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

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

The month of May will be “4 Faves – Friends Version.”  What are your favorite things?  Tell me about them during the month of April and one (or more) of your picks may be chosen as a “favorite” in May.  You can let me know what you like in one of three ways…post a comment, email me (whatremainsnow@gmail.com), or let me know on the What Remains Now Facebook page (either by commenting or writing on my wall).  Tell me what the item is and why you like it.  I can’t wait to hear from you!

Dog Drying Towel

Once upon a time there was a mommy of two houndies.  The houndies went outside in the rain and when they came inside, the mommy lovingly dried them off.  Later, while drying the dishes, the mommy thought, “I think this is the towel I used to dry off the houndies!”  Moral of the story:  A separate towel with a embroidered paw print saves repeating household tasks or worse.

Oprah

I LOVE Oprah…the show, the magazine, the website, the OWN network.  One of my favorite features in the magazine and on the website is “Books That Made a Difference to…Add Celebrity Name.”  Here’s a sample.

We Three Doxies

We Three Doxies is a blog about three dachshunds (Whitney, Albert & Puddles)…well kind of.  It’s really about Puddles.  Puddles is a sweet little girl with a razor wit.  Honestly, I think this picture says it all.  Her adventures and take on life will make you laugh out loud and put a smile on your face.

philosophy Bath & Shower Gel

This is a lovely bath & shower gel, but what I really love about it is ALL the smells it comes in.  Something for everyone.

The Epilogue to The Artist’s Way contains this quote that speaks eloquently of how I want to embrace my journey…

“What I conjure now is a mountain of Himalayan proportions with a path winding upward to its height.  That path, a spiral path, is how I think of the Artist’s Way.  As we pursue climbing it, we circle back on the same views, over and over, at slightly different altitudes.  ‘I’ve been here before,’ we think, hitting a spell of drought.  And, in a sense, we have been.  The road is never straight.  Growth is a spiral process, doubling back on itself, reassessing and regrouping.  As artists, our progress is often dogged by rough terrain or storms.  A fog may obscure the distance we have covered or the progress we have made toward our goal.  While the occasional dazzling vista may grace us, it is really best to proceed a step at a time, focusing on the path beneath our feet as much as the heights still before us.”

Here’s what I have learned…

The Basic Tools (Morning Pages and Artist’s Date) are essential.  I love them because they are private and there is no “right” way to do them.  These are two tools that I will continue indefinitely.

I am creative and an artist.  I have something unique, that only I can offer.  This is true for everyone.

Creativity is a spiritual journey that requires trust, release, relinquishing control and faith.

Affirmations do work!  For me, I have to keep them short and relevant to where I’m at…and not have too many of them.

Identifying my enemies and monsters goes a long way towards ending their power over me.

Creativity needs space and time.

Possibilities, opportunities and synchronicity are abundant.  It’s important to prepare for them, watch for them and acknowledge them.

It’s important to establish what I need for stability and flow.  The “mix” is different for everyone.

I have to know how to deal with gains and losses, successes and failures.

Gratitude must be present…always.

Creativity lies in the doing, not in the done.

The purpose of the work is the work.

My inner artist is a child.  I need to be protective of her, treasure her, pamper her and let her play.

Art and its expression is as diverse as the people who create it.

My artistic credibility is between me, God and my work.

The journey up to this point has been amazing.  Now, it continues.  Next week, I’ll tell you about the new adventure.  It is completely different!

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I wish you all a Happy Easter.  On this holy day, I’d like to share a favorite video written and produced by my church, Granger Community Church.  I hope it inspires you and makes you think of the possibility of a world turned upside-down.

30 Days to Understanding the Bible is a great way to get a very simple, thorough overview of the Bible.  It covers key eras, characters, places, events and ideas.  There are a lot of graphs and charts that are helpful if you’re a visual learner.  Whether you want to learn more about the Bible for historical, literary or spiritual reasons, this is a great place to start.

An interesting fact that I learned…The poetical book of Job occurs during the time period cover by the historical book of Genesis although chronologically, the book of Job comes after the book of Esther in the Bible.  I did not know that!

This film is based on the 1971 Baker Street robbery (one of the most lucrative bank robberies in British history).  This semi-fictional version of the robbery puts forth the theory that the robbery was set up to secure sexually compromising photographs of Princess Margaret.  The subject is fascinating as are the characters.  Some of the bad guys turn out to be good guys and some of the good guys turn out to be bad guys and some of the bad guys are actually bad guys.  The primary interest is the story and an interesting story it is.

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Inspiration:

When I was making the yarn egg, this idea popped into my head.

Supplies:

Plastic Easter Egg

Fine Grit Sandpaper

Glue

Chalkboard Paint (I used Krylon)

Chalk

1.  Lightly sand the plastic egg surface.

2.  Glue the two halves together.

3.  Spray the egg according to the manufacturer’s directions.  With the Krylon Chalkboard spray paint, at least two coats must be applied to create a chalkboard finish.  Allow 24 hours to dry.

4.  Break-in the chalkboard surface by rubbing the full area with the side of the chalk.  Then, erase entire surface.

5.  Write your guest’s name on the egg and you have a unique place card for your Easter table.

Pretty collars are a big deal in the Greyhound world.  Freedom and Casper finally got their first ones.  We’re starting out with “dress” collars.

Freedom is wearing “Creme Silk” from Around the Hounds.

Casper is wearing “Made for Male Series – Burgundy Stripe” from Around the Hounds.

Those are two good looking hounds!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

The month of May will be “4 Faves – Friends Version.”  What are your favorite things?  Tell me about them during the month of April and one (or more) of your picks may be chosen as a “favorite” in May.  You can let me know what you like in one of three ways…post a comment, email me (whatremainsnow@gmail.com), or let me know on the What Remains Now Facebook page (either by commenting or writing on my wall.  Tell me what the item is and why you like it.  I can’t wait to hear from you!

Spanx

No panty lines and a flatter tummy…what’s not to love.

Candlewick Trimmer

If you love candles, a candlewick trimmer will make your life easier.  The design of the trimmer allows you to reach down into the jar or holder and the spoonbill end clips and catches the wick.  Give one a try.

T.I.P.S.

T.I.P.S. is a nail conditioner that you apply to your fingernails to keep them healthy and moisturized.

Ho Hos

By now, you have probably figured out that I have a sweet tooth.  Ho Hos are not just delicious on their own, you can use them as an ingredient in a recipe.  This is one of my favorites, just in time for Easter.

Ho Ho Pudding

Ingredients:  1 box of Ho Hos, 2 packages of instant chocolate pudding mix, 4 cups of milk, 1 large tub of whipped topping.

Directions:  Cut Ho Hos into circles, saving 1 Ho Ho.  Mix pudding and milk according to package directions and chill until thick.  In a large glass bowl, layer Ho Hos, pudding and whipped topping, ending with the whipped topping.  Take the remaining Ho Ho, slice into circles and place on top.  Keep refrigerated until ready to eat.

This is a recipe where the “sum” is greater than its parts.

This is the final week of The Artist’s Way.  Week 12 talks about recovering a sense of faith…the mysterious spiritual heart of creativity that requires receptivity and trust.

“Trusting” starts with this quote, “Creativity requires faith.  Faith requires we relinquish control.”  Why do we want to maintain control?  The reading makes a great point…that many of us are not accustomed to thinking that God’s will for us can coincide with our own dream for ourselves.  “Mystery” talks about the process our creative ideas need to go through and how we should not rush this process.  To use a gardening image, “we must learn to not pull our ideas up by the roots to see if they are growing.”  In the section entitled “The Imagination at Play,” this quote spoke to me, “We are an ambitious society, and it is often difficult for us to cultivate forms of creativity that do not directly serve us and our career goals.”  The bottom line, “It is a paradox of creative recovery that we must get serious about taking ourselves lightly.”  It also talks about the spiritual benefits of hobbies as a release into humility that comes from doing something by rote.  “Escape Velocity”  refers to the point where you are about to succeed and a “Test” shows up.  It recommends that we keep close counsel with ourselves and know who our supportive friends are and who the wet blankets are (they can be friends too).

My favorite exercises this week included taking a look at my current areas of procrastination…identifying the payoffs in waiting and locating the hidden fears.  I’m a master at procrastination, so this is a valuable exercise both now and in the future.  I also found it helpful to list five people you can talk to about your dreams and with whom you feel supported to dream and then plan.  This is a tough one because there are a lot of wet blankets out there…some that I love dearly.  This exercise also made me deeply desire to be a person who “lifts up” and not one who “puts down.”

This final week has been a reinforcement of what I’ve been learning the last twelve weeks about the spiritual nature and journey of creativity.  This is the end of the book, but what I learned from this book is that my creative path is a journey I will be on my entire life.  I’m doing the work, I’m growing, I’m believing, and I’m having fun.

Next week, I’ll post my final reflections on The Artist’s Way.  Then, we’ll continue the creative journey with something new.

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If you’re new to What Remains Now…let me catch you up.

January – I started my blog and wanted to have a creative space in my home, so I took over my daughter’s old room (with her permission).  My plan was to set goals, accomplish those goals and do it for $150.  I can assure you I wasn’t, but all evidence points to drug use over the holiday season.

February – I begged forgiveness, but was still delusional and promised good things in March.

March – I realized that writing a blog does NOT give you magical powers (drats!) and you are still the same person you were before you started writing a blog…for me that means a laid-back procrastinator.  So I told it like it is…this is going to take at least a year.

Here’s this month’s update…

1.  I added two shelves.  This arrangement looks better to me and gives me more storage space.

2.  I removed the big table.  I’m re-thinking the whole table thing.  For me and my habits, a big table might as well have a sign on it that says, “Put as much junk on me as you can until I am completely non-functional.”  Who wants that in their beautiful, inspirational creative space?  I want to look at a workspace I can easily put up when I need it, but just as easily take down before I get a case of the “messies.”

Here’s the big project this month…

3.  I cleaned out the closet.  Wondering what the black thing in the bottom of the closet is (third picture)…Twinkie, the kitty.  You know a cat can’t resist a new “empty” space.

Come back in May to see what happens next!