my happy place

I had New Years Day off and managed to only make 1 card...sheesh! I spent most of the morning de-decorating the house from all of the holiday festivities. Why does it seem like it takes longer to take down the tree than putting it up? I finally got to play with my sweet Hero Arts Big Owl..I just {heart} her! I just received my full size Memento Rich Cocoa pad {love those dew drops but this image is huge}. The velvet flower with the bling is ala Maya Road.

It has been a while since I've shared an Higher Awareness:

What inspires you?

“It is never about how good your voice is; it is only about feeling the urge to sing, and then having the courage to do it with the voice you are given.”
-- Katie in ‘True to Form’ by Elizabeth Berg

How often have you allowed fear and your inner critic to stop you from doing something you were inspired to do?

Helen Keller said,

"Life is either a grand adventure or nothing.”

When we allow fear and criticism to stop us in our tracks, we give up that grand adventure. What a waste!

“Be an all-out, not a hold-out.”
-- Norman Vincent Peale

**Did you notice my new profile pic--------->

there is a new curling iron in our household...really, it's been since high school since I've personally used one but my daughter wanted one and she's been having some fun with it :)

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stamps: hero arts big owl, stampin' up cute converse ink: memento rich cocoa, copic rv23, rv21 & e33 paper: stampin' up close to cocoa/pretty in pink, mme stack, misc white accessories: corner rounder, maya road velvet flower

You have read this article hero arts / Higher Awareness with the title Higher Awareness. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-happy-place.html. Thanks!

Dreams

Here's a Higher Awareness to ponder:

It's okay to dream!

“Don’t discard your fantasies as merely wishful thinking. Honor them as messages from the deepest part of your being about what you can do and directions you can choose.”
-- Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer

What are your deepest heart-felt desires, dreams and visions?
Our deepest desires and dreams align with the essence of who we are. The more we align with that essence, the more our life holds meaning, purpose and fulfilment. Do you have a sense of your destiny?

"Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born."
-- Dale E. Turner

“Everybody builds a dream in their lifetime. You’re either going to build your dream, or somebody else's. So build your own!"
-- Christopher LaBrec

You have read this article Higher Awareness with the title Higher Awareness. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2008/06/dreams.html. Thanks!

Creativity

I haven't posted a Higher Awareness in a bit so I thought I would share this one:

The key to creativity

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
-- Albert Einstein

Do you know the key to creativity?

It rhymes with weed. It produces the oak tree. We often eat it or grind it up for flour. It can mean cause or origination. You guessed it. It is SEED.

Our minds love to associate one thing to another. But as we get stuck in very fixed patterns of thinking, we think of fewer and fewer connections. We are ruled by habits, associations and automatic responses. So we must stimulate our thinking with lots of different seeds to chart new paths in our brains.

“Just as our eyes need light in order to see, our minds need ideas in order to conceive.”
-- Napoleon Hill

“Anyone can look for fashion in a boutique or history in a museum. The creative explorer looks for history in a hardware store and fashion in an airport.”
-- Robert Wieder

TGIF!!!

You have read this article Higher Awareness with the title Higher Awareness. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2008/05/creativity.html. Thanks!

Proactivity

It has been quite the week at work, wait, it has only been 2 days? {rolling my eyes} I was hoping to partake in creative therapy tonight but no such luck. I did something better...went for a 4 mile walk. {okay, maybe not necessarily "better"...well okay, better for my health...}. Soooo... no card to share but I do have a great

Higher Awareness:

Seek your limits and beyond

"If you're proactive, you don't have to wait for circumstances or other people to create perspective expanding experiences. You can consciously create your own."
-- Stephen Covey

Connect with the edge, the unknown, of your experience. Allow this pull towards unexplored territory to take you to new dimensions of yourself. Allow life to touch you in new ways. For this is how we truly live life. Become more alive as you grow through your consciousness barriers. Ask questions that seek answers beyond yourself. The depth of life is revealed as you go further into it.

Nothing is lost upon a man who is bent upon growth; nothing wasted on one who is always preparing for... life by keeping eyes, mind and heart open to nature, men, books, experience.... What he gathers serves him at unexpected moments in unforeseen ways."
-- Hamilton Wright Mabie

"Nurture great thoughts, for you will never go higher than your thoughts."
-- Benjamin Disraeli

You have read this article Higher Awareness with the title Higher Awareness. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2008/04/proactivity.html. Thanks!

An Oldie and a Risk...

I planned on designing some new cards last night but didn't...I decided to share this Basic Grey card from January 2007. Wow, it is a bright little card....basic grey and pixie pink.

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stamps: stampin' up wonderful words paper: basic grey, stampin' up pixie pink ink: stampin' up pixie pink accessories: circle scallop punch, coluzzle, signo white gel pen, ribbon from RABOM and corner rounder.

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I received this Higher Awareness inspiration this morning:

Dare to risk

"To try is to risk failure. But risk must be taken because the greatest hazard of life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, live, and love."
-- Leo Buscaglia

Daring to risk is an essential step to self empowerment. This is the key to breaking out of stuck thinking and behaviour. It is about breaking through the comfort zones and barriers. It is about experiencing new levels of mind and feelings. It is about experiencing more life.

"A life spent in making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."
-- George Bernard Shaw

"Only those who risk going too far can know how far they can go."
-- Unknown source

You have read this article basic grey / Higher Awareness with the title Higher Awareness. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2008/04/oldie-and-risk.html. Thanks!

An Oldie and Sunlight to the Heart...

I don't think that I've posted these before...they are super old...I made these altered Frap bottles back in 2006...my brother was on a huge frap kick back then and would kindly recycle the bottles to me. The paper wreath garland was something that I picked up at the Seattle Packaging Specialties...the dp is K&Co...the charm is from A Charming Place. I'm hoping to be crafty tonight so that I can post new projects...

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Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

Another Higher Awareness that hit me...

Deeper communication

Once a human being has arrived on this earth, communication is the largest single factor determining what kinds of relationships he makes with others and what happens to him in the world about him."
-- Virginia Satir

How do you typically communicate? Is it through words, gestures, emotions, thoughts, desires, needs, truths, direct perception or intuition? Do you focus more on the other person or on yourself? Do you typically tell, ask or listen?

For a few days, set an intention to be aware of your communication styles and skills. After you’ve spent some time talking with someone, reflect on what your underlying motives were and what level of depth you reached. Write your insights in your journal. This exercise will help you become more aware and conscious of who you are and why you do what you do.

"We need people in our lives with whom we can be as open as possible. To have real conversation with people may seem like such a simple, obvious suggestion, but it involves courage and risk."
-- Thomas Moore

"You must speak straight so that your words may go as sunlight to our hearts."
-- Cochise

You have read this article altereds / Higher Awareness with the title Higher Awareness. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2008/04/oldie-and-sunlight-to-heart.html. Thanks!

Imagine Your Ideal Future...

Well, this morning I started Jen del Muro's sketch challenge via her blog I {heart}2stamp. It is almost done but I just got home so I'll finish it up tomorrow. Jen's blog is beyond magnificent...if you haven't checked it out, you gotta take a peek! She absolutely rocks!

The weather was unbelievably spectacular today! I think it may have hit 80 degrees?!!! We drove out to Seattle to visit a friend and then went to a birthday party...

I wanted to post something visual...so I decided to share some photos from last Sunday. It actually seems like a long time ago. I have a lot going on and time seems to be flying by. I have decided to shift my focus on things in my life and have changed up my goals..sometimes change is good....things happen for a reason.

We made the trek to the Seattle Asian Art Museum. I hadn't been in years. I remember my Dad "dragging" my brothers and me to the museum when we were younger and I thought it was so b-o-r-i-n-g! I loved it and okay, I want to take my kids there and yes, they might be bored but hey, I'm taking them anyways.

CHINESE SNUFF BOTTLES

By most terms of history in China, snuff bottles are a relatively recent development. Tobacco reached China toward the end of the 16th Century. Similar in time to its’ introduction into England. When tobacco was converted into snuff is hard to say but by the mid seventeenth century seems to be likely. Customs records document that by 1685 snuff was entering China although it possibly may have been in use prior to that date. Snuff, however, did not come into common usage and was largely a habit of the upper classes. The Jesuits introduced its use at court and soon it became increasingly common among the court, rich landlords and merchants. The Chinese believed that snuff possessed medicinal qualities and that its use helped to dispel colds, cure migraine, sinus and tooth pain, relieve throat trouble, cause sweats and counter asthma and constipation. Snuff was believed to be particularly an aid to digestion. Beijing was always the center of snuff usage in China. The “Hsiang tsu pi chi”, a document written in the early 18th Century, notes that snuff was being manufactured in Beijing at this time. Mint, camphor and Jasmine were and still are added to snuff in China. **This was my last photo..I was reprimanded by the security guard**

The Volunteer Park Conservatory

The Conservatory, a Victorian greenhouse modeled on London's Crystal Palace, stands at the north end of Volunteer Park, designed by the Olmsted brothers, in Seattle's north Capitol Hill neighborhood. Professional horticulturists with the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation care for the Conservatory's collections, including bromeliads, palms, ferns, cacti, and seasonal display plants. As a registered US Fish and Wildlife repository for confiscated plants, the Conservatory also acquires, quarantines, and later displays restricted orchids, cycads, and other plants seized by USFW agents.

I decided to put the Higher Awareness inspirations towards the bottom of my blog posts in case peeps just want to see pictures...I get that...I think this one was delivered to me today...it was good timing as I think about my future while still being connected to "today".

Imagine your ideal future

"Your imagination is your preview to life’s coming attractions."
-- Albert Einstein

If you were to create an ideal future for yourself, what would it be like?

All things that now exist in form were once simply ideas in consciousness. We each hold the power to manifest different circumstances for our lives. If we wish to manifest a new reality for ourselves, we need to consistently focus our imagination on the ideals we seek to realize.

Remember to explore your ideal in terms of qualities, not people or things. What qualities do you most want in life? Freedom? Respect? Playfulness? Abundance? Whatever qualities you seek, imagine experiencing them now and be open to new ways to discover those qualities appearing in your life.

"Change is created by those whose imaginations are bigger than their circumstances"
-- Unknown source

You have read this article Higher Awareness with the title Higher Awareness. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2008/04/imagine-your-ideal-future.html. Thanks!

Pomegrante Martini and Words to Ponder ....

This was one of two entries that I sent to Making Memories for their Ellen and Oprah Birthday Contest. I found out that Pomegrante Martini's are Oprah's FAVorites. Since this was back in January 2007, there was no Purely Pomegrante....I used Rose Red. This is based around the Pomegranate Martini recipe via Rachael Ray that they made on one of Oprah's shows. I printed out the recipe on a business card and put it in the kraft bag...

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Stamps: Stampin' Up Litte Shapes & Paisley Print, 7 Gypsies celebrate Paper: Stampin' Up Rose Red,misc kraft Ink: Stampin' Up Rose red, chestnut roan chalk Accessories: sakura glue pen, glitter, brown micro tip pen, kraft bag, M's $1 ribbon, bling, word window punch, business card

Another great Higher Awareness that I want to share.

Live now

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives."
-- Annie Dillard

We lose the power of the moment because we're so rarely in it. We're reliving the past or speculating about the future. We continue to believe that tomorrow's the day when I'll be more capable, more wealthy, more fit and more loving. Meanwhile, I'm just putting in time, dreaming of better things but not making any concrete move to realize them.

When you find yourself thinking of the future or the past, bring your awareness into the present moment. Really experience how you feel and what’s happening around you, without judgment. If we can treasure each moment, our lives will be rich, no matter what we have accomplished.

"Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered for they are gone forever."
-- Horace Mann

"If, before going to bed every night, you will tear a page from the calendar, and remark, 'there goes another day of my life, never to return,' you will become time conscious."
-- A. B. Zu Tavern

You have read this article Higher Awareness with the title Higher Awareness. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2008/04/pomegrante-martini-and-words-to-ponder.html. Thanks!

Let Go of the Past

This Higher Awareness message really struck home for me. Within the last couple of years there have been major life changes within my circle of friends.

It's the cycle of life...

I do believe that things happen for a reason and I always add that I don't necessarily always like/approve of the "delivery method". Our experiences make us stronger in the long run....I "high-five" the bloggers that are open and honest about the things that are happening {or happened} in their lives that may not be particularly "happy".

This card is an oldie...I'm pretty sure that I posted it earlier on, when I started my blog, but it ties into my dealio today. I really *love* Stampin' Up's Edgy Eloquence set!

Let go of the past

"Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don't think that you've lost time. There is no short-cutting to life. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time."
-- Asha Tyson

No regrets. As we become more aware, we begin to realize that there’s a purpose to everything that happens. This builds our trust, and supports us in being willing to be more open and daring to really experience life as it unfolds.

If we pay attention to what’s happening in each moment, we will discover that life continually brings us opportunities to heal our past wounds. When a painful memory surfaces, we can take the time to feel it fully, give compassion to ourselves and any others and allow the energy to release. As we deal with the past in this way IN THE PRESENT, we free ourselves to more fully connect with life.

"The next message you need is right where you are."
-- Ram Dass

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stamps: stampin' up edgy eloquence paper: basic grey ink: chestnut roan chalk {before I discovered versafine vintage sepia!} accessories: scallop punch, coluzzle, misc ribbon, Tim Holtz {hubba hubba} tea stain

You have read this article Higher Awareness with the title Higher Awareness. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2008/04/let-go-of-past.html. Thanks!

Inspiring People...

You ever have those couple of weeks where you just feel slammed and so behind on things? That is how I've been feeling...too many things on my plate. I don't have any new cards to share so for the next several days I'll highlight some of the people that inspire me and my favorite new quotes....

I've been really enjoying my blogging journey. I've "met" some really fabulously talented people. The stamping blogging community is filled with creativity, energy and inspiration!

Denise Bryant of All things Stamped is hostessing a Spring Fever Challenge. I wish that I could join in on the fun but will have to take a raincheck this time...Denise was so-very-sweet to mention my card that I made for Julie Ebersole's Simply Great Card Design Class. It features a fabulous image from A Muse..they rock and are based in Seattle :)

I really enjoy my daily inspirational messages from Higher Awareness. They really make me stop and think about my life. I really strive to be positive...it makes life easier....

Self talk is revealing

"If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words."
-- Chinese Proverb

What passes over your lips each day?

Are your words typically negative, critical, gossiping, deceptive, illusory, justifying, blaming, manipulative and argumentative? Are they more uplifting, inspirational, positive, questioning, beautiful, loving, universal, truthful, accepting and supportive?

The throat is our center of expression. Who we are sneaks out in our attitudes and in what we say.

"Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs."
-- Pearl Strachan Hurd

"The wise weigh their words on a scale with gold."
-- Bible

You have read this article Higher Awareness / inspiring people with the title Higher Awareness. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2008/03/inspiring-people.html. Thanks!

You Know The Way

I've been receiving a ton of great
Higher Awareness quotes.

Here is one that I would love to share:

You know the way

"Woe to the man whose heart has not learned while young to hope, to love ... and to put its trust in life."
-- Joseph Conrad

How deeply do you trust your own guidance?

Always trust that you know what's best for you. To move forward in your life, gather information from the "experts," consider how their advice relates to your situation and then act only on what feels right for you. You are the only expert for your own life.

"I trust so much in the power of the heart and the soul; I know that the answer to what we need to do next is in our own hearts. All we have to do is listen, then take that one step further and trust what we hear. We will be taught what we need to learn."
-- Melody Beattie

"I never know what the next lesson is going to be, because we’re not supposed to know; we’re supposed to trust ourselves to discover it."
-- Melody Beattie

You have read this article Higher Awareness with the title Higher Awareness. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2008/03/you-know-way.html. Thanks!

Life

Here is an insightful Inner Journey that I received the other day....I was talking to a friend of mine {Hi L!} and she was super sweet to compliment me on how I try hard to not get too wrapped up in things...at work...at home....that is because I tend to always have a full plate, I don't have the extra time or energy to 'waste'. Realistically, who doesn't have a full plate? I long for a "boring life"....LOL. I really believe that things happen for a reason...the good and the bad makes us stronger, wiser and hopefully a little more grateful.

Life comes with problems

"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin -- real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."
-- Fr. Alfred D’Souza

Life always brings problems. We really can’t live without them.

And so it helps to shift our perspective. We can stop trying to avoid the problems. We can stop feeling victimized by what’s happening. Instead, we can consciously work with the challenge of the moment to learn more about ourselves and the world. When we make this shift in attitude, we discover ourselves to be strong and powerful.

"Every lesson is a widening and deepening of consciousness. It is a stretching of the mind beyond its conceptual limits and a stretching of the heart beyond its emotional boundaries. It is a bringing of unconscious material into consciousness, a healing of past wounds, and a discovery of new faith and trust."
-- Paul Ferrini

You have read this article Higher Awareness with the title Higher Awareness. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2008/03/life.html. Thanks!

"Follow Your Bliss"

Compliments of Higher Awareness:

Go for what you want

"Follow your bliss."
-- Joseph Campbell

It’s hard for some of us to believe that the world is served when we seek our own happiness. We’ve been taught that this is selfish.

If we stop to reflect on how we are in the world when we are happy, we can see how this serves. We have more vitality. We’re more loving and generous to others when our own needs are met.

What activities bring you greatest joy? Your unique gift to the world will be found in those pastimes you love the most.

How can you live your joy each day?

"Spiritual growth is not made in reaction against, for all striving against imposed restrictions is imaginary. Spiritual growth is accomplished by inclination toward. We grow like the sunflower, following the light."
-- Joy Houghton

You have read this article Higher Awareness with the title Higher Awareness. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2008/03/your-bliss.html. Thanks!

Self-Awareness

No projects or cards to post this morning. I plan on being crafty all weekend. Here is something thought provoking...it is compliments of Higher Awareness:

Step into Self-Awareness

"Getting in touch with your true self must be your first priority."
-- Tom Hopkins

Here are some different aspects of self-awareness:

- Know yourself - Explore who you are: your defences, your blocks, your talents, your aspirations, etc.

- Accept yourself - We are at war with ourselves when we resist or deny certain aspects of who we are. Acknowledge the truth of who you are right now - the positives and the negatives. Only when we own our present reality can we change.

- Control yourself - Set clear, conscious intentions and discipline yourself to meet them.

- Express yourself - Go to your heart to identify what has meaning and purpose for you. Live your truth. Identify ways you can give back to life and be in service.

We work on each of these aspects all the time. But as our lives go through cycles, we predominantly work on one of them more than the others. Which aspect are you more conscious of lately?

"Our lives improve only when we take chances ... and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves."
-- Walter Anderson

"Adventure can be an end in itself. Self-discovery is the secret ingredient that fuels daring."
-- Grace Lichtenstein

You have read this article Higher Awareness with the title Higher Awareness. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2008/02/self-awareness.html. Thanks!