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

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Here’s what’s going on in my studio…

I received my monthly Paper Pumpkin box, so I made these cards for Cards For A Cause.

June’s featured organization is Community Pregnancy Center of Barberton, Ohio.

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 from my friend, Amy…LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD. Here is the girl I started, using that inspiration.

This week’s inspiration comes from The Typist (Georgia’s momma) of Little Dogs On Long Leashes…SCHOOL DAYS.

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A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that I’m in a transition period. What it feels like is a slump…stuck…not sure what’s next. The last time this happened, my daughter had left for college, and I was an empty-nester. During that period, I worked my way through the book, SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life by Julie Morgenstern.

The idea behind the book is that “SHED is a transformative process for letting go of things that represent the past so you can grow and move forward. The four steps of SHED (Separate the Treasures, Heave the Trash, Embrace Your Identity, Drive Yourself Forward) provide a framework for proactively managing change, transition, and the feeling of being stuck and unsure. By releasing the defunct, extraneous, and burdensome objects and obligations that are weighing you down, you create the space to discover what’s next and gather the energy and courage to move forward.”

To begin the process, rather than thinking about your immediate options or next steps, you concentrate instead on the bigger picture. You come up with a theme…a vision, for your future. This theme is a “broad goal or feeling; an overarching simple expression of the adventure you’d like to be on.”

How do you come up with a theme? Julie offers five different techniques that can help you figure it out. Regardless of how you choose your theme, it should follow three rules:

1. Your theme should be broad enough to impact all the different buckets of your life.

2. Keep it simple.

3. Give yourself permission to say what you actually want, not what you should want.

My Theme – Caring, Artistic & Free.

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Every Saturday, I share my weekly Artist Date.

This past week, I’ve been on a road trip with my mom and sister.

We’ve had a great time seeing and doing so many different things.

It’s been a special time together.

I’ll share details on future posts.

For now…a few pictures from the road.

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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.

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For The Man Who Fails

The world is a snob, and the man who wins
Is the chap for its money’s worth:
And the lust for success causes half of the sins
That are cursing this brave old earth.
For it’s fine to go up, and the world’s applause
Is sweet to the mortal ear;
But the man who fails in a noble cause
Is a hero that’s no less dear.

‘T is true enough that the laurel crown
Twines but for the victor’s brow;
For many a hero has lain him down
With naught but the cypress bough.
There are gallant men in the losing fight,
And as gallant deeds are done
As ever graced the captured height
Or the battle grandly won.

We sit at life’s board with our nerves highstrung,
And we play for the stake of Fame,
And our odes are sung and our banners hung
For the man who wins the game.
But I have a song of another kind
Than breathes in these fame-wrought gales,–
An ode to the noble heart and mind
Of the gallant man who fails!

The man who is strong to fight his fight,
And whose will no front can daunt,
If the truth be truth and the right be right,
Is the man that the ages want.
Tho’ he fail and die in grim defeat,
Yet he has not fled the strife,
And the house of Earth will seem more sweet
For the perfume of his life.

 Paul Laurence Dunbar

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Kind is Kool Challenge

Week 24 Challenge – Write a thank you note to someone who provides you regular service (hairdresser, postal worker, person who picks up your trash).

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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. For the next several weeks, I’m taking my inspiration from the great ideas you sent me.

This week’s inspiration comes from my friend, Amy…LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD.

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…FELTED WOOL.

In a previous “How to be HAPPY” post ( February 28), I mentioned how I’m drawn to soapstone. I think the same could be said of felted wool. I love the feel and texture and all the whimsical things that generally come from it.  I’ve also had several felted wool jackets…durable, lovely and very warm. Felted wool makes me happy.

In the picture above, the felted wool snake was made by Lina Michalauskaite; her Etsy shop is called Vilnone. The felted wool octopus and goldfish change purse are from dZi’s Wild Woolies collection (available where I work…The Eatery | Reads & Things). The felted wool owl was made by me…remember?

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Since I frequently “showcase” the handmade cards I make at my two card clubs, I thought it would be interesting to show you a clever little machine I use for most of the cards we make…the Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine by Sizzix. Here are some of the things it can do:

Emboss

Using an embossing folder, you can add a raised texture design to a piece of paper.

Die-Cuts

Using dies, you can cut a perfect shape.

Emboss and Cut

Using these clever little Embosslits folders, you can cut and emboss at the same time.

If you enjoy papercrafting, this is a very versatile machine.

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Guess who’s a “birthday girl” on June 20th? Nikki! Nikki will be 6 years old. Here’s a little tribute to my girl:

N – Noble

Nikki has such a gentle and stoic nature. Like most Greyhounds, it gives her an air of nobility. Of course, the classic lines don’t hurt either.

I – Ideal

Nikki truly is the perfect dog. She never does anything wrong. Ever. She doesn’t give me much blog material, but you couldn’t have a better dog.

K – Kind

Nikki is the gentlest dog I have ever met. I know “kind” is a human adjective, but I think it fits Nikki’s spirit.

K – Kissable

Nikki has a sweet face that I love to kiss. You just have to be careful because Nikki will kiss back.

I – Inaccessible

Nikki had a hard past. Although I believe with all my heart that we can overcome and flourish in spite of what happens in our lives, I also believe the events add up and sometimes change who we might have been in a perfect world. I believe that is true of Nikki. There is something inaccessible with Nikki. What has it taught me? That I need to look for those who hang back and extend myself to them…to look beyond the surface. I don’t know what is in a person or animal’s past; I can only be a kind and gentle influence in their present and future.

Happy Birthday, my sweet little girl. Love you so much.

Help A Houndie Pitch-In

I’ve placed a donation link on my sidebar for Dotti. Dotti was severely injured when she ran into a wire. It cut through an artery and tendon. She will need extensive medical care to help her walk again. Dotti is from Freedom, Casper and Nikki’s Greyhound group, Allies for Greyhounds. If you can help, I know Dotti’s mom is grateful.

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Here’s what’s happening in my studio…

One of my Stampin’ Up! cardmaking clubs met this past Friday, so I made two new cards.

The texture on the background of this card was done with an embossing folder and a Sizzix machine. The adorable dress and dressmaker form were also done with the Sizzix machine, but with a die. Very feminine.

This card uses the same elements and techniques as the card I did last week. A change in color and arrangement and you have a completely different card.

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 from my friend, Amy…IF FREEDOM WERE A GIRL Here’s the girl I started, based on that inspiration.

This week’s inspiration also comes from my friend, Amy…LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD.

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Today is Father’s Day in the United States. I’m blessed to still have my ornery dad alive and kickin’ and today we celebrated Father’s Day with the patriarch of our family.

Here are some fun pictures from a scrapbook my dad made as a kid and one of his books.

He loved cowboys.

He loved cars (a new Studebaker starting at $685).

He loved reading about other “real boys.”

“Real boys” love dogs.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad!

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Every Saturday, I share my weekly Artist Date.

I volunteer at the Center for History and give tours at Copshaholm (The Oliver Mansion).

Copshaholm’s gardens are the perfect place for an Artist Date.

This year, I’m going to document four Artist Dates in the Copshaholm gardens…one for every season.  In March, I posted about my Winter Artist Date.

The centerpiece of the grounds is the sunken garden which is representative of Edwardian period gardens with their rigid formality in overall design and the use of classical design elements.

Alice E. Neale was hired to plan the original garden design. Neale’s design was informed by Charles Adams Platt’s 1894 book Italian Gardens which had a major influence on American garden design.

Platt’s influence can be seen in the abundance of classical elements found in the Italianate gardens which sprung up across the country in the early 1900s.

At Copshaholm, the pergola, the jardinières which grace the garden steps, the fountain, the well and the sundial are all classical element.

The meticulous design for each planting bed and the limited number of plant varieties used reflected the discipline, reserve, understatement and clarity of structure that were hallmarks of Edwardian gardens.

The Center for History is built on the back of the Oliver property, and the spirit of beautiful garden design continues.

The Copshaholm gardens are one of my favorite places for an Artist Date.