Here is the FINAL results after the Purium 10 day Celebrity Transformation Challenge.  

The journey actually took a little longer as:
- I had to COMMIT to my goal, 
-I had to have the DESIRE to see my goal through.
-I had to have the WILL to see it through to the end.

I really think that if you don't have the fortitude to see it through, you are not ready for this program.  I have been watching many YouTube & TedTalk videos on what REAL food is and what we are really eating.  I am not preaching but I was making the education for myself.  

The month of May is a difficult one for me as I lost both my parents relatively young to disease.  My dad from heart disease (smoking & lifetime of fatty foods) and my mother from Alzheimer's (sugar is the only pinpoint I have for her).  So it is fitting that in this month I am making a conscience choice for myself and deciding that I didn't like seeing my parent's last 10 years of life end the way it did...unhealthy and sick.  Turning 50 this past year has made me realize that even thought I look "healthy" because I am tall & on the slender side - does not mean that I am healthy on the inside, the part that we can't see, yet is where all the damage and disease is.

I am a dessertoholic.  I love sugar,the real kind.  Not the breads/pastas but yummy sweet stuff!!

Can I tell you what this past 10 days (YES ONLY 10 DAYS) has done for me.  (YES I realize going forward is a daily choice of what I decide to buy at the store and put in my mouth).

This past weekend I worked our kettle corn concession booth with the boys at the Racetrack.  Friday was the last day of the challenge so I knew what i had to eat.  Can you imagine, again me the sweet tooth queen, staring at Funnel Cake booth and making & serving sweet kettle corn all day long and having the WILL to not indulge.  We befriended the lovely couple doing the funnel cake and told them about our journey as they offered us one of their signature funnel cakes.  We said No thanks and felt great saying No we don't do sugar!! 

Two weeks ago I would have had one every day I was there, and a deep fried Mars bar for dessert!!

THIS CHALLENGE RESET MY METABOLISM.. I was quite content eating my veggies and bean salad with no sugar cravings...not even a little.  I had a couple of kettlecorn pieces and asked if they had changed the recipe as it was super sweet!!
...Yes this is the same Diane that you know!!  

So friends, family and followers,,, IT WORKS..

However the only stipulation is that YOU HAVE TO WORK IT!!

You must work on your DESIRE to change your health.
You must work on your WILL to have a better life for yourself & be healthy for your kids & grand kids.
You must work on your ATTITUDE that you come first.

I started off by watching videos on YouTube and TedTalks on what is really in our food.  I swear I will never eat a hot dog or chicken mcnugget ever again. (Jamie Oliver has some great info)

I found a product that worked on some friends of mine, all with tremendous results. They were all men and all lost more than 12 lbs (so get your husband involved as well as it works great to support each other).  The group of women I did it with lost 8lbs & 10lbs and many inches.

If you have the DESIRE and the WILL and the positive ATTITUDE to make a change to YOU ( I call it spring cleaning for the inner body..getting the gunk out from behind the organs that have been stuffed in there for years - decluttering!!), YOU TOO WILL BE SHOUTING IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS as I am today.

Our society has been lazy and complacent for way too many years and corporate America has taken over your pocketbook and more importantly your health and than big Pharma has taken over your healthcare.

Sorry about that side rant... that is another blog for another day...

If you would like to have your own 10 Day Transformation (YES ONLY 10 DAYS - not 30 or 90 days - I like things over with quick), send me an email through the contact page and I will send you a Gift Card (number) for $50 OFF towards any product or the challenge.

To find out more about Purium the website is:
www.mypurium.com/johnmark
My husband and I love the product enough that we actually make some extra money promoting it!!

Would love to have you join me on this journey...the more the MERRIER we will be!!

cheers
diane

PS..For my painting followers out there, I am still painting and will be posting some new wineglasses and a brand new line for me....stay tuned...

UPDATE: Day 8
I have melted away 6lbs of FAT!!! in 8 days and feeling lighter.  Feels like the "stuffing" has been taken out!!.. Put on my first summer pants today and they are a little baggy!!.. hmmm..maybe some new clothes ??.. lots of bright colours for the summer as I strolled thru the mall today.

Do you treat your "stuffing" like an old favourite sweater that you cannot throw away??  Are you committed more to the old sluggish self and the ding-dong donut than to all the new bright shiny clothes available??

tough questions..

I know I was...just start today and make one change, try to keep that habit, than introduce another, maybe 15 min walk outside now that the warm air finally came to Ontario!!.. have one healthier choice with your meal... soon you too will get to a stage when you want to just throw out that old sweater and make way for new beginnings (again) in your life!1

always your choice...
cheers
diane
PS I have been painting will post some new wineglasses soon!!
*****************************************************************************************




UPDATE: Day 4
I am into Day 4 of my transformation and am down 2.5lbs and 1" off the hips!! Other group members have lost 4 & 7lbs in 3 days!!  Feeling good and the products help take away the cravings!! and I had a major sweet tooth!!.
will post before & after pictures after Day 10

Let me know if you are READY to finally COMMIT to yourself and make the TRANSFORMATION.. It works!!  No crazy exercising needed.  I am continuing with my daily walk that is all!

*************************************************************************************************

As summer approaches and the weather is finally getting nicer here in Southern Ontario (it has been a looooonnnngggg spring).  Thoughts are turning to living healthier and greener inside and out!!

So my household is going green!!  My husband has been getting his weight & lifestyle under control for the last 6 months and just finished taking the 10day Transformation Pack.

I have a group of 6 women who have taken the commitment to make a change in their lives by taking the 10day challenge (the secret in Hollywood).  We will be starting next week.  Take a peruse through the website www.mypurium.com/johnmark and see if this is a journey you would like to take for yourself and your family!!

Go Green!!
diane

will she like them???? the customer buying for a bride!!

I'm sure other artists can relate out there...You get the special request, in this case, it was thru the Whimsical Lion Country Market.  The customer asked for "bride & groom wedding toast glasses and loved the "Redneck" Wine glasses she bought at the store..My job to customize through a series of pictures pinned onto bride's pinterest site.  Of course, everything pinned was the idea not the actual colours...and NO FLOWERS.

For a month I pondered about them and stressing as the due date was approaching. After a phone consult, I knew the bottom was pretty much nailed...the jar part, however, took forever.  I am a rose painter...how am I going to incorporate "red, yellow, orange" (my 3 least favourite colours) into a design that pins depicted "pinwheels, candies, 50's theme"????

Of course to add to the dilemna, there was hardly any smooth surface to paint on the jar itself. Every side had a raised pattern on it.  My first attempt at a pinwheel was terrible...so I ended up with whimsy and hoped she would like it.  Her displays are going to incorporate chalk boards...so I had been holding onto these chalkboard labels for years..perfect..I will do their names on them somehow...

amazing how the creative process takes place...for me it takes days to ponder before the idea pops into mind...(note to self...ask angels to speed up process next time)

the top hat, tiara, mustache, red lips came from a pin for their photo booth ideas -guess that is the in thing at weddings these days...

It was coming together but not quite finished...

I didn't like the balance of the dark bottom with the silver lid.  So I sprayed the lid with black chalkboard paint and left it up to the bride to do as she pleases with it..

The date was added to the base in gold!!!

I dropped off the glasses on Friday with instructions & explanation of my thinking...I took "artistic license" on the glasses.  The bridesmaid came to pick them up on Saturday to be ready to gift at the shower on Sunday..

nothing...all day Saturday I waited for Joanne to text me that the pick up went well or for the customer to email that she liked them...

Sunday..no message
Monday.. no message...

damn...she really hates them is all I could think of... oh well I thought,,I brushed it off as a lost customer not satisfied with my work.  "well if she asked for flowers I could easily make her happy" was the talk in my head...

So today when I dropped by the Whimsical Lion, I asked Joanne if the client picked up the glasses and if she was happy with them or not....

phew...she loved them!!!... wasn't sure about the bride however as she has a different view of things..

Today, Tuesday I get the email from the client saying how the bride LOVED the glasses and was thrilled with them....and she has another order for me for champagne flutes for another wedding....

I'll never learn....

anyone else go thru the stress of the "special order"????

pondering...
diane
UPDATE:**********************************************************************
Sent: Tuesday, April 9, 2013 2:23:04 PM
Subject: Wine Glasses

Hey,
I just want to Thank You for doing the glasses! They looked great and she loved them! Thank you so much!!
I actually have another order to put in for more toasting glasses for my sister.. This time I know exactly what I want on them and I can send you a picture. I'll need them for June.. Please let me know if you can do them and if you can I'll send you the info of what I would like them to look like.
Thank you again! 
Heather

Huttonville Antique & Craft Show
March 23 & 24 10-4pm
Huttonville, ON  at the High School

Well it is that time of the year (hard to believe it here in Southern Ontario where we got a final blast of winter last night), that we turn our mindset to getting outdoors. For many with Easter in a few weeks, we are ready to put away the final winter decorations (or is that just me??) and bring out the beautiful pastel colours of early spring (my fav time of the year).

For us artists, it means after a month of recovering from Christmas Shows, we start painting in the brighter colours in anticipation of our customers getting ready to buy up new products and ideas to add to their collections.

I see many people getting the message out on various social media platforms to SHOP LOCAL..Support your local farmers, stores and artisans!!

Have you been conscience in trying to support your local "mom & pop" store??  They will remember your face, get to know your name and always give you that extra customer service that you don't get in the big box store.  You will find many of them have very affordable pricing as they need you to come back and buy again..

Please help support the local businesses that carry my artwork:

Whimsical Lion Country Market, Uxbridge 24 Toronto St. N. 
Joanne carries a wide assortment of items including antiques.
www.whimsicallion.com

O'Cala Winery, Port Perry (off Highway 7/12 at Concession 3)
Sample some of their homegrown wines made from fruit of their land.
www.ocalawinery.com 

Sicilia Gardens, Stouffville (10th line)
Their greenhouses are full of Easter Lilies & Hydragena - just in time for Easter
www.siciliagardens.com 

Gifts Baskets & Gifts 152 Brock St N. Whitby
Lesley has a wonderful spiritual book shop located in the store as well.  Call to place an order next time you need a special gift sent for corporate thank you or the new mom.
Gift Basket & Gifts for All Occasions

Of course you can always order directly from me.  I have even re-beautified many of my client's own pieces!!  I can see new life in old pieces that you will love again!! Check out the links to the side.

If you are in the GTA region and looking for something to do this weekend, come visit me and my fellow artists, crafters and antique dealers at Huttonville's Spring Show (go to website for $1 off admission).

Happy Spring!!
diane

Don't you love that spring is just around the corner...we have made it to March and I am so giddy that Daylight Savings Time is coming up this weekend...I know can you believe it???

Well on this snowy end of February day, I wanted to make sure I took some pictures of the surroundings before the snow would start melting.  I am not a winter lover but some days it tugs at my heart at Mother's Nature awe-inspiring beauty..  The picture to the left was one of those days a couple of years ago, today we are just minus the beautiful blue sky...

Since this picture was taken, like life a few things are missing.  For instance, the beautiful red maple tree here i the right foreground, had to be taken down last fall as it was just to big and close to the house and starting to cause some structural damage to the deck..so in my mind's eye I still see it but in reality it feels like there is a hole in the sky...my mind still needs to adjust...  Just like losing my sweet mami this past May 2012 is making my mind still adjust... she is there but not there...a missing piece in my daily view but always in my mind's eye..

So this morning when I wanted to go out and take a picture of my beautiful backyard...this is what I was astonished by and tried to wrap my mind around...my charming little gazebo had succumbed to the weight of the beautiful snow. Once again showing the beauty and power of Mother Nature. We are all but a spec here on earth as many areas of the continent have experienced.  I learned many many years ago not be attached to "things"..a valuable lesson for sure.. So I say goodbye charming gazebo that brought beauty and focus as I drank a cup of tea and contemplated life out my window gazing at the picturesque view.

With spring around the corner, I await what is to be...a planting season without my mother's guidance (however, she is the angel in my garden)...a new possibility to see what can fill my meditation viewpoint.  Hopes and reams are endless and the memories of what we once had are forever etched in my mind and heart...

keep dreaming as one day your dreams will come true,
diane

When I discover something that speaks to my spirit, I start to get  obsessive about it.  

I found french market bags on Pinterest the other week and could not find enough of them..so I was sparked to design and create my own.  

Of course I had no idea how to make flowers (so had to learn them - actually made up my own as I am not that good at following directions!!)  I wanted to make ruffles but couldn't figure them out quick enough.  I was going to paint my own roses on these canvas bags but FELL IN LOVE with these old vintage graphics that i found on The Graphics Fairy  website (my goodness I spent hours there)...I really am an old soul.



So my style is now changing as I am shifting from "shabby-chic" whites to old-whites and French inspiration.  Of course there are many lists I have to do around my house and that is probably why I haven't done much (besides the fact that my dh is a "wood" lover and threatens to "d" me if I paint anything white)...need to know the secret of those gals that have beautiful pink & white rooms with husbands!!!.

Since I am new to blogging, I hope that I can keep up and provide useful tips & information as well as figure out how to blog!!

til then,
Keep dreaming as one day your dreams will come true...
diane