the Infinite Possibilities Project

As you know last week I wrote about setting goals instead of resolutions. I had briefly touched on a couple of my goals and noticed efficiency seemed to be my mantra for the year. 

You may also recall I subscribe to Notes From the Universe (click here!! to see what that’s all about ) I love starting my mornings out on a good note and I encourage everyone reading to start theirs our on a good note too. The Infinite Possibilities Project (click here! to join in the fun) is the brainchild of Mike Dooley, who just happens to bring my notes to my inbox every weekday morning. I thought since the notes start my day so well THIS would be a great way to start my year. It’s 30 days of quick activities to help you achieve your dreams. Day one was all about setting goals, right up my ally! 

Since I talked about some of my goals with you last week and since it’s so on target with this time of year I thought I’d share my 30 days on the blog here throughout the month of January, and since it’s a new year and I have a new shop to fill up I’m also participating in the Year of Jewelry Project again this year, so I may sprinkle some new goodies in there from time to time as well.

5 goals in order of importance, ordering them was kind of hard because they all kind of intertwine with each other…… 

1: Health; Continuing regular exercise and improving on our nutrition. Because even Pizza Night can turn into a family meal with a salad.

2: Business; you’ve read this one already : Social Media Marketing, Inventory, Book Keeping and the business plan revisited for the bread & butter business. You might feel this one should be lower but once it gets rolling it will free up time for 1, 3 & 5 (my Mantra for the year) and will actually help create 4 but it is 2nd because health above all else, without it you can’t fully enjoy the rest.

3: Home; finish my existing projects, prioritize what needs to be done and get those started

4: Finances; my little business has been self-sustaining and has met it’s goals consistently, this is the year I want it to contribute to the household.

5: Family; help the kids build their dreams, be kinder, be happier, cook together. Once the kids were big enough to cook without supervision I backed out of the kitchen when they cooked to allow them to stretch and develop their skills. But I really miss cooking together, some of our best happiest and goofiest moments are had in the kitchen together. If they’re making pizza, I can make a salad. Which brings us right back around to Goal number 1.

Day 2 was about choosing a theme for the year and I immediately thought ha! I’m ahead of the game my word is efficiency. But then I thought no that’s not my theme, efficiency is the key to finding balance so that I can create abundance.

abundance |əˈbəndəns|

noun

• plentifulness of the good things of life; prosperity

Abundance of Love, of Creativity, of Time, of Success, of Health and sure of Wealth too. So the word might be efficiency, but the theme is Abundance.

Day 3 was getting into detail about day ones goals……. hahaha umm yeah did that on day one :)

Day 4 start a journal to record your 30 day journey lol again ahead of the curve I started writing this on day 2 because I loved how well it tied in to what I was already writing about.

Consider creating a vision board on Pinterest….. that might actually be fun too. If I decide to make one I’ll post it on next weeks blog for those of you following along and need ideas for your own board. Or I can do that now! (that's the magic of writing posts early lol)  Here's my Board! 

As this publishes for you to read it will be day 5  - I try to write my posts a couple days early so I can post them in the morning, and now you know why some posts are late.

All in all it’s been a productive week around here, I love the renewed energy a new calendar brings, it’s fresh and new and full of potential. just waiting for me to fill it up with wonderful things!

Speaking of Pinterest boards…… I have one for the Year of Jewelry Project, I started it last year so don’t let the dozen or so posts fool you I’ve only posted the one bracelet so far this year.  It’s here if you want to see.  https://www.pinterest.com/winddancerspin/a-year-of-jewelry/

Socializing Social Media?

What’s on the Desk! My desk has been pretty empty lately between cleaning, assessing goals for the year, and miscellaneous end of year office duties, my Muse has sat patiently waiting for me to quiet and listen.

As most of you know I taught my son Alex how to weave a cross. He was in the process of weaving one and decided he just didn’t like it. I tried to convince him it was a very nice cross but he wasn’t having any of it. So I took it and attached it to a filigree and hung that from a choker I’ve had sitting here that I wasn’t thrilled with. Shhh No I don’t know where he gets it from!! Wait, it’s his father, yup that’s it he gets it from his father! Believe me? Stop laughing! HE is just as bad as I am! Poor kid, between the two of us he didn’t have a chance!

Getting back to the choker, I just adore the copper bale, found a pin on Pinterest and knew it would be perfect for this piece, I whipped one up right away and was not disappointed. While this isn’t a first collaboration for Alex and myself, it is the first one we'll be selling. It’ll be heading to the shop sometime later this week. Along with another piece that I’ll be telling you about next week - the first of my 25 sketches!

As I mentioned and you’ve been reading, I’ve been assessing my goals for the coming year. After looking really closely at my posting habits I haven’t been very sociable as Wind Dancer. I’ve been posting in groups and such but as myself not Wind Dancer….sigh

socialize verb

interact, converse, be sociable, mix, mingle, get together, meet, fraternize, consort; entertain, go out; informal hobnob.

ooooh hobnobbery! I like that!

One of my New Years resolutions/goals was to start using my social media in a more consistent and well, social way. I used to spend a lot of time posting to Twitter, Facebook, here and boy I could hang out on Pinterest! But then I discovered I could feed the blog into Facebook, and feed Facebook into Twitter, and Twitter into Linked in. Whoa what a time saver! But far less social and all duplicate posts, and it dawned on me I really wasn’t posting much about what I was doing as Wind Dancer anymore and I sure wasn’t being social. Oh sure my weekly posts here on the blog are pretty much uninterrupted but Wind Dancers Facebook page and Twitter have gotten quite dusty.

Rebel Mouse does a wonderful job of compiling what I’ve been doing out and about on the interwebs but I still haven’t quite learned how to use it to my advantage yet. I know it all feeds into my Mouse and I can post from it too. I’m thinking maybe what I need to do is unlink all the feeds and use the Mouse as command central to post to all my media so my posts aren’t identical anymore an SEO no no and I can hopefully become more social again. I considered Hoot Suite for this reason but the idea felt slightly off.

Next up on my list then is a regular media schedule, I already post to the blog on Tuesdays and was considering Treasury Thursdays. I still need the rest of the week filled out …….. photography Fridays? photos for the blog, Facebook and listings. Does Twitter still do Follow Fridays? Master Monday….mastery…. Map it out Mondays …mapping out the week, blog theme, what I’m working on , need pics of etc etc. Ok now I’ve got Map it Monday, Blog (talk lol) Tuesday, Treasured Thursday and Photography Friday. That leaves Wednesday…… Wow Wednseday? hmmm whatever wows me? Sharing something someone else has done that wows me? A color scheme, a photo just whatever wows me. I like that!

My media schedule - sounds too official doesn’t it?! ahem
My Schedule of Hobnobbery is as follows:

Map it Monday
Talk Tuesday
Wow Wednesday
Treasured Thursday
Photography Friday

I like that, it gives me prompts of a sort of topics to post on and a routine to follow so that you my awesome followers know you can peek in on any given day to see whats new on that topic. That way it doesn’t really matter if Monday provides a theme for the week to follow or if I’m being completely eclectic. Mondays will always provide a what to expect, Tuesdays will always have a blog post to read, Wednesdays will always have a little eye candy etc etc. It also allows me to post in whatever media I choose AND be social. Did you notice? I gave myself the weekends off. That allows me time to just be me, with the family or online. Or even get a little ahead from time to time.

It may take me a little to get the whole thing pulled together. New habits and all but I’m optimistic and off to a good start I think.

Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to share your social media routines here too. Maybe together we can make it less trudge and more fun! I seem to recall a time in my life where social actually meant FUN not work and I’m sure you do too.

A New Year, A New Old Strategy

I read somewhere that you can only keep so many balls in the air…… actively keep up with x number of friends, businesses you like or hobbies, work, and family. I’d say this is the modern take on you can only keep so many irons in the fire. But I have to say I think it really is true. The actual number may vary from person to person but I know that personally, for myself, the more I use social media sites, the older forums I used to visit get less and less attention. The more groups on FB I become a member of, the less I use Wind Dancer’s page. And if by some wild miracle I do manage to keep up with all of that, my family misses my face.

I like my family, my kids are on that verge of taking flight and I don’t want to miss out on what little time I have left with them in our little nest. So I’m thinking a little streamlining is in order. Not so much a cutting of anything... I Like, REALLY like, the circle of friends, family and acquaintances I have managed to surround myself with.

I just need to get back into the habit of managing my time a little better. I had a pretty good routine going for awhile and I seemed to have slipped back into old habits - actually, I think I overloaded my plate a little and haven’t quite figured out how to juggle it all. I need to categorize and prioritize and schedule. Oddly enough (or Coincidentally?) I’ve had several e-mails arrive lately touching on this very subject. I know it’s January and I usually do this in late August or May, I’m either early or late but that doesn’t really matter. What needs doing, needs doing. And as evidenced by my recent e-mails, doing in January just means I have lots of company in the doing, right? Right!~

It wasn’t that long ago - or maybe it was - my morning was cup of coffee, get the kids off to school, hit the gym, second cup of coffee, quick pick up around the house and THEN e-mail etc. Book keeping and Errands before picking kids up. I could sit and make while they did homework and we could talk about our day.

Look at how productive that was! I’m pretty sure a very large part of all that productivity had to do with all the energy I had from morning work outs….. not to mention the set schedule.

The nice thing is when we built the house we included a gym - once I finish cleaning up my studio (I still have several items that need relocating) I am moving on to the gym! I've managed to fit in some morning work outs. It’s been awhile but it has really felt good to get moving again. As does that little burst of energy that comes along after a workout. I think I just might have it back on track in no time!

To reinforce what I had just typed - serendipitously, this showed up in my e-mail…….

5 Morning Rituals to Keep You Productive All Day Long

Most of us work long hours: 40, 50 or even 60 hours each week. But chances are, given distractions like online entertainment, office snacking habits and ill-designed time management, we're only churning out high-quality work a portion of each day.

Here are five practical steps to incorporate into any morning routine to optimize your time at the office and maintain productivity all day long:

7 minutes of exercise. Yep, not 10 -- just seven. Why? It's short enough that it won't impact the rest of your morning routine and long enough to shake off any residual sluggishness from the night before -- including that extra glass of wine.

There are endless fitness routines to turn to, but the one I like best is called the 7 Minute Workout (and yes, there's an app for that). In just seven minutes, it works all major muscle groups with 12 total exercises.

Start your day out green. Sure, we've all been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it's pretty easy to reach for a bagel, bowl of cereal, egg sandwich or cup of yogurt to get your metabolism going.

While all of these options are fine choices once in a while, you'll be shocked at the morning lift you can get from a green smoothie. And healthy juicing requires less time in the morning than toasting a bagel and slathering it with low fat cream cheese.

I go quick and easy, blending (for about a minute): one apple, one banana, one orange, a handful of spinach, half of a cucumber, any juice or coconut water on hand, a few cubes of ice and some flax seed. It's cheap, easy and energizing.

Pick 3 wins for the day. While you're waiting for that smoothie to blend, get ahead of the evening's conversation with your significant other -- you know, the one that starts, "How was your day?"

Decide on the three things that you'd like to accomplish in the next 12 hours in order for you to feel like the day was a success. Sure, not every day will be an epic win, but strategizing in this way will help to move the ball forward.

Block your calendar to achieve wins. One of the most common mistakes people make at the office is not turning to-do lists into time-bound, effective project lists. I've found that people who have mastered this hack are far more likely to deliver tasks on time.

It's simple: For each of the big things on your list, block off the amount of time on your calendar that you estimate the task might take -- and then add 33% more time just to be sure.

If a project is multi-day or has dependencies, break it up into digestible chunks. Use one block to plan and a second or third block to accomplish.

This simple method will help hold you accountable and immediately help you refocus on the tasks you've prioritized when you do get distracted. Too often, we let one distraction steamroll an entire morning -- now you don't have to let that client email derail you from your winning plan for the day.

Power up after lunch. Take the 15 minutes right after lunch to refocus on the day -- a kind of professional meditation. Get away from your computer, turn it off, go sit in a conference room and determine what you have on tap for the rest of the day.

Think about how the list you set in the morning is shaping up. Are you ahead of schedule? Behind schedule? You'll find that these 15 minutes help you identify how you got derailed, what's causing you distractions and help you to rediscover a rhythm to be productive all day long.

Give this simple formula a try for a week and I think you'll be pleased with the results. Here's to a more productive 2014!

I don’t remember who posted it or from what group/subscription it came but here’s the link:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230734#!

Have a great day, Week, Month, and Year!

Thanks for stopping by today!

See ya next time!

Busy, busy?

I subscribe to Brass Tack Thinking, it's one of my favorite blogs. Every time Amber write a new post it shows up in my mail box and I tend to read it first over everything else. Well, unless my Mom or kids e-mail then they get priority :)

As I was reading todays post this line struck me....

we are convincing ourselves of our own “busyness” because we lack clarity of focus and priorities

Ouch! Guilty as charged. I'm always busy, always doing something, but on too many days it seems like I get nothing accomplished.

I have become fairly proficient at multitasking, doing several things at once. The problem is it always seems to take so much longer to finish things. Point in case all my On the Desk posts that list all the in progress/UFO's. I have several projects still not finished or even made progress on. I like to look at these as things to do when the muse flees but when taking a hard look at my productivity they sure seem to make me feel guilty. ack! I hope this isn't becoming a recurring theme.... I seem to recall another post about feeling guilty over the number of my UFO's recently - in June I think.

Maybe it's time to review my routine and make a few adjustments, instead of a large block of time for jewelry making I can break that into two smaller blocks of time. One for UFO's and the other for design/create. Maybe I can add writing to my daily list, whether it's a thought, a description, or a blog post doesn't matter so long as it's a daily process - could help avoid those oops it's Friday and I didn't post this week moments!! shhh I know it's Friday, I've been BUSY!

On a personal note, the kids go back to school in just a few days. Boy, It's going to be quiet around here.

Maybe it is a recurring theme after all. I review my routine when they get out of school and again when they go back....... hmmmm

Thanks for stopping by, see ya next time!

Bead Soup Blog Party 6 Reveal

I absolutely adore the soup Jean sent. These beads are so gorgeous I could do just about anything with them and walk out with something breath taking! Beads this gorgeous really take the pressure off and allow you to play. I sketched up design ideas immediately and I’m so glad I did because somehow I managed to completely load my wagon.

Already having those sketches allowed me to deal with everything else I had going on, Go me! I had a plan and I was getting things done! Even the what ifs didn’t slow me down too terribly bad. I managed to get that gorgeous Anne Choi bead finished with only minor modifications.

Yup I was doing great, then I heard it, thunder in the distance. We have had 100+ degree temperatures since the first week of May and very little rain. Thunder was a welcome sound. I got up looked out the window and could see the rain off in the distance and heading in our direction. Then the wind. No rain means the trees are brown and the leaves were swirling as if it were autumn. That much wind worried me for a moment but I had a necklace to finish. I sat down to work and flash, boom, darkness, no power.

We picked up take out for dinner, ate by candlelight, and the kids headed off to their respective lap tops. My oldest checks on the estimated return of power..... 6 am noooooo Tomorrow is picture day, write the blog post day. It is not finish the necklace day! Armed with a flash light I headed into the darkness of my office. I wrapped beaded links and made up my chain by the light of my flash light! With only a couple inches to go the power came back on and I was able to play with LOS at midnight!

A little reminder of those beautiful baubles Jean sent.

They immediately set my mind to a Garden and my inspiration board was born and designs sketched out in no time at all
So without further ado what you’ve come to see...... My Garden Gate


I had to set the first pic in the garden these Iris bloom in two tone and set the mood for the Anne Choi bead.


The Earthenwood escutcheon inspired an ensemble of pieces, the Key in scrolls reminiscent of iron work gates. A simple beaded chain of Amethyst and turkish silver and of course a bee with multiple strands of color lined glass seed beads and a sprinkling of Amethysts too.


And the Anne Choi bead. A focal in its own right - all a person really needed to do was string it and it would be worthy of any occasion. I chose instead to bring forth the beauty of her Iris and frame the bead instead. The Labradorite Jean sent has amazing flash, each and every single one of them. To achieve the two tone Iris I paired them with Amethyst and Blue Onyx ovals. Simply weaving leaves to finish the frame.


I do hope you have enjoyed your stay with me today. Please stop by JEANS BLOG and take a peek at her reveal - I’m on my way there right now! See you there!!

Jeans blog in case my hyper link didn’t work...
http://prettykittydogmoonjewelry.blogspot.com/
Don’t forget to drop by Lori’s blog and say Hi! and Thank you for hosting another awesome party! Enjoy the rest of the Hop !!

A Post, A Post, I need a Post!

Forgot I didn't have one waiting in the queue! Biggest best grin! I've been writing my posts as the mood struck and then placing them in the queue so they would automatically post at even intervals helping me become less sporadic and keeping my writing natural. Until, that is, you forget you don't have a post written lol

On the desk today is piece three for the Bead Soup Blog Party on Saturday. It's been a long week and I haven't been feeling very creative so it's still lacking a couple inches of chain. It's coming along and it's really pretty and far more ornate than my usual. I'm really glad that that's the purpose of Bead Soup :D I have a tendency to start a project and then put it aside if it isn't in my norm. These three projects have pushed me to pick up ideas and run with them. Reminded me to play with my beads and just enjoy the process and the outcome.

Unfortunately, It doesn't look like I'll get to the Scarab before the hop but I will be sure to post it when I do have time play..... I do however, have for you the inspiration pic for number three. It is a repin from my Sunrise board on Pinterest, the colors caught my attention out of the corner of my eye as I was looking through the beads Courtney sent. Effectively choosing what to use next for me.

Source: flickr.com via Dana on Pinterest

Make sure to pop back in on Saturday to see what I made. I'll also have a list of the other Bead Soup'ers so you can hop the blogs with us. Just make sure you have a comfy chair, your coffee or tea and a drool rag ready! There are a lot of us and we are one talented group!! I can't wait to see what everyone else has been making!

I'm All Caught Up!

ArtFire actually closed all their basic studios and I've been in a flurry, taking new pictures, revamping descriptions, and getting it all moved on over to my Etsy shop. All while trying to get all those new pieces I had finished and just waiting to be listed put in the shop too.  I decided on a one a day approach,  giving me time to take plenty of pictures, edit and get descriptions and pricing done. That worked really well, so well in fact that everything is listed - I have nothing waiting for prices, photos, or descriptions. It is really a nice feeling knowing all I have on the jewelry plate is creating and a very neglected blog. oooooooh The blog!

Quick! What to write about? I could pick one of the new listings and tell you a story about it or better yet.......... I have (as always) several pieces in progress. Why not let you take a peek in my studio as I plan, sketch, work out the details and create.  That has pretty much been my intention for this blog all along so it feels pretty good being able to finally share that with you. And it might just ensure a more active posting

I actually have an in progress photo of the beadweaving piece I'm working on now. It was for this last weeks color challenge, LOVED the color palette, have been saving this heart for just such a piece,  was so excited, and bam LIFE at the door! It reminded me of the peacock I made for week 2 of the challenge and the updates I had here about it and I thought how cool would it have been to have pics to go with the story.

sooooo.....Here's the plan, over the course of the next couple of weeks, I'll post pictures of the beads, sketches, and/or progress shots of the list *Currently on the Desk* I'll  update the list when I finish one or add another and provide the corresponding photo. I'll post what I think of it, does it need tweaking, a this one or that one decision made, and whether or not it's causing me any grief. I still belong to the Color Combo Group on FaceBook so there's almost always something in progress on my desk and I have a stack of sketches and a whole folder full of inspirational pieces from other artists, if by chance I should ever get all my in progress pieces finished - it's happened once or twice!

Currently on the Desk:
*Forged hoops - oops! I misdrilled the hole on one earring for the latch so I need to recut the ends, forge, file, and drill again.
*Ribbon choker and simple pendant awaiting a rolled hem to finish. Probably won't take five minutes if I just pick up the needle lol
*A beadwoven  necklace with a gorgeous lampworked focal first couple of inches have been started and it is going to be a pretty one!  Day to day life has slowed me down on this one, these tiny beads need a clear head and I have had a head ache for several days now,  hoping the cause goes away and soon!
*A bead embroidered set - gorgeous gorgeous colors in these stones! Beads are laid out and waiting for that first stitch! Seems like I've been planning this one for ages, but it's more about me trying to live up to the beauty of these stones and do them justice. I want all the details to be just right - I'm starting to think I may just have to dive in........
*A ring and pendant eyeball set for my son. Still in the sketch and detail stages. He's been after me to make these for ages and we finally found the eyes he liked.
*A Labrodorite heart waiting for weaving and scrollwork........ the design has been sketched out, the first wires have been cut and kissed with flame and then....... we found the eyes lol
*Woven ring - it was an I need to fiddle with something so let's weave on a scrap piece of wire when I realized it was the right length for a ring, but I want the ends flame kissed so I stopped weaving to torch it and I keep forgetting to grab it when I light the torch up lol

Why Yes I am still kickin'!

Even if just barely :) I've had the flu - upper respiratory tract infection coupled with a nasty sinus infection - or if you listen to me a great case of bronchitis that is seriously draining all my energy. I'm slowly getting back into the routine, but large chunks of time are being used to simply stare at my tools and wire and thinking I should. It's not that I don't want to, it's just I'd rather be curled back up in bed, all snuggly warm, half asleep and listening to Rachael Ray cook things I know would make me instantaneously well if I had just one bite, maybe two.

I do have several posts worked out in my head, I just don't have them worked out in a file yet! So for now we'll play off the last update and let you know how much time I REALLY am staring at my tools!!

update:
Received my Christmas swap items! I love our forum swaps, they are so completely fun! I actually managed a more in detail post on FB, so if you're my friend there, you've already seen :)

My Art with Heart piece did not win round 3. That's ok, it really pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I learned several things about my design style and I'm happy with where I took the design. That seems to want to be a blog post too.

My inspiration piece - the Peacock, is waiting for chain and a couple small tweaks to assembly. It still makes me very happy to just look at him!

Got that last chain revamped, STILL needing a couple descriptions to write and pricing. And now I need lots more pics taken too!

SnowFlake jewelry all made, I even managed to throw in a corsage and boutonniere. That corsage is a blog post all it's own....... and was actually intended for todays post - but - I figured at the rate I'm going, it might be another month before I get it written and once a month is slooooow enough for a blog to begin with!

New to the list: I have a pair of earrings a third way done that have been on the to do list for over a year!

A new pair of earrings sketched out - just in time for Valentines, and a woven key the earrings were born of.

A simple talisman of copper waiting for chain and a replica of my daily wear necklace just lacking a couple more inches of being finished.

Now if I could do more than just stare at my tools some of these could get finished and then I could have even more descriptions to write!

I think the family may be expecting dinner so I should get! Til next time!

Making progress

I have completed my first locket, thanks in large part to the inspiration Mary provided me (see my last post) I'm quite happy with it for it being a first and have a number of variations of it floating in my head :)

Art with Heart Beads n Blessings Cycle 3 is now taking pre-orders. This cycle's charity is Step Up for Cancer. I lost my Dad 23 years ago to Cancer, lost my Grandpa (Mom's Dad) a week after 9/11, lost my Aunt (Dad's Sister) in May. My younger cousin is battling her third round, I can't think of a better cause, I'm all in! I've made my order and have my design worked out, as much as I can without knowing what the surprise element will be! I am really looking forward to this cycle!

I've got a fairly decent routine going now. Rocks, box, or garden is my morning routine mantra. Stack some rocks, unpack or repack a box, or weed the garden. The rock work is really coming along now, my house is staring to look like a home, and the weeds .... are still overwhelming (it's a brand new rather large bed)- but give it some time.

I've also discovered another blog to follow, she's just moved to her own domain http://www.newdressaday.com and I gotta say, I read all the way back to her very first posting and I am really impressed with this young lady's creativity, she's really quite an inspiration. On just one dollar a day, she is creating a new outfit to wear each and every day for an entire year. What she can do to a MuuMuu is just amazing. The girl has definitely got an eye for style and color. Check her out and see if you don't agree!