Thursday, July 27, 2017

Living in the Moment

Hooray for today! Summer is still here and I'm loving every magic moment that presents itself.

Living with dogs for over 25 years has taught me more than just how to teach a puppy to sit and stay. Dogs, you see, have mastered the art of "living in the moment".  This skill is counter-intuitive to our deadline driven society and, sometimes I even think, to our human nature of planning ahead and dwelling on the past.



In reality, every day is a treasure of its own, to be savored and enjoyed to its fullest. Sometimes that means stopping whatever we are doing and just being still. Quiet the brain, relax and focus on the moment instead of the "next" and the "next", ad infinitum.  It means it is sometimes okay to just "be". That is the only time the "off" switch appears so the creative side of my brain can actually turn off, even if just for a few minutes or hours.

And that's why I love summer so much.  There is so much magic in so many warm moments.  After I take those little "just be" breaks, the "creative" cranks right up again into high gear. I find I am refocused with a clearer vision. Deadlines also transform into exciting challenges instead of exhausting drains.  That is mighty powerful stuff!

Meanwhile, I'm still glowing from my latest projects and published articles and tutorials for Favecrafts.com.


As promised, here is the link to my recent tutorial published on Favecrafts.  This tutorial features THREE projects and three different approaches to decoupage on wood hangers!

The projects are SO much fun to do and sure to brighten up anyone's closet.  A great project to encourage kids to hang up their coats and clothing items--especially if they decoupage their own personalized hangers.

These decorated hangers would also be a perfect gift item either given as a set or accompanying a special item of clothing.


Friday, July 21, 2017

Summer IS my Inspiration!

I can honestly say I'm not a fan of winter.  During most of the dark, colorless weeks, my creative work becomes a cozy blanket filing my life with color when snow and cold prevents me from even wanting to go outside most day  But summer is different.  Summer is FILLED with LIFE--and it fills my senses to overflowing!


Windows open wide, I love listening to birds singing, motorcycles rumbling and the sounds of children laughing. The colors of nature...and just the warmth of the sun on my face is truly intoxicating. These gorgeous summer skies and gentle breezes tempt me daily to close my eyes to deadlines and just escape outside to soak it all in!   And...it is especially difficult to stay focused indoors here in Chicagoland when temps hover in the low to mid 80s and humidity is moist enough to soothe but not be uncomfortable.


But all of that sensory information also serves to inspire.  Despite the distractions just outside my window, my creative soul just can't stay quiet and I continue to draw, create projects, write articles and tutorials...and meet my deadlines.

My most recent articles and tutorials on the Favecrafts site are on decoupage....which is one of my crafting favorites!  I will be featuring a a different decoupage tutorial on each of the next few posts so please bookmark my site so you can see them all!


First up is an exciting "How To" Decoupage Guide"  that is jam-packed with information!  In this guide you will learn how to successfully decoupage on glass and other hard surfaces, as well as see lots of examples to get YOUR creative juices flowing!


Leave me a comment and let me know how you love to spend summer!