Bless You!

My week off went by at the speed of light.  I'm excited to be back to my project of the week, and writing the blog posts.  
My week started off by the staff at my local Starbucks, presenting Broadside and I an envelope with certificates for a week's worth of free coffee drinks.  The staff decided that we were their customers of the week.  We earned this honor because we are so "cheery and funny everyday."  They look forward to seeing us.  We look forward to seeing them as well.  It is a great way to start our day.  It was wonderful to be acknowledged for being positive and funny.
The rest of my week was filled with crafting, coaching my amazing clients, lunches with friends and wonderful walks in the Autumn sun.  One of my friends said he didn't recognize me because I looked so happy and that has changed my entire being.  Wow!  The work I've been doing on myself over the last year is starting to show.
On one of my walks this week, I was hit with just how happy I am and the great life I'm creating. 
Might sound like bragging.  Okay.   I'm just taking stock of my reactions to what life is tossing at me.  My life is what I'm making of it.  I still have areas of work (thank goodness! I'd be dead if I didn't.), life is anything but perfect. I have challenges.
An effective trick I've learned and I'm using is to send a blessing to whatever is annoying me. Sending a blessing works with positive situations as well. The blessing can be for peace of mind or the person or for strength or for an answer to a question.  With the simple act of blessing I feel all the blessings that are in my life.  I can relax and move forward.  Blessings flow to and from me.  It is freeing.  It's working for me.
So, sending you blessing for whatever it is you want to have or change in your life. 
Bless you!  It isn't just for sneezes alone.  Also, don't forget to count your blessings as well.

My project is a cover for my little barbeque.  It sits on my newly painted and refreshed front porch.  I wanted to protect it from the elements and have it ready to go when I want to "que".

That Was The Year That Was

This blog post marks Week 52 of Year 2 of The Campaign For Creativity To Banish Negativity.   52 completed projects, 52 blog posts.  Over 52 lessons,  ramblings, thoughts and reflects.  It's been a great year.  I feel like I've spent the year more turned inward towards.  Doing my own personal work and reflections.  I've learned a lot and accomplished a lot, not just projects.
I've challenged myself to learn new things.  Crafted new items. I've added card marker, wallet designer/maker and pet portrait painter to my growing list of crafts. I discovered Swap-bot.  An amazing and addictive site, that has helped me learn new crafts, gather inspiration and make some new friends.  I've discovered that crafting builds an important connection.  It brings us together in community.
I now call myself a writer. As I'm writing/creating something new everyday.   I'm working towards seeing something sold and published.  At very least entertain people. 
I was greatly disappointed in a crafting icon this year (that's right, Martha).  Yet I learned that I have and I am remarkable and that we all are.  The trick is to discover that in ourselves, instead of waiting for outside validation.
I think I created some magic and sprinkled it here and there as I went along my merry way.
I keep learning powerful lessons for the animals in my life.  Mickeygrrl has taught me to stop worrying and hovering, to allow life to unfold, and we can all heal ourselves, while growing stronger than we ever dreamed we could imagine.  Gus. He shows me the power of love everyday.  That the well love is drawn from is deep and full, and there is no harm in drawing from that well as much as we want.  It makes us strong and happy.  It is the essence of life, ours of the asking. As long as we act out of love, the well will not dry up. Also it is okay be goofy, make a fool of yourself and do things a cat isn't suspose to do. It only makes you cuter in the eyes of the world. This year was also marked by the meeting of the most remarkable dog from Africa, his name is Wooti.  In his wisdom he shows the world that a better life can be created and be had with love and trust. Wooti is the poster dawg for "what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger" and I'll add- takes us to places beyond our wildest imaginings. These cats and dog are true Zen Masters and guide me on my journey.

I've learned that worry is as useless as jealousy.  They both create tension, stop us from moving forward and can make us ill.  Plus they aren't any fun.  Control is an illusion, the only thing we can control is our reactions to what life hands us.   I believe we can make lemonade from lemons or better yet lemoncello.
Personally, my attitude and outlook is more positive than ever. I work to spread my happy outlook out into the world.  Somedays are better than others, because through it all, I'm only human.  The cranky, depressed and angry moments are few and far between, and when they do come they flee as quickly as they have come.  I'm also discovering that it is way okay to take care of myself.  No guilt or "I'm not worth" feelings about doing that.
I really have to say, it was a fantastic year!  I'm so grateful for all the people who follow and read my weekly adventures. Thank you all! To all my friends new and old (or silver and gold) who support me, love me and challenge me to be a better person. Thank you, you know who you are and I hope you know how much I love you, cause I do!  Also, to my husband, Broadside who helps me create my happy fun life. Thank you!
And I know you know I love you!
As this year closes, I begin to think about what's ahead for me. What do I want to create?  The biggest question is- do I want to go another year? My gut tells me the 3rd year is where the challenge will really really be.  Finding the projects.  Blogging my insights. Reaching out to make this Campaign a force for shifting old crusty mindsets. Being the change I want to see in the world.  Giving people permission to be positive in the sea of negativity.

Here's my plan.  Take a week off.  Celebrate my accomplishments.  Do some more reflection.  After my week off , start creating and hit the Campaign Trail for Year 3!  I hope you will join me.
How was your year? What did you create?

Keep creating to feel great!  See  you week after next. For the start of Year 3!
52 projects complete!  That is a wrap!

This week's project is a fabric flower necklace.  It's got a shabby chic vibe, made from vintage flower lace and rhinestones.  These necklaces are on trend this season, big in the crafting/beading world and a kick to make for little or no time and money.  I think it really makes a nice statement.

It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over

Broadside and I were having our morning coffee at our local, last week, we were sitting outside and enjoying the day.  Next to us was a table of people, I over heard one of them say. "I'm over 60.  I'm not about to start learning anything new."  I know I heard only part of the conversation and out of context, but the comment struck me and made me a little sad.   I wanted to go over and talk to that table.  The person was so resolved and insistent.  I felt a little sad for them.     I was sitting having my coffee excited to start my day.  A day full of learning new things. About myself.  About my art.  About my creative process. Just learning how the day will unfold and what I would do with it was exciting.  I love learning.  Next week, I turn 55.  I can not imagine a day or even a moment in my day when I'm not learning something.  I guess I could say. "I'm 55.  I'm not about to STOP learning."  I think life long learning is the fountain of youth.  Nothing jazzes me more than learning a new skill or having an insight about life or learning something new about someone in my life.  It is energizing and life affirming. It is forward moving. It certainly is positive.

Over the past year, I've been learning how to make greeting cards.  I have my own style and yet I was getting bored with my designs.  Good old Google to the rescue.  I discovered this amazing techinque...Iris Folding.   So cool and easy.  I made a couple of cat themed cards.  There are hundreds of designs and ways to fold these cards.  I love the results.  I learned a new card making technique.
Three cheers for learning!

Do you think you will ever stop learning?  
Until next week...create to feel great!
51 projects complete!  1 to go!  Finish line in view!

How Annoying Is That?

Everyday I find that something will annoy me.  I'm not perfect.  I will say I'm good at allowing something to get to me or annoy me and then I can let it go.   I'm finding less and less things that annoy me, but I still get annoyed.  It's not the annoyance's fault.  It's mine, because I let it get to me and if I let to continue without doing anything about it, or I allow it to keep annoying, that really is my problem to fix. or in some case just drop.  Most things that annoy me are like little gnats flying around my face.  They are there for a second and I swat them away and I can move on. (I am writing metaphoricly here. I do find bugs flying around me and lighting on me annoying).   Sometimes I allow annoyances to mount up into one really huge annoying,  "I can't put my finger on where or how it started, but now I'm annoyed and it is messing me up" big ball of being annoyed. When I find myself in that mind set, I have then take time to break out each piece of what is annoying me and deal with it.   I'm finding that takes more time and effort (and is really annoying) than dealing with the annoyances as they appear.  

This week I had the opportunty to deal with a huge annoyance at the office I work at part-time.  It is a very small office that I'm proud of saying that I've managed for 14 years.  I work with two others who are very smart, all be it busy people.   Lunch, sometimes, is a big deal.  Sometimes, I will cook fresh food for them, because one can only eat some many Hot Pockets.   I clean up my cooking mess.   They eat lunch and toss dishes in the sink to sit for days.  Until I get so sick of looking at that mess, I do the dishes.   Then they sit in the drainer until, I decide no one else is going to deal with them, so I will.  I have longed for a small dish washer for years.   This week I found one.  My generous boss agreed.  The dishwasher arrived was set up and is doing it's job.  One annoyance gone.  A true relief.   Yet to brought around another issue.  That age old question that can plauge dish washer owners.  "Are these dishes clean or dirty?"  Oddly, my co-workers are really into to loading and unloading the dishwasher.  I pray that newness never wears off.   I knew creativity was needed to solve this issue.   Enter the Clean/Dirty dishwasher magnetic sign!  I created it so that it was funny and would make someone look no matter how many times they see it.  Yes, it is a little tacky, but my co-workers think it is funny.   My work is done, here.  Time to head off into the sunset for this week and cut off those annoying annoyances at the pass.
What do you allow into your life to annoy you?  What can you do to take care of that annoyance.

Until next week...create to feel great!

50 -yes 50 projects complete!!!! 2 to go!!!