Actions Speak Louder

                         Here's some advice to not give advice.

How We Invest Our Hours

I loved when Zachary said this original quote on Project Runway Jrs. He was the young designer on that show who is well known for being wise beyond his years....both in the things he says and with the clothing he designs. So this month the chalkboard is asking us to invest in our hours as wisely as Beyonce does. And Zachary. Thank you, Zachary, for your wisdom.

Create What You're Looking For

 This seems to be the business philosophy of the era. Many a successful entrepreneur creates their own business service or product based on the fact that they just couldn't find what they were looking for out there, so they had to invent it. Frustration as inspiration. This is what my chalk wanted us all to think about this month.

Respect Over Neglect--a powerful fraction to remember

So it's a new year. A clean slate. Literally. Starting over again. I'm exchanging the blog haiku posts for chalkboard quote posts instead. I took a course in chalk boarding last year. Each month I'll post a quote a la chalk board. I'm new to it...plus I'm a human...so these won't be perfect...but the words still are intended to inspire.

 So to start with the process....chalkboards can get pricey.....so make your own and give yourself many to play and practice with. Marker board, particle board, or any old wooden pieces you have lying around will work. Get some chalkboard spray paint and go outside, so you don't harm your health. I wore a respirator mask and rubber gloves too. Place the boards on some kind of protective surface, so the lawn/work surface doesn't get its health harmed either. Also...the fine art of patience is required to wait til one side of the board dries before you spray the other side. Use your good judgment about how many coats you want on your board. You have a discerning eye to tell how many coats suit your taste.

 This was an old abandoned plumber business sign a dear friend gave to me. After the paint is dried and you've sanded down any bumps or rough patches and repainted, if needed...then take your chalk and cover the whole board. This dust seasons the board so the chalk adheres better and also cleans off when that time comes. I often hear new "chalkies" complain that when they wipe off their first chalk work the markings stay on the new board. I assume this is because the board wasn't seasoned first.

 Then go back and erase all the chalk you just put all over the surface of your board with a chalk eraser. This primes the surface.

 Then wipe it all down with a wet cloth and let dry. It still leaves a thin coat of dust which leaves a nice worn effect. This art form does require a little patience to wait for things to dry. But then your surface is all ready for you to play with. And that's the cool part about chalkboard work....you can keep erasing until you're fine with your results. Yes, chalk boarding is a transient art form...but you can take pictures.

This is my New Years quote for 2016. I know the layout is not perfect, but the words are what I need to get into my psyche right now. It's so easy in this era to get pulled away from focus with the endless tasks and expectations. One can end up neglecting all kinds of things like healthy diet, exercise, creative project time, tax work, friendships/relationships/family, cleaning and clearing clutter/environment, blogs, sites, etc. (My economics instructor used to often say, "When you do any one thing you are neglecting many other things in life, so choose carefully.")

 So, in 2016, I intend to replace the word neglect with the word respect. That means giving attention to our body, how we fuel our bodies and minds, our important people and animals in our lives, our environment, etc. Respect over neglect. Just a simple phrase may even change my refrigerator from becoming a George Carlin comedy routine. Happy 2016!

Daily Forecast

           Life is like weather
            
        Gloomy, sunny, frozen, pleasant

        Unpredictable

Hands Folded, Ankles Crossed

                                                                    

Back in the sixties

Girls could not wear pants to school

Past rules speak volumes

Timing is Everything

                   The subtlest thing


Can delay changing the world


    So you have to wait.

Miss You

 

                 Mourning noon and night


       We forget life is fragile


        Til we're reminded 

The Fine Art of Patience

           No more cruel deep freeze.

  Drink in Summer's lush blooms.

       Patience rewarded!

Keeping Tools of High Quality

                

           A city palette.

   She dips her brush in and paints

           a magical life.

Do They Sell Intention Insurance?

The things we had planned are never protected,

From having an outcome that wasn’t expected,

For someone can try without using a word, 

To prove our best laid out plans are “for the birds!”

Nature University's Course on Color

Learn color theory

from a Master---go outside.

Observe God's palette!

A Dedication to Dedication

Someone somewhere is

Leaving a cozy, warm bed

To get the bills paid.

Cat Food Unity

In the cat food aisle

the conversation's about

brands kitty won't touch.

My Holiday Wish for You

Kitty Habits

I entered the room

Kitty purred when I asked him,

"Where did your legs go????"

Simplifying LIfe

Changing my blog to

Digestible chunks of life

Life lessons through art

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Mattresses, But Didn't Know to Ask

I'm the first to admit I don't have over an hour to listen to a thorough education on mattresses. But....since I heard Labor Day kicks off mattress sale season...and I never once realized mattresses have to be replaced every ten years or so...I decided to learn all I could about mattresses and this was the best video I could find to do so.
I'm ashamed to admit how old my mattress really is. And I was ready to follow the proud Temperpedic owners until I saw this video.
If you don't have an hour to view this video...it's pretty easy to still listen while multitasking. There are only a few spots you may want to pay attention to visuals.
After watching this video I feel I can walk the planet feeling knowledgable about what to look for in a mattress. And I can even ask my holistic doctor to prescribe the one this innovator invented.
Oh the things we can learn on the internet!!!!

Living Your Passion is not a Luxury

 Art has been my go-to world to get through all life hurdles and shocks. Art comes in a vast variety of forms, too, so the ideas and art-portunities are limitless.The cost of one therapist session sure would buy a lot of art supplies!

 Since childhood, I watched my mom, the art teacher, worry about her job getting cut from the school budget. So, my unwavering support of the arts started young.

 I had a job performing in Portugal decades ago and was surprised how the government there paid the artists and kept the arts alive.

And guess how children who survived the horror in Sandy Hook are working through their healing process? Art is important...vital for expression. 

I overheard a student mention in an art class I took.... that she teaches art to kids, but it was decided by the staff that hired her that art is not that important to life skills, so she did it, unpaid!!!! Have you ever put together a class or workshop? And then taught it? That is a ton of hard work and preparation! What does that tell a workshop instructor to not be paid for all her hard work?

Humble and powerful, it's my hugest wish to see the arts honored as a vital part of our education and awareness....

Even if a living can't be made from our passion, there has to be room in a day to express it and allow it to evolve. Living our passion doesn't mean we have to make our primary income from it. Sometimes that is an uphill battle. But, still we can fit it in our day just to keep it alive.

So, even if your passion is not honored as important to some....there is something sacred in choosing to live yours....

Knowing What's Inside: DIY Cleaners

In this tight economy I've had to come up with creative ways to save money just like everyone else. One pet peeve I have is buying expensive cleaning products where I can't even read the names of the ingredients on the label. There are so many invisible things we are doing to ourselves by trusting the products we buy contain safe ingredients. So we're going on a little You Tube trip in this entry to learn how a few DIY cleaning artists save money AND take control of the ingredients in the cleaners they use. I have not tried any of these recipes yet, but I did buy the ingredients and plan on trying out each one.
This first video is for organic toothpaste. Organic toothpaste can get way pricey in the stores, so here is a healthy looking alternative:

How about dishwasher soap? I feel ooky about the ones I buy in the store when they warn that they're poisonous! We wash the utensils we use to cook and eat with in poison? What if it doesn't all come off in the rinse? Borax also has a warning that it shouldn't be ingested. So I'm so not sure of the safety of this, but I know people who use borax and live to talk about it. Plus if we read what's in the detergents we already use, they're pretty nasty too.:

Here's one for home made laundry soap and fabric softener:

One last alternative fabric softener recipe:

 There are tons of DIY cleaner recipes to get lost in on You Tube. I just chose these few to get started with. You can search liquid handsoaps, dish liquid, and on and on. If you try anything and love it, leave a comment and let me know or if you find another recipe that's better, let me know.

Much creative cleaning to you on your journey as a DIY Cleaning Artist!