Reality: by Ashley Inzer

Talented and lovely Ashley Inzer sent this over for us to enjoy- it's a diagram of reality. How cool is that??
This definitely seems to be the way that it works in my mind-- what about you?

Although, I'm also trying to get to a place where I don't completely identify my thoughts with what reality IS, and know that there is actually a deeper sense of reality that goes beyond the physical world. I think there are several ways to look at 'reality,' and this is one of them.

Big thank you to Ashley for sending this over, and make sure you check out her blog and her flickr photostream!

Believe: by San Smith

My super-talented pal San sent this little illustrated reminder over (seriously, check out her website,) and I couldn't agree with it more!

I notice more and more in my life that my thoughts most definitely create my reality. If I believe that today is going to suck, then it will indeed suck, and probably suck hard. If I believe that good things are coming my way, they always do. I know it sounds too simple, but it really does seem to work that way. Thought = belief = reality.

Sometimes we don't even see that our beliefs are just thoughts, and that we can actually CHOOSE what we want to believe. Which means, we can create whatever kind of reality we want, right? That's powerful stuff.

Anyway, big thanks to San for sending this over. Be sure to check out what she's up to, because she's the queen of cuteness!

Twilight Tale: by Linda Plaisted

I'm so happy I somehow got connected to Linda Plaisted in this big blogosphere. Her work, firstly, is gorgeous, and secondly, this holiday tradition that she's created for herself is so, so touching. (And let me just say again how gorgeous and amazing I think the print above is. I can't stop staring at it.)

She says:

I believe in abundance. I grew up without a lot of "things" in my life, but I always had love and safety, encouragement and above all, hope. Ultimately that has made all the difference in my life as an artist. That is why for the past five years it has been my tradition to offer a Limited Edition holiday print, the proceeds of which are donated to charity. Last year's edition raised almost $1,000 to help victims of domestic violence through Heartly House, a program that provides safety, hope, and compassion to women, children and families.

This year, I am offering a digitally-signed, limited edition 11 x 14" print on matte archival paper at a special price to entice gift-giving and thoughtful gift-keeping! I will be happy to ship your print anywhere in the world to anyone you choose. To make the deal even sweeter, through December 13, all prints in my shop are 20% off, including this one. It's my way of saying Thank You to my wonderful clients, customers, colleagues and the universe at large for supporting me in pursuing my creative dreams.

This piece will only be available through January 10, 2010 and then retired in this size and finish, but anyone could also choose any piece in my shop and just send me an email to let me know you'd like the proceeds donated to charity and I will be sure to add the funds to the Heartly House total.

I get so much joy and peace from creating my work and I just want to give a little of that back to people who don't yet have the same opportunities.

How incredible is this? What a generous gesture. I can imagine how good Linda feels knowing that her generosity is making people's lives be a little better, especially during the holidays. We need more people like Linda in the world.

So, please head over to her website-- do you have an art-loving friend or family member who might like to own this beautiful print? Or any other piece of Linda's work? What a way to not only give a gift to someone you love, but also a gift to someone you've never met and who needs a little bit of help and love.

*Thank you, Linda, for letting us know about your abundant outlook and wonderful tradition!*

Do Your Bit Jewelry: by Chrissy Foreman C

Australian artist Chrissy Foreman C is someone whose enthusiasm for all that she does oozes out of the computer screen. Every time I get an email from her it's filled with joy, and I can tell from the many projects that she is a part of that she truly loves spreading creativity and love as far as she can reach.


So I'm thrilled that she emailed me to share her line of eco-friendly jewelry, called Do your Bit, with us. She says:

One thing that there is an abundance of on our planet is WASTE and what better way to support the planet by snatching beautiful materials before they become landfill and transforming them into something unique! It’s kinda like alchemy!

Everything I create is made using salvaged materials such as fabric and leather off-cuts, plastics, computer wire and other wired and wonderful stuff that I come across (I admit all have new clasps, metal bits and/or sterling silver earring hooks ‘cause I feel that’s important in creating high quality pieces that last).

I feel a real rush and connection to ‘something good’ while I’m making them and I feel that each one quickly takes on its own personality in the process, hence why they all have their own names. It’s one of the ways I do my bit and share my commitment to nurturing our beautiful, abundant planet.

Inspiring, yes?
Check out more from Chrissy (and purchase from the jewelry line) on her website, and also visit her blog. You can also purchase the jewelry at Reverse Garbage in West End, Brisbane http://www.reversegarbage.com.au/

*Thanks so much, Chrissy!*

Nelson II: by Sophie Callaghan

Sophie Callaghan makes pretty much the best handmade art dolls ever. They have so much life and personality! This one is Nelson II, and he has a hand-embroidered message of love from The Beatles on the backside of him. How wonderful is that?

I guarantee you will love all of Sophie's art dolls, which you can find on her flickr page, and oh man, there are so many!! It's impossible for me to pick a favorite. Go have a look! You can buy the dolls right here, and she also has an etsy shop with some other handmade goodies and a terrific website. What a talent!

*Thanks for sending this over for us to enjoy, Sophie!*

Wisdom for the brave: by Marie-Chantale Turgeon

I think this work speaks for itself. Marie-Chantale Turgeon is amazing and inspiring.
Here are her links:

Portfolio

Blog

Twitter

Etsy shop

Have a gorgeous weekend, my friends!
(And if you are in Atlanta or close by, come see me at the Indie Craft Experience tomorrow!)

happiness: by gal shkedi

If I could jump into Israeli illustrator Gal Shkedi's head for a few minutes, I'd search around for the inspiration behind this illustration, with which I am truly in love. I love the idea and the sentiment, and it makes me think: maybe we all have our balloon man in the sky, showering us with happiness and goodness, and all we have to do is look up to see him? (Or her?)

{If you'd like to see more of Gal Shkedi's work, please click on over to his website, his flickr page, and his vimeo page. He's super talented!}

I hope you all have a glorious Wednesday!

Resurrections: by SooZeQue

It's not very often that I see something and think "wow, I've never seen anything like that before." But that is exactly what happened when I opened up my email to find these photos sent to me by SooZeQue, the woman behind these gorgeous creations. What other people see as treash, SooZeQue sees as worthy of resurrecting into a beautiful treasure. She works with a plasma cutter to cut through the metal, and says "I don’t have a long list of schools I’ve attended and degrees I’ve earned. I just have a love of working with my hands and the need to create art, whatever that might be." Amen to that!

Have you ever seen a wheelbarrow or a shovel so beautiful and intricate? I sure haven't.
You can find more of SooZeQue's creations on her website and blog.

Thank you, SooZeQue, for sending these to me!!*

let go of what you think you know: by david plant

{by david plant, from advice to sink in slowly}

Oh man, what a life-changer this one can be.

This makes me think of letting go judgments. You know those times where you judge someone or something in a split second, and then your mind is made up and you've put that person/experience in a convenient box in your mind? Let go of that. Those things you believe are just TRUE, because that's what you've known and believed your whole life? Let go of that, too, because maybe it's an old belief that's not serving you anymore. Maybe letting go of what we think we know will just open our eyes a little bit to someone else's unique experience. Do you ever wish you could see the world through someone else's eyes and mind, even just for a minute or two? I do.

Maybe what you think is true and "the way that it is" isn't true for everybody. That's a doozy, too. You mean I'm not right? I just think what I think, and you think what you think, and it's all right and true, all at the same time? Whoa. Let it go and see what opens up for you...

{and a couple of links:}

*advice to sink in slowly website
*david plant's website

Everything Will Be OK: by Ari Moore

Ari Moore lives in Ithaca, NY. Ithaca is a very cool town (I know, because I went to college there), which makes me think Ari is probably a really cool chick.

I love this piece that she made that's a reminder that she made that everything is, in fact, OK. It's easy to forget that sometimes, isn't it? I was out walking in my neighborhood yesterday and I happened to look up in the sky and saw a group of birds flying through the fading light of dusk, and it gave me that satisfied feeling of everything being OK. It was so beautiful, and I remembered that this is my life, right now. And everything is really ok right now, isn't it?

FInd more from Ari on her flickr page and many other places. (Seriously, click that last link to see the huge number of places where Ari and her partner, Shira, are online!)

The True Living Project: Sabrina Ward Harrison

I just watched the most beautiful thing. Sabrina Ward Harrison's True Living Project. If there is one thing you do for yourself today, please let it be spending 6 minutes and 37 seconds to watch this beautiful and touching video. I wanted to post it here but wasn't able, so if you just click here you 'll go directly to her site to watch.

These are some still images from Sabrina's portfolio that were part of the video. Sabrina somehow put into image and sound form the way I want my life to feel. Connected, touched, wondrous, miraculous, free, grateful, joyous.... It's incredible.

And here are some words about Sabrina's work, taken from her website:

Sabrina Ward Harrison makes images that collaborate with this living world - working with it, seeing into it, being inspired by it and creating for it. The landscape of our living is what she presents –- a landscape that unfolds through color, culture, depth of field and slanted light.

These images are created by collections of detail from the subject's surroundings –- details and specifics that define who they are and search for their essential spirit. Intimate details and pieces of life, all in harmony with each other - at times glorious, sometimes discordant but always whole.

The essence of Harrison's work is a search for the living human spirit –- a quest she undertakes with her hands, her eyes, and her intuitive sensibility. Her work allows a place to unfold, a place to build, a place to reveal and essentially cries the poetry of life.

Harrison creates a sense of openness and breath, light and history. Her images are imbued with a power that is both accessible and universal at their core. As you observe her work, time moves with you and you find yourself in a place where moment and memory meet. The work of Sabrina Ward Harrison invites liberation and inspires a thriving life.

***
Beautiful writing, beautiful work, beautiful life. Wow.

Again, click here to watch The True Living Project. (And enjoy it!)

It's a Beautiful Day: by mmelox

Hi friends! I finally made it back to the blog, just one day late. Please forgive me. :)

I found this image by mmelox on flickr this morning and thought it was the perfect way to start the day. It is a beautiful day.

What are you going to do with it?

Also, it is Deepak Chopra's birthday! Did you know you can follow him on twitter? I'm going to wish him a happy birthday. Twitter is amazing. So is Deepak Chopra.

SAY YES: by Gustavo Pedrosa

{image from Gustavo Pedrosa's flickr photostream}

One of my pieces of homework given to me by my coach for the week is to think about how I can say yes to life. I make excuses for why I don't want to do things, even about things that I actually do really want to do! It takes a lot more energy to get things done this way, and it's certainly not very inspiring, and I end up feeling like a whiny drama queen.

So! This week, I'm going to say YES.

What excuses do you make that keep you from saying yes to YOUR life?

Some of my most frequent excuses are:

- I'm tired
-I don't feel as good as I could (or "should")
-What does it matter anyway?

As you can imagine, all these excuses are motivation and enthusiasm suckers. And that's not cool with me!

I want to say a big fat yes and have awesome and inspiring days. It sounds much better than wandering around complaining about being tired. :)

What excuses do you want to give up so you can say a big fat yes this week?

{ps- I'm going to Boulder tomorrow morning (for yet another wedding(, and I won't be back until Tuesday night, so I'm taking a mini blogging break. I'll see you back here on Wednesday!}

Take Courage: by Sarah Gardner

I was having a discussion in the car yesterday with my dear husband, Ryan, about a terribly cranky lady that works at the post office. (I think there is at least one of them who works in every post office.) I was telling him how every time I end up in her line, I have the hardest time not being snippy right back to her, because she's just so rude and nasty that I don't want her to think she can just treat me that way!

But then I realized, just because she treats me that way does not give me the right to treat her that way. Is that what I want to put out into the world? No, it is most certainly not. I want to be kind and loving, especially to people who aren't friendly, because they need love more than most of us. Right? Right.

So, I'm challenging myself to exactly what Sarah Gardner here is challenging us to: to take courage and be kind.

Who wants to join me?

{for more from Sarah, you can browse her lovely flickr stream.}

Gourds: by Sally Mae Velleux

I love fall! It's absolutely and completely my favorite season. The pumpkins, the crisp air and falling leaves, the small of apple cider, the gorgeous colors... ahhh, yes. I love it.

So I was happy when Sally Mae sent over this little gourd illustration. She says:

My sister had a little surprise in her garden this year when a crop of renegade gourds popped up that she did not plant! Needless to say, at first she was a little irritated, but it's hard to stay mad at a gourd for very long! They are such a hearty plant that all it takes is one tiny little renegade to grow a whole crop. We are enjoying her crop of gourds quite a bit and decorating our houses with them like crazy! I couldn't help but sketch the cute little gourds and remind myself how nice it feels to bring a little bit of the outside indoors sometimes.

I would love to have a big patch of renegade gourds! What a fun little surprise that would be. I guess I would need a garden first. :)

To see more of Sally's work, check out her blog.

*Thanks, Sally!*

Mandalas: by Lisa Baus (Purple Bears)

I love mandalas. I love the singular focus of them. They are a prayer. They ask you to calm down a little. They ask you to be grateful.

So I was extra pleased when Lisa Baus sent over her lovely mandalas for us to enjoy. Here is what she says about them:

In particular, my mandalas affirm one particular positive word/intention/energy. It's amazing, as I create each piece how the books I pick up, the songs I hear, the TV shows I watch, and the people I talk with would all bring up that one word or concept. This didn't just happen with one mandala - but all of them. Like attracts like. Scientifically and spiritually sound principle.

Check out Purple Bear [my etsy shop] for color pictures of my mandalas. If you would like coloring pages, I have those available as free downloads at www.lisabaus.com.

I think they're just lovely, and I'd like to have something like this next to my desk to remind me to focus on the positive and what I want to bring into my life, rather than what I perceive that I lack.

Because our lives are all perfect circles, just like the mandala, if you really think about it.

*Thank you so much, Lisa!*

beauty: by shelley kommers luna

Oh Shelley, YOU fill the world with beauty! This card is beyond gorgeous.

If you are not familiar with Shelley's work, you should be. (That's my humble opinion!)
You can find it in these lovely places:

-Shelley's website
-Shelley's blog
-her etsy shop, called Oiseaux
-her second etsy shop, called Oiseaux Noir

*Thanks for sending this over for us to enjoy, Shelley!*

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.

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.