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Journaling Prompt – How Can You Treat Yourself Better

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Mommy and IThis week’s journaling prompt is inspired by my mom, who read to me in confidence something she had written in a time of change.

Let me backtrack a little bit, tell you something about my mom and tie it all in with Monday’s inspiration prompt.

My mom used to be a teacher. She was the kind of teacher who gives part of her body and soul to her students. She used to teach in schools whose students came from a social economic background that did not leave much hope – but my mom had given hope to her students, who had won national writing contests with her guidance and encouragement.

After many years of teaching children, she was injured while guarding a kid at school with her own body. Using her human shield she took on a kick aimed at a kid that had ruptured her liver and could have killed the poor kid.

My mom, the fortress of comfort and safety, became sick. Her body weakened and after a few more years she was asked to retire for medical reasons (after repeatedly winning educational trophies – each and every year).

The early retirement (just a few years before she was at the legal retirement age) hurt her more than the kick and its medical repercussions has ever done. She lost her ray of light – helping children reach their full potential.

Little by little, year by year, she started withering in a way that had broken my heart. She stopped thinking about herself altogether and only lived for others. Only cared for others. Only breathed for others.

Just a week ago she called me and for the first time in a long time she looked genuinely happy. She said she has decided to take a step towards accepting herself and loving herself again and she is going to do that through writing and painting.

Then she read to me.

And I cried inside.

She wrote about how writing makes her feel.

And I wept. Inside.

I am so happy for her and wish her only the very best. Hopefully her new teacher will be as wonderful to her as my mom was to her students.

I want to spread my mom’s educational spirit and encourage you to take the time and list what are the things you can do for yourself, what activities can you engage in, that will make you feel better and love yourself.

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How can you treat yourself better? leave a comment below and share with me. I love hearing from you and I almost always reply.

Make Your Own Planner Workshop
Check out the new “Make Your Own Planner” workshop and you may solve this year’s holiday gift shopping problem. An affordable workshop that keeps on giving…

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Posted in Journaling Prompt | 10 Comments »

ATC Swap Reminder

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

Artist Trading Card (ATC)
Just a reminder about our ATC swap. The registration will end the coming Thursday at 4:00 pm (PST).

If you want to join the swap, register here.

Leave your Name and e-mail in the comment’s form but not in the comment’s body and say “I’m in” [or anything else you fancy].

After the list of participants will be closed, I will e-mail you with all the necessary details.

So far the following Creativity Prompt readers have joined:

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Posted in General Notifications, Swaps | Comments Off on ATC Swap Reminder

Inspiration Prompt – Love Yourself

Monday, November 2nd, 2009
Love Yourself
[Photo by: Meddygarnet]

American Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Hanukkah and Christmas are not far behind and craft stores are already stocking up Valentine’s Day collections. The holidays are here.

“The holidays” is a period in which we value being charitable, helpful and loving. We put our friends in the center. These are wonderful virtues that I value as well. Sadly during this festive albeit stressful period we tend to concentrate so much on others that we completely forget ourselves.

Loving thyself is okay.

Loving yourself isn’t vain nor egotistical, provided you are doing it for the right reasons and with the proper means. Loving yourself is appreciating your accomplishments. Loving yourself is keeping yourself strong and healthy – both physically and mentally – so you can be there for all the others. Loving yourself is OKAY.

I love you and I encourage you to love yourself.

To show my love and appreciation I dedicate a poem to you.
This poem is by E. E. Cummings and I absolutely love it:

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)
i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)
i want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

Have you loved yourself enough today? Are you going to love yourself tomorrow? … and the day after?

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Posted in Inspiration prompt | 4 Comments »

Freebie – Printable Journaling Labels

Friday, October 30th, 2009

What can I say? Life happens.

I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but for the past 3 months my husband and I have decided to transform our lives into healthier ones. Non of us was really heavy but we were gaining weight – little by little – and feeling bad, both physically and emotionally.

Weight can really creep up on you. From being a skinny teenager that eats chocolate non stop and only seem to get smaller, you become an adult that can gain weight from merely standing in close proximity to food. That’s life.

So we took control over our bodies, started eating healthier (that doesn’t mean less food. It means healthier, more nutritious food) and we wake up each day at 6:30 a.m. and go together to the gym for a strenuous workout that includes both aerobic and weight training.

We see results. GREAT results (especially my beautiful husband).

But every once in a blue moon we have a day in which we feel more tired and energy-less than usual.

This is such a day. So there will be no free tutorial this week.

HOWEVER – I am not missing a tutorial without leaving something nice for you guys instead. So I am including a freebie printable journaling labels for my fabulous readers to play with (right click on the link and opt for the ‘save link as…” option).

Just print on cardstock and cut out with scissors. I used cream colored cardstock and it looked great on it.

Print as many as you want for personal use only.

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If you print out and use these labels please leave a comment and tell me if you liked them. Thank you!

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Posted in Freebie | 12 Comments »

Reminder: Artist Trading Cards Swap

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Artist Trading Card (ATC)Last Friday I shared my process of creating this artist trading card (aka: ATC) with you.

In that post I asked whether you will be interested in an ATC swap here on Creativity Prompt.

In the meantime there were a few responses directly to my e-mail.

If you are interested in participating in the swap, please leave a comment here.

Don’t forget to include your e-mail address in the comment’s form so I will be able to contact you with the details. Do not mention your address in the comment itself to avoid possible spammers.

Have a great day!

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Posted in General Notifications, Swaps | 11 Comments »

Journaling Prompt – Write About A Real Life Spooky Experience

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
A Real Life Spooky Experience
[Photo by: THOR]

Halloween is right around the corner (for those of you celebrating this holiday).

This holiday had started as a Celtic New Year ceremony and evolved along the years to a festival of the dead.

In north America houses are being meticulously decorated with spooky decorations and jack-o’-lanterns.

For a different spin on the traditional holiday journaling about “Trick-or-Treat” adventures, the evolution of a costume or transforming the house, try to foster the holiday spirit by registering a real life spooky experience you have once had.

  • Have you ever been through scary circumstances?
  • Has a scary looking person ever come across your way?
  • Have you ever stood up close to a scary animal?
  • Have you ever experienced a scary incident/event?
  • Have you ever had to do something scary?

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Have you had a real life spooky experience you’d like to share with us? Share by leaving a comment on this post.

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Posted in Journaling Prompt | 4 Comments »

New Workshop: Make Your Own Planner || REGISTRATION CLOSED

Monday, October 26th, 2009

This workshop is for 2010, you will find an updated version for 2011 here.

Make Your Own Planner

I am excited to announce my latest self-paced workshop. In this workshop you will make your own planner for 2010.

The workshop will provide you step-by-step instructions to complete the beautiful planner you see above – all at the comfort of your own home. You will also get a full planner kit I designed, in both JPG and PDF files for instant download. I will walk you through the process of putting the planner together, however you will have to handle all the “wow!” you’ll hear yourself.

The planner’s pages are elegant and appeal to any taste. The page templates include:

  • Monthly and weekly planner pages.
  • Shopping list.
  • To do list.
  • A page for information you wish to remember.
  • A page designed especially for sketching creative ideas you come up with throughout the day.

Planner 2010 Planner 2010Planner 2010

For only $10.95, less than a price of one designer planner, you will get a beautiful, meticulously designed planner kit. Not only that, but you may also use the kit to create planners for your friends, family and colleagues – a great handmade and affordable present for the coming holidays. You may also alter the JPG files, change their color, add or subtract elements and personalize it with a photo editing program.

What Else Will You Get?

The segments of the workshop are jam packed with tips and suggestions on how to harness your creativity for customizing the planner and make it uniquely yours. You will also find clear and concise step-by-step instructions, paired with large colorful pictures of each and every step – leaving all the guesswork out of the equation.

Immediately after registering to the workshop, you will gain access to the entire kit for instant download. You will also receive the first segment with an introduction and a complete tools and supply list. Note: all the tools and supplies are pretty basic and can be found at your local craft and office supply store. For your convenience, the list contains links to recommended online stores that sell these products.

The following three segments will be delivered to your inbox every day. Just enough time to allow you to complete the former segment without overwhelming you with all the information at once.

In a span of 4 days, you will get all the workshop material and complete your planner (depending on your preferred way to print out the planner kit).

As always I offer each member full support and encouragement.

P.S.: You are going to love this planner… OR your money back!

I am so confident you will absolutely love the planner you’ll make, that I am offering a full money back guarantee. If you are not fully satisfied with the workshop, just send me an e-mail and I will refund 100% of your purchase – no questions asked.

The Details

  • Price: only USD 10.95.
  • Duration: Self paced.
    Instant download of kit and complete delivery of workshop segments in a span of 4 days.
  • Contents:

    • 17 JPG files
    • 10 PDF printable documents
    • 4 workshop segments in PDF file format
  • Special features:

    • Members only forum.
    • Step-by-step photos and written instructions.
    • Unlimited personal use of the planner kit: make as many planners as you’d like.

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Posted in General Notifications, Workshops | 20 Comments »

Inspiration Prompt – The Value Of A Smile

Monday, October 26th, 2009
The Value Of A Smile
[Photo by: Jimmy Davao]

I am a strong advocate for the value of smiling. Smiling can get all the bad and the wrong and the sad go away – either momentarily or permanently.

Every time you get to the fork in the road where you must choose to either smile or frown, I encourage you to choose the smiley road.

No matter what would pop up along the road, it would look much better and much less scarier than if it was seen on the grumpy road.

This week I had the pleasure to come across a quote by Dale Carnegie, a person I much appreciate:

A smile is nature’s best antidote for discouragement.
It brings rest to the weary,
Sunshine to those who are frowning,
And hope to those who are hopeless and defeated.
A smile is so valuable that it can’t be bought,
Begged, borrowed, or taken away against your will.
You have to be willing to give a smile away
Before it can do anyone else any good.
So if someone is too tired or grumpy to flash you a smile,
Let him have one of yours anyway.
Nobody needs a smile as much
As the person who has none to give.

I love this quote. (Clearly) I couldn’t have said it better… So go ahead and smile!

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Do you feel you have the power to choose whether to smile or frown? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below. I’d love to hear what you are thinking – and I almost always reply 🙂

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Posted in Inspiration prompt | 4 Comments »

Creativity Prompt – Make an Artist Trading Card (ATC)

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Artist Trading Card (ATC)An Artist Trading Card (aka: ATC) is basically a 2½” by 3½” piece of original artwork which is traded among artists.

Participating in an ATC swap is a great way to express yourself creatively without being overwhelmed with a huge blank canvas. It is also a great way to get to know other artists and expand your artistic world.

As soon as I heard that Hero Arts is arranging an ATC swap I knew I had to participate.

On this week’s creativity prompt I want to walk you through the process of creating my ATC for the swap.

If you want to find out how I made this ATC (plus learn some valuable tips and tricks) then keep on reading:

Step by Step Instructions

  1. Cut your cardstock to the traditional 2½” by 3½” size. To make the most out of an 8½” by 11″ sheet of cardstock, start by cutting it at 2½” lengthwise twice and then you’ll end up with a 3½” strip.
  2. Adhere a vintage text paper (from an old book. I used an old text book about Roman Law…) to another piece of non-textured cardstock with a glue stick.
  3. Color the vintage paper with distress ink using the foam applicator with a swirling motion, from the outside in. Blend a few colors together. I used: Broken China, Fired Brick, Peeled Paint and Mustard Seed.
  4. Stamp the heart winged butterfly image in dark brown ink over the colored vintage background. Try to stamp the images as close as possible, but leave a small gap between them. Let the ink dry completely.
  5. Mask off 2/3 of the ATC with a post-it note and stamp the houndstooth background stamp using one of the distress inks.
  6. Take off the post it and use it again, masking the part you’ve just stamped. Then stamp over it with the screen shadow stamp.
  7. Take a small piece of bubble wrap and apply a layer of distress crackle paint over it. Use the wet bubble wrap to “stamp” with it over the screen shadow background. Let dry.
  8. After the crackle paint is completely dry cover it with a thin layer of clear glue or glaze to prevent the paint from breaking and falling off.
  9. In the meantime stamp the circular greeting on another piece of non textured cardstock using the same dark brown ink (I used the Clear Design: Who Loves You – CL309 – stamp set by Hero Arts, but it is no longer available). Punch the greetings out with a 1″ circle punch.
  10. Cut a green textured cardstock to 2½” by ½” strips. Poke a line of holes, 1/8″ apart from each other, along the middle of the strip and “connect the dots” with a white gel pen. Adhere the strip to the border where the two different background patterns meet.
  11. Cut the butterfly images with precision scissors. I am using Fiskars spring action micro tip scissors and I absolutely love them.
  12. Cover the butterfly images with an embossing ink and dip it into a mix of 1 part glitter to 3 parts clear embossing powder. Set with a heat gun.
  13. Attach the circular greeting to the cardstock strip with a foam dot.
  14. Attach the butterfly above the strip in an angle using some mini glue dots behind its body and some pop up glue dots behind its wings.
  15. Don’t forget to add your name, date and signature on the back!

Artist Trading Card (ATC)

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Have you ever participated in an ATC swap? Are you interested in assembling an ATC swap group here on creativity prompt? If you are, please leave a comment and show your interest.

If you have any question, suggestion or remark – don’t hesitate to contact me – either leave a comment here, use the contact form or start a new thread on the Creativity Prompt Flickr Group!!!

I would also be very happy to see your own creations, so don’t be shy and share 🙂

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Posted in creativity prompt, Tutorial | 8 Comments »

Journaling Prompt – Borrow An Opening

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
Writing technique: Borrow An Opening
[Photo by: Eduardo]

The beginnings are the most difficult step in journaling (or any type of writing). Staring at a blank screen, a blank paper or an empty journaling tag can be very frustrating.

After the first sentence is drizzled onto the paper, the rest usually follow in a potent stream.

Having said that, the beginning is many times the most important part of our journaling. The opening words are like a welcoming committee, inviting the reader to keep on reading.

I have a great technique that solves the “opening-syndrome”.

Instead of desperately looking for the right words to come out, borrow the opening sentence from your favorite book, or the book currently on your nightstand, and go on from there.

To help you with this technique here is a list of the 100 best first lines of novels.

Now let see if you are up for a challenge – try to write a complete entry in your journal (or a short story, or journaling for a layout) using ONLY opening lines of other books.

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Have you tried this technique? Was it helpful for you?

Have you challenged yourself with the extreme version of this technique? I’d love to read it, so please share by replying to this post.

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Posted in Journaling Prompt | 2 Comments »

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