small sweet steps

It's a Teaser

My new website and blog are almost ready to share with you! Yay! My old website has gone away and there is just a little teaser there. I feel so lucky to have found Jo Klima of The Darling Tree to design my new site. The process has been so fun and quite honestly, so pleasurable for me. Jo is uber talented and has such a beautiful aesthetic that I felt totally comfortable handing the project over to her. It is a scary thing to hand over control of your look when your an artist and she has done a brilliant job.

The switch over is going to be bittersweet for me because my blog will be leaving Typepad for Wordpress. I have been such a fan of Typepad for the last five years and will be sad to say goodbye but, can't wait to share my new blog design with everyone.

These last couple of months have been jam packed with work for me, Surtex is right around the corner and I am feeling the pressure for sure and my freelance business has taken off, I feel so blessed. Everyday, I practice gratitude and look back on my life and the decisions I made to get me to this point, scary decisions that took me out of my comfort zone and made me grow as an artist and a person. I am grateful that I took those scary leaps... so grateful. What scary decisions stand between you and your dreams? What small sweet steps can you take to get you closer to living a life you love? It really is all about the small sweet steps because it gets the energy moving and the more you move forward the more the energy builds and start propelling you forward. That is how I have been living my life and it seems to be working!!!!

I hope to get back to blogging more, I have so much to share and feel an emptiness not being here. I have a couple more weeks of craziness to get through, I can't wait to be able to breathe again.

The Daily OM

Have you ever read The Daily OM? I love it. My friend Katie sent me this article yesterday and I thought I would share it with you.

It has taken me a very long time to get where I am. Where am I? I feel like I am on the cusp of my dreams. I am a believer that everything happens when it is supposed to but, I can't help wondering where I would be if I allowed myself to be brave sooner? For the longest time I wouldn't allow myself to step outside of my comfort zone and take the leap of faith needed to propel my life. I just kept moving along hoping and dreaming and longing and wanting until I physically couldn't do it anymore. It is amazing how things work out. I feel like the universe kept giving me opportuniies and I kept passing them by for safety. Until finally, I had reached a point where I just couldn't function anymore, I had to change, I had to have faith. It was one of the scariest and most rewarding decisions I have ever made. The decision to leave my full-time job to better care for my health and my dreams.I decided to take on some freelance work even though it wasn't enough money, I would figure out how to make it work. Since making that decision, the energy I had been holding back for so long has exploded out and gently placed me in the arms of my dreams.

What is holding you back from your dreams? How can you move past that barrier and trust that everything will work out as it should? What small sweet steps can you start taking to get you closer to your dream and closer to taking that leap of faith?

Article from The Daily Om:

March 21, 2012
Without a Net
Living Life with Trust

When we continually live our life with a safety net it creates a barrier to our freedom.

As we create the life of our dreams, we often reach a crossroads where the choices seem to involve the risk of facing the unknown versus the safety and comfort of all that we have come to trust. We may feel like a tightrope walker, carefully teetering along the narrow path to our goals, sometimes feeling that we are doing so without a net. Knowing we have some backup may help us work up the courage to take those first steps, until we are secure in knowing that we have the skills to work without one. But when we live our lives from a place of balance and trust in the universe, we may not see our source of support, but we can know that it is there.

If we refuse to act only if we can see the safety net, we may be allowing the net to become a trap as it creates a barrier between us and the freedom to pursue our goals. Change is inherent in life, so even what we have learned to trust can surprise us at any moment. Remove fear from the equation and then, without even wondering what is going on below, we can devote our full attention to the dream that awaits us.

We attract support into our lives when we are willing to make those first tentative steps, trusting that the universe will provide exactly what we need. In that process we can decide that whatever comes from our actions is only for our highest and best experience of growth. It may come in the form of a soft landing, an unexpected rescue or an eye-opening experience gleaned only from the process of falling. So rather than allowing our lives to be dictated by fear of the unknown, or trying to avoid falling, we can appreciate that sometimes we experience life fully when we are willing to trust and fall. And in doing so, we may just find that we have the wings to fly.


When we believe that there is a reason for everything, we are stepping out with the safety net of the universe, and we know we will make the best from whatever comes our way.

Head over to The Daily OM and subscribe. You will get these jewels delivered to your email. They are like gentle reminders to keep yourself on your path and they always seem to be the answer to what is weighing on your mind.

 

 

Art Escape

I spent my Saturday at a workshop by my friend Carol Maguire. We spent the day creating wonderful and meaningful boxes made from images, art and sentiment. It was such a nice break from my life, things have been crazy busy lately and I needed a break. It's funny how even my breaks have something to do with art. Here is the box I made.

Here are some of the beautiful creations by the other students. It was a magical day.

Intuitive Marks

Do you paint from your heart? Do you "feel" while you are painting and let those feelings guide your paintbrush? Or, are you so in your head while you are creating you block the flow of energy that will guide you to where you need to be? I used to create from my head, I would use reference or photographs, I would be so obsessed with what was going on with my work every step of the process. I would allow fear in and it would bind my spirit and block my creativity. Sound familiar? Somewhere along the way, I started to break free and quiet the voices of negativity, fear, and not being good enough and started painting from my soul. Today, I would say the majority of my work is done intuitively. I let the brush create the shapes of my flowers and am always surprised by the outcome. When I try to control the paint and create specific things, I instantly tighten up and my work suffers. I have been in this space lately, trying to create specific things and have found it to be very challenging. Last night, I decided to paint intuitively. My friend Katie Atkinson inspired me to try this particular technique, she makes the most amazing marks with her brush by getting into a meditative state while listening to music. She lets the music and her feelings guide her brush. I decided to give it a try last night and loved it. I kept it simple, I turned off my head and let the brush lead the way. You should try it! Let go and be free!

 

 

Believe in your Dreams

Do you believe that your dreams can come true? If your answer is no, why is that? It took me a long time to realize that I could make my dreams come true and live a life I love. I feel like I am finally touching the rim of the space I am supposed to be a part of. I think the hardest thing to learn is knowing that you are worthy of having this wonderful experience. Feelings of fear and not being good enough traps and holds your energy and blocks your dreams from manifesting.

Dream big, believe in yourself, work hard and you will start to see the glittering path that you are supposed to follow. When I look back through the years it has taken me to get to this point I can see the synchronicities, the path appearing out of the mist and winding through the lessons, challenges and experiences I needed to live to get me here. Life is magical and full of miracles disguised as the hard stuff. When we meet our challenges and push through to the other side, wondrous things await us if we are awake enough to see them.

xo.

Believe in your Dreams print available at my Etsy Shop.

 

 

Loving Jessica Swift @JessicaSwift

I received this in the mail today!

I love the work of Jessica Swift. I love getting her Treasuring blog updates in my email and am always amazed by all of the things she is doing. Jessica launched her first line of rain boots this year that she manufactured herself! She also manufactures and sells journals, coasters, prints, notebook, pillows.... the list goes on, on her e-commerce site.  Jess is also a licensed artist with an impressive porfolio and list of licensing partners.

This excerpt is from her website: "I'm crazy-obsessed with color. And the way images speak and capture truths and feelings that words simply can't. I believe we are visual creatures, and we crave worlds filled with sights and images that make us feel joyful. I believe we are meant to do what we love, to feel joy. I'm blessed to be a full-time artist and  graphic/surface pattern designer; I'm truly living a life that I love. "

Jessica is full of energy and inspiration, she is known for her vibrant colors and patterns and so much more! Check out her website and blog and be inspired too.

New York International Gift Fair

I attended the NY Gift Fair today with my friend Carol Maguire. Our day started off a little rough, we left the house at 8:30 for what should have been an hour and a half drive but, due to a closed road took us three hours. We were a little frazzled by the time we arrived but soon got into the fun of the show and had a great time. I first attended the gift fair in 1995 with my same friend Carol, while working for a doll manufacturing company, Little Souls, Inc. I was a buyer and designer and Carol was the design director and we loved going to the show to source ribbons, buttons, and accessories for the dolls. In recent years, I have walked the show for inspiration and always look forward to it.

I am happy to say that the show was busy, which is promising during these hard economic times. Hopefully, things are starting to look up a little bit. Some of my favorite booths today were Belle Notte, Rifle Paper Co., Karma Living, Papaya, Madison Park Greetings, and too many others to name. Over-dyed linens, beautiful muted colors, textures, leather jewelry, glitz and glitter were everywhere! I LOVE anything that is over-dyed especially linen and velvet, and the colors made me melt, it was so great! The Handmade section was my favorite, I am happy to say the handmade movement is still going strong!

Love these over-dyed pillows by Belle Notte. The colors make me so happy.

I also had fun visiting the different ribbon companies, it felt like old times. I was sourcing different ribbons for my upcoming fabric projects. I will give you a full update on fabric in the next week or two. I can't wait to share my news with you.

Overall, the show was great and full of inspiration.

Loved this bird from Mullanium.

More from Belle Notte

If you are curious about the companies exhibiting at the show you can visit the NYIGF website for a full exhibitor list and links to their websites.

My friend Carol is an amazing artist, visit here sites too!

Carol's Fine Art Website

Carol Maguire Home (check out her linens!)

Carol's Blog

The Brave Girls Club

Have you heard of the Brave Girls Club? It is an amazing community created by Melody Ross and her sister Kathy Wilkens.

Brave Girls Club is a worldwide community of women who want to live the best, happiest, most productive and fabulously brave life they can possibly live…and that means something different to every single one of us.

Brave Girls Club is an online community, a portal for amazing connections, a news source for everyday heroes, a resource for great ideas, amazing endeavors, everyday problem solving, realistic recipes and unforgettable get-togethers. Brave Girls Club is a place to feel free, to feel peace, and to feel brave. Brave Girls Club is not an exclusive club…every woman is invited. Brave Girls Club is life-changing fun, life-changing truths, and life-changing friendships…read more here.

Art by Stephanie Ryan

I am so inspired by this community. What an amazing accomplishment!

I have been thinking a lot about this space that I have created here, my sweet blog that has helped me in so many ways. Blogging has opened so many doors for me, it has helped me to connected with amazing women around the world that I love and cherish. It has given me wings to follow my heart and be brave. I made the decision early on that I was going to be very open here in this space and share my deepest emotions, fears, and dreams. This blog has made me more open and confident as an artist and a stronger person. It has also helped me to figure out my purpose here.

Up to this point my blog has been about my journey. The small sweet steps I have taken to get to this point in my career, the healing of my body and nurturing of my soul. Lately, I haven't been blogging. I haven't been thinking about it either, which is very strange. Granted, I have been so busy with work and recovering from my treatment (yes, still recovering) that I am a bit distracted but, I have always made time for my blog in the past. What has changed?

I think it is time to reach outside of my life. It needs to be more about us and you. I'm not sure how I will make this happen. I guess the best place to start is as easy as a shift in my thinking.

This will happen organically. It can't be a burden, it has to feel good and not be stressful. I will start by making this intention:

This year my blog will be more about inspiration, encouragement and the nurturing of our souls, one small sweet step at a time!

This excerpt was taken from The Brave Girls Club Daily Truth. A wonderful daily email that is sent to it's members. I love how it is so personal, like it is being spoken just to me.

So great, isn't it? Head over to the Brave Girls Club and become a member with me!

I would love for this space to have more meaning... I am putting this out to the universe. YAY!

Inspiring Video

This video was shared by one of my classmates over at the Hello Soul, Hello Business e-course by Beth Nicholls and Kelly Rae Roberts. I am amazed at how connected this 95 year old woman is with her body. It really spoke to me. I need to make changes in my life.

 

My friend Maia from julia warr on Vimeo.