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The Mindful Magic of Fountain Pens
Do you have objects that encourage your self-care practice and help you achieve mindfulness? One of my favorite objects is the fountain pen. I love to write and journal so the pen is an important part of my self-care practice. I use the fountain pen not just in my journal, but also in creating art, so it is an important and versatile tool for my self-care. Why the Pen? I have a large assortment of pens. The fountain pen is one of my favorites, but there are many other pen styles that I enjoy. I love making pen and ink drawings and having a variety of pens adds variation to…
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Adding Your Own Art to Stencil Images
Today I wanted to share with you a way of adding your own art to stencil images. Many of us struggle with our drawing skills, so we often use stamps or stencils to help us create images that we are happy with. I was working on a scrapbook page recently and wanted a focal image that was larger than any of the stamps I owned. When I was looking for an image I found a stencil that was the correct size but it lacked the detail that I wanted for an image. The thought came to me, “Why not just add in the detail by adding in my own art…
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How to Choose Your Priorities
Have you ever wondered about how to choose your priorities in a way that leads to an effective and happy life? It’s been on my mind lately as we’re moving into fall and getting back to a more normal routine. How can we choose our priorities in a way that helps us meet our goals? https://youtu.be/VzJtkqe-UMQ Choosing Our Priorities Wisely Choosing our priorities wisely can make such a difference not only in the pace of our lives but also in the goals we set. So how do we choose these priorities? I was recently reading an article about habits of successful people and my main takeaway is that effective and…
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How to Use Alcohol Inks and Stencils
In this week’s project I will show you how to use alcohol inks and stencils to create this beautiful card. I originally created this card for my husband’s birthday in July. The idea came from watching videos by Tim Holtz on some interesting ways to use alcohol inks. This inspired me to add them to my own creative practice. Card Making as a Self-Care Practice I use card making as a self-care practice in my life. Making handmade cards brings joy to the people around me. I enjoy coming up with new card designs, and it is also a great way of trying out a technique on a small surface.…
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Living in Transition: How to Thrive in Change
I feel like 2020 is a year of living in transition. There has been so much change, so much uncertainty and so much transition. So how do we find ways where we can thrive in change? Change is Not Easy Change is not easy. Times of transition can be so challenging, not just to us but also those closest to us. These changes can be good ones, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are stress free. I’ve been thinking about how many of us are moving towards transition in the next month. At least in Alberta they are planning on reopening schools and universities. Many workplaces are moving back…
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Wet on Wet Watercolor Technique
This week’s project is an easy watercolor card using a wet on wet watercolor technique. I have been watercolor painting more lately as part of my personal self-care routine. Setting up your space for watercolor painting is so easy. All you need is watercolor paints, water and a watercolor sketchbook or a pad of watercolor paper. The easy set up gives you more time to paint when you don’t have unlimited time. Lately, I’ve only had about a half hour a day for painting, but I can do a lot in that time when I am painting with watercolors. Part of building a healthy self-care habit is making a…
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How to Become Unoffendable and Live a Happier Life
Have you ever thought about how to become unoffendable and live a happier life? It’s been on my mind recently. This month as part of my reading plan for 2020 , I finished the book “Unoffendable” by Brant Hansen. This book gave me a lot to think about and has definitely changed my view on how I look at offense. Are We Easily Offended? One of the questions that we all need to ask ourselves is “Are we easily offended?” I would like to think that I am not easily offended, but recently I’ve become aware that I’ve picked up the habit of offense from those around me. Habit of…
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How to Use Watercolor Paint
This week I wanted to share with you how to use watercolor paint. I first attempted watercolor painting a few years ago and found I really enjoyed it. It can be fun and relaxing, but also challenging. Watercolor Painting and Self-Care Watercolor painting is one of my favorite activities when I am working on my personal self care. It does not require many materials. The paint can be re-wetted so I can work on a painting for a short period of time without worrying about wasting materials. It is a paint that requires minimal clean up. Watercolor is an ideal activity when I have only a few minutes for self-care…
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Goal Setting During the Summer
Goal setting during the summer can feel like such a challenge. It is a different season and has a different pace to the rest of the year, making it challenging to stay on track with your goals. I was thinking about my personal goal setting. It has now been 6 months and this time has had many changes and challenges that have come with it. Goal Planning How are you doing with you goal planning so far this year? It is halfway through the year and as I promised, I am doing my mid year review. How has this time been for you? A time of feeling motivated and productive…
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Restoration During A Holiday
Happy Canada Day and Independence Day to my readers! Since this week is Canada Day and Independence Day, I wanted to share with you what I do to find restoration during a holiday. Even as things are opening up in Alberta, there is still a need for social distancing that is affecting holiday celebrations. With that in mind, I was thinking about how to celebrate Canada Day in a way that would be fun and restorative. Get Out of the House With my husband and I both working from home, we really wanted to get out of the house for Canada Day. We have been staying pretty close to home…
The Art of Self-Care
