What a Beautiful Site!!

 

Who would have thought that we would become so attached to our electronics that we would become unable to communicate without them. My cell phone battery died yesterday and I went to charge it and guess what - I couldn't locate my charger.....oh my. We have no land line up here in Pinetop so without my cell phone, I am unable be in contact with the outside world (unless Of course, I choose to get in my car and drive somewhere, which was not an option because I have tons of work to do here at the house). I emailed John, who is in Green Valley for a few days and asked him to bring my back up charger with him when he returns to the mtns today. I spent hours searching my purse, suitcase, grocery bags, drawers, and any other place I think the little wanderer might be. I KNOW I am much too responsible to have left it at my brother's house last week while visiting Santa Fe.......right!! Oh well, I finally resolve myself to the fact that it really doesn't matter because if there is an emergency, John can call a neighbor to contact me and I go on with my life. I actually became accustomed to not strapping it to my hip everytime I took a step because, God forbid I would miss a call while attending to other duties. Ever onward I say.....John will be here in a few hours and all will be right again. I decided to attend to the laundry in between etching silver and cleaning my studio.....I'm unloading the laundry shute (or is it shoot or chute?) and guess what to my wandering eyes would appear - you got it.....the missing phone charger. I just stood there and smiled for a minute, knowing full well that it would appear eventually, just not sure where or when. So - the great charger mystery is solved and life is back to normal - whatever that is!! Just one more of life's little adventures and so now it is comfortably resting in it's little space and charging up for another day.

The Wind Beneath My Wings: Bette Midler Live in 2008

Beautiful day at home today and I thought this was a perfect way to tie it all up. Dedicated to my best friend and spouse.....you are the wind beneath my wings for sure:O) Love you.

God Bless You Jimmy Carter

More Santa Fe "stuff"

Today was so much fun. Sandy and I toured the fabulous Georgia O'Keeffe Museum here in Santa Fe. What a great artist she was and definately ahead of her time.

I am brain dead right now and need to get to bed so I am alert for my trip back to Pinetop tomorrow. I will fill you in on the details of today's escapades later. Thanks so much for dropping by.

The 100th person to sign up as a follower of this blog will receive a gorgeous pair of copper, etched earrings. Picture to follow so sign up now and tell all of your friends:O)

Please leave me a comment if you read my blog so that it won't be a monologue:O)

Blogger Buzz: Show off your Followers

Blogger Buzz: Show off your Followers

August 23, 2010

MEDITATE AND MOTIVATE

Sadly, our fun, family filled weekend has come to an end and we are on our way back to Santa Fe. What a great gathering or two we enjoyed these last few days. The weather was unbelievably gorgeous. The sun was shining the entire time. We were invited to participate in a celebration of marriage of our cousin, Carolyn Sylvester and Don Bolton. The event was held at their lovely home atop the highest mountain in Pine, CO. They have a 360 degree view of nothing but beauty-WOW. It is a challenge in the wintertime but I'm sure it is worth every effort it takes to keep it going.

Next, we had a blast at my great nephew's 1st birthday party. His Mom worked herself to the bone creating the cutest birthday cake I've ever seen!! I'll be posting pictures of all of this when I get home. Again, I re-connected with family that I haven't seen in many years. I miss the days when families lived in the same town and you could run up the street to grandma's house and she would always have a cup of chocolate milk and a donut waiting for you. Actually, the donut shop was on the corner just one block from her home and when we were old enough, we could walk to the shop and pick out our own donuts. When I would attend church with her, she would always take me for a nice walk to the local hotel coffee shop and we would enjoy our time together, she with her coffee and me with my chocolate milk and donut.....Oh, how I miss those special moments. My other grandma lived next door to her (remember, everyone lived in the same town) and I loved to visit her as well. She had a very large conch shell that sat on top of her bookcase. Whenever I visited her, I immediately ran to pick up that shell and listen to the ocean play in my ears, I miss not having my family nearby but life does go on doesn't it???

Ok, back to reality, We just enjoyed lunch at the Dog Bar & Grill in Cuchara, Co. It is really quaint and definitely worth the trip off the freeway and traffic where everyone is in a big hurry to go who knows where. It kind of reminds me of Cheers where people take the time to talk and be friendly to each other. We ended up here because Sandy and I wanted to check out LaVeta, CO where one of our favorite quilters lives and films a television quilting series-Ricky Tims. We are a bit confused right now because upon arriving at our destination, it looks like his shop is closed up. As soon as we can receive wireless internet I will be checking on this. At any rate, it turned out great because we've been able to enjoy a wonderful drive through the mountains and had a great burger for lunch. All's well that ends well, right!!

It is beginning to rain a drop or two as we continue on our journey so I will sign off for now. Life is good so enjoy the journey!!

Oh, I almost forgot. My blog title, Meditate and Motivate came to me from the latest edition of O Magazine. She has pages of great information on self improvement and motivation – check it out.

Colorado Rockies

On The Road Again....Again


Enjoyed a beautiful day Thursday running errands in and around Santa Fe.....I LOVE this town. Sandy and I took Kitty to the vet for some repair work and she will stay there until we return on Tuesday. She broke a tooth and they need to remove it – animals are expensive to maintain but their unsolicited love in return is worth the price I guess.

We left bright and early today for Denver. 8:30 am is bright and early in my book, although I'd been up and functioning since 5:00 am.. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I am NOT a morning person. I am a night owl and can work way into the wee hours of the morning with no trouble – until I try to get up in a few hours:O). I always have trouble sleeping the night before any trip for fear that I won't be ready in time. You know how it is....the car is packed the night before, the purse is sitting by the bag of snacks right next to the garage door (inside door of course:O}) and a million things run in and out of your brain all night long. Finally, we drive out of the neighborhood and I fall asleep – no, I'm not the driver on this leg of the trip!!

We just passed through Pueblo, CO so it won't be too much longer before we reach our destination. I think Colorado is so beautiful with her majestic mountains and bright blue skies. My father was transferred from Idaho to Colorado the year I graduated from high school in 1962. I lived in Lakewood, a suburb of Denver, for 2 years. I met my husband, John, at the Air Force Academy in 1963 and we were married in 1964. We enjoyed a wonderful career in the Air Force until his retirement in 1993. Enough about me for now but coming back to Colorado sure brings back some vivid memories of days gone by.

I've been busy lately working on some new designs in copper. It seems like recently, with the cost of silver escalating, that more and more artists are turning to copper as their metal of choice. I have always been fond of copper and have used it in my creations for years – nice that now it is finally becoming popular. My friend, Madeline, and I are working feverishly to prepare an inventory for a trunk show we have been invited to do in November. I am very excited and will keep you posted on our progress. We have been busy etching LOTS of metal and now need to put it all together. Very fun!!

I'll upload some pictures when I return home next week. In the meantime – you all have a great weekend and always remember.......................a smile is worth a thousand words!!!

Gathering Momentum

Hello out there in blogger land - I have something very special to share with you today and I hope you enjoy...

I subscribe to Whole Lotta Whimsey's ezine and this article was in today's edition.  I know many of us relate to what Tonya is writing and I just felt the need to share it with all of my fellow smithers and metal artists.  I know you will enjoy and I suggest you subscribe (it's free!!) to her ezine newsletter for more wonderful, helpful information.

Gathering Momentum

Yep, my family is a bit football crazy. Growing up in Colorado where our lives revolved around sports and the outdoors gave me an early love for athletics, not to mention competition. I have fond memories of watching football with my parents. I loved how my dad thought they could hear him as he shouted to the tv and how my parents danced together after touchdowns!

There is a football player in our city who draws big crowds at games. He is phenomenal! He led his team to the State Championship last year largely due to his skills. My son and I frequently talk about his style, technique and form. This player knows how to hold the ball, run the plays, move his hips, but the key...the secret...is his ability to keep the momentum.

When his opponents are trying to tackle him, he never stops moving his feet. He is constantly moving....momentum! You'll see him enter a mass of opponents trying to tackle him, and out he comes, and there he goes. Score!

Sometimes we need to first slow down in order to excel. Clarity is key. This means gathering our intentions, making a plan, and a system of how to execute that plan without having to stop.

Let's head into the fall of 2010 by gathering our desires and intentions so we too can gain some momentum for our most important season for sales and promotion as artists.

7 Ways to Gain Momentum

1) Meditate and Get Clear

Just spending 20-30 minutes sitting quietly and allowing yourself to focus on you, without thinking about kids, laundry, bills, groceries etc. Take time to put pen to paper asking yourself what is my intention this fall. What do I really want for myself and my business? Write down any desires and ideas you might have for things you'd like to accomplish in the next 4 months. Write down anything that comes to mind. There is no limit. You can always edit later. Do a complete mind dump.

2) Prioritize

Decide which items on your list are things you really want to accomplish this Fall. Remember it's only 4 months, and 2 of them have major holidays that will take time away from anything on your goal list. Pick your top 3-5 goals and make them as specific as possible. Keep it doable!

3) Mind map out your goals

Mind mapping is a great technique and if you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it. Simply start with one of the desires or goals you wrote down. Write this in the center of a large piece of paper and put a circle around it. Then write the major categories of tasks that will be required to accomplish the goals around that stated goal. Then branch off spokes of those action steps to further bubbles of action steps. Keep breaking it down to bite size action steps.

Studies show that the connection to the subconscious is through the right side of the brain which thinks in pictures. So as you sketch out your map, include as many pictures and drawings as possible. Cut them out from magazines if needed.

4) Do a Time Audit

Spend a week writing down how you spend your time. At the beginning of every hour write down how you spent the previous hour. Be honest and include all internet surfing, phone calls, unnecessary errands, etc. At the end of the week, take a good look at how you spent your time. It'll be an eye-opener. I bet you'll find the Pareto Principal in effect. This means you spend about 20% of your time producing 80% of your success.

5) Identify bad habits

Now that you've done a self-assessment, what would you be able to accomplish if you took more of that wasted time and spent it on activities that truly served your goals?

90% of our behavior is habit. So if we identify our bad habits, and we decide what's unacceptable, we can make a concerted effort to change those bad habits. We can choose to change or alter our bad habits.

For example, if I want to work out everyday, then I need to go to bed one hour earlier to compensate for getting up earlier. That means I need to give up that silly hour of needless drama on Bravo tv, from 10-11pm. If I really want to watch it, that's what the DVR is for and weekends or free time.

I also used to worry about missing a customer's email. So I'd check it every 10-15 minutes. This was a disruptive habit. I would stop and handle it right away as if it was a crisis. I was always in reaction mode. I realized, after reflection, that it took me longer to get back to the flow of my "genius" work and often I couldn't be creative.

So I set up systems or scheduled times that I am able to check my email. I then do batch all my replies during that time. This leaves me with some extra time during the day and less mistakes to fix.

6) Set a schedule and make systems

The key to success is scheduling your time. We creative types dislike schedules. We tend to want to go with the flow of things, but this can lead you off your action steps and onto other things that waste your time.

If you want to create everyday, do this first thing in the am or after working out. Once you start working on email, paperwork, bills, etc, your left brain is engaged. It's really hard for it to let go and let your right brain have it's creative time.

Also try working in 40-50 minute segments starting at the beginning of the hour. This is uninterrupted time, dedicated to whatever action step you are working on. Set a timer and when it goes off you can then return calls, emails, check facebook, get a drink, and stretch your legs. You'll be amazed how much clarity you'll have and how much you get done when you are working with systems!

7) Keeping your eye on the prize

Celebrate each success! I have an employee that walks through our warehouse exuberantly exclaiming yippee after actions are completed. At first it was surprising, but we all quickly learned to love it. For one it raises everyone's spirits. It makes you smile. We often associate negative emotions with mistakes, but we don't celebrate enough the small or even medium size achievements. Associate emotions with completed actions no matter how big or small.

Surround yourself with anything that reminds you of your success. This could be awards, a chart showing your sales each month, hits to your site, increased bank account, new customers or galleries, etc.

Make an inspiration board. This is also called a vision board or treasure map. Cut out pictures of things you want to accomplish, inspiring words, places you want to go, etc. Put this in a prominent place so you can see it everyday. We are visual and it's a great reminder....keeping our eye on the prize!
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Tonya Davidson is an artist, entrepreneur, coach and mentor. She helps other artists better their techniques and business skills by empowering them to live creatively from the inside out. Her ezine goes out to over 11,000 subscribers. If you want to learn to create a life you love, sign up for a FREE subscription at http://wholelottawhimsy.com. Be sure to check out her blog at www.tonyadavidson.com for more articles like this one.

© 2010. Whole Lotta Whimsy. All Rights Reserved.
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Just a short note about my trip to Santa Fe today....It was a gorgeous, bright, sunny day and the brilliant yellow flowers along the highway made for a perfect picture frame of a day.  I arrived in good shape in a little less than 6 hours, made a few stops along the way to take pictures.  I will share those with you tomorrow.  It is midnight here and I am zonked out.  
 
Enjoy the article I've included and let's all begin to gather momentum in our daily lives.  I know for sure that I waste WAY too much time on tasks that do not matter (like checking my emails every 15 minutes).  FOR WHAT????
 
Hugs to all and remember - you make a big difference in my life so thanks for being there!!

I can't believe it has been 6 months

I know, I know - it has been forever since I last posted.  I don't know where time goes.  I have been so busy reading, learning and creating that I have neglected you.  I am so sorry and I will really try to do better.

I am leaving on a trip to Santa Fe, NM, tomorrow and will return on 8/27.  I am going for two reasons.  First, to visit my brother and sister-in-law and next , to check out Rio Grande Tools and purchase some metal:O)  When I arrive in Santa Fe on Wednesday, I will just relax for the evening.  On Thursday, my sister-in-law, Sandy, and I will go visit the Georgia O'Keefe Museum and look up my good friend, Mr. Armando Pena.  I absolutely love his art and have several of his works displayed in my home.  He is such a genuine person and always willing to teach - that is his forte!!  I got to know him in Tubac when he was the signature artist several years ago.  I look forward to his return each year. 

I have been doing quite a bit of work in copper lately, mostly etching.  I love it.  I am able to incorporate many metals and combine them in very artistic ways. 

I have been a jewelry designer for about 10 years.  I am self taught for the most part, however, I have studied under metal/wire artists Tracey Stanley, Kim St. Jean and Sharilyn Miller.  I love the way each of them manipulates their metal and accessorize their pieces!

I have a passion for jewelry, and creating beautiful pieces is truly an addiction with me.  I create one of a kind pieces that can be handed down to the next generation as they are built with love and much attention to quality and detail.  They are definately works of love from my heart and soul to yours.

I specialize in fine and sterling silver as well as copper and brass metals.  I would describe my style as all over the map, but I gravitate toward southwestern designs using multiple connected elements.  I enjoy working with stone, pearls, leather, copper, silver and often combine them all into my pieces.

I am always reading and learning new techniques and it would be an understatement to say that I am a tool freak!!!  I LOVE tools and am a collector of many.

To see some of my works, please visit the Galleria Eclectica at Moseman's Metalwerks in Show Low, AZ or check out my shop at http://www.thebearaffair.etsy.com/.

I live in Green Valley, AZ during the winter months and race up to the mountain of Pinetop, AZ in the cool summer months.

I love hosting jewelry making parties in your home or mine and am always available to host a jewelry party where the hostess can earn money towards many gifts or jewelry items. 

I love my passion of jewelry creation and metalsmithing and hope to take you along on the journey to enjoy my future endeavors.  Hop on and let's get going.

Until the next post - remember:  Don't follow your dreams....chase them!!

You are my inspiration so please leave your comments and suggestions so that I may become a better person.  I promise you that you will make a difference!!

Cheers, Sally