Motivation...

Or lack thereof. I have been feeling so unmotivated to create anything lately, especially Victorian themed items for the tea that's coming up in just two weeks time. I think it might be because I know I have to make things for this, that I'm struggling with it.

Another issue is that I have been waiting on pins and needles to find out if I got the position I interviewed for recently. It's been SUCH a long wait since I found out my current job was "going away" this month...I found out two weeks before Christmas and still don't know what is next for me. I'm not one of those people who does well with having loose ends, things left up in the air, etc. I like things cut and dried and decisions made already!

Well, this is certainly not the inspirational and fun post I was hoping for! At least I can share some photos of an altered book I made a bit ago. This was for a class that I was supposed to teach at the local scrapbooking store, however no one signed up, so I didn't end up teaching this class. It was still an absolute joy (no pun intended!) to make. I LOVE collage and mixed media and all things scrappy and colorful!

Preparing the Shop...

Oooh, I'm so happy it was warm this weekend~I spent some time getting the shop ready for opening weekend. I'm planning to officially open the first weekend in May, but am having an Open House Saturday April 29th with goodies to eat and lots of fun new things to sell. I'm so anxious to re-open, it's been a long and cold winter.

One of the best things about having the shop are all the sweet and very interesting people I've met. I have people who come in to browse and don't buy a thing, but their kind compliments about my decorating and the way things are put together means just as much to me as a purchase.

I've always been drawn to decorating, from the time I had my own room in my parents rustic log cabin until now. My taste has changed over the years, from Victorian to Eclectic to Asian-inspired then to Cottage style. Now I would say that it's a mix of vintage and eclectic. My shop is more cottage/shabby chic'ish but my home is more of a mix and brighter colors. I LOVE decorating! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I have so much fun moving things from here to there, painting this and that and then starting all over again. I'm glad I have such a patient husband who doesn't mind all the changing I do.

Oh, I nearly forgot! Here is a photo of Suzette the little porcelin doll I bought at a flea market. She belonged to a lady who had gotten her during childhood and the woman was in her 80's when she sold her to this flea market! So, she's quite ancient. Isn't she pretty, all worn and faded? I'm normally not a fan of dolls, they give me the creeps to be honest, but I just couldn't pass her up!

Rainy Days & Easter Bonnets...

Today was rainy and cold, a good day to curl up on the couch with a thick book and warm blanket. Instead of indulging herself in that pastime, my wonderful friend Pam came to help me create Easter bonnets~aren't they pretty? Ohhh, I feel more springy just looking at them!

I am planning a Victorian Tea~and will be selling the Easter bonnets there. We're raising money for Shared Hope International (www.sharedhope.org) which is an organization working to end sex trafficking worldwide. This is SUCH an important cause. There is so much pain involved; mental, physical, emotional. It's too scary and ugly for me to even comprehend. But the wonderful people at this organization, and others are working to help save the women and children who are caught in this horrible trap. So, even though it's a teeny tiny drop of water compared to a problem the size of an ocean, a tea has been planned for the first Saturday in April to raise funds for this organization. I'm asking folks to come dressed with their own fancy hats and gloves, and we'll give a pretty prize to the person wearing the most embellished hat. We're serving tea sandwiches, scones with lemon curd, ginger and sugar cookies, pots of hot tea and more lovely treats. Oh, I can't wait! It will be such fun~I'm already planning out the decor!

These hats are a head start (no pun intended) on the Easter bonnet we'll be selling at the tea, but we plan to have a table full of other pretty items like greeting cards, journals, sachets and more. I'm hoping we break the $300 mark this year...$500 would be great!

Don't you wish that the hat tradition had never fallen out of style? I LOVE wearing hats, they make me feel so grown-up. But not in an old lady sort of way, in a stylish, chic, breakfast-at-tiffany's sort of way. I often feel that I was born into the wrong generation. I'm incredibly old-fashioned in many ways, and a bit of a feminist in others...it's a strange and somewhat confusing mix. But hats, aprons and pretty hairstyles, I wish I could wear those every day!

A Media Diet...

I have decided to do it. I'm going cold turkey. As hard as it is to even imagine, I'm going on a media diet. No HGTV. No home decorating magazines. No craft magazines. This is a very scary and interesting proposition.

I feel like I can't get enough lately. I try to feel grateful for all I have (which is plenty!) but all my little mind keeps taking note of is what I DON'T have. Do you feel this way? Maybe it's the time of year. I'm not sure, but I know that the "gimmes" feel much stronger when I watch my favorite home decorating and craft shows. I know that after flipping through a home decorating magazine and seeing all the perfection, what I have seems like so much less. I don't like this! I don't like being that way~I've got gobs to be grateful for!

I am grateful for my creativity, my ability to make something out of nearly nothing. I 'm grateful for my husband and family, my pets, a healthy body, my home, steady pay, friends, beauty all around me and life. I want to focus on what I HAVE and not what is missing.

The media feeds us with a constant desire. I think part of the reason we never feel like enough (not a good enough wife, not a perfect mother, not a perfect employee, not a good enough friend) is because we are trained by the media to be what "they" (being magazine models and fake happy people) should be. It's not enough. I want to live my own life my own way. Imperfect? Sure. But perfectly ME...that's what I'm striving for.

Anyone joining me?

Feeling Inspired...

I feel inspired this week. It might be the sunshine. I feel like I haven't seen the sun in weeks! I feel just READY to do something big to help make the world a better place. I feel a kind of staticky electricity hovering around me, all around my peripherial vision. I can tell something great is going to happen. I know that I'm re-finding myself after a few months of feeling a little lost.

I feel as though I've been in this selfish little bubble lately, wondering why I'm feeling blue, analyzing my feelings, trying to find out what would make me happy. Worrying a little too much about what clothes I don't have, what my house doesn't look like, what my life is lacking.

My art makes me happy. Creating things makes me feel very happy and complete and energized. But lately I've been feeling a certain kind of warm peace when I think of all the ways that I might be able to help others. I'm thinking of ways to tie in what I love to do (create, travel, organize events, plan parties, write) into something tangible that might help someone other than myself.

I'm not sure what's coming...but I have a feeling it's going to be great.