The Gift

Ask and ye shall receive….it just may take a while.  Like a year maybe?

On March 15th of last year I wrote a blog post about Tango, a paper leaf sculpture.  The response was very positive and folks were asking me to make more and list them in my shop.  Well, I’ve finally done it!  Today I listed ‘The Gift.’

I hesitate to mention this because I’m so intermittent in my production, but I’ve got more leaves in the works and a bunch of new ideas up my sleeve.  So -- dare I say? -- stay tuned!

Technorati Tags: handmade paper,leaves,leaf,sculpture,twigs,earthy,woodland,paper art,nature art

A walk in the woods . . .

Here I am in the enchanted forest taking inspiration from Mother Nature.

We are vacationing in the Redwoods on the north coast of California.  These are some pictures from our walk in the Lady Bird Johnson Grove.

Worshipping at the shrine of everlasting life.  Even though the core of this tree is completely burned out, it is still alive and thriving in the canopy.  These huge trees gave off such a warm and comforting energy.  I was enveloped by it.

A few inspirational tidbits…

Trillium

     

                         Lichen                                                Latticed bark

    One of the many houses in the neighborhood.

 

Technorati Tags: redwoods,nature,inspiration,Redwood National Park,Lady Bird Johnson Grove

New Year's Inspiration

I’m not one to write out New Year’s resolutions. As far as I can see they are just an exercise in futility. I mean, how many New Year's resolutions have you kept? Me? Zero, zilch, nada! But this year I felt an urge to do something, so I was going to write out a list of goals. Now goals are different than resolutions, aren’t they? Goals are something you work toward . . . that you can break down into tasks . . . baby steps. Right? Resolutions, on the other hand, seem less forgiving. It’s ‘do or die.’ And if you don’t do it, you’ve failed.

So on January 1st I prepared myself to write out my goals. But, man, did it seem dry and way too much like work. Anyway, I thought, how inspiring will it be to read a bunch of words? Will that really keep me going throughout the year? Not likely!

It was then that I saw a reference online to a vision board. This is where
you cut out pictures and make a collage out of them. Before I knew it, I was
in my studio pulling out a big piece of matboard and a bunch of magazines.
I grabbed my scissors and started clipping. In flipping through the magazines (Sunset, Body and Soul, Martha Stewart and O to name a few) I found images
that inspired and moved me and that reminded me of what it is I want for my
life. On my Vision Board, all the many facets – health, relationship, work, play,
self-care, travel – revolve around an image of balance. Balance is supreme
this year.

I love my vision board and will be adding to it as the year progresses. It hangs in my bathroom so I see it everyday. Everyday I am inspired. Everyday I am reminded of what it is I want. Everyday I move closer to my ideal life.

Here are a couple of links to sites you might find inspiring.

This is an article about vision maps and how to create them.
http://selflive.com/creating-your-own-vision-map/

This has got to be coolest site I’ve ever come across. You can build your own vision map video with music and affirmations and beautiful images. You can then download your creation to your desktop to view everyday. And best of all it’s all free!! http://www.visionboardsite.com

Something I found very useful in my Vision Map building is my Xyron machine. I just took all my cutout pictures and ran them through my Xyron which put permanent adhesive on them so I could just peel and stick (you can also get a repositionable adhesive.) For the best price on Xyrons and many other craft supplies go to http://www.save-on- crafts.com