Category Archives: Motivation

Looking for Beauty at Aunt Bee’s House!

Good evening!

I am so very excited to share this post with you this evening, but before I get too ahead of myself, I wanted to tell you a little bit of back story on this post! Last week, I went to one of my FAVORITE shops here in town, Aunt Bee’s House! Aunt Bee’s House is a large marketplace for people to rent space to sell their home furnishings, decorative items, gifts, and other beautiful treasures!! When I find that I am needing to get some retail therapy, some inspiration for doing some decorating in my little condo, find a new color combination ideas for my next arting project, or if I am need of a unique and perfect gift for a friend or family member – Aunt Bee’s House is my go-to place of choice!!

Well, anyway I had gathered up the nerve to introduce myself to the staff, and ask if I could take some pictures so that I could post them on blog, This Artsy Life. That may not sound like a big deal, but me being eternally shy and having a tendency to want to remain invisible when I am out on the town by myself, I was pretty dang proud of myself!! Well, of course the staff of Aunt Bee’s House being SO AMAZING, welcoming and friendly, they said “yes” immediately, and off I went – snapping away!!! I was such a happy girl, and I think I came home with something like 200 pictures!!

Needless to say, it was a GREAT day!! 🙂

Well, long story short, I got home placed my camera card in my computer, and my computer essentially ate all of my pictures!! UGH!!

I would love to tell you that me being the new brave and outgoing Christina, I turned around went right back and started the process all over again, but alas that is not how it went down! 🙂 It literally took me another week to gather up my courage again to go back and ask if I might take those pictures again!! The FABULOUS staff so graciously said “yes” again, and again I spent a lovely afternoon just snapping away!! Finding all sorts of treasures and beautiful items to delight the senses. I can’t believe it had taken me so long to get back there!! I REALLY LOVE THIS PLACE!!! 😉

Soooo…

Tonight I am very happy to share with you some of the pictures that I took while at Aunt Bee’s House.

Here we go!! 🙂

Aunt Bee's House

Aunt Bee's 1

This is what you see when you first walk in to the shop! The colors of these quilts are so happy and joyful, that I think that quilting may become my next hobby/passion!! Oh man, what is my sweetie going to think about that??? 😉

Aunt Bee's 3

I am really loving teal painted furniture!! Hmmmm…I wonder how my sweetie would feel about having his dresser painted teal?

Aunt Bee's 7

I love this little vignette! 🙂 The lamps, the bowl of green apples, the books, the horse, everything!! LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!!

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I love the juxtaposition of this stripped wooden vessel and the red vintage books.

Aunt Bee's 10

and how about these two large gears??? Aren’t they just AMAZING???? I am SERIOUSLY thinking about going back and bringing these two manly studs home!!! 🙂

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Who knew that oil can could be chic? Well, apparently they can be!!! 🙂

Aunt Bee's 6

I am LOVING this headboard! The colors, the restic-ness of it, and maybe just the ingeniousness use of recycled fence posts!!

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These are decorative storage boxes that looks like books with tapestry covers! VERY SPRINGY!! 😉

Aunt Bee's 17

I love this vignette too! The books, plant pot, bird, and yes even the doily!! Who knew that I was going to have to start thinking about getting a doily?? My mama would be very proud!! 😉

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I LOVE this LOVE sign!! 😉

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Aren’t these just the cutest?? They are weighted pillows! I could see myself using these as a door stop for my front door!! SO SWEET!!

Aunt Bee's 15

This is SUCH an INGENIOUS way to display simple ribbon roses!! I may have to give this project a try!! 😉

Aunt Bee's 19

I am a SUCKER for colored glass vessels, and this BLUE is just STUNNING!!! 😉

Aunt Bee's 14

I may need a whole slew of these to decorate all over our place!! I just LOVE rustic stars, and the glitter really adds a but of glam!!

Aunt Bee's 23

This mannequin FASCINATES me!! Whoever gets to take this love figure home is my hero!! I LOVE THIS!!!

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This little lady was kind of tucked in the back of this display, and as soon as I saw her, I knew she just needed to be brought forward and with a little bit of rearranging she is now the ROCK STAR of this vignette!! 😉

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Here is another vignette that makes me happy to look at! I am really digging the message of this teal sign. “Thank God for blessing me much more than I deserve!” This has become my motto on almost a daily basis!! 😉

Aunt Bee's

I am just CRAZY about this white chippy dresser!! TRES CHIC!!! 😉

Aunt Bee's 22

I am so impressed by this paper wreath!! Someone has some SERIOUS patience!! 😉

Aunt Bee's 28

I love this rack!! I could see this in my place being used as our mail rack…or maybe a medicine rack…or maybe a spice rack…or maybe as an organizer in my art studio…or maybe as a…or as a…!! I KNOW, IT IS A SICKNESS!!! 🙂

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This is a message that I am going to try and apply to my life this week!! Enjoy the Little Things!! 🙂

Aunt Bee's 26

Here is another one of those FABULOUS quilts!! See what I mean?? I love this design and the colors!! I would LOVE to have a new, homemade quilt for our bedroom!!! Sooooo cheery!!!

Well, there you have it!!! I hope you have enjoyed all of these pictures, as much as I had taking them!!! If you happen to be in the Salem area, I would highly recommend visiting Aunt Bee’s House!! I KNOW there will be THE PERFECT treasure waiting there JUST FOR YOU!!!

Thank you to the INCREDIBLE staff at Aunt Bee’s House for letting me share your lovely shop with my readers. I am greatly impressed by everything about your shop, there is such a welcoming, homey feeling that is evident as soon as you walk in the door!!!! I will most DEFINITELY be back in again!! 😉

To my readers, I want to make sure you know that I am in no way compensated by Aunt Bee’s House, and all of the opinions expressed are solely my own!! I hope you enjoyed all of these pictures!! 😉

Here is to a FABULOUS evening!!  ;-)

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If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

Bliss List Friday!

CrownGood afternoon!

I realize it has been a while since I have last posted, but mama has been soooo busy this past week! I had a HUGE test today, that I had been seriously cramming for!! Some of you may not know this, but it my normal day job, I am a computer programmer, which is almost the exact opposite of how my brain was naturally wired to function!! 😉 So, when I find out that I have to take a test to get certified in something for work, it really takes a LOT of hunkerin’ down and trying REALLY hard to get the information to stick into my poor brain!! 😉

Anyway, the test is done – WHEW!!! I am not exactly sure that I don’t have to take it again in a couple of weeks, but hopefully I’ve passed and that messy business is ALL DONE!!! 😉 That was me speaking in my best Paula Deen inspired southern drawl, honey!!! 😉

In honor of my test being done, and it now being my official start to my weekend! YEAH!!! I have decided that it is high time to get back to my Friday Bliss List posting!! I think it is so important to live a life of gratitude, especially when life can be a little bit hectic, so here is what I am thankful for this week!

My Friday Bliss List:

  1. I am sooooo thankful that my test is done!
  2. I am sooooo thankful that it is the weekend!
  3. I am sooooo thankful that I get to spend some time with my four-legged girls this evening, enjoying a quiet house!
  4. I am sooooo thankful that my sweetie has been helping us keep our bed made every day!! There is nothing better than heading to bed after a long day and realizing that your bed is already made, and just calling for you to come snuggle down, and get comfy!!
  5. I am sooooo thankful that I got to spend some time this week FaceTiming with my sissy, Alex!! She is sunshine personified!!! I am ONE LUCKY GIRL to be able to call her Sister!! 😉
  6. I am sooooo thankful for my girlfriends at the office! What would I EVER do without my peeps???
  7. I am sooooo thankful to have been able to spend a day playing at one of my favorite shops here in town, Aunt Bee’s House!! I will hopefully be able to share those pics with you tomorrow!!! 😉
  8. I am sooooo thankful that, because a change in his weekend work plans, my sweetie gets to stay in town this weekend, which means we are going to get some quality fun time playing together this Sunday – I CAN’T WAIT!!!
  9. I am sooooo thankful that I get to spend some time arting in my art studio this weekend, it has been MUCH TOO LONG!!!!
  10. I am sooooo thankful for my life!! Life is SERIOUSLY good! I know that I am blessed, and just knowing THAT helps me stay in gratitude!!

There you have it!! I hope that you all have your own Bliss List of  blessings that you can call on at a moments’ notice too!!

Here is to a FABULOUS evening!!  ;-)

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If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

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Artist Date Nights and Paris!

Paris Was a WomanGood evening!

Thursday nights in our house is artist date night, which means my sweetie goes out to spend some times with the guys, and I squirrel away doing something creative, like maybe some arting, or watching a fabulous movie, or taking myself out to see something beautiful!

Tonight I have chosen to watch what I am hoping will be a fabulous movie!! That movie is called Paris was a Woman, directed by Greta Schiller. The NetFlix description of this movie says,

“With home movies and intimate storytelling, this documentary re-creates the mood of Paris’s unique female artistic community between the World Wars.”

You may not know this about me, but I have always had a love affair with all things French!! I may have been born an American, I have always been a Francophile at heart!!!

I love…

the people,
the culture,
the architecture,
the history,
the sense of community,
the pace,
the countryside,
the language,
the fashion,
the food,
the music,
I LOVE IT ALL!!

Ok, well, since I have never actually been to France yet, I love the idea of all of the marvelously beautiful things!! I love watching French movies, I love reading French books, and I just adore French music!!

So, tonight for my artist date, I have decided to submerge myself some more into my love of all things French by watching this movie!!

Here is to a FABULOUSLY ARTSY evening!! 😉

Bonsoir!

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If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

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A Day of Movement!

CrownGood evening!
Today has been almost a picture perfect, albeit a bit chilly Spring day here in Oregon!!!

I have been in a go-go-go-I’m-on-a-roll-crossing-off-all-sorts-of-stuff-off-my-to-do-list-kind-of-mode all day!! and even though I have a tendency to be a bit manic while I am in this mode, just ask my sweetie, it is really awesome to get to the end of the day and realize that because of all the work you did today, your life may be just a little bit better tomorrow!!

Tonight, my sweetie and I, and our three four-legged girls are hanging out, watching the tele, and just enjoying being quiet while hanging out at our little bitty home!! Ok, so truth be told, my sweetie and I are watching the tele and the girls are actually sleeping, one of them is even snoring!! Nice, right??? That is how we roll!!! 🙂

I tried something new dinner-wise tonight, and let’s just say, it didn’t turn out exactly as I had planned! It was a breakfast skillet kind of concoction that may have been a bit of a let down! I was sure that it would be fool-proof, I mean seriously??? Eggs, bacon, peppers, onion, hash browns, salsa, cheese???? There is no way that could possibly fail, right??? Yeah, well, that is what I was thinking BEFORE I tasted it!! LOL!! 😉 God bless my sweetie, he ate it like a trooper and never said a peep, but I am telling you – that recipe is not gonna be written down for posterity sake!! Matter of fact, I am sure that humanity will thank me for letting that one go out into the ether!! 😉 Oh well, no one ever said that having an Artsy Life was going to be an easy thing!!!

I am still working on my  The Right Brain Business Plan, and I have made some process, and will be happy to show you some pictures tomorrow of how that is going!! The hard part now is trying to decide where I want to start. There are so many baby steps that I can take right now, from where I stand, utilizing what I have on hand, and that it is almost paralyzing me with fear in making a decision and just taking action!!! As the lovely Melody Ross says, ” She was __________ but she did it anyway!” For me, this sentence might look like one of these:

  • She was overwhelmed, but she did it anyway!
  • She was scared, but she did it anyway!
  • She was unsure, but she did it anyway!
  • There were people out there who do it better than she does, but she did it anyway!

But, that is the clincher, ins’t it??? “She did it anyway!!!” I will be able to say the same thing about myself too – hopefully VERY soon!! 😉

What else??? Oh, gosh!! My sweetie and I have been following Dave Ramsey‘s Financial Peace University plan to take control of our finances and get out of debt. We have been actively working on this goal since September 2012, and since then we have managed to pay off about $7000 in debt so far!! YEAH!!! We have a little more than $11000 to go – WHEW!!! 😉 I know we can do it, it has just been a lot of hard work so far, and I know we have a lot more hard work to do in the near future!!! I will keep you posted on our progress!!

I realize that what I thought was going to be a short and sweet kind of post has actually just become a brain-dump of all sorts of my random thoughts as they are falling out of my brain, but that is alright with me! Sometimes us girls just need to let it all out, and then get back to the business of breathing again!! 😉

Life is good – my weeds are being dealt with – life is good!!!
(I will explain the “weeds” thing tomorrow!!!)

In the meantime…

Here is to a FABULOUSLY ARTSY evening!! ;-)

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If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

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Gaining a New Life with Gastric Bypass Surgery!

Me 2Good evening!

I have had so much going on the past week, that I really had no idea where to start. ..

So, to keep things simple, I have decided to share my weight loss update this evening!! But, I realized that since I changed from my old blog to this one, this is going to be a new story for most of you!! 🙂

I have lived most of my adult life heavy…
and teen life…
and part of my childhood…
well, I think you get the idea!!

I did not have one single solitary day of my 20’s under 285 pounds, and by the time I hit 30 I was 300 plus pounds! One day, I woke up and realized that I was 36 years old, 330 pounds, unhappy, unhealthy, and seriously heading to a quickly approaching early grave! I realized I had wasted my 20’s and now that I was heading to 40 (AKA middle age AAAACK!!!!), I decided that I didn’t want to greet my 40’s on my way to 400 pounds! I just couldn’t do it! and seriously as bad as my health was getting I wasn’t sure I was going to make it even if I wanted to!

Me 1

By that time, I had sleep apnea… I snored like nobodies business, and I couldn’t sleep through the night without waking up with a horrendous blood pressure headache! Now, I realize I was literally starving for oxygen while I was trying to sleep! I was a breath away from diabetes, I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and had constant pain in my knees, ankles, feet, and back!! I knew I was in real trouble.

In April of 2012, I had made the decision, along with my awesomely loving husband, that we would both start the process to have gastric bypass surgery. Now mind you, this decision was not made lightly, and not without a lot of trying a whole lot of other ways to lose weight first, none of which worked for very long.

Fast forward to September 4, 2012, my husband had already had his gastric bypass surgery 6 weeks prior to mine, and he had already lost weight like gangbusters!!! As scared as I was going into the surgery preparation, I knew I was ready for this, and that this would be the start of my new life. There was no way in HELL I was going to waste this opportunity!! So, with my sweetie, and my two baby sisters at my side, the surgical team wheeled me away, and I got the chance to start my new life.

Today, and every Monday I go into the clinic for a weigh-in. This is my own personal way of holding myself accountable! My weight loss has been much slower than my husband’s, of course! Him being a man and all!! 😉 But, I have slowly but surely been shrinking. So, tonight I will share with you my weight loss progress as of today!

Weight Loss Update

  • Total pounds lost from highest weight: 102.4
  • Total pounds lost since starting the Bariatric program in April 2012: 92.2
  • Total pounds lost since surgery: 56.5
  • Total inches lost (measuring my neck, underbust, waist, hips, thigh, calf, bicep, and forearm): 43.5

Life is good! I am not yet to where I want to be. My one year follow up appointment is in September, and my Surgeon’s goal for me is to lose another 40 pounds. She has told me, that since my weight is coming off so slowly, even with the weight loss surgery, that I am going to have to fight tooth and nail for every single pound that comes off from here on out, and I know she is right, but I also know that this life is worth it! I am worth it!!!

Me 3

If anyone one you know is interested in gastric bypass surgery, or if you are just curious and have questions, please feel free to either comment on this post, or you can e-mail me at thisartsylife [at] yahoo [dot] com. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have!! 🙂

In the meantime…

Here is to a FABULOUSLY ARTSY evening!! 😉

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If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

Right Brain Business Plan!

Right Brain Business Plan BookGood morning!

I have had in my hot little hands an awesome resource that for some reason I have only now have just started to go through. That awesome resource would be my copy of the book by Jennifer Lee, The Right Brain Business Plan! I would imagine that a lot of your have heard about this book, it is quite popular after all!! If not, let me tell you a little bit about it. 😉

The Right Brain Business Plan is a guide to help you walk through all of the details of your business, just like you would do when writing a business plan. What makes this little gem of a book different is that what is often a daunting task for us right brain creative types – the writing of a business plan – is that Jennifer Lee walks your through how to come up with and compile all of the same information in a non-scary, creative, right brain friendly kind of way!! This book is full of GREAT information!! Information that every business owner or, in my case, would be business owner should have at their fingertips on how to get focused on oftentimes scary details about starting your own business!

Blank Accordian Book

However, I am just now getting the bravery muscles to go through this book. I have created my accordion book, which will become my The Right Brain Business Plan, and I am working on gathering all of my images that will blanket one side of my accordion book for a portable visibility board! As I work through this ingenious little resource, I will do my best to keep you posted on my progress, but I can already tell that this is going to be essential to the success of my business! Focus, focus is good!! 😉

Vision Board Dream Clippings

I also wanted to share with you the Right Brain Business Plan Summit Diagram that Jennifer Lee had walked us through creating this past Tuesday at her Right Brain Business Plan Summit Recap webinar.  Jennifer has a formula for business success, and this diagram is Jennifer’s way of helping us better understand how this formula works in relation to our real world actions and goals. Her formula for success is:

Inspired Action + Authentic Impact = Increased Income!

Here is the diagram from the summit recap:

RBBP Summit Diagram

The way this diagram works is that the middle circle of the flower is the space where you write three words to describe your core values. The petals are where you write down purposeful actions that you have taken to grow your business, one action per petal. You can also write future actions here as well! The stem is where you write how much money you want to make in an allotted time, in your business. The leaves off of the stem are where you itemize products and/or services that you are offering to your customers. Finally the ground is your businesses foundation – basically what tools you are using to keep you business up/running/organized/on track, etc!!

The idea is that your actions should directly honor your core values, and contribute to the goal you have established of how much money you want to make. If you are needing to make more money to hit your financial goal, then you will need to create more opportunities for making that money through products and services. I have only had this tool under my belt for a few days, but it has already been such a helpful resource to help me see how my thoughts and actions are all intertwined, and it is up to me to make my business dreams come to fruition!!

Anyway, if you are thinking about starting your own business, or you already have a business that might need a little bit of refocusing! I would highly recommend going out and picking up this great book, The Right Brain Business Plan! Just so you know, I have no financial involvement with Jennifer Lee or the Right Brain Business Plan, these are all my own thoughts!! From one reader to another!! 🙂

Here is to a FABULOUSLY ARTSY day!! 😉

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If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

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Getting Unstuck!

Let Go!Good evening!

Do you ever feel stuck???

I do, and have been struggling with this nagging feeling of being stuck for quite some time.

Today, while I was listening to some positivity, it hit me like a ton of bricks when I heard the speaker talk about getting unstuck. He said,

“Are you really stuck, or are you just afraid to let go??”

WOW!!! That really hit home for me, and reminded me of something I had heard earlier last week,

“You have to let go of who you are to become who you were meant to be!”

Ok, I am listening, God!! I think I hear what you are telling me!! 😉

I have known for some time that I have been needing to take some brave steps to get from where I am to get to where my soul is wanting to be. If you were to read my morning page entries for the past few months, you would see that there is a recurring theme!!

I want more.
I want to be an artist.
I want to live creatively.
I want to make a difference.
I want to be free.I want more. Oh wait – I said that already!! 😉

Well, it is true! I want more. I don’t want to sit in a cubicle day in and day out, doing what others would have me do with my life. I’m stuck!! Or at least that is what I had been telling myself, until today!! 😉

I am holding on.

That is the reality of my situation!

I am holding on out of fear.

Fear of the unknown.

Fear of what people might think.

Fear of failure.

Fear of falling apart.

Fear of hanging out on the ledge all by my little lonesome!!

But you know what, today is a new day! and I am determined to take those baby steps to get to where I want to be. No matter how long it takes. No matter how many do-overs I will need to take. No matter how many comments I may have to ignore, or how many shoulders I may have to lean on along the way.

My life, my dreams, my aspirations, and I am worth it.

and you know what???

SO ARE YOU!!!

What might you be holding on to out of fear! Isn’t today the day for us to get unstuck together!!

Let’s do this!!! What action(s) can you take today to get unstuck?? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section!! 😉

My Take Action Challenge: I am going to get my information packet together for an art studio here in town that is looking for new artists to instruct classes. WISH ME LUCK!!! 😉

Here is to a FABULOUS ARTSY evening!

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If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

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Bliss List Friday!

 

CrownGood evening!

I am a big believer in living every moment of your life with an attitude of gratitude, which is why I LOVE Bliss List Friday!! That is the day that I take a moment to reflect over all of the awesome things, and little things, and all the things in between that make life BLISSFUL that have happened during my week!!!

This week there was a lot to be thankful for in my world, here are a list of 10 of those things!!

  1. I got to spend some quality time with my sister, Alice and her family – that was fun!
  2. For the first time in almost 20 years I got to buy clothes from a “normal” sized clothing store!! THAT WAS SUCH AN AWESOME FEELING!!!
  3. We have got our puppies trained to sleep on their own and not in our bed. I am convinced that WE ARE ALL getting a better night’s sleep!! YEAH!!
  4. Have I told you that I work with AWESOME co-workers?? Well, I do!! They make my job so worth being there!! 😉
  5. Once again, my sweetie has stepped up to the plate, and when I had overbooked my schedule he has come to the rescue by helping me out so that I can have some good rest! Thank you, Love!!
  6. I am so excited to be able to visit with 2 more of my sisters this week!! I just CANNOT wait!! One sister gets here tomorrow, and the other joins us on Thursday!!! 😉
  7. It has been so lovely and sunny here in good ol’ Oregon!! It finally feels like Spring has sprung!! 😉
  8. I have purchased myself some new jammies that are just so snuggly, and comfortable, and actually fit!! What a GREAT feeling!! Can you tell I am a snuggly kinda gal???
  9. I love my books! I have such a great variety of books, and on so many topics – they really do make me happy!!
  10. I am so thankful for the ability to go out of doors and just enjoy nature, and sunshine, and the cool breeze, listening to the birds, and especially all of the frogs during the evening!! WOW!! I may have to go take another evening walk this evening just to get back out into all of that loveliness again this evening!! 😉

I hope my little bliss list has inspired you to think about some of the things that you have to be thankful for about this evening!! 😉

Here is to a FABULOUS ARTSY evening!

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If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

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Inspirational Thought Wednesday!

CrownGood evening!

“A day at a time, a walk at a time, even a simple step at a time, my sad and tangled life began to sort itself. I say sort itself because all I did was “walk through it.” I have been walking ever since.”

~Julia Cameron

This quote has really resonated with me this week. You see, I have always been a bit of a walker – that is until the last 6 months. I am not sure why, but I just kind of stopped. No real reason…just stopped. now don’t get me wrong, I still walk a lot, to get to meetings, go to lunch, to find my car, but it is not the same as walking on purpose – with a purpose. For me that means to walk with no other intention but to get out into the fresh air, while enjoying nature and raising your heartbeat so you can listen to your inner voice. That is what I had given up! It was one way that I listened to my soul, and what it was trying to tell me.

Well, this past week, I have taken up walking again. On purpose. With no other intention but just to get my booty out of the house and spend some time with my inner thoughts while out in nature! Simple. Simple, yet oh so gratifying!! 😉

The benefits I have discovered for walking:

  1. Walking clears my head, especially if I am suffering from artist’s block! New ideas seem to just find me while I am walking.
  2. Walking alleviates anger and frustration! Things that are stressing me out just doesn’t seem as important after a long walk.
  3. Walking gives me the chance to change my perspective! I have a tendency to get channeled the finite details of things, and sometimes I really need to step back and see the big picture – walking does that for me!
  4. Walking really energizes me! If I take a 30 minute walk, I find I have way more energy then when I first started out!
  5. Walking helps me get a good nights sleep! If I take a long walk, like 45 minutes or more, I sleep like a log!! That is a GREAT feeling especially to someone like me, who has a tendency to be an insomniac!
  6. Walking really makes your legs look good, and if you take large enough strides, your booty gets a nice toning too! ALWAYS DESIRABLE!!! 😉
  7. Walking is a peacekeeper! If my sweetie and I are arguing or disagreeing about something, we can just take a walk together, and the energy we expend walking helps deflate the sales of whatever it is we are arguing about. Again – maybe this one fits under the changing of perspective benefit!
  8. Walking is a problem solver! When I am struggling with a decision, especially when I have more than one option at my disposal, walking helps me get focused and come up with my solution AKA make that decision!

I am sure that I have many many more positives to say about walking, but this is what I am able to come up with at the moment!!

My Take Action Challenge for you this week:

Get outside, into nature and start walking!! 10 to 15 minutes if that is all you can muster, but I highly recommend 30 minutes or more every day, ON PURPOSE!! Take note of how this one simple step changes things in your life this week! You just might be pleasantly surprised, and might even want to make this one of your life habits!!!

Here is to a FABULOUSLY ARTSY evening! 😉

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If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

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A Sunshine Award for a Lovely Monday!

The Sunshine AwardI am very excited to report that I was nominated for a blogger award!!!

YEAH!!!

The Sunshine Award!!
😉
This nomination came from the awesome Procrastitorian over at her blog A is for Amuseless.

The Sunshine Award is an award given by bloggers to other bloggers.

The recipients of the Sunshine Award are:

Bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere.

The way the award works is this:

  1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them.
  2. Answer some questions about yourself.
  3. Select 10 of your favorite bloggers, link their blogs to your post and let them know they have been awarded the Sunshine Award!

The Thanks

First, I would like to thank the academy for this amazing award…wait..no…that is not right! I would like to thank The Procrastitorian for the lovely nomination! I was both happily surprised and equally touched that I was even nominated for such an award!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!! You have made my week! Truly!! 😉

 Questions

1.  What inspired you to start blogging?

I have been blogging for a few years, but mainly I was just logging my random thoughts and photos without any real purpose or focus in what I was saying. In early 2013, I knew that there was more to me than what I was sharing with the blogosphere and decided it was time for a change. I wanted my message to do more than just entertain! I wanted to, in some small way, change the world, by creating a community of creative people to venture out and starting with small measurable steps start creating the lives of their dreams. If that meant I would be able to explore the artsy side of life and share what I found, the better.

2.  How did you come up with the name to your blog?

I had been looking for a new blog name for a few months, and I actually stumbled across This Artsy Life while I was doing my morning pages. I was going on and on, writing down what I wanted my dream life to look like, when I wrote the sentence, “When I think about this artsy life, I can’t helped but be totally jazzed!” It was then that I saw it, “This Artsy Life”, I knew I had finally found my new name.

List your top 5 “Big Girls”! These are the women who I most want to emulate in my life/artsy career!

  1. Melody Ross – Brave Girls Club
  2. Kelly Rae Roberts
  3. Christy Tomlinson
  4. Jennifer Lee
  5. SerenaThompson – The Farm Chicks

Tell about your dream job.

I would love to be able to say that I was a full time artist, life coach, photographer, art instructor, and art retreat hostess!

Is your glass half empty or half full?

I am definitely a glass half full kind of girl!!

If you could go anywhere for a week’s vacation, where would you go?

I would go to France and just take in all of the culture, the food, the sights, the sounds, people watch like a crazy American, which I am, and have THE BEST TIME EVER!!! 😉

What food can you absolutely not eat?

Mushrooms. I am allergic. 🙁

Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?

Dark chocolate any day!!

How much time do you spend blogging?

I figure I blog between 10 and 15 hours a week! 🙂

What top 3 pieces of advice would you give a newbie blogger for starting a blog??

  1. Be consistent in your posting so people know when to come back to find new content.
  2. Share your beliefs, thoughts, opinions, etc. That is how we, as your readers, are going to get to know the real you!
  3. Find your own authentic voice.

10 Nominees

  1. Danita Art
  2. Dilly Bean Inspirations
  3. Dina Stamps
  4. Donna Downey
  5. Jenni Horne
  6. Juliette Crane
  7. Liv Lane
  8. Roben Marie
  9. Some Fiddling on the Kitchen Table
  10. The Kathrine Wheel

Thank you again for the Sunshine Award nomination! I hope you enjoyed reading this! 🙂

Here is to a FABULOUSLY ARTSY evening! 😉

Signature Line

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

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