Saying Goodbye

I had the chance to say goodbye to my friend Linda last Friday.  The card to the right is from that occasion.  You could easily see her kind and gracious heart through her children, husband, and friends.  Making my way around the room I saw a myriad of photos ~ all showing her smiling, laughing, and hugging those she shared time with.  Meeting her sons and husband, I had the opportunity to let them  now what a wonderful affect her presence had on us here in blogland and what an inspiration she was to so many of us.

It was the hug I received from her daughter after telling her I was "Plumrose Lane", that really touched my heart.  I knew the time we had spent writing to one another meant as much to my friend as it had to me.  What touched my heart the most was when her daughter said, "My mother was one of the lucky ones; she got to see her children grow and marry and spend time with her four grandchildren".  I believe the heart of gratitude my friend Linda passed on to her children and shared with all of us here in blogland, is the greatest treasure of all.

Best~

Inspiration

I've found inspiration can come in all forms ~ from a lovely piece of music to a beautifully colored leaf falling from an autumn tree.  This week we have a new source of inspiration around the house in the form of this darling little fur ball...

She's super soft and oh so sweet and thanks to some Facebook feedback she's now named Kashmir.  I hope you're all enjoying your own form of unique inspiration this week!

Best,

Make Good Art~

I received a comment on one of my posts from a dear online friend. She's someone I don't honestly know very well but has quickly gained the status of "dear".  It seems the universe has selected to use her in my life as one who delivers support, inspiration, and treasured gifts.

Within her comment lay a golden egg ~ not the kind that brings riches but rather that of the rarest sort; one of inspiration and insight.  Nestled within her words was a link to a video...


I'm not sure if Els knew what she was doing when she casually shared that link with me.  I can only tell you that what it proved to be was the most perfect gift and exactly what I needed. 

So thank you Els, whether you know it or not you are a treasure ~ the kind that sparkles through a dim path, catches our attention and whisks us off to an open field of glistening light, color, and beauty.

Oh and to all of my customers who are waiting so patiently ~ thank you for being happy with two out of three, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your patience and understanding. I am surely doing my best to earn that trust.

Namasté,

League of Champions ~ Art Challenge #2

The League of Champions is offering a wonderful art challenge and it's just perfect for the busy artist. Here's a exert from their posting~

"Today’s Art Challenge is short and sweet. You have only two minutes to complete the challenge(s) of your choice below. By forcing yourself to finish the challenge in such a short time span, you’ll have no time to judge yourself. No judging = no blocking your creative instincts = better art!"

Now who couldn't spare two minutes to be creative, right? Right! So hop on over to League of Champions to read more about this challenge and participate. Here the link: League of Champions -Art Challenge #2.

Enjoy~

Photo courtesy of The League of Champions posting: http://theleagueofchampions.com/2012/07/26/art-challenge-2/

Life's Journey ~

I don't often post videos ~ this may be the second one I've ever included in a posting but I simply adore the message and the graphics are enchanting.


It seems to speak volumes about where I am in my life right now and what I'm currently trying to overcome. Crazy how we grow up with these misconceptions about what we want from life ~ personally I thought "prince charming" was the answer but it turns out there's only 'princess charming' and she's staring back at me in the mirror. Now I just need a little help from beyond this realm so I can manage to stand on my own two feet.

While We Wait~

Now that you've all entered my Holiday Giveaway (you have entered, haven't you??) and rummaged through the list of other fabulous holiday giveaways on my sidebar, I thought it would be fun to share this fabulous short video from my darling friend Cindy over at Whimsical Musings.

It's a brief inspirational message titled "Start a Blog: It Gives a Woman a Voice" and is based off her number one selling ebook on Amazon titled Blogging: It's a Woman Thing. The video is a perfect way to share with friends and family about blogging so feel free to pass it on to those you long to see in blogland!

Cindy also offers more fabulous goodies to inspire the creative soul in all of us such, as her free seminar "Amazing Art Adventure", as well as several other inspirational and creative books she sells through Amazon. So checkout her delightfully artistic messages over a Whimsical Musings to find out more and be sure to pass the word about my giveaway ~ ending this Sunday!

Enjoy~

On a Personal Note~

While reading the paper this morning I noticed notice a short article spotlighting a new book ~ it was the photo that caught my attention and the title Best Friends Forever quickly drew me in. I've never particularly liked watching or reading about animals as their nature tends to be too brutal for me but I was immediately captivated by the thought that nearly polar opposites in nature were attracted to one another and beyond that have been creating long term bonds.

For me personally this speaks of a sense of consciousness that rises above our animalistic nature to weave intimate connections and that truly inspires me. This life can be filled with so much down turn that I always welcome a sense of true hope, especially if it's delivered through the most unlikely sources. The article was written around a new book and offered a link to images of more unlikely friendships which I've included below in case you're interested in finding out more...

book link

Unlikely Friendships

Extended photos from article link

Enjoy~

Where Bloggers Create II

I'm absolutely delighted to be participating in this year's Where Bloggers Create. Today is the big day were bloggers from around the globe share with their visitors the places where they create their magic. Now obviously most of my creative time is spent inside my little mind where images and designs are constantly whirling about but since I'm unable to give you a glimpse of that inner mess, I've decided to do my best to capture the inspirational locations where I create.

Although most of my visitors know me exclusively for my graphic designs I've spent much of the past five years working from home as a jewelry artist. Although I'm in the process of leaving a large portion of that behind as I move back into working with graphics full time, I do still work some with jewelry and so I am going to show where I work on jewelry AND where I work on my grahics.

The first work area is my computer desk...
I work from an antique desk which has been in my husband's family for many, many years. I couldn't live without the two monitors I use, although I remember not long ago when I was reluctant to add a 2nd monitor. Whether I'm cropping jewelry images or working on a new blog theme, Photoshop CS3 is my preferred software tool.

My co-workers...
My son, who attends cyber school from our home, sits just on the other side of my two monitors. He and our two cats are the best co-worker/companions I could ever ask for.

I'm never at a loss for inspiration....
On the shelves behind me sit the extensive collection of cards, letters, and gifts I've received from all the friends I've made in blogland over the past several years.
Sometimes it's utterly amazing to believe how many lives have crossed my path and touched my heart through blogging - most of whom I have never met in person - and I cannot imagine my life without the blessings each of them has left me.

The second area is my jewelry work desk...
I work from an old desk we purchased second hand from a local university. Here I am also surrounded by the inspiration of online friend's creations, their photographs, and personal notes as well as a selection of colorful beads, wires and baubles.

I'm immensely blessed and forever grateful for the gifts blogging and my travels through blogland have imparted in my life♥

And now, to say thank you for taking the time to visit and read about my little corner of the world, I will be giving away one of my original key holders...This particular key holder is my favorite and I've been holding it for this special occasion. The title is "Malika" and it has so many whimsical details to it (my personal favorite is the ornate dangling key).

All you need to do to be entered for a chance to win is leave a comment on this post. Be sure you leave a way for me to contact you in case you win, such as an email address or link to your blog. To give everyone enough time to visit and enter, I will hold this giveaway open until June 26th.

Good luck to everyone and as always...

Enjoy!

New Buttons

Some people may not realize it, but there are loads of fun tools to be had for graphic designers. While some tools are offered for free, most of the better tools do cost and so it's always a fun experience when I'm able to buy a new tool to play with.

Recently I picked up this cool new tool which allows me to create buttons out of just about anything. Here's an example of an image of my cat in button form...
Too funny!

And so, I've created a few buttons to share with you...


<a href="http://plumroselane.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3150/4558915868_f510d1fb90_o.png" /></a>


<a href="http://plumroselane.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4558294421_cf0e3cbc68_o.png" /></a>


<a href="http://plumroselane.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3643/4558350273_d660a233b6_o.png" /></a>
Just grab the code below the button you like and add it to the sidebar of your blog by using one of the "html/java script" gadgets under the "Add a Gadget" feature in the "Settings" section of your blog and as always...

Enjoy!