creative christmas project & magic tree

I've spent my morning making home-made stamped gift cards and wrapping a few gifts. This is the first year I've made gift cards, and I'm very happy with how they turned out. I simply used fancy scissors to cut the silver paper I had. I used green, blue, and bronze ink for the stamps. I punched a single hole in the top, tied ribbon through it, and finished off by adding a sparkly sticker gem. Voila! Quick, easy, and personal. Last night my sweet husband and I and another friend couple went on a Starbuck's run and Christmas light gazing trip. I must admit, the lights around town were somewhat of a let-down (I swear the small town I grew up in--with population 2,000--has some of the best. lights. ever.), but the magic tree was truly magical!

Tonight we're off to my Sweet Momma's holiday party. Looking forward to the festivities! Hope you have a bright & sparkly weekend, too.

Namaste'

Leslie

holiday photos

I just began reading the book The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women by Gail McMeekin. I have had this book on my reading list for a while, and when I saw it as a bargain priced book at Barnes & Noble, I couldn't resist buying it. As I read, I am once again reminded that we are born creative. It doesn't matter if you don't paint or draw, you are still an artist with a creative spirit! Sometimes we can become very disconnected to our creative side by the busy-ness and noise of every day life. This is why it is so important to take opportunities to get still (yay yoga!) and plan inspiration dates. Find the time to reconnect with your creative side! What inspires you? What gets you excited? What are you drawn to do? What would you do, if you had all the time in the world?

One of my favorite ways to be creative is through decorating. Since we are in a new house this Christmas, I've added a few new color schemes and decorations, but I was able to use most of our older decs in bedrooms and the study. Christmas decorations just make the house cozy and warm...

This is a little vintage looking tree in our study. I love it. The photo doesn't do it justice at all. Raspberry is one of my favorite colors!

I'm loving using the center of our square table as a display for decorations. I bought a bunch of small silver and gold candle holders from Michael's for $2.00 each, put out some ball ornaments randomly, filled two vases I had with ornaments, and put 4 snowflakes (I got at Hobby Lobby a few years ago)in the center on a round mirror I had.
This is a little raspberry tree I've had for a few years.

This is a candle stick I bought at Marshall's this year. I actually got two of them, and I am absolutely in love. I will be leaving these out all year round!

Peace

Thought these initial ornaments were fun. Found them at Kohl's last year.

The tree...I've always loved white trees. I orginally started with a gold, silver, and bronze color theme, but decided I needed more color, so I added in a silvery blue and green apple. I'm pleased with the final result.

Peacock blue is also beautiful, in my opinion!

This is the entry way to our home. Thanks to my momma for helping me with this arrangement!

I got this wreath years ago at Macy's, and I love it. Fun green feathers? What's not to love? It used to have a raspberry ball in it, but I wanted it in the living room, so I switched out the ball for a blue one.

Another shot of the table and tree in the evening.

"We need to remember we are all created creative and can invent new scenarios as frequently as they are needed." --May Angelou

Get your creative juices flowing this holiday season!

Namaste'

Leslie

home photos

I always enjoy seeing shots of other people's homes. Overall, I think our home is a good reflection of us and is starting to feel very cozy. One of the ways I find to express my creativity is through decorating. I am a bargain shopper (love me some TJ Maxx, Marshalls, & Gordmans), and I love when I find the perfect accessory.

Namaste'

Leslie

express yourself

My husband and I spent the weekend flower and plant shopping and then landscaping at our new home. We negotiated with the builder to let us do our own landscaping as we both really enjoy the process. Landscaping, while very hard work, is also a process that really gets my creative juices flowing. Choosing the flowers and plants and different heights and colors and then arranging them in the space is so much fun--not to mention watching the plants grow and bloom and spread over time!

Have you been feeling very creative lately? If not, there are many ways to get your creative juices flowing:

*write

*draw

*play an instrument

*dance

*plant a garden

*cook

*color

*paint

*redecorate a room

*create a new yoga sequence

*make a collage

*try out a new hair style

*paint your nails a bright summery color

Have fun & express yourself!

Namaste'

Leslie

creative decorating

My newest home-made furniture...


My decorating style? Earthy Glam

How can you get creative with your decorating?

Namaste'
Leslie

get your creative juices flowing this holiday

I completely and totally believe that every person is a creative being. I have not always believed this. Somehow as I grew up, I learned the false belief that only those who are actual "artists" are truly creative. I now, thankfully, know this is not the case. I also know that if you've identified with the role of being uncreative or bought in to that false personal story, your creative juices will not flow freely!

So, how can you get your creative juices flowing this holiday season? Homemade gifts are one great way to get creative, give a gift that is truly meaningful, and save a little money in the meantime. There are all types of things you can create and give. If you're having a hard time coming up with something, think about your personal gifts and talents and passions, google homemade gifts, and start doing a little research. Then, take action! In years past, I've made yummy smelling soaps, unique lavender scented eye pillows, and most recently scarves for gifts for family and friends. Here is my sweet husband wearing one of his early Christmas gifts:

So, there is still time to get your creative juices flowing during the holiday season!

Namaste'
Leslie

p.s. If you are looking for a great challenge to start the New Year, take a look at my Create Your Life*Create a List challenge in the post below! I'd love to have you join me in taking action to create your most authentic and best life!

creativity list

Today's yogathought comes from the fab little book Dream It. List It. Do It.

"Being creative isn't about makinga masterpiece. In fact, it's not really about outcomes at all. Being creative is about process--it's about letting your imagination take you on an exhilarating ride with every ounce of your attention so caught up in the moment that the hours slip away like minutes. Don't wait around for divine inspiration or a visit from the greek muses. Get out your watercolors and try to capture the light in your garden. Sketch a design and silk-screen it on a T-shirt. Or simply cut up old magazines and glue the words and photos into a collage to hang in your bedroom. Create something from nothing--the finished product could be terrifying or terrific, but the experience is guaranteed to be thrilling.

*Sketch one thing every day
*Play, record, mix, and produce my own music
*Design my own tattoo
*Fill every notebook I own with new ideas
*Write a children's book
*Refashion a really funky T-shirt
*Publish a coffee table book of my photography
*Make homemade candles
*Crochet an afghan
*Design and make my own jewelry
*Landscape my yard
*Design and print my own stationery"

How do you get your creative juices flowing?

Namaste'
Leslie

nurturing creativity

If you haven't heard Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, talk about nurturing creativity on TED, you should definitely check her out here.


Namaste'
Leslie

rain and a word on creativity

It is pouring down rain right now. Since I'm inside with no where to go, I don't mind the rain showers at all. I have our two screen doors open and the sound of it is rather soothing. The pups are a bit freaked out because of the occasional burst of thunder. And, sadly my sweet husband is a bit preoccupied because he's not able to get his truck (or girlfriend as I like to refer to it, but that's another story) in the garage because we had a massive pile of mulch delivered in our driveway today, and he's worried it might hail.

Earlier this afternoon we started mulching our flower beds. We finished the one in the front of our house, which is the largest, before the storm moved in. Mulching is such a dirty job. I was covered from head to toe.

I know I've posted quite a bit about flowers recently. Truly, planting flowers is one of my creative outlets, and I enjoy them all summer long. Last week, while flower shopping with a friend, she was amused at how I arrange the flowers on my flat in the way I intend to plant them, so I can visualize and design my pots just as I want them to look. This year, my color theme for the flowers in my pots is mainly pinks and purples.

Here is your yogathought for the day on creativity from the creativity guru herself, Julia Cameron:

"We are all creative. Creativity is a natural life force that all can experience in one form or another. Just as blood is part of our physical body and is nothing we must invent, creativity is part of us and we each can tap into the greater creative energies of the universe and pull from that vast, powerful sprirtual wellspring to amplify our own individual creativity.

As a culture we tend to define creativity too narrowly and to think of it in elitist terms, as something belonging to a small chosen tribe of 'real artists.' But in reality everything we do requires making creative choices, although we seldom recognize that fact. The ways in which we dress, set up our homes, do our jobs, the movies we see, and even the people we involve ouselves with--these all are expressions of our creativity. It is our erroneuos beliefs about creativity, our cultural mythology about artists ('All artists are broke, crazy, promiscuous, self-centered, single or they have trust funds') that encourage us to leave our dreams unfulfilled. These myths most often involve matters of money, time, and other people's agendas for us. We we clear these blocks away, we can become more creative."

Namaste'

Yogadiva

(photo by kompot.photo on flickr)

spring break

This week flew by. I finished up the raw foods/juicing cleanse. I definitely recommend trying it. I always feel so much cleaner and lighter after I eat this way. The last time I did a cleanse--I didn't do raw, I just ate clean--it was for 14 days. I would say it's probably a better bet to try it for 2-3 days rather than a full 2 weeks your first time, at least. I plan to try to do a raw food/juicing cleanse every three months or so.

I'm on a much needed spring break this upcoming week, and I'm so excited to have a full week to do with as I please. Don't get me wrong, I would love to be going on an island get-away, but because my husband doesn't have the same spring break as me and in order to save money, I'm just going to have a little staycation. I will have loads of time to read, do yoga, browse book stores, get creative, walk my pups, and take my laptop to coffee shops to surf the internet and write. It is so important to balance working hard with relaxing and rejuvinating, and that is exacty what I plan to do this week!

Here is your yogathought for the day:

"Once you accept that it is natural to create, you can begin to accept a second idea--that the creator will hand you whatever you need for the project. The minute you are willing to accept the help of this collaborator, you will see useful bits of help everywhere in your life. Be alert: there is a second voice, a higher harmonic, adding to and augmenting your inner creative voice. This voice frequently shows itself in synchronicity....Expect the universe to support your dream. It will." --Julia Cameron

Namaste'
Yogadiva