Goals and Dreams

I was just thinking about how in my long life (yes long, I'm turning 60 this year) I've had so many dreams and goals, and I forced myself out, and made most of them come true. OK, so I never did the Alpaca farm thing or the bed and breakfast, but I did do a LOT.

I've never been one to sit still for long. I have this 7-10 year rule. Time to move on. Poor kids, I went back to school when they were young so they had to share me with projects and books. Then my new career when they were teens. Maybe that's why one of them had a baby before she graduated. Oh well, none of us are perfect, are we?

In high school, I wanted to go to school in Paris. It took a long time, but I went to Art School in France, Lacoste, not Paris, but I did get to Paris. I wanted to travel the world, and I have seen a lot of it. I spent a ot of time in China. I became the designer I wanted to be, but product design, not clothing. My daughter fills that position with her clothing designs.

I've done a lot in my life. I raised two kids, lived in the city, lived in the country, lived in a few different states, and spent some time in other countries. I've been a store detective, an accountant, sales clerk, a gas station manager, a jeweler, and a product designer, I even worked in a drapery sweat shop.

I live my life without many regrets. That's just the way I roll. I never wanted to look back and say, I wish I had done it differently. OK so maybe I wish I HAD bought that bed and breakfast in Geneva on the Lake and had a go at it. But then a few of my precious grandchildren probably wouldn't have been born. Someone else finally bought that house that had been sitting on the market for so many years. It was a mess, but I loved it. But 40+ windows that needed to be replaced, on top of other repairs, were just too much for me to handle at the time.

So what's left? I still haven't been to the Pyramids of Egypt. And I won't go until the country is safe. Although I had a friend who went with the Smithsonian tour and said they were well protected. I've been to Italy, but not Rome, to see the Sistine Chapel, but I did see a representation of it.

I want to build my own tiny house, but I have to buy the property and I'd better do it soon, before I get too old to move my body. I still have goals, like making my own business be a success. Oh yeah, and get a car that actually runs. Dreams.....

Terrific Tuesday - What the Heck?

I don't do much on Tuesday so I thought I'd ramble a bit on What the Heck? today.

I hate how nail polish stays on my toes for a month or more and lasts on my fingers for only a few days, if that. I mean, I know I don't do much with my toes, but come on!

I'm not quite sure why I keep getting spam for nursing homes in my town. Are they trying to tell me something? And after all, I live in the middle of nowhere, we are lucky to have a Post office and a Gas station. No grocery in our whole town, no full liquor store and NO NURSING HOME! Spammers.

Business Flash: Tim over at Handmadeology made a board to encourage Pinterest Socialization and spreading of the Handmade Movement. Read about how you can join in on the fun here http://www.handmadeology.com/the-pinterest-creative-connection-favorite-pin-632012/

I was very upset about mosquitoes earlier this year. Having been bit multiple times and suffering so. Their venom is like fire ant to me, but itchy not burning. I wondered why they exist, as they only seem to spread disease and suffering. So I did some research. Apparently they are very critical at the bottom of the food chain. Darn. Now what about slugs?

This has been fun. I'm going to have to think of more What the Hecks next Tuesday and share. Leave yours on my post if you like and I'll spread it around.

Sharing Time - Easy DIY Decor

I've been hunting for some more great ideas to spruce up your house while you're housebound. I found some more great ideas.


Here are some Great no sew fabric decor from curbly.com

Start thinking about Summer with some New Uses for Old Things at Real Simple

I love this side table made from old shutters.

And another tip I love, chalkboard paint anything. Paint it on hard lampshades, tabletops, framed boards, a taped off wall section, inside cupboard doors, outside cupboard doors, kids headboards, bathroom cabinets.

What Evah! - Websites and Whatnots

I still have lots to do. Bathroom and all. That's almost done. Hopefully this week I'll get the trim up and I'll post some new pictures. But with all the orders finished and packed, I'm getting bored.

I had this brilliant idea. I need to sell my Jewelry in Brick and Mortar shops. So how do I do that. I can't walk all over the country. I also want to focus on shops that will appreciate my eco-friendly flowers. So I'm starting by designing a Web Site. I started with the cool one from Weebly. If you don't have a site yet, they have free ones and the pay ones are pretty reasonable too. The thing I really like about it is that it is so EASY to set up it's sic.

I got the free one for now, I'm still working on it but I like where I'm going. Something good to work on to keep me busy on the slow days between Christmas and New years, before Valentine sales. If you're interested use this link http://www.weebly.com/link/UDhLfS to start yours. You will get a free month of their pro service when you use the link (I'll get one too, thank you)

When I'm done with my website. I'll be sending samples of my flower jewelry to various stores, first in my home town, then around the country. I think, garden societies, floral designers, and health food/naturalist shops will be great places to start. I'm only offering items that I can produce at a reasonable price so that they can be marked up for the retailer. I think I'll have to make some new designs too. Maybe with other recycled materials like glass.

So what is a whatnot? Merriam Webster "any of various other things that might also be mentioned" Word of the Day! Now back to the Bathroom trim and whatnot.

Biz Buzz - Great Ideas Down the Drain?

Twice this week I heard mention of Crafters/Artists getting their ideas in the Shower. I must say that I found it funny, but not surprising, because I always get my best ideas in the Shower or Bath. Usually a nice long bath with some great floral smelling bubbles works best for me. As a matter of fact, if I'm having a creative drought, I will draw up a bath, because I usually take showers.

Once I interviewed for a design job with a leading toy company. I was being interviewed by a panel of the head of all the departments. They asked me how I brainstorm, and I replied "I get my best ideas in the bath".  Well apparently they were not in tune with how wonderful a tool the bath/shower is because they gave me the "OMG she's an Alien" look. OK so maybe I am a bit odd, but wouldn't that kind of imagination be just what is needed in toy design?

That was my first outing in the design world after graduation. I ended up in decorative residential lighting. Those people didn't mind at all that I was quirky. Not the socially affecting kind of job I was looking for, but it was a job.

After hearing that several other of my friends use the shower method, I decided to do a little research. I turns out that this is a very effective method of creating.

Here is a link to 20 Reasons Why the Best Ideas Come in the Shower

And Why your Best Ideas Come in the Shower

While some suggest using a waterproof dry erase marker on the shower wall. I kind of like this idea of a waterproof Notepad I found on an AOL News  post Waterproof Notepad Helps You Record Ideas in the Shower could be the best idea of all.

Notepad in the Shower and Notepad by the bedside help gather those fleeting thoughts that you just can't grab hold of once they have passed. For that matter, I wish I had a notepad in the shower a few weeks ago when I came up with the idea of this post. It took a few reminders from twitter friends to pull it back out of my subconscious.

There is a plethora of posts (I like that, plethora of posts) on ideas in the shower. You can search it yourself to see them all. But the most important thing to remember is if you are having a creative drought, just go to that secluded space and turn on the faucet. Relax and let your mind free to do it's own thing. The subconscious is an amazing thing, and the best tool we have as artists.