orange beautiful: motivate series

These prints by Orange Beautiful give the best (un-sugar-coated) advice, don't you think? What it means to me: quit whining and complaining, and just do what you need to do. Simple as that. Because we all have a purpose on this earth, and it's our job to be responsible for discovering what it is and then following our own unique path.

So quit your belly aching and hop to it! (I'm talking to myself, but maybe I'm talking to you, too....? You decide.) :)

For more from Orange Beautiful, check out their etsy shop and fabulous blog!

good morning illustration: by ashley inzer

Ahhhhhhhh, this is how I'm starting my mornings from now on.

I've started a new ritual of waking up earlier this week (I got into the habit of waking up at 6 am to make coffee for my husband and I, and then getting back in bed for an hour! Now I'm making the coffee and staying awake and out of bed. I love the dark early morning, and I'm trying to keep the dark cozy bed from luring me with its magic ways...!)

Anyway, this illustration is by Ashley Inzer. I love it. What a simple and powerful question and a great way to focus your day. Yes.

For more from Ashley, check out her blog and flickr page. There's much more goodness to be had there.

i love you cards

Happy Monday to you, my dear readers. I wanted to share this project with you, which I first came across a while back, but I just rediscovered it last week.

Heidi Geldhauser created iloveyoucards.org. You can order 20 cards for $5.00, and then she urges you to leave them around the world for people to find, to give them to friends and family-- in general, to spread the love far and wide!

Her website is full of images of how people have used the cards-- it's quite inspiring.

I'm going to order some. Yes indeed. I want to be a part of this love spreading.

ps- Heidi has the cards available in a multitude of languages. How cool is that?

The Beckoning of Lovely

I wanted to leave you with something really lovely before the weekend, so what better than 'The Beckoning of Lovely'?

This project was conceived by Amy Krouse Rosethal, as an invitation to the universe. Just watch. You'll understand.

And after you watch the Beckoning of Lovely above, then watch this one:



Amy is making a movie. She needs our help. And the help she's requesting is lovely and simple. Watch it-- you'll see.

Amy has also made many other videos that you can watch on the Beckoning of Lovely website.
We need more Amys in the world, don't we?

Let's go out and be an Amy this weekend. But in our own unique ways. What do you say?

LOVE

LOVE.

How can you love a little more today?

Something to think about.

practice practice practice

Morning!

Last night I was messing around with my wacom tablet, as I really want to get better at using it. I love drawing things in my sketchbook, but I loathe scanning for some reason. To eliminate scanning drawings as much as possible would be ok with me! So, I've been practicing with my tablet, and trying to giggle at my results rather than judge myself too harshly for not being instantly perfect at using it (which I, of course, expect of myself. Sigh.)

Here is what came out of my practicing last night.I like the idea of practice, because somehow it takes some of the pressure off of creating masterpieces. I'm just learning!! How amazing that we get to learn whatever we want in this life!

What are you practicing these days? Are you judging yourself too harshly over something? How do you appreciate the process of practicing? Share in the comments if you'd like!

i am magic

I've had a very contemplative few days. It all began with an evening talk and then a Fire Starter Session the next morning with Danielle Laporte. Then I had a little epiphany in the shower the other night, which is where the idea from yesterday came from.

I realized that I AM the universe. If I can step back and out and see myself from a very far away perspective, then I can see that I am ultimately a piece of this vast swirling energy, whatever it is. Not separate from it, but actually IT. It's one of those pieces of awareness that's now sort-of going in and out of my head-- one minute it makes perfect sense, the next it's gone and I'm confused.

But I realized that we're all part of the magic and unknown that is our universe. It's all just energy. We are made of and came from that energy. And we all have a responsibility to use that energy to move in a positive direction. (Mind you, people don't HAVE to use it to move in a positive direction, but if we don't, then we're helping the entire universe move away from peace and positivity. That's a lot of power and responsibility! Don't you think so?)

I feel a little funny even posting this, because it feels a little lofty and weird to me, as well as a bit vulnerable/scary to put out there (you all might think I'm weird! You might judge me! The horror...), but I've felt really GOOD the last few days because of it. I feel things shifting, and I like it.

So I just wanted to tell you that YOU are magic. Maybe you already know this, maybe you don't. Maybe you have no idea what I'm talking about. Maybe you're smiling and thinking "How cute, she's right at the beginning-- I realized that a long time ago." But I feel like I know it at a deeper level all of a sudden, and it feels important, and that feels like a real gift.

So how are YOU today? Please do tell. I'd love to hear. :)

you are the universe

Buffalo Symbology: by PIxie Campbell

I love symbols. I was very excited this morning when I happened upon Pixie Campbell's etsy shop called animama, where I learned about what buffaloes mean. She says:

Buffalo is the American Indian symbol of abundance. Symbolically, the buffalo represents allowing synchronicity to work in one's favor, opting to allow paths to unfold through focused and flowing action, rather than force the way to success. Buffalo is sacred gratitude that leads to manifestation and nourishment of the soul. This furry beast is departing the conscious realms and making the quest into wilder, open spaces of great possibility within and without...

I looooooove this. I have a thing for buffaloes, and maybe now I know why. (Incidentally, this is one of my favorite paintings that I've created, and I can't sell the original because i love it so much!)

Pixie also describes other symbols that appear in her paintings, like the crow and the rabbit. You'll have to visit her shop to see what these other animals symbolize- I don't want to give it all away! I love how the animals appear in cityscapes, to represent living both in the inner and outer world, I think.

Pixie also has a lovely blog in addition to her etsy shop, so do check both of them out. You'll be happy you did.

Excitement in Chicago

OK, firstly, ignore my stellar videography skills. ;)

Secondly, the guy in this video is AWESOME. We saw him every day that we were in Chicago at the Renegade Craft Fair, and he never seemed to get tired of doing this trick. You will see-- it is so great. We saw him do it several times while smoking a cigarette, and once we even saw him *almost* get hit by a car while he was doing the trick in the middle of traffic. I kid you not, this guy was fierce.

I love that there are people doing and making interesting and crazy things everywhere. Imagine how excited this guy was when he came up with this idea-- I love it.

Today is Awesome

Hello all! I'm back from Chicago and the Renegade Craft Fair-- sorry for my lack of posting yesterday. I was dead tired and just couldn't do it. I'm sure you know how that goes!

The weekend was amazing, and I had so much fun (and good sales and great weather!!)-- and I bought this print by The Small Object, which I'm absolutely in love with. I'm going to frame it and put it next to my desk as a reminder. Isn't it great?

The Small Object makes really wonderful things. You should check out their shop. They had the cutest booth I've ever seen and I can't believe I didn't ask them if I could take a picture. I didn't, in fact, take any pictures at all at the show. WHAT??? I know. Oops.

I did get a video of something pretty darn entertaining, though, which I'll post tomorrow. Get ready, because it's awesome.

And Just Like That They Were Gone: by Nessie Noodle

I love this photograph. I love how it's blurry on the left side and very focused on the other. I love the texture of it. It's making me hungry, too.

Nessie says:

At first glance this photo might seem like a strange submission for a website that focuses on "abundance", after all it is an empty bowl. How is that abundant? But think about it for a second, let your mind imagine the big, round, juicy black berries that filled that bowl, the hands that picked them fresh from along the river bank, the earth that grew them with out the help of any human- I would say that looking at this empty bowl with those images in mind make it not so empty . (Plus look at that color that is left behind, beautiful!) Sometimes it isn't what is left that matters, it is what we got to enjoy that does.

Makes sense to me. It's hard not to appreciate your food when you think about all that it took to get it to your hands and mouth. Pretty incredible, eh?

Check out Nessie Noodle's flickr photostream here and also the blog!

*Have a great weekend, my friends-- if you are in the Chicago area, I'll be at the Renegade Craft Fair this weekend-- come on by and stop by my booth-- I'd love to meet you in person!!*

Fairies: by Courtney Benton

This is the artwork of Courtney Benton. She is a 29-year-old autistic artist, and she creates these fairies "to help people with problems ranging from romance to stress. She puts positive thoughts in her fairies to help people in certain areas... She believes each one can help people with certain things in life (anything from insomnia to needing romance) and often makes them custom for people if they are having trouble in a particular area."

Her sister helps her run the etsy shop, but Courtney creates all the artwork and has the ideas for different products. AMAZING, yes? This just makes my heart sing. And, 10% of each purchase goes to the Autism Research Institute, so a purchase not only supports Courtney in her creative endeavors, but also autistic people worldwide.

Please please please check out this shop today-- Courtney's fairies are just so wonderful, and there are many others besides these ones I've featured. I've got my finger on the purchase button for the Positive Thinking Fairy above. Or maybe this Happiness Fairy. I can't decide!

thank you for everything...

I read this mantra somewhere recently and *really* loved it. I complain. A lot. Sometimes it makes things a lot harder than they need to be.

Here is an example:

Jess trudges into the kitchen and opens the fridge. In her head: "I don't want to make dinner. I'm so sick of making dinner every night, we never have any fun and exciting food in our house, I wish I could just go out to dinner every night, but I don't have enough money to go out every night. I wish I did. Man, I REALLY don't want to make dinner tonight."

Another way this could go:

Jess walks briskly into the kitchen and opens the fridge. "OK, we have tofu, spinach, mango chutney, carrots, and some cheese. How can I turn this into a fantastic meal? This will be a fun creative challenge! I love cooking."

Both of these scenarios happen to me. I feel each of these ways sometimes, but which do you think is better for my psyche? Yep, you guessed it. The second. I feel so much more energetic when I'm not complaining and am instead being ok with whatever is happening in the moment!

Does this happen to you? Do you complain needlessly sometimes, when not complaining would make your experience of your life so much happier? Share your stories! I'd love to hear them.

Bags of Blessings

Good morning, friends! The long weekend is over, and here we are starting the week on a Tuesday. How fun! I love long weekends. I hope you did something really fun and relaxing. (I both worked hard AND relaxed, which is my favorite kind of weekend. Well, other than traveling/adventure weekends, but if I'm here at home, then these are my favorite.)

So, Amy Gibbons sent me an email leading me to her etsy shop, called Bags of Blessings, and I just have to share these with you, because I think they're wonderful! Amy says her shop is "named for all the many blessings there are in all of our lives. Sometimes, we just have to look for them. My goal is to share some of the blessings and gifts that I have been given with others in the form of wearable art: felted bags, purses, scarves and shawls."

Pictured are Amy's Blessings Keychains, each of which has "tucked inside, an inspirational quote, scripture verse or meditation. The customer can also customize the saying to suit their needs." I love that top one with the green jewel-- isn't it lovely?

Head on over to the Bags of Blessings etsy shop to check out Amy's other goods. And you can also become a fan on facebook and follow her on twitter!

*Thanks, Amy!*

sitting on a rainbow: by jess gonacha

Good morning, Pecannooters!

And happy Friday before a 3-day weekend-- do you have any fun plans?
Me-- no super fun weekend-y plans. I'll be getting ready for Renegade Chicago, which is next weekend and is a totally fun plan! I'm sharing a booth with my awesome friend Kurt, and it's going to be a blast.

I got to thinking last night while talking with my coach that I don't appreciate the amazing things I have in my life often enough. I mean, I appreciate them on some level, but I'm talking like REALLY, deeply appreciating them. (Strangely, though, I do appreciate my cat this way daily. I look at her all day long and am amazed that such a furry, adorable, sweet little being lives is in my house with me. Sometimes I feel like I love her so much that I want to cry. Sometimes I feel that way about my husband, too, which is a good thing.) :)

Anyway, I got to thinking that it's like I'm sitting on a rainbow, and yet I don't really even realize I'm sitting on a rainbow. All these pieces of my life fit together to form MY LIFE, where I get to make a living as an artist, and live with an amazing, intelligent, caring, and funny man, and i have everything I need and more, and I eat delicious and healthy food, and I have the most comfortable bed to sleep in, and I have friends and family (and even an in-law family!) that love me and that I love back, and this incredible network of people that I've come to know through blogging and etsy and twitter. What a rainbow. Yet so often, I don't even think about these things. Instead, I focus on what I don't like about my life. What would happen if I focused more on what I do love about my life, and just let the rest fall into place as it's supposed to?

So, out came this little drawing. (And, I must say, I wish I owned that dress.)

What rainbows are you sitting on that you've forgotten, or that you're not paying attention to because something else seems more true, or because you are believing something about your life that you picked up somewhere and would really like to let go of?

Just something to think about this weekend. :) Comment away if you please!

*I'll see you next week, my friends.*

Linda Drake's abundance

Linda Drake sent this over to us because she wanted to share her symbol of abundance.... much needed in my world these days! I have trouble remembering to live simply, and I let things get all jumbled up in my head. I forget that the future is all an illusion, and that this moment is the only moment, RIGHT NOW. When I can come back to the present, I can breathe deeper and simply live. It's nice when that happens, isn't it?

To check out more if Linda's work, you can go to her etsy shop, her blog, wholesale catalog website, or her other design blog.

*Thanks, Linda!*

ps- Linda lives in Glenwood Spring, CO, one of my favorite places that I used to like to go while growing up in Boulder. It's a beautiful mountain town with the most wonderful hot springs. Oh, I'd love to be there right now....

paintings by sienna lynn studio

Jodi sent her paintings over to me on Liv's recommendation, and when I clicked over to her blog, I liked how she'd often paired her paintings with inspiring quotes. For example, with the painting above she posted this:

"Live in the moment and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering."
-Fanny Crosby

And with this painting (aptly titled 'Abundance'):

"Always leave enough time in your life to do something that makes you happy, satisfied, even joyous. That has more of an effect on economic well-being than any other single factor."
-Paul Hawken

I like that. What makes you joyous?

Check out the sienna lynn studio etsy shop and blog for more!

*Thank you, Jodi!*

2010 'Make Your Year Abundant' calendar!

You guys, I'm so excited! My 2010 'Make Your Year Abundant' calendar is in my etsy shop and ready for pre-order. Ca you believe it's September and calendar season already? Whoa.

So, I don't want this blog to be about me trying to sell you things at all, but I'm *really* excited about this calendar, and I thought you would like to know that it's available, just in case you want a little dose of abundance to look at each month of 2010. :)

And, I'm having a little contest-- each person who pre-orders a calendar by the end of September will be entered into a drawing for one of two free calendars-- that means you could give one as a gift and keep one for yourself! Nice, right? Everyone needs a calendar. Everyone needs to be reminded of the abundance in their lives. Perfect.

I hope you like it!