Creativity, Crafts, Books, Movies, Greyhounds & Favorite Things

This week deals with recovering a sense of abundance.

The reading “The Great Creator” asks us to examine our ideas about God and how we often see money as the source of our security instead of God.  This is about opening our minds to a different idea about our dependence and the generosity of our Creator.  “Luxury” was a wonderful section because it talks about what luxury truly is and how we, as artists, have to have it in our lives.  Luxury doesn’t have to cost money.  What gives us true joy…that is luxury!  Have you ever considered the “luxury” of time, space and those special things that are yours alone.

My favorite exercise was “Money Madness,” a quick writing exercise that allowed me to examine some of my attitudes about money.  A few surprises about my answers…many were childish, stereotypical and victim-oriented.  Looks like an area in my life that needs some thought and change.

This is not related to The Artist’s Way…The best information I have ever received regarding money is Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University.  If you’re struggling or if you’re not, I believe you would find it extremely valuable to take this 13-week course.

Tonight is the 83rd Academy Awards.  Here are some fun facts about  movies’ highest honor.

1.  The Academy Award came to be known as the Oscar when the Academy’s Executive Secretary, Margaret Herrick, remarked that the statuettes looked like her Uncle Oscar.

2.  The Oscar statuette is 13 inches high and weighs 8.5 pounds.

3.  The Oscar statuette is made from an alloy called Britannium which is 93% tin, 5% antimony and 2% copper.  It is plated with gold.

4.  During World War II, the Oscar statuettes were made of plaster to conserve metal for the war effort.  The winners could exchange them for metal statuettes after the war was over.

5.  The first Oscars were awarded in 1929 for the 1927/1928 film seasons.

6.  Only 3 people have refused the Oscar.  Writer Dudley Nichols refused the Oscar in 1935 for The Informer because at the time, the Writers Guild was on strike against the movie studios.  George C. Scott refused his Oscar in 1971 for his portrayal of General Patton because he said that the politics surrounding the award was demeaning and that the Oscar ceremony was “a two-hour meat parade.”  In 1972, Marlon Brando refused the Oscar for his role in The Godfather because of the poor depiction of Native Americans by Hollywood.

7.  The Academy forbids winners or their heirs from selling their Oscar statuettes.  The legal document is known as “The Winner’s Agreement,” and it has been in place since 1950.

8.  The youngest actor to win a competitive Oscar was Tatum O’Neal for Best Supporting Actress in Paper Moon (1973).  She was 10 years old.

9.  The oldest actor to win a competitive Oscar was Jessica Tandy who won the Best Actress Award for Driving Miss Daisy (1989).  She was 80 years old.

10.  Three films have received the Big Five Academy Awards (best picture, director, actor, actress and writing):  It Happened One Night (1934), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

In honor of the Oscars, all my movie and book picks for March will be Academy Award winners or nominees.

Enjoy the evening!  And the Oscar goes to…

Haven Kimmel’s memoir is about her small-town childhood in Mooreland, Indiana (population 300).  It’s witty, humorous and poignant.  It may be because we’re close in age, or maybe because we’re both Hoosiers, but I laughed out loud time and time again at her fearless honesty.  This is a pleasure to read, filled with great stories that remind us that our ordinary lives are extraordinary.

This is a sweet, romantic comedy about two people who don’t like each other in person, but who fall in love with each other online.  An added bonus for me…they both own bookstores.  It’s Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan magic.

.

Inspiration:

Felt, Fabric, and Fiber Jewelry by Sherri Haab – Pg 40 (Ribbon Flower Pins)

Supplies:

18″ piece of ribbon

Needle

Thread

Scissors

1.  Thread needle.  Sew a running stitch along the bottom of the ribbon.  I made my stitches about a 1/4″ long.

2.  Pull the thread to gather the stitches.

3.  Form the gathered edge into a circle.  Make a stitch between the beginning of the gathered ribbon and the end.  Knot off.

4.  There you have it!  A sweet little flower to top a gift or embellish anything you like.

.

Greyhounds sleep a lot.  I think that’s why they do it so well.  Here are a few of Freedom and Casper’s variations on the sleeping theme.

Head To Head

You Can Never Have Enough Beds

This Is The Life

All Tucked In

Very Dangerous

Note:  Generally, Freedom doesn’t like Casper by her when she’s sleeping.

Method Laundry Detergent

Love this small bottle.  4 pumps for a medium load.

Sorting Containers (De-Clutter Kit)

These make me feel like a professional organizer; but when I’m not feeling like that, they fold away and go into the little white mesh bag.

Girl Scout Cookies

A once a year treat that supports a great organization.  Peanut Butter Patties are my favorite, Caramel deLites are my husband’s favorite.  Girl Power!

Dish Drying Mat

These look nice and are easy to clean and store.  A tip…let them air dry after washing; don’t put them in the dryer.

The sense of possibility, that’s what we’re looking at this week.  Do you embrace possibilities or place limits on the good you can receive?

The readings deal with three things that inhibit our ability to embrace all the possibilities life offers.  First up, “Limits”…how often are we stingy with ourselves?  We set limits, and if we receive something we can’t imagine or think we don’t deserve, we send it back.  Next, “Finding the River” addresses the shift to spiritual dependency.  The four previous weeks of work were spent redefining and accepting ourselves.  Now we’re ready to listen to God and our creative voice and follow their guidance.  Finally, “The Virtue Trap”…a tricky beast.  Are you self-destructive, or put another way, are you destructive of your true nature?  How often do you refuse to accept something because you believe you’re not good enough or you believe the offering isn’t acceptable or good enough.  What’s the cost of settling for appearing good rather than being who you authentically are?

The tasks I found most helpful were to write out ten ways I am mean to myself.  Often we focus on how others mistreat us, but it was interesting to list the ways I’m cruel to myself.  Several of the tasks asked me to collect images…dreams and desires, adventures, postponed pleasures, items I’d like to own.  I’ve never done this, so I’ll be interested to see how doing it plays out in the long-term.

One thing I have seen in the short time I’ve been recovering and rediscovering my creativity, the possibilities are there; endless and freely and abundantly available.  I’m ready and grateful to receive!

Anti-climactic, I know.

What I did:

Painted the room.  The room originally had a navy blue ceiling and gray-blue walls.  Everything needed a second coat, so I used twice the paint I normally would.  I painted everything white.

Re-purposed a piece of furniture that was in my daughter’s room.  I haven’t decided whether I’ll keep the piece together or break it up into separate parts.

Here are my original goals and where I’m at now:

Goal 1 – A pretty, fun and inspiring place to create and work

I have the space, and the new paint has made it a nicer place to work.  I still have a lot to do to make it pretty, fun and inspiring.

Goal 2 – Storage for my supplies

I have a start on that.  I still need to go through the whole house and gather everything together.  I know that I have things that belong in this space in every room of my house except for the bathrooms and kitchen.

Goal 3 – Work spaces

This is a challenge I haven’t figured out yet, and I still need a place for my sewing machine.

Goal 4 – An inspiration board and files

I have my inspiration files together but I still need an inspiration board.

New Goal – Move the houndies’ crates into the room.

Oi…this is really throwing a wrench into the works!

So…let’s keep going.  What are some of your ideas for my creative space.  I’d love to hear what works for you.  Check back and see the “Creative Space – After (Part 2)” on March 20.

The story in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is solid, interesting and extremely violent, but the force of  the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson is the main character Lisbeth Salander.  Lisbeth is a genius computer hacker.  Ruthless, tough, outwardly unemotional, Lisbeth has a vulnerability that draws you to her.  I rooted for her and admired her in spite of the fact that she was damaged.  It is the damage that made me feel for her and want to understand her.  It is what makes her so compellingly human.  The Millennium Trilogy consists of three novels:  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; The Girl Who Played with Fire; and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.