Thursday, December 29, 2011

Recharging your batteries



As the holidays start to wind down and I look at my travel schedule for the next 6 months. I realize how important it is to charge our creative batteries whenever the opportunity arises. For me it was just a couple of weeks ago
when Matthew and I escaped to Sedona for a couple of days. This is truly one of the prettiest places on earth. It was a quick trip but it did the trick. So next time someone offers you a chance to escape for a couple of days just consider this a chance for you to recharge those batteries.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Be Happy


Modern Blooms for McCall's Quick Quilts


I am finally willing to admit I am not a weekly blogger. I try and try and then forget to post for months on end. Perhaps in it is like other things in life. Once you stop trying sooooo hard, it becomes easier to do. If I remove the pressure I put on myself and stop thinking about it as a task, perhaps I will do it more often.

I am discovering all kinds of things like this and attribute it to turning 40 this year. I know many people do not like to get older but I actually embrace it. I am proud of the fact that I have made it this far and I hope I have learned things along the way.

Just this year alone I have learned to go with the flow, everything happens for a reason and perhaps instead of fighting it, I should stop, look and consider what can I learn from this event my life has thrown my way.

I am also learning that everything does not have to be perfect and what is perfect for others may not be right for me.

As I enter my 40's I have a new goal to try to always work towards things that make me happy. If something comes along that I do not want to do it or does not fit this goal, I am looking at it to decide;

A. Do I really need to do this, why am I doing it and if it really has to be done, do not procrastinate,
get it done and out of the way.

B. How can I make this something I enjoy. (Certain things like going to the dentist are never going to fit here so I go back to A and get through it.) If I have to go to an event I really don't want to be at, instead of being unhappy about it, I turn it into an adventure. I dress in clothes I love and arm myself with a positive attitude. It works (almost) every time.

As the new year approaches, I will promise myself to work towards this goal of Happiness. Attitude is everything and if I want to be happy, only I can make it happen.

So on this note, I want to share with you a quilt I did for this month's McCall's Quick Quilts. It is called Modern Blooms. Here is an example of taking a task that I needed to do and turning it into something that made me happy. They loved the fabrics and left it up to me what to do with them. So I sat down and sketched this quilt out. It was pure joy to work on this design. I used my favorite method and favorite color to create a quilt that made me smile. I hope it makes you smile too.
Until Next time.....