treasuring

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Lots of painting happening around here lately.... Above is a background, ready for something. WHo knows what it'll turn into!

Here's a painting I just finished a couple days ago, which I'm loving on my mantle:

A couple more backgrounds, ready to be painted on:

And the big news of the week:

The Declaration of You is officially shipping! Those boxes of books arrived yesterday, so it really feels real now.

Look! :

If you pre-ordered a book, THANK YOU, and it'll be on its way to you this week! And if you'd like to order one, you can grab a signed copy on our website HERE, or you can pick one up on Amazon, where it's currently #19 in the mixed media section! Not bad for this being the first week the book is available. Let's hope it gets to #1!

Andrea Scher's start a foolish project

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

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So, my friend Andrea asked me recently to design a graphic for a new e-course she was developing, called Start a Foolish Project. I love working with Andrea, so I said YES, and we hopped on the phone so she could tell me all about it. (Oh, and the graphic is above-- isn't it fun?!)

In Andrea's words (from her website):

"Foolish projects are the things we do just for the delight. They are the things we do because our heart leaps at the thought. They are usually doorways towards greater joy + possibility. Join in and discover the foolish project inside of you!"

I immediately told that I wanted to come up with a foolish project! It sounded so fun!

BUT. I had no idea what I wanted my foolish project to be.

So, fast forward to last week.

Andrea asked me if I wanted to jump on skype to do a mini coaching-type call to figure out what my foolish project was. I said YES, feeling nervous, because I honestly had no idea what I wanted my project to be. What if I came up with a big fat zero? What if nothing came to me? What if I'm so boring that I can't even think of some fun project that I'd like to do, just for the delight of it?

Yep, the worrier/self-doubter in me came out to play.

So we hopped on skype, and Andrea asked me to close my eyes for a minute, and to imagine what I loved to do as a kid, and to just remember it. Instantly, a project popped into my head. Just.Like.That!

Next, she asked me to tell her what came to mind, and I told her that a project idea actually popped into my head immediately, but that I'd tell her my childhood memory first.

I told her that I used to create giant bubble-letter posters for every holiday, family birthday, and celebration. I worked tirelessly, for hours, on these posters, and I'd hang them early in the morning before my family woke up, and they loved each new surprise poster that I created. It made me feel good, because I loved making art, but also because I could see that it brought joy to the people I loved, too.

And then I told her the foolish project idea: to paint a big mural, with kids, somewhere in Portland. Something that they could be proud of, to show their own families, that would bring joy to everyone involved. DONE!

{Andrea and me in Manzanita}

The reason I'm telling you this is, firstly, Andrea is awesome, and this course is going to be awesome, and if the Foolish Project idea piqued your interest at all, I encourage you to go sign up! The course starts July 1st. I'll be working through it myself, to figure out how the heck I'm going to make a mural happen with a bunch of kids I don't know yet. Eep! Foolish indeed. But so fun! :)

Secondly, I am a firm believer that the things we loved doing as kids are direct pointers to the work we're supposed to do as adults. This experience with Andrea totally confirmed this belief for me-- I mean, all she had to do was ask me what I loved to do as a child, and ZING! Project idea.

If you're feeling stuck -- in your job, in your life, on your path -- looking back to your childhood can bring much clarity. How did you love to feel as a kid? What did you love to do? Remembering those things, and then incorporating them into your life, can be a doorway toward more happiness and feeling fulfilled.

You can find more details about the Start a Foolish Project on Andrea's website. I'm not an affiliate for it or anything-- I just think it's such a cool idea that Andrea had, and I wanted to share it with you, because I have a feeling Foolish Projects might feel like a pretty fun and exhilarating prospect for some of you... :)

Declaration of You BlogLovin' Tour week 3: Intention

Monday, June 17, 2013

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So, last week brought a big milestone: The Declaration of You arrived in our publisher's warehouse and began shipping to bookstores. WHHHAAAAT?! It's really real now! There's a big box of books on its way to my house right now, so if you ordered the book through our website, first of all THANK YOU, and second of all, we'll be shipping it to you (SIGNED by both of us!) soon soon soon. We can't wait for you to hold it in your hands!

This week will bring another milestone: we're going to cross the 100 blog post mark on this here BlogLovin' tour. 100 posts in less than 3 weeks! That is completely insane, because 100 posts was our original goal number for the tour (which, for the record, I thought was crazy and excessive and undoable, and Michelle and Abby informed me otherwise. Good thing they didn't let my bad attitude affect them!), and now it's looking like we'll have over 300 posts by the time the tour ends in early August. 300! That's just crazy.

This week is all about INTENTION. Now, I love a good affirmation as much as the next guy, but I don't always think they work. It depends on how you word it. Michelle and I talk in the book about how adding the magical phrase "I am willing to believe that...." to the beginning of your affirmations makes all the difference in the world. I think this is what turn affirmations into intentions.

For example.

Let's say you want to start eating healthier. You've heard that kale is really good for you. (It is!) You have a life-long belief that you don't like green vegetables. Imagine telling yourself: "I love kale. I think kale is the most delicious food on the planet. I'm going to eat it every day." Is that affirmation going to work?

Maybe. But my guess is: NO, it's not going to work.

Here's what I think will probably happen: every day you'll wake up and tell yourself that today is the day you're going to start eating kale. Kale is delicious. Kale is good for you. And then.... you don't. Because your life-long belief that kale is gross is still there, running the show. You're not transforming your belief be using the affirmation above, you're trying to trick yourself into believing something totally contrary to what you actually believe. I don't think that works very often.

But imagine using this phrase instead: "I am willing to believe that I can learn to love kale." Doesn't that feel more gentle? Doable? Like it gives you some room to experiment, and some room to transform your old belief into a new belief? It also makes room for a whole bunch of new questions -- like, "what are the different ways I can prepare kale?" "What if I put kale in a smoothie with a whole bunch of strawberries, which I love?" "I wonder what kale tastes like if I juice it?" "Maybe kale will taste yummy if I scramble it with eggs and use my favorite hot sauce on it?"

I know this is kind-of a silly example, but just think about all the places you're resisting something in your life and telling yourself you "should be" doing something differently, and think about how you could turn that around with the phrase "I'm willing to believe that..." Make that your intention. Use it as often as you'd like, in every part of your life!

Here's one of my current ones:

I'm willing to believe that I'm strong enough to run a half-marathon in September.

I don't believe that I'm strong enough YET, but I am willing to believe that I have the ability to get there.

(Also, just for the record, I LOVE kale and eat it every day-- if you don't currently eat it, it's definitely worth a try! It's a nutritional powerhouse...)

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Aaaand, here's our Intention video, too!

Make sure you pop over to our website throughout the week to see what everyone is writing on the topic of Intention, too-- dozens of posts are scheduled to go up, and we can't wait to see what everyone's got to say. (And if you want to join in and write your own post(s), which we'd LOVE, details are there as well.)

Happy Monday!

Coloring Me Happy: collection #12

Friday, June 14, 2013

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Good morning, friends! It's Friday! I hope you have some fun plans this weekend. I'll be printing wedding invitations for my cousin, brunching it up on Sunday, running 3 miles (I'm officially beginning to train for my half-marathon in September!), and resting/relaxing. What are you getting up to this weekend?

We've got some lovely + colorful images this week for Coloring Me Happy.

As always, if you'd like to join in, details are HERE, and make sure you check out the rest of the colorful images that people tagged this week in our Flickr group!

Enjoy. :)

Julie Hamilton : {website // Facebook // twitter // pinterest}

Tara Swiger : {website // Instagram // pinterest // twitter}

Susan Scott : { Instagram}

Sam Osborne : {website // Facebook // twitter // Instagram // pinterest}

Eka Fitriani L : { Flickr}

Rehab Baamer : { website // Facebook // twitter // instagram }

around here lately, 06.13.13

Thursday, June 13, 2013

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Last weekend I went to the Rose Parade here in Portland with some friends. I'm not entirely sure what the Rose Parade is for... it seems to just be a celebration of Portland and roses? But it's a fun day! I love a good parade. Especially when ponies and llamas are involved, and they're pulling tiny carriages.

My favorite part of the parade, aside from the ponies and llamas/alpacas, was when Portland's sister city in Mexico cruised by:

It was like a PARTY! There were lassoes, dancing horses, loud music, masked wizards...

I mean, honestly, where can I get one of those outfits?? They're amazing. They're like crazy colorful Mexican wizards! I'm going to have to do some research about what the meaning behind these incredible costumes is.

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Other things that have been going on:

Bike-riding to dinner with Ryan, and yummy ice cream afterwards. He's so cute. :)

Speaking of cute:

Juneau is my snuggle-buddy, every single day. She loves being on my lap while I work, and she gets mad if I don't pay enough attention to her!

And, I made a new friend this week! This is Jen Meyer:

She was in town for a few days and asked if I'd like to meet up for lunch, and MAN am I glad I said yes. She's my new favorite friend! I can't believe how much we have in common. It felt like a lunch that was meant to be. I hope she and her husband move to Portland.

And I've been painting painting painting. Here's one in progress:

And, just so you don't think my life is all fun and parades and cute cats and bike-riding, I'll share a bit of the bad news with you: I think I have an ulcer. YUCK.

Have you ever had an ulcer before? It totally sucks! Good thing I have a doctor living in the house. Do you know of any tried and true ulcer remedies? If so, please share!

Hope all's well in your world. :)

new iPhone cases in the shop

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

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I put 4 new iPhone cases in the shop over the weekend! These are some of my favorites that I've collaborated on with Case-Mate, and I love how bright they are-- perfect for summertime!

You can also get them for a variety of other phones on the Case-Mate website.

More new ones coming soon.....

Declaration of You BlogLovin' Tour week 2: Uniquity

Monday, June 10, 2013

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It's Week 2 of The Declaration of You BlogLovin' Tour!

You guys, last week was amazing. 45 posts total, dozens of tweets, a Facebook party with over 250 comments, all on the topic of enthusiasm. To that I say: YESSS!

And this week it's all about UNIQUITY. Alllllll the things that make you YOU; that make you unique!

On the surface, it might be hard to think of how you're unique, in a world so saturated with people who probably do the same kinds of things that you do and like the same kinds of things that you do, too.

Using myself as an example, I'm a painter and a pattern designer. I like to run. I like to eat healthy food. I'm pretty average height, pretty average weight, pretty average looks. I like to be outside. I like to travel.

None of these things are all that unique on the surface. There are plenty of people in the world who do those same things and like those same things that I do.

What Michelle and I are here to say is that all the things that make up who YOU are, whether you think they're very unique or not, is exactly what your uniquity is. All your qualities, all your likes/dislikes, all your talents, all your values and beliefs, all mixed up in your body, your heart, your mind, resulting in one beautifully complicated and one-of-a-kind human being.

There is no one else walking on this planet who is quite like you. No one in the world has the same combination of qualities and personality traits and talents and quirks that you do. You are one remarkable, unique person, my friend!

So, just like we did last week, I think we should make a list. List all the ways that you are unique! I'll start, of course. :)

Some of the ways I'm unique (you're about to learn a lot about me!):

I am left-handed
I am the oldest of 5 kids
I cry when I see Humane Society commercials
I love grapes and can eat them until I'm sick
I used to wish I was French when I was a little kid
I am obsessed with cats
I love chewing Trident orange-flavored gum
I am an introvert
I am highly sensitive
I love color and fancy myself quite astute with how to use it
I love tiny things -- most especially ponies and miniature cacti
I drink a green smoothie for breakfast every morning
I am a colorful painter
I taught myself how to design patterns
I listen to my intuition and use it as a guiding tool in my life
I am kind-of afraid of the ocean
I am a good singer and used to be a singer/songwriter in high-school and college, before I became a full-time artist
My dad died when I was 24
I'm really good with kids
I am a good listener
I believe the universe responds to our thoughts and beliefs (Law of Attraction, yo!)
I can mix paint to match any color you show me
I love doing puzzles
I have a tattoo on my back that I got when I was 17 that I can't stand, that I think I'm going to have turned into a crow one of these days. My mom said I'd regret getting the tattoo. She was right.
I dream of traveling to India
I am highly self-motivated
I learn quickly and am resourceful
I'm a nice person
I love to run
I love looking at trees and plants
I want to help inspire people to go after their dreams and never give up
I love to be cozy
I love Christmas
I am a home-body, but I also love to travel
I worry a lot
I don't like talking on the phone
I love reading self-improvement books
I love riding my bike

All of these things are a part of me. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but hopefully you get the idea. Everything on that list, all put together, describes ME. Not anyone else on the planet. That is my uniquity.

What's on YOUR list? What makes YOU unique? Claim your Uniquity this week! Go ahead, don't be shy. Write down the good, the bad, the ugly, the embarrassing..... it's all what makes you YOU.

And if you feel like sharing some of the things on your list, please leave them in the comments! I'd love to know what your uniquity is all about.

{Be Bold, Be Brave print available here}

Also! Back when Michelle and I were writing the book and interviewing our contributors, we recorded some videos with about half of them. We were fortunate that Colleen Wainwright, the Communicatrix, was one of them! She's one serious smarty-pants, and this interview about uniquity with Colleen is definitely worth a gander:

Happy Monday!

Michelle + I talk about Enthusiasm

Friday, June 07, 2013

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Michelle and I just finished our first Facebook party for our BlogLovin' Tour, on the topic of Enthusiasm-- you guys, I can enthusiastically say that it was SO much fun! When Michelle and I were trying to figure out what we wanted to do for the tour, we had to find ways to combine her major extrovertedness and my pretty major introvertedness. Doing live calls or recording videos always makes me feel super awkward and self-conscious, so I wanted to avoid that if possible (sorry, Michelle!)-- so the Facebook parties were born!

250+ comments later, I can safely say it was a success. And everyone there had so much fun! Next Friday we'll be talking about Uniquity (the things that make you YOU!), and we'd love to have you join in the conversation. Details here!

Anyway, I did get talked into making one video, for the lovely Wild Sister blog, while I was in New York City a couple weeks ago and Michelle and I were together-- this video is all about Enthusiasm!

Listen in to hear about the 3 things that we think will lead you to a life that you're going to LOVE living if you focus on them. (Hint: it's all about discovering your Big Likes, like we talked about on Monday, and then, here's the kicker, doing them, and experimenting with new things that you think you might like.)

I'd love to hear more about your Big Likes and the things you love doing/ways you love feeling, and I'd also love to know what things you've been dying to try lately! Do tell, in the comments. :)