him using my gift he gave me. I had been working so hard on taking my experience with Christ and putting it out there visually for others to see. I was sharing me testimony through my art.

At one point, I had completed my last piece of my testimonial puzzle and was going through a creative dry spot. I wanted so badly to continue working creatively for Him, but felt as though his instruction has stopped. So, I went through a period of just illustrating verses and writing and illustration poetry inspired by my faith walk. Although these were sincere to me, they felt like works of my own rather than before, they felt like works from the Spirit through me.

It was a time for me to realize that there are seasons in our walk.. 

  

Ecclesiastes 3
  1There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—
2A time to give birth and a time to die;
  A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
3A time to kill and a time to heal;  A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4A time to weep and a time to laugh;  A time to mourn and a time to dance.
5A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;  A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
6A time to search and a time to give up as lost;  A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;  A time to be silent and a time to speak.
8A time to love and a time to hate;  A time for war and a time for peace.

So, the Lord was wanting me to refill my cup.
I had poured so much out of myself, that he needed to fill me back up.
But still, I am the type of person that cannot creatively sit still.
I call it my Art ADD.

So, this is when I decided to create my Autobiographical comic.
I love so many of these that other people have created.

I had read 100 Demons, by Lynda Barry a couple years back.
I laughed at so many of her stories about her crazy childhood that it inspired me to do one for myself.
But at the time when I read it, I felt like my life did not have an inspirational bone in it.
I needed substance.

But, years later, I had something to write about!

God had moved in my life so marvelously, that it was all I wanted to do was share. 

So off I went, writing SUPERTAB!

But I just got this unsure feeling that it was not what God instructed me to do. 

So, I went to Him in prayer asking Him if this is what He wanted. 

(silence... crickets chirping... more silence)...

I was not getting an answer. 

So, I went back to my old high school tricks...

I held a pen, grabbed some paper, and closed my eyes...

I told God that I was trusting Him to write through me an answer or a verse for my peace.

What I ended up getting was a shaky "DEUT  2 7"...

I was very unfamiliar,,, so i looked it up.

It read, 

"The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything."

So, to me, that was my answer. He was going to bless the work I made in my time of "wilderness". 

This was the time that I was dry of ideas, walking through a vast empty place of inspiration. 

So, I felt like from this, My Father was giving me permission to work creatively on my own and still be blessed. So, I make sure that what I create is still a reflection of He who gave me that ability to do it. 

It read, 

Mrs. Raines,,,She Rained Love.

I started this school year off sitting through in service the same as I always do.

But, one thing was different. Our new Superintendent  Dr. Fuller, challenged us to think back to a certain teacher that made a real positive influence in our lives. 

I knew for sure who I would pick... but I was not really sure why.

I always loved my 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Raines, the best out of all of my teachers.

To be honest, I really did not like 2nd grade at all. I was the chubbiest girl in my class, not the sharpest crayon in the box, and did not really have a friend to call my own. 

I spent that year hopelessly devoted to Michael Paul (front row, far left in space uniform) who was unfortunately not so in love with me. I know this because he gave me the nickname, Tubby Tabby. Ouch! But, he was not heartless. His heart just belonged to Tracey (front row, far left). Never the less, I chased him around the playground... and he chased her. One day, out of pure rage and jealousy, at recess I threw a rock at him. Mrs. Raines never sent me to the principal's office, my guilt was enough punishment.

In general, life was awkward and I did not have a whole lot of self esteem.

But Mrs. Raines saw something in me that nobody else had seen. As an artist and teacher, I get asked a lot by my students, "When did you know you were an artist?". 

I tell them 2nd grade. 

That is because of Mrs. Raines. 

My first grade teacher, Mrs. W (I tried to forget her last name, and her long flesh digging fingernails), 

did not make me feel like an artist. I do not remember her seeing any good in me at all. All she saw was the negative and that was all she gave in return. But 2nd grade brought new hope to my life. I remember my first picture that was on display. It was big eyed green alien. I loved the color green and had a soft spot for rare and strange creatures. As it hung in the room for parent/teacher night, I felt pride for the first time. I remember my mother coming, along with all the other parents, to this special evening in the classroom. We were all supposed to independently read a poem by Shel Silverstien and act it out. I was assigned "Lazy Jane". Now, like I stated before, I was not the sharpest girl. But, I think that Mrs. Raines gave me just the right poem for what she knew I could do. It was long, which made me feel very important. But, she did give me one that was simple as well. Just her doing this makes me realize how she thought about us as individuals. She took our abilities and egos to heart, being careful not to set us up for embarrassment.

Here is the poem. I still remember it by heart and will type it without even looking it up. 

Lazy, lazy, lazy, lazy, lazy, lazy Jane.

She wants a drink of water so she 

waits and waits and waits and waits and waits 

for it to rain....

I not only read Lazy Jane, but I read it was great genius... or at least that is the way I remember feeling about my performance. I remember laying on the ground, reading the words and at the end, opening my mouth up really big pretending to wait for the rain. 

I am the big girl, third from left on the middle  row.

This was the year I felt like somebody special, because Mrs. Raines made me feel life a star.

She made me feel good at something and it made it easier to focus on the good things about myself and elementary life. Kids still picked on my up until 5th grade, when I lost some of my weight and got a clue about my appearance.

This was also the first year I won the big art contest, Houston Rodeo Art. 

This was the picture I created below in Mrs. Raines class that year.

We all went to the Houston Livestock show to see it on display... oh, and to see the Rodeo of course.

Life's roads took me down the same road to being a teacher, just like Mrs. Raines. 

I try to remember to take the time to look deeper into my students, to pull out their best

while considering how they all have different abilities.

I am forever grateful to Mrs. Raines. Without her to encourage me and see the best in me, I may not be where I am today. 

God Bless Mrs. Raines and all teachers like her.

Read and see more about this special lady in my autobiographical comic...

http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/03/supertab-autobiographical-comic-of-my.html

Freezing the Moments

I remember as a kid, there were times when something would happen to me that I wanted to remember for the rest of my life exactly what I was seeing, feeling, and thinking at that exact moment in time for the future. 

As a parent, I started doing this again. It it like i am taking the moment at hand and taking a photograph in my heart. They are the moments that will forever be ingrained on my soul till the day I die. 

I am trying to teach my daughter Maisy this idea. She is in kindergarten right now, but she seems to really get   

the whole I idea. I already told her about taking photos with her heart about a month or two ago...

Here is my test to see if she remembered...

Hamster on a Wheel, Art and Poetry

                         I wrote and illustrated this poem after yesterday's post... view it here.

   

                    http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/03/hampster-on-wheel-be-still.html

Hamster on a wheel, 

How does it feel

going nowhere in vain

and quickly going insane?

Running so fast to get where you will, 

every ticking moment you can't afford to kill.

No time to waste, 

striving in clumsy haste. 

How many tasks can you manage at once, 

juggling, spinning, multi-tasking stunts?

Do you ever stop to take a rest

to enjoy in life what is the best?

Keep running till your legs can go no more, 

throbbing in pain you will search for the cure.

You rest for a while, 

to muster a proud accomplished smile, 

at all the labors you completed...

but suddenly you feel radically cheated!

But a hand reaches in and giggles at your stress.

saying, "Come here to me & I will fix this mess.

Works cannot get you where you want to go, 

rest here in me and take it slow.

I will supply all your needs. 

I am the loving hand that feeds. 

I will give you a task that will take you somewhere.

Take this  loving feeling of care

and spread it out among the others out there, 

those lost little hamsters that don't know thier value, 

share with them something special and true.

COnvince them to stop running on those wheels, 

I will supply them with loving meals

that will satisfy the hunger they have inside

all of thier needs will be supplied.

Just look up for my face when you need to be calm, 

I will hold you close to my heart as you rest in my palm.

Hampster on a Wheel... be still!

God made me a creative being, and he gave me a talent as a way to let it out of me. 

I am so blessed and grateful for that that sometimes I can't stop to see what His plans are for all the stuff I created. I sometimes get so wrapped up in it that I become prideful and catch myself practicing my acceptance speech in front of the mirror for when I win my giant trophy in front of millions of adoring fans!

I hear them yelling out my name, snapping photos, and throwing me their Lost Socks and roses...

Sometimes I get so busy doing what I do, I forget to talk to God and stop to ask myself why I am doing it.

I have so many plans, so many dreams, so many ideas!

I can't sit still sometimes. 

I want all my books published, all my LostSocks sold.

I want to be in Better Homes Magazine and more!

I run and run to get it all done, faster... faster...

I am a Hampster on a Wheel, can't be still!

Gotta go, Gotta go!

Can't talk now...

Come back later...

Kids go take a nap...

leave mommy alone...

The world is MINE MINE MINE!

I know I have felt like this before, 

hmmmm...some place, some time, 

But not time to remember!!!

BAHAHAHAHHH!

(Read where I have, here...Judas's Perfume)

http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/03/judass-perfume-stinks-my-socks-do-not.html

But then...

shhhhhhh. I heard something... something small and still, 

It's Him!

He was just waiting there patiently for me to realize this.

A Hampster on a wheel runs in vain.

Hampster on a wheel, BE STILL, and know, I am God.

Psalm 46:10

I stop, be still, take a breath...

and remember...

That big trophy I am in such a hurry to get...

all the stuff I want to happen, all the fame I can't wait to attain...

If I do ever get it, it will come in His time and His plan.

Cause if I got it my way, it would be a disaster.

But if I do, by any small chance...

I should lay it all at His feet. 

He is the one that deserves all the glory. He Created me so that I could create all this...

Without him, none of this would be possible.

Then I ask myself why do I try so hard?

Is it for me, or Him?

Is what I am creating a reflection of my Creator? 

Then I ask him to prune all my vanity away. Bring me back to where I should be.

Be patient and trust His control. 

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.                                                                           1 Peter 5:7                                  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Then the peace floods back to my life. All anxiety is lifted away life a weight off my shoulders. Daddy will take care of it. You just be my child again and let me take control. This is what I love...

So, God I am trusting you with all I do. 

I will keep having fun making stuff. 

Please bless my work and let it glorify your Name. 

One day you will look at me and say, 

Well done my good and faithful daughter.

That will be the only trophy I need. 

I love you...

View the poem and illustration of this post...

http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/03/hamster-on-wheel-art-and-poetry.html

MY PROJECTS

that keep me busy...

My Thrifty Secret Jounal

An illustrated journal about not being afraid to get your hands dirty for the sake of fashion.

Get over yourself and head to the "stinky store". 

One person's trash is another girls next Fashion Statement!

My Art Teacher Blog

http://tabithaannthelostsock.blogspot.com/

A blog full of fun lesson plans for any art teacher.

Showcases artwork from the kids I teach.

The Creator

A book for kids to understand God's love for His creation. 

God is the artist, we are the canvases.

This book attempts to tell the Bible from a unique perspective...

It is still in the works.

The Lost Sock

This is a book about a little girl who finds hope in the hopeless.

She discovers that a Lost Sock does not have to be lost...

With a little love and creativity, she makes a new friend.

MINDY SERIES

Mindy's Magic Timeship

This is the beginning of Mindy's Misadventures...

She uses her thrifty wit to put together a time machine.

She also finds out what not to do with it!

OOps!

Mindy plans a way to still be mischievous, and not get caught...

only her plans don't go as well as expected.

Mindy procrastinates her Art History homework and needs a way to make up for lost time...