The Perfect Pen???

Is there such a thing as the perfect pen? I have no idea. All I know is that I stop myself from writing because in the dozens and dozens of pens I have I can't find the "perfect" one. This one doesn't feel right in my hand. That one doesn't have the right color ink. The excuses go on and on while the page remains blank. 

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what type of pen or pencil or crayon I use. What matters is that the words were taken out of my brain and put on the page. I can't let little things like the search for the "perfect" pen keep me from doing what I most want to do - write. If I do then all I have is a closed empty book to add to my already large collection of notebooks waiting to be filled. 

I don't want that. I want the words to come out. I want them out of my head so that I can make room for more. What excuses do you make to keep you from writing, or painting, or starting that project you were so excited about?

Glue booking

     I am obsessed and captivated by glue booking. I take scraps of paper and magazine images and glue them down in a 9in x 6in sketch book. I pick only those images and colors that make me smile. I want an entire book filled with such images. 

        There is something so pleasing about cutting and pasting. It allows my brain to shut off for just a little while. I don't think about anything other then where to put the next piece of paper down and what color washi tape I should add. Hours slip by so easily!

      The image above screamed for words but could have spoken loudly without them. Sometimes I add words but mostly it's about the image and how it makes me feel.

     I love love love bright colors. The brighter the better! They make me smile and brighten my day! What do you do to bring a little color into your day?

Water

     These dark clouds brought with them hours and hours of rain. It was lovely to listen to. I went to bed that night listening to the rain. I thought to myself how soothing it sounded. But then I realized it also sounded really loud and clear. I reached over and touched the windowsill and instantly felt the water coming in. My sheets and mattress were wet on the corner of the bed closest to the window. Turns out there is a leak in the roof that caused water to leak in when the rain was at it's hardest. 

     I had a problem a few days ago with a leaking pipe under my sink due to a clog somewhere deep along the pipes. It was an easy fix and required minimal clean up. This latest adventure with rain made me think maybe the water was trying to tell me something. Maybe I should let things flow their natural course instead of trying to control things or let my fears "clog" things up. 

     I'm doing a lot of thinking about different areas in my life that need some "flow". Are there things in your life that would ease some stress if you just let them "flow" and stopped trying to clog them up?

Skinny Pants

     I did a bit of shopping on Saturday. I wasn't looking for anything in particular just seeing what was out there. I went to JCPenney and walked around for a bit. I found a couple of shirts in my favorite bright colors. Then as I was looking through the clearance rack I saw a pair of dark gray corduroy pants. They just happened to be my size and in petite as well. Figured I'd better try them on. I went in to the dressing room and tried on the pants. It's then that I realized that instead of them being straight legged they were skinny. I am not skinny and had never tried on a pair of skinny anything.

     For some reason these pants felt amazing. I was worried they would be too tight near the ankles (makes me feel claustrophobic) but they weren't. I feel really good in them. They are totally comfy and I love the color. I'm so glad I tried them on. I'm proud of myself for taking a chance on something I felt wasn't for ME. Turns out I was dead wrong. 

    Take a chance on yourself......you just might get a wonderful surprise.

Restlessness

This has been a hard week. It's been full of everything just not going as well as it could have. Lots of little things going wonky in a way that makes you want to pull your hair out or go back to bed until next week. I haven't done any of those things. I've tried just to push through each task that needed to be done and to breathe through the difficult parts. It's left me with the crushing sense of restlessness that I can barely put into words. It almost feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest and won't get up until all the tasks are done. 

Yet in spite of the elephant I had some good times this week. I had an awesome conversation with a dear friend who has asked me to help her with a project that holds a dear place in my heart. I confirmed plans to meet an online friend next week. I did a bit of retail therapy and got some awesome deals. 

I'm still feeling a bit restless but like the clouds in the picture above the feeling will pass and the light will shine again. What do you do when you feel restless?

My Word of the Year

     My word for 2014 is STRETCH. I want to go beyond what makes me comfortable and safe. Now, there's nothing wrong with comfortable and safe but for me it stops me from taking chances and doing new things. I want this year to be about stretching myself both physically by getting into better shape and mentally by trying new things. I don't want being scared to stop me from what could be really great things in my life. I plan to write way more than I ever have. I want to have dinner parties and art journal nights. I may even be thinking of opening my own little business. 2014 is going to be full of new opportunities and I am so excited to see what happens. 

I was blessed to receive this amazing canvas with my word of the year from Anna Meade. Anna does custom artwork. If you have a word for this year and would like a visual reminder to help you along take a look at Anna's website. 

  

In my head....

    

      I've been writing posts in my head for weeks now. I know I've been gone for awhile and there really is no good excuse. I could blame it on the holidays or that I moved but really I could have been posting through all that. Truth is I wasn't sure if I could get out what I wanted to say in a way that made sense to me much less to anyone reading this.

     I'm going through a period of finding out what direction I want my life to go in. I'm allowing myself to really be honest about what I enjoy, what I want to spend my time doing, and what type of people I want to surround myself with. It's been only a few months that I've been having these thoughts and talking to myself about it. I never really had those thoughts before and didn't think a great deal about where my life was going. I was just taking things one day at a time and going with the flow. But now I want more than just being carried away by time. I want my days to be meaningful.