Not exactly fiber art...but...sparkle time!

Here is my new sweater...which I think is almost fiber art!! :) but technically not. Made in a factory...and mass produced...etc...however, I love the textures and color.  This is part of  my New Years Eve outfit for this year...I love to wear sparkles on Christmas and New Years.  Dont let anyone take away your sparkle!!

 Another idea for a rug--I am into horses and ships...for some reason.  Do not have a horse or a boat...nor do I sail or live on the ocean...still love ships right now...looking for a huge model ship that I like.

 This is a rug I am gathering wool for...bought this way too small wool suit online and will use for the blue in this rug and maybe the sailing ship if I do that.
 I would like to do an English Flag for my family room in rug hooking....will make it look a bit old...tea stained kind of...

About living in the moment

When we ,as artists, start worrying about taking the time to create art....saying to ourselves that we should be doing this or that....here is an article about living in the moment...and tying to have less stress and worry in your life.  For me, creating art, does help my stress level....I do tend to get lost in what I am doing..and I do live in the present moment when I am creating.  How about you?

The Draining Worry Habit and How to Overcome It

Image by amira_a (license).

“Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.”
Swedish Proverb

One of the most common and subtly – or not so subtly – destructive habits people get wrapped up in must be worrying.

It has certainly been one of my biggest issues.

I get a lot of emails from people feeling that they worry too much about work or their loved ones and they create create elaborate and negative scenarios in their minds. And it sucks so much energy from them.

In the past few years I have become pretty good at handling worry quickly when it pops up. And to keep it far from my mind most of the time.

And I’d like to share my most effective tips with all of you that may have this draining habit in your life. I truly hope you’ll find something that helps in this article.
Stay in the present moment and today.

Worries come from imagining how things will go terribly wrong sometime in the future. They become bigger as you spend time building elaborate scenarios in your mind. And can become even bigger as you replay that one bad event from your past over and over in your mind and fear that it will be your reality in the future this time too.

When you spend too much of your energy and time imagining the future or reliving the past then that often leads to a lot of worries.

So an important key to drastically less worries is to not spend more time than necessary there and to spend most of your time in the present moment and on this current day.

Two of the most powerful tips I use to do that are:

• Just take care of today. When you start your day or when worries start to cloud your mind then sit down for a minute. Breathe. Then narrow your focus greatly. Don’t look forward because then you’ll see all the things you have to do to, for example, reach a goal. Instead, focus on just taking care of today. Nothing more. Tomorrow will come in time. And then you will take care of that today too.
• Tell yourself: now I am… As I do something I simply tell myself this in my mind: Now I am X. For example, if I am brushing my teeth, then I tell myself: Now I am brushing my teeth. If am writing then I tell myself: Now I am writing. It is easy to drift away to the future or past. This phrase keeps me grounded in the present moment and in today.

Ask yourself: How many of the things you feared would happen in your life did actually happen?
Most things you fear will happen never happen. They are just monsters in your own mind. And if they happen then they will most often not be as painful or bad as you expected. Worrying is most often just a waste of time.
This is of course easy to say. But if you remind yourself of how little of what you feared throughout your life that has actually happened you can start to release more and more of that worry from your thoughts.
So whenever I am struck with worries, I ask myself this question and I remind myself of how little of the things that I have worried about over the years that have actually become real. I find that this most often calms me down.
Refocus your mind from the powerless worrying to how you can solve the situation.

To move out of worry I find it enormously helpful to just start moving and taking action to solve what I am concerned about.

And the simplest way to do so is to think for little while and to come up with one thing I can do to start solving this worry inducing situation. And then to start doing that in small steps to keep discomfort, fear and procrastination away until the situation is under control or not an issue anymore.

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Copyright 2006-2012 Henrik Edberg.

"Say Hello to my little friend!"

Those of you who know the movie (Pacino)...know what that saying is all about...but this is not THAT!!  I got a new puppy on Sunday....Still have not named him...I feel like I need to live with him a bit and his name will come forth.  He sure is cute.  He is a mix of schnauzer and bichon frieze.  Called a chonzer.  All I know he is cute!  I suppose as he gets older I will have his hair cut as a schnauzer but now he has that just got from bed look :) !!!!  Bed head!  He is more himself than he has been the first 2 days..today he is feisty...and I am saying to myself ..oh my, what have I done??!!  But he is going outside pretty good ....so heres hoping potty training will be successful...I have to keep my eye on him 24-7  as he is chewing on cords and shoes and anything he thinks smells and looks like it needs chewing.  His cuteness will get him through....I keep telling myself ..this too shall pass and then he will be awesome.  He really is already...my heart is exploding with love for him already.  I cannot leave his sight or he cries like someone is torturing him,...hey, at least I feel needed and loved for sure!!!  Here are some pictures...my camera went dead after I took these so I cant take more till I go get batteries. We named him Hans. 

HOW TO-MAKE A DESIGN WALL FOR QUILTING

http://youtu.be/llS7N_UjQmg

 This is an antique rug ...and I think I am going to do this next for my next hooked rug.  I'll have to make up the edges not shown...because this is all I have.  But I love it.

 Another thought is a willow pattern rug....Here are some examples of rugs and quilts taken from the traditional willow pattern....

I think this very old painting will make a fantastic rug....so it is in the running...

I love this painting...it would make an awesome rug as well I think......yes.........

I am sharing this because I am thinking how we as artists can say "I cant do that"..and how we need to be bolder and how amazing art can be created if we allow it to happen!  Ask these questions of yourself and see what you come up with.

“People Say ‘I Can’t’ Too Much.”

Happiness interview: C.C. Chapman.
How did I first learned about C.C. Chapman? I can’t remember; it’ s lost in the sands of time. Somewhere in the wilds of the internet. He’s a writer, photographer, speaker, and creativity and social media guru, so there are a lot of ways I could have encountered him.
We finally met in real life at SXSW, the big blogger conference in Austin. He is as nice and interesting in person as he is on the screen and page.
I’m thrilled for him: his first book, Amazing Things Will Happen: A Real-World Guide on Achieving Success & Happiness, just came out. (In the photo, you can see him holding the very first copy.) Here’s what I wrote about it: “For people who want to make a leap into a new kind of career but just can’t quite make the jump, C.C. Chapman offers practical advice, real-life examples, and thoughtful, realistic encouragement that will allow them to dare to do amazing things.”
He’s done a huge amount of thinking and writing about how to make life happier, so I was very eager to get the chance to ask him some questions.
Gretchen: What’s a simple activity that consistently makes you happier?
C.C.: Cooking. It doesn’t matter if I’m scrambling some eggs or making a full on Thanksgiving dinner. When I’m in the kitchen I’m always happy.
What’s something you know now about happiness that you didn’t know when you were 18 years old?
That there is more to life than money. When I was coming out of High School I was too focused on how much my paycheck was going to be above other things. Yes, money is important and can help you be happier, but it should never be priority one. Having a loving wife (who was my girlfriend back then) who supports me and is my best friend on top of my wife brings more happiness than any wad of cash.
Is there anything you find yourself doing repeatedly that gets in the way of your happiness?
I get caught in the “click stream” as I call it sometimes. That is where you go from checking your inbox, to seeing what is being said on Twitter, then over to Facebook, then a quick look at my Google Reader and back to my inbox. Suddenly and without notice I’ll realize that an hour has gone by and I’ve really accomplished nothing. I get frustrated and angry at myself for allowing it to happen.
Is there a happiness mantra or motto that you’ve found very helpful? (e.g., I remind myself to “Be Gretchen.”)
My dad always told me, “To each their own.” There are always going to be people we encounter who have different beliefs, tactics and ways they live their lives. It is way too easy to get bothered and unhappy about these people. But, if what they are doing is not directly causing you or someone you care about harm, than just let them be and move on because challenging them is not going to help you in any way and usually just adds up to more frustration. This little bit of advice has made my life MUCH happier.
If you’re feeling blue, how do you give yourself a happiness boost?
Listening to music is the first thing that comes to mind. I’ve always loved music and popping on a favorite song or album always makes me smile. No matter how frustrated or down I might be, the right song can always make me a bit happier and break out of any funk big or small.
Is there anything that you see people around you doing or saying that adds a lot to their happiness, or detracts a lot from their happiness? 
People say “I can’t” too much. They make excuses for why they are not doing whatever it is that they wish they were doing. When I challenge them and ask for specific reasons why they can’t do something I rarely get something that isn’t a personal roadblock that they’ve put up themselves. Sure, whatever path they are wishing they were on might not be an easy one, but life rarely is. People would be much happier if they realized that they’ve got to work hard to achieve their dreams, but that hard work towards a goal that they really want will in fact make them happier.
Have you always felt about the same level of happiness, or have you been through a period when you felt exceptionally happy or unhappy – if so, why? If you were unhappy, how did you become happier?
When I was much younger I was not very happy at all. I was bullied and didn’t have very many friends growing up since we moved around a lot. It had a profound effect on me and my life as I have always cherished those people that are my friends. As I got older, I realized that friends shouldn’t ever be based on quantity, but rather on quality. Having kids of my own this is something I try to teach them. Popular kids are rarely as happy as they seem on the outside. Having a core set of close and trusted friends is a cornerstone of why I’m so happy these days compared to back then.
Is there some aspect of your home that makes you particularly happy?
I work out of a home office, and I love it because I’m surrounded by memories and comforts. I have a big couch and a leather reading chair that I can kick back in and unwind. There are lots of windows to let the sun in and photos and prints all over the walls. I can’t look anywhere without seeing a knick knack or little treasure from one of my trips and I always feel comfortable and happiest there.

Also ...

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