My Heart Breaks

He's been my hero for a long time now. 

Your example helped me want to make a difference, too.

Edited to add my husband's thoughts:

I wasn't born yet to appreciate the greatness of Gandhi when he died. In so many ways, Carter was our generation's Gandhi: a simple man called to extraordinary leadership -- mostly by example, and as a peacemaker above all.

Dale Davaz

3-D Paper Butterflies

This is the first in what I hope is a new series I'll call DIYoutube.  As in ... Do It Yourself - YouTube style. 

For the last several years, I've been saving up crafty ideas I found on YouTube that I thought I might want to try one day. Today's that first day. My hope is that these will be little crafts or techniques that will only take an hour or two to learn and execute. And so I present my 3-D Paper Butterflies.

They use some origami techniques, but also includes some cutting. So this is closer to kirigami:

a variation of origami, the Japanese art of folding paper. In kirigami,

the paper is cut as well as being folded, resulting in a three-dimensional design

that stands away from the page. Kirigami typically does not use glue.

This butterfly does use some hot glue, though, to hold the folds of the wings together and to attach the antenna and body. This yellow-orange print butterfly was my first attempt.

Then I made a plain blue butterfly from slightly thicker paper.

Then a plain pink. I learned it's best to use paper that is the same color/design on both sides. The white side of the paper can be seen in my first attempt.

I'm not sure if or how I'll use these little beauties. They remind me of Spring, though, and the bright colors I chose evoke happiness in me. Perhaps I can use them as ornaments on my lighted Spring tree. Here I've taped it onto my hoodie like a broach.

This is the tutorial I used:

It's fun! Give it a try.

New Season, Renewed Goals

Today marks the (unofficial) end of Summer 2023. The last day of the "Summer of P."

Today? Purple:  Glory - Lit from Within

I nearly tripped over this vibrant purple morning glory while on today's walk. Vines from the morning glory seeds I planted this summer are beginning to grow up the new trellises. It will be a while before we get any flowers. I'm looking forward to watching them bloom.

It's been a successful summer for this thought experiment: 

• Patio: our biggest change. We put up an awning, added a rug beneath it, and found a couple outdoor lounges. We rest in Adirondack chairs every morning while watching the five whirligigs shaped like hot air balloons spin. We've added a lovely hanging crystal (a gift from Jodie) that spreads rainbows throughout the back yard as the sun sets. We bought the trellises and planted the seeds. I started a strawberry garden and we got about a dozen berries this year! We have a series of planters that have added architectural detail and are awaiting some plants to go in them. We're about to install some steps at the gate. Adjacent to the patio, we got new trim on all the windows of the house, new rain gutters, and installed a new roof! 
  
  
• Parks: I visited six local parks since June. 
  
  
• Picnics: We had one!
  
  
• Past: We never made it to a museum. Instead, I revised my goal and shared many of my favorite photos from the past. I've been busy with my huge photo organization project, so I was reminded of lots of joyful moments from our past.
  
  
• Purple: It's interesting how much of this color I noticed when I purposely became attuned to it. Of course for me, it was mostly in flowers. There's so much beauty to give attention to -- especially close up.
  
  

"September is the new January," a phrase meaning there are new beginnings as the seasons change, a new school year begins, new goals and aims can be set. For me, I'll put renewed energy into my 23 in 2023 goals:

• Visit more parks. With one more park visit, I'll have visited 23 for the year.
  
  
• Put continued effort into my photo organization project. But I'll also pick up more of my books written by expert photographers and learn about their history and techniques.
  
  
• Paint some rocks.
  
  
• Update our Will and Trust
  
  
• Complete three more projects that have been languishing for years. That will bring me to my goal of 12 for the year. (Wouldn't it be something if I could complete a total of 23 languishing craft projects instead? But that goal may be a step too far).
  
  
• More geocaching!!!
  
  
• Spend more time with my friend Karen.
  
  

I better stop now. I'm wearing myself out simply thinking about this many goals. For me, it's a comfort to have them enumerated.

23 Goals in 2023 Update

So! The first two months of 2023 have flown by. I'm going great guns working through my goals for the year.

Word of the Year: Flow
I've been taking Phone Free Fridays to give me extra bandwidth. My creativity has returned in force (Hooray!) so I've been doing a lot of crafting and other creative projects. I'm able to get into that space where time and place don't exist ... and be absorbed into my current activity. This is exactly what I was hoping for.

Infuse Fun
I'm a homebody who isn't too into extreme anything, so usually my fun is pretty quiet. But I have been keeping track of my fun activities and realize I partake in enjoyable time quite a bit. I've already had 29 days with fun. Most involve geocaching and crafternoons alone or with one of my kids. Dale and I have gone to a couple performances which was fun because I'm rarely out at night. Dates are a novelty. 

Dale and I had a fun afternoon geocaching with our eldest, Jeanne. That kid is an excellent geocaching partner. We found several that afternoon.

My two most fun times were with Jodie. On one occasion, I gave her a handmade gift that was both "amusing and horrifying." I giggled over that for hours. (I've been given strict orders to refrain from sharing that craft on my blog due to the "horrifying" part). The other fun afternoon involved helping her prep her garage for a big clean-out. We can make nearly anything fun when we're together.

Creative Photo Journey
So far I've read 1-1/2 books written by a Pete Souza, and bought another by him. I'm learning a good amount from his documentary style. 

This week, Jodie helped me learn about lighting for studio photography. I have better knowledge of how to use 3-point lighting. She helped me understand that getting the outcome I'm seeking takes more experimentation than I imagined.

Visit 23 Parks

It's been so wet that Dale and I haven't gone out much yet. That will change once Spring truly arrives. So far we've scoped out three parks this year.

Alternative/Additional Goals

I've made great progress on several goals and already completed a few!

• Audiobooks and books: Goal of 23. Completed 12.
  
  
• Beaded ornaments: Goal of 23. Completed 36.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Crafternoons: Goal of 23 with a buddy. Completed 9 alone. Completed 5 with my kids.
  
  
• Crafts: Goal of 23 different varieties. Completed 8.
  
  
• Geocaches: Goal of 23. Completed 23 as of last week. I also reached my 600 caches found milestone.
  
  
  
  
  
• Gratitude: Last year I had a hard time listing things to be grateful for. I stopped trying. This year I picked up my gratitude journal again. Goal of 23 short lists. Completed 38.
  
  
• Sending Cards and Letters: Goal 23. Completed 25.
  
  
  
  
  
• Jigsaw Puzzles: Goal of 23. Completed 3.
  
  
• Movies / TV series on my Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Prime lists: Goal of 23. Completed 38.
  
  
• Quilted Hearts: Goal of 23. Completed 19.
  
  
• 
  
  
• Advance Directive: Finished it and had it notarized.
  
  
• Kiva Loans: Goal of 23. 7 Completed.
  
  
• Bicycle: I got a used bike. Now I need to get it tuned up.
  
  
  

I finally feel like I'm part of post-pandemic life. Most of my anxiety is gone. 

Watch out, World. I'm back!

(Mostly)

Weekend Plans

Every year, my favorite part of the week between Christmas and New Year's Day is reflecting on the year gone by, and planning for the new year. I also take time to spiffy up my Studio so I have fresh room to work.

I completed most of the planning today. Tomorrow will be devoted to reflection.

I've decided on my 2023 goals:

Word of the Year: Flow
This means to get completely involved in what I am doing – focused, concentrated. It's when I'm in a space where there is no time. It's present. I also want to get better about "going with the flow" instead of resisting when circumstances cause a change in plans. I want to circulate more in the world since I'm finally starting to get used to being in crowded places again after three years of Covid. And I want to learn to use a flow medium for paint to give my painted rocks a new twist.

2023 Objective: Bring more FUN into my life
My least favorite question I'm asked by my mental health professional is, "What do you do for fun?" My answers are lame. I want to have more fun. I want my brain to sparkle.

2023 Creative Goal: Go on another Creative Journey with photography. 

I first started learning to take photos by ... just taking photos. I received a point-and-shoot digital camera in 2005. Every day for a couple years, I took photos and posted the very best one of the day on my website. I learned a lot. I'd like to do something similar. This time, read the photo books by great photographers in my personal library, figure out a couple setups for a photo studio, learn some principles of design using online classes, learn more about my editing program, things like that.

23 Goals in 2023: 

To keep it simple, I plan to visit 23 more parks in the area with Dale on our Tuesday Travels. If I do that, I'll call it a win for the year.

To make it complicated, I have some alternate goals that involve many kinds of crafts, movies, puzzles, gratitude, geocaches, giving things away, spending time with friends and daughters, listening to audiobooks, and leaving pretty art objects out in the wild for others to find and make their day.

Lift a glass of sparkling cider with me to toast in the new year ... 

My retired life is still full of possibility and learning and being of service to others.

Where's My Creativity?

Through much of the pandemic, and this year of gradually coming out of isolation, I've been whining, "I miss my creativity!" But as I scrolled through my blog posts of 2022, I see that there are lots of pops of creativity that showed up. They're just not in the areas I expected -- lots of crafts and needlework and card-making and painted rocks.

I've been thinking about what my goals for 2023 might be. I think that they'll be more fluid, along these lines. I made this graphic in 2018. It spoke to me again today.

It's Getting Personal

I'm going through a thing.

I've referenced it before, here on my blog. Now it's reaching a different stage. For the last year (plus), I've been dealing with higher-than-my-usual levels of anxiety. I realize many of us have. It's been a difficult 19 months in the U.S. Besides the whole Covid-19 debacle, I'm also resetting my life due to moving to a new state and my husband having a stroke.

I'm taking care of myself. Using all the tools ... diet, meditation, writing, gratitude, puzzles etc. I've been in counseling. The bipolar syndrome I deal with is well-managed. But now and again, the anxiety peaks higher than I deal with comfortably. So I've been prescribed a new medicine to be used only at those peaks. I've had it for nearly three months now, but used it for the first time last weekend.

Yowsa. It works.

My brain did feel dopey, yes. That part lasted for a couple days and was an ... unusual ... feeling. Not something I want to experience very often. I doubt I'll have any urge to abuse this medicine because I'm not fond of that particular feeling. The remarkable thing for me was how "released" it made me feel. 

I'm a very responsible person. I often act like I'm responsible for more decisions than I actually am. I have super high standards for myself, and when I approach them, I reset the bar even higher. I'm tied to my task lists more than I like to admit. I have a horrible habit of kicking myself for not meeting my own expectations and then whining about it out loud. For the last several weeks I kept talking about "running away" so I could have a break from the junk weighing on me. But, you know, right now there is no place to run.

So, with Dale home to keep an eye on me, I took a pill.

I have never felt so free and relieved before.*

What is important and what isn't important became very clear. I actually rested and had no guilt for "doing nothing." Twice, I took a nap! A true rarity because I usually can't allow my brain to turn off for a while. The feelings were greatest the first day, but they've lasted for most of the week. I'm far less amped up, and much easier to be around in general ... including easier to be around my own self.

I don't have the urge to run away anymore.

One of the things that felt less important was writing a blog post here every day. So I've missed a few days. On purpose. 

I love this blog. I've had some version of it since the early days of the internet when I started CameoRoze's Stitcher's Studio, my website about needlework. Studio Window was created in 2007. It's a big part of my life. I use it as my digital scrapbook. I like to look back on my posts and see what I've accomplished and note how I've handled my life's big events.

Right now, though, there's a bit of "burden" to my daily posts. As Dale and I approach full retirement, I'm slowly releasing burdens.

So for a time, I'll write blog posts when I feel like it. Sometimes it will be daily. Or there might be days -- weeks? -- in between postings. I don't know. I'm making it up as I go along.

I feel a transition, and I'm going with it.

-----

*  Well, except, perhaps,

    when the judge told me in court

    that I no longer had to be the family trustee.

    That was life-changing.

    A "before-and-after" moment.

The Two Biggest Goals Yet

Recall how I said I'm an overachiever? Well here are two more of my 19 in 2019 Goals that have been met. And these are doozies.

Goal #15: Purge and organize storage shelves in exercise (storage) room.

This was a goal I wanted to complete for years. I thought it was going to be a horrendous job. Four levels of storage that are 25 inches deep and about 12 feet wide.

There were decorations for every season, boxes and boxes of mementos, more picture frames than I care to admit (I have a sickness: buying used picture frames at thrift stores), many rolls of wrapping paper and gift boxes and gift bags, and sentimental items that belonged to my parents. I went through every box, every item.

It was not as difficult as I imagined it would be. Look what I accomplished!

While I was in the mood, I cleared out my Studio, too. I gave away a lot of materials I wasn't using to make additional space for more current interests. I figured I could rearrange the entire room and start from scratch.  So it went from here ...

to here.

OK ... but where is the furniture that was in the meditation room / photo studio? Oh, that went into the library.

Hold it!

H - O - L - D  IT!

Something suspicious is going on. I saw a suitcase in that last photo. Now you have furniture stacked and lined up like soldiers on the march.

Well, now!

Yes, this is happening!

.

Alternate Goal #28: Move to Oregon

Dale and I bought a cute little place in west Eugene. We're having the interior of the house painted from stem to stern this week, and will have all new flooring installed soon. We're mostly packed, have moved in a few essentials, and will be living in Oregon full time before Thanksgiving.

It's official!

(Our home as seen through a bug-laden windshield the day before we officially became owners)

Score!

Go me! Hooray!

I completed another of my 19 in 2019 goals today!

Goal #19:  "Finish at least one of these courses" ... and I gave 7 possibilities. I worked through The Creative License by Danny Gregory.

At the start of the year, I was gung-ho about taking this course and finally learning to draw. My early efforts were good. But then drawing got hard. It made my head hurt to try. I didn't want to pick up my pencil. So I switched gears and used some online tutorials to draw some of my favorite cartoon characters. I liked that better. But I was finding excuses to do anything except draw. Honestly, I'd rather clean the kitchen or do laundry. Instant satisfaction from a job well done!

So I switched gears again. I decided to carefully read through the book, and absorb some of the concepts offered, then use them to apply to the arts I enjoy more. So here are my final thoughts on this book.

Though there are some basic guides to learn to draw in the beginning of the book, that is not the book's primary thrust. The subtitle to The Creative License is "Giving Yourself Permission to be the Artist You Truly Are." 

That means giving yourself permission to try and fail at drawing. Then to try and fail at any other art form you choose to attempt.

Danny Gregory uses drawing as his entry point into a creative life. He annoys me sometimes by presuming it's the best entry point ... mostly because of its convenience, I guess. All you need is a pen and a notebook. 

Of course, I take issue with that presumption because the concepts he presents can easily be adapted to any creative medium. After all, with a smartphone in your pocket, I'd say that photography is equally or more convenient than drawing. But that is my bias.

He does get around to talking about other artistic mediums toward the end of the book.

What I learned for sure is what I truly already knew: drawing is not something I really want to do, or I would have been compelled to try it a lot earlier in my 61 years on the planet.

I also learned that I'm capable of learning to draw, and can have some success at it if I put the time and effort into it. But it hurts my head right now. I don't itch to pick up a pencil and draw the way my fingers itch for a needle, floss, crochet hook, yarn, or camera.

Will I ever learn to draw? Maybe. If I find the right teacher at the right time in my life. 

So I had to ask myself, "Why did you think you wanted to learn to draw at the start of 2019?" That answer is easy. 

Whenever someone asks me, "What do you do?" I find that a tricky question. Being an at-home mom and a homemaker for most of my life has been rewarding, but those occupations are not generally satisfying to questioners who are looking for a profession as an answer. 

But if I say, "I'm an artist," the response is usually, "Oh! You draw and paint? I wish I could do that." Then I have to say, "No. I can't draw. I'm a needle artist." That always gets a weird look and I have to explain more. Saying "I'm a photographer" is easier to understand, but then people want me to take photos of people or events, and that's not my preferred subject. To me, taking those kinds of photos can hurt my head as much as drawing does. 

I took up The Creative License hoping to learn to draw to simply have an easier, truthful answer to a banal question. Honestly, that's an awfully insubstantial reason to want to learn to draw.

At the end of the book, Danny has a  l-o-n-g  list of other art forms to try. I counted 50 that I've already done, most with a degree of success. I'll own that achievement and proudly display those gold stars.

So for now, I'll call this goal reached. I'll return to some of my many other more favored art forms. I have a plethora awaiting my attention in my Studio. Tending to some of those will help me mark off more entries from my 19 in 2019 list of goals.

Chrysanthemum

This image is from a series of my photographs called Deep In Bloom. This is one of the first photos that I took when I received a macro filter ... which is like a magnifying glass put on your camera lens. To focus, you manually move your camera toward and away from your subject.

This is one of my all-time favorite photographs. I captured this photo at the curb of a neighbor's yard on September 19, 2006. It was Day 94 of my Creative Journey.

A Quiet Moment

Since I'm still not quite on my game and creating new crafts or images, I thought I'd pull a favorite photo from my past to share today.

I took this photo on June 20, 2006 when I first got serious about wanting to become a better photographer using a little Canon point-and-shoot camera that would fit in my pocket. At that time, I called my photo learning project my Creative Journey. I'd take photos every day, pick out the very best one to share, and throw away the rest. This photograph was taken on Day 4.

On that Spring-nearly-Summer day, my daughter Jodie and I went for our first picnic of the season to Falls Park here in Post Falls. She'd recently bought these shoes with the adorable lining. We took our shoes off to walk in the grass. We spread out the old Snoopy blanket on which to sit and eat our lunch. The smell of the grass, avoiding duck and goose droppings, the laughter of kids, the older couple who were steadying one another while slowly making their way to a picnic table, the energizing nature of negative ions emanating from the Falls ... all memory snapshots in addition to this image.

I'm longing for Spring right now. But in north Idaho we'll remain frozen this week. Snow on Tuesday. Nighttime temperatures remain below freezing. It's supposed to be cloudy on most days. But later in the week we may hit the magical temperature of 40 degrees. Coats will be replaced with sweaters. Some men, young and old, will don shorts to wear with their white socks and athletic shoes.

In the mean time, I'll cocoon inside. I'll stitch. Make some soup. Dale and I are binge watching Mozart in the Jungle. It's a wonderful way to teleport away from this land of ice, cold, ice, snow, icicles, and ice. In a few weeks, our beautiful land will show her colors again.

My patience is, unfortunately, wearing thin. This picture eases my unrest.

Endings and Beginnings

Every year, in the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, I spend several hours composing a personal year in review for myself. I learned of a format through Marie Forleo that I like. These are the three sets of questions I ask myself:

What did I do create, or experience this year that I’m really, really proud of? What big or little things did I make happen this year? What did I create? What did I experience? What did I do that I’m really proud of?

What mistakes did I make that taught me something? What lessons did I learn that I can leverage? What are some of the things that didn’t go so well? How can I do better next time? How can I use this to grow into a better and wiser person?

What am I willing to let go of? What are the projects, goals and things that have been hanging around my To Do list for years that I never get around to? What can I get out of or release myself from? What can I just drop? What do I have hanging around that is no longer aligned with who I am now, what I hope to achieve in the future, or where I want to go? What resentments, angers, and hurts am I holding onto? What kind of guilt, shame, or embarrassment am I not willing to forgive? What stories am I telling myself that are no longer serving me?

I look forward to this exercise every year. I like to read what I've written in years past, and see my own growth. I like creating new ambitions.

One of my bigger take-aways this year is that ... duh ... I really am an artist.

I completed 64 projects last year. That works out to a completed project every six days! And if you count each individual project in the multi-item projects like Valentines, ornaments, Christmas cards, etc., I made a total of nearly 140 items which works out to about two completed projects per week!!!

Another happy realization is that this year I completed at least a dozen UFOs, WISPs, and PILLs. What are those?

UnFinished Objects (things that were started years ago and not completed)

Works In Slow Progress (things that were started and I pick at a little bit over months)

Projects In Long Lines (ideas that have been floating around, many with the components gathered and waiting in project bags, but hadn't been started yet).

That realization made me positively giddy. It feels so good to bring some of these creative concepts into being.

Another stand-out thing that happened this year is that I found my "tribe." I went on a retreat last Spring and met many other like-minded women. I've stayed in touch with the group and have gotten to know a few choice people through Facebook.

Likewise, I completed The Artist's Way course and found kindred spirits in Facebook groups dedicated to that framework, too.

I'm also proud of myself that I've only missed a dozen blog posts this year. I've been very consistent about posting something every day. It's my version of a daily scrapbook, and in looking back over the year, I have lots of memories to savor.

As for lessons learned the hard way, I see that I'm getting better and better about setting personal boundaries. Go me!

--

A second part of my exercise is to pick goals.

Of my 18 Goals in 2018, I completed all of them. The two long-term multi-year goals will continue on into next year.

Here are my 19 Goals in 2019:

Stitchery
1. to 6.

Do the finishing work on six of the needlework pieces that are stitched but not ready for display. I have at least a dozen to choose from.


One Shot Projects

 7. Learn to use my pom pom makers

 8. Go on a Celebrate Your Life retreat
 9. Create a watermark for my photos
10. Finish setting up the photo studio in my basement
11. Watch the DVD about Lake Missoula
12. Learn my Enneagram

Medium Length Projects
13. Reach a designated goal weight by my February doctor’s appointment
14. Paint and add privacy fencing on our dog kennel/storage space
15. Purge and organize storage shelves in exercise room
16. Use up my tea stash

Long Term Projects

17. Blog at least 25 weeks of #throwbackthursday posts of my 1997 - 2007 projects
18. Blog at least 10 of my Ladies of the Evening beaded handbag collection (mend as needed)

Long Term Courses
19. Finish at least one of six courses/classes on my list. I'm leaning toward a course on basic design principles.

I do have 32 alternate goals that I can swap out for any of these 19 if circumstances dictate.

--

The final part of my exercise is to pick a Word of the Year.

For 2019, my word is whittle

Dale and I are starting the downsizing journey. After living in our home for 25+ years, there will be a lot of downsizing to do. We started this year. We're hoping to step up our game in 2019. But I'm determined to keep from making it a chore. I'm certain there is a way to bring whimsy to the process, to be creative in how we go about releasing objects, to make it fun. To whittle down our possessions.

We also want to continue to whittle down our weight. Whittle down our A1c score. Whittle down our anxieties.

I like the word whittle. It makes the processes bite-sized. Do things a little at a time.

Whittle a little.

--

Now my lists are made. My intentions are clear.

Time to get this New Year's Eve party started! We're having quite a shebang:

A 3D movie here at home
Popcorn
Little smokies
Chex mix
A jigsaw puzzle
And blowing bubbles at midnight

HAPPY NEW YEAR, FRIENDS!

Dare

A Year of Meditation

I realize meditation isn't an endurance sport or a competitive endeavor. All the same, I'm incredibly proud of myself for having the fortitude and persistence and ability to stick to it and reach this goal. WOW. A full year of meditation without missing a day!

Admittedly, some sessions I felt like I was "phoning it in" and doing the bare minimum. Overall, I managed an average of 10 minutes of meditation per session -- some as long as 20 minutes, others as short as 3 minutes.

I've recently found a new favorite series for meditative running. I walk instead of run due to physical limitations. What I enjoy is the coaching aspect of these guided meditations. I've never before been called an athlete, and I get to think of myself that way when listening to my coach.

I'm impressed at how easily I can slip into the habit of meditation now. Like in the waiting room of a doctor's office, or a grocery line, or a traffic jam. Breathe. Feel present. Observe. I have more patience during times of inconvenience.

I've attempted meditation off and on since high school. This year, I found the right teacher for me, Andy Puddicombe, at the right time. I'm grateful.


If you're interested in guided meditations, check out the Headspace app on your smartphone, or headspace.com for more information. At the time of this writing, they are offering 40% off your first year.

Workshop Time!

Spending the weekend learning from Liz Gilbert, Martha Beck, and 600 SoulSisters.

My head may explode. 

My heart, too.

At Sunrise

While I was writing at the dining room table, the sun climbed over the hill and trees in the back yard, streaming through the window and making my flowers glow.

I took the picture with my phone's camera, and played with filters to achieve this "posterized" effect. Love the way it turned out! If I had the time and the inclination, I'd convert this one into a counted cross-stitch chart.

Week Three Artist Date

My journey with The Artist's Way continues. My Artist Date was to go buy myself some flowers.

So I did. I bought some vibrant pinks and white and put them in a Valentine's Day vase - my first Valentine's decoration so far this year.

Then I took some photos of them. In editing, I played with the lighting.

Then played with the lighting some more.

Decorating My Journal Cover

As part of The Artist's Way, I write three longhand pages in my journal each morning. I used the last of my journal in January, so got to start a new one in February. For me, the feeling of starting a new journal is reminiscent of the feeling I used to get when buying new school supplies every Fall. It's about anticipation of new learning, and good things coming into my life.

But plain ol' notebook covers don't do that much for me. So ...

Remember when I said I got an idea at the thrift store when I was on my Artist Date last week? Something about a gift bag? I put the idea into action. So, a paper gift bag like this ...

Plus a notebook like this ...

Attached with double-sided crafter's tape and and decorated with printed washi tape ...

Equals this!

There now. This makes me eager to write my Morning Pages every day in this journal.

Goal Update

Here's how I'm doing on my 18 in 2018 goals. I'm making nice progress!


Goal 1: finish all the charts in the 2006 Cross-stitch Calendar.
I stitched and framed Ho! Ho! Ho!

I stitched and framed Rosie the Lamb

I started King of Spring

Goal 3: Finish or dispose of Newborn King
I decided to toss it

I've also organized all the charts I plan to stitch for the rest of the year.


Goal 5: Crochet five pumpkins
I've purchased a kit with the luscious yarn

Goal 7: Make special Christmas ornaments for my daughters
I've purchased all the materials (but it's a secret, so I'm not going to show!)

Goal 12: Read Finding Your Own North Star
I dug out my paper book and bought an audio version so I can listen while driving

Goal 13: Work through The Artist's Way
I'm working on week two of this 12 week course. I've been writing daily, completing each chapter's exercises (assignments), and have gone on two Artist Dates.

Goal 18: Go on a retreat
I've signed up for one in New Mexico featuring Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love and Big Magic) and Martha Beck (author of Finding Your Own North Star). It's going to be awesome!


January went well! I hope I can keep up the momentum.

Mamma Mia!

One of the mainstays of The Artist's Way is to go on what Julia Cameron calls Artist Dates. "What is that?" you ask.

An artist date is a block of time, perhaps two hours weekly, especially set aside and committed to nurturing your creative consciousness, your inner artist. In its most primary form, the artist date is an excursion, a play date that you pre-plan and defend against all interlopers. You do not take anyone on this artist date but you and your inner artist, a.k.a. your creative child. That means no lovers, friends, spouses, children—no taggers-on of any stripe.
~ The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

On my first Artist Date last week, I danced. I put on some music by the Bee Gees and danced around my living room for about 10 or 15 minutes (volume up, window shades down!). That was fun and wore me out. I hadn't danced around like that for quite a while.

Today I had an Artist Date at a local thrift store. I wandered around soaking in inspiration. In the craft room, I got an idea on how to decorate my new journal cover using a gift bag. Over on the knick-knack shelf I found this happy dude. It was enough to take his picture; I didn't have to take him home with me (even though the entire store is half off on Wednesdays!)

He reminds me a little of growing up and working in the Italian restaurant that my family owned.