Do It NOW in Review...

This lovely photo has nothing to do with my post. I merely took this of the back part of my yard after winter's fury. Lots of work has been done to clean up yet there is a lot more work to be done. This is June and we are still having extreme cold temps, rain, hail and WINTER. Enough I say. Bring on the sunshine please.
As for my word of 2011 I chose NOW. In keeping with my review of how I am doing with NOW hmmm...Let me just say I don't do well without sunshine. I would just as soon stay in bed and pull the covers over my head which isn't conducive to getting things done.
While I was reading through my latest Costco magazine I see the title, Do It Now written by Wally Amos of the former Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie empire. This short article was actually sad however it definitely reminded me of my action word for 2011...NOW.
Wally poses the question, "How often during the course of the day do you put off doing things...calling old friends, apologizing for errors made in judgement, following up on an idea?" Bingo! Following up on an idea? Oh that is me. I put off so many ideas that they get lost or forgotten. What a shame I lose my ideas just because I don't act on them NOW. We have all heard the tired old line, Never put off till later what you can do now. Do it now or it might be too late. You can never turn back the hands of time.
So in review, I am going to really focus (my word of 2010) and try to do things NOW more often. Maybe I will be more inspired by not putting things and ideas and techniques to try off until I never get to them.
As for me I am doing something NOW in order to feel more healthy and fit. Every week I make time for me. I go to Weight Watchers faithfully (this way I feel better about the poor food choices I make far too often). I also set aside time for me as I have been doing Zumba for a couple of months now. Me? Exercise? Do something physical? Not me! Ahh but Zumba is not exercise...it is dancing and moving around to fabulous music. It is so much fun. I have truly found a form of physical activity that I am enjoying and it is helping me feel very healthy and smart about my life.
Wonderful Weekend to all. May you each spend some time on yourself and may you enjoy something special just because...
Me...I will be acting on the here and NOW and I will be keeping happy healthy thoughts.

Goodbye 2010 & Hello 2011...

Let me begin by saying 2010 has been a good year for the createology household. Oh we had our setbacks and trials, yet we were always able to move forward and enjoy overall.
In 2010 I had chosen to select one word that would be helpful to me throughout the year. I have never been one to make resolutions since I don't follow a "throw a switch" mentality. I have never understood how one day, January 1, can make a person behave differently especially for an entire year or for life just by something they say. For me it has always been about making changes as I feel comfortable with the ability to actually change whatever behavior necessary.
My word in 2010 was FOCUS and it did actually help me through the year as I was able to recognize when I strayed from being focused.
So for 2011 I am again selecting a word that I believe will help me have the best life possible. I have put a lot of energy into this selection. I reviewed my goals and accomplishments in 2010 and found many of them I did in fact keep in focus and achieve. However I also realize that I lacked in areas or ambitions and did not get all that I wanted to get done.
So for 2011 I am selecting my word to be NOW. I know this seems like an odd word however it is the one word that kept coming to the forefront for me.
NOW will represent to me the following:
without further delay
present time
at once
immediately
Now will keep me accountable to doing things now as opposed to putting them off til later.
No more procrastination.
No more excuses.
No more waiting until the time or weather or lighting or supplies or ??? are right.
Now will allow me to get more things done and that will allow me to quit beating myself up for not getting things done or made or given. This can be quite the vicious cycle if you know what I mean.
Now will give me the freedom to focus on all that I can be in 2011 without waiting for the right time. When is the right time? Never or Now!
I am actually excited about this word as it has really made me stop and think about who I really am and why I do or don't do certain things in life. This just may be my year to really grow not only creatively but also as a human being.
Now for me will represent these things:
no excuses...
keep trying...
be accountable...
just do it...
there is no perfection...
Now I feel confident and comfortable to embrace this new year 2011 and be the best me! I shall continue to bring with me FOCUS as I travel my journey.
Thank you each and every blog friend and follower. Blogging has been such a great way to share and experience with others who share this gift of life and creativity. I feel blessed.
Onward and forward as we enter into this new year of opportunity...

Technical Difficulties...

No photos today.
Nothing creative to share.
Merely having technical difficulties with my desktop computer.
Two days ago my monitor went from bright to black.
Then it teased me for a day and a half.
Less than a few seconds to see what it had to show me or tell me.
I am so much slower than that and therefore couldn't function.
For me it was like being blindfolded and put in a dark room.
I can't see anything if there isn't a lot of light.
So I begged to use Mr. C's notebook computer and he relented.
Where is my email?
Where are my photos?
How can I function?
I am able to voyeur and enjoy others blogs and comment on them.
As for email...no such luck...Oh turn off the dark computer? Good idea.
So now I wait for the delivery truck to bring my new monitor.
Meanwhile this inconvenience should allow me more time to craft. Or not...
Yesterday I cooked dinner that took me five hours to prepare. How did it taste you ask? Horrible to me! Mr. C couldn't put enough salt on it. That was time well spent???
Laundry is washed, dried and folded. Well I do have ironing to do now.
Cleaned out a few drawers and loaded up the trash bin with expired and useless things.
Tons of pruning and yard clean up outside but I don't think I shall tackle that today.
Mr. C is sickly with a really bad cold and cough so that is where I shall focus my energy. Playing nursemaid and fetching fluids and food for him every two hours.
Am I complaining? Not in the least. I am finding this is merely an inconvenience. I am also finding many more things to spend my time doing...kind of like life before computers!
Thank you for "listening".
Please stay tuned for more on the creative front in the near future.
Happy Autumn to everyone...

Happy Creating...

Happy creating is my signature line however I let too many things each day get in the way of doing just that. So here is a choker I made before my Southern venture I have just returned from.

This choker is completely stitched by hand (the red tie ribbon is pre-stitched) and made with the finest materials. I pay careful attention to detail and quality which should make this something that will last for a really long time.

I am very pleased with the final look of this unique Roses on Red choker.

I have promised myself to get back to my focus and therefore have listed this in my etsy shop.

There are so few hours in each day and I intend to utilize them being creative and feeling the joy that comes from making beautiful things with my hands.

Did you notice the tiny "dew drop" Swarovski clear crystal on each rose? It is in the details. :o)

Happy creating...

Who Moved My Focus?

Here it is March and the sun is shining for more than a few hours, the rain has subsided for the time being, Daffodils are blooming and we have Daylight Savings Time in effect which gives us longer days by staying light later. Personally I love all of this. Unfortunately I lose my New Year resolve and my FOCUS gets distracted and I go in way too many directions and start way too many projects. I am just so excited that we will be done with dreary and cold winter (well for the most part).
So...Who Moved My Focus? Who me? Did I do that? (Can't you just hear Urkel saying that?!)
So luckily I caught myself and re-focused myself so that I can be on track to accomplish all of the wonderful things I plan on accomplishing this year.

Pictured at the top is the Tuscany countryside in Italy. I took that inspiration and made this necklace and earrings from some of the Murano glass beads I bought while visiting Italy.
Tuscany Gold Green is what I named this...Tuscan Oro Verde. I like the combination of glass beads and fabric heart yo-yos. Yes, I have listed it in my etsy shop. I feel like I am on my focus once again and it feels so excellent to accomplish something today.
I have been working on my Adorn-Me jewelry design line and I shall be able to post updates in the near future. For now I am just thrilled to be working in my studio and making what I love to do.
How are you doing on your own personal New Year "resolutions"?

Set SMART goals...

As I am getting into the fast pace of our new year 2010 (twenty ten is how I say it) I am reminded that I selected one word to help me achieve my goals this year.
So I was reading our local newspaper and I saw an article that is completely related to this. It was written by Machen MacDonald of Provoking Your Brilliance. He wrote, "The magic ingredient to achieving your goal is...FOCUS!" Find your way of keeping focused on your goal and avoid becoming distracted. Set SMART goals:
S specific
M measurable
A actionable
R relevant
T time-bound

After selecting my word FOCUS earlier this month my DH and I were having a discussion and he being the wise one said exactly this, "Your goal must be measurable." And so we have confirmation by way of SMART.
I am not an auditory person so it does help me to visualize by seeing it in print. This will help me work on my focus and stay on target for having a fabulous year. No more excuses for me...
What are you doing to get your new year off to the right start for you?

Keep creating.

Inspiration today...

Well, today was the best day in a long time for the Saucy Chicks and Createology. We spent all day in the studio and were creatively inspired. We made plans for what we want to make and accomplish the next few months. We inventoried some of our supplies. We began to finish some of our current projects. We cut fabric and sewed, sorted buttons, sorted charms, arranged beads and findings and discovered we need to place an order with our favorite gem supplier. We siliconed some glass pieces together so they can cure and adhere to one another. It felt so wonderful to get our hands and creative brains actively combining our thoughts and talents. We focused on what we do not want to do. This is very important so that we can spend our precious time doing what we want to do the most. We have some new ideas and are planning ahead about 15 months out. In the next few weeks we will complete several unfinished projects and gifts. We will prepare and complete lots of holiday gifts to check off our lists.
We also kept our thoughts open to our upcoming plans for expanding our sales. This is probably one of the most challenging topics we discuss. It is a big unknown and not in our comfort zone. However, we do know we can accomplish this if we work hard and continue to challenge ourselves as we travel along this Createology journey. Thank you for reading our blog and we welcome comments. In fact, is anyone out there reading this blog???