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

.

I’m participating in The August Break 2013 hosted by Susannah Conway.

Today’s picture…yellow.

 

.

I’m participating in The August Break 2013 hosted by Susannah Conway.

Today’s picture…circles.

.

I’m participating in The August Break 2013 hosted by Susannah Conway.

Today’s picture…breakfast.

.

On Monday, I mentioned The August Break 2013 hosted by Susannah Conway.

Here’s how it works:

Each day, for the whole of August, you take a photo and share it on your blog. You can add words if you want — or not. You can use any camera. You could share a series of photos, or miss a day out, or just post on weekends. There are no real rules, basically. This is all about being present and enjoying taking photos. And perhaps reinvigorating your love for blogging, or taking a break from writing. If you don’t have a blog you can add photos to the August Break Flickr pool. We’ll also have an Instagram hashtag — #augustbreak2013 — so we can gather as a group there, too.

For the month of August, I’m going to suspend my regular posting schedule and participate in The August Break. I’ll post a picture every day following this list of photo prompts. I’ll pick up my regular posting schedule on September 1st. Here’s to a fun August!

.

Nikki: Did I hear the mail carrier? Anything for us?

Mommy: Look at this! You all received a box from Be Pawsitive.

Nikki: What’s Be Pawsitive?

Mommy: Be Pawsitive is a monthly subscription box of organic dog treats. Every month, you get a new flavor of Be Pawsitive Treats, delivered right to your door.

Mommy: Be Pawsitive Treats have all the things we love:

1. Made in the USA

2. Wheat-free and made with all natural ingredients that are certified organic.

3. Small batch baked (for quality control) in flavors dogs love.

Freedom: So what exactly is in the box this month?

Mommy: The treats are Power Berry this month.

Mommy: We also got some extra goodies…a “thank you” card, a coupon for a free pet ID tag from Just4MyPet, an edible card by Crunchkins, and a sample of Dog Paws Lotion Bar by My Dog Paws.

Freedom: Please throw the soap away.

Mommy: It’s not soap, it’s a lotion bar for your paw pads.

Freedom: Okay, as long as it doesn’t involve water or changing my lovely natural smell.

Casper: What does this mean on the package? Buy One. Give One.

Mommy: That’s one of the coolest things about Be Pawsitive. When you order an individual box or a subscription for yourself or as a gift, a box is sent to an animal shelter or rescue organization. Every box that is purchased has a matching box that is sent out to doggies in need.

Casper: That is so cool! I love getting treats and knowing that pups who are waiting for their forever homes get treats too. Be Pawsitive is a good idea. Also, we want everyone to know that we got a free Be Pawsitive box to test and review, but our opinions are all our own. We give Be Pawsitive “all paws up.”

.

Here’s what’s happening in my studio:

This Week’s Inspiration

In 2013, I’m doing Inspiration Mondays and Results Thursdays. Every Monday, I’ll post a painting “inspiration” and then on Thursdays, I’ll post how I’m interpreting that inspiration.

Last week’s inspiration was GOODNESS.

This week’s inspiration is…PEACE.

Here’s something fun I’m going to do in August, The August Break 2013 hosted by Susannah Conway.

Here’s how it works:

Each day, for the whole of August, you take a photo and share it on your blog. You can add words if you want — or not. You can use any camera. You could share a series of photos, or miss a day out, or just post on weekends. There are no real rules, basically. This is all about being present and enjoying taking photos. And perhaps reinvigorating your love for blogging, or taking a break from writing. If you don’t have a blog you can add photos to the August Break Flickr pool. We’ll also have an Instagram hashtag — #augustbreak2013 — so we can gather as a group there, too.

This year, Susannah is providing a list of photo prompts. Remember, there are no rules, so you don’t have to follow the list, it’s just a list of prompts if you find that type of thing helpful. I find that type of thing helpful, so I’m going to follow the list.

Join in!

.

I’m working my way through the book SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life by Julie Morgenstern.

This will be my last installment about the book for now. The SHED process (Separate the Treasures, Heave the Trash, Embrace Your Identity, Drive Yourself Forward) isn’t something I can do in a few weeks. I’ll keep working on it, but I wanted to close out with the final area where you work the process…bad habits.

There are “five key habits that add bulk to your schedule, taking up substantial amounts of time and energy that could be freed for pursuing your theme.” Julie asks you to explore why you are attached to these habits. The habits are:

1. Mindless escapes

2. Procrastination

3. Perfectionism

4. Chronic lateness

5. Workaholism

The formula for detaching yourself from these habits consists of the following:

1. Raising your awareness of when the habit kicks in; its “trigger point.”

2. Finding a more direct and more constructive replacement to meet the need the habit was serving.

I’m not ready to deal with my habits yet, but when I am I’ll be taking a particularly hard look at items 1-3.

Now for a little SHEDing fun…I did a post were I gave an example of SHEDing “physical treasures.” I also promised an example of SHEDing “meaningful treasures.” Practical treasures are “objects that are useful to you and can contribute to your ability to fulfill your new theme.” Meaningful treasures are “symbolic or sentimental objects that bring you pure and unambiguous joy, energy and inspiration.”

I grabbed a box; let’s see what’s inside. I’m scared.

I did a quick sort and here’s what I came up with.

These are items from my time in the military. For now, I moved them to another box where I keep all my military stuff.

These are items I want to keep. One of the challenges with stuff like this is where to keep it. Knowing how I love to bring home souvenirs when I travel, I’m going to pay special attention and look for pretty boxes that I can display in my home but also use to keep little odd treasures like these.

Oh, boy. I’m guessing  my daughter’s voice is on these. I’ll have to listen to them, but I’ll do it later because I think there are more of them around the house. I put them with my tape recorder.

I need to ask my mom about these. I believe the book was given to my mom and dad when they married. I’m not sure who the hankies belonged to. The curl is mine, but I’ll see if there’s a story behind it.

Barbie clothes! I’ll keep many of these because my mom made them, but I want to ask her if there are any fun stories behind them.

These are things I’m going to get rid of. They are all items I don’t have an attachment to. 

Going through meaningful treasures is hard, but the more I do, the better I get.

.

Every week, I take you on an Artist Date with me. The Artist Date comes from the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Generally, Artist Dates are time alone, but sometimes an opportunity comes along to do something inspirational with a friend.

My friend, Amy, and I attended the 52nd annual Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff in St. Joseph, Michigan, on July 13. It was awesome!

The Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff is presented by the Krasl Art Center.  The Krasl Art Center was built in 1979-1980 and is owned and operated by the St. Joseph Art Association, Inc.

The Art Association began in 1962 when a group of local artists organized and presented a summer art fair in St. Joseph’s Bluff Park.

Celeste North Glass

This year’s Art Fair featured 216 artists’ booths and draws around 70,000 guests.

Gruchalla/Rosetti Pottery

Artists from 32 states and 3 countries were represented.

It was a gorgeous day to walk around…

Celeste North Glass

…and enjoy the amazing variety of art.

We had a tasty lunch at Silver Beach Pizza which is located in a former train depot.

From there we had a view of the Whirlpool Compass Fountain. This super cool fountain was donated to the city of St. Joseph by Whirlpool Corporation and has a diameter of 200-feet and shoots water 35-feet in the air.

Just an ideal day in every way.

I had another Artist Date in St. Joseph, Michigan, earlier this year when I attended the Magical Ice Fest. What a difference five months makes.

NOTE: The artists whose work is represented above do not have websites, but if you do an internet search of their names, you can find more information.

.

Every Friday, I share a poem. Friday is also the day I post a prompt of something you can do to make the world a kinder place. I call this the Kind is Kool challenge.

I offer both the poem and the kindness challenge without any obligation, so “Comments” are turned off every Friday. Enjoy.

.

Silver

Slowly, silently, now the moon
Walks the night in her silver shoon:
This way, and that, she peers and sees
Silver fruit upon silver trees;
One by one the casements catch
Her beams beneath the silvery thatch;
Couched in his kennel, like a log,
With paws of silver sleeps the dog
From their shadowy cote the white breasts peep
Of doves in a silver-feathered sleep;
A harvest mouse goes scampering by,
With silver claws and silver eye;
And moveless fish in the water gleam
By silver reeds in a silver stream.

Walter De La Mare

Kind is Kool Challenge

Week 29 Challenge – Remember to say “please” and “thank you.”

.

Every Monday, I post a painting “inspiration.” Every Thursday, I post how I interpreted the inspiration. I decided to do this to keep myself painting, to strengthen how I go from an idea to a painting, and to give myself permission to play and try new things.

This week’s inspiration was GOODNESS.

As usual, I didn’t finish this one, but you can get a feel for how she’ll look in the end. I plan to keep her simple, so I’ll probably just add a little finishing to her face.

How to be HAPPY!

Every Thursday, Jay of The Depp Effect, posts something that makes her happy, and I’m playing along. She encourages us to look around and notice the things that make us happy. I enjoy this challenge because it makes me consider the things that make me happy, but are easily overlooked. It’s a wonderful exercise in attention and gratitude. Please grab the badge and join in.

Here’s something that makes me happy…CANDLES.

I love all manner of candles and “scents,” but my absolute favorite is a scented wax candle. The fragrance and the flickering light seem both elegant and homey. Candles have an extravagant feel to me, and that makes me happy.