Friday, March 29, 2013

StampingChallenges -- SC13


Here is my latest sketch challenge for Stamping Challenges  (SC13 -- March 29, 2013).  

Each week StampingChallenges.com create a sketch for you to try, and the challenge is for you to interpret it the way you see those elements used -- make substitutions with your creativity!

It's open to everyone, so start stamping with us today.

Here was the sketch to work from:



Here's what I did:



Want to get the materials to make a card like this? Visit my store:

For this card I used

Cardstock:
Whisper White (White)

Stamp:

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Purposeful Solitude

Over the weekend my crane count was at 888 -- a very auspicious number!

According to Wikipedia:
The word for "eight" (八 Pinyin: bā) sounds similar to the word which means "prosper" or "wealth" (發 – short for "發財", Pinyin: fā). In regional dialects the words for "eight" and "fortune" are also similar, e.g. Cantonese "baat" and "faat".

There is also a visual resemblance between two digits, "88", and 囍, the "shuāng xĭ" ("double joy"), a popular decorative design composed of two stylized characters 喜 ("xĭ" meaning "joy" or "happiness").

Previously I had posted about mindfulness, and today that idea was further reinforced when I stumbled across a term that I think very poignantly encapsulates what I feel when I fold the cranes: Purposeful Solitude.

There's always going to be something to worry about, or do, or someplace to be. Or maybe you're on the other side of the spectrum where you have too much time to yourself and you spend them mindlessly consuming or consumed with things that are just that... things. Either way, take some time just for you to be somewhere quiet. You'll realize when you just force yourself to make time to do so, even if it's just minutes, it can help to quickly put some things into perspective.

I remember a conversation I had sometime last year, I said something along the lines of "Your best is your best, no one can ask you for any more than that." At the time it was argued that looking back you could always have done something better.

Both statements are true. How can I reconcile that? Well think about it, you hear that saying that hindsight is 20/20. You can always look back and say I could have done this or that. You'll always be able to find something you could have done. And as a result, you run the risk of always staying in the past beating yourself up over the things you wish you had done differently, because then things would be different today.

Looking back... I wonder did he want to change himself or his circumstance at that time in his life? How badly? Maybe a lot. Maybe not at all. Or was this just an indicator of an extra weight on his shoulders, from having very high expectations placed upon him, either by himself or someone else? I certainly know that my parents had such high expectations of me that I never felt like what I did was enough. If I lived that way, I could certainly look back right now and think "I wish I could have explored that a little more with him. I wish I could have come up with all these poignant things to say that I know now, that maybe would have been helpful/interesting to explore."

I think that's a difficult way to live though. What I found is, at the time that the conversation happened I worked with what knowledge I had at the time, shared my opinion, listened to his, and we talked about it a little more. Getting to share that with him was important in us trying to learn more about each other, and at the time it happened, we did our best to try to understand each other. So I can still be happy about that. I say that even if you have high expectations, especially the ones you place on yourself -- you should celebrate victories where you get them. Whether you think they are big or small, a victory is a victory. Your mini goals feed into your big goals.

Not saying the past isn't important, it's how we learn, grow and do better the next time. So your best can be improved upon -- just not at the time it's your best. We shouldn't take away the efforts we made before, because at the time they were our best. It shouldn't be invalidated because we can find ways to do it differently next time. If you do what you can now, yeah you might make mistakes along the way, but that's ok. Learn. Grow.


To borrow from a previous post about setbacks in life -- I think about how much I know now... I feel like everything in my life has led me to the people I have loved and lost -- friends, family, loves. My choices, my heartbreaks, my regrets. Everything. And when we’re together, my past seems worth it. Because if I had done one thing differently, I might have never met them. I look at the people I am surrounded by right now who care about me, who I also care deeply for and I feel lucky. I wouldn't trade this.

Friday, March 8, 2013

StampingChallenges -- SC10


Here is my latest sketch challenge for Stamping Challenges  (SC10 -- March 8, 2013).  

Each week StampingChallenges.com create a sketch for you to try, and the challenge is for you to interpret it the way you see those elements used -- make substitutions with your creativity!

It's open to everyone, so start stamping with us today.

Here was the sketch to work from:



Here's what I did:


There's something extra special about this card actually -- it's one of the designs for my Mother's Day Cards for a Cause. Proceeds from the sale of my two pre-designed Mother's Day cards will go to help raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis. I hope you'll take some time to learn more about how you can help.

Want to get the materials to make this card? Visit my store:

For this card I used

Cardstock:
Crumb cake (base)
Whisper White
Pretty in Pink

Stamps:
Garden Silhouettes
Teeny Tiny Wishes

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Mother's Day Cards for a Cause: Cystic Fibrosis

Last year I had the privilege of meeting the Noble family. Over the last year they have become dear friends. They are a beautiful family, and I learned how courageous a family they were, too. You see their youngest, Liana, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis is a devastating genetic disease that affects tens of thousands of children and young adults in the United States. Research and care supported by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation are making a huge difference in the lives of those with CF.

This year, I'm walking in the Great Strides walk at 2013 South Austin - Austin Zoo & Animal Sanctuary on 05/04/2013. In order to help my team meet their donation goal, I am offering card classes in the month of March and April.

You can visit my site to see what dates are available for classes. (Mostly Thursdays and Sundays, but contact me and we can work out other times as well)

Call or email me if you would like to schedule a spot for the class, or you can just RSVP through my site and I'll contact you to get your time scheduled.

Make two Mother's Day cards for $8 and I will donate $6 (that's 75%) to help raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis.

Here is what you'll be making:



I provide all the materials, you get to stamp and you'll go home with two cards w/envelopes.

Still want the cards without having to commit the time to a class? That's no problem either -- you can order the two cards from me and I'll put them together for you. It will cost the same as the class and I'll still donate the same amount to the fund.

For more information about how you can help the Nobles and other families affected by Cystic Fibrosis, please visit my Great Strides page.


Saturday, March 2, 2013

Failing in Life Isn't Failure at Life

No one likes failing. Obviously, it does not leave one with a warm, sticky, happy feeling.
Yet, sometimes it is a necessity. Well... I guess I should add a little caveat to that. It is a necessity if you're actually trying to do stuff.

In the case of people who have big ideas, it's not always paired up with follow-through.  And maybe even if there's some follow-through, then there is a huge tendency to hide behind trying to perfect something. That's a big bottleneck right there, lots of ideas just don't see fruition beyond that because, well we're scared when things aren't perfect. Or afraid that it won't do well. Sometimes you can research and plan out something, spending lots of time trying to get it just right, and it still never be quite right.

That's not to say we shouldn't plan things out and work hard to put out a good product/service/whatever it is. But we have to realize that even things that are well-planned out and seem really great on paper can fail sometimes. There's so many variables and any number of reasons things could fail -- anything from timing, audience, product itself, demand, etc.

But that's where a failure can turn into an opportunity.

In 2012, I resolved this much:
Risk failure in order to realize dreams.

There were a lot of wonderful things about 2012. I think in part my attitude about things really brought that about for myself. Once I became a little more willing to put myself out there and try out new things, and stand my ground on them, it felt like a light bulb clicked. I worried about a lot less trivial stuff, the things I did, I did because I wanted to do them and I really found purpose in what I did, in all aspects of life, not just work. That's why even now, regardless of what all has happened in my life recently, I am happy with my part in my life. I think I've been living with kindness, love and integrity, and yeah, maybe it hasn't panned out in some areas of my life the way I may have hoped, but that's an opportunity to try and make my way through the world again.

It's ok to fail at something, so long as you don't keep failing the same way and you take something away from it that will help you tweak things the next time. Failing at something can just be seen as a setback, it doesn't have to be an identifier for who you are.

I remember at the beginning of the year being asked if I could change anything in my past, would I. First of all, that's kind of a loaded question -- we can't, and even if we could, who knows what all you would alter. I thought about it though, and while yes there are things I have done that I regret, people I could've dated, people I could've avoided, tests I could've studied harder for, stocks I should've loaded up on... any number of things I could have done -- I decided no. There's not too much I would change... and that's not because I'm some kind of narcissist. I'm not perfect -- no one is. But I think about how much I know now... I feel like everything in my life has led me to the people I have loved and lost -- friends, family, loves. My choices, my heartbreaks, my regrets. Everything. And when we’re together, my past seems worth it. Because if I had done one thing differently, I might have never met them.

I think failing in certain things was an asset, because it spurs me to do better. And as a result, I don't think I am a failure at life. It is just a temporary set back, and I still want to do some pretty awesome things.

Not every aspect of my life is in perfect order. And that's ok. I still love my life. I'll keep the parts that are working for me, and just fine-tune the parts that didn't and keep going.