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

Last Sunday, I reflected on my blog’s 6 month anniversary.  Thank you to everyone who gave me feedback.  If you haven’t already, please feel free to offer suggestions.  That got me thinking, “What about those New Year’s resolutions?”  Here are my resolutions and some of my thoughts:

1.  Blog and see where it leads.

I love blogging; much more than I thought I would.  I’m proud of myself for consistently posting.  Having a schedule has been helpful in that regard.  Where has it lead so far?  I’ve met some incredible people that are now my friends.  It has breathed fresh life into me after the end of my “mommy” years.  It’s taught me about my computer and camera.  It’s got me back into making things with my hands and with my mind.  I’m just going to keep following the trail.

2.  Simplify.

This has been a process I’ve been going through for several years.  Perhaps one day I’ll post about being a recovering hoarder.  The process has continued this year.  In fact, I think this will be the year I’ll whip this problem for good.  I recently had a breakthrough.  I had quite a stash of stuff in my basement that I was saving for my next garage sale.  I love going to garage sales, but I HATE having them and participating in them.  This past Thursday and Friday, my family had a garage sale.  I gave all my stuff to my daughter.  She worked the garage sale and got all the money.  We loaded up what didn’t sell and took it straight to Goodwill.  Sounds simple, but the mental shift for me was monumental.  To continue my success in this area, some concrete goals and timelines would be helpful though.

3.  Learn and challenge myself.

Most of my learning this year has centered around my blog and starting my Etsy shop.  I want to continue challenging myself by improving my blog, learning more about photography, and challenging myself more with the “business” aspect of my journey.  Rescheduling my life around these new “important” pursuits is my biggest challenge currently.

4.  Create.

This resolution is a multi-dimensional challenge and journey.  By reading and learning about the creative process, I’m changing how I view myself both inside and outside.  I’m creating a new me.  Because of that, I’m also creating a new life.  I want to create a business (my Etsy shop) and continue to develop and improve my blog.  I think this has been a great year for “creating.”

5.  Love better.

I imagine this will be on my “resolutions” list for the rest of my life.  I am a very solitary person.  I’m happiest when I’m alone; so, my battle is not so much about “loving” as it is about spending time and being considerate.  I’m working on both of these this year.

It’s good to pause and reflect.  Looking at the promises I made to myself and others gives me satisfaction in “a job well done” and points out areas where I might want to focus a little more effort and attention.  I have a few good ideas where I need to make some midpoint corrections to my course.

With the kids out of school, all my books in June are some of my favorite children’s books.

This is a cautionary tale.  Do as you’re told and follow instructions or THIS may happen to you!  When I was little, my mom signed me up for the Dr. Seuss Book Club.  Every month, a new book came in the mail.  What a lovely gift.  It introduced me to so many wonderful books, and this was one of my favorites.  The little boy in the story purchases a fish.  The pet store owner tells him exactly what he must do and how much to feed the fish.  Of course, the little boy doesn’t listen and the fish, Otto, grows and grows and grows.  What will happen?  You’ll have to read the story to find out if it all turns out well.

What better way to start off the summer than reacquainting yourself with this masterful suspense classic.  A great white shark is terrorizing the beach off Amity Island.  The town decides to hire someone to kill the shark.  Roy Scheider (the town’s sheriff), Richard Dreyfuss (a marine biologist) and Robert Shaw (the professional shark hunter) go after the shark.  They soon learn that they’re not only hunting the shark, the shark is hunting them.  It’s not just the story that makes this movie compelling; it’s the iconic characters, the superb acting and directing and of course, the film’s music score.  This was Steven Spielberg’s third film.  If you have the chance to see the documentary about the making of Jaws, please see it; you’ll be fascinated.

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All of June’s crafts will be kid-friendly, in honor of “School’s Out For Summer!”

Inspiration:

DLTK’s Crafts for Kids – Bouncy-pillar Paper Craft

Supplies:

Paper (I used a 12″ x 12″ sheet.  I recommend using paper with a design on both sides.)

Scissors (I also used a paper cutter)

Glue

Pipe Cleaner

Jiggle Eyes

1.  Cut 4 strips of paper 1″ wide x 12″ long.  The width and length of the strips will determine the size of the caterpillar.

2.  Glue 2 strips together so you end up with 2 strips that are approximately 23″ long.

3.  Glue the 2 long strips to form an “L.”

4.  Fold the bottom piece over the top piece and crease.  You’ll still have an “L”

5.  Repeat folding the bottom strip over the top strip until you come to the end.

6.  Glue the end pieces together and trim any excess paper.

7.  Twist the pipe cleaner around a pencil to form a curlicue.

8.  Trim the pipe cleaner to the length of antennae you want.

9.  Glue on the antennae and the eyes.

10.  You now have a cute little caterpillar.

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“You’re posting about what?  But I’m playing with my orange wiggle worm.”

Greyhounds that are bred to race (NGA Greyhounds) have ear tattoos.  These tattoos identify their litter number and their birth month and year.

“I don’t want you to take pictures of my ears.  It tickles when you hold them out.”

The left ear has a 5-digit number that is assigned to the litter at birth.  All the puppies in that litter have the same number.

Casper’s litter number is 47558

The right ear contains either a 2- or 3-digit number followed by a letter.  The numbers represent the month and year the hound was born.  The letter signifies the order in which they were tattooed.

Casper was born in July of  2008 and was the third pup in his litter to be tattooed.

With this information, you can find out about your dog’s pedigree, litter mates and racing career records.  I haven’t researched Freedom or Casper’s background, but I’ll let you know what I find out when I do.

May’s 4 Faves all come from my friends.  Check out what they like.

St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse & Mitt

My friend, Amy, says this is the best self-tanner on the market.  She loves it because it gives her natural, healthy, streak-free color AND it doesn’t stink.  If you’ve ever used a self-tanner, you know what I mean by “stink.”  I can’t wait to try this!

Voyagers K9 Apparel

Voyagers K9 Apparel is a favorite of Carrie and the Houndstooth girls (not Morgan…she has a built-in coat).  Carrie is the author of two blog, Tales and Tails and Pink Sunshine.  Why does she love Voyagers K9 Apparel?  Because they’re durable, fit well, are breed specific and made to get out and be active in.  Bunny also wanted me to mentioned another fave of her’s…the color pink.

Cody’s Creations

My friend, Mayzie, recommends Cody’s Creations for beautiful dog collars and pet accessories.  Sadly, Mayzie’s Grampa J (Mayzie’s mom’s dad) passed away recently; so Mayzie and her Brudder Ranger are giving their mom some extra care and lovin’ now.

Cheetos

Some of my readers only have to see the picture to know who recommended this “favorite.”  That’s right, Puddles, author of the blog We Three Doxies.  The funny thing is, I don’t know why Puddles likes Cheetos.  Hopefully, Puddles or some of her friends will let me know in the “Comments.”  Puddles also recommended “squirrels” as a favorite and if that’s your thing, you can always find a good squirrel recipe on her blog.

This is the final installment of 4 Faves – Friends Version.  But don’t worry, it’s not the end.  I’ll do another “Friend Version” in August and November.  So…keep thinking of all the things you love and that make your life easier and more enjoyable!

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Continue this picture.

(I took the picture of half a head of cabbage and turned it into “Planet of the Fruit People.”)

This is my final post working with Mess by Keri Smith.  I’m not done playing and making messes, but I’ll announce the new book I’m going to read and work with next week.  Mess was better than I anticipated.  I had the general idea that it would be “good for me,” but it was “really good for me.”  Here’s what I’m taking away:

1.  It’s REALLY important to give myself time to play.  NOT work on projects, NOT increase my skills, JUST play.

2.  When I play, I won’t like most of what I come up with.  Most of it will be a mess.  But ever so often…something wonderful appears.

3.  Playing is for me.  Playing is healthy.  Playing limbers up my mind.

Smear something here with your hands purely for the tactile sensation.

(I smeared pink pearl paint, and I have to admit…it did feel nice.)

1.  Take the image to the right and cut it into pieces.

2.  Rearrange the image to create a new image entirely.

(I call it “Family Deconstructed.”)

1.  Fold page several times.

2.  Make random cuttings with scissors.

3.  Unfold.

4.  Repeat with different folds.

(I used magazine pages.  Several of them fell apart because I cut too much.  I thought this one was lovely.)

1.  Apply a horizontal line of white glue to the top of this page.

2.  Support the book somehow so the glue runs down the page as it dries.

3.  Once it is dry, add a coat of ink or paint overtop.  Let dry.

4.  Sand the page slightly to bring out the glue shapes.

(I didn’t feel my first line dripped enough, so I added some more.)

Keri has a new book coming out soon.  I can’t wait!

I started my blog 6 months ago and have enjoyed every single moment of creating and writing it.  I thank everyone who has read, commented, shared and supported me on this journey.

My goal when I started What Remains Now, was to use it as a creative outlet for myself to write about the things I love and am interested in.  Since I am writing about a variety of things, I wanted to write on a schedule so if you enjoyed certain topics, you’d know exactly when to find them.  I wanted to write relatively short posts so you could check it daily or just as easily check it weekly.  I wanted you to know me like a friend.  I wanted to encourage you.  I wanted you to leave What Remains Now feeling good.

I hope that those things happen when you read my blog; but I want to make it even better.  One of the most difficult things about writing a blog is that I feel like I do it in a bubble.  I recently signed up for Elsie Flannigan’s E-Course, Blog Love, so I could learn more about blogging.  Elsie has a wonderful blog, A Beautiful Mess.  I also signed up for a Blog Critique at The Blog Guidebook.  But more important than any of that, I would love to hear from you…general or specific comments.  Here are some prompts:

Specific to What Remains Now:

What do you like best?

What do you like least?

What do you think is missing?

What do you like to read about?

When you’re reading my blog, do you ever find yourself thinking, “I wish she’d change that,” or “I wish she’d add this,” or “I wish she’d (fill in the blank).”  What are those things?

General to What Remains Now:

What is your favorite blog and why is it your favorite?

Do you have any blogs that you admire for their layout?

Think about your favorite blogs.  Why do you like them?

What are your favorite blogs?

Would you help me out?  Please leave me your feedback as a comment, or if you prefer you can email me at whatremainsnow@gmail.com.  Watch for some new things in the coming months.

The sleuth in this mystery is 11-year-old Flavia de Luce.  Flavia is bold, smart, adventurous and has a vivid and original imagination.  Flavia is an unforgettable character.  Set in 1950’s England, this is a beautifully simple, old-fashioned mystery.

The Fighter tells the story of Micky Ward and his road to the World Boxing Union (WBU) Light Welterweight Title.  It’s also the story of Micky’s brother, Dicky Eklund, and his fall from promise to obscurity.  It’s about family, loyalty and redemption.  Based on a true story, The Fighter is a movie about the underdog making it to the top.  It’s a simple yet stunning movie with a lot of emotion and heart.