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

Paloma came to us after my daughter left for college.  Sadly, we lost Paloma after having her for only six months.  I think of her often.  Paloma was a big girl with a big personality.  Paloma was a jumper and Paloma liked people (not a good combination).  Paloma lived in the moment.  She was joyous.  She loved quickly and easily.  She changed who I am.  Even though her life was heartbreakingly short, she lived well.  I hope I accomplish in my life what Paloma did in her’s.

Snapware Paw Print Treat Containers

Super cute, durable, easy to open, airtight and with an opening large enough to get your hand into.  Fabulous!

Clorox Toilet Wand

These are wonderful to have around for quick clean-ups.  Pop one of the disposable heads onto the handle, clean the toilet, release the head into the trash.  Done.

Mary Kay Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover

This removes any kind of eye makeup easily and completely.

Seattle’s Best Level 4 Coffee (Henry’s Blend)

My favorite coffee!

The readings and tasks this week are about establishing a sense of safety so you can explore your creativity with  less fear.

I decided on some affirmations (positive statements of positive beliefs) that counteract my “censor” (that nasty, internal critic).  I spent some time on this because I wanted the affirmations to be short and specific so that I would actually use them.

My favorite tasks (and the most revealing) were to identify 3 old enemies/monsters to my creative self-worth;  write out one horror story from my “monster hall of fame”; then, write a letter in my defense.

Generally, I’m an easygoing and understanding person, so this series of tasks was fun because I could lay it all out and not be nice or understanding.  It actually helped me lighten the situation in my mind; allowed me to see the humor in the situation; and ultimately, allowed me to have a truer understanding of the situation.

I’m not sharing my personal stories with anyone.  That’s the most powerful aspect of this journey for me.  By keeping my work private, I have the freedom to be completely honest without having to explain or justify my feelings.  For now, that’s what makes me feel safe.

Part of creating a space to work in involves finding places for all the “paper” things that inspire me.  Here are some of my storage ideas:

3-Ring Binders – Are great for holding pictures and articles that inspire me.  They’re also a great way to save space.  Here’s what you do:  Take a pile of magazines you’re holding on to because there’s an article or picture you like.  Tear out the images and articles you find inspiring.  Then, put them into a beautiful 3-ring binder.  Now you have everything right at your fingertips and a big pile of old magazines, gone.

Magazine Files – Are great for storing magazine and books you want to keep, neatly and by category.

Hanging Files – Are great for patterns and pattern pieces.  When you’re working on a project, grab the file and you have everything you need.

How do you store the things that inspire you?

You’ve heard the expression, “It was like watching a train wreck.”  This is like reading a train wreck.   For me, the power of this book rests in the characters.  Each is tremendously flawed, yet so carefully and intimately developed that I was left with an equal measure of understanding and disbelief.  Because of this wonderful and thorough crafting, as often as I found myself saying, “Oh!  Please, don’t do that!”  I also found myself saying, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”

This is a psychological thriller about Tom Ripley whose talents lead to a bad end.  Set in the 1950’s, it is a gorgeous film that deals with the dark side of the human soul and the intoxicating power of charm.  It was interesting to me because even though Tom Ripley could be classified a “monster,” I was touched by him and found I didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.  This film left me feeling uneasy…and I loved it!  Do you have a favorite film where you find you’re a little more on the side of the villain than you’d like to be?

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Inspiration:

Creating Fantastic Vases by Suzanne J. E. Tourtillott – Pg 45 (Foolproof Tissue Decoupage)

Supplies:

Vase

Tissue Paper

Scissors

Decoupage

Sponge Applicator

1.  Cut squares (or any shapes) from tissue paper.

2.  Paint decoupage onto a small area and apply your base color tissue to the vase.  Continue applying additional pieces, overlapping slightly, until the vase is covered.

3.  Paint decoupage onto areas of the background layer where you want to place another color and shape of tissue.

4.  Give the vase a final coat of decoupage and let dry completely.  Now you have a vase that exactly matches your mood or decor.

Casper is 2 years old and our little boy.  Casper is not a dominant dog and he’s absolutely a-okay with that.  Casper is infinitely sweet and patient.  Casper’s favorite thing to do is lay down.  If we go anywhere and stand still for more than a couple minutes, guaranteed, Casper is going down…doesn’t matter whether we’re on carpet, tile, concrete, wood, grass or dirt.  Casper is the master of chillaxin’.

Caldrea Dish Soap

I like this because of the smell, period.  Citron Ginger is my favorite.

Hope’s Perfect Stainless

Until I found this product, I couldn’t clean my stainless easily or well.  Now I can.

PartyLite Votives

PartyLite votives burn down completely and cleanly…all that’s left is the metal wick clip.  Be aware that they’re smaller than some other votives, so they burn best in PartyLite votive holders because they are correctly sized.

Wen Cleansing Conditioner

Wen is not a lathering shampoo, it is a cleansing conditioner.  As a curly-haired gal, it is perfect for me.  Check out the “How to Use” on the Wen website before using it the first time because there is a learning curve with this product.  Sweet Almond Mint is my favorite.

The Artist’s Way starts with two “Basic Tools” – morning pages and the artist date.  Morning pages are done every day…three pages of longhand, stream-of-consciousness writing.  The artist date is done once a week…a block of time where you go alone on an excursion.

To help motivate me, I bought a pretty spiral notebook to write my morning pages.  I’ve only done them for a week, so I don’t have much to say about them yet.  I’m just committing to do them every day for twelve weeks.  Some mornings the words, thoughts and ideas come fast and smooth.  Other mornings the words are a nonsensical brain-dump or not even that good.  The idea though is that there is no “right” way to do the morning pages.  Just doing them is right.

While your morning pages can be looked at as “sending,” the artist date is for “receiving.”  My first artist date was to the Goodwill store to look for inspiration.  No problem there.  A key to the artist date is to be alone.

Fuller, richer descriptions of both the morning pages and the artist date can be found in the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.  This week, I’ll start Week 1: Recovering a Sense of Safety.  I’ll let you know how it goes.