20 Sunday Feb 2022
Tags
architectural, art, azalea, azaleas, charm, charming, Colorful Art, cottage, cottage art, country cottage, cute, floral, floral art, floral prints, flower art, flower prints, flowers, rustic art, rustic decor, sharon cummings art, southern charm, victorian
Spring is upon us in Florida and it’s always brief, but the azaleas make it something to look forward to!
23 Tuesday Sep 2014
Posted in Art
Tags
abstract bird, abstract tropical art, aqua, beach, beach decor, beachy, beautiful, beauty, birds, bright, colorful, Colorful Art, cottage, delicate, feminine, floral, flowers, grace, graceful, hibiscus, humming, humming bird, hummingbird, hummingbirds, lovely, nectar, ocean, pink, pretty, sea, sharon cummings, spring, summer, tropical, tropical birds, tropical decor, wings
From this…
To This below…
“Nature’s Chorus”
New Mixed Media Art Painting Based On Old Pen
And Ink Drawings From 25 Years Ago
Sharon Cummings
2014
I am still reincarnating some of my older work into newer pieces. It’s so much fun to see these old renderings transformed into a brand new piece of art. When I was sitting hunched over my drafting table all of those years ago painstakingly drawing lines, I had no idea that someday there were be a computer program that would allow me to colorize them using my original paintings. Really technology rocks!
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11 Thursday Sep 2014
Tags
animal, animals, aquarium, art, beach, beach house, beachy, blue, bright, coastal, coastal decor, coastal living, coastline, color, colorful, colorful animal art, Colorful Art, colors, cottage, cute fish, decor, fish, fun, happy, hippocampus, horse, kids, marine life, nautical, nursery, ocean, oceanic, primary, primary colors, red, scuba, sea, sea horse, seahorse, seahorses, snorkeling, summer, summer vacation, surf, sweet, swimming, tropical, tropical decor, tropical fish, underwater, waves
“Colorful Seahorse”
Mixed Media Art
Sharon Cummings
2014
I know today is all about 911 and that most people will be talking about that horrific event in American History. It is burned into my memory mainly because I had a little girl in kindergarten at the time and I can recall vividly rushing to her school with all of the other panicked moms. Hugging my Muslim friends who had removed their Hijabs out of fear of attack. It was indeed awful. Explaining that to a child was beyond comprehension.
So today I take you back to my kindergarten year and good memories that I hope will make you smile on this day. I grew up the first half of my childhood on Siesta Key, FL. We did not have an ocean view as we were not wealthy, but a very modest home on one of the side streets. Right next door was a fish market that would smoke mullet all day. When bored, I would wander over there and if I smiled cutely, they’d give me a sample of their fish. It was so yummy. But what I remember most is that they had this vertical fish tank in the corner of their store. It was filled with tropical fish and mainly seahorses. I was so intrigued by how they swam with such small fins. I would watch them for hours. One day I noticed one of the very “fat” seahorses was making jerking motions and much to my delight he was having babies!! I squealed with so much joy that all of the customers rushed over to look in the tank with me.
I remember the proprietor asking me if I wanted a little tank of my own with some of their seahorses to care for. I did, but then I thought about it and decided i didn’t. It was much more satisfying to sit and watch the fish over there and besides, I wouldn’t get free seafood goodies at home. 😉
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10 Wednesday Sep 2014
Posted in Art
Tags
animals, art, bird, bird pop art, birds, camping, canvas prints, colorful owl, cottage, decor, forest, horned, horned owl, life, natural, nature, owl, owl pop art, owls, painting, paintings, pop art, posters, prints, rustic, rustic decor, sharon cummings, wall art, wild, wildlife, wisdom, wise, woods, woodsy
08 Monday Sep 2014
Posted in Art
Tags
bee, bee collector, bee hive, bees, best friends, bumble, bumble bee, busy bee, buzz, buzzing, collector, colorful, colors, comb, cottage, country, country decor, cute, design, friend, friendship, fun, gift, hive, honey, honey bee, honey comb, illustration, impressionist, insect, insects, inspiration, inspirational, mary kay, motivation, motivational, nice, pretty, primary, primary colors, quotation, quote, sharon cummings, sweet, typographical, typography, wisdom, word, words of wisdom
“Bee Colorful”
New Artwork
Sharon Cummings
2014
I have been as busy as a bee painting commissions and creating new art! I am on a roll and find that I do not have as much to say right now. So we can just play show and tell….I will show you and you can tell me what you think. 🙂
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30 Saturday Aug 2014
Tags
art, beach house, bird, birds, black and white, cottage, drawing, egret, florida, heron, pencil, sharon cummings, snowy egret, white, white egret
25 Wednesday Jun 2014
Posted in Beach
Tags
art, bahamas, bather, beach, beach home, beach house, beach sand, beach towels, beaches, beachy, coast, coastal, colorful, cottage, cute, female, florida, fun, girl, girls, home, house, key west, ladies, lady, laying out, legs, lido, miami, miami beach, ocean, painting, people, prints, sand, sarasota, sarasota florida, sea, siesta key, sun, sun bather, sun tan, sunbather, sunbathing, sunshine, suntan, tan, tanned, tanning, tommy bahama, travel, trip, tropical, vacation, whimsical, woman, women
They sizzle.
They turn.
They worship.
They burn.
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Enjoy this Summertime treat from my Mother-in-law Betty Cummings. She was inspired by a walk along Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota, Florida. She used bright colors in her oils to achieve this tropical look. I am so fortunate to own some of her original work. And now everyone can enjoy prints too!
30 Wednesday Apr 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
arrangement, art, bathroom, beautiful, bedroom, botanical, botanical art, botanical painting, botanical prints, bud, buds, cottage, cottage art, country, country cottage, elegance, elegant, feminine, floral, floral arrangement, flower, flower buds, flowers, garden, gardening, happiness, happy, health, health benefits, healthy living, kitchen, ladies slippers, lady slipper, orchid, orchids, phaphiopedilum, photo, photograph, photography, rich, sharon cummings, smile, smiling, soft, table, traditional, vase, vases, yellow orchid
It’s so simple. Just smile. Even if you have to look at cute videos on YouTub of babies laughing or puppies sleeping, it’s a great way to improve your health and it makes you feel good about yourself. Below are some of the rewards of lifting those cheeks:
1. It Lower Heart Rate – Smiling slows the heart and relaxes the body. People who smile and laugh often are less likely to develop heart disease. Smiling reduces blood pressure temporarily too.
2. It Reduce Stress – Stress relief may be as simple as smiling a little more throughout the day. Smiling releases endorphins that counteract and diminish the stress hormones.
3. It Increase Productivity – Smiling has been shown to increase productivity while performing tasks. There’s truth to the “whistle while we work” mentality. This also explains why silly internet memes and pictures of cute animals can actually get people motivated and working harder after a few moments of smiling or laughter.
4. It is a natural Pain Killer – Smiling and laughter both have been shown to lessen pain. They release endorphins that lift our moods, but many of these act as natural painkillers too.
5. It Increase Attention – Stress limits our perceptions and narrows our attention. Our body kicks into fight or flight mode where we can focus only on one of those things. Smiling counteracts this and widens our attention again, opening us back up to multitasking and insights that come from the fringes of our perception and our subconscious.
6. It is Contagious – Around 50% of people smile back. This spreads the health benefits throughout those around you and it comes back to you several times as well.
7. It makes you more Attractive! – Smiling makes people look more appealing. This seems to be especially true for women. Men are more likely to approach a woman who smiles than one who simply makes eye contact while women aren’t necessarily drawn in by a smile alone.
8. It makes You Look Younger – Smiles naturally lift the face and in studies have shown to make people look younger, around 3 years younger on average.
9. It increases Longevity – The effects of a good smile extend past just the exterior good looks. People who smile more often live longer too, around 7 years longer than most according to one study. It releases stress, helps the heart, and much more to keep you healthy longer.
10. It Boosts the Immune System – Smiles help the body relax and this lets the immune system react more quickly and effectively against invaders.
So C’mon…………………………………………………..S.M.I.L.E. 🙂
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13 Sunday Apr 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
aloe, aloe vera, botanical, botanical photography, botanical photos, botanical prints, cottage, country, desert, desert art, desert photos, flower, flowers, garden, gardens, healing, herbs, holistic medicine, medicinal plants, medicine, plant, plants, sharon cummings. photograph, southwest, southwestern, southwestern decor, succulent, succulents, sunburn, vera, western, wildflowers
Another beautiful day in Florida and I was out early with my camera. We have the most beautiful aloe plants growing all around our property and the humming birds love them. I am not sophisticated enough as a photographer yet to start capturing those speedy little birds, but I did get some nice shots of the aloe flower spikes. They are so delicate. I use the aloe leaves for skin irritations and they are quite healing. I wonder if the flowers are useful? Here are some ways that the leaves benefit us humans:
Aloe Vera contains many vitamins including A, C, E, folic acid, choline, B1, B2, B3 (niacin), B6. Aloe Vera is also one of the few plants that contains vitamin B12.
Some of the 20 minerals found in Aloe Vera include: calcium, magnesium, zinc, chromium, selenium, sodium, iron, potassium, copper, manganese.
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. There are about 22 amino acids that are necessary for the human body and it is said that 8 of these are essential. Estimates of the amino acids found in aloe range from 18-20 amino acids, with all 8 essential amino acids.
Alove Vera also includes quite an impressive range of fatty acids. Aloe contains three plant sterols, which are important fatty acids- HCL cholesterol (which lowers fats in the blood), campesterol, and B-sitosterol. All are helpful in reducing symptoms of allergies and acid indigestion. Other fatty acids include linoleic, linolenic, myristic, caprylic, oleic, palmitic, and stearic.
Aloe Vera is a well-known adaptogen. An adaptogen is something that boosts the body’s natural ability to adapt to external changes and resist illness. It is thought that aloe’s power as an adaptogen balances the body’s system, stimulating the defense and adaptive mechanisms of the body. This allows you an increased ability to cope with stress (physical, emotional and environmental stress like pollution)
Poor digestion is related to many diseases. A properly functioning digestive tract is one of the keys and foundations of health. Aloe is known to soothe and cleanse the digestive tract and help improve digestion. The interesting thing about taking aloe internally is that, because it is an adaptogen, it helps with either constipation or diarrhea, helping to regulate your elimination cycles in whatever way you need. It’s been a great remedy for people with problems such as irritable bowel syndrome as well as acid reflux. Aloe also helps to decrease the amount of unfriendly bacteria and in our gut keeping your healthy intestinal flora in balance. Aloe is also a vermifuge, which means it helps to rid the body of intestinal worms.
Aloe Vera is a gelatinous plant food, just like seaweeds and chia. The main benefit to consuming gelatinous plant foods in your diet is that these gels move through the intestinal tract absorbing toxins along the way and get eliminated through the colon. This will help the proper elimination of waste from your body and help the detoxification of your body.
Disease cannot manifest in an alkaline environment. Most people are living and subsisting on mostly acidic foods. For great health, remember the 80/20 rule – 80% alkaline forming foods and 20% acidic. Aloe vera is an alkaline forming food. It alkalizes the body, helping to balance overly acidic dietary habits
There hasn’t been a lot of studies conducted in this but there has been some research to show that Aloe Vera extract injected into the blood, greatly multiplies the oxygen transportation and diffusion capabilities of the red blood cells.
According to a study published in the 2000 issue of the British Medical Journal, beta sitosterol helps to lower cholesterol. By regulating blood pressure, improving circulation and oxidation of the blood, lowering cholesterol, and making blood less sticky, Aloe Vera juice may be able to help lower the risk of heart disease.
I think given the stresses of our daily lives, every one can use a boost to their immune systems. The polysaccharides in aloe vera juice stimulate macrophages, which are the white blood cells of your immune system that fight against viruses.
Aloe is also an immune enhancer because of its high level of anti-oxidants, which help combat the unstable compounds known as free-radicals, contributing to the aging process. (Free radicals are a bi-product of life itself, it is a naturally occurring process but we can overload ourselves with unnecessary free-radicals by living an unhealthy lifestyle) Aloe is also an antipyretic which means it used to reduce or prevent fever.
Because of aloe’s well-known healing properties for the skin, aloe is one of the primary compounds used in the cosmetic industry. It is a known vulnerary, (meaning it helps heal wounds) and is great for applying topically to burns, abrasions, psoriasis and even to bug bites. Aloe acts as an analgesic, acting to help relieve pain of wounds. It’s feels especially good to cut a stem of aloe, place it in the fridge and rub it on sun burnt skin – the immediate soothing effect feels like an absolute lifesaver. Aloe is also an antipruritic: A substance that relieves or prevents itching. Aloe Vera is an astringent: which causes the contraction of body tissues, typically used to reduce bleeding from minor abrasions.
Due to aloe’s high water content (over 99% water) it is a great way to hydrate, moisturize and rejuvenate the skin and fits within my general guideline: “Don’t put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t eat!” Aloe increases the elasticity of the skin making it more flexible through collagen and elastin repair. Aloe is an emollient, helping to soften and soothe the skin. It helps supply oxygen to the skin cells, increasing the strength and synthesis of skin tissue and induces improved blood flow to the skin through capillary dilation.
Wow, I think that covers all anti- bases. Okay, I admit, that was just a sneaky way to add in another 8 good reasons why you should keep Aloe Vera handy and incorporate it into your lifestyle. Aloe Vera’s active ingredients are sulphur, lupeol, salicylic acid, cinnamic acid, urea nitrogen and phenol which are substances that prevent the growth of disease-causing microorganisms and act as a team to provide antimicrobial activity thus eliminating many internal and external infections, also active against bacteria. It also helps to treat fungal and viral infections.
Source: Sacred Source Nutrition
12 Saturday Apr 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
arrangement, art, bathroom, beautiful, bedroom, botanical, botanical art, botanical painting, bud, buds, cottage, cottage art, country, country cottage, dew, dew drops, droplets, elegance, elegant, feminine, floral, floral arrangement, flower, flower buds, flowers, fuschia orchid, garden, gardening, hot pink orchid, kitchen, orchid, orchids, phalaenopsis, photo, photograph, photography, purple orchid, rain, rain drops, rich, sharon cummings, soft, table, traditional, vase, vases
It’s that time of year when all of the flowers are blooming and these quick little showers show up out of nowhere. My orchids look fabulous this Spring! I can mostly get phalaenopsis to re-bloom year after year. When I buy some from a store or garden shop, I let them live out their flowering lives in my home. When they are all done, I just stick them under the oak trees and they love it! I do not do anything else to them. I just let nature water and care for them. The white and hot pink especially like to show their pretty little petals for me. We just had one of those morning showers that leaves everything all sparkly with water droplets….I couldn’t resist!
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Abstract Art by Sharon Cummings 