Showing posts with label Digital Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Digital Art. Show all posts
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Monday, January 11, 2010
Have more (want less)
I'm thinking of putting this sentiment on a piece of artwork, like I did another "revelation":
Then (insert choir music here) I got approved for a VISA card! I felt really grown up now! Soon I was going to dinner with friends and letting them give me their cash and I would just "put it on my Visa" - I loved saying that! The problem was, I would spend the cash and then the bills would come at the end of the month - yikes! Good thing I only had to pay $10 on each of them!
William's credit journey is even better - but I'll save that for another day. When we got married, we had over $30,000.00 in debt between the two of us, and nothing to show for it. OUCH! We continued in our wayward financial ways for a year or two, eventually straightening up when we were expecting our first child and trying to buy a house. That's been 11 years now, and we've fallen off that wagon more times than I care to count!
God has been faithful in providing for us, we are blessed with William's great salary and I am able to stay at home with the kids. Over the last few years we have been using the Money Map from Crown Financial (http://www.crown.org). I am relieved to say that we are almost debt free! (I prematurely announced the completion of this goal to a few of you - I'm sorry! We were so close, it seemed to really be finished!)
The root of our overspending was/is simple: the desire for more. More than we can afford, more than we have, more than someone else. It fills a need in us to buy, whether we use the items or not. It fills a need in us to have things stored up, just in case.
When Calvin was little, we learned something profound: when you only have 1 pacifier it doesn't get lost. Now that may not sound too deep to some of you, but let me explain. We had about 8 or 9 of those little suckers. Calvin wouldn't sleep without one, so we wanted to make sure we always had one at hand! Inevitably, they would get lost, we'd go get another one from the drawer. When we got down to the last one though, we held on to it like it was gold! We watched it, we picked it up, we cared for it. Same with sippy cups. They would sit in the sink or car until the contents were pharmacy grade, but the last clean one stayed clean. It got rinsed out and reused.
I'm not sure why it has taken me this long to translate that principle into other areas of my life, but here I go! I don't want a special tool or gadget to do each job, I don't want shoes to match each outfit, I don't want special plates for each holiday. I want LESS. I want less dishes to get dirty. I want less stuff to move so I can vacuum. I want less clothes to wash. If the market were better I even might want less house!
How about you? What do YOU want?
"Have a Mid-Life Chrysalis", $78.00 by [ReDeemed] unique art (available)
I guess this would be considered "social messaging" and I am planning on doing some digital art/shirts, etc. with this like I did with "Love Heals Surely". I was reviewing some blogs I wrote on Facebook and came across this one from last summer. Hope you enjoy! ...
The more you have, the more time you spend taking care of it. There was a time that I wanted more. More clothes, more furniture, more choices. Admittedly, I am a child of the 80's - a decade of conspicuous consumption. Clothes were matched to the shoes, to the bag to the accessories. One in every color. Remember Ked's? It wasn't enough to have one pair, you had to have a match for each outfit. One year I took 10 pairs of shoes to youth camp! (not that I had 10 pairs of Ked's, I had one pair, that my aunt bought for me, we didn't spend "that kind of money" on shoes!)
circa 1993!
When I was in college I got my first credit card - it was a fluke. William worked at the Jewelry store, they had a promotion to fill out an application and get free jewelry cleaner. FREE - you can't pass that up can you? I was sure that it wouldn't be approved, but it was! So of course, as soon as I got it I "needed" some gold earrings. Then before long I had cards at Lerner's, Macy's, Dillard's, JC Penney's, Montgomery Ward's and another jewelry store. It's amazing how much more stuff you "need" after you get a credit card!
Then (insert choir music here) I got approved for a VISA card! I felt really grown up now! Soon I was going to dinner with friends and letting them give me their cash and I would just "put it on my Visa" - I loved saying that! The problem was, I would spend the cash and then the bills would come at the end of the month - yikes! Good thing I only had to pay $10 on each of them!
William's credit journey is even better - but I'll save that for another day. When we got married, we had over $30,000.00 in debt between the two of us, and nothing to show for it. OUCH! We continued in our wayward financial ways for a year or two, eventually straightening up when we were expecting our first child and trying to buy a house. That's been 11 years now, and we've fallen off that wagon more times than I care to count!
God has been faithful in providing for us, we are blessed with William's great salary and I am able to stay at home with the kids. Over the last few years we have been using the Money Map from Crown Financial (http://www.crown.org). I am relieved to say that we are almost debt free! (I prematurely announced the completion of this goal to a few of you - I'm sorry! We were so close, it seemed to really be finished!)
The root of our overspending was/is simple: the desire for more. More than we can afford, more than we have, more than someone else. It fills a need in us to buy, whether we use the items or not. It fills a need in us to have things stored up, just in case.
When Calvin was little, we learned something profound: when you only have 1 pacifier it doesn't get lost. Now that may not sound too deep to some of you, but let me explain. We had about 8 or 9 of those little suckers. Calvin wouldn't sleep without one, so we wanted to make sure we always had one at hand! Inevitably, they would get lost, we'd go get another one from the drawer. When we got down to the last one though, we held on to it like it was gold! We watched it, we picked it up, we cared for it. Same with sippy cups. They would sit in the sink or car until the contents were pharmacy grade, but the last clean one stayed clean. It got rinsed out and reused.
I'm not sure why it has taken me this long to translate that principle into other areas of my life, but here I go! I don't want a special tool or gadget to do each job, I don't want shoes to match each outfit, I don't want special plates for each holiday. I want LESS. I want less dishes to get dirty. I want less stuff to move so I can vacuum. I want less clothes to wash. If the market were better I even might want less house!
How about you? What do YOU want?
Monday, December 14, 2009
More FREE vintage image gift tags (Vintage Monday)
I am a little late hopping on the Vintage Monday train started by Anything Goes Here, but I was inspired to put together another set of gift tags from my vintage Christmas card collection.
Click here to download the file with vintage Christmas outdoor scenes.
If you missed out on the first ones, click here to get the adorable snowpeople ones!
Merry Christmas!
Click here to download the file with vintage Christmas outdoor scenes.
If you missed out on the first ones, click here to get the adorable snowpeople ones!
Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
On the 8th day of Christmas...Eight Maids a Milking
"On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
eight maids a milking,
I nursed all 4 of my kids, I couldn't resist this one!
In the modern Christian version of the 12 days, they stand for the 8 "Beatitudes":
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5:3-10
The second one is especially close to my heart, especially this time of year. 3 years ago I lost my 3rd child to SIDS. I never really "mourned" before. Until a few months before I had never lost anyone close to me. In the same weekend my best friend and my grandmother passed away. I thought that was the worst weekend of my life. Little did I know... I cannot tell you how many times I prayed "You said you would comfort those who mourn - when? You will bind up the broken hearted - surely I qualify? How long until you come to me?" I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but slowly the wound began to heal. It is still wtih me, as a scar on your body lasts forever to remind you, there is a scar on my heart and soul. Yet it no longer bleeds, it no longer is a scab daring the world to pick it off.
In fact, I have a new saying "Love Heals Surely" (I got tired of seeing the "love kills slowly" message out there!)
On a decidedly less etherial note, the Canadian 12 Days of Christmas would be sending us Eight Comic Books!
SuperMan Nintendo DS Lite/ DSI Duct Tape Case (yes, you read correctly, made entirely of duct tape!), $14.00 by Autumn Silver Moon
Greeting Card comic book love kiss, $6.00 by Dadadreams
Set of three envelopes and blank cards vintage comic book, $4.00 by Kaye Turner
That's all for today, my guest blogger wasn't able to join us.
I hope that you are enjoying The 12 Days of Christmas [ReDeemed]
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To enter:
- Post a comment (1 per day – so after you check out the next day’s blog, come back here and enter again – just like the song builds every day, so do your chances!
- If you haven't already, post the button (then a comment letting me know)
- Blog, Tweet or Facebook about this giveaway with the link (then a comment letting me know)
- Follow me (then a comment letting me know)
- You must leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry – this is the only way to keep it fair and straight (and keep me from having to kill a tree printing them out and cutting them apart!)
- All giveaways will be held on December 13th
- A random number generator will be used to determine the winner(s)
- If your e-mail address is not publicly listed on your profile, please include it with your comment(s)
- We reserve the right to re-draw if the first winner does not respond within 48 hours (please don’t let this happen – that would just be sad!)
Monday, November 23, 2009
The FREE Printable Cards Are Here!
Thank you for visiting my blog! Please take a minute to look around! You can follow me on Networked Blogs:
I've been teasing you with my vintage snowpeople, the fantastic images I pulled from a vintage Christmas card. The time has come to give those promised gift tags to you!
Or, you can just print them out on cardstock and cut them apart :). Add your own signature ribbon and you're all set!
Pinterest: 
Or my Facebook Pages:
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| Noel Giger DFW Jamberry Nails Independent Consultant |
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| Go Purple Save Green - William and Noel Giger, Solavei Members |
(isn't he adorable?)
(and his little lady on the inside - precious!)
These are formatted to print out on Avery business card stock.
Or, you can just print them out on cardstock and cut them apart :). Add your own signature ribbon and you're all set!
Did you jazz them up? Use them in an unexpected way? I want to see! Just post it to my Mr. Linky!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
What a crazy weekend!
It started off pretty good - I finished 5 new pieces of jewelry and took them for a test drive (I always wear a new creation, at least around the house to work out the bugs. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! - And yes, I clean the earrings with alcohol before I sell them!)
We went to a "garage sale" for my husband's company. They just moved into Downtown Dallas where they didn't need all the furniture and artwork from their previous space. I scored 2 chairs for my living room, a great vintage framed print for the family room and 2 large lateral file cabinets to (try to) organize my studio!
My amazing hubby loaded it all into the van (along with both of us and 2 of the kids), tied the chairs to the top and we headed home, elated with our bargains!
ENTER ANTAGONIST: Railroad tracks
No, not a train - just humble little tracks. The thing is, they didn't play nice with the bungee cords holding the back of the van shut. Up went the hatch, down came the hatch, shatter went the window! EEEKKK - all we could do is laugh (thank God for a healthy sense of humor - otherwise we'd all be six feet under!)
My hubby and oldest kept speculating on what I would [ReDeem] the bits of glass into. I appreciate their confidence in me, but I threw it all away anyhow!
We finally got it home and unloaded, taped up the window and went to Third Monday Trade Days. We live only 20 minutes away but have never been, so I wanted to check it out to see if it would be an option for my business. WHOA, 1 hour was not enough! I wandered in a daze, there was so much to look at! I want to go back in December (18-19-20) at least to shop (anyone wanna come with?)
From there, we went and bought hubby a new car, then went for a moonlight picnic under the stars (it was freezing to me, it was a short picnic!) After a great Sunday service at The Crossing, hubby drove to meet Nana to pick up our daughter, taking all the kids with him so I could have... (insert music) STUDIO TIME!
I finished 6 pieces of jewelry, 1 commissioned art piece and 3 other pieces of artwork for my show this weekend and a new design that has been rolling around in my head:
Then turned to the sewing station to work on my newest item: [ReDeemed] spa masks (reclaimed linen filled with organic flax seed and dried lavendar buds, in a removable reclaimed silk cover - nope, no pics yet, I have to put them on FB first, I promised!) Well, I broke my serger!
Bummed, I turned to the computer and worked on my website, my Zazzle, my blog and my customer list.
It all turned up today though - I met an old friend for lunch and she brought me some neat things to [ReDeem], I got an order for a gift certificate and a commission for a piece of jewelry. But the best of all? The temp dropped below 50, sparking our tradition of the first fire in the fireplace! We celebrated with a fireside picnic (2 picnics in one weekend!)
As you can tell, things got a little crazy! But that's ok - that's the kind of crazy I'll take any day!
necklace and earrings from a wooden chess set, vintage sterling silver hand-made beads and [ReDeemed] teardrop shaped glass beads that once went to a ball as the handle on an evening bag
I got so many compliments on this one and the other styles (dice and Scrabble Sentance Cubes - have you ever heard of that game? No? me neither!), that I was floating high!We went to a "garage sale" for my husband's company. They just moved into Downtown Dallas where they didn't need all the furniture and artwork from their previous space. I scored 2 chairs for my living room, a great vintage framed print for the family room and 2 large lateral file cabinets to (try to) organize my studio!
My amazing hubby loaded it all into the van (along with both of us and 2 of the kids), tied the chairs to the top and we headed home, elated with our bargains!
ENTER ANTAGONIST: Railroad tracks
No, not a train - just humble little tracks. The thing is, they didn't play nice with the bungee cords holding the back of the van shut. Up went the hatch, down came the hatch, shatter went the window! EEEKKK - all we could do is laugh (thank God for a healthy sense of humor - otherwise we'd all be six feet under!)
(see my great chairs on top? 20 bucks each!)
here's wonderful hubby cleaning up the glass, I quit after I cut my hand
the baby found my "ouch" very entertaining, as my oldest relished the opportunity to use the alcohol wipe on me for a change! (I really don't think that it needed to be cleaned FOUR times!)
My hubby and oldest kept speculating on what I would [ReDeem] the bits of glass into. I appreciate their confidence in me, but I threw it all away anyhow!
We finally got it home and unloaded, taped up the window and went to Third Monday Trade Days. We live only 20 minutes away but have never been, so I wanted to check it out to see if it would be an option for my business. WHOA, 1 hour was not enough! I wandered in a daze, there was so much to look at! I want to go back in December (18-19-20) at least to shop (anyone wanna come with?)
From there, we went and bought hubby a new car, then went for a moonlight picnic under the stars (it was freezing to me, it was a short picnic!) After a great Sunday service at The Crossing, hubby drove to meet Nana to pick up our daughter, taking all the kids with him so I could have... (insert music) STUDIO TIME!
I finished 6 pieces of jewelry, 1 commissioned art piece and 3 other pieces of artwork for my show this weekend and a new design that has been rolling around in my head:
"Love Heals Surely" (sm) available at Zazzle on just about anything! My retort to "love kills slowly"!
Bummed, I turned to the computer and worked on my website, my Zazzle, my blog and my customer list.
It all turned up today though - I met an old friend for lunch and she brought me some neat things to [ReDeem], I got an order for a gift certificate and a commission for a piece of jewelry. But the best of all? The temp dropped below 50, sparking our tradition of the first fire in the fireplace! We celebrated with a fireside picnic (2 picnics in one weekend!)
As you can tell, things got a little crazy! But that's ok - that's the kind of crazy I'll take any day!
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