International Day of Peace

The writing is going pretty well... I'm going to three (THREE) local writers' groups and the feedback has been so wonderful and educational... I need to work on one story in particular in the hopes of sending it to a publisher or entering it in a contest... there are a couple of other ones that I'm also reevaluating and are in various stages of rewrites

Making the occasional jewelry item for the Etsy shop...

Trying to get organized (it's slow going, though) - we had a tag sale but didn't get rid of very much...

And continuing to lose a few pounds here and there - I found two pair of blue jeans (why do we call them a "pair" ?) that were too small and were supposed to go to Goodwill... but they fit me now!

One of my senior cats that I adopted more than a year ago passed away last week... now I have three (Tyler, Copper and Silver) - his former owner wanted his ashes so we had him cremated and I have one little bag of ashes and she has the other one... poor old guy, Bailey was not the easiest cat I've ever loved, but I gave him the best life I could...

Work is okay but it is also very depleting... but if I could only sell some stuff... or sell some more jewelry... or sell a story... life would be more fun!

So - here's to the end of summer and the beginning of fall and on to winter (not a big fan...) 

Happy International Day of Peace!

A Blogger's Challenge

A fellow blogger has issued a challenge to 10 other bloggers... List ten things I love, and ten things I hate (or REALLY dislike).

I LOVE:
Family
Friends
Trees
Animals
Music
Movies
Books
Writing
Help others
Champagne

I HATE:
Noise
Ignorance
Mean, hateful people
Intense cold
Intense heat
Bad spelling and grammar
Worry
Procrastination
Clutter
Lack of money

I did spend some time coming up with these two lists, and even rearranged the order several times for no apparent reason, since it's not supposed to be a list of best-to-worst, or vice versa. Now, you might expect a writer to spend a great deal of time explaining in detail about the meaning of each item on these lists, but I think I must err on the side of simplicity and let each one speak for itself. 

As for these twenty admissions, I admit I am guilty on several counts - that is to say, I constantly worry about things, I procrastinate, I am surrounded by clutter and I am always broke. But I do my best to enjoy/practice/live up to all the rest. 

I know I'd like to make a few changes - but is it too late for that? I'll let you know... someday.

Trying To Find My Writing Mojo...

Writing is easy. Writing is hard. Writing is every bit as easy or hard as it sounds.

Contests to enter. Blogs to post. Here are some inspirational thoughts...

Yup... Wish me luck!

My Favorite Month, May, Has Come and Gone

It's always a busy month, May... kids graduating, proms, a national holiday, my birthday - and somehow the entire 31 days flew by and not a single blog post... I intended to at least post some vacation photos (from March, which seems so long ago now) and I will download them soon... but for the present, I just feel the need to post something in hopes it will spur me to get back to blogging!

There are the usual myriad unfinished projects, and more are added every day - once in a while, I actually finish one, like this Herkimer "diamond" I wire-wrapped for a friend...



Then there's the writing and the book project, and more mermaid paper dolls for the Etsy shop, and organizing my space and on and on...

But for now, we'll just keep it simple: the book project must proceed, and the writing must come first and foremost...





Finally, a shout-out to my favorite TV show that just aired its season finale, Outlander on Starz... Today is World Outlander Day, celebrating 24 years since the first book in the series was published. Since then, author Diana Gabaldon has written a total of 8 Outlander books and several related novellas, and this year the first book was adapted into a brilliantly produced series. 

Romance novels are not my genre of choice, but since Outlander is also historical fiction with a science-fiction twist (time travel, to be specific), I had to read the first book. Thousands of people world-wide have read all of them, multiple times, so the fan base is extensive. And although many devoted readers can be snarky and can't quite appreciate the difference between a novel and its film adaptation, I enthusiastically applaud producer Ronald D. Moore and his team for doing an amazing job of recreating 18th century Scotland for the small screen and bringing these characters to life on so many levels. 

So, Happy World Outlander Day! Next year, Season Two (Dragonfly In Amber, Book Two) begins - Je suis prest ("I am ready").

And The Beat Goes On

More Etsy sales! Writing a poem a day during National Poetry Month (April)! Two writing contests! Working on a prototype for a book!

Lots to do and, with no job, lots of time to do it.

Let's start with my Etsy shop:

Someone I know bought these three pairs of earrings... 

...and the first mermaid I listed.

Then another friend bought the second mermaid I listed...

... and then someone I didn't know bought a pair of earrings. Modest sales, but it's still encouraging.

The poems have been fun... not great poetry, by any means, but for me it's mostly been about the discipline of writing something every day - sometimes I pair them with one of my photos:

The writing contests (I've entered two now) have been motivating me to write as well. We'll see what transpires in a month or two.

Then there's the prototype. I want to start writing stories about people's pets - I started with one of my own fur babies, my sweet little Nancy. The story (it's actually a poem) is finished and I need to either come up with illustrations or figure out how to get creative with photos of her.

So, that's it - a photo essay of what's been going on! Please click on the Etsy badge at the upper right of this blog post to see what's listed in the shop, and the link to my web page is below that.

Looking back at the last few posts, I realized I never posted any pictures from my vacation... maybe next time!

Three Sales and a Funeral

Today: Grey, wet, windy and cold - spring is much too slow this year, in my humble opinion.

Went to a neighbor's funeral this morning - she was 91 - what a character she was, such a formidable force of nature right up until the end. I am really going to miss her irascible spirit and our lively chats. She was one for the books.

Then, when I got home and checked my Etsy shop, I got a lovely surprise: A friend bought 3 of my creations - 2 pairs of earrings...

... and the Mermaid paper doll I listed this morning! She is quite lovely (the friend and the Mermaid).

Not only is it a truly wonderful feeling to have my work appreciated, I also get to make someone happy!

And I have finished writing a short story (3000 words in just a few days) that I am sending off to yet another writing contest.

I figured out a basic plot, decided how it would end and, to my surprise, the story practically wrote itself.

Life is so unpredictable - a day can start out somber, or even sad, and then you look up and, if you can blink the tears away, you notice there's a rainbow. 

Pick A Number Between One and Twelve...

Ever since the invention of the digital clock, people have started noticing repeating numbers. It's more obvious on a clock with numbers showing than when it happens on an analog clock - you know, the old-fashioned kind, with an hour hand and a minute hand - but it's just as significant... if you need more of that in your life.

Some people see the same pattern over and over - a friend of mine says she sees 4:44 a lot - but for the past year or so I have noticed every recurring combination many times, starting with 10:10 all the way to 5:55. Yesterday, for the first time, I noticed 1:11 twice - afternoon and early morning - and told my husband, who said he often wakes up and sees 9:11, and thinks it's sort of odd. 

Sometimes days go by without this happening; other times, I'll see 11:12 or 4:45 and think, Wow, I just missed it, and feel rather badly about it for a few seconds. So, is there a special significance to seeing repeating numbers so often? Probably not, but if you search online, you'll find that people have actually assigned myriad meanings to this phenomenon. (Just now, I looked up and saw 12:11, and I stared at it until the clock showed me 12:12... sheesh! Get a life!)

This need to attach significant meaning to our place in the natural world dates back thousands of years, from believing angry gods cause volcanic eruptions to linking messiahs to comets in the night sky. Although we have a better understanding of these natural events today, simple things like seeing the repetition of numbers still seem to affect us, spook us, or inspire us to understand how such things can happen to us. 

If you look up "repeating numbers" on Google, you'll find a dizzying array of answers - communication with angels; the Pythagorean modality of numerology; simple mathematics (recurring decimals and fractions); and even something called "repeating numbers roulette strategy" - all trying to explain what we might be tapping into when we see numbers repeat themselves. Take 2:22 - in numerology, 22 is what's called a Master Number - and according to one web site, 22 relates to our productive side (jobs and responsibilities), so pay attention and don't ignore opportunities coming your way. Okay... I guess.

Other sites tell us that our guardian angels or spirit guides are helping us through these recurring numbers, telling us they are protecting us or with us or... just saying, "Hi, there, we think you're special." One site pulls out all the stops and applies elements of divinity, astrology and tarot cards to give us an explanation. Now that's covering all the bases.

And that's not all... Apparently, there are other numbers that show up over and over, like 16 or our birth date or our address. Another friend of mine is constantly seeing the numbers 2 and 7 together, on restaurant receipts, serial numbers on $1 bills, and license plates. I've been with her when this happens, when the numbers show up on her ticket but not mine, or she'll point to a license plate on the car ahead of us. Well, now, that's odd - but how many times does it happen to me and I'm just not noticing those numbers? 

Now, I notice MY numbers (7 is one of them, and all numbers that add up to equal 7, such as 1 and 6, 2 and 5, 3 and 4)... it makes me crazy, but it also makes me feel... a little bit special, whether I want to feel that way or not. That's not a bad thing, now, is it?

But I did find one blog that I totally resonated with. This guy says that it isn't really important WHAT numbers we notice, but it's actually more important that we notice them at all, and with such regularity. One sentence he wrote sums it up (well, he makes several good points, and he gives lots of examples of his own experiences and explanations regarding this strange occurrence): 

To truly know and understand what repeating number sequences are specifically trying to say to you is only something you can discover for yourself.  The fact that you are noticing them is a symbol of your awareness and connection to the Universe.  

He also says this: 

I’ve come to understand that the Universe communicates with us in the ways we are open to receiving information.  Repeating sequences don’t just happen with numbers.  They can come in the form of an animal, a word, a color, a flower and so on.  When the same thing continually pops up in your awareness, the meaning of it is bigger than any other person’s theory or interpretation of what a specific animal, number or flower means.  Their theories and beliefs are unique to their perception and experiences.   

So the next time you see repeating numbers, or a golden dragonfly on the anniversary of your friend's death, or a shooting star on your birthday, just remember: Everything you experience during your lifetime is relative to your own truth, and living your truth will set you free. 



To read the entire awesome Galactic Spacebook blog referenced above, here's the link:

http://galacticspacebook.com/profiles/blogs/what-are-repeating-number-sequences-trying-to-communicate-to-you


Wishing you happiness today and every day.

Watch Out - Learning Curve Ahead

As I stumble around trying to figure out the world of online selling, I find that I have a problem with money. Not spending it - that's the easy part - but how much to charge for the things I make. I've always been uncomfortable with money and have been unsuccessful both at making any significant income or saving money for the proverbial rainy day and with recognizing my own worth. Friends have been kind enough to point this out to me recently, and even though I've been aware of this for years, it has now come around to bite me in the ass. The trick is, what to do about it.

It goes back to my younger days, listening to my parents argue about money. My father had the potential to make decent money (he was a commercial artist and sign painter) but often ended up not making enough to support a family, so my mother (who was a teacher in the public school system) often paid for the important things, like the mortgage and utility bills. This put a lot of stress on their marriage, which finally ended in divorce after 25 years. 

I should have learned about money from my mother, but unfortunately both my brother and I seem to have inherited my father's disdain for dineros. My stepfather was pretty savvy about simoleons, but I was already out on my own by then, and didn't learn much from him, either. So now, I am faced with this dilemma about making decent dough, because I don't really want to go back to working in retail (I'm not very good at it, plus I loathe being expected to cheerfully convince someone to part with their hard-earned cash) and I'd rather try and be my own boss for a change.

I've taken an online class and watched a few videos about what it takes to become an entrepreneur, and I've heard some pretty interesting things, like "Make your customer richer with every purchase" and "Ease the customer's pain" - and I get it, I think it's valid, and I can probably do that in a variety of ways. But it's time management and the pricing of goods that I still don't get - in fact, I totally suck at it. 

I can write. I can make stuff. I can help people release stress by applying a type of energy healing called Reiki. I'm interested in so many things, like chromotherapy (using colored light to help with various dis-eases) and photography and, well, everything. 

So I have a huge learning curve ahead of me... I just hope I'm not too set in my ways or too old to learn a few new tricks. 

Happy Spring! New Items, New Perspective

Just got back from vacation - will post some photos in my next post. Observation: Florida is sunny and warm, New England is sunny but NOT. Lots of catching up to do, and I started with my Etsy shop.

Today I put up two new listings (six items) and here they are! Handcrafted Easter post cards - click on the Etsy badge (upper right) to visit my shop, Seven Sisters Art Ink.

I love using vintage images for these one-of-a-kind special occasion cards... Mothers' Day cards are next! Plus I have a mermaid jointed paper doll I have to finish and put out there... but first, I have to do some writing (such an easy thing to put off when I can play with paper and glue or beads and wire!) If you are getting nice weather, get out there and enjoy it (I have to wait until after the upcoming snow storm...) Happy Spring!

Follow Me On Etsy

I opened an Etsy shop recently. It certainly is taking up a fair amount of my time (but, I hope and think, in a good way...) and I am just pleased that I finally did what I said I'd do, after years of procrastination. 

I've sold several items - thank you, supportive friends - and I'm promoting Seven Sisters Art Ink here and on my Facebook page. 

I'm working on some new ideas for potential products, and adding new items every few days or so... like these paper bead earrings with semi-precious stone dangles (pink with amethyst, green with green aventurine and blue/gold with tiger's eye)...

... and lovely embellished post cards for St. Patrick's Day. 

In March, I'll offer some sparkly embellished Easter post cards...

... and other handcrafted items. I can also take orders from my web site (see link on the upper right of this page). Click on the square Etsy badge to see these and all the other listings. 

Livin' the dream... Etsy-style.