Finding Inspiration

Dragonfly Prayer

Ancient, flitting spirit,
master of light and precision,
Dragonfly, I call on you.
Teach me to dance
in the disappearing mists of dawn.
Show me the beauty of each day
by marrying thought and emotion.
Help me see through the illusions that bind me
and understand those that enliven my soul.
Help me understand
that light penetrates as well as paints,
that colours deepen as time flows past,
that controlled flight is, indeed, possible.
Please, weave the light of transformation 

and adaption in my life.Dragonfly,

I call on you.

I'm in search of inspiration.  I am in the process of starting my own business.  I have always love beading. I bead jewelry, Catholic and Anglican rosaries, "non-denominational" prayer beads.  It started as a hobby a long time ago, but I started selling pieces in 2006 and did pretty well with it.  The only problem was that I was doing it while working full-time and attending school full-time (not to mention raising a toddler), so it became increasingly difficult to make the time for it. 

Of all the pieces I created, my favorite were the custom orders for both rosaries and jewelry. The majority of my customs were rosaries. For most of the orders, the "guidance" given in the process was a favorite color or perhaps a description of the person to whom it would be given. I spent a lot of quiet time making those and praying/meditating over them as I worked. At the bottom of this post (as well as in the left-hand sidebar) is a selection of the pieces I created in 2006.

Long story short, I have the opportunity to now do this full-time. I am very excited about it, but I've stalled out in an important part the process... choosing a name for my business.  I had a name that I used before, but it never felt "just right". So, here I am, starting over and trying to find a name that encompasses what I do.  I know that I'll use a dragonfly in my logo, but there are already hundreds of businesses out there with dragonfly in the name. 

Anyhoo.... I'll get there.  This part is just taking longer than I had hoped.  :)  

UPDATE:  I do have a name, now; as well as a logo!  I've just got to find the start-up money, at this point. lol It's ALWAYS something! ;)

My Little Girl

On May 13, 2012, I took our oldest daughter, Hannah, to the American Girl Store in Atlanta to celebrate Mother's Day. We were also celebrating her 9th Birthday which, for the first time, fell on Mother's Day - What a special treat for me!

We had realized several months ago that both occasions would be falling on the same day, and I had promised Hannah that we would do something special. Knowing at that time that my husband and I were planning to move to the Atlanta area, I had immediately thought of the American Girl Store, but a lot of things had to fall into place before I could commit to that. Thankfully, everything did fall into place and I had the opportunity to take Hannah on a day-trip without her knowing where we were headed.

We had such a great time, but it really made me miss the everyday moments that I don't get to experience with her.  While thinking about this, I came across a template challenge on one of my favorite digi-scrapping websites - The Shabby Shoppe's Easy-As-Pie Template Challenge.

Template challenges are a lot of fun when you might not have much time, or when you're having trouble getting into "your zone".  And, sometimes, it's fun just to see what you can do with it to be different from everyone else! How can I change it up?  How can put myself into this design and make it my own?

This is the template provided for the challenge. (It's a free download!)

Here is the page I created for the challenge:

Easy As Pie Template Challenge #26 Template
Shabby Princess' Clementine kit
All the Cool Chicks font

The journaling reads: "I miss you so much whenever we are apart, and I hate that we are apart most of the time. You are getting to an age where you are going to need me more and I want to be there for every moment. You take it all in stride, though, and it makes me so proud of you. I think it all hits me harder than you just because I know what is coming for you... I know the things that will be changing and the questions you’re going to have.  I just hope that we maintain the relationship that we have right now where you feel comfortable enough to call me at any time. And, at the same time, I hope that I have the answers you need. I love you so much, Hannah, and I miss you! You will always be my little girl - no matter how grown up you get."