Recently I asked for your input on what is changing for you in 2024 and I was amazed with all your ideas, goals, and creativity. Thank you!! There was so much I couldn’t just do a random select because it meant I wouldn’t share every comment that I found energizing. Seriously, reading them provided ideas and inspiration on ways to further shape what I want to focus on. To get it all on paper I looked at the patterns and saw some main themes emerging so I’m sharing them in that way.
Get Into The Great Outdoors…Spending time in nature, watching sunrises and sunsets, walking outside, to name some, do lift you up and give you a different frame of mind. I’ve been pulling weeds and putting down new mulch and even though that’s tedious I do get more relaxed being outside. I would think if you’re in the city planting flowers in a pot to put on a deck would give you the same perspective.
Getting Motivated – So true! Get there in bits and pieces, usually 5-15 minutes will start moving your goal into shape. Look for an upcoming post on this.
Love, Kindness, & Happiness – So true! Start with yourself, maybe the 5-15 minutes of something important to you, something that makes you happy, daily or a few times a week makes a big difference! You deserve it. Love that this came up as a theme.
Travel – Do get out and explore, it’s amazing the people you meet and things you see. I’m starting to do this where I live, exploring my city like someone traveling here to visit, kind of exciting!
Work Through Tough Times – I totally get this one and being in the middle of it feels like you’re walled in. From talking to people, reading, and going through tough times, seems like it’s part of being a person, if you get an idea to read something, talk to someone, write a dialogue about it, etc. do it-those nudges are motions that help you to feel unstuck. I have a journaling link below to use or to spur ideas. Let me know what you come up with.
Eat More Sourdough Bread – Sign me up!!
Bye for now!
If you’d like more information plus inspirational images, please follow me!
Ready to start journaling? Click to get my free journaling workbook!
So, I’ve started this year obsessed with organizing, weeding out, and sorting my house. And I mean my house! I’ve got a list by room of things I will do this year to refresh and/or edit things. I’ve been going through drawers, and even looking at expiration dates on everything, including my cosmetics! Crazy? Maybe, but I’ve only dented the surface and it already feels so much better. Plus, it feels like I’m a little more organized in my head which I didn’t expect.
This feeling came on me towards the end of December, and, serendipitously, while reading through the Apartment Therapy blog, I saw their January Cure they offer annually. Each weekday, gratis, for 20 days they send an email with the coolest ideas that are super easy, and quick to do. Check it out via the link below. If you do decide to go for it, and who cares if January is mostly finished, reach out either via the comments, or on my SM, and tell me what you think.
https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/january-cure-2022-sign-up-37004167
The work I was doing organizing and restyling my house brought an awareness that I was dissatisfied with my style too. Truthfully, I’d been feeling creatively stale for awhile and it felt as if I was putting a stale version of myself out to the world. Focusing intensely, managing my construction project last year, felt consuming to the point I wasn’t aware of changing incredibly inside. I’d been changing a lot in a positive way as a person but was too busy to realize it. You’re constantly changing, even if you aren’t aware of it at the time. Change was happening to me but it was background noise due to focusing so intently for so long. My client’s comment frequently that because I do styling, having a concern or feeling off must not happen to me. I’m here to tell you, even after years of styling for film and advertising – it happens to everyone!
Organizing, sorting, and weeding through my home caused me to realize the issue wasn’t “stale” creativity, it was no longer resonating with who I was before embarking on my project.
It’s time to put an editing eye on my closet! Everything was going into the project so I hadn’t purchased anything new for awhile. But, more than that, I wasn’t putting a fresh eye to what I had. Yes, some things will no longer “feel” right and those will go to someone who will feel amazing in them. It’s time to put a fresh take on what will work, what “fits” who I am inside now, and what I still feel amazing in. Then, I’ll add new items to my closet.
So, having figured that out, I got to thinking there are probably lots of you reading this that feel the same. So, I decided to offer a promo to kick off 2022. How exciting, am I right?
Here it is, just share a question, or concern, with me, and I’ll work with you to resolve it. Just IM me or send an email. It’s that simple!
Looking forward to sharing in your New Year/Updated You adventure!
Bye for now!
If you’d like more information plus inspirational images, please follow me!
Ready to start journaling? Click to get my free journaling workbook!
I’ve been listening to a series of talks on generosity and gratitude this past month, which is timely since we just celebrated our Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S. Another reason the talks are timely? The three VERY large goals I’ve been working toward this year, building a business, building a garage, and making everything else work during the pandemic, is finally moving to fruition. So, yeah, I’ve been doing my Snoopy happy dance for sure!
In going after my goals, this year has felt like a series of competency tests, one after the other, and for that reason this year has been a marathon. Those times where the goal isn’t to finish really quickly, like a sprint, but just working to finish! A good part of the challenge was a feeling that no matter what I did, there seemed to be no movement, and even, at times, it felt as if I had setbacks. Yep, even after taking action that should have given me forward movement. So this year, I’ve been doing a lot of filing in the “you can’t make this stuff up” file. Yeah, it’s funny now but there were times I was glad to have friends who let me vent my frustrations.
Because of all that, I ended up with a new tool for life, and that was the realization of feeling deeply grateful. It not only made me feel better in the moment, but also created an opening for me to figure out “what next”. And a huge part of that was my daily journaling! Listing 3 things I’m grateful for each day meant really focusing on where I have it good, especially on those days where it felt like I only had problems to solve. If you’d like to see that, get my free Journal workbook at the end of this post.
I’ve always been optimistic, and, for the most part, I’m satisfied with my life (though I believe a little dissatisfaction is a good thing because it’s one way to see where you want to experience your next adventure in the form of change). Years ago I read somewhere that gratitude isn’t a laundry list of items, a recitation, though that can be a good place to start. It’s really considering what you are very deeply thankful about, or where you are very satisfied.
Maybe because of the curves life handed me this year, and how relentless I had to be to keep things on course, I begin to feel a deeper sense of thankfulness and satisfaction. Sometimes it was coming home in the evening and snuggling in with whatever interested me at the moment. It was also sharing a good meal with good friends, or even just watching trash TV.
I’m going to do a series of blog posts on managing the long periods of challenges, whether they’re seemingly never ending tasks to reach your goal, or whether you’re facing new experiences without a “how-to” app. For those times it’s all about digging in, persevering, and taking that next step even if you feel doubt or uncertainty. Those times aren’t always easy, or fun, but sometimes it’s just what you have to do.
Bye for now!
If you’d like more information plus inspirational images, please follow me!
Ready to start journaling? Click to get my free journaling workbook!
A fact about myself, I love vintage and I love sewing! Particularly, vintage sewing patterns and the large, counter pattern books. My collection keeps expanding since it’s impossible for me to say no when folks ask if I want their collection. Seriously, if you want them to get a good home for life, you won’t do better than me, and you may feel free to contact me if you need to find a good home for yours!
There wasn’t a specific time when I became aware of my interest in sewing. The women in my family sewed, knitted, crocheted, and embroidered so it was always around me. Looking at the pattern envelopes, with their amazing illustrations, was riveting and I became hooked. While my creativity leaned toward fabric and fiber manipulation it’s interesting to learn when, where, and how other people became cognizant of their creative leanings. For example, the brilliant creative and technical genius of my marketing team is fascinating, especially since I don’t lean that way. On the other hand, they were riveted when I repaired a hoodie pocket for one of them sewing the entire time we were talking.
Starting with a mental image, the process begins with either pulling a fabric, like this amazing knit from Elliott Berman Textiles, https://elliottbermantextiles.com/ (I don’t get anything from them, just want you to have their link in case you want the fabric too.) or a pattern, which can be purchased or self-drafted. Then the project flow is outlined as to materials, process of assembling, and the fine bits, like buttons or trim.
Working with my styling clients, the process is similar. After chatting, so I can really get to know their goals, likes, concerns to name a few, I get a mental image as to direction. Once we proceed the project flow follows a similar path. Most likely this is my natural project management process, which became honed as a kid learning to sew, and which naturally flowed as my style in business.
Everything we do is creative, even getting up which creates the start of your day, but it’s important and enjoyable to plan for a specific time to work on something creative. Yes, life has twists and it probably feels like there isn’t the time. I’m also going through that at the moment and haven’t sewn for awhile. In fact, I find myself daydreaming about it during the day which is my signal to slow down and relax. I’m also figuring what time block works to schedule in regular sewing time. I know I’ll feel happier and I’ll also end up more productive with my batteries recharged.
What process works for you to purposely create?
Bye for now!
If you’d like more information plus inspirational images, please follow me!
Ready to start journaling? Click to get my free journaling workbook!
Last year sure created a different lifestyle for us, and very unexpectedly too! While our situation was scary, in many ways I felt so alone, it was enjoyable to go online and see what people were doing to pass time. Puzzle making, knitting, growing container gardens, and probably the most popular-making bread! For me, I sewed more, did adult coloring to play with color combinations, and I started journaling.
Now, this wasn’t my first time at the journal rodeo, in fact I’d tried several times over the last ten years and for whatever reason it didn’t stick with me. Even trying different styles of journaling, such as writing free form or responding to prompt questions like my favorite book, felt off. Purchasing fancy journals, colorful composition books, and bright, colored pens didn’t make a difference-it just didn’t resonate. It was frustrating because I’d heard of the many great benefits of journaling regularly and felt I was missing out.
I’m not sure why journaling came to me last year. Maybe it was the overwhelming feeling of confusion to be without my normal routine, being without the daily contact of my friends, or maybe just finally being ready but this time journaling stuck with me and felt natural. It actually felt amazing! Plus, it gave me a rhythm, a routine and connectedness that went missing last year. Even better, I became more focused, goal oriented, and even stopped procrastinating. Bonus!
Researching the long term benefits reveal a lot of pluses, some obvious and some not so obvious, and here they are:
Information on how stress negatively impacts your physical, mental, and emotional health has been around for awhile. Journaling, along with diet and exercise, is an amazing stress management tool. Studies have shown that journaling even 15-20 minutes 3-4 times a week helps.
Journaling boosts memory, comprehension, and increases your working memory capacity. Yes, I’ll take second helpings of that!
This probably plays into the first reason, stress reduction, but people who journal regularly have discovered it helps improve their mood, and they had a greater sense of emotional well-being and joy. Those feelings will attract more positivity into your life, a big plus.
Continued journaling helps you become more connected with your inner needs and desires. You engage right brain creativity as you write and flexing this “muscle” boosts many things, including problem solving.
Hey, it’s new territory so it could feel awkward at first. Once you get a rhythm going, like anything new, it’ll be a part of your life you look forward to. Just show up at least 3 days a week, even if only one sentence is what you end up with. It’s amazing to go back a week or month later and see what was going on.
The journal system that got me going is easy and has three different segments that can easily be finished in 10 minutes. You can spend more time if you want but it’s not necessary. For me, I think best when writing so it’s all about pen and paper. Studies have shown that writing, particularly cursive, helps boost creativity, improves memory, learning comprehension, and fine motor skills. It’s your thing though so be comfortable. I’ve created a free workbook to get you started! Just download it below.
You’ll have so much fun in the morning with your cup of coffee, or winding down at night capturing everything end of day. Let me know what you think and if you come up with any cool new methods of journaling!
Bye for now!
If you’d like more information plus inspirational images, please follow me!
Ready to start journaling? Click to get my free journaling workbook!
Awhile back, before styling professionally, I worked at a telecom firm scheduling international video conferences. This was before higher bandwidth internet created reliable connections making video calls a DIY thing. There was always a test prior to the call while the participants were in the room and one thing I noticed immediately was how the camera registered pattern and color, making some women really stand out and others not so much. For me, noticing this was a huge step forward toward my becoming a stylist because for the first time I really saw how proportion, fit, color, pattern, and accessorizing worked together as a team.
True confession, at that time getting dressed for work was frustrating and my pulled together look felt anything but. I’d look at other women where I worked whose style I admired, wondering why my outfits weren’t coming together as well, and also wondering why adding accessories seemed so confusing. The struggle was real! Through the frustration though I became determined to make a change and dress authentically to who I was inside and discover my style that would reflect that.
I really started to look around and take notice of print ads, actors wardrobes in film and TV, and the people around me whose style I admired. And, I started asking questions. What did I like? When I liked something, what about it attracted me? Was it the shape, the colors, or the entire outfit? What I also noticed, and this became key for me – when women dressed to suit themselves, and also flatter their body, they carried themselves with confidence. They looked comfortable with themselves. I wanted that!
So I began trying on anything and everything that caught my eye and interest. Yeah, there were some misses but I began to figure out not only what I liked but what made me feel amazing. Getting dressed became a fun, creative way to express myself. There was something else I realized-some of the body image issues I had as a teen were still lurking in my head. That was very exciting to realize and the discovery opened my eyes in a lot of ways. Though there were areas I liked a lot, and emphasized, I also liked the other areas too. Peace at last!
You can do it too! It’s doable, enjoyable, and doesn’t have to cost a lot.
Ready to get started expressing yourself through your own unique style, loving your body, with all it’s wonderful uniqueness that no one else has, and loving your clothes? Go explore and have fun! There are no right or wrong way, just make a small, baby step. Here are 4 ways to get started!
When I started this process of self-discovery, there were moments of struggle where uncertainty as to my next step could have me feeling some self doubt. It’s very easy at that point to start seeing people whose style you like and compare yourself negatively. Every one of us has our moments and they do too. Focus on you and, even though it might be a struggle, find one thing that you like about yourself or your newly emerging sense of style and write it down. Keep a journal of these and enjoy your story as it evolves.
Go to a department store, or an art store, and buy a piece of poster board. Find as many images as you can of things you like or caught your eye. These could be for an entire look, a piece or accessory you liked, a color, a feeling – anything! Stick them onto the board and feel free to add captions, notes, doodles with markers, colored pencils or pens to make it really personal. Put it where you’ll pass by frequently and see it though no need to really study it unless you want. You’ll see themes of patterns emerge-a silhouette over and over, a color, etc. You can also do this on Pinterest as a private board, but there’s something about the creative process of using your hands and physical materials that really connects you to your creative side.
Anytime you start something new, like a workout program, you may find it easier to have someone to help keep you motivated. Let’s be honest, experiencing change and trying something new can feel like a lot sometimes. Am I right? Having someone who will listen, help keep you feeling positive about your changes, and not offer any judgements as you develop your new style can be helpful. Maybe the two of you can do this together?
Avoid overwhelm and try one, two at the most, changes, new styles, or colors at a time. As people notice your emerging style, and how it resonates with who you are, you will know you’re aimed in the right direction because you will have felt that too. You’ve got this!
Bye for now!
If you’d like more information plus inspirational images, please follow me!
Ready to start journaling? Click to get my free journaling workbook!
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