Friday Five Faves -Visual Journal tools

Hey Beautiful Souls!

I love to share inspiration and I do so every once in a while but I have been wanting  to find a way to share more of my favorite things. I mean really there is SO much good stuff out there! So I thought instead of trying to get myself to do inspiration links every week (and lots of people do that) I would do them in themes so welcome to the first “Friday Five Faves” I will share 5 of my favorite things for all sorts of themes, etsy shops, shows, songs, quotes, products for… , sites and so on.

I LOVE visual journaling (and have a workshop coming up in the first few days of June for Layers of Life, visual journaling) so I though I would share my 5 fave products for visual journaling.

FIVE FAVE: Visual Journal Products

1-Paper tape (some varieties being Washi tape) this site has good prices and fairly fast service however you can now get this type of tape and washi tape at craft stores and on etsy.com

2-Colored pens there are lots of types of pens including gel pens and those are great, but I have found these to be a fun addition to my journaling visual (and otherwise actually!)

3-Great glue stick, I know you would think a glue stick is just a glue stick. But it makes a difference when you do lots of collage with magazine images and photos like I do!

4-This Journal -I have tried a variety of journals this is my current one. I have tried spiral, bound, small and big I like the size if this one and the spiral also the paper is thick enough to take a bit of a beating (aka paint!) I usually get mine at the craft store with a coupon. If your new to visual journaling , play around with sizes and bindings.

5-Inexpensive paint ( I have used this brand) just about every craft store has a inexpensive variety though these days and some great water-color selections my fave being a set of “cake” or pan ones from Michael’s craft store for $5

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

Inspired by Pinterest-Easy DIY’s to try

Hey Inspiring Souls!

It’s no secret I ADORE pinterest and I have found some great ideas, blogs, recipes and DIY ideas on there. Some are just collected to swoon over others are actions I want to take or things i want to reference. There is also my DIY Inspiration board that houses many a great DIY ideas and you know I actually get to them sometimes!

Here are a few that I was inspired by and my result of them!

“Floating” bookshelves inspired by this pin

And below my result. I have so much inspiration taking over the wall space I didn’t have a ton of room but this spot above my desk was perfect for some of my fave books to reference!

About a year and a half ago maybe more I painted my first canvas, it was a small one and I really liked it then. I was sort of ready to move on from it so I had it shoved in the closet until I could figure out what to do. Enter this pin for inspiration:  I have seen a few things like this idea taking old thrift store frames and doing this sort of thing to repurpose.

And my result: (and a shot of the before!)

BEFORE

AFTER

I may have shared this one before, but if not here it is! I have done this twice now it really is fairly easy and forgiving! Pin that inspired:

Result:

And a fave that I must do again (but I have done a few times) is this recipe, so easy and really tasty!

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

How to live with purpose-Exciting Announcement!

Hey Inspiring Souls!

I am beyond excited to announce the release of my eBook – “How to live with purpose-52 ways you can live with inspiration, intention and meaning starting right now” 

It has more than 52 actionable ways to live with purpose and some great and exclusive interviews by really inspiring people, including Kimberly Wilson, Todd Henry and Flora Bowley!

This is a project I have been working on for a while now and something I am really passionate about.

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

Around here-Inspiration through the lens

Hey Inspiring Souls,

Are your eyes and heart open to what inspiration and beauty is all around you?

Take some time this week to notice, with your camera (mine being my camera phone) or simply just noticing it and appreciating it.

Here are some things I have noticed and “captured”

Yes this last one is my strawberry it was full of hearts!

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

Creative Practice- 5 ways

Hey Wonderful Souls!

As you may have guessed if you have been reading my blog for any length of time is that I love creativity! If you are newer here, I LOVE creativity. It’s my way to keep sane, discover and heal! It’s a core value of mine.

So something I find important to keep fresh is my creative practice, it’s something I need to check in with every now and then. It’s easy to let one go when life gets busy. Instead of letting it go, lets redefine it!

5 ways to keep your creative practice fresh!

1-Look at what you do now, don’t look just for the obvious it could even show up as something you do in the kitchen to keep it fresh. What creative acts are you engaging in now?

2-Make a list of what feels creatively juicy to you. While I believe that there are a bunch of ways that creativity shows up for us I think having an idea of what really feels like juicy creative practice is really important. Maybe it doesn’t feel like a creative practice to you unless you are getting your hands messy or drawing or something. What things light you up creatively?

3-Have a variety of things to choose from, especially ones that have a variety of different time commitments involved with them. I have some things that take about 10-20 min or more and i have stuff that I can do that could be 5 minutes. Give yourself some options for moods and times.

4-Try something new, find one or a few new things that you can explore and play around with for your creative practice. Maybe something even what seems unrelated to you, it’s possible some creative practices will inspire and fuel one another! (like drawing and photography)

5-Set yourself up for success, designate a little space (for me it’s a drawer in my creative desk) that I have index cards and some small clippings for mini collages, a little sketchbook for drawing and doodling and a little book for poems etc as well as a few other thing. I can dive into what feels right or what I have time for.

Some things to try for your creative practice could be:

-Doodling

-Photogrpahy

-Poetry

-Documenting (my un-scrapbooking way is a smash book and a few journal cards to slip in to write a little about the photo when I want)

-Draw

-Writing stories

-Visual Journal

It’s something that I find really important to show up for, even if I don’t always feel like it (and that is when having a variety is really helpful!)

What creative practices do you engage in?

Here is to living Inspired,Creative and Empowered

Heather

It’s here!!!- Visual Journal workshop!

Hello Beautiful Souls!

I am BEYOND excited to announce my newest and close to my heart workshop!

Layers of Life- Visual Journal Workshop 

Your life is layered, all of us have layers in our lives. So often we have hidden the layers of who we really are and what we really want so much that we have almost forgotten that they are there. But there is a part of us that knows deeply that those layers are there and whispering to us to be revealed.  The layers show up in our dreams, goals, fears, likes, dislikes, relationships and many other ways.

A beautiful way to start to explore and own (or release) some of these layers is through self-expression especially visual journaling (also referred to often as Art Journaling)

This journey will be an exploration of the layers of your life and of your journal.

This workshop offers:

1-Creative prompts -lose the fear of the blank page through collage and various ways to add color to your page.

2-Layers of your life prompts, from photos to “junk mail” we play with things from your real life!

3-Layers of you- journal prompts to explore the different layers in your inner and outer life. From dreams to your everyday. These prompts will be a mix of introspection, reflection and simply noticing your life a bit differently.

There are very few basic supplies needed to get started. Once you sign up I will send you a supply list.

Join me in exploring The Layers of Life

You can purchase it here for a very affordable $28 for the 5 weeks!

I got some requests for a Visual Journal workshop and it’s something I am passionate about so I am really thrilled to share it with you!

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

Views from here- Inspiration Through the Lens

 

 

 

 

Hey Lovely Souls!

 

 

 

 

 

I thought I would just share some tid bits of views from here, bits of everyday life for me lately. Of course there are lots of moments in between the ones captured through the lens, but when I see something that inspires me, moves me, makes me ponder or is a reminder I like to capture it whenever possible to document this beautiful crazy life of mine!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Views are: My new “Trust the Process” mug (from a site called theuniverseknows, totally love it!) it’s a mantra I must keep remembering, my continued feet series, nature and a necklace I made and had not worn in a while was my first in a series of capturing layers!

What is the view like from where you are?

 

 

 

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traditions- Journal Prompt

Hey Beautiful Souls!

Having just passed Christmas for those who celebrate it and looking to your Holiday and the New Year coming up, there are always traditions (some mindful some not) that are in play in this time of year.

So I thought a fun journal prompt would be to look at traditions: What traditions do I have? What ones have I had in the past? What new traditions would I like to put in place and embrace?

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

Peeks of my year, part 1-Inspiration through the lens

Hey Beautiful Souls!

While I do plan on putting together a slide show of videos I thought I would share here some views for the first few months of 2012, this will be a multi part post at least 2 maybe 3! I encourage you to gather some of your  pics of this year and pull them together in some form that feels right to you to reflect on in it. A post, photo book, slide show or prints to put in your journal.

First part of 2012 through the lens:

My Heart Resolutions

 

I Those are just a few peeks into what bits of my year looked like.. I would love if you shared some views of yours

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather

My Favorite… Journal Prompt

Hey Inspiring Souls!

Happy December! As I may have mentioned ( many times!) I love documenting several different ways. One of them being capturing in my journal sometimes what I am loving currently… This week lets look to the season, the holidays (if you celebrate them) this time of year in general and pull from that for the list of favorites!

Journal Prompt: My favorite things about this season (time of year etc) are?

My Responses:

-Layers of clothing

-Pumpkin Pie

-Gathering with Family more

-Twinkle lights

-Reflection of the year coming to a close

-Visioning the year ahead

What are your favorites?

Here is to living Inspired, Creative and Empowered

Heather