Holding on to What is Most Meaningful

Last weekend I decided to have a garage sale despite the high temperatures that have been lingering for way too long. 

The prior weekend my husband and I had another go at the garage that never stops being a catchall for everything and anything. It was then that I decided what I would put out for sale along with some house items and furniture. 

I don't find it hard to get rid of things that have lost their usefulness except when it comes to my kids; no matter how old they get, almost 15 and 25, there stuff is sentimental because it is reminiscent of their childhood and coming of age years. 

Thinking back, those years and experiences tugs at my heart in unexplainable ways. I look at pictures and I just melt and want to go back in time. They grow up so fast! 

  

Despite the difficulty parting with sentimental things like my youngest's glider where we spent hours feeding, reading and gently gliding him to sleep, it was time to say goodbye.

Still in his room, only used to rest laundry waiting to be put away. Taking up way too much space in his small bedroom just no longer made sense. I had to let go and he couldn't care less.

So off the glider went with a lot of other things that no longer being used, hopefully to create new and beautiful memories for another family. I feel good about simplifying and making room for only the cherished memories and the most meaningful remnants of my life and nothing more. 

Do you struggle with letting go? Any suggestions for making the process easier? 

Another Journal to Fill

I created yet another journal that I hope will be filled with memories, reflection, random thoughts or whatever her fancy. It was a present for my mother for Mother's Day.

My mother's faith is a significant part of who she is so I used scrabble pieces and paper clips to form the section dividers. She loved it!!! And I loved making it.  

The best part is I used found objects found around my home.  It started with a box I repurposed from a package I received. It was the perfect size for the cover.

I layered the front and back with muslin using mod podge

to make the cover sane as I did for this one.

I used a scrapbook paper on the inside cover.

The library pocket was made from the corner of a manilla envelope. These days, I look at the mail I receive in a whole new way. Anything can be repurposed and upcycled.  I found a template for the library cards which I printed 4 to a page on heavy cardstock.

I couldn't find paper the exact size that I needed so I cut and trimmed  pages from a  half used composition notebook. 

Included labels and photos from her younger days to spark writing content.

Soon after I completed  it,  I was shopping at TJ Maxx and stumbled upon color pencils wrapped in a fabric holder that was almost identical to the cover! I thought they would be a nice compliment to the journal.

I have a thing for notebooks and journals with blank pages to fill and I love repurposing odds and ends to create something meaningful. There are so many ideas rattling around inside my head so I think I found yet another creative obsession calling:)

What creative obsession that is currently monopolizing your thoughts?

A Mother's Day Tribute

On this Mother's Day, I would like to pay tribute to my mom, Sara Mae. She grew up in Mount Union, Pennsylvania and had dreams that extended beyond the opportunities available in this small town.

Right after high school and three short months after her dad passed away, she took a job in Elgin IL at a publishing company for two years. It was there that she was introduced to a lady that helped her obtain a scholarship to McPherson College. With $100 saved, she traveled to Kansas by train, later to find out it was a partial scholarship and her savings was not nearly enough to cover her expenses. In addition to her studies she took on whatever jobs she could acquire to support herself and finance her education. She assisted the house mother at her dorm, cleaned a professor's home, ironed shirts for a doctor and worked in the cafeteria. She did whatever it took to make it through and she did just that.

Despite all those jobs, she graduated in 1950, on time!

Her mom, Rachel, had only a third grade education and yet her daughter was able to support herself and navigate college life and make it through successfully. Proud of Sara Mae, Rachel made the 1000+ mile drive with her classmates' parents to attend her graduation. Amazing!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there who give or has given of themselves in ways that words can't begin to describe the depth  and totality of their commitment and unconditional love.  Enjoy!

How Are You Doing?

One month into the new year, how has your journey been so far?  Making progress with your resolutions or struggling to keep them? 

Would you agree it's easier to keep the promises we make to others than it is to keep the promises we make to ourselves? Remembering to direct some of our daily efforts and attention inward, even if it's only for a few brief minutes, is a sure way to keep our promises to self alive and well. We are deserving of that, don't you think? If you are finding it difficult to hold yourself accountable, what's getting in your way?

On the other hand, if you are one of the lucky ones who finds it a no brainer to keep your resolutions and promises, please tell the rest of  us your secret for doing so. 

In the meantime, wherever you fall in the resolution spectrum, I hope your journey, going forward, is fulfilling, meaningful and brings you joy.

Joy and Happiness

I love quotes, so much so I have a diary of quotes that I refer to often.  Recently, my sister and I had a conversation about happiness and she shared a quote she heard on rebroadcast of Super Soul Sunday with Shawn Achor: "Happiness is the Joy we feel striving towards our potential ". Love that!

This aligns perfectly with my  "year to dare"  2016 state of mind as I am happy, joyous and excited about my vision for the new year. At the same time, fearful, cautious  and  apprehensive thoughts infiltrate my pysche as well. As  the seesaw of emotions totters within me, I make a point to focus on the bubbling joy, rather than allowing fear to consume me.

About 5 years ago, I realized that I had a book inside of me begging to get out. Although, I wasn't sure just what type of  book, I just began writing  from within. Three years ago, things started coming together and I have been working on it passionately ever since. Yet there's a small part of me that doubts the message, my abilities as a writer and whether or not future readers will be receptive. With trepidation, I forced myself to attend a writer's group and  writer's conference in search of feedback. Suffice it to say, for the most part I have remained protective and that protectiveness is rooted in fear. This year, I vow and dare to do better.

As I strive toward my potential, I can prevent self-sabotage and indecisive behavior from taking over.  It's only normal to feel angst and discomfort as we push ourselves beyond our comfort zone, right? Remaining mindful and present of all we are feeling, especially when feelings are at opposite ends of the spectrum,  can be a beautiful blessing, don't you think? It allows us the opportunity to acknowledge and recognize fear for what it is, disengage from it, so that we can press on.

So how about you? Experiencing any tug of wars from within? What or how do you keep the negative thoughts and feelings at bay?

Happy 2016!

Happy New Year!!!!  From the start 2016 had a very different feel so I decided to do something different than my usual end of year/ new year reflection. 

Instead, I gathered past issues of my favorite magazines, got down on the floor, kid style, and started collaging my thoughts. 

No resolutions  for me, just a promise.

A promise to play
  with an open mind and heart
to dream
  with no limits
to do
  without fear or expectations
or not do
   wallowing in stillness when necessary
to continue to recognize
   joy in the ordinary
to approach everything
    with all that I have and all that I am
and to make
  every moment count!

That's it! A simple promise. So many ideas and things I want to accomplish and feeling very optimistic!

My 2016 be a good year for all.

Do you have any plans for the coming year?

Dish Towel Curtains

I happen to love dish towels. The beautiful prints and 100% cotton fabric tug at my heart strings every time I spot them in the store; I just can't resist; however, I don't just use them for their intended use.

Since I have a small kitchen window, they're just about the right size for curtains. They could be a tad bit longer but perfection is not something I strive for these days.

When I spotted this print in the store, I thought I would trim the lover edge with whatever I could find around the house.  

Don't have a clue when or where this doily collection came from but I thought I could use them in a way that didn't scream "OLD FASHION".

After bleaching them to remove the tea stained color, I cut the scalloped motif from the center section of the doily.

Next, to straighten it out, I made a diagonal cut into each corner, pinned and overlapped the excess together and tacked it in place with a few stitches to create one long piece of trim

The "V" cut out section is hidden by the grosgrain trim I used to attach it to the lower edge.

And there you have it, another simple and easy project that makes me smile each time I glance at it.

Truth be told, my sewing machine wasn't fully cooperating. Perhaps, it was getting back at me for not using it for a very looooooong time. I think some quality time together is long overdue. Sewing use to be such a major and significant part of my life and then everyday life just got in the way. I took it to the repair shop to have it overhauled so it will be ready to go for my next creative idea. Already, I have some ideas brewing in my head for a table runner. Like these curtains, it will be simple, incorporating found materials I already have. 

I find such joy in the smallest of things, so much so, that I devised a new mantra to express my not-so-new found appreciation for life's tiniest moments: Life is about the "small and the now" instead of the "big and the wow".

If any of this resonates with you, from your creative endeavors to your meaningful tiny moments,  I sure would love to hear your thoughts.

When is Enough, Enough?

Last year, I started on a minimalist journey. I made a promise to myself to rid my home of all the excess stuff that served no purpose yet occupying valuable real estate in my home. Yet no matter how much I have donated,sold, given away or recycled, I feel as though I still have a ways to go on this journey.

Excess stuff overwhelms me. I have even pulled back on my Do-It-Yourself projects because it encourages the acquisition of even more stuff. My garage was bursting at the seams and it got to the point where I ran out of space to work. I decided to get real about what I was going to actually complete and use.

Now it's time to cull the bookshelves again. Both my husband and I love books so it's not an easy thing to do. However, it needed to be done and I will be donating these to a local charity thrift store.


 
To avoid this process in the future, I will give ebooks another try and/or use the library a little more often.

Almost done sorting through my children's school and artwork as well. OMG! I saved way too much! I have to say my Neat Scanner made it so much easier to part with some of this excessive sentimental paper in favor of digital copies.

 

And then there are the photos. Oh the photos. Although in chronological order in photos boxes, they're just too many. When is enough, enough? First, I started tossing the duplicate sets, blurry and overexposed shots. Again, a digital solution is where I'm headed. I plan to have the negatives digitally converted; however, I wanted to have the camcorder tapes done first. I can't wait for my Legacy Box to arrive in the mail.

So when is enough, enough? It's going to be different for everyone, of course. For me, however, it's when that overwhelming feeling starts crowding my everyday joy. That's when enough is enough for me and when it's time to act. I refuse to allow excess stuff to steal my thunder. How about you? When is enough, enough?

Have You Met Midori?

First meet Faux-Dori,

cousin to the Midori.Traveler's Notebook. When I discovered it a few days ago, immediately I was smitten.  Midori is a Japanese company that makes the Traveler's Notebook; however, this product is not limited to traveling as implied by the name. Rather, the Traveler's Notebook was designed to become ones "company in the journey called life".

Available in various sizes, ranging from passport size to a larger traveler size, the Traveler's Notebook, aside from being infectious, is an organizational tool with elements of scrapbooking, journaling, scheduling, planning and documenting and so much more. It's simple design, consisting of a leather cover, one or more notebooks and filler accessories (ie. folders, pockets, etc.) allows you to collect your thoughts, ideas and  meaningful remnants of  the everyday in one place with the functionality of easily modifying it's contents to suit your changing needs. How wonderful!

It didn't take long for me to discover it's DIY (do-it-yourself) version, the Faux- Dori, and seize the opportunity to create a special one of a kind personalized notebook. Need I say more?  I am hooked. This design concept is so me! I made two covers already



They can be made from leather, vinyl or fabric. I used a vinyl remnant leftover from a another project.  I adore the simplicity and colorful elastic and of course my favorite word, "dream"; because its my favorite thing to do.

Here is a great "how to " video to show you how to make one.

As for the inside, I will save that for another post but here's a sneak peak; a purchased mini book and a larger one I made below.

In the meantime, I hope you will get acquainted with the "dori" concept and maybe try one out for yourself .  I love, love, love both the Midori and Faux- Dori. Does it appeal to you too?

Does a Blank Page Scare You?

I am afraid of a blank page! Crazy, right?  Oh sure, writing my thoughts down is an effortless task and my go-to for self-expression. But when I entertain the thought of taking it to the next level, a visual or graphical level, I cringe and hold myself back. The judgemental thoughts start swirling around in my mind and I allow non-productive hold me back from expressing myself on a deeper level. Why? Can you relate? I sure hope so. I so don't want to be alone on this.

Let's put this into perspective. Isn't it just a piece of paper? What's the worst thing that can happen? An attempt doesn't turn out as envisioned? It falls short of what inspired me to make the attempt in the first place. Why is that so terrible? A different result then anticipated? My result? Your result? Is that what keeps one from embarking on a journey in the first place?

I realize now that the blank page represents fear. Your fear, my fear, any one's fear. It represents the barrier to anything we shy away from for fear of  not being good enough or messing up. We avoid it, try not to think about it and find other things to distract us from thinking about that pesky blank page. But guess what? It's not going anywhere! If we shy away from that one page, how many other pages opportunities will we shy away from? Perhaps a toddler approach is the best way to begin eradicating the fear; reverting back to a time when blank pages weren't scary and coloring outside the lines was perfectly acceptable! Anything we created was worthy and a masterpiece to be proudly displayed.

If you too find yourself resisting the blank page, how about we make a pack? Let's toss aside perfection and expectations! Results are not important, but taking that  plunge is! With  that classic Joan Crawford conviction, let's say it together,  "NO MORE BLANK PAGES!" LOL Let's move past the fear to a place that has only our personal best in mind. Let's focus on the ultimate goal, and that is showing the world who we truly are.

With that said, what does the blank page symbolize for you? What is the blank page in your life? A cyber penny for your thoughts?

Where Do You Find Joy?

Where do you find joy?

It's really easy to find joy in the big and the wow parts of life, don't you think?
But can you find joy in the insignificant? Inside your head? In the everyday?

I find joy in the unfinished - an unfinished written piece, book or project (a reminder of my life's journey evolving.

I find joy in the hope that possibility brings. "Dwell in possibility"..... Emily Dickerson is a usual forethought.
I find joy in the different - design aesthetics, points of view, self-expression, etc.

I find joy lost in the doing, especially creating.

I find joy out on location - a bookstore, craft fair, nature, anyplace that sparks the creativity within.

I find joy in a suggestion, conversation or human connection.

More important, I find joy in being still and quiet, lost inside my thoughts. I find joy listening to my inner cheerleader voice rooting me on - an internal pep talk so to speak - "YES YOU CAN! KEEP GOING, YOU CAN DO IT!" - the antithesis of the negative voices that used to consume me, robbing me of my best self.

On a good day, and sometimes on a not so good day, I can even find tiny bits of joy in the midst of the plain, ordinary moments that have little or no wow factor. That's joy at it's best and when I am most thankful and happy.

How about you? Where do you find joy?