I must say, ever since I started ***Monday Friend***, I really like Mondays. I hope you feel similar! ;o)
The lovely lady that you can see in her little world down here is Hollie from Mermaid's Closet. She is one crafty lady, changing the world with a gluegun in her hand and sharing the beauty in her etsy shop.
You can see that one of the things Hollie loves to do is writing because she didn't only share her list with me but basically wrote the whole blog post for me - and much better than I could ever have. This is why I will now shut my mouth and let Hollie do the talking! <3
Hello to all, and many thanks to yaga for this opportunity! Crafty love! There are so many things in my life that are important to me so I have created bullet points within the 5 things. Sorry for the novel-long post!!
1- CREATION:
I feel I was made to make. I've got the bug. Since I was a little girl, I had it. It was encouraged with both of my parents being artists, and thus the idea of getting my hands working followed. Creation touches every aspect of my life. I will break it down...
Cooking: My mother has passed down a taste for gourmet. Our visit to Europe at my ripe age of 8 or 9 must have something to do with it, as well. The Parisian omelets, crepes. The cafes hidden behind ivy covered buildings, the pattiseries on our drives from here to there. I am very passionate about food, but especially vegetables and cheeses. The creation (usually in cast iron, or slowly oven baked), process (wooden spoon, tasting, candles lit, spices) , placement (shabby white linen, wooden handled cutlery, a view out the back window) and action of enjoying food with those you love is a very sensual part of my daily life and never ceases to hook onto new ideas and further growth. In another life I would've been a Chef with my own restaurant ;)
Gardening:
Seeing I was in an apartment from the moment I was married on, my green thumb closed under the rest of my fingers in a fist. I missed the soil, the color and the growth with a vengeance. Having moved to California in the past month and seeing plenty of room for gardening, the green thumb emerged and with it's reinvention, came with it joy. The purity of gardening is what gets me. The stability of seasons, the sun, rain. Plants, veggies, flowers are needy only for a handful of things, all that I can give them. When they begin to wilt, I water and then they stand up strong and proud again. It never gets old! Gardening is how I attain my purest high, and within that high I sense purpose. As humans we were created to create, to help grow, to make things beautiful. Smell the soil and feel your brain burst!
Music:
I grew up around music, with my father on his guitar playing songs he had written, and mom singing harmony. There was also encouragement for me and my sister to get involved. Within that safe place emerged my love for singing and music as a whole. A deep love. My sister picked up guitar all on her own and continues to write music that always brings me to tears. Genius lyrics and notes. I picked up more on harmony and voice, feeling most alive when projecting. The shyness I was born with makes singing a challenge for me to do regularly in public. But when it happens I come alive. Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks, David Bowie, Simon and Garfunkel, The Smiths- they are big pieces of my puzzle, and it is rare I create something wonderful without them. From folk to country, to electronic, to pop, classic rock, indie and instrumental - I love it all!
Crafting:
The actual creation of art, or wearable pieces is a near holy experience for me, As most artists will tell you it is. When you are in your element everything BUT creating shuts off and you reside in a magical place. Stoked from the heart, the electricity of brain function at it's best takes over, and then the hands do their work. I have to be in a certain place of mind to let creation happen. With the recent move it has been turned down low, with so many other things to focus on. I look forward to our house being fully furnished and then I will feel ready to get back into it. Etsy is a love of mine. Also my team, Indie Free Spirits. A group of over 500 Etsy sellers with a love of earth, creation and off beat style. I adore leading them, providing team challenges and just making new friends via the team page.
Writing/Blogging:
Writing is a huge love of mine, up there with crafting and cooking. I have found that all I must do is feel something strongly, sit down with a pen or at the computer and simply write. Brain has less to do with it than heart does. Hands are the outlet, and with the aid of their instinct, my heart finds it way onto page. It feels almost impossible how this can happen. With my love of writing makes way for my blog (mermaidscloset.blogspot.com). Though I rarely post personal poems and such, my style shines through. I have a goal of sharing more writing therein! I think blogs should be real and not held back. I am also a lover of books. They greatly inspire my work. Such as Louis L'amour novels, sci-fi like John Wyndham's "Day of the Triffids" and "Chrysalids". Medieval historical like "Outlander" and Autobiographical like Dave Eggers' "Heartbreaking Work of a Staggering Genius", Steve Liddell's "honest Lee". My most recently finished novel "The Dirty Life" by Kristin Kimball, was lifechanging and renewed my love of gardening and reinvigorated my passion for supporting local organic farming and turning our backs on agriculture.
2- HUBBY-FAMILY-FRIENDS:
I feel I was made to be a wife. I have been married to my first boyfriend, Philip for almost 4 years now and we are still, if not more in love now than we ever have been. Both of us have had challenging upbringings that we could look at and let effect our own relationship, however we do the opposite. We look at the negative and say we can learn from it. How can we pick up and do things are way? Also the hardships have made both of us very discerning, patient and real. We are careful with our words, and spend alot of time cuddling the ugly away. Life is hard these days, especially for couples making it work. I find that alot of affection, loving reinforcement and time having innocent fun keep love strong and alive. We have no children at the moment and don't have plans to make them anytime soon ;) We are totally kid people, me especially and one day we plan to start a family when the time is right.
Family- I am very close to my one and only sister, Hannah whom lives 1 minute up the road from us with her husband Jeph. They are also artists and with that fact comes the comfortableness to be ourselves around them. We have so much in common and it is a blessing to be so close to them. I am also close to my parents who move around the States, gypsy-like for work. My dad, a creative genius is now managing 4 talk stations for CBS in Las Vegas, as my mom is a support to him and an artist as well. They live a mere hour flight away, and I look forward to experiencing a closer relationship with them, as we have always lived so far away from them since we got married. My parents have taught me so much, opened my eyes to amazing things, and provide a safe place for me to fall, even now. I am thankful for their support, and also for their teaching me and my sister such good standards, based on the bible from the moment we were born.
Friends:
My friends, especially since moving here have proven to be a bubble of laughter, comfort, inspiration and happiness in my life! I am thankful for each and everyone of them who are unique and amazing in their own ways. I am a very social person and I can never get enough time eating at Mexican taquerias then going thrifting. I love creating amongst friends, better yet just spending time together talking. Good friends are hard to come by, so cherish them!
3- LIFESTYLE
A huge part of my life that not only gives me a direction to go, but also goals and beautiful things to look forward to. I won't go all biblical on you but I'll simply say I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. A good chunk of my time is spent voluntarily teaching people who are interested about bible truths, and ways we can apply them to make for a peaceful life now and in the future. Many people have a skewed view of the JW way of life, but honestly we are just like everyone else for the most part. Only difference is (a) we take bible direction seriously, and (b) believe in a life here on earth in a paradise, as opposed to life in heaven. The ministry keeps me busy, positive and helps me to focus on helping others which is the best cure for depression or frustration with the state of the world. Me and my husband set goals for bible reading, for doing more however we can, and this keeps our relationship stronger than ever. This part of my life is the most important.
4-EARTH
I'm in love with the earth. Nothing makes me happier than to run far away from the city and get into the woods. Nature serves as an antidote for frustration and sadness in my life, and I can never get enough of it. Animals, trees, moss, mountains, soil, fresh air, sea, lake- All things I couldn't live without. The earth is a thing of beauty that continually inspires creation, sparks happiness and reminds me of what really matters. I am not one for cities, bustling activity or the grit of society. Alot of my friends disagree, since there is much inspiration to be found in cities. To a point I agree, but more than ever I yearn to become a mountain woman. Living off her own garden and creating away from it all. This not being a realistic way of life at the moment, I try to spend as much time in the trees as possible and this is what keeps me sane. My favorite thing is to be cold. I love that California has sweater weather!
5 - DREAMS
I feel as though alot of my time is spend up in the clouds. It goes along with writing, where I love to invent worlds, places, scenarios. They always parallel my own life either now, or from years past. I find that expanding on experiences and using symbolic ideas and visions provide a healing bandaid as it were. This way I can share the pain in a more appropriate way with the world, and therein in the idea others can find comfort themselves. I would say that my main way of sharing these creations of mind are via Treasuries. My curations act much like a daily diary for my emotions and visions. I post them on Twitter and Facebook for all to see. I am moved by photography most, and thus alot of my curations are purely fine art related. In time, there is nothing I desire more than to get deep into photography and share it with the world! Thanks a million to you Hollie for this great peek into your fabulous life, and thanks to YOU, you fabulous guys, for reading!
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