by Linda | Nov 30, 2011 | DIY printables
For those that celebrate Thanksgiving, I’m sure the holiday weekend was a fun-filled frenzy. Above all, it’s definitely a season to spend with loved ones and to be reminded of all the things we are thankful for. I think that sentiment of Thanksgiving goes worldwide though…it’s never a bad thing to think about gratitude and give thanks. I decided to create a scrapbook page of 11 thanks for the year 2011 – a great way to use a whole bunch of number stickers as well. But as an American, even though I live in Italy now, I wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving in my own way.
I immediately had the idea of a countdown in my mind, but needed some tags to write in my thoughts. So went ahead and designed some up for myself to print out. I thought it would be nice to share those banner tags with everyone – you can use them in digital scrapbooking or print to use on paper pages as I did above.
Download Banner Tags ZIP
Let me know if you find these useful! I find myself creating these simple elements for myself, because I just don’t have them on hand and it’s just the little thing I need for the project or page in mind. I suppose, I’m definitely thankful to be able to design these elements myself and print them out for use. Pretty cool…
by Linda | Nov 25, 2011 | my creative journal
History shows that we usually react to the problems of society and try to fix whatever is wrong. But how many times have you heard that being reactive is not enough? The trend is towards prevention, right? So when it comes to the science of happiness, why not prevent sadness to begin with? Okay, I realize that is not always possible. But I think we can all agree that happiness is important for our lives. We all want to be happy.
I think the most important little tidbit I’ve learned from reading happiness books, scouring articles and generally pondering… is that you can control your happiness. Sure it can be difficult, no one said it’s easy to be happy all day long. In fact, I’ve learned that genetics does have a huge impact…but it simply makes your journey a little tougher, not impossible.
A large part of your happiness comes from your thinking and attitude! Now, let me say that the goal is not happy-go-lucky 24/7. Our moods wane and wax like the moon and it’s okay. I’ve often noted that my default face and mood is sort of “bleh” and I don’t even realize it! The important point to realize that you can help yourself to be happy when you need it…to bounce back from sadness…or perhaps even prevent yourself from sliding down that slippery slope. You are not a victim and it’s not hopeless.
The super simplest easiest way to brighten up your mood? Smile.
Trite? Too simple? Try it…you know it works. Smile big and hold it. Feel silly? You are sending signals to your brain to be happy. When your brain realizes that you are happy, it likes that and gets a bit happier… feedback loop! Simple but true.
Try out my happy thought today – just smile.
by Linda | Nov 24, 2011 | my creative journal
It really didn’t take that much effort or time to finish up my minibook. Goes to show that I was making it harder for myself and procrastinating in pain…for nothing at all. I suppose it’s always easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel – so to speak. Here’s a peek into my finished minibook of whys… what I love, why I do the things I do and what I need to remember and remind myself of…especially when days are tough.
For the cover, I pretty much kept it the same but added the pinkish patterned paper for consistency throughout the book. It’s funny how it matched with the pink number “2” I already had. You can see the old version here and read about how this book came to be. The suggestions from The Book of Why by Karen Grunberg really helped me to organize what I really wanted to document – the whys or reminders in my case. It was really easy to identify the areas of my life that mattered and to write up the journaling.
The opening pages have the introduction of why I created this minibook and the evolution of what it will be now. Simple, typed up. But for the rest of the book, I decided to handwrite everything.
My journaling isn’t exactly answering the question why – all the time – they are just bits that came to mind. I’m keeping it loose…it’s my book after all… it can be whatever I want. I created spreads for my husband and our Westie Vash, obvious choices.
However, I also included other important decisions of my life…like living in Italy. It’s a wonderful thing and everyone is always jealous. But there are challenges when throwing yourself into a foreign country, culture and language. Sometimes I do have to remind myself the whys and they are very wonderful reasons…
Scrapbooking is most definitely a spread as well. It’s for the memories and for safekeeping, but it’s also fun and creative for me. I love sharing the results, because it puts a smile on everyone’s face to remember… lots of reasons why I scrap. I didn’t have photos of me scrapping, so decided to use little thumbnails of my favorite pages. I will be adding in thumbnails over time, I think.
I also included a spread for taking care of me, myself and I. Often…we feel so selfish in doing things for ourselves…this especially happens to women who are natural caretakers of the household. I really want to remind myself that I need to take good care of myself, to satisfy my own needs. Ultimately, me being happy benefits everyone else too. Less crabbiness and more smiles all around…
The last spread of my book really makes me happy… I have a clip to slip in my favorite photos to look at … and my parents on the right saying “be happy”… I actually have this open on my desk because I love it so much.
My little book is definitely a twist of sorts from the original book of why idea, it just morphed into a sort of perspective on various aspects of my life. Definitely reminders and words of wisdom, from me to me. I’m really happy with the results and glad to have got it done. Again, I don’t even know why it was so hard to finish before…silly silly. Hope you enjoyed seeing a peek into my book…maybe you’ll create your own?
by Linda | Nov 23, 2011 | my creative journal
We all need time to recharge our bodies and minds. It’s not always about tasks lists and check marks. We all know this!
The problem is when we take breaks that aren’t really breaks. When I think I’m resting, I’m not really getting recharged at all. I’m still going…
Surfing on the internet is exhausting. It’s not a recharge type of activity. Watching a movie doesn’t let my mind rest…I’m usually having conversations inside my head, analyzing this and that.
Recharge activities are supposed to give you energy after the fact. If you still want to veg-out or go to sleep afterwards…I don’t think the original purpose was served.
So I’m thinking more about my breaktimes. If my recharge activities are working. Do I feel energized afterwards…or drained even more?
I know that I need to find better ways to truly recharge.
by Linda | Nov 22, 2011 | DIY printables
After posting my printable journaling cards, I realized that I needed horizontal variations! I happen to have a stack of clear pockets in that format, so I went back into Illustrator and created a new set of journaling cards. These cards are specifically designed to be horizontal in format. A mix of designs to help you record those daily thoughts and notes…
Download Horizontal Journaling Cards ZIP
You can actually use these in your digital scrapbooking layouts, as with all my digital products. However, I also love to print out digital designs to use them in crafting projects as well as traditional scrapbooking. Enjoy and let me know what you think.
If you like my design printables be sure to sign up for my email newsletter for more freebies and the latest updates!
by Linda | Nov 21, 2011 | my creative journal
I’m an A4 paper size scrapper…because it happens to be the normal paper size here in Europe. This means I can print my own scrapbook paper pretty easily, using the borderless printing setting. It works pretty well and gives me instant gratification, especially for easy design backgrounds. Word jumbles, vintage textures and music note pages are quick and easy to print out, without emptying your entire ink cartridge.
Since most scrappers work in the 12″x12″ size, unless you have a large format printer, I realize it’s not going to be easy to print your own paper at home. In fact, I’ve heard of the printing and cutting machines that haven’t exactly made a splash in the scrapbooking consumer industry. I suppose, it’s just too much trouble and takes up too much ink.
Despite the limitations, I still think printing at home gives you power and choice! You can print out backing papers when you only need a small piece. Or if you need a photomat, you can actually just print the frame part that will show, saving ink. There are a lot of applications and possible uses, so don’t discount the print at home technique. It’s part of your toolbox – it’s an option! Have you tried printing at home? Any tips or tricks?
by Linda | Nov 20, 2011 | my creative journal
I bought de Kooning: An American Master (affiliate link to Amazon) a while back, started reading it but was interrupted for whatever reason and literally forgot about on my dusty bookshelf. I’ve always been a fan of de Kooning’s work and actually posted about it last year. Having heard good reviews for the book, I was excited to dive into it. Sort of a behind the scenes chronicle of a great artist’s life… not to mention he was a master that actually struggled with doubt – a feature that makes me want to learn more. I feel now that he seems more human, not just a master that is put up on a pedestal to admire. I’ve also seen various works by him that seem so different and so I wanted to learn more about his work as well.
I’ve only read a little bit about de Kooning’s beginnings and childhood, but already gaining perspective on the hard work and dramatic journey of his life. It’s a hefty book, so hopefully I can get myself to schedule proper reading time. I don’t want to let it collect more dust…because I’m certain it will be helpful to dive into de Kooning’s world. Wish me luck.
by Linda | Nov 19, 2011 | my creative journal
So I’m done reading The War of Art (affiliate link to Amazon)
because it’s such a short book – quick read! Turns out that it’s nothing like The Artist’s Way, besides a bit of religious/spiritual talk.
I felt that it was a description of why we resist doing things and a comparison of amateur versus pro… ending with his thoughts on the muse/genius/etc… but in the end it doesn’t really enlighten in terms of how one might beat the issues and get creative. I suppose, you should apply what you have read in terms of what a professional does. So ultimately he says you just got to do it and the creativity will flow.
True, but also easier said than done – which I suppose it also another point of the book. I dunno. Not sure if the thoughts have made a huge difference or if I have just procrastinated myself by reading the book. But it’s short enough that perhaps it was worth simply exploring these issues.
Perhaps what bothers me about the themes of the book… is the idea that there’s this magically force – our Muse or God that does the magically stuff. We are just vessels. Sounds lovely, but I don’t like feeling as if I don’t really matter. That the “magic” can go through anyone – even if it’s semantics like “anyone can cook”… it just doesn’t sit well with me. It puts a sarcastic expression on my face and say “hmm…i dunno…” Am I being egotistical, selfish and ultimately simply procrastinating? Sigh…
by Linda | Nov 17, 2011 | my creative journal
When it was first released as part of Seth Godin‘s Domino Project, I quickly read through Steven Pressfield’s super short book, Do the Work
. Although it’s probably not rocket science information in the creative world, I really connected with what he was saying and loved his “pep talk” style of writing. Simply put, we all know that it takes action and hard work to get something done. But breaking down the issues and problems that come up along the creative process helps me to deal with and overcome them, too.
So it’s been on my list for a while to read his more well known book, The War of Art (affiliate link to Amazon). I’ve downloaded it to my kindle and looking forward to more creative insight on this crazy thing called the creative process. The artistic genius, the creative beast, the starving artist… Art has such a dramatic reputation, don’t you think?
Although the book seems like it could be similar to The Artist’s Way, I know it’s not in a workshop style, plus I like the voice in which Pressfield writes…so I think it can only be a helpful thing to read the darn book. Have you read it? What do you think?
by Linda | Nov 16, 2011 | my creative journal
Lots of gratitude to my kindle, because I’ve managed to read a lot more than normally these past months. I’m definitely getting reading more into my normal day routine and perhaps one day I can get back to my teenaged years of devouring books by the dozen. For now, I’ve finished reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (affiliate link to Amazon) – I had started in October and posted about. Although you might think I’m probably the slowest reader in the world, I’m happy to have gotten through the book. How’s that for a happiness project?
I think of the book as a bit like The Artist’s Way that I’ve posted about before. It’s definitely a record of Gretchen’s year-long happiness project, but she shares her insights and experiences in hopes to inspire you to start your own happiness project. So you can definitely use it as a guide to go through a year of various happiness resolutions. I’ve definitely drawn out a lot of “food for thought” tid bits from the book. By no means a scientific approach to understanding the science of happiness – I had kind of hoped for more mentions of studies about happiness (listening to Radio Lab too much perhaps…) In reality, the book is more like a crafty DIY guide, documenting a year of happiness boosting attempts. I like it!
I don’t know if I can take on a project of that sort right now in my life, but just by reading the book I’ve gained insight. I think most of all, it’s about being more aware of what we do, how we do it and how we feel. I’ve certainly stopped more than once to think about what really makes me happy. What activities contribute to my happiness and how I can reduce crabbiness and grumpiness. I feel that I’m already more in tune and attentive to my own behavior. Even when it’s a bit too late to take back what I say, at least I can immediately say sorry and correct myself. Sometimes I feel like I missed all of this education and experience as a kid… maybe we should be teaching our kids these happiness ways of living, huh? It’s just a really interesting way to think about happiness and living.
Turns out there’s a whole website setup for people to start their happiness projects, according to how Gretchen approached it. If you are interested, definitely check out the book and the website for more info. Cheers!
