Big Earthquakes: Art Journal Page

Inspired by this post at Away We Go.

overwhelmed...the road to improvement...dream...future perfect...the rest of your life...problems...today, tomorrow and always...getting a better grip...worry often gives a small thing a big shadow...love...never underestimate...ready to rethink...make it right

Supplies:
 old magazines
glue stick
Sharpie marker
gesso

Thanks for visiting today! I would love for you to share my artwork via Twitter, Facebook, or other media! 

Other Art Journal Pages:

A Woman of Grace

Tangled up in Red Tape

Not I

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Food For Thought: Living a Minimalist Lifestyle

I recently ran across the blog of Raam Dev, a self-proclaimed Minimalist Digital Nomad. I browsed through a couple of posts, and was intrigued by his lifestlye. Twenty-five things in his backpack. Embracing failure.  Traveling foreign countries. Was this guy for real?

I concluded that he was. He is just an ordinary guy, following his passion for sustainable abundance. I highly recommend his free e-book, Small Ways to Make a Big Difference, which according to Raam, came together thus:

"In just three weeks, over 40 bloggers contributed more than 100 ways to live more sustainable, to live happier and healthier, to get more out of life, to inspire and share, to reconnect with our true selves, to be a leader, to exist more intelligently."

It's a good thing Raam doesn't advocate his lifestlye for everyone; that would seriously undermine his credibility in my book. I have a mortgage and two kids! Giving up the majority of my material possessions and traveling the world just wouldn't work for me. But I can find ways to reduce the need for "stuff", stress, and pointless activities in my daily life.

Check out his compilation and let me know what you think!

Describe Your Life in Three Words

A few weeks ago I found this cool blog, Raising Amazing Daughters, through SITS. The Secret is in the Support, or SITS,  is a community of women bloggers who support each other through commenting. Anyway, I liked that this blog has four writers- mom and her three grown daughters (sometimes dad chimes in). So I subscribed to their blog and received one of their lastest posts in my email inbox. The subject was based on the Julia Roberts movie/book by Elizabeth Gilbert titled "Eat, Pray Love". The four women put their own spin on the title and came up with their own versions to fit their lives. It was a humerous post, but also thought-provoking. Here's my take on the idea...

If a movie were made about my life, the best three-word title would be "Love, Read, Scrap".

Love- My family is very important to me, from grandparents to nieces and nephews. My husband is very supportive and has remained true to our wedding vows, "in sickness and in health". My kids are, well, amazing. My three best friends fill my heart and soul with laughter.

Read- My love of reading started with an obsession with cereal boxes. I will still read anything I can get my hands on. Words are like candy to me.

Scrap- Regular readers of my blog know I am a dedicated scrapbooker. From taking the photos, to creating the page, to recording the memory with journaling, this hobby is a major part of my life. I love the sense that I am documenting something for future generations.

It was really tough to narrow my list of words to just three. So many things make up the core activities of my life. Here are the runners-up:  music, eat, shoot (photos), friends, play, home.

Give it a shot. Describe your life in three words!

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The Happy Book Project

I have been lurking around Jamie Ridler Studios for a while now, and let me tell you, this lady is full of inspiration! I have joined up with her book club, The Next Chapter, and we are currently experiencing The Happy Book. I am coming in on the middle of the project, so from what I understand, we are going to take a page a week and use that to inspire us. The assignment for this coming week is to choose a personal mascot and take pictures of it everywhere we travel. Sounds like silly fun! I have already chosen my mascot (you'll have to wait to see!) and am thinking up creative photo ops.

For today, I will share what has been making me happy and joyful this week...our beautiful weather! After weeks of outrageous heat and humidity, we are finally blessed with blue skies and comfortable temperatures. I have loved sitting on my front porch in the evenings, watching people walk by and chatting with the hubs. I have slept better and had more energy. A trip to the park did not seem like torture. I am getting little sparks of excitement just thinking that fall really is around the corner! I hope things have been pleasant where you are!

Thinking inside the circle

I found this post on "Just Cherish Today" about the saying "thinking outside of the box". This phrase is intended to inspire creativity, but isn't it already overused, and therefore less effective? This blogger offers the term "thinking inside the circle" as an alternative. She suggests that "Thinking inside a circle would express a contained, focused method of thinking - while continuously adapting (no corners like boxes, circles just continue on)."

I like this. I came up with some other good reasons for using a circle instead of a square box:

1. circles are friendlier and more inclusive (circle of friends or family circle)
2. circles suggest an overlap or swirling of ideas- much more creative
3. circles are historically associated with infinity, continuity and connection
4. circles are also known to represent unity, wholeness, and completion

So next time you challenge yourself to "think outside the box", try thinking inside the circle instead. Reflect on some of the key terms listed above and see what it inspires!

Our Everydays

"Small concessions...are like pocket change: it's what most of us have to work with, in the final analysis. Our small change is our daily habits and routines, our everyday, and the measure of one's life emerges, in the final analysis, from the sum of these everydays."
from "The Good Psychologist" by Noam Shpancer

Blogger's note: I read Dr. Shpancer's bio after reading the novel. He is a professor of psychology at Otterbein College in Westerville, OH, where I received my BA in psychology 12 years ago. Small world.

My Favorite Craft Challenge Sites

Next week, as part of my "Becoming a Life Artist" series, I will talk a bit about getting over a creative block. I love challenge blogs for this! The ones I list today will focus on scrapbooking and other paper crafts. In the future I will do a list of writing prompt sites and photography challenges. If you would like for me to compile a list of other kinds of challenge sites, just let me know!
In no particular order:

SplitcoastStampers- I love this place because it is a community. You really get to know other scrapbookers and cardmakers. Every day they have different challenges based on sketches, color combinations, an inspiration piece, a technique- whatever. It is definitely a one-stop shop. If you create a free account here, look me up! My user name is rdoak03.

Mojo Monday- A weekly card sketch is posted every Monday. Once a month there is a contest where you can win some stamps! Hosted by Julee Tillman, the creator and owner of Verve Stamps. Here's a recent project from me.

Scrappin Silhouettes- A new scrapbook sketch blog, updated every Thursday. Of course I put this on here because I am on the design team!  What is great about this blog is that a) Jennipher, the sketch designer, is truly a wonderful person b) it is not affiliated with any company or brand c) each week features a different number of photos on the sketch d) the design team is comprised of artists with different styles, and e) I'm on the design team!!! Here is my latest project using a Scrappin' Silhouette.

 Sketchy Thursdays- Another weekly scrapbook sketch. Lots of cool designers from all over the world.

Etsy Inspired- This is a really cool challenge site. Every week you are directed to a different Etsy shop for inspiration. You create any kind of project you want from there! My blog buddy and friend IRL Emily is on this design team.

Pencil Lines- Yet another great scrapbook sketch blog. Here's one of my favorite layouts I made using their sketch.
I really could go on and on with this list; the sites for inspiration probably number in the tens of thousands. Do you have a favorite crafting challenge website?  Let us know!

Welcome to my blog re-launch!

Image by Glamlife-studentportal via Flickr

Welcome to my blog. I hope you find something here that inspires you, touches your heart, or just resonates within your own life. My life is a continuous balancing act between family, work and personal pursuits. Throughout this journey of life I seek inspiration and creativity in the every day. This blog is a reflection of that journey.


As many of you know, today is a re-launch. A re-birth, if you will. New name and tag line, new look, new layout. I have spent the past couple of weeks really focusing on how I want to live my life and how I want to communicate that through my blog. I realized that everything I really want to blog about revolves around creativity. By this I don't simply mean craft projects; I mean the deeper understanding of living a creative life through photos and words, connecting with others, and reflecting on what I see, hear and do in my day to day activities. Posts surrounding these topics will be the heart of my blog. I hope to post on a semi-regular basis with a weekly template of sorts:

• Sunday- Photos
• Monday- Food for the mind, body and spirit (inspiration)
• Tuesday-
• Wednesday- Creative Writing
• Thursday- Scrapbooking and other crafty things
• Friday- Lists and Links
• Saturday-

You will notice that two days are empty- this gives me flexibility to a) take a break b) post about what is inspiring me at that moment c) follow up on a previous post.  Flexibility and going with the flow, to me,  are a huge part of creativity and remaining fresh and passionate about what I do.

I am passionate about a great many things- books, crafts, my family, and photography, to name a few. I will blog about these things. Mostly it will be my opinion written out of genuine love for a product or service. That being said, the FTC requires that I tell you when I receive compensation for using or reviewing a product or service. Of course I will! This is what that means to you:

If I receive a free product to review or use on a project, I will tell you.

If I receive a trial offer or other compensation for reviewing a service, I will tell you.

If I receive free products or other compensation for being on a design team, I will tell you.

If I use products that I won in a contest or from a give-a-way, I probably won't tell you. This is only because all my craft items get thrown together and I just won't remember where something came from!

Now that you're informed, relax, grab a cup of coffee, and browse my blog for inspiration surrounding a creative life. Here are a few previous posts to get you started.

Things Kids Hate to Hear
Project 365
Gratitudes
Sweet Sleeping Girl
Wishes

I hope you will visit often. Share your stories and ideas. Connect with others. Enjoy!