2015 Goals

Happy 2015 everyone! I really do feel good about this coming year. These last two years I've felt have been really tough for everyone, and I think the universe has been preparing us all for some amazing things to come!

For the past few years I've been listing memories for the past year and new goals for the new year. So this year it's 14 memories from 2014, and 15 goals for 2015.

14 Memories from 2014:

1. I turned 30.

2. I went to Vegas (for the first time as an adult) to celebrate my birthday.

3. 2014 Winter Olympics.

4. Lost a great member of the office where I work.

5. Gained a new, and very dear friend at work.

6. Got Invisalign.

7. Got veneers on my teeth! (Look for before and after photo post on this soon)

8. Went to a design fair in Santa Monica.

9. Became the party/birthday planner at work.

10. Went to Disneyland for Halloweentime (first time for me. It was awesome!)

11. Bought a sketch from the sketch artists at Disneyland. I've always wanted one.

12. Won 1st place for our office Halloween costume contest.

13. Started writing half an hour a day at work.

14. Changed my hairstyle and color. I love being a redhead!

15 Goals for 2015:

1. Finish my novel by April 30th.

2. Get a laptop.

3. Start learning French on new laptop.

4. Get a raise for my new position at work.

5. Pay off my two credit cards.

6. Continue dream house posts on my blog.

7. Send out novel to agents before my birthday in July.

8. Get a new loan to pay off more debt and lower payments every month.

9. Do a hand stand in yoga.

10. Furnish my room with new pieces, and make my room more livable.

11. Continue to keep my room organized. (It was a mess that I had to clean up over break.)

12. Clean up my bike (that is just sitting on the balcony) and get a cover for it.

13. Follow the 7-week program in Calling in the One and meet my husband.

14. Write a YA retelling of Mansfield Park for NaNoWriMo.

15. Visit the beach and Santa Monica at least once a month.

And my overall goal or mantra for the year is to write every day. I don't care if it's just a sentence. I want to write something, even if it's not on one of my stories, and just my journal.

I also found this on pinterest for some great ideas for goals for the new year:

Writer's Block

I feel like I haven't posted anything in forever, which is actually two months. I don't ever make any promises to myself or to you about blogging consistency, just that when I do post something it's because I really want to.


I found it extremely fitting then, when I found these earrings on Etsy yesterday and was compelled to share them. I never would have thought to use calligraphy pens as earrings. I just love how creative they are. I think I might buy them for a Christmas present to myself.



Wreck this Journal

buy yours here

Back in February, Ward, one of my bosses (I have three. I'll have to explain that some other time.) brought in these journals for the four of us designers as a fun competition. Originally he gave us until June 1st to have them done, but life happens and June 1st turned into the end of June, which turned into having them all in the office by August 9th, and finally giving out prizes today.

No one else finished their journals like I did (yes, I did every single page, including doing somthing spontaneously destructive), so I won first prize, but everyone got a prize. That's just the way Ward rolls.

Our journals have been hanging out at work for the last two weeks

 



The moment Ward handed me the journal I was so excited to get started (and also a little aprehensive; I love books. How could I wreck a book?!). Every page has instructions as to how your suppose to wreck it, things like "climb up high, drop the journal", "make a mess. clean it up", "write carelessly", "take the journal in the shower". I had a lot of fun with it, and it opened up other creative projects for me, especially my writing. I will say that my journal isn't as much "wrecked" as it is... "covered in art". At least, that's how I would describe it, and I'm sticking with that. Here are some of my own favorite pages:

Dragon Ears

I've been seeing a trend in earcuffs lately, especially on Etsy, and I love it. I'm not usually drawn to trends, but jewelry is on it's own wavelength in my mind. I haven't made any of my own jewelry in months and I'm starting to feel that itch again.

ashaloo

martymagic

francisfrank

StylesBiju

The dragons that wrap around your ear are my favorite, but I'd love to make some that drape with chain. It's such an understated punk look that I would love to experiment with.

Hope you're all having a lovely Monday so far!

Day 6: What do I do?

If I couldn't answer with my job, how would I answer the question, "what do you do?"

image via pinterest

 

 

I'm a creator. A storyteller. An artist. A designer. I see images and shapes and translate them into a story. I weave words and shape fictional characters into believable landscapes. I make the fantastical tangible. I make imagination my daily reality.

 

I'm obsessed with music because most of the above is not possible without music. Music is a story in sound, notes, and beat. I am a learner. I read: about people, the world, magic, and health. I fill my days with as much color and beauty as possible. And I would not be fulfilled if I wasn't finding that next object, story, idea, or design to satisfy my creative appetite. 

 



Belated Anniversary

Your Journey print via Stephanie Morris on etsy

It came to my attention today that I missed my blog's 3rd year anniversary. At first, I was thinking I started it two years ago and was pleasantly surprised to be reminded otherwise. I'm not sure my blog has become exactly what I originally envisioned it to be. I think it's become something better, something I've come to rely on.

But that's the beauty of life, isn't it? You may not understand why things happen the way they happen until much later, and then they have already molded you, and led you exactly where you need to be.

Reaching for the stars

I came to the conclusion last weekend that most of my life I've been playing things small. Do you ever feel that way, like you've been telling yourself your dreams really just aren't possible right now because of one thing or another, and you'll get to them tomorrow? It's not a very empowering way to live, telling myself I don't have the money to do this, or I'm not ready to do that...Well, when am I going to be ready exactly?

I was recently reading about an actor who made his life about facing his fears. He deliberately does things he's afraid of, like swimming with sharks. And, even though he's still afraid of sharks, he knows he can face that fear and move on. I've always had the hardest time with facing my fears. I have a hard time looking stupid, or, at least, feeling like people think I look stupid. I worry about what people think of me. I'm getting better. Most days I don't feel the need to be embarrassed, but it's an ongoing process.

One thing I've discovered is that the one thing I fear the most isn't failing, it's succeeding. Sure, I want to find my husband and write novels that people love in they way they love Harry Potter and Twilight (yes, I know, I'm ambitious), but what do I do if that all actually happens? And what if my husband is the man I really want him to be, someone that seems so out of my reach-not to mention out of my league- that I feel ridiculous to even consider hoping for it? I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it.

Of course, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid of failing in these things too.

The only thing I know to do is be positive, to envision my future in my mind and keep that vision with me wherever I go. To set realistic goals to get to where I want to be, even if where I want to be seems like reaching for the stars.

Have you ever felt like you've had goals in life that were unreachable, but achieved them anyway?

(I saw another poster from Susannah Tucker via Not Your Average Ordinary and loved this one so much on etsy that I had to use it.)

A little bit on failing

In the years I've been following blogs and writing my own I've been continually amazed by how people keep up with what's going on all around the web. I barely have the time to regularly read the blogs I do follow (sorry girls!...and some guys!), let alone keep up with my own blog, work, write my novel, and make jewelry. Oh, and let's not forget attempting to have a social life. It's just that there seems to be more and more going on in the world and I struggle to find a balance between staying connected and becoming too "plugged into the system."

A topic I've been hearing a lot of lately is that of failing (on any level). Brandi over at Not Your Average Ordinary just posted on the subject and I told her I recently heard James Cameron on Ted Talks speaking about his experiences with failure (video above). It's incredible to hear from his point of view given the amazing levels of creativity he has achieved with his form of art. I think the most inspiring idea I got from his talk was how he has taken NASA's motto of 'failure is not an option', and turned it around to say something like 'failure has to be an option'.

Another great thing he says is to not put limitations on yourself because other people will do that for you. It's so true, isn't it?! In other words, don't be afraid to fail, don't hold yourself back from taking risks. I think a big step toward this is learning to let go of things, which is something I have a hard time with. How can you possibly move forward in life and live big when you have all of these issues holding you back that you've never let go of?

Just a little something to think about.

Four Leaf Clover Earrings

etsy listing

etsy listing

I'm making some special pieces for St. Patrick's Day for sale on my etsy shop for $30 each. The first is shaped completely by me out of plated copper wire (except for the Swarovski crystals, of course) and the second I used already made ear wires.

I had a lot of fun making them and I think I'll be putting up some necklaces soon as well so check back at my shop! I'm just learning how to shape wire so I'm experimenting with craft wire for now. Eventually, I'd love to use real silver or more expensive wire, but until then I'll just be having fun trying out new things with wire :-)

Business ventures

Lately I've been giving a lot of thought to how I can make money until I can find a job. I'm finding that I'm not a very good self promoter. Look at my blog, for example. I haven't had any new followers in about two years. And my etsy shop hasn't had much success either.

Regardless, I thought I'd share the fact that a few days ago I posted some ads on Craigslist for Interior Design services and for cupcakes.

Please do feel free to check out the ads, but I'll also summarize for you: For Interior Design I'm offering general ideas for redesigning your home or just one room in your home, as well as help with reorganizing. I offer space planning, furnishings selections, color schemes, and 3D renderings. I'm charging $75 per hour (although I can work around anyone's budget), and I offer a first time consultation in your home for a flat fee of $50. Whatever advice or ideas I give in that consultation are yours to have with no obligation to work with me further.

For cupcakes I'm offering my special gluten-free cupcakes for any occasion, whether it be a birthday, a wedding, a dinner party, or any kind of event. My flavors are limited because they're gluten free, but they taste just as delicious as a regular cupcake! (I always tell everyone they are gluten-free, but they're not sugar-free!) Prices are $30/dozen regular sized, $30/2 dozen minis.

If you know of anyone in Ventura County or LA county who is interested in either of my services please do pass the word along, or if you yourself are interested, don't hesitate to shoot me an email for any further details!

Fairy Tale Designs

Crystal & Pearl necklace 

Crystal & Chain earrings

Crystal & Pearl earrings

Recently I expanded my easy shop, which I've also renamed Fairy Tale Designs, to include jewelry in addition to my art. (I also really would like to have some of my art made into pendants for necklaces, but I'll tell you more about that once I've decided to get that rolling.) I've only made a few pieces so far, mainly earrings (click above for links to individual items in my shop) and I'm having a sale through Valentine's Day, everything 20% off.

Feel free to check out my new shop and let me know what you think! I would especially love to know what anyone thinks about having a shop offer both art and jewelry. Do you think it's too confusing?

Endings and Beginnings

Today I'm posting from my iPad, which was the most awesome Christmas present I've ever recieved, but I'm finding myself hindered in many ways, especially when it comes to blogging, that weren't a problem when I had a computer. Said computer died on me on the 18th of December. It was a sad day indeed. We'd been through a lot together. For a PC it lived a rather long time (7 years). Luckily I had nearly everything on that computer backed up. It would've been a catastrophe had that not been the case. But, like I said, I'm feeling hindered without it.

Don't get me wrong, I love this iPad! I watch my instant Netflix, which I couldn't do on my computer because it was so slow, and I can still work on my writing with Pages, which is infinitely better than Word, and my brother got me this awesome case that includes a bluetooth keyboard and props my iPad up so it really feels like I'm using a laptop. But I can't even show you a picture of what it looks like because on blogger I can't post pictures from my iPad. This is a serious issue for me because I'm so unfamiliar with how to post pictures via a URL. I suppose I should get a Flickr account. I think that would work, anyway. Any ideas?

Anyway, this is the reason why this post is void of any photos, which I think is what gives my blog it's life. My words offer substance, but I've never fealt I really have a thing for this posting in the moment thing that so many bloggers seem to have a gift for (although, I'm sure there are times many of you plan out your posts ahead of time, I'm still hopeless at this). I seem to have more of a gift for writing fiction. Obviously. I suppose I feel my own life is rather boring and adding photos is my way of making it more exciting...in a way.

So I'm sitting here getting ready to watch the Saints play the Lions in the wild card playoffs, wishing I could add photos of the many books I've read recently that I'd like to tell you about. The first are the Hunger Games trilogy, but I'm sure you all know what the covers to these books look like, but if not I'm going to utilize my ability to use links. These books are amazing. I've read each in about 2 or 3 days. I just finished Catching Fire two days ago and I'm about to finish Mockingjay today. I'm crazy excited to read the ending, but I'm really nervous at the same time because the story covering all three books has proven to be so tragic. I've laughed, I've cried, I've gotten angry, frustrated, creeped out, and nervous as hell! It's been quite a ride and it makes me even more excited for the movie coming out in March!

I also read the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo last month and I can't wait to see the movie, it was that awesome! I really had a hard time putting it down. I was completely shocked to find out what happened to Harriet and I couldn't help but be fascinated with Lisbeth. I'm not crazy about the ending, but it was an amazingly written story overall.

I'm also still working on my dragon novel and I hope to be done with that soon. I can't believe how long I've been working on it, but it is pretty complex. I can't wait for the day when I'll be able to tell you it's getting published! I'm optomistic that will happen this year. Put out some good energy for me!

Two Years!

 (Central Park by Matteart on etsy. It really doesn't relate to my post but I just love this guy's art! More on that later!)

Today is the 2nd anniversary of my blog. It seems odd that it was such a short time ago that I created it. And I feel it rather a shame that it never got very far in the world of blogs. Not to say that I haven't met some very wonderful people who still so loyally follow my simple little blog. And it's definitely not to say that I won't continue with it in the years to come.

When I created this blog I had high hopes for it. Indeed, it was a place of creativity and refuge that I so deeply enjoyed. Just when it seemed things were progressing with my blogging, my whole world crumbled around me and everything came to a screeching halt. No doubt my blog has suffered somewhat because of the drastic changes in my life in the past year and a half (well, almost two years now). What with how very little activity there is in my life since I lost my job and the fact that I spend most of my time with my head deeply immersed in a world I have been creating for the past few years (that would be my fantasy novel), I've found I have little to share.

I know that my situation is only temporary, however, and I do hope you will all bear with me. I know I have been slacking in the area of blog commenting, which I will do my best to rectify as often as possible. But I will say ever since I got an iPhone, I've been finding more excuses not to log onto the internet on my computer (the only way I can really post on my blog), because my computer is so slow in comparison it's almost torturous. All this aside, I do hope you will all know I have not disappeared, and I'm sure by my 3rd anniversary, I will have had much more to share with you!

Have a lovely weekend!

Baking for a good cause

l to r: me, Kim, Brandi, and Erin

This last Saturday I drove out to Silver Lake with my mom (who took this photo) to participate in a bake sale to support the Pablove Foundation, which funds pediatric cancer research as well as works to improve the life of children living with cancer through hospital arts and music programs. There were some amazingly yummy looking treats  (I brought gluten free chocolate mint cupcakes) made by quite a few blog friends of the lovely ladies, Kim and Brandi, who sacrificed their time and energy to put on this event and raised an amazing $480 to donate to this incredible foundation! Awesome right?! Definitely one of the coolest things I've been able to participate in!

(photo via not your average ordinary)

Bake Sale!

Brandi and Kim have organized this awesome bake sale going on tomorrow in Silver Lake. I'll be baking gluten free chocolate cupcakes with mint frosting today for the occasion! So if you're in the area come check it out! You'll be supporting childrens cancer research and you can check out the sweet music collection at Vacation Vinyl!

Sprinkles

Since I've been watching Cupcake Wars every Tuesday (there's a new one on tonight!) I've had Sprinkles on the brain. I'd had a Sprinkles cupcake before, but I'd never actually been to one of their locations (there's two in my area: Beverly Hills and Newport Beach). And then I found out from Cupcake Wars that Sprinkles was the first cupcake bakery and started it all! It makes sense considering how amazing their cupcakes are - or should I say, how good Candice's cupcakes are. I've never had a better cupcake (although, I have to say that Vanilla Bakeshop in Santa Monica is a pretty close second).

Then, last week, I saw Candice on the Today show making a gluten-free red velvet cupcake and I was so excited! I'm assuming that Chloe, who was on Cupcake Wars, might have turned Candice on to vegan and gluten-free, but who knows. Just as long as Sprinkles is making vegan and gluten-free (so far, just in their red velvet) everyone else will soon follow! And I'm totally for it! Needless to say, I wanted to try one and last Friday, when I had to go see my dentist in Beverly Hills, I got the chance to. My mom and I walked over after my appointment and waited patiently in line to get both a gluten-free and a vegan red velvet cupcake:

Oh, so yummy! I recommend the vegan one. Gluten-free is tough to do. The vegan cupcake is fluffier and the frosting is a bit better too, but they're both very tasty!

Aloe vera plant

So I ventured into the kitchen sink yesterday and repotted my aloe plants. The picture above is the before with my new bigger pot on the right for the mother plant (the largest aloe plant).

And here are the plants in their new homes. Well, the mother plant has a new home! I went to this website that gives tips and info on how to take care of aloe vera plants; especially care for indoor and potted aloe plants. I found out that the smaller plants can start to suck energy from the biggest mother plant and they need to be separated. So that's what I did. It was fun too. I got all dirty. It's really a lot of fun to do sometimes :)

The Beach and Cookies

I tagged along on a "photography field trip" on Saturday with Shannon and our friend Vlad, who had just acquired a new camera. Shannon is a photographer and wanted to show Vlad how to use the camera. We rode our bikes down to the beach and then walked down to the water. I helped find flat rocks good for skipping, which made for some really awesome photos. (And my camera on my phone doesn't take terrible photos either!)

 

 

 

We walked down to the Santa Monica Pier from the beach once it was dark and I was starting to freeze and stopped at Bubba Gumps for a drink. Shannon took some photos on the pier and then couldn't help himself when he saw this bubble machine. 

 

Today I decided I wanted to make cookies, which I haven't done in a while and I really enjoy doing. I've been baking alot of brownies lately and needed a change. Anyway, I was really craving those chocolate cookies with the white chocolate chips:

 

 

Yep, here's a plate just for you! They're delicious!