work with your hands

  I work with my hands every day.

I am thankful for my hands.

They serve me well.

Good for cleaning, creating art, holding babies, typing on the computer, writing lists and hugging.

They are also good for clapping and petting my dog, both of which provide good cheer and comfort.

One thing I am really trying to do in my upcoming new site is to show more of my work which is made with my hands.  As an artist, the internet is a wonderful platform to share work yet at times I feel that everything is so cleaned up and polished that the true craft of artwork or objects made by hand quotient gets lost.

I think of the hands that I capture too. 

 The hands that care for creatures, that do the home work and the hands that swing the bat, lift the bail and tow the line.

All the humble hand holding and hand shakes that exist each day in an effort to provide some sort of final agreement or closure.

I am so inspired by work that is made by hand.

Do you work with your hands?

in clover

I often stop to think about luck, about ease and luxury.  One expression I love happens to be "in clover" which refers to just that - living with ease and luxe.  Not a day goes by, that I don't take for granted all the goodness and blessings.  I especially think about clovers, shamrocks and luck this time of year with St.Patrick's day on the horizon. What would be your rolling "in clover" luxury?  Tell me?

seize on

 I am constantly amazed by how different my days are when I get my "seize on."  

We all need to create mini goals in order to get to the major goals.
(Journals found here.)

 It does not take rose colored glasses to know that we all can pounce on this beautiful life.  All we have to do is seize on.  I had a reading and was told that beautiful things were coming my way with great abundance and all I have to do is continue doing what I do.

In the middle of all the carpe diem going on, don't forget that you deserve a break.  I thought these blank journals would make great gifts or just fun to have to capture life in words, doodles or thoughts.

How do you plan to get your seize on life today?

hold hands

 While I was visiting my parents we did a lot of holding hands.  

There is something so valuable about holding hands.  

 Truly, if you hold hands, you cannot harbor any anger or hold grudges.
Holding hands should be prescribed as a remedy.

 Take time out today to do a little hand holding.

 Holding hands does warm my heart.

Hold hands today and feel the love.
When was the last time you held hands?

to do today

 

I have been reading some pretty impressive goals about various new year resolutions and just yesterday I took time for a little self improvement in the form of a manicure.  I decided today was the day.

I chose a pretty wintry red nail polish.

Seated next to a "regular" - she told me that her weekly manicure improved all her tomorrows.

 Have you been putting off today what you can or want to do until tomorrow?  What you do today can certainly improve all your tomorrows.  What is one thing that you can do today that will improve your tomorrow?  Put it on your "to do today" list.

mindful moments

 It's a new day and the intent of this post today is to give each of you permission for  daily mindfulness.

As we wake to the embrace of the coming holidays, let us find the purity of peace and joy of season.

Care to join me on this journey of adding 10 mindful minutes to your day?

 Goldie Hawn's book is wonderful and would make a nice gift as each of us need to live happier and healthier lives.  The best gift that we can give our children are emotional skills to reduce stress and anxiety.

Retreat to a room or a space where you can sit quietly and set a timer for 10 minutes.  Devote yourself wholeheartedly to this moment until the bell rings.

If by chance you cannot still or calm your mind, do a chore such as sweeping or raking leaves.  You will never finish for good, but you shall learn the point of pointlessness.  In turn a chore or bit of work will clear your mind and help you sleep too.

Love to know what helps you to create a mindful moment?

pve design artwork created for the pound ridge plume.

tips on staying creative -guest post

Please welcome my guest Eileen from a a creative day blog

Eileen shares some tips on staying creative.

Staying creative is hard. Even though I work in a creative field (interior design) the 'busyness' of life constantly bogs me down. But being creative is something worth fighting for, and I have developed a system that helps me remember how much I love this work.

1. Unplug. Every single day.
In the busyness of life, its easy to feel guilty for turning off your cell phone. "what if someone needs me?" But I've found that when I stay constantly connected to my Ical and to-do lists, I can't be creative. We have 'no tv' nights where we just listen to pandora and sit on our porch and talk.

2. Walk it out
Besides the fresh air and sunshine being good for you, notice what you are drawn to and document it. Photograph your point of view, try the new bar down the street, play with texture. I constantly find myself picking up rocks and leaves, and what I'm drawn to shows me what I'm craving more of.

3. Bed Time
Some of my best ideas and projects have come to me when I get in bed before I'm tired. Just let your mind race.

4. Work with your Hands
This was huge for me when I was in college for architecture and we were constantly expected to be developing different designs and ideas. Some days I would have NO inspiration and no idea what I wanted to do. So I would come into studio and just start working with different materials with my hands, shaping and seeing what forms would come. You'll be surprised how much you can create without trying to.

5. Something new
I always find something new, no matter how little, refreshes my creativity. As simple as a  new notebook or pen, fresh flowers or a gold paperweight on my desk sparks my interest.

6. Wine.
enough said. 

7. Others
This blogging world is pretty special and I'm constantly inspired by the creativity of my 'bloggy' friends. Whenever I'm stuck in a rut, I stalk my favorite designer or blogger, look through pinterest. Don't let it overwhelm you, get excited for those who just went for it and get inspired.

Speaking of staying inspired... this very blog you are reading is an incredible source of inspiration to me. Patricia is so talented and I'm honored to be guest posting for her. Thanks for having me!
eileen
www.acreativedayblog.com

Please take some time to check out Eileen's blog and be inspired.  Share a tip on what keeps you inspired.

keep going

 Finally framed and hung the "Just Keep Going" poster which was a gift from the "Jess LC-Business with intention workshop that I attended in Brooklyn a few months ago.

Jess will be closing her shop to keep sharing her business with intention workshops and one-on-one consulting.

 Between shopping for new yarn and sending our twins back to college, a middle schooler back into the routine of school and after school activities, it seems we all have good things to just keep going.  Knitting too.  Yarn keeps us going.  I am hosting knitting today, just coffee or tea and a few nibbles.
Time to gather, take a moment to knit and to share stories to just keep us all going.

 Beautiful neutrals for anytime of year paired with white, denim, gray or black.

Beautiful stitches to inspire us to just keep going.

Do you have something special to just keep going, to just keep looking forward to?

acceptance

 Last week, I gave myself permission to spend some time alone in quiet contemplation. 

It was truly by design that this moment of inspiration was created for me to find peace.

After watching a film with some wonderful women one evening, "Daughters of Wisdom" - a documentary about Tibetan Nuns living in a monastic life.

I was reminded by the power of embracing acceptance.

  Granted, it was a hard concept however I chose to give it up and the peace manifolded in this action was not only freeing, it felt like a huge lift to my imagination and creative spirit.

Immediately, I felt as though there was this golden ray surrounding me like the warmth of a canopy of autumn leaves.

  If you are looking for answers, try to focus on the disturbance and replace it with silence.

 Know that everyone in this lifetime is not free from worry, from suffering, from judgement but if we seek serenity it shall happen.

Serenity comes in accepting the things that we may not be able to change.

Celebrating life, restoring order, giving thanks, breaking bread and simply embracing and accepting life

adds love and joy.

It felt like a kiss of peace.

Find time alone.

What would you contemplate? 

Leave one word in the form of a comment.

vibrancy

Wishing a very Happy Birthday to my dear friend Victoria of Art House Design.  Nearly three years ago, we met via our blogs and were delighted to find out that we are in fact such close neighbors only living less than a mile from one another.  Meeting and getting to know Victoria has added so much to my life.  She finds joy in everyday life, be it a fallen branch, an unexpected visitor, a book or perhaps something that needs to be given a last chance of life.  She is nurturing, caring, kind, artistic and a mother of 4 and friend to many.  We both balance our lives as mothers, wives, friends, creators and meet as friends and supporters.

One thing I love is how we share our passions for creating an artful life and finding joy each time we meet.  Please wish my dear friend and neighbor a beautiful birthday.  If you need help styling your home or if you are considering a raw diet, please contact Victoria.  When I think of Victoria, I think of vibrancy radiating such magic.  Darling lady and dear friend, warmest wishes to you for a year full of vibrancy, joy and sparkle.

image from Art House Design

dog-in-the-window

As we drove many miles and stopped to re-fuel along the way I noticed some funny dogs at rest stops and in many a window.  How fun for a dog to travel with the family which made me miss my buddy Bentley all the more.  Happy Friday to each of you.  Go ahead and roll that window down and have a great weekend.

monday motivation - friends

 One of my dear blog friends, Joyce was inspired to create porcelain baskets full of cherries for her friends.  She sent me these images and gave me permission to share with each of you.  I thought this was a lovely thing to do for friends.

This week, I am feeling motivated by friends and it is the little things they do to motivate us and to make us feel special.  I will be back shortly with the winner of the Cherries painting.  Liz Floyd selected the winner, via random number generator, number 45.  The winner is Trina from A country Farmhouse.

monday motivation - more joy

One part of motivation can very often be the desire for something more.  It can be a thing but it can also be learning something new that brings more joy into one's day.  I have been so delighted with this site joyus and host Kelly Moore.  I have been incredibly pleased with the items that I have ordered and the inspiring videos.  If you would like more joy, click on joyus.  My wish for each of you on this glorious Monday is more joy.  Tell me what you sort of joy is under your nose today?

a spritz

I needed a fresh spritz of lemon so I added a squirt to my pve design logo.  

I bet you hardly noticed.
Lemons and limes after all are like siblings.

This design reminds me of those bright colored glass paper weights that liven up a desk.

There is a freshness in acidic brights.

How luscious are these skeins of yarn.

All these pretty colors look like sherbet.

Love to have a shirt made of this pretty sunny print.  

Sunflowers, lemons add a smile to my face.

Step into the limelight and add a spritz of lemon or lime to your day!

monday motivation - intention

I made a promise  to live more from intention and less from habit.  Having my sketchbook with me is a good habit but my intentions are to design, create and inspire an artful life.

 After a beautiful weekend full of love and feeling proud of my accomplishments in sharing my new studio and my artwork I realized that all of this would not be possible without the promise to live more from intention and less from habit.

Are you living your life as a creature of habit or are you living from intention.  

We can design and be the change we want.  

Thank-you again to each of you who took the time to visit me in my new studio.  I had one young visitor come both days of the open studio tour.  To me, my intention is not to impress but to inspire.

I felt such joy to know that this young budding artist was so inspired to return to see me.

I would like to wish one special reader all the best in her journey upon retiring and this new day be full of promise to live a life of intention.  Patti, enjoy today and living with the promise of intention.

monday motivation, imagination

It is Monday folks and yes, we return to our jobs, or to school - but set aside some imagination time. 

 Is there something that you imagine or perhaps needs a little dreaming up in order to make it happen.  Part of my mission is to inspire, design and to create an artful life.  I think without the ability to imagine, none of what I have accomplished would be possible without something left to my imagination.  

This mosaic "imagine" shot is from "Strawberry Fields" in NY City, in Central Park.  

Make sure you imagine today, carve out some dream time.

Let your imagination run wild.

Don't save it all for Friday.  

Start imagining now what you dream and draw it.

Imagine how many dreams plant the seed to start something beautiful.

benchmark

How delighted was I to snap this lovely bench in the snow last weekend on my early morning walk in the midst of a snowfall.  I have always loved black and white.  I think this deserves to be framed which inspires me to take more of my own photographs of things that strike my fancy.  It will be a sort of "benchmark test" as I admire so many other photographers.  Would you like to see more of my photographs or shall I just stick to what I do best and draw or paint it?  I am on the bench.

limits

botom image daphne groeneveld

I have reached my limits of thinking that my hair could grow past my shoulders and I am ready for a mod bob cut.  Many times in my life, my hair grows an inch to take two off.   What sort of limits do you impose on yourself?  I read that the mod-bob is coming back, bobbi-pins and all.
image from louis vuitton resort 2012

look out

Inspiration arrives in many ways if one looks out for it.  This past year for me has been a game of waiting and watching due to our renovation.  Like a child, the excitement has been overwhelming.

Every day feels like Christmas, waiting for boxes or items to be delivered has been so much fun.

The entire process has been incredibly transformative.  Just yesterday, I found the artwork of Finnish artist Helene Schjerfbeck and am in complete and utter awe of her work.  Like watching out a window, one can gaze forever and always see nuances and changes. When my children were small, I used to love watching them look out a window.  Waiting, watching, looking out for something special.

Ya better watch out.....Santa Claus is coming to town!