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

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.

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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.

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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.

Silkwood is based on the true story of the life and death of Karen Silkwood.  Karen was involved in exposing safety violations at the plant where she worked making plutonium pellets for nuclear reactor fuel rods, and she died under suspicious circumstances in 1974 while on her way to meet a New York Times reporter.  This film tells the story of an brave woman who takes a stand and exposes the truth.  I enjoyed this movie not only for the riveting story of Karen’s rise from worker to activist but also for it’s portrayal of Karen’s personal relationships.  In the end, you see that Karen Silkwood was an courageous yet ordinary person, thrust into an extraordinary circumstance.  Sadly, the truth regarding her death remains a mystery.

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Inspiration:

Family Circle Magazine, April 17, 2010 – Pg 30 (Lighten Up)

Supplies:

Candlestick

Primer

Paint

Paint Brush

1.  Clean candlestick thoroughly.  Spray with primer.  I used Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Primer (Gray).

2.  Paint with your choice of colors and paint.  I used Plaid Extreme Glitter (Turquoise & Peridot).

3.  You now have a glittering accent piece for your home.

You may wonder if retired racing greyhounds are purebred dogs.  They are!  However, they aren’t AKC greyhounds, they’re NGA greyhounds.  What’s the difference?  The simplest explanation…AKC greyhounds are bred for show; NGA greyhounds are bred for racing.

AKC stands for American Kennel Club and they set the “standards” for the breed.  AKC greyhounds are bred to carry and accentuate all the attributes you tend to think of when you hear the word “greyhound.”  They tend to be taller and more narrow with deeper chest and longer necks.  Their backs tend to be more arched and their rear legs more angled.  Also, their ears are more tightly folded and smaller.

NGA stands for National Greyhound Association  and it is the registry for greyhounds that are bred for racing.  These greyhounds tend to  have longer and wider bodies.  Their muscles are bunchier.  Their coats tend to be thicker and less sleek and they often develop missing hair on their thighs.  NGA greyhounds are bred to be much faster than AKC greyhounds and are also more keen to chase.

Both AKC and NGA greyhounds have sweet, gentle dispositions and make great pets.  Freedom and Casper want me to put in a plug for the NGA greyhounds.  Of course, they’re a litte biased…me too.