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How to Make Gelli Prints
Today I wanted to share with you one of my favorite art techniques, how to make gelli prints. Gelli printing was a technique I used to struggle with until I took a class from a professional artist. She showed me that Gelli printing can not only be easy but also fun and relaxing. Gelli printing is my go to art activity when I want some creative self-care, especially in the moments where I’m not feeling very creative. What is Gelli Printing? What is Gelli printing? It is a type of monoprinting which is a form of printmaking that has lines or images that can only be made once. It differs…
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In Time It’s Going to be Okay
This week I have been reflecting on the changes in life that we all have been experiencing lately. There is so much uncertainty. How do we effectively handle our emotions when things are so unsure? The thought struck me that “In time it’s going to be okay.” Right Now it Does not Feel Okay Right now it does not feel okay. I found that for the first month of social isolation and distancing I was able to stay quite hopeful and focused. The longer this is dragging out, the more I need to force myself to be focused and to practice self-care. It requires more diligence and more focus than…
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3 Lessons from The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Today I wanted to share 3 Lessons from The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, a counter intuitive approach to living a good life. This book was recommended to me several years ago when I started working on my personal self-care and mental health. When I read it, it changed my perspective on many things in my life. When I chose books for my goal of reading 12 books in 2020, I added The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck since I it made such an impression on me when I first read it. I want to re-read this book every few years as to not forget…
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Goal Setting During COVID-19
Goal setting during COVID-19 may seem like an odd thing to discuss, but I believe it is now more important than ever. If you have been following my site for a while, you will know that I have already shared some of my personal experience with goal setting. I believe that goal setting is an exercise that we should do at least once a year. It needs to be more than a New Year’s Resolution. Goal setting is a tool to help us find purpose and define the goals that are most important to us. In my original article about goal setting, I provided a free goal setting template. This…
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3 Lessons I Learned from Daring Greatly
My book review this month is 3 Lessons I Learned from Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. This is a fabulous book about having the courage to be vulnerable and how it can transform our lives. For anyone who wants to greatly improve their self-care and mental health, this book is a must read. I wanted to share with you the 3 lessons that I learned personally from Daring Greatly. I am Uncomfortable with Vulnerability My first lesson from this book was realizing that I am uncomfortable with vulnerability. Brene Brown writes about what she has learned as a shame and vulnerability researcher. She speaks about her interviews with her research…
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Building Meaningful Connection During COVID-19
Building meaningful connection during COVID-19 has been the question coming to my mind lately. We could say that now that we are in close quarters with our family and loved ones, it would be easy to build connection. In reality, that’s not always the case. As I have been talking with friends about COVID-19 I’m noticing that the pressure of our new normal is starting to affect people, including myself. In the midst of the pressure of working from home, keeping kids entertained and completing school online, finding a new normal has been challenging for many of us. For those of us that cannot work from home or aren’t working…
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How to Use Distress Embossing Glazes
Today I wanted to share with you how to use Distress Embossing Glazes. The Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Glazes are a new product from Ranger for 2020. When I saw the original demo for this product, I had so many ideas on how I could use this in my own journaling and in my own projects. I have spent the last 2 weeks since I received the Distress Embossing Glazes in the mail testing them to understand how I could apply them. There is something very freeing in taking the time to test something new. It forces me not to put on any constraints on how I think these products…
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How to Find Rest During COVID-19
As I have been connecting with friends online this week, it has made me think about how to find rest during COVID-19. It is easy to say that since many of us are not working now that we are having a period of rest. I do not believe that is necessarily the case. Being a driven person, I have found that finding actual restorative time and learning how to rest is easier said than done. Busy for the Sake of Busyness It is easy to fall into being busy for the sake of busyness. The habit of always doing something and going somewhere is not an easy one to break.…
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How to Live Fearlessly During COVID-19
As many of us are dealing with the recent pandemic it has made me consider how to live fearlessly during COVID-19. I believe that we do need be concerned about the coronavirus. We definitely need to take precautions, but how do we live fearlessly instead of letting fear and worry steal our joy? Fear Based Living It’s easy to fall into fear based living. There was a period in my life where it felt like fear was an all-consuming reality. I was fearful of so many things, including interacting with others. When we are living in fear it is easy to fall into victimhood. Instead of seeing the world as…
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Inspiration Over Manipulation Art Journal Project
The idea of inspiration over manipulation has been on my mind this week and I wanted to share this art journal project with you. The concept of inspiration over manipulation is something I learned from the book Start with Why by Simon Sinek which I did a book review on last week. I really like the concept of inspiration over manipulation. It’s about how we can make the choice to live our lives in a way that allows us to inspire others over manipulating others. I think it’s a great reminder to live authentically and in a way that shows respect for others and for their values and beliefs. The…
The Art of Self-Care
