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

This winter, Casper cut the back of his leg.  The cut was a real bleeder and I had blood everywhere.  I also discovered that I didn’t have the right items on-hand to bandage him up.  Since then, I’ve started a Greyhound First Aid Kit.  I thought I’d share my list to perhaps inspire you to pick up some items that help in case of an emergency.  I would also like to hear from you, what things you have in your kit that I might not be thinking of.

Gauze Roll and Pads

Vet Wrap

Instant Cold Pack

Styptic Powder

Saline Solution

Hydrogen Peroxide

Scissors

Hand Sanitizer and/or disposable gloves

Bulb Syringe

Measured Dropper

Soft Muzzle

Small blanket for transporting (especially important with a large breed)

Flashlight

Photos

Extra Leash

This is just a starter kit.  When I was researching the items for Freedom and Casper’s First Aid Kit, I came across lists that appeared to include items that would enable me to perform surgery on my houndies.  I just want to do the first helping action and then we’ll get to the vet.

To get breed specific ideas about what to put in your kit, type “[your breed] first aid kit” in your search engine and you’ll get some good information.

Let me hear your ideas.

Yoo-hoo

Yoo-hoo has a distinctive taste…distinctively YUMMY.  The container says that it’s a “Good Source of Vitamins and Minerals.”  You’ve got to be kidding!  I’m not thinking about vitamins and minerals when I’m drinking Yoo-hoo and you probably shouldn’t be either.

No-Iron Shirts

I LOVE these.  I used to take my husband’s shirts to be laundered and pressed.  His shirt looked good in the morning, but was all rumpled up by the time he got home from work…and it cost money to get this look.  The beauty of no-iron shirts – machine washable (saves $), a little tumble dry, hang up, looks nice in the morning, still looks nice in the evening.  Now that’s a product that offers a lot.

Hollywood Fashion Tape

This helps prevent fashion malfunctions.  Hollywood Fashion Tape is essentially, double-sided tape.  What makes it great is it really holds and it comes off your clothes nicely  before laundering.

Bottle Brush

This is one of those items you don’t appreciate until you need it.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

The month of May will be “4 Faves – Friends Version.“  What are your favorite things?  Tell me about them during the month of April and one of your picks may be chosen as a “favorite” in May.  You can let me know what you like in one of three ways…post a comment, email me (whatremainsnow@gmail.com), or let me know on the What Remains Now Facebook page (either by commenting or writing on my wall). Tell me what the item is and why you like it.  I can’t wait to hear from you!

Recovering a sense of self-protection is the topic this week…self-protection for the perils that can ambush us on our creative path.

“Dangers of the Trail” begins with this quote, “Creativity is God energy flowing through us, shaped by us, like light flowing through a crystal prism.  When we are clear about who we are and what we are doing, the energy flows freely and we experience no strain.”  Although this is what we seek, this can be a frightening process.  To protect ourselves from our fear, every creative person has a variety of “blocks” that they favor; usually one or two that work very effectively.  “Workaholism” has an entire section devoted to it but there are many other “blocks” of choice.  “Drought” talks about the inevitable times when we experience a dry spell.  This is the time when it is essential to keep up with the morning pages even though they may seem pointless and yield nothing.  “Fame” and “Competition” are two spiritual drugs that turn the question to, “How does my work look to them?” instead of, “Is my work going well?”  Fame (or the pursuit of) and competition can cause us to ask ourselves the wrong questions, and those wrong questions give us the wrong answers.  The point of the work is the work.

As in Week 9, there were fewer exercises but they were very in-depth.  My favorites included “The Deadlines,” where you write seven words on seven strips of paper (alcohol, drugs, sex, work, money, food, family/friends); you draw one slip from the envelope then write five ways in which it has had a negative impact on your life.  You do this 7 times.  “Touchstones” involves making a list of things you love.  You post the list where it can console and comfort you.  I love doing things like this.  I find that it does calm me when I’m anxious, and I see it as an exercise in gratitude where I can see the beauty and blessing in my life.  “The Awful Truth” pushes you to answer questions about things that get in the way of your creativity.

I mentioned last week how much I liked the readings and exercises.  I felt the same this week.  As I gain confidence and clarity, focusing on the journey and finding ways to protect myself as an artist is very empowering.  The reading and work this week was strengthening and the stronger you are, the better able you are to protect yourself.

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You may think with all the challenges I’m facing with my creative space, I wouldn’t want to add any more home decor “to do’s” to my life; but I’ve been in a slump with regards to my house.  I think I need to do a little spring cleaning and sprucing up.

Several years ago, I clipped out an article from Family Circle magazine called, “Rules of Arrangement: 12 Decorating Strategies.”  I’m going to use that as my guide.  Here are the 12 ideas and the 6 I’m going to attempt:

1.  Count on color to dramatize a small area.

Doing this!  In fact, I’ve already done it.  My living room is green, but I painted a small wall purple.  It needs a little work though…maybe a little of #8 (pillows) and some #9 (bookcase clean-up).

2.  Think outside the bedroom box.

Not doing this.  Our bedroom needs a little more work than thinking outside the box.

3.  Set up your living room for conversation and comfort.

Doing this!  All my living room furniture is old and mismatched.  I have an idea, but you’ll have to tune in later to see it.

4.  Hang favorite art in harmonious multiples.

Doing this!  This is the view when I walk out of my bedroom.  Surely, I can do better than this.

5.  Choose an anchor for a mantel and all else will fall into place.

Doing this!  This area suffers from 7 years of just adding more and more and more.  Time for a re-do.

6.  Show off cherished photos in a cohesive grouping.

Not doing this OR maybe doing this.  I might do this in the hallway.

7.  Create impact with big, bold accessories in the same mood or color.

Not doing this OR maybe doing this.  When I re-do the fireplace, I’ll keep this in mind for accessories.

8.  Mix and match pillows galore for easy add-in warmth.

Doing this!  The couch in the living room could use some help in this area and the couch in the family room…have you ever seen such a “brown” look?

9.  Turn a bookcase into an attractive all-around hold-all.

Doing this!  My bookcases, like my fireplace, suffer from 7 years of just adding more stuff.  Time for a clean-out.

These are the living room bookcases (his and hers):

These are the family room bookcases (his and hers):

10.-12. Three no-fail ways to make a room bloom (flower arrangement ideas).

Not doing this.  I have bigger fish to fry than flower arrangements.

Let’s see what happens.  I’ll update you on May 8.

The Likeness is the second of Tana French’s novels.  I recommend (LOVE) all of them (currently three), but this was my favorite.  The body of a young woman is found in the ruins of an old stone cottage.  Finding her killer involves a unique kind of undercover work.  The beauty of the book is that it is both character-driven and plot-driven, so it will appeal to a variety of readers.  If you love mysteries, start with In the Woods and read all three of Tana’s books.  You’ll be delighted.

This is a movie that engages your mind.  Three interwoven stories represent views about the Middle East conflicts and show the interplay of social and political forces that shape and alter our lives, particularly the lives of our brave soldiers on the front lines.  The title of the film is believed to originate from World War I and an observation by a German general of the valor of the British troops and the incompetency of the British high command, “Nowhere have I seen such lions led by such lambs.”

Inspiration:

I often see plain, glass vases and I love their shapes and textures; but the plain glass is just that…plain.  Let’s jazz it up!

Supplies:

Glass Vase

Primer

Spray Paint

Wire (I used 20 gauge copper wire)

Wire Cutters (not in the picture)

Buttons

1.  Clean the vase thoroughly.  Allow to dry.  Spray with primer.  Allow to dry.

2.  Spray with paint.  Allow to dry.

Note:  Painting on glass is tricky.  Although the primer will help, spray paint is not especially durable on glass.  Don’t submerge your vase in water and don’t handle it roughly because the paint will scratch off.

3.  Cut three lengths of wire approximately 12″ long.

4.  Wrap wire around the neck of the vase.

5.  String the buttons on the wire.

5.  Arrange the buttons.  You have a new, inexpensive vase for Spring and a great excuse to pick up some pretty flowers.

I wish I could say that Freedom and Casper love Rain Dog Treats above all else and will do anything to earn one; but Freedom and Casper act with enthusiasm whether it’s these wonderful treats or an old dog biscuit that’s been in my coat pocket for a couple weeks.

What I can say is that I love these treats because they’re  made with no preservatives, no artificial colors and no artificial flavors.  They’re also made by a small business; and I love to support small businesses.

If you have a picky eater, you’ll be delighted with all the options.  Check out Rain Dog Treats.  Next, we’re going to try the dried meat treats…yummy, yummy, yummy!

The Old Farmer’s Almanac

Where can you get astronomical and weather data for an entire year, recipes, information on gardening AND animal husbandry, plus much, much more…The Old Farmer’s Almanac, that’s where.  The first edition was published in 1792 and the format of the Almanac’s “Calendar” pages is essentially unchanged since that time.  A true piece of Americana.

FlipFold

This makes folding shirts easy, plus they’re all the same size and fit beautifully in your drawers.

Pretty File Folders

It’s surprising how uplifting it is to replace a plain, functional item with a beautiful, functional item.  Case in point, file folders.

Anna & Kristina’s Grocery Bag

In each half hour episode, Anna & Kristina put a cookbook to the test.  They select several recipes, prepare them, then have a chef or other foodie over to taste test.  After that, they decide whether or not to give the cookbook the “A & K Stamp of Approval” based on how it delivers on its promises.  Anna & Kristina are fun, and you get to see “real” cooking with all its mistakes and messes.  Another great feature…they test a different product on every show.  This show airs in the US on the OWN Network.

Week 9 and the topic is recovering a sense of compassion.  How do we show compassion for our artist spirit when it carries disappointments and the shame of past failures?

There were four reading sections.  “Fear” talks about calling things by their right names and how fear is often the name for what blocks us as artists…fear of failure, fear of success, fear of criticism, fear of abandonment. “Enthusiasm” deals with how we must approach our work.  I found it interesting that the word enthusiasm is from the Greek, “filled with God.”  Our work must be filled more with play than with discipline.  This was particularly important to me in regards to my morning pages.  I have been so determined to DO these that they have become more an exercise in discipline than an exercise in joy.  “Creative U-Turns” talks about how recovering our creativity can force us to give up some of the pay-off we receive from being a blocked artist (for instance, sympathy or attention).  It also discusses the shame we feel when we take a creative U-turn and how we need to deal with these self-imposed set-backs with compassion for ourselves.  “Breaking Through Blocks” presents five questions that are great to ask yourself at the beginning of a new project, when a project is stalled or when a project is difficult.

There were fewer exercises this week but they had multiple parts.  The Priorities exercise involved writing down my creative goals for the year, month and week.  Setting goals has always been hard for me because if I write down four goals and only accomplish two, I tend to feel bad about the two I didn’t accomplish instead of celebrating the two I did.  I am getting better at this as I embrace the idea of my life in a more simple and joyous manner.  I do have things I want to accomplish and a “plan” is vital, but I looked at this exercise as a rambling road map as opposed to a trip itinerary where one missed time or destination destroys the whole trip.  The other exercise I enjoyed was Creative U-Turns.  This exercise involved naming my U-turns, forgiving myself and considering if any of the projects that were sabotaged could be salvaged.  This exercise also suggested choosing an artist totem…an object you feel protective fondness toward and when you see it, you honor it by not beating up on your artist child.  Having objects around me that represent my “artist spirit/child” has been very helpful.  I find I do feel compassion towards this tender part of myself and although I can’t stop the outside world from taking jabs, I can stop ME from hurting this part of my spirit, especially when I surround myself with gentle reminders.  The picture of me as a little girl that hangs in my creative space is an artist totem and I want more of these tokens around me.