One Piece at a Time

Sit back, relax, and let tomorrow take care of itself.

This week’s image has three hidden hearts. Can you find them?

---

🌞 Greetings

Hello friends! I’d like to extend a nice warm welcome to you. As you can see, I am very reluctant to let go of what has become our weekly tradition. It’s a bit cooler than last weekend, so we have an outdoor heater to keep the chill away. The seasons do change, and we have to adapt…but for at least one more weekend, we can spend this time here on the front porch.

Having the ability to adapt is essential. Without that ability, choosing to live with joy would not always be possible. Adapting isn’t easy, yet Charles Darwin famously observed that survival depends not upon strength alone, but upon the ability to respond to change.

Thinking about that observation as I encountered some obstacles with my studio work, I realized that Darwin’s expression applies to more than just an organism’s mortality. Dreams, ideas, plans, and projects have a life of their own. The dreamer does his best to guide the creative ship. Sailing is sometimes smooth, but often there is a storm on the horizon. Adapting to circumstances is what allows the dreamer to keep the ship moving forward. Did your ship encounter an unexpected storm this past week?

😈 Murphy’s Return

A few blogs back, I wrote about the infamous Murphy, whose laws are very much like that unexpected storm. Well friends, Murphy was back. No sooner had my blog been posted for last Sunday that Murphy struck. Sunday night I began to prepare graphics for the following weekend, and I was working on Shadow’s coloring pages which needed to be placed in the garden as another gift. 

Using QWEN Image 2.1, which I shared with you last weekend was becoming my image generator of choice, I began creating those coloring pages. As you know, I generate an easy version, a standard version and recently I’ve been adding an enhanced version. I provide a version that has guidance for those who might struggle a little bit with color choice too. To say the least, I was pleased with how the generator was following my prompt. Then I made a discovery that felt, at first, like a fatal mistake.

I just so happened to read the small print underneath the generator’s name while my image was being rendered. My heart nearly stopped when I saw the fine print stating that this generator was for non-commercial use only. Picture a missile flying straight through a hot air balloon. That’s what it felt like. For the rest of that evening, and the next two days, finding a new generator was the mission. Keeping the dream vessel afloat meant finding a way to adapt. The question wasn’t whether the journey would continue. The question was how.

😖 Dealing With Frustration

Trial and error became the game. One of my QWEN images became my north star.  A growing frustration ensued as each model being tested couldn’t come close to my reference image. My carefully structured story prompt was now useless. Seeing my future plans unraveling before me was quite unsettling.

For three days straight, my focus was finding a new generator through which I could paint my images with words. Future needs became my present focus. Researching, testing, tweaking prompts, and finding a way to make all of this work was becoming an obsession. Finally finding what I hoped to be a model similar to QWEN, my hope was dashed after downloading and testing it. Illustrating my next story became my greatest concern. Compromising the quality of my illustrations isn’t an option. Illustrating a book so that the images clearly and beautifully reflect the story is part of my mission. It was now Wednesday, and I had made no progress.

✟ Seeking Peace and Direction

Having a heart-to-heart talk with my family in heaven and seeking Jesus’s peace and counsel, I prayed for direction as well as acceptance for the moment. Quieting my thoughts and frustrations was essential. After pouring my heart out, and then becoming silent, I began realizing that I was worrying about tomorrow over which I have no control. Planning for a future isn’t bad, but if it becomes the sole focus, it erases the present. 

The one thing that I’ve learned very well over the past few years is that once time has passed, you cannot get it back. Listing The Dawn of Evergreen Valley was supposed to be done last Monday. It was still unlisted. A set of dog-themed Christmas cards should have been ready to list, but all of my listing slides were unfinished.  Putting items that I need to sell on eBay and Etsy wasn’t happening. I let this circumstance push aside the joy that I find with maintaining a weekly rhythm. Care-giving time is non-negotiable, so all stolen time came from my studio work. 

Finding peace in that moment, I put aside fear for my future work and decided to reclaim the rhythm that was working very well for me. Abandoning my search was not something that I could do as by nature I am a problem-solver. Setting reasonable goals assisted me in accomplishing tasks within my regular schedule and in saving a little time in the evening to continue working with and learning about different local generators.

🔮 Present vs. Future

Telling you that I solved the problem would feel really good, but it wouldn’t be true. For now, while sparing you the technical details, I have found a compromise. The model that I can presently use for small tasks is adequate. Illustrating a future book is now sitting safely in the future. Focusing on what I need to do right now is the path I am once again following. Planning for the future will always be a part of my studio work and personal life, but working in the present is where I wish to remain grounded.

Since placing my feet back on solid ground, many tasks have been accomplished. I have no plans to clip my wings, but I fully intend to nourish my roots. I will continue working toward every goal that I have for Evergreen Valley. Sharing the warmth, kindness, courage, and love found within the valley and its inhabitants is my mission. 

I am now working to increase my social media presence by extending invitations with each post to exploring the world of Evergreen Valley and eventually the studio as well. If any of this world is meaningful to you, I humbly ask that you share these posts and the newsletter with others who might have some interest in this growing world. Creating it brings me great joy, but sharing it is what matters most to me. Thank you for being a part of this journey and witnessing the valley’s growth each week.

🧩 Puzzle Piece & Story Card

Speaking of the valleys growth, this is week number 27. I have been sharing one piece of the puzzle with you every week. Last week revealed the gentle Kuvasz puppy named Shadow.  I am grateful to share that coloring pages for this little guy are now waiting in your secret garden. When you look at them, I’m certain that you will want to have this little guy sitting by your feet and bringing joy to your life. I hope you will take a moment to add color to both his life and yours.  

One more week, and the last puppy will be revealed…at least for this year. Today’s puzzle piece reveals a bit of the warmth of next week’s puppy. There is a bright and warm campfire in the heart of the valley. A place where all of the canine characters can rest peacefully in each other’s company. 

Many are drawn to a campfire, or even to the crackling warmth emanating from a fireplace.  This week’s puzzle piece is a reflection of the valley’s light, warmth, and generosity. I hope you fall in love with each of the characters as well as the valley. One day, I hope that it will be a place to which you can come home. It is a reflection of our simplest needs and deepest desires.

That warm reflection continues with this week’s story card. As you read it, and as you place your new puzzle piece in your grid, you will note that there is only one piece left to be shared. It is a reminder that each piece is equally important and together they create the whole image. 

👩🏻‍🎓What I Learned

For me, it is a reminder that every week is a new piece in the world that my heart desires to build. Focusing on the missing pieces accomplishes nothing, but working with the piece that I have right now is just as important as the piece that I worked on the day before. 

Life is a puzzle, but I will keep building it one piece at a time. I hope that you will do the same.  A problem can only exist if we choose to let it be a problem. Sometimes solutions come quickly, but most often they come in pieces. Alone, the piece can be confusing, but when it becomes a part of the larger picture, everything begins to have a clearer focus.

📷 Focus

So, what is my future focus? I will continue working to find a solution to my illustration needs, but my focus is on the work that needs to be done first. Dedicating time to announcing the publishing of The Dawn of Evergreen Valley, is now part of the weekly schedule.  Writing the next story hovers on the near horizon. Creating holiday themed products for the Evergreen Yuletide shop is also on the agenda. Working on the Evergreen Valley web page is part of the weekly schedule. Each day will stand alone, but together, every day of my work week will add clarity to the whole picture. Lastly, I will continue sharpening my illustration skills, both by hand and by word. I am confident that, when my second book is finished, I will have beautiful storytelling illustrations to accompany the story. I will always seek the happy ending.

✨ Invitation to the Valley

 I hope that you have been inspired to build the Evergreen Valley puzzle week by week. The waiting is all but over. One more piece and the image is whole. Won’t you enter the valley? Everyone is waiting for you.

After opening your treasure chest for the new puzzle piece, turn the next page in your magical book so you can download your newest story card. Another puppy is arriving next week! After that, there is only one more to arrive.

Be sure to visit Inspiration Gallery as well. I’ve decided the gallery will now hold your completed coloring pages — whether they’re colored by you, your child, or another generation of your family. If the page comes from your Secret Garden, you’re welcome to share your finished gift here, adding your touch to the gallery’s growing collection.

📧 Stay in Touch and Claim Your Gifts

Do you have a need for a special product that you cannot find anywhere? My studio awaits your request! You can always send me an email at: paula@evergreenyuletide.com

⛲️ Newsletter and Your Garden Gifts

By signing up to receive my weekly newsletter, if you so choose, you will be given the password that opens Your Secret Garden. You can always access the garden by clicking on the golden key at the bottom of this post. Within that garden, you will find every gift that has been given since the inception of this blog. Nothing ever leaves—it is ready when you are.

Gently tapping the below images brings you to your treasure chest and magical book. The newest button takes you to Inspiration Gallery—a great place to view the work of your Creative Kindred Spirits. Don’t forget, you can always email me a photograph of something you’ve created with one of my products, or send in a colored coloring book page that was shared with you in the garden. I would love to feature it in the gallery.

🌞 Closing Reflection

Now that I’ve shared a bit of my past week here in the studio, it is time for another happy ending.  Again, I have enjoyed spending my time here with you. The warmth I feel is from more than our front porch heater. It is a reflection of the time we spend together. This journey means so much more when it can be shared with others. I am so glad that you are here. I hope you have a wonderful week. Until next time…

Thank you for joining me today.

---

PS – Don’t forget to look for the hidden hearts in this week’s blog illustration.  This is our new tradition!