Embrace the Yellow

A beautiful print by Maya Donenfield of the always wonderful maya*made.

She offers constant inspiration to me, and today, she is reminding me of something I am ready to remember how to do.

To embrace all the colors of our lives, even if we think they aren't our favorites, or aren't what we should like or aren't what we are used to or aren't what we are longing for.

Because there is beauty all around us and joy in all moments of life, if we can just see it.

Elizabeth Gilbert Talks

Awesome Elizabeth Gilbert speech. Thank Oprah.

I'm not going to get to finish it because I have to go take care of kids. So I'm posting it here for you.

And me.

This is my bookmark, in case you didn't know. This blog here is my scrap book.

I press the flowers I find online here in these pages.

googled pressed flower.

My New Art Studio!

It came! Yesterday, I got the WIP bucket that I won on maya*made for her first blogoversary. You can't imagine how lovely it it. Well, maybe you can.. Look at it!

First the wonderful bucket, wide and solid. I was growing out of my little beach tote, needing to dig deep into the thing to reach my paints. Now I will be able to see them, and I can put my paper pads in there too, along with my satchel of pens and my tin of pencils. Even my little jar of water and my palette.

Some people have whole lofts for their studios, garden buildings, basements, attics, farmhouses, even an airstream or two.

Me, I've got a little maya*made bucket to carry around the necessities-- to the kitchen table or the living room sofa in front of the tv, my corner desk in the playroom or out into the garden. Wherever I need to be. Could be anywhere, really. Good thing my studio is portable.

(In addition, there's a wonderful printed moleskine sketch pad that I will keep by my bed in case inspiration hits in the middle of the night, a burlap pincushion, which I really need [I have a portable sewing kit in another beach bag] the most marvelous smelling lavender sachet, I want to carry it with me everywhere)

Keep an eye on her shop and be quick and you might be able to snatch up a WIP bucket for yourself. They go fast... you can see why.

Stuff My Kids Gave Me and Other Spiritual Practices

Stuff My Kids Gave Me This Morning, 3/31/09

In a post on Spiritual Practices for Hope in Uncertain Time, Magpie Girl talks about walking in the dark, about riding out the wave in writing and about breathing true things. All beautiful practices. Go there to hear what she has to say. At the end of her post, she asked a question. "What spiritual practices do you have to nurture hope in times of uncertainty? "

That got me to thinking about what I do when money is tight and there isn't any on the horizon, and the only thing that keeps you going is hope. You've just got to believe. How do you keep the faith? Now, I'm not religious, although I know people turn to religion for that hope. Me, I have to turn to the little things. The beautiful things, the point of it all.

That's what this blog is supposed to be about. Little things. Inspiration. Cheap and/or free things, so I thought this is the place for me to share a little bit of what I've learned, not just the cool things I see on the web while going about.

So these are the things I have done in uncertain times.

I have kept a list of at least three things a day that made me happy. Sometimes it was tough to make my quota, Sometimes my happy file floweth over.

I have taken a picture a day. Often many more than one. There are beautiful things out there if you look for them. They turn up everywhere.

Lately I am starting to draw a sketch from life once a day… or maybe not even once, maybe just every once in a while. When you pay attention to the line of a grape stem, you start seeing the wonder all around you. I think it also helps to take up a project so you feel like you are growing as a person and being productive, even if other things aren't going so well. It could be the photography or it could be learning to play guitar or cooking vegan, or growing a window garden.

Also, my kids keep giving me stuff they find, rocks, berries, twigs… I think I’d like to collect these things somehow, a record of them. Perhaps a photo of them, laid out on a piece of paper. (Oh, hey, it's already done! Inspired by this post, and this post. See, this blog really is my inspiration file. Just stick around and see what else I create based on what I find here. :)

Also, have picnics. Take walks. Window shop. Stop and listen when someone is playing music in a public place. Sing. Dance. Spin with a child. People watch. Go barefoot. Have long heartfelt conversations. Have sex. Stand in the rain… take advantage of all the free sensual and spiritual pleasures in life.

Life is still good, even when it sucks.

Keep the conversation going. What are the things you do to keep hope in tough times?

Cupcakes!

Red Velvet with Pink Cream Cheese Frosting and mini M&Ms. Balloon candles.

Happy 2nd Birthday Baby Girl.

Frantic Mama's shortcut? Duncan Hines cake mix. Had to get an interview written! Couldn't bake cupcakes from scratch. But I did make the frosting. 2 packages 8oz cream cheese and half a cup of butter (both room temp), 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 6 drops red food coloring. whip whip whip whip the fluff into it. The girl loves M&Ms so I used those to decorate.

She loved most of all everyone singing happy birthday to her. And her rockstar toy guitar.

Abundance For All

I am loving Jess Gonacha's new blog... Pecannoot. The whole philosophy behind it is to focus on the abundance in a world that is fricking FREAKING out about not having enough.

But the truth is, we never have enough, when we look at it in that light. And we always have enough when we focus on what we actually do have.

It doesn't mean you have to settle for things that suck, but it does mean you live the life you have in the moment and appreciate it.

I've been thinking lately that although there is no guarantee that thinking positive will result in a positive end, I am pretty sure that if we go around thinking negatively, we will be miserable, even if we do get the happy ending. And we probably won't be satisfied with the happy ending, anyway.

Which one sounds better, being happy living your life even if things end up badly, or being miserable with your life waiting for things to turn out right, and then being miserable anyway?

So hop on over to lovely Jess' new abundance spot and revel in how you already have all that you really need.

Oh, she's also looking for submissions from artists who are celebrating abundance in their art. How is that for practicing what you preach. Nicely done, Jess.