Homegrown Hospitality

Happy October Eve!

I just posted my final set of cards for those taking my 2013 52 Card Pickup Online Workshop and I felt a tiny bit sad.  I can't believe that 2013 will soon be coming to a close and that it has been almost a year of creating together, both online and instore.  Not to worry though, the classroom NEVER closes so you have all the time in the world, literally, to work on your cards.  The happy news is there is a 2014 class that starts January 1st, is called 52 Pick {ME} Up and registration starts TODAY! 

I have been steadily working and creating away on the content and it will be jam packed with art, creativity and encouragement, for ourselves and for others. So what is 52 Pickup?  Well, it started as a mixed media class created on a deck of cards (52) but has become so much more.  There is a community of people that create and share their card ideas in a FB group and cards have been created and shared with others all over the world as a means of encouragement for others. 
If you follow me on FB, then you might have seen the quote I posted just the other night:

We live in a world full of critics. We don’t have to look far to find someone who will put us down. That’s why every person on the planet desperately needs to be affirmed by someone on a regular basis. It’s how God wired us. Rick Warren, Daily Hope
“Encourage each other every day while it is ‘today.’” (Hebrews 3:13a NCV)

and this quote relates exactly to one of the purposes of the 2014 class!  To find out all about this new class and get in on the early registration discount, click right here.

I hope to continue on a creative journey with you through 2014.

Availibility

New week, new list of junk to do and as I was writing this out this morning, God pulled the chain on the light-bulb and it was bright.  Sometimes, no most times, I am so consumed with the stuff that I have to do that I don't allow anytime to serve others which is a sign that I, we, you, have too many things on our to-do list. dang it!

Like I always say, I am sure I am not alone, just throwing myself under the bus and reminding you at the same time.

So today, get the junk you have to do out of the way, allow some down time for you to re-boot  and some time to serve others. Download Junktodo Happy Monday!

One of One

original

1/1

one of a kind.

you are.

i am.

this piece of art is.

 

What you see above is what I have been adding to the art I have been packaging for the past week.

Originals. 

1 of 1

like you and I. 

A piece of HEart handmade by my hands that is faith based.  There is no beating around the creative bush. I have been gifted the ability to create and is  inspired by God, Jesus, the bible, verses and good thoughts, quotes and morals.  While each piece has many of the same colors and feeling, each piece is created by me with HEart because HE is the source of my art and because we all need to be reminded of the things we already know just forget to remember. I am excited to share with you what I have been creating..soon..right here on this blog.

Hello Hoppers

Today I am excited to be part of the Creating Keepsakes Mixed Media Scrapbooking Special Publication Blog Hop and I am super happy that you hopped on over.  I was so excited to be part of such a creative group and have spent alot of time going through the magazine over and over because there are SO MANY IDEAS and the fact that it is a real magazine...in fact, I heard some good news that CK will continue to publish these Special Issues on paper so that we can hold them in our creative little hands.

My little contribution can be found on page 108 and is called "Small Houses" and there is a pattern download for you to print out so that you can create something similar to what I did.

Thanks again for visiting and I hope to see you here again soon!  Now hop on to the following artists to check out a peek of their work!

 Liz Hicks

Stacy Cohen

Kim Watson

Agnieszka Bellaidea

 Susan Weckesser

Angela Magnuson

Layle Konkar

Stephanie Ackerman

Sherry Mendoza

Ashley Harris

Thanks for stopping hopping by!

Hurry up and Slow Down

Whether you read from the bible or from a fortune cookie, this is one of the many things that can change the world, our communities, our homes, families and relationships.

(and based on the electronic world we live in...slow to email, text and comment.)

Happiness, Gratitude & A List

It was another record note taking message for me at church this past weekend. Saturday kicked off the first of 12 sermons in a new series called, "The Habits of Happiness" and I have lots to do, learn and share with you so that we can create this habit together. (you can watch it here but get  a pen and lots of paper)

There are 4 things we must do to create the habit of happiness.  Sounds simple but is difficult to learn. Something important to remember is that happiness is not a goal, but the result of good living & good choices.  Again, sounds easy, but as it was repeated over and over, this stuff is easy to hear but hard to learn.

First up is the fact that we are NOT grateful by nature therefore we MUST make it a habit to be grateful because being grateful = happiness.

yay.

Ask yourself this:  Think of a person. When you think of that someone, do you think about the good things they have supported you in, the way they make you feel  or do you think about what their faults are, what they have done to you, what they should do or be better at or maybe some painful memories you are holding onto ?

(insert screeching breaks) ready for this....MEMORIES are a choice. IF YOU ARE HOLDING ONTO PAINFUL MEMORIES YOU WILL NOT BE HAPPY.

it is time...to let it go.

it is time...to create happiness.

it is time...to have an attitude of gratitude.

it WILL change your entire life.

it will.

so today, you me, WE must practice developing the habit of happiness by starting with this:

1. I must be grateful for the people in my life (and this calls for a list!)

so Download Habitofhappy1 and start writing.

What have you forgotten about that someone has done for you???  Write it down to remind yourself and then...thank them.  Leave a love note, send a letter, let them know. 

THIS could be the start of a happiness habit domino effect.

Happy Monday.

 

'Round Here

There is a cornucopia of things going on 'round our house..and speaking of cornucopia's, HAPPY FALL! A pumpkin spice candle has been making the house smell sooo good and I  pulled out the ol' Crock Pot and made Chicken & Noodles yesterday and it was, if I don't say so myself, dee-lish-ous. Football is in high gear and although it is very hard for this momma to see new lumps, bumps, bruises and scrapes every week, it is the most exciting sport to watch.  Now, if I could just understand it all.  I am trying hard to learn, but man, I have a hard enough time just keeping on eye on where my boy is let alone, the dang ball (especially went they try to fake out the other team...they fake me out EVERY TIME)  Go Blue!

On the creative front, man there is alot going on and I don't know exactly where to even start.   Deena has a few of the September card kits that we collaborated on available and a preview of her SUPER CUTE October kit! I am getting ready to announce some new classes including a few in my own state, in fact, my own darn county!!!! I will be teaching the Beautiful YOU ornament class at Pages of Tyme in Ladera Ranch in November so stay tuned for details
Speaking of ornaments, I will be teaching the new 2013 Ornament class in Florida at Whim So Doodle & again in Boston at Right at Home Scrapbooking in November and just added, the Miscellany classes at both stores! All of this information will be included in a newsletter going out this week so make sure to get on the list!   For now, I am headed for Dreaded and I wish you a very happy filled Sunday..

oh, and speaking of happy, the first of a 12-week series on "The Habits of Happiness" started yesterday at Saddleback and again, for me, another record note taking message for me.  You can check it out the message here.

It's Okay

I am not a typical "journal" person and I will never have volumes of beautifully handwritten leather bound journals that will be passed down for 100's of years.  That's not me.

I am more of a scribbler and it's okay. I get it out of my head, onto paper and then either painted on, torn up, cut into pieces or, in this mornings case, just written out.

I am not worried about how it looks because it is my journal.  I used to be concerned about how it looked, how beautiful it wasn't, how it wasn't pinterest worthy...so much that I didn't do it.

Well, that doesn't work and until I had that "duh" moment, I had been holding myself back from something I actually like to do.  Creative Journaling not only helps me clear my mind, it is creative all at the same time. It is cheap therapy and is so needed, not just for me.  Once I gave myself creative permission to record my thoughts, concerns, dreams, prayers, etc however I felt I wanted to express them, it opened up a whole new way to create.

Today, give yourself permission, it's okay.

Pain Produces Good

This past weekend at church was probably one of the best messages I have heard.  I took so many notes that the people around me probably thought "Yikes, she's got issues" but I know I am not alone with the topic.

The message was titled "Never Waste Your Pain" and again, so many notes, light bulbs and the ever popular Oprah "Ahhhhh" moments.  Here is one that we typically do not think of during a situation until long after.  Pain produces good.

This is what HOPE is.  That while we are going through something, we KNOW & TRUST that there is some good that will come from it.  That HOPE is what gets us through what we are going through (which was the name of the series of messages and if you want to watch any or all of them, click here)

Here are some of the notes that I am pondering on and invite you to join me in my pondering...

• When bad things happen, do you run to or from God?
• You can use your pain to help others.
• No matter what happens, it is temporary
• The world is not impressed with our prosperity but with our adversity.
• Use your pain as a platform for your message.

No matter your faith, your relationship with God, your religion...BAD is going to happen, no, BAD is happening.  Don't waste your pain..use it...turn it into fuel and kick some booty! This morning, this was in my email inbox:

“Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have—life itself.”

Thankful For...

...me being patient with myself. 

I have to say, it feels a little odd to say that I am thankful for "me being patient with me" because I do not usually answer the "What are you thankful for" question like that.  Honestly, I do not think most people answer it like that. 

Of course, I am thankful for family, health, Jesus, shelter..you know what I mean, but today I am saying (well, typing) out loud, that I am thankful for giving myself time and space to make positive changes with my time management & organizational skills.  Don't get me wrong, I have lots of work to do but I am a work in progress, and again, for that, I am thankful. Thankful for allowing myself time to learn from my mistakes, learn from my peers, take notes, make good habits, get rid of bad ones and change the junk that needs to be changed... and then I share it with you...lucky lucky you!

 

So, the question today is..."What are you thankful for?" and I would not ask a question without giving you a place to doodle down the answer, duh! So here ya go...
and on top of asking you a question..there is a little happy challenge for you.  You will be amazed at how surprised people are when you just say hello...and smile.  Go on...print it out, write it down, make your list of junk to do, get it done and say hello. Download Todayiamthankful