Great Thoughts

Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think.

Benjamin Disraeli

Today I am really digging in to Flying Lessons, an online course about growing a creative business by Kelly Rae Roberts.  Funny...all this talk about potential and dreaming big has stirred up a lot of insecurity in me.  Isn't that always the way of things?  We commit, we take a leap of faith, and almost instantly the voices start up...reminding us of all the fears that kept us from taking that leap in the first place. 

So I'm arming myself against the fear with sticky notes!

I love looking up and seeing reminders of all the little "aha" moments I've had lately.  If I continue stepping out of my comfort zone this cabinet will be covered in no time!  In fact, I think I'll just start leaving little notes all over the house.  I used to do that a lot when the kids were younger.

There is so much power in words, written or spoken.  I hope your day is filled with good and noble thoughts...that the voice of Truth makes its way into your heart and that you are very much encouraged in your own walk.

Always Somethin'

I just re-read yesterday's post and wowa...a bit serious, eh?  I am happy to report that this is a beautiful sunny Saturday morning and I am definitely not in a tunnel today!  The sun is streaming through the windows onto my incredibly messy work space.  No joke...the mess is substantial.

The funny thing is that just after writing about the need to balance creative pursuits and relationships, I was challenged in that very thing. (It's amazing how often that happens.)  Immediately after hitting the publish post button I received a call from my friend Jennifer, a gifted fiber artist who is very good at maintaining a healthy balance between work and play.  She wanted to stop by to share a little inspiration she'd found and what were the first words out of my mouth?  "Can we make it another time?  I'm in the middle of a big project."  Ha! 

Really?  Was I so busy that I couldn't take a five minutes to connect with a friend and be rejuvenated and inspired?  The tunnel was definitely trying to suck me in.  I ended up meeting Jen for lunch and our interaction - the laughter, the article she shared, the "connectedness" - did inspire me and give me renewed energy.  I am so grateful for friends who save me from my tendency to isolate myself.   

So this morning I'm going to work a bit to catch up.  I've got a big order due soon that has been a lot of fun to put together.  I'm working on some items for a spring display...stamped spoons, decoupage boxes, and something new...collage eggs.

These are paper mache, covered with pages from vintage books, painted and embellished with hopeful and inspiring words, quotes, and images.   I just love working on spring projects with messages of life and new beginnings.  I sent the first few out the other day and I'll be working on some more today.  I also have a pile of sterling spoons flattened and ready to stamp (thanks, Em, for your help) and a collection of painted pots fitted with styrofoam and ready to have reindeer moss applied.

All these happy projects are giving me spring fever!  Now I am off to the neighbor's house, hopefully to find a UPS package that should have been delivered here last night.  I ordered some new stamp sets...some pretty fonts to use on the spoons but they were delivered to someone else by mistake.  UPS can't help me find the package until Monday but I really need it today!  Well, okay...I really want it today.

And so it seems appropriate to leave you with the words of the great Roseanne Rosannadanna: 

It's always somethin :)

A Nice Reminder

Never was there a child more suitably named than my Emily.  (Her name means "industrious.)  There really isn't much down time in that brain of hers.  The other day she was waiting for me to get ready to run errands with her and suddenly our leafy front yard became her ginormous canvas.

Whoever creates the crop circles in England has nothing on my girl.  She made a really beautiful design in the leaves while she waited on her dawdling mother. 

How liberating it is to just enjoy the process of creating...to simply enjoy exploring and expressing.  It doesn't require a fancy art studio or expensive supplies and it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of our efforts.  Thank you. Emily, for for reminding me to see potential in everyday objects and sieze the opportunity to play and create and enjoy this beautiful world.

Still Reeling...

Have you ever taken in so much through your senses that your whole system feels like it's on overload?  It happens to me fairly often, this week being no exception.  My mind is still reeling a bit from the sights and sounds of my trip to Round Top.  Maybe writing about it will help me calm me down!

I want to tell you about an amazing room we happened upon toward the end of our journey.  It is still calling my name.  In the entry was this beautiful potter's shed, filled with vintage tools,  miscellaneous garden items, and earthy accents.   There was even a raised flower bed installed in the middle of the room.

Now, here's the really great part.  This potter's shed also contained a totally scrumptious bedroom...beautiful linens, fine furniture, and all.  It was all I could do not to to squeal in delight.  (Okay, well maybe I did squeal just a little.)  My heart definitely skipped a beat.

Imagine...not only was every detail of this setting just gorgeous, the huge overhead doors on either side of the building were wide open and a fresh morning breeze was blowing across it all.  I so wanted to curl up and take a nap, but I was afraid the three bears might come home and chase Goldilocks out of town!

 



The blending of the two environments was what made the room so exquisite.  Both the bedroom and the shed were delightful on their own, but the two intermingled...that eclectic mix of earthiness and refinement...was breathtaking.  Did you notice the birdbath with the mirror top next to the bed?  How about the sophisticated little silver containers on the mirror or the beautiful china and jadite dishes nestled in the pile of clay pots?  Pure genius...


Oh, maybe this will be the year I build the outdoor room I always wanted.

Oh, Where to Begin?

After spending three days at the Round Top Antiques Fair (read about it here), I am excited, inspired, and worn out.  There is no way to see everything at his huge event, but my friend and I certainly tried.  Now that I am home... jammies on, feet propped up, and a puppy nestled at my side, I have no idea how to even begin to describe it all to you.  Just imagine good company, beautiful weather, and  miles and miles of vintage, altered, and artistic finds...



Many of my first impressions had to do with the beautiful colors surrounding me.  Being a graphics girl at heart, I was drawn to the collection of old signage pictured below.  I love the juxtaposition of the different typefaces and orange and blue is one of my favorite color combinations.  Funny...I doubt that whoever stashed these items against the back of a tent realized that someone would view their arrangement as a work of art!

And just look at the slippers below,  from Feathering Your Nest in Smithville, Texas.  I really should have brought a pair of these home.  How could you not be happy with these yummy colors and textures on your feet? 

I love the way they were just piled together in the display bin.  It reminded me of the relay game we played as kids where we had to pick our shoes out of a pile and put them on before tagging the next person.  Slippers would have been helpful in that game...lacing up my sneakers always slowed me down.

I am winding down fast and so I leave you for now with one last image.  If ever I were to buy a sleigh (which is highly unlikely, to say the least), this would be the one.

The tufted burnt orange cushion on this piece is simply stunning.  And how about those ginormous bobber things on the ground beside it?  Talk about a random combination of objects...

Well, I have many more things to show you, but they'll have to wait.  My pillow is calling, rather, shouting my name!  Ah, it's good to be home.

Home Again

A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams. - Author Unknown

Enjoying this pretty little breakfast my mom just brought in, propped up in the iron bed that was mine as a girl, surrounded by reminders of my youth...I am, at long last, ready to return to my little blog.

I wouldn't call the last several months a "dry" period.  I haven't been writing a lot, but our home has been happy and lots of jewelry has been coming out of the studio.  Still, I feel this slow deterioration of the deep-rooted peace that lets me know things are in balance.  I realized a few weeks back that neglecting the discipline of journaling was taking its toll on me.  Writing helps me stay focused, centered, and sane!  Returning to my blog is part of my plan to get back on track.  I have also taken up the habit of writing morning pages.


Morning pages, a long-time practice and teaching of artist, author and mentor, Julia Cameron, are three pages of writing (long hand) anything that comes to your head.  In her classic book, The Artist's Way, Cameron suggests that artists do this every day to awaken creativity.  (Click here to read more about morning pages.)  For me this type of journaling is a form of prayer. I come just as I am, pour out whatever is in my heart and mind, and I listen. I get answers. I gain clarity.  And today, I was inspired as I wrote and looked up to see this amazing Rose of Sharon blooming outside the window of my parents back bedroom.

It is good to spend time in the home where I grew up.  So often when I come to visit I am rushed... here for a weekend, or here for an event.  But this week I am just "here".  I have time to rest in this place so filled with memories.  I have time to remember and honor much of what made me who I am.  It is bittersweet.


I look out at the Rose of Sharon, so generously offering its gorgeous bouquet and I marvel at how large this plant is now.  I remember when it was tiny.  Come to think of it, I remember when it wasn't there at all.  I look out into the yard and remember plastic swimming pools, our big swing set, birthday celebrations, and lazy summer mornings just like this when everything was right in my little world.  My biggest worry was what game my little sister and I would play when the afternoon heat drove us inside for the day. 

I find myself wishing our old playhouse was still out back, with it's big windows and adjacent sandbox.  Maybe I'd build a few sand pies for our imaginary bakery or maybe I'd just sit and dig my toes deep into the soothing cool of the sand.  Maybe there, surrounded by so many memories, I'd hear, loud and clear, the laughter of a little girl who knows she is loved and believes anything is possible.


I hope you make time today to remember and honor something good from your past.  Allow these memories to lift and encourage your spirit as you close your eyes, dig in deep, and listen.

The Quality of the Day

To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.

Henry David Thoreau

I've been working on my self-talk lately, finding that a simple word or phrase can turn my thoughts in a good direction and improve my day immensely.  A few months ago I began altering old keys with visual reminders of things that make me stronger and happier.  I guess you could say they are "keys" to a joyful life! 

I just put the finishing touches on these last night and plan to string them on antique brass ball chains.  I've not actually seen antique brass ball chains for sale lately, but I'm keeping hope alive that they do exist.  (any suggestions of where to find them?)

I've been adding little one or two word encouragements to my gift bags, too.

How amazing it is to think that such a small detail...just a word or a phrase or some little visual...can change someone's outlook.  There is such power in what and how we choose to communicate.  It is a total blessing to know that these little keys and tags might just put hope in someone's heart or a smile on someone's face. 
I hope you are encouraged today, my friend, and that you will find a way to encourage someone close to you.  A few simple words truly can affect the quality of this day :)

Thoughts and Images

I hope you are finding much joy and beauty in your world today. As promised, I've put together a collection of thoughts from the great poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, and images from my own portfolio to inspire and calm your creative spirit...

Seek those (themes) which your everyday life offers you; describe your sorrows, desires, passing thoughts and belief in some sort of beauty.

Describe all these with loving, quiet, humble sincerity and use to express yourself, the things in your environment, the images from your dreams, and the objects of your memory.

If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself. Tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches. For to the creator there is no poverty and no poor, indifferent place.

Perhaps it will turn out that you are called to be an artist. Then take that destiny upon yourself and bear it, its burden and its greatness, without ever asking what recompense might come from outside.

Your life will in any case find its own ways thence. That they may be good, rich and wide I wish you more than I can say.

Quotations taken from Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke, translation by M.D. Herter Norton

All images were captured in the woods that surrounds our home.

Hidden Treasures

Rainer Maria Rilke
(1875-1926)

In his writings, the German poet, Rainer Maria Rilke promoted the importance of patience and acceptance in the thought-life of an artist. He encouraged aspiring writers with the famous words, "Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to learn to love the questions themselves."
Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet is a text to which I return again and again for inspiration and encouragement. Today I began compiling a selection of quotes from the first letter in this collection. Rilke's thoughts about looking to our current environment for inspiration led me to combine his words with photos taken in the woods beyond our house. It seemed a natural combination...I will post the finished project soon.
I am grateful for the reminder to appreciate the beauty that is right outside my back door - to search for loveliness in surprising places. The woods is an obvious treasure trove for such discoveries. Big city apartment buildings and arid deserts are no less stunning. I wonder what riches are waiting to be found in your environment today...

The portrait at top (c. 1907), by Paula Modersohn-Becker is a public domain image uploaded from http://commons.wikipedia.org/ {{PD-Art}}