Sky's the Limit: Photo Challenge

This weekend I was craving some time spent outdoors with my camera.  I didn't want to do my usual thing though -- go to a nearby trail and photograph nature.  I love doing that, but I needed something different.  A little research on the computer and, my fellas and I drove out to the overlook at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport.  They have a great little spot overlooking a couple of runways and the Charlotte skyline is in the background.

I used my 55-250mm lens and was able to capture some pretty good shots.  I'm excited to go back to the overlook at different times of day and experiment a bit more.  This mini challenge to find something different to photograph was just the inspiration I needed.  Stretching outside of the norm is usually what helps me become re-inspired.

Have any other photo challenge ideas?  I'd love to read about them.

I Heart This Week

What a week!  A busy work week, carting kids to their various activities, catching up on laundry, and trying to find time to create but still get some sleep...well, I didn't bring my "A Game" to my photography for this post.  I think you'll get the picture though (PUN!)...

It's not the winter storm that people make it out to be here in SC, but seeing this and knowing I can just cozy up indoors for the night makes me happy...

I've neglected my Gratitude Journal but this week realized the need to jot down a few things to maintain perspective...

My 9 year old son's stories...I look forward to new stories written by him about as much as one looks forward to the next Great American Novel...

Finding toys in strange arrangements around the house.  Is this guy doing a victory dance?  Directing traffic?  Or saving the Universe?  Maybe he's testing a new deodorant (that appears to be failing miserably)...

(Relatively) New Art Work...I bought this around Christmas, hung it up a few weeks ago, but felt appreciative of it today so thought I'd share.  I purchased this print from a very talented artist at The Black Apple shop on Etsy.  I love this little one...

My lovely Aunt lent me her sewing machine for a bit so I can try it out and see if I really do want to buy one.  It is one of my goals this year.  Last Sunday, my Mom and Aunt gave me a tutorial on how to set it up and use it.  I'm hoping to steal some time this weekend and play some more...

Finally...after a busy, but productive, week...

Happy Weekending!!

I Heart This Week: Finding Beauty

I've had a fantastic weekend.  I spent time with great friends, watched my boys play basketball, had a date night with my husband and spent time at the lake with my parents, aunt, and grandmother.  This morning I woke up feeling emotional, but in a good way.  Sipping coffee, listening to The Avett Brothers, reading through blogs that inspire me, and suddenly I began to feel overwhelmed by beauty in this world.  My heart felt swollen and I felt like a very small, but important, cog in this enormous and beautiful machine.  I realized that I have felt this before and, as one who often tries to ignore my emotions, I always just thought I felt out of sorts and tried to avoid it.  I've been working on that the past couple of years - allowing myself to feel what I feel and just ride it out, no matter how uncomfortable it may be for me.  Today it dawned on me, this feeling isn't bad - it's pretty wonderful.  To be completely overwhelmed with beauty and what I have in this world, this one life, to the point that it overwhelms my whole self and makes me more appreciative. 

Does this mean that my life is perfect and I live in a dream world?  Heck no!  It just means that finding beauty is part of our journey and is possible to do, in most situations.  I hope you can find beauty and embrace it too.

Quote by Frank Lloyd Wright

Buddy Book

It has been quite a while since I mentioned my journal obsession and, more importantly, the Buddy Book (or Buddy Books, as it were).  However, I am true to my word so here is a glimpse into the Buddy Book.  This is not something I typically share but I figured I can give you a little peek.

To understand the Buddy Book, you need to understand the buddies who own it.  My dear friend, Gina, and I have been friends for about 20 years now.  We met in the sixth grade but she didn't care much for me at that point.  Something about a boy...if you can believe that about sixth graders.  I would say it was the end of seventh grade to the beginning of eighth grade when we truly became friends and stayed the best of friends through high school and on.  We have lived 500 miles apart since we were 19 or 20 years old but have managed to stay extremely close.  She has stuck by me through thick and thin -- graduations, boyfriends, illness, eating disorders, depression, marriage, miscarriages, child rearing, starting an Etsy shop together, dreaming creative dreams together, etc.  She is a true friend and I can't imagine my life without her.

Over the years, we have kept in touch via telephone, snail mail, email, social media, text, etc.  In 2004, Gina had an AMAZING idea!  She sent me a sketchbook for Christmas that she had started for us to keep track of silly, mundane, normal, abnormal, big, little, important, trivial, and all other things that happen to us in our day to day lives.  Things that we might forget to share on our next phone call or email.  Ridiculous things that we thought were funny.  Doodles when we are in a boring meeting or class.  A little piece of our brains and hearts etched creatively into a journal.  Each of us would keep the book for several months and use it as much as we could, then mail it to the other.  It was genius!  The Buddy Book was born.

I always love opening the mailbox and finding the book -- sometimes I know it's coming and sometimes it's a surprise.  Sometimes life gets in the way and the Buddy Book collects dust but it's always there waiting for us to come back to it.  I really like responding to things she wrote like we're having a long drawn out conversation.

At one point we had two Buddy Books in circulation so we would each have one at the same time.  Then we would try to swap at the same time to see what the other had added.  We've journaled deep thoughts and feelings.  We've also added things like this photo below...

Over the last couple of years, the Buddy Book has taken a bit of backseat to life.  However, I know it's not gone forever.  It's still there, waiting for both of us to pick it back up and start again.  Just like our friendship - sometimes we go through periods where we only talk a couple of times in a month, while other times we talk each week (sometimes a couple of times a week) - it takes effort to maintain a close friendship but we ebb and flow just like life does.

Gina is an artist to her soul and she encourages and inspires me to continue on my own creative path.  When we are able to get together in person, I always walk away with a ton of ideas and excitement to try something new.  She is an adventurer and lover of life.  She is witty and kind and thoughtful.  She is my buddy.

I don't know where I would be in life without her.  I know we will be buddies until we are old and gray, laughing about ridiculous inside jokes, eating ice cream, and swapping Buddy Books when the mood strikes.  I am so happy she chose me as her friend.

So, there you have some snippets of the Buddy Book.  What kind of things do you do to keep in touch with friends???

I Heart This Week

"I Heart This Week" is a new weekly feature I will be doing in 2013 on my blog.  It forces me to make sure I'm capturing weekly photos of the things I love that week - some may be silly, some may be serious.  Mostly I just want to always stay present in the moment and not take things for granted. 

I heart this week:

Morning frost and light...

New candle that burns while I work in my office and gives me a sense of calm...

Self-Explanatory...

Natural lens flare over my Crepe Myrtle in the morning...

Finding a new yarn unexpectedly and absolutely loving it...

Loving the above yarn so much that I went back to the store two days later and bought more in different colors...

A new, colorful tote bag gifted to me by my mother-in-law for a specific purpose:  to carry my craft supplies with me in style...

I definitely heart this week!

Thank you, 2012!

It doesn't seem like it was that long ago when I was feeling the hope, excitement, and thoughts of a clean slate while ringing in 2012 as the new year.  Now it's the last day and I'm excited for 2013. 

This year was a true growing year for me:
At the end of 2011, I started an "experiment" of not eating meat.  I started by just doing it for one week, then two, then three, etc.  I didn't call myself vegetarian because I wasn't sure if I would stick to it.  Well, in 2012, I officially claimed myself as vegetarian and I haven't eaten even the slightest bit of meat since September 2011.  My eating habits have greatly improved, I understand my body's cravings much better now, and I am really happy with my decision both physically and mentally.  I have no plans to go back. 

I learned how to be a better wife.  Our marriage has always been great but there is always room for improvement.  In 2012, I truly made efforts to be a better listener, acknowledge his needs, and really try to be the best friend, wife, and partner I can be.  I love that man to pieces!

I learned how to be a better friend.  This year I realized that I needed to be a better friend to my oldest and dearest friends who live 500 miles away.  I also made some new friends this year and have learned the value of really prioritizing and making efforts to be a good friend, even if I am busy or tired or lazy.  It's definitely an effort that is easy to make and has a great return.  Hold tight to those true friends.

I have realized that I *need* to create every day.  It doesn't matter how little or big it is.  If I don't create on a regular basis, I become out of sorts and depressed.  I need that outlet and it makes me a better me.

Lastly, I've learned to hold on tight to my dreams.  Sometimes they have to be put on the back burner for a while and new dreams need to be created for the meantime.  However, I haven't lost sight of my dreams and am working hard to make them come true.  More to come in 2013!

So thanks, 2012, I've learned a lot and, while tough sometimes, you have helped me to grow and improve. 

My last photo to post in 2012 is of an acorn.  An acorn symbolizes many things to different cultures and people.  I personally like its symbol of strength and growth which definitely wraps up my year in one photo.  2012 gifted me with strength I didn't know I had and a lot of growth.  I hope you enjoy a safe New Year's Eve with the people you hold dearest.

Some Sunday Color

I promise my next post will have more words.  Lately I have been consumed by life but drawn deeply into color and inspiration, as shown by my Pinterest boards titled Yellow , Green , White , and Multitudes of Color.  For now, I hope that this color will inspire you.  Enjoy your colorful Sunday!

Hearts - A Wordless Post

I Am

This time of year can be very busy but I try to keep it slow.  I like to take time off around Thanksgiving to unwind a bit from a hectic first part of the school year, busy work days, and very excited boys who are looking forward to holidays.  I use the time to rest, enjoy my family, center myself, and start to think about what handmade items I want to make this year.  Each year I've expanded the handmade gifts that I give to family and friends.  I love receiving handmade gifts as well. 

Giving handmade gifts is a way of saying, "Here I am.  A piece of me for you."  I think some people still think handmade is a cheap way out of buying a gift but I disagree.  My mom has made quilts for my boys and gave them as gifts.  They LOVE their quilts and are very put out when we have to take them away to clean them from time to time.  This year I am going to blend some handmade items into my boys' gifts.  Typically we just buy all of their gifts but I want to incorporate more handmade for them too.  They watch me make things with love and have put in requests here and there for things they might want.  One year they all wanted crocheted winter hats.  I took them to the store to pick out thick yarn in the colors they wanted.  They loved being part of the process and watching it come to completion.

I have learned over the years the people who really appreciate handmade and the people who don't appreciate it as much.  I know there are some who will throw the handmade gifts in the back of the closet because it's not as exciting as something purchased in a store.  That's ok too.  We're conditioned to want those things.  There is a growing movement towards more handmade, well made, artisan gifts though and I love being a part of it.

For me, handmade gifts means there is a tangible part of me that will be around for a long time.  I love to think about my boys passing down things I made for them to their own children and grandchildren one day.  The idea of them wrapping themselves up in a blanket I made or hanging one of my photographs on their wall to look at long after I'm gone gives me comfort. 

I am very thankful for my abilities to create things that I love.  During hard times, it helps me find my way back to my true self.  It helps me wind down after a long day.  When I feel like the corporate world stifles me, it helps me strike a balance so that I can be happy and successful at work and still know that I have an outlet for my creative side waiting after hours.  It gives me more patience to be a better wife and mother.  It makes me feel like me.

I think most artists and crafters feel this way.  This year, if you are given a handmade gift, just know you hold a little piece of an artist's heart.  Even if the person giving the gift didn't create it, they sought it out just for you.  They wanted to give you something that was part artist and part you.

I hope you have the opportunity to slow down during this time of year and just enjoy.  Just be.  I know I am.

Craft Show Progress and Procrastination

A little bit of panic set in this week when it dawned on me that I have a little over four weeks left until my craft show and one week of that (the week of the show, to be exact) I will be out of town for work for four days.  When I signed up for this show in August, I did not have any inventory.  I had a few things I worked on here and there but nothing substantial.  I have been creating every chance I get since then and piling things up in various stages of completion. 

Today, I decided to get a table (slightly smaller than the table I'll have at the show) and just move everything I've made (100% completed or not) over to that table and see where I stand.  I needed to create a schedule today of what I need to finish, start thinking about table displays I need to make, etc.  I procrastinated for quite a while this morning -- I even found myself googling quotes about procrastination while I was procrastinating.  Finally, I got it together.  I laid all of my items out (not neatly), took some photos to document my progress, and started penciling lists on a big desk calendar to get myself in order.

Once it was all in my face, I realized that I have quite a bit completed (or almost completed).  That was comforting.  However, I quickly realized how much MORE I have to do before the show.  Panic ensued a bit.

Jack was helping me get organized.  I told him that he needs to be at the show to sell my wares because he is much cuter than I am.

What did I do with that panic?  I started to get organized, which always makes me feel more in control.  Then I procrastinated a little --

"I absolutely need to research craft show displays - ooh, another blog to read!" 

"Today I should probably start setting up my photography Etsy store that I've been wanting to redo." 

"Mmm...a beer.." 

After that, I started typing up this blog post.  I don't feel like this is total procrastination though because it is focused on the craft show, right?

I am very excited about the bright colors and fun geometric shapes I have been using in multiple pieces.  I still have a lot of button flowers to make.  It will all be completed though, right? 

All in all, I'm in better shape than I thought.  I still have a lot of work to do but I know I'll get to it.  It helps that I enjoy what I'm doing.  I just need a game plan for these remaining weeks.  I'm also trying to be creative (and thrifty) with how I set up my table display.  As I figure it out, I'll share more.  I've gained a lot from other blogs with booth and table display ideas so want to share my ideas too.

Some close ups of my items.  I made some geometric table runners that I'm loving.  I'm working on some fun garland.  I also have some bags I've been making - the photos didn't come out great but I promise a blog post just for the bags.  I have some other fun things planned too.  My plan is to share a lot of these things on my blog individually so stay tuned!

I suppose I should stop blogging and get back to it.  I do have a plan, some lists, some calendar planning, and I connected a few granny squares for a scarf today.  Not too bad for a day of procrastination!

"Procrastinators are also great at beginnings and not as skilled at completions." - SARK

We'll see about that, SARK!  Happy Sunday!