Thoughtful Thursday - oh yes, you can


J ust about everything worth doing is worth doing because it's important and because the odds are against you.

If they weren't, then anyone could do it, so don't bother.

Conversation by Seth Goden, Photograph by Adi Levy (of his mom)

NO Whining on Wednesday - feelin' lucky for St. Paddy's Day

I've been thinking alot about Whining Wednesdays lately and realize that (since I am the law of attraction in action girl, in case you missed that)

I really do need to be more positive.

I mean, it's kind of like walking around with an ungratitude journal and I don't want to be that kind of person

(or mess with Oprah)

so I think we need to add a NO to our Whining Wednesday routine and we can focus on all the ways we are lucky.

For instance, I was half watching You've Got Mail (no, not another Meg Ryan post, I promise) and seeing Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan (I really won't mention her again) communicate back and forth with each other via email in complete sentences that I don't think anyone with less than seven hands could possibly type that quickly and accurately

and it made me realize that I am very lucky (#1) to have found Mr. Right before texting and email and instant messaging

because after watching me write something on screen, erase it, rewrite it and still not make any sense, my potential suitor would be convinced that it wasn't a real person he was talking to, but a small dog walking across the keyboard

and because I called him 'my potential suitor' - he'd probably think I was a total loser who wears polka dot ribbons, collects Speed Racer memorabilia and knows the lyrics to all Pat Benatar songs.

But he'd be wrong. Because I freakin' hate ribbons.

Unless they're blue and have my name on them, but I don't think I've ever had one of those.

Wait ... lucky #2, I did have a blue ribbon for the 5th grade standing broad jump and now that I think of it, where the hell is it? I had a few trophies that year, too and if I had them now I could set up one of those little showrooms for myself like those 4 year old pageant girls have and I have always wanted




I mean I admit this kid is cute, but is it really fair that she has all these trophies and I have none? ----->


and when people come over to visit me I could slowly maneuver them into my showroom and I could spend a few minutes reminding them about how awesome I am

actually scratch all that stuff because now that I'm thinking about it, I would rather be the kind of person who after receiving a Lifetime Achievement in Awesomeness award from the academy would just absent mindedly leave it in the restroom. I wouldn't miss it.

Wait, again ... now that I'm dreaming let's go back to my Academy Award because I can see myself whipping off a pair of oversized Gucci sunglasses and tucking them into an equally oversized hairdo that has the same texture as fiberglass insulation and thanking the academy and my daughter and hubby (and Olive, of course) and all the little people everywhere ...

and then I would tuck my award into my Michael Kors handbag that would actually be large enough to hold Michael Kors- before heading into the restroom where I would absent mindedly leave it behind and never think of it again ...

(that sounds better- with grateful thinking it is very important to take the high road)

And the #3 reason I am lucky is that this photo just magically appeared on my desktop and I am thinking that either I have the smartest dog on the planet or have been sleep- surfing the internet

(again)

I can't really decide if this product is awful or awesome ... but I am thinking maybe awesome and I love how they market the box directly to the pup with "Keep Yourself Warm and Your Paws Free" which I suppose is what caught Olive's attention since she likes to sleep all bundled up near the heater with her paws sticking out of the covers

so, now I am wasting a lot of time tiptoeing into the bedroom every few hours to try to catch Olive on the computer and I can't spend my entire day doing this since I am such a busy girl

(and there are so many other, more productive ways to procrastinate)

although if I discover that Olive can actually type faster and more accurately than I do

(or better than the average 7 year old which is about the same thing)

this would free up alot of time for me. Time that could be better spent involved in some trophy winning activities to get started on my show(off)room

(I have seen enough episodes of Toddlers and Tiaras to be fairly certain I could take those little brats)

and it would be kind of a relief to know that if my Man of Mystery (ie the husband who has threatened a marital lawsuit if I continue to blog about him on Wednesdays)

runs away to find a new girl

(maybe a girl with a permanently adhered paw covered snuggi and no internet service)

at least I can count on Olive to impress any potential suitors.


1. Wishbone necklace by Marolsha
2. Lucky stone button set by LockandSpoon
3. Do Not Freeze print by LuckyBunnyWorldwide
4. Lucky spirit quartz necklace by PiperTree
5. Lucky Locket Set By Polarity

SPECIAL at both my Etsy shops- a free pair of matching earrings with any necklace or locket purchase in either of my shops Uncorked or Polarity - just write Yup, I Feel Lucky (or some such something) in the comments to seller section of your order. Offer good thru 3/31!

Take 10 Tuesday - some stuff you might not want to miss

1. CHECK OUT What Truly 'Wealthy' People Think About Money over at The Artist Farm.

2. READ Designing Sticky Products by the amazing Megan at Crafting an MBA

3. READ Brenda's (Phydeaux) great series on To Hire or Not to Hire over at PaperNStitch.

4. WATCH Planet Green's 100 Places to Remember Before They Disappear

5. SEE OK Go's BRILLIANT This Too Shall Pass video on Ngan's (eNVeJewelry) wonderful blog.

6. TO DO NOW Starting Seeds Indoors is a wonderful post on Design Sponge.

7. LISTEN TO Naomi interview Michael Bungay Stanier who wrote Do More Great Work - loved his idea of separate space for your good vs. great work- I've always naturally done this, if you're not, maybe it is something to try

8. I LOVE Christine Kane and she is offering a free download of her 2 part series How to Turn a Set-back into a Comeback

9. MY OWN slightly boring post for Artisan's Collective on Repetitive Stress Injuries and how not to turn your body into a machine (because it will break)

10. CHECK OUT - some amazing new work over at LilFishStudios that will inspire you!

GIVEAWAY - Gorgeous Kristina Marie Recycled Paper GARLAND As Seen in Martha Stewart Weddings CLOSED

AND THE WINNER IS:
True Random Number Generator

Min: 1
Max: 462
Result:
444

Carzoo Critters! Congrats Breanna and thank you to everyone who entered!

KristinaMarie is the amazing Etsy shop where the most beautiful recycled paper garlands are created!

Kristine Osborne's gorgeous work was recently featured in Martha Stewart Weddings Spring 2010 issue as a stunning example of an amazingly unexpected way to decorate ceremony chairs.



You will find so many uses for her beautiful paper work! We are so lucky to have one of Kristina Marie's amazing garlands for our giveaway.


WHAT YOU GET:

One lucky winner will receive this Gorgeous Recycled Hymnal Paper Garland Strand in Color - 10 feet / as seen in Martha Stewart Weddings Spring 2010!


HOW TO WIN:

Check out KristinaMarie's shop and leave a comment below with your contact info!

For additional entries:

(5) Twitter this post
(5) Blog about this contest; linking to this post
(5) Follow my blog

Let me know if you have done these things so I can give you additional entries. This contest is open to everyone.

DRAWING:

MIDNIGHT on Sunday, March 28th! Good luck!! CLOSED

Friday Finds - We've Got Spring FEVER!

Photobucket
1. calypso shirt
2. mushroom log - grow shitakes
3. anna marie horner fabric
4. flamingo
5. marin bike
6. green book marker by yuruliku
7. bird feeder
8. retro chair
9. fish n eddie's glass
10. weber grill

This week's Friday Finds is brought to you by the amazing wedding photographer Kella MacPhee. Thank you Kella!

Whining Wednesday or it's time to live the dream, folks

Now I know it's Wednesday, which is usually a good excuse for me to whine about a few things, but lately I've been feeling much too positive about my future and

(maybe due to this never-ending cold that keeps me from thinking straight)

I find my dreams really reaching for the sky ...

for instance, Dream 1 - I sent my media kit

(yes, I have a media kit- it does contain a picture of Meg Ryan- but I don't think anyone will notice, since you don't really see her around much anymore and no one remembers her real face anyway)

to some magazines and am hoping for a product mention, but what I really want is to be described in print somewhere as being incredibly fit and attractive.

(I mean, other than in something I've written about myself.)

(oh, and maybe if the word 'annoying' wasn't used, that would be cool, too.)

So, the magazine could show a picture of my cork jewelry and say something like, Uncorked's incredibly fit and attractive designer Catherine Ivins ... yadda yadda yadda - there must be some way a clever copywriter can work this in for me.

Dream 2 - The other thing I really want is to be driving at some ridiculously high rate of speed and have to perform some challenging yet delicate maneuver - like swerving to stop a burning, runaway school bus full of orphans or avoid a little parade of baby ducks

(or maybe just once I won't hit the curb when I pull out of the bank drive-thru)

my passenger - perhaps Ben Stiller - he seems like a good sidekick - will be screaming obscenities, partly out of relief and partly out of total awe for my amazing driving skills, but I won't even notice.

Then, I'll park the car, doing one of those amazing swerve into a parking space backwards thing, and we'll get out to go to the station - because we're undercover FBI agents too, I forgot that part - and he'll have to jog to keep up with me

and then he'll kind of slap me on the back and say, "Hey, nice driving back there partner."

And I'll just shrug and say something like, "Yeah, well ... I do what I can."

And then he'll tell me that I look incredibly fit and attractive.

The days when you can extinguish an orphan and help a baby duck back to the pond ... well, those are the days when you're really living the dream, folks.

and I know these dreams are big and bold, but that's just the kind of girl I am ...


1. Searching for Fairy Tales print by This Years Girl
2. Larimeloom's dreamy silk camisole
3. Dreaming print by Corid
4. AKACinders Dreamy Cotton Candy Eco Felt Necklace
5. RoughMagicCreations A Robin's Pearls has me dreaming of spring