My Newest Obsession....

An artist is nothing without his or her obsessions, and I have mine. Andres Serrano

When I find something new that I like, whether a pattern I create or a new website, I spend nearly all of my time obsessing over this new find. My latest obsession is the website Tophatter.com! The website is an online auction that includes handmade items which is perfect for me since I am handmade artist. I know everyone hears online auction and thinks about Ebay but there are big, BIG differences!

Unlike Ebay, Tophatter is a quick paced auction which reminds me of the traditional auctions that I love to go and watch the chaos of bidding create such exhilaration for those in the auction house. So at the top of the hour, the auction begins and a lot goes up for sale and in minutes people are bidding away and then the lot is sold. If you blink, you may miss the item you want to buy! 

As a seller, the auction is just as exhilarating because you are watching people bid and fight for you creation. One minute your lot could be a $1 then the next it could be $20! You never know what people are looking to buy and what they are willing to pay for you creation. Check out an auction now: tophatter.com  

What are you Grateful For?

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

John F. Kennedy

Gratitude is something that is easily forgotten in the everyday hustle and bustle of our lives but is something that each person should take 5 minutes out of a day to give a little thanks. I started a gratitude list a months ago but some days or even weeks, I would forget to even write a single word of appreciation. However, with all chaos of my life, I have found great comfort in writing 5 things that I am grateful for each day. In the beginning, my gratitude was for the children, family and friends and why I am grateful for each of them. Then it moved onto the things that are necessary to my survival on this earth... food, water and shelter. Now, I am truly finding the things that I am grateful for in life and in myself such as my artistic skills, the warmth of sunshine on my skin and the freedom to walk this earth each day that I wake up. To be grateful for each breathe I take is indescribable because so often we take for granted that each breathe we take is keeping us alive and on this beautiful earth. So what are you grateful for today?

Friends with Benefits or A Relationship?

"I wish my life was a movie sometimes. You know, I'd never have to worry about my hair, or having to go to the bathroom. And then when I'm at my lowest point, some guy would chase me down the street, pour his heart out and we'd kiss. Happily ever after."

What defines a relationship? I have been wondering about this quite frequently lately because of the relationships around me and the ones in my own life. I have my friend relationship but this time I thinking about romantic relationships. Does a relationship have to be the normal go on dates? Does it mean you wait until the timing is right before it turns sexual? Can a relationship start as friends first? 

The questions could go on and on but I won't put you all through that. I have the big dilemma of having feelings for a friend whom turned into a friends with benefits. He is someone that I talk to everyday and we talk about everything but once the friendship turned sexual... things changed for me. I am an emotionally driven woman which means that I relate sex to having emotional feelings with someone. The only problem with having feelings is that we both said no relationship..... but if we talk everyday and have a sexual relationship, isn't that a relationship? 

Its a relationship without the I love you.........

Love Everyday of Your Life

"You only live once, so do everything twice."

 When someone dies, it makes you put your life into perspective. You begin to appreciate who you do have in your life and are grateful for the chance to take another breathe. My  best friend had suffered her first death as an adult and I wish there is something that I could say to make her feel better. Unfortunately when it comes to death, I become numb because it brings up many emotions that I yet to deal with in my own life. 

3 years, 7 months and 2 days.... that is the amount of time since my little brother died at the young ago of 23. I can put on the happy face and act like I am ok but in reality, my heart is still breaking from losing someone I was so close to and shared a special bond with. My brother and I didn't have the easiest childhood but what helped us get through it was each other.... even if we fought like cats and dogs. As adults, our bond grew stronger as we both struggled with our personal lives. We always knew we could talk and vent to the other. Now, I have felt lost without him and haven't been able to cope with that. Seeing my best friend crying over losing her friend makes me want to say something or do something to help ease her pain but all I can say is appreciate the people and things we have because we never know when it can all be taken away and gone tomorrow.

The Simple Life

 

 In a world filled with busy schedules, to-do lists and chaos, I am looking around and finding the simple things in life to enjoy. There was a time in my life that I thought I needed to keep anything that I bought or was given to me but that is simply not true. As we grow as people, we learn that we outgrow our surroundings and sometimes our belongings. The great thing about outgrowing our belongings is that "what is one man's garbage is another man's treasure". So what we don't use any longer, can be useful to someone else and never gone to waste. My goal this week is to start clearing out my outgrowth and letting it become a different person's treasure. So clearing out my bins, bags and drawers will help bring simplicity to my surroundings and my mind. Less chaos in my outside world will lessen the chaos in my mind.

*The above quote is a typography art print by BubbyandBean on Etsy. If you would like to purchase this print please click the picture or the blue links.

Finding My Laughter Again

"I would not exchange the laughter of my heart for the fortunes of the multitudes; nor would I be content with converting my tears.... into calm. It is my fervent hope that my whole life on this earth will ever be tears and laughter." Kahlil Gibran

Heartbreak is one of the hardest emotions and feelings to let go of and in the course of letting it go, you can discover new things about yourself that you may have never known. Recently, I have felt this painful emotion of heartbreak because of a breakup with my boyfriend. People told me that I would go through the mourning and grieving process which is true. I have gone from crying to anger to crying again. It has become a vicious cycle that I have not found a path off of just yet. There are moments of happiness but laughter has left my life and has not returned. 

In the movie Monster's Inc., you witness that laughter is 10x more powerful than fear and screams. So I am on the search to find this laughter that can bring a smile to my face and begin to reawaken my soul. Laughter and happiness is a key component to a loving life and loving yourself. Each day brings its own struggles but when you wake up in the morning, its a fresh day and a fresh start. So find laughter in each new day!

ReAwakening my Life

"Best is good, better is best" Lisa Grunwald

Lately, I have been struggling in my personal life to find myself and feel the happiness that those around me feel on a daily basis. Originally, I created this blog to reawaken people's creative senses but I want to expand beyond just that and allow people to follow my journey to find my happiness once again. For years, I knew that I struggled with depression but I never wanted to admit this to anyone let alone myself. Lately, I have had the chance to look at myself and my life and realize that my depression has been around since I was a teenager but no one else paid enough attention to see that I was unhappy. 

I know that everyone and their mother has written a book about finding themselves. Some people took trips, some people looked for small, daily ways to make themselves happy but I need to figure this journey out myself. I don't want to allow someone else journey to dictate or influence my journey to much. My journey needs to be my own. There is resentment and anger that I need to let go of, maturity to be grown and happiness to be found. 

So as I travel this path and attempt to find ways to find my happiness and love myself, I will be blogging about things that work and things that don't work. I hope that my journey will inspire someone else to take their own journey to find happiness and self-love.

Gift Certficate Giveaway

"A hug is a great gift - one size fits all, and it's easy to exchange."  ~Author Unknown

I know that I have not been blogging this week but I had a crazy, hectic week with having to get a new computer and trying to retrieve my old files. Now I am back on track and just in time to announce my big giveaway! For the next 2 weeks you get to enter or a chance of winning a $10 Gift Certificate to my Etsy Shop!!!!!

WAYS TO WIN: Comment on this post wins you an entry, each comment on each of this week's posts wins you an entry per comment, for every person you refer to win they need to put your username as a reference you will win an entry so you have 3 ways to win and plenty of chances! I will announce the winner at Noon on Saturday February 25th! The winner will be emailed a $10 gift certificate good for my Etsy Shop . Good luck to everyone!

Felted Soap Bars

“Everyone has huge creative capacities. The challenge is to develop them. A culture of creativity has to involve everybody, not just a select few.”
Sir Ken Robinson

I love to get my creative juices flowing and I have been searching to create something that was a need more than a want for a person. Well everyone needs soap to clean up so that I got my thoughts going. I didn't think I was up to the level of making my own soap quite yet plus I want whatever I create to fit into my fiber centered shop. Which gave me the idea to create felted soaps! I went to Michaels craft store and bought wool roving packs in an assortment of colors and then stopped by Target to buy soap. I got a Pomegranate Mango scented soap and Ivory Soap. 

I am learning that creating felted soaps is a learning experience that will get better each time I attempt to make more bars. I searched different sites for instructions and tutorials so I can see how to properly make the felted soap. Well that was overwhelming because so many people do it so many different ways. So I tried my hardest and I think they came out pretty good! I even needle felted a heart on my first bar! Now my first set of bars are listed in my shop! I am so excited to share these with other people!!

Pattern Winner

“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”

Mother Theresa

Time to announce my winner of my first blog giveaway! Thank you all who stopped by and checked out my blog and for those of you who promoted my giveaway. I love to see the smile on people's faces when they see a finished creation so I am giving away 2 of my patterns to both of my readers that commented! Thank you so much for the support! I hope that you enjoy creating something new!

CONGRATS NEW ENGLAND QUILTER AND LAURIE! I will be emailing you to give you the information on redeeming your free pattern.

** I will be announcing a new giveaway next Saturday so tune in!

6 more weeks of Winter

"The second of February, you all know, the groundhog goes searching for his shadow.
If he should find it, the story is told, we'll have six more weeks of winter's cold.
But if it's cloudy, his shadow's not there. There'll soon be warm weather and days will be fair." Unknown 

I have never been a fan of the winter though this year we have barely had a typical winter in my area. By now we would have a ton of snow and a few snow days from school, but not this year. This season we have had 2 snow storms and one of those was a freak Halloween storm. So, believe it or not, I would actually like 6 more weeks of winter so that we can get at least one more snow storm in before the beautiful Spring weather shines down on us. 

As long as I can wear a warm, beautiful coat like this vintage, military style Yves Saint Laurent wool coat then I will be happy with 6 more weeks of winter. You can find this beautiful coat and other vintage beauties in TimelessVixenVintage's Etsy Shop. Please click the picture or any blue link to browse their shop.

Pattern of the Week

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” Leo F. Buscaglia quotes

I have a collection of patterns that I have accumulated over the years with the thought in my mind that I would one day make this or that. Well now I am setting myself the goal to work on one pattern each week and reveal my creation every Thursday to all of my viewers. I am going to keep my first pattern a surprise so that when you tune in next Thursday you will see a new creation of mine that I created from one of my many many patterns. I am so excited to finally delve into my pattern folder and begin creating something new!   

Upcycled Crayons

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." Edward Degas

As the mother of a preschooler, I am always finding broken crayons. I used to just throw them out but now that I am attempting to upcycled whatever I can in my life, I have been trying to find something to do with all these broken pieces. Someone suggested that I melt the crayon bits into one big crayon. What a great idea! My only reservation is that I don't want them to into one big, brown blob. So I am on the search for a good upcycle recipe and work on this creation this week. 

In the meantime, I found this awesome shop that creates the Alphabet out of upcycled crayons! You can check out this listing and many other upcycled crayon creations in art2theextreme's etsy shop. Click any of the blue links or the photo to go directly to their awesome shop! 

Starting Gratitude Tuesday

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, 

but to live by them." John F. Kennedy

This year I started a gratitude list that everyday I write down things that I am grateful for in my life. Yes in the beginning it was easy to just the easy things I was grateful for like my children, family, friends, food and house. Now I am at the point that I am looking at the little things that I am grateful for like having patience with others and my artistic skills. This great feeling I am filled with everyday when I add to my gratitude list is one that I want to share with all other you. More than just making a list of things that you are grateful for, people need to tell and show those they care about how much they mean to them. You never know if a small gift or words of kindness will be just what a person needs that day. Everyone needs to know they are loved by others! 

So I challenge you to go out and tell the people you love that you love them and how you are grateful to be in their lives! Not only will you feel better about yourself but you will make someone else feel great!

Every Tuesday will be Gratitude Tuesday where I will be showcasing people or things we all should be grateful for in our lives. So check back next week for another gratitude post.

 You can share these delicious LOVE cookies by justcrumbs with someone you are grateful with and they will be grateful for your gift! You can purchase these cookies or other sweet treats in justcrumbs Etsy shop by clicking any blue link or the photograph. Enjoy!

Valentine Cake Pops

"Family traditions counter alienation and confusion. They help us define who we are; they provide something steady, reliable and safe in a confusing world." SUSAN LIEBERMAN

This weekend I spent the weekend bonding with my mother, sister and young daughter by making cake pops. Cake pops seem to be the latest craze in the baking world. My mom caught the wave of the craze and bought the cake pop machine which is supposed to create perfectly round balls to stick on a stick and create a cake pop. So we got all the ingredients including chocolate to melt and valentine sprinkles to decorate.  

The balls seemed to come out a bit deflated on one side so we decided to insert the stick on that side so the deflation would not be as noticeable. So far not to bad. Well then we got the fondue pot out and melted down Hershey's milk chocolate chips which felt like it took forever to melt down. Next, we ATTEMPTED to dip the cake pops into the melted chocolate. This did not work the way we expected. The cake balls came off the sticks and the chocolate was not liquidy so the chocolate would stick to one side off the ball. So we tried our best by taking a knife or spoon and spreading the chocolate around the cake pop. Then came the sprinkles which was the best part because we could be creative as we wanted. Overall, it was a fun time and a great bonding experience for 3 generations of my family.  So here are our results:

  

Pattern Giveaway

“Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others.” Brian Tracy

I am having my first giveaway! I want to share with one of my readers a pattern of mine so one week from today I will be giving away one of patterns that are in my shop. See creating patterns is a special passion of mine because I can take just one of my patterns and alter 10 different ways to create something else completely different and new. Creating new patterns also keeps my creative juices flowing. I just began listing my patterns in my shop to share this passion with others. I have created so many patterns over the years that I haven't even written down but they are in my mind. So this weekend I will be writing them down and listing them in my shop. By next Saturday's give away there will be at least 15 patterns for one lucky winner to choose from in my shop! 

WAYS TO WIN: Comment on this post wins you an entry, each comment on each of this week's posts wins you an entry per comment, for every person you refer to win they need to put your username as a reference you will win an entry so you have 3 ways to win and plenty of chances! I will announce the winner at 10am on Saturday February 4! The winner will be emailed a free coupon code good for my Etsy Shop for a pattern only. Good luck to everyone!

Here are just a few of my patterns that you will be able to choose from:

Sick Days

"A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book."  ~Irish Proverb

I wish I could say today was a fun Friday but unfortunately for me that is not the case. I am home, sick in bed with a horrible cold and at least today feel well enough to sit up and be able to type out something small for my positivity blog. I am sorry that yesterday I was unable to write anything but I never made it to my computer til later at night so I will make up for my absences with a few awesome posts this weekend featuring some amazing Etsy shops! So be sure to come back tomorrow and check out my awesome features!!

Recycle Rather than Trash

Every day is Earth Day.  ~Author Unknown

One thing that I am trying to become more aware of is recycling. What can I do to encourage my family to separate the recycling? Well I will admit that my family does not recycle so trying to encourage and change is going to take a lot of effort and time. Everything from newspapers, magazine to soda bottles and cans have been thrown in trash for as long as I can remember which is basically my whole life. It is amazing how people really don't think about where these items go once we place them in the garbage. So many items that can be recycled but are thrown in the garbage are not biodegradable so they sit in landfills, contaminating the ground, water and wildlife for much longer than we are on this earth. This concept is enough for me to think about the future generations and attempt to make some changes. I challenge all of you that do not recycle to start today!

This set of pop up trash and recycling bins by Hobnob will encourage your family and guests to separate their trash from recycling. To purchase these bins or check out the other great items in Hobnob's Etsy shop please click any of the blue links or the photo. 

Have a positive day!

A Child's Imagination

"Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."

Pablo Picasso

This morning, as I was trying to figure out what I should write about today, my 4 year old became very impatient and bored. So what better subject to blog about than a child's imagination. Just to sit and observe my daughter's playtime is fascinating because she absorbs everything around her and it reflects in her interactions with her dolls. My daughter is artistic by nature just like the rest of my family. She loves to sing, dance and perform for people just as much as she loves to draw, paint or create some beautiful gift that she will give someone special in her life. At this age the creativity and energy is endless and I am at awe at the things that she comes up with somedays. Whether she is sings a song that I never knew she had listened to but at some point did or the abstract drawing of her family that most adults would call scribbles, her imagination is endless. My only wish is that she keeps this creativity and imagination for the rest of her life.  

This adorable crayon case was created by OurLittleMesses and is the perfect toy to kick up a child's creative side. The case will fit crayons, pencils or markers. With the handle, this case is easy to take on the go for the car ride too! To check out OurLittleMesses collection of crayon cases and other awesome creations please click any of the blue links or the photo.

Move My Butt Monday

"A sound mind in a sound body is a short but full description of a happy state in this world." John Locke

 

Monday mornings are always the hardest on me because I just want to be able to hit the snooze button for just 5 more minutes of sleep but then my other alarm clock goes off with the sounds of "Mom, Mom". Just like the weekend my 4 year old daughter is sounding off by 7am which to me feels like 5 minutes from when I fell asleep. I guess it would help if I didn't go to bed after Midnight but as a single mom, small business owner and student I really don't have much time in my day. It is that time of night that I feel a bit relaxed and can sit with a cup of tea and my book or journal and have ME time. 

I know that I need to take care of my body which as a chocoholic, that is very hard because I don't eat as well as I should be eating but this year I am trying very hard. I know that I need to be physically healthy, as well as mentally healthy which is why I love yoga. I began practicing the art of yoga right after I had my daughter and even found a video that taught me how to include her in my yoga stances which also encourages us to feel closer in the parental bond. I continue to practice yoga, though not as often as I should or want, which is so healthy for me because it encourages me to quiet my mind and just be one with myself the universe. I feel at such ease when I am done a yoga session and encourage all of you to just try it once because you will walk away with a better feeling of yourself.

Agadart's print is exactly how I feel today.... I need to practice yoga and I will keep calm and get through my Monday with ease. You can purchase this print or many other awesome prints in their Agadart Etsy Shop. To check out their shop please click any of the blue links or the picture.