Day 5

Shine for all to see by Hjspencer on Polyvore.com

Day 4

I just finished making these save-the-dates for our wedding this June. My aunt gave me this Martha Stewart kit

I then used my Gocco machine (an engagement present from my fiance - just an amazing guy, let me tell you!) to Gocco the dove magnets. I then decoupaged the silver stationary card. Wrap that with a little silver thread and ta-da! All done. It took quite a long time to get the Gocco to match up with the dove shapes. I only made the one set (20 cards), but it was a lot of fun.

Day 3

Take an Autumnal walk with me...

Day 2

My first experiment in stop-motion animation. It's definitely quite difficult. I made a slideshow in iPhoto and then exported it, uploading it then to youtube. All these buttons are from my late grandmother's button collection. I've always loved the birdies and I'm happy to share them with you today!

Day 1

"[A]nd then I will sing, I will always sing, even if I must gather my roses in the very midst of thorns - and the longer and sharper the thorns the sweeter shall be my song." - St. Therese of Lisieux

Creativity and Resurrecting the Blog

Hello there. I've decided to take myself up on my own challenge. I've been writing quite a bit on creativity here. I've decided I'm going to try to do one creative thing every day for one month and see what happens. As I've had this blog for years and it has always served as an outlet for creativity wherever I am in my life, I decided to continue using it. We'll see where this goes. Wish me luck!

EDIT: You can see how well that went... :)

Etsy Store Update

Tonight I closed my Etsy store. I am officially going back to college for my sixth semester of undergraduate education. I decided that while I am at school, I am unable to give my business and customers the full attention they truly deserve. My little venture into the world of selling handmade goods was a wonderful experience. It gave me a focus during a time when my life seemed to be spinning around of kilter. In a way, the closing of my shop marks the end of serious illness and recuperation at home. Etsy provided a much needed focus for me during this time. Thus, I am excited with continuing my education and living more independently; however, I will also miss the support of my dear family and the freedom to expand my artistic creativity to new levels. I am very proud of the success of my little shop so I'm going to ask the reader to humor me in letting me boast.

In five months...
- I sold ten items (ten more than I originally thought possible...)
- One of my products was listed in a Treasury!
- I received one commission (which totally made my year!)
- My store racked up hundreds of views.
- I received 18 store "hearts"
- I received more than 12 individual item "hearts"

I hope to come back to Etsy soon. I dream of one day being listed in the Storque as one of the artists who is able to work full-time as an Etsy artisan after quitting their day job (see here for more details). More realistically, I plan to continue to be a part of the Etsy community and maybe take a class at Etsy Labs (!!).

The Last Lecture

I am in the midst of reading Randy Pausch's book, The Last Lecture. In many ways it is a quick read, written in a conversational style. However, this book should not be a quick read. It should be eaten slowly so one might savor every bite. It contains the life stories and life lessons of an incredibly inspiring man.

The author, Randy Pausch, was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer; he was given three to six months of health in late August 2007. Pausch was a well-known professor at Carnegie Mellon prior to his diagnosis. After much consideration, Pausch decided to give a last lecture at Carnegie Mellon which was the inspiration for the book. The Last Lecture is full of inspiring wisdom and strength. I can't say enough about the book; suffice it to say that I heartily recommend The Last Lecture.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer."
"Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show how badly we want something."
"Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think."
"Everyone of us must decide: Am I a fun-loving Tigger or am I a sad-sack Eeyore?"

Pausch was invited to give the charge to graduates at Carnegie Mellon this year. Here is his speech, courtesy of Youtube and Carnegie Mellon.

Collage Kit: Sample 2

This is another sample of a collage made with the "Fire" collage kit. Soon to be posted on my Etsy store -- watch for more details!

Book Review: Offbeat Bride

I just finished reading the book Offbeat Bride: Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Brides by Ariel Meadow Stalling. I was excited to read the book as I enjoy the Offbeat Bride website. However, I found the book rather disappointing. I was hoping that this book would provide ideas for brides who don't want a McWedding. However, most of the book is simply Stalling's sharing about her own wedding experiences. Having recently become engaged and started the search for various wedding paraphernalia, I understand Stalling's distaste for the Wedding Industry and the cookie cutter wedding/reception. However, I do not agree with the author's approach to the independent wedding. Perhaps it is simply a personality clash. Unlike Stallings, I do not intend my wedding to be a symbol of my declaration of independence from the self-proclaimed sovereign Wedding Industry (or society). In my opinion, weddings should be a communal, joyful celebration which binds the community together. The author does not promote good communication skills among brides and their families; she encourages brides to hide details that their families might find offensive until the day of the wedding. While I believe that couples should plan weddings and reception that reflect their personal interests and beliefs, they should not at the cost of distancing their loved ones. The "F--- you" approach to weddings (and life in general) can only get you so far. (That being said, the level of cursing in this book is distracting and irritating.) Basically, I think Stallings encourages a Bridezilla approach to alternative weddings.

The Perfect Summer Day...

Today my sister Mandy and I spent some time outside simply enjoying the beauty and splendor of our natural habitat. It was a gorgeous day! We brought a bowl of cherries with us and entertained ourselves seeing who could spit cherries the farthest. Mandy read her book while entertained myself writing away. We throughly ourselves sunbathing in our own backyard.

A New Etsy Product

Recently, I started musing on how I could share the joy and wonder I experience through the creation of art. I thought I'd make some "collage kits" so the public can make their own beautiful creations. I will be selling these kits at some point in my Etsy store. My idea is to have a kit representing the elements of Earth, Wind, and Fire. I have not completed putting together these kits, but here is a sample of the Fire kit.



A beautiful sampling of papers.



Bobbles and various notions.



A sample collaged card.

Wordie: Eliot's "Little Gidding"

This wordie is composed of the words from T. S. Eliot's "Little Gidding" (No. 4 of the Quartets), IV.

Wordie: Design

What I Try to Remember...

Almost a year and a half ago, I was diagnosed with a chronic disease called Ulcerative Colitis. I had been struggling with pain, exhaustion, and frustration. At that time, I wrote a list of things I to try to remember. Since then, the list has hung in my bedroom. I thought I'd share with you an abbreviated version.

View setbacks as opportunities to grow. By striving to overcome difficulties in your life, you will gain strength, virtue, and character.

People have different limitations, so do not compare your capabilities (or incapabilities) to others'. Your life is not made of limits, but of freedom. Focus on what you can do, rather than what you are unable to do. Your individuality is specific and unique. Offer the world your individual gifts and talents. Live your life abundantly.

Everything will work out, maybe not the way you originally planned, but it will resolve itself. View the situation with long term vision. This will often make the present clearer. Be patient. Things often take longer than we think they should.

Transcend yourself and love one another. Love is not a feeling, but a continual choice to work for the beloved's ultimate happiness. Love means giving a continual self-gift freely.

God never gives us more than we can handle. He always provides the necessary grace.

Build one another up; do not tear down. Do not worry what others think of you. They are probably worrying about what you think of them. Live confidently, knowing that you were created with intrinsically unique qualities.

God loves you more than you can possibly imagine. He is always with you. Prayer is a mutual conversation; remember to shut up.

An Etsy Preview

Here's a little preview of my Etsy store.

My Etsy Store

I would like to announce that I will be hosting the Grand Opening of my Etsy store, Soul of a Rose, on March 1, 2008. On that date, I will be offering great sales on beautiful homemade cards and stationary. I will be posting a direct link soon. Also, I will try to post some previews of my merchandise.

In the meantime, please check out Etsy for lovely homemade items!

Illustration Friday: Theory

Illustration Friday: Theory, originally uploaded by soulofarose.

This is my submission for Illustration Friday's theme of "Theory." Pictured here is Jacques Derrida, the well-known twentieth-century literary theorist. "Différance" is a word that Derrida coined; it is a complicated concept/word that I will not attempt to explain here. In any case, the word "theory" reminded me of this great theorist.

The writing that serves as the background in this image is actually a portion of the work of Derrida. Thanks to this page, I was able to get the French as well as the English translation of Derrida's description of différance.

I hope you enjoy!

The Sea

A Slight Change of Plans...

Well, a great deal has happened in the past few months. I will not even try to catch you up on the news. Quick summary: first I was very busy, then I was very sick, and am now not so very busy. I was forced to take a semester off, a medical leave of absence to recover. This has been a trying period, not only the whole getting better bit, but the absence of academia and friends (proximity-wise) has been rather difficult for me.

So. What have I been doing with all this free time? Well, not too much as of yet, but I have been crafting some great plans for the next few months. All shall be revealed in good time.

In the meantime, here are some photos of what I have been "cooking up" literally. It should be noted, that while I was enduring the "very sick" part of my recent past I was on a clear liquid diet. I was also taking medication that made me excruciatingly hungry. I began watching the Food Network religiously as well as reading as many cooking magazines as I could lay my hands on. When I finally was released from the hospital, I began to cook. Here, for your perusal, are some of my recent culinary creations.



This is a chickpea salad with a homemade white wine citrus dressing.



This is my version of vegetarian "ribs" with sage risotto (Mom's creation) and some honey-balsamic roasted root vegetables. The "ribs" are made with seitan, marinated with my own special recipe of marinade and then simmered in a pot and served with some of the marinade on top. The root vegetables were really fun to make; the sweetness of the honey contrasted nicely with the balsamic vinegar. This was also my first time preparing, cooking, and eating parsnips -- quite an enjoyable experience.



This is the infamous Angel Food cake I attempted to make. My mom, sister, and I all took turns beating that batter for an hour and an half until it finally whipped into peaks. I ended up killing our little hand-held beater (it had lived a good long life of over twenty years). Thus, this cake was very precious as a beater had sacrificed its life to give birth this dessert.