Moving Forward

Hello All! Once again, it has been far too long since I have posted. My intention was to post no less than once per week but life just has a habit of getting in the way. I have been quite busy which is a good thing...alas, I am moving forward and will try to post more often. I am so grateful for my readers and hope to provide your with more content. I have been busy working on my Etsy shops, and have opened a brand new shop on a new site called Supadupa.com. I don't know how the site will fare, but thus far, I love the interface and support of the staff. Here is my new shop there where I will offer antique and vintage photographs and ephemera. Please do stop by to have a look around and say hello!

http://msalisemporium.mysupadupa.com/

I will post again soon. Have a beautiful Sunday!

Namaste

What A Year!

What a difference a year makes! It has been ove a year since my last post and so much has taken place. I had to take a break from my very much loved martial arts class due to financial stress...which of course many others have endured as well. I hope to return very soon, it really made a huge difference in my health and my life. I have had two concussions. Two! It is one of the reasons that I have not posted for so very long. Concentrating on writing has proven to be very difficult. Writers block has been an issue and my brain played tricks on me. Short term memory loss as well, and whenever I would type what I thought was a normal paragraph, and yet when I looked at it, words would be jumbled, spelled backwards, or spelled incorrectly. Very frustrating. It is much better now.

We are all a year older now. That means that my son is almost ready to start driving, my baby girl will be 21 and my older two kids are old enough to call me by my first name ...LOL. We had to lay our beloved Labrador Riley to rest. He was fifteen and simply grew tired. He was a loyal friend to the very end and will be missed forever. I found that a Labrador was a perfect family pet, and would not hesitate for a moment to welcome another someday. I discovered I have Ceiliacs and cannot digest wheat or gluten, hopefully the new enzymes I take will help to remedy that. I am channeling my energies into my family and my business on Etsy.

We have been through many crisis this past year, and no need to go into them, we survived and we are well. Just this past weekend my husband and son built a new garden swing and it turned out wonderfully!

All in all, life is good. We wake up, we survive, and we go back to bed. If something positive happens in the process we are blessed. If something negative happens, we try to learn something from it. I will try to post more often as my brain and recovery and time permits. In the mean time, have a wonderful day!

~Namaste!

Giving Feels Good.

I have had a crafts business for more than 20 years. One thing that I have always done is to try to give a little something extra with each order. During the holidays, I pick at least one customer, and give them their purchase for free...usually at crafts shows. When I have stock that I plan to discontinue, is slightly imperfect, or crafting materials that I won't use... I give it to a shelter, or an organization that I hope will put it to good use.

I give in intangible ways too. I am certainly not a rich person, but I decided long ago, after reading a book by Deepak Chopra that I would give a gift to everyone that I came into contact with, a compliment, a favor, paying something forward, or even just a smile with the words "have a nice day" even to someone that is not treating me nicely. I feel better in the long run.

The act of giving produces positive endorphins and a sense of well being. In short, giving feels good. You don’t have to have a lot to give a lot. You can give the gift of time by volunteering in your community, the gift of companionship to someone who needs support or a friend, or your gift can be a simple smile or compliment to a stranger. You never know what small gesture will help someone in need or make their day. There is always someone that can use your help, and giving to your community is a reward in itself.

We all have something to give. As a part of doing business, I believe that it creates good karma, and perhaps the recipient will pass something along that will make someone else have a good day. In any case, giving is a good thing...pass it on.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

April 20 was a very special day. It was my maternal grandmother's birthday. Margaret Nancy Ali Arnold. She is the first lady in the photo, with her hand on her hip. The little munchkin is me! The other 2 are my paternal grandmother and great grandmother. Looking back, I realize that she was quite a woman...one that I should aspire to be more like! She was a wife, and mother to 6 kids. I never saw her take a drink, smoke a cigarette or say one cross word in her entire life. She managed to deal with the stresses and day to day tasks with a calmness and strength that came from her deep religious beliefs, strong sense of family, and the love that radiated from her very soul. She went blind from complications of diabetes...and never slowed down one step! She babysat my brothers and I when we were younger and we never even thought about her being blind as a handicap...neither did she. She changed diapers, cooked, and ran her home as she always did. I never ever heard her complain! Even when she became very ill...she was always happy and caring and never let her problems show or get the better of her. Now that I am a mom...I often find myself asking..."How did grandma do it?" She was the glue that held the family together, and the strongest, yet most gentle soul that I have known. What a blessing to have known her, and an honor to be a part of her legacy. I am 47...but when I grow up...I want to be just like my grandma!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

But, We Used To Have It All!

So, I have been thinking about the recession. It has hit many of us very hard. I am one of those people who has worked very hard over the years, I have done what was necessary to provide the best that I could for my kids. I have enjoyed some level of success, and for awhile, I felt like I did have it all. A nice home, great cars, flat screen tv, cable, designer clothes, daily Starbucks,b-weekly manicures and pedicures, weekly trips to our favorite restarunt, and so on. I had all of the material things that one could want. We were happy...or were we?

Fast forward....2008, recession! People that I know are losing their homes, cars, jobs, everything! We are hanging on. My business is far less prosperous than it was in previous years, but my bills seem to have doubled. Time to make cuts in the budget, time to let go of "things." I have found myself stressed to my core, there is no longer any such thing as job security. Luxuries are now just that...luxuries! I have had to re-access what it means to "have it all"...perhaps, we have all had too much! With all of the luxuries came a divide in family. A sense of entitlement that I see far too often. We were simply consumers and were losing touch with ourselves, each other, and our spirit! What good is having it all if you are not truly happy, if you are constantly stressed just trying to keep up?

I have my family, healthy and strong. I have enough to eat, shelter and clothing. I have started to make goodies from scratch, and by the way, my kids love it when I cook home cooked meals, bake muffins and cookies, and I discovered that they prefer a homemade cake to a store cake! They love the smell of waffles and pancakes in the morning, they LOVE homemade smoothies, hot cocoa on a winter day, and popping our own popcorn for movie night on Saturday nights! We eat healthier now! We think about our errands as gas prices have soared...so that means more (family) trips. We go together and join each other on our routine errands. We spend more time together. We talk more, we go out less and eat together more. When we CAN splurge on something...we are so grateful for it! We are so much more careful now, and think things through, not taking things for granted. We plan vacations and outings, we plan together and it is half the fun! I find that we have more compassion for those that are not as fortunate, and empathy because we know how close we ALL are to the edge right now. It hurts to lose the "things" that you cherish, it hurts to struggle and adjust your lifestyle, and it hurts to see others hurting...but it can be a positive thing. It can force you to review and re-evaluate your life, your priorities, and it can make you realize that what doesn't kill you, really does make you stronger! I may have a little less, and am making some difficult choices. Don't get me wrong, I still want the "good life", I still want to travel, eat the best foods, wear quality clothing, and drive fantastic cars. Who doesn't? I still crave the luxuries of life, and intend to induldge when I can. I just have a new respect and sense of purpose in life. I have learned to see the beauty in the little things, and to be more grateful for the blessings that I have. It is really funny, but I used to think that we had it all...and realize that for all we had...there was so much missing. Having too much can eat away at your spirit. Now more than ever, I really do feel like I have it all...just not all the same stuff.

Fairies Are Real

"When the first baby laughed , for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies." ~James Matthew Barrie

I first fell in love with fairies as a child. I rediscovered them about 10 years ago when I began to use them in my collage art, jewelry, and greeting cards. I spent many hours laboring over vintage photographs in photoshop, cutting, pasting,and creating one of a kind little creatures to embellish my creations. To my joy and surprise, I discovered collage sheets. The artists that create these little masterpieces are to be admired, I know first hand the work that goes into creating these little gems! There are many talented artists that pour their talent into wonderful collage sheets for artists like myself to use in their work. One of my favorites is "
"Lisa's Altered Art"

http://www.lisasalteredart.etsy.com

I discovered her some time ago, and this past year I found her store on Etsy! Oh how happy I was, the hardest thing for me is to wait to see what she comes up with next! Her collage sheets are exquisite, clean and well done. Her cute little babies have become my signature look and I actually have customers that can't wait to see what is new too!
I have encountered other talented artists on Etsy as well, please visit their shops...you won't be disappointed!