Delightful Potluck Dishes

I bet you thought I was talking about some delightful food ideas to bring to a potluck... But I am actually bringing to your attention a great artist of handmade dishes which I find to be delightfully designed and perfect as a 'literal' potluck dish!

Cathy, over at shop CJ Yummies on Etsy, makes each of her delightful fused glass dishes by hand and full of color. I feel that her plates are a great gift to bring a hostess of a potluck party (I know I'd love to have something like this presented to me with some sliced fruit on it!) But dishes are not all that Cathy does... you'll also find jewelry and fused glass belts! A great way to accessorize when attending a summer party!

Check out Cathy's Etsy shop, and tell her I sent you! http://www.etsy.com/shop/cjyummies

Bouquet that Lasts- Website Update Do It Yourself Design



What girl doesn't love flowers??? Give her a bouquet that lasts by following the directions below to create a beautiful faux flower bouquet!

Materials needed:

• Faux flowers of her favorite color (found at craft shops, dollar stores, etc)
• Hot glue gun
• Green duct tape
• Ribbons
• Scissors or wire cutters

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Instructions:

• Begin by selecting and arranging flowers in your own creative way into a bouquet.
• Wrap duct tape around the "stems" of the bouquet to keep them all together.
• Hot glue any loose floral petals or leafy elements to the bouquet.
• Tie a nice ribbon around the "stems" and hot glue the bow into place.
• Present to your darling and say something corny like: "These flowers won't die- Just like my love for you!" She'll think its sweet. Lol.

Sharing Your Romantic Feelings- Cards by Paper Movement

This week's theme in my delightfully perceptive designing world is one of love and romance. Todays note is on the perception that sometimes it can be hard to share such feelings through our spoken word. And sometimes we take for granted the loved ones in our lives and forget to express what is in our hearts. A greeting card can be the perfect way to bring back a quick sparkle in someone's eye or flutter in your love's heart. And they aren't just for special occasions...

In honor of this note, I am featuring The Paper Movement on my website this week. Above is a photo sample of one of their works. Simple, sweet, visually appealing, and to the point. Amberley and Korey have a great mission and very creative work. I am keeping them in my top list of where to get my greeting cards at random times of the year to remind my loved one of my feelings. Go check them out: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaperMovement. You can also visit my website for other avenues on reaching these delightfully perceptive designers!  http://delightfullyperceptive.com/perceptive_designs/featured_designer

OCD= Overload Creative Disorder



I have personally self diagnosed myself as having OCD (the Obsessive Compulsive type). I don't really know everything that entails with OCD- but I am sure that I have very similar tendencies.
For some examples: I am way too organized. I am constantly writing out and re-writing my to-do lists. I have a difficult time trying not to overstress myself when something changes in my schedule and prevents me from overcoming all of my tasks on my overwritten to do lists. I can barely sit still and relax when I know there are things to do on my overwritten to do lists. This stress level in turn interferes with my creative process- which I call OCD as well (Overload Creative Disorder).

When I start thinking about items to make handmade for selling or as gifts for family and friends, I get a whole bunch of ideas at once. I then list them all out as they come to me. I have been trying to schedule in which items to complete by a certain date on my calendars but am never able to find enough time to get to each item I want to complete in a day. I then feel overwhelmed and depressed and like I just have no time to achieve anything I actually want to do because I have to focus so much on things I really need to do.

Time to kick myself in the bottom and rethink my strategy on my overstressed life style so I don't lose my creative curve. Of course- I will still do a calendar and overwrite my to- do lists to fit my schedule cosntantly. But I am not going to "schedule in" when to be creative. Being creative is on my own standards and should be something I do when I'm ready to and when I can enjoy it. I still make a list-  mind you- of items I want to create that may fit with a certain month, season, holiday, etc. However, I will not pressure myself to complete those items within that timeframe. If I can't get to everything I want to make now- I'll get to the ones I feel like doing the most and then maybe save some ideas for a rainy day when there's nothing else to do (does that ever really happen???)

My story here is just a reminder for the rest of you who own your handmade item businesses- don't let pressure kill your creativity and block your brilliance. In my opinion you'll lose your value in what you're making and what you love to do if you can't just sit and enjoy what you're doing.

Happy Monday!

Naturally Inspired

The sun on my face, the colors of my lilac bushes blooming, the imagination wandering to fresh vegetables soon to be in my fridge, the peaceful sound of birds and bees flying around- such inspiration for a creative soul!

It does not take much to inspire me to want to create. I can walk through the aisle of crafty items at Walmart and just come up with 1000 different things I could do with those dangling beads, that pattern of fabric, those colors of paint, that ball of yarn, etc. But nothing inspires like the natural world around me. I have just been blooming with excitement the past few days with this sunshine enlightening me with outdoor ideas!

Take one moment to let your mind wander and picture these scenes:

- A mother and daughter on the patio filling colorful planters with potting soil to get a fresh start on the spring and summer blooms...

- A small boy picking the flowers that were so cherished in the front garden "by accident" so he could give them to his mom...

- Going for a bike ride and passing by all those cute white picket fences with fresh garden scenes popping through...

- Sitting at the kitchen table cutting open all those vegetable seed packets and getting those little babies started in simple greenhouse starters...

What can you make to capture such moments???

You'll find featured on my website this week some of my new spring scene inspired items from my online gift shop through Etsy (photos above). These items are great gifts for those you know who are naturally inspired by new growth and spring air love.

Take a look and share with me your spring inspirations!

http://delightfullyperceptive.com/perceptive_designs/my_etsy_gift_shop