Pleated pillows.

I love, love, these pillows. So much so that I rearranged my entry hall just so that I would have a place to put them! The funny thing is they started out to be a tote bag, which I found a tutorial for in this darling sewing book I picked up a few weeks ago. But, after painstakingly measuring, pressing, basting and fusing the pleated panels I could bear to ruin them trying to peice together the rest of the bag! I am just not a confident enough seamstress to risk screwing it up! So, instead I cut peices to make pillowbacks and Gracie and I stuffed them, and voila! I was happy to have scraps to add fabric flowers, since I am obsessed with them these days.

I think they're too cute to put up on Etsy -- I am going to have to keep them! But, now that I know how to pleat -- watch out! I am sure there will be more to come very soon!

Brilliant & Boring

It is come to me recently through sharing with you my path to understanding my calling that I sort of see things a teeny tiny bit black & white. As in, the daily tasks of life mostly fall into two categories: those things that are brilliant! (spending time with the girls, taking photos of the sunset, creating a new bunch of fabric flowers) or boring (cooking dinner, cleaning the fridge, trimming the girls toenails). Right? So, in my new effort to try to weave the creative through all aspects of life, I am doing something new.

I am going to attempt to do at least one thing brilliant AND one thing boring every day. I hope that eventually I'll stop seeing it as only black and white, and it'll all swirl into beautiful shades of grey, but for now, this is my goal.

Would you like to try it with me!? Come here and check in along with me...what have you done that was BRILLIANT today? And how about BORING? Discuss!

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Making life a little more interesting, fun & beautiful...

Yesterday I wrote about finding balance, and in doing this I landed on a definition of my calling. As many of you know, I've been participating in Tara Mohr's class "Playing Big." I was actually given the class when I commented to a blog about why I identify with the feeling of wanting to "play big" in my life -- and how I struggle with what exactly that  means, even though I've had the feeling of being called to do something bigger my entire life. So, in my type-a-oldest-child-driven-career-woman kind of a way, I put a ton of pressure on myself to figure this out N.O.W.

Not only that, but I've sort of relived all of my past "failures" to step up into a bigger creative life and buried myself under that process. So I am here to pick myself up and dust myself off and say I'm still here, and I'm still plugging away.

Last night we saw "This is 40." I turned 40 in July, and talk about adding that to the pressure I've put on myself. I mean, we all have it figured out by the time we turn 40, right? In this story, even Oprah agrees that you're pretty much supposed to "get it" by then:

At her magazine’s annual conference, she (Oprah) said she would like to attract women “in their 30s or perhaps their 20s, to be able to reach people when they are looking to fulfill their destiny.” She added, “By the time you’re 40, 42, you should have kind of figured it out already.”

WOAH!

Really, Oprah? I am actually shocked at her use of the word "should" let alone the fact that she's just insulted every woman over age 42 who is still growing, changing and evolving. And I am not an Oprah-basher. I am an Oprah-lifer, one of her biggest fans. But, this honestly gives me huge pause. It highlights the very reason she's losing her relevancy today. If you can show me a 43 year old woman who is even halfway self-enlightened and aware who is ready to hang up her soul-searching shoes just because she's in her 40s then I would send her to the Oprah network to tell her story.

So, inspite of Oprah, I am taking off the pressure. And instead I am focusing on the obvious. I've been working on this task -- of defining my creative self -- for 40-and-a-half years now. And it is never going to stop. But, I must enjoy the process, since I love talking about it, writing about it, and sharing it with others. I love injecting my creative juices wherever I can. I love helping people come up with ideas and solutions and connecting with other creative women. So, I am calling it all good. I am here and I am creating. And I am striving for balance. Are you?

Balance

It is no secret I am attracted to bright shiny things. No, not jewelry (though that's good, too). But what I mean is special projects, fun new adventures, artistic challenges, and things that are new and exciting. Who isn't, right? But admittedly, I can sometimes fall behind on the daily routine of life because I would rather start a new sewing project, plan a birthday party or clean out the basement, instead of simply catching up on laundry, sweeping the kitchen and organizing the sock drawer.

Sometimes I think my blog, Etsy and creating for retail at Charm fuels the creative fire -- making the imbalance even more obvious. So, in 2013 I am going to strive for a better balance.

Peaceful, simple and kind. This has been my life's mantra for close to 20 years. I keep it because I don't think I will ever be done with it. And there are days I am much farther from it than I would like. I know when I keep it simple (like not taking on too much, diving into a complicated project headfirst, or decide to paint the master bedrooom in one weekend) I am much kinder to my family. I can have the time to slow it down and dish out all the love I sometimes skip over when I am over-burdened with projects -- even the projects I love.

My inner-peace has suffered lately as well. I've been putting so much pressure on myself to recognize my life's calling I've list sight of why I'm here. Isn't it ironic? And that the very thing I struggle with most -- my inability to look away from bright, shiny new things -- is probably just it. The calling I've been looking for all this time. My life's purpose is just that: to make life a little more interesting, a little more fun, and maybe even a bit more beautiful through design and art. I've been told my enthusiasm is infectuous, and that I've even helped inspire a friend a time or two here or there. When at my best, I am pretty much an eternal optimist, and at my worst I get so bogged down in all of the wonderful possibilities life brings us, I can't clean the bathroom sinks or get my oil changed.

So, my goal this year (for myself & for the blog) is going to learn to find the balance between making dinner and planning the next party favors....the workouts and the girls' night out...and see how well I can weave the two together. Pressure's off for identifying one main calling and creating a destiny worth living. I can simply make the mundane more fun...injecting my creative juices into as much of the daily routine as possible.

I hope I can share with you a way to balance your creative life and your everyday life, and help you find a balance you can live with. It is going to be a great year! One that's peaceful, simple and kind.

{The photo is from my girls' trip to Naples in October. I love it as a reminder of the peaceful & the simple. Even when it isn't this beautiful, just the sun coming up & the sun going down each and everyday is pretty miraculous. Don't you think?}

Rock chalk flowers

I had my first custom flower order! My mom. I know, but she had a really cute idea about wanting KU flower pins for some of her friends. (That's the University of Kansas for the non-locals.) And I whipped these up the past couple days and was pretty excited about how they turned out! If you are interested in a custom flower order (team colors, or anything else for that matter!) please email me! I'd be happy to accomodate!