Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Introducing...


For a while now I've been hearing from my friends and family that I should put some of my stuff on Etsy. They have kindly suggested it, sternly reminded me and exclaimed in exasperation, "What are you waiting for?"



Hmmm, I don't know. I thought I didn't really have enough items to sell and that maybe they were too personal or weren't "real art". Afterall, these were friends and family, they're biased.


Then I had a woman I never met before come to my house and she looked around at all my art and said, "You know, you really should put your stuff on Etsy."



And then a young girl from the neighborhood came over one day and saw something I had created and she said, "You know, you should make more of these and give them away...for money."



I laughed. OK Universe. I hear you. Thank you for telling me in so many different ways so that I might get the message.



So today I am happy to tell you that I have posted my first two items in my new Etsy shop. They are fabric wall hangings I created that I think are fun and whimsical and share my love of inspiring words and fun doodles.

I hope you will take a look and tell me what you think and if you like them please share them with your friends.

Thank you for all your support and encouragement. I am so blessed to have so many supportive and kind people in my life. Every one of you have lifted me up time and time again even when you weren't aware of it.

xo M

Monday, April 16, 2012

Through the Eyes of Your Inner Child


When I was a kid I remember having a lot of unsupervised time. I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about. We spent a lot of time out of the house, by ourselves, without fear. We went out exploring empty fields, empty lots, parks, rivers, anywhere and everywhere in nature. There was a great sense of independance, freedom, and excitement in those excursions.



Today I went out for a walk and I came upon some wild strawberries in the field and it was like finding a little treasure. It reminded me of being a kid because in one of those empty fields we used to go to we would play hide and seek in the tall grass and I remember there being wild strawberries that we would pick and nibble on as we played and they were THE BEST strawberries I've ever eaten.

As I was walking today, as a woman in her 40s who origianlly had gone out for some exercise, I came across those wild strawberries and I was transported back to being a kid with all that freedom, fun and joy in just being in a field hanging out. It shifted my energy and I felt this increased sense of wonder.



I kept walking and I came upon a big open field and I found myself with an irresistable urge to plop myself down in the middle of a field of dandelions. So that is what I did! I was just lying there in the sun listening to the birds chirping, watching the butterflies flutter and feeling the breeze and the warmth of the earth on my stomach. 



I started exploring like a little kid and seeing the detail in the grass.  The 40 year old me would have just seen some grass and weeds but the little girl in me, began seeing the buds of the dandelions, these wispy fern like plants covered in a soft white fuzzy fur, little clovers popping out, giant ants busily working and a whole other world complete with vibrant color, texture, and the possibility for fantasy.


I would have never seen any of it or experienced the wonder of that moment if I wouldn't have plopped myself down in the middle of that field and reverted back to my childhood. Yes, I would have taken a nice walk in the sun and enjoyed my surroundings but I wouldn't have had that amazing sense of wonder almost as if the world was in technicolor. I was given the gift of seeing the world through child-like eyes and experiencing that pure excitement, joy and happiness.


I invite you to go out into the world and experience it with your child-like eyes. Do something you enjoyed as a kid. Act like a kid. Be silly, be carefree, be You before you became "you".

Friday, April 13, 2012

Personalized Journal for Girls

Remeber back in March when I told you about the journal I made for my friend Carrie? Well she has 2 beautiful daughters who were wanting to get creative too so I made each of them a journal.

This one was made for her youngest daughter Calli.


And this one was for her oldest daughter Skylar.

I've never met these girls but I went onto their mom's facebook page to look at pictures of them and I also checked out their pinterest pages to get an idea of who they are. I'm guessing I was able to intuitively connect with them as well because I've been told they are perfect for each of them. The colors, the subject matter, everything. Yay! It always feels good to make others happy!

I can't wait to see what they do in them!

Monday, April 2, 2012

LIfe's Journey


I had my first baby at 22. I wasn't a babysitter and didn't have any younger siblings so I didn't really know what I was doing with him. To compound matters, he was a colicky baby and cried and cried for what seemed like ages. In reality it was about  3 months.

At that time I got pregnant again. I was feeling really confident about it though. Over the last 3 months I had figured it all out.  I knew just how to hold a baby, I knew what they liked, what they didn't like. I felt like I had learned it all and the next one would be a breeze.

I'm sure all you moms out there are laughing right now and know the end of the story. My second son didn't like anything the first one did. I had to start all over and learn everything again. Feeling like I had arrived as a parent didn't make it true.

I feel like this is a theme that runs through my life. I have this feeling that I want to "get it" I want to be done with learning or be done with healing. I want it to be like switching on a light...Yes, I'm healed. Yes, I'm perfect and will no longer struggle to be a better person.

Well, I keep learning over and over that there really is no there there. There is no final destination that I'm suddenly going to arrive at. There is no point when I'm going to say, Phew, I'm healed.

Instead there is only a series of steps forward and steps backward. Hopefully with more forward steps that move me closer to feeling whole. There are daily tests that help me see how far I've come and how far I still have to go.

I've been noticing that I have gotten really good at reflecting on my thoughts and what is underlying them. I've been able to see the games my thinking mind plays with me and the triggers that pop up seemingly out of nowhere. I'm typically unable to catch these things in the moment but it is becoming easier and easier to do it after the fact and I suspect that soon I will find myself naturally having moments of clarity in the moment which will lead to tiny gaps in time where I will be able to choose not to act out of habit.

When that happens (and I know it will), I know it won't be the final stage in my growth. I don't know what I will need to learn or how I will need to evolve but I know there will be something new for me to work on.

Life is definitely a journey with a series of destinations to visit for a while. We don't move in and stay though. We keep on working toward the next destination.  It definitely makes it interesting doesn't it?