Now A Word From Gus

Hi it's Gus.  My moma is very busy this week, as she brought home my little baby brother, Sammy, and she's sewing costumes for a big show. She asked me if I would write her blog post this week.
I said I don't know what to write about.   She said to write about what I know.
Here's the two biggest things I know...
When I lived in a cat shelter for seven months, if I had copped a crappy mean attitude in the shelter, like some of other cats, I would have never scored the life I have right now.  I stayed positive.
No matter what stay positive.  Help spread that attitude to others.

The second thing I know for sure is that love with get you through any thing.   Love is so where it is at.  When folks smack at you from under the door, and hiss at you, give them love.  Just stay cool and send them love and lots of it.  You might get tired, but that's okay, you can take a nap. 
Napping will also get you through almost anything.  So I guess that's three things I know for sure.

Stay positive.
Send and give love.
Nap.

Do you guys already do all that?

Until next week....create something. (I think that's what moma says).

And I don't know how many projects she's done this year...but it's a lot she's always crafting something.

Bye for now.
Love,
Gus.

Project of the week this cool door to keep my baby brother safe.  I can see him in the dining room and he can see me.  We still aren't too sure of each other just yet.

Preparing For The Best Of Times

The MickeyGrrrl saga continues.  Yes, she is in her completion process...she's dying.  When I use the word dying, people either think, I need to be home by her side and why haven't I called the vet?  Or they think she has passed.  At any rate, I need to be much more freaked out and crying.  Not calm and coming to the peaceful shore.  I like the term Completion Process.  It really does describe where we are and where she is. It helps me be present. To focus on the gifts that she blesses me with.  She will go out in grace and beauty.  Much like she lived her life.  I get to be a part of this. 
I believe in our society, we put such a strange mix of junk all over the process of dying.  To the point where we don't allow the being going through the process and our selves to experience the joy and beauty of the moments it brings.  It is another way to create high negative drama in our lives. 
Yes, I'm sad my little and best friend, my great teacher is going to be gone soon, but only in the physical sense.  Yet I'm not going to ruin this time in the creation of high drama.  It doesn't honor all the years of love, lessons and friendship we shared and continue to share for however much longer we have.
This makes me reflect, I know the day is fast approaching for MickeyGrrrl and I to say goodbyes.  I don't know that with anyone else in my life, even my life.  So, why would I want to spend my days in the creation of drama and negativity?  I don't have to struggle.  Struggle is of my choosing.  I have choice as to how I respond to the elements in my life.  Not to enjoy and be in joy about everything that is happening.  To turn away from the beauty I'm seeing in every moment.   That would be a waste of the wonderful gift of life.
MickeyGrrrl and I have been preparing for the day of goodbyes.   We have candles, her ashes urn and a made a special blanket for her to leave the house in.  I've made prayer flags and bird items. 
Someone commented that it seemed a bit morbid to do all this.   Using my creativity to make a celebration for my wonderful girl, it is morbid.  I'm in a peaceful state, what could be a better place to create from?
I'm also making preparations for a new kitty to come into our lives.  He's a rescue kitty of 10 months old.  We think he might be an Arabian Mau  mix.  He's our boy for sure.  We chose each other. The forces in this universe brought this all together. His name is Sammy.  There will be more on this guy later.
For now...how do you celebrate life?  How embrace the gifts of life passing?
Create to feel great! 
25 projects complete 27 to go! 

So the going away blanket for MickeyGrrrl...She wanted green, cats and birds.   What ever this Grrrl wants, this girl gets.

The Outter Limits

After 4 years of writing this blog, I know I starting repeat myself on several topics.  I like to think of it as uncovering more layers.
I've been reflecting, again on limited thinking and behaviors I have. We all have them.  I get impatient with mine and I'm working to open this up and get past them.
Why?  Well, simply stated limited thoughts...well, limit us.  
Imagine  any animal who for all of it's life only saw the vastness of the wide open spaces.  The earth and the sky and everything it has to offer them.   Then imagine that animal being scooped up and put in a small cage.  Angry, you bet they are angry.  I would be too. 
Now imagine that you are that animal and the cage is the limiting thoughts and behaviors.  Angry, I would say you might be.  At very least depressed and defeated.

I'm not talking about not having a focus or a vision for life.  That will open you up, because if you are focused you'll more than likely do whatever it takes to create your vision.
I'm talking about not seeing the vastness and the openness of life and allowing it to flow to you.

Here's my example.  I have costumed many shows in my life.  After 30 plus years and I don't know how many shows, many over 100, I've attempting to distance myself for costuming.  I'm picky.  A good friend and wonderful person in my life is directing his first professional production of Romeo and Juliet.  I'm doing the costumes.  This friend and I talked vision. Very simple...Period costumes, as much as I can do on the budget.  With that freedom, I was off and running.  Allowing my creativity to flow and all good things, the show is going to be a parade of outstanding lush rich costumes, that are well under budget.  I've costumed 3 other productions of R&J and can't remember when I have felt the freedom and the vastness of what this world has to offer in creativity, fun and joy.  All of this has spilled over into other areas of my life.

Lesson here.  Stay open.  Have an idea of how you want things to play out, and then forget it and go with the flow.  For me this is a summer "road trip" like no other.

Until next week....create to feel great!

24 projects complete! 28 to go!

This week's project is a little taste of what I'm working on.   It is Juliet's gown.  I decided to make her an under gown with hand embroidery in the bodice.  I think I'm off to a good start here.

Rock On!

This is a simple post.  This week I completed the project of creating or

recreating one of Jimi Hendrix's jackets.  At first, this project was a blessing that quickly turned into a pain in the butt, due to my fear.  Embracing where I was at...this project sailed along.  With every stitch, and there were a ton of hand stitches, I was able to look at how I allowed fear to kick me.  Will it happen again, more than likely yes...fear will get to me, but I'll recover fast, trust myself and my talents, my inner knowing sooner and without doubt.  That's a marvelous break through.

And with that lesson in my mind it is time to move forward.
Time to rock on life...fearlessly!  I wish you the same.
Until next week...create to feel great!

23 projects complete! 29 to go!

Griping Fear

The last couple of weeks I've been working around the power of fear.  I have several huge creative projects that are on deadlines.  I usually love that sort of thing.  A couple of months ago my day-job boss asked me if I would be willing to create a birthday present for his good friend's birthday in June.
He wanted a copy of the military jacket that Jimi Hendrix was famous for wearing.  It is a simple design with tons and tons of sewn on gold braid.  I agreed to the project thinking I had plenty of time.
I ordered all the materials.  Downloaded photos of the project from all angles, emailed Hendrix fans and people who knew him.  I did all this in good time.  The materials arrived and along came fear.
The more I looked at the photos the more I told myself I couldn't do this.  But I had to.  I had spent my bosses money and he was planning on this.  

I know through my years of dealing with fear that one of the best ways to just get rolling.  Push past it.  Ignore what it has to say, because it is of no value.  Just go!  This what I did.   As I did the hours of hand sewing to complete the jacket and vest, I had time to reflect.

Allowing fear to play and have it's day, really brought a new meaning to the phrase "crippled with fear."  Fear stops everything.  Fear may seem like a comfortable place to be, but it messes with everything.  It threw me out of the flow. The moment.   The price of allowing fear to have it's place in my life is way too high.  It's not comfortable.  It makes me ill and stressed.
I've put other things on hold in my life that will back up and cause more stress.  All because I allowed this thing to take hold. 
As I'm doing the finishing work on this project (I'm getting close and I will meet the deadline) i'm working to really understand that I have been given a valuable lesson here and I hope I remember and learned well so I don't have to repeat it.  Trust myself.  My inner knowing and the big one...fear is useless and doesn't serve me.  When I go into that place, the quicker I pedal out of there the better.
Forward movement is the only way.  As my Grandma would say..."Do something.  Anything.  Even if you discover later that it is wrong."


Until next week... create to feel great!

22 projects complete! 30 to go!

So this week's project...the Jimi Hendrix vest.    It's a very close copy.