Hobonichi Love

I have discovered the beauty that is Hobonichi Techo. So simple but incredibly inspiring. I'm hoping to use this as a life/art journal to give a little boost to my creativity which seems to have been zapped lately. I'll be sharing some of my layouts when I feel they are not crappy. Here is a sneak peek at what I am doing.

I love writing in columns where the layout takes on the look of a magazine (or bible if you are mostly just journaling). This is the Hobonichi Cousin which is A5 size.

If you want to see more, I am loving this video from the creators of Hobonichi.



I have watched this video so many times.  I so wish I could draw like some of the examples they feature.

Why Not Me?

Years ago, I decided I wanted to do something. I had a passion for it and I really wanted to see that passion grow. In the hustle and bustle of life, the passion remained but the confidence to think I could do it waned. I succumbed to doubt and started to believe I couldn't do it and I could never figure out how.

But then came the Internet and Google and YouTube and I am seeing what so many others have done with so little. I am seeing others do what I have wanted to do. The barrier for entry has decreased and I have no reason not to get moving.

The plan is in motion and so am I.

Field Notes

Last week, Field Notes sent an email offering a free 3-pack of the Red Blooded Memo Book free with any purchase. There was no minimum purchase so I went on over an placed an order for a pack of pencils for three dollars and some change. The free pack of memo books is $10 value so this was a very good offer from the Field Notes company.

I have been following Field Notes for about a year now but I have never used any of their products, mainly because I was worried about the size. I had never actually seen the notebooks in a store. And I was right. The photo below is to compare the size of the Field Notes Memo book with the Moleskine planner that I currently use.



On the positive side, the Field Notes could fit into the back pocket of the Moleskine or held in place under a band. However I use it, I do want it to work with or within my planner system so these two will be getting familiar with each other.

You’ll see another post soon about my current planner (18 month Moleskine weekly) and how I will alter for the next year since new 2013 planners are hitting the market and I Moleskine doesn’t offer an 18 month planner option that could easily transition from the existing 18 month planner. More on that later.

For now, I would love to know if any of you are Field Notes users and how you use them.

October #3--Lazy Sunday

I’m just sitting here enjoying and wasting away my Sunday afternoon when I start to think about all the things I should be doing. Instead of watching the last episode of Project Runway on the DVR, I should be catching up on work or sewing or finishing the shrug I am crocheting for my grandma. If nothing else, I SHOULD BE WRITING. I had a couple of hiccups this week in my professional life and it has me a little miffed about what is to come next. And that in turn is zapping away all of my creativity.

For the past year and a half, my life has been moving along and I’m not quite keeping up. I am quite uneasy when there is too much change in my life. It’s been so difficult for me to put into words but in church today, the pastor did just that for me. He spoke of the storms that rage in our lives that we don’t quite deal with. BUT, we concentrate so much on the external storms of our lives that we forget to speak peace to the internal storms that rage within us. The external storms come and go but those internal storms stick with us long term and really impact us so much.

Yes, I am in a uncomfortable position right now, but that is an external storm that will pass. More than anything I need to deal with the internal storm that causes me to be so uncomfortable. Not to mention I have some other internal storms that need speaking to, but those are hurricanes for another day in time.

October #1--Hello Again

Sometimes the best laid plans just don’t work out. And honestly I shouldn’t say that considering it was just a thought and not exactly a plan. Leading up to this month, I kept thinking the best way to get myself ready for the hustle of Nanowrimo was to get writing on my blog during the month of October.

So, in my head I made the “plan” to write a blog post for each day of the month. Even though the word count would be much less than the daily goal for Nano, it would still get me accustomed to sitting down and putting thoughts to paper on a daily basis. Well, the first of the month has gotten away from me already.

Today, the 2nd of October starts my Nano readiness effort. Since I missed the first day, I am not going to bother with trying to post daily. What I will do instead is set a goal of writing at least one post for each of my years of life. I celebrated my 36th birthday in September. I am a strong believer that every birthday should be celebrated. I love getting older. I love the new things and new places and new people I am able to experience each year I am here and I love where I see my future years taking me. I have never been sad about a birthday and I am definitely not going to start now.

I have been away from this blog for months for a number of reasons, but it all comes down to me letting life take away those things that I love so much. I started this blog to get myself used to letting others read what I have written and what I am thinking. There is not much point to writing in journals for years and years, not knowing if your point of view resonates with anyone. But I have let myself down and I have let you down (those of you who are still around). But here I am, shouting to the world that I have something to say and this is my journey into getting those words out into the world.

I hope you all are still with me and I hope I can welcome new friends to my blog. More than anything, I am just saying hello again to the girl that wants to write her own world.

HELLO AGAIN!

CONGRATULATIONS AUBURN!!!!!

‘Nuf Said. Beautiful day in the South.

Nothing Changes In a Week

One of the new things going on with me has to do with my hair. I have decided to go natural. This means that I have decided not to chemically relax my hair anymore. For now I am still coloring it, but that may soon change as well. The chemicals have become very harsh to my skin which seems to be getting more sensitive as I age. That means my hair is not looking it’s best these days. Honestly, it was not looking good before I started transitioning and I am doing all I can to repair the damage while nurturing the new hair that is growing. I got a little bit cut off before Thanksgiving and this did not please the fiance at all. He loves long hair and has been trying to get me to grow it out. Deciding to go natural requires a reset on length so I am getting shorter until all the relaxer is cut out and then my natural hair can grow.

Well, he has been complaining about how short and dry my hair is and how much it sheds. He’s now gotten his mother into and I felt completely attacked this weekend as they both decided to give me an intervention on my hair. This is not a fun experience. I am incredibly hurt. Hair is personal and when your hair is not where you want it for whatever reason, you tend to feel a little vulnerable. Hair on the floor is a particular pet peeve for him and his mother so I was afraid to comb my hair at her house for fear that I would leave an errant hair behind.

He knows I’m hurt so today he attempted to tell me how nice I fixed my hair today. I made sure I pointed out to him that he didn’t like it last week when I fixed it the exact same way. Nothing changes in a week when it comes to someone’s attitude and I doubt my hurt will go away in this next week.

We’ll see. I’m happy to be seeing videos posted on YouTube from many, many black women who have taken the same steps towards hair and skin health. In the future I will share some videos and tips that I find.

More than anything, I think all of us should remember that there are times when Love can hurt just as much as Hate.

Happy Holidays everyone. I pray you all have strong support systems among your loved ones for whatever changes you decide to institute in life.

Oh No!

Another day and no writing. I don’t know what’s going on with me, but I will be waking up tomorrow and getting right to the computer to put some words to the screen. I’m mentally zapped right now so I’m hoping some inspiration will come to me as I sleep.

Bad Service Will Not Be Tolerated

I've been having trouble with my cell phone for weeks now.I called the company (HELIO) several times and their fix everytime was to reset the phone. This means I have lost all of my pictures, all of my ringtones and I had to reload my numbers and emails everytime. Yesterday was the last straw. I had to reset yet again and after telling the company I would switch my service if this was not handled, I got put on hold for over 15 minutes. No one ever came back to the phone. After leaving the office, I drove directly to the Verizon store and switched my service. I'm not going to continue giving you money if you don't take my concerns seriously.

There's also a yarn store that's been bothering me. More on that later...

If you don't get the service you expect, take you money somewhere else.

Just For Me

I think this may be my favorite. It's the Amy Butler Sling Bag. It's big and it's absolutely cushy!! The fusing I used added some softness to it and the pattern also calls for some fusible fleece so the finished bag turns out really soft and luscious. I also made a matching zippered pouch from the Stash Bags Pattern. See my flickr page for more photos.

All of the sewing I've been doing lately has got me thinking about my connection with my mother and grandmother and with the women that I have met since being out on my own. The following statement most likely won't apply to any of the people reading this blog, but I get so disappointed when I meet people (especially women) that don't do anything. They have no product to show their existence (other than the babies they've made of course). But why is it that our ability to 'craft' is being pushed aside? I love the women and men that I have met through knitting and blogging. Some of you are out there doing some fantastic and beautiful things and I love seeing that and being able in some part to be a part of your legacy. But for those that have no hobbies and show no interest in anything in particular....what is their legacy?

Yeah That's ME

What April Means

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are influential and persuasive. You tend to have a lot of power over people. Generally, you use your powers for good. You excel at solving other people's problems. Occasionally, you do get a little selfish and persuade people to do things that are only in your interest. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Walking the Road Alone

Observation on the way to the grocery store..

I couldn't help but smile at seeing a mother meet her little girl at the bus stop. The two embraced and smiled as they discussed the drawing the little girl had brought home from school. The two walked off hand in hand and I was comforted a the sight.

At the next stop, a little boy exited the bus and having no one to greet him, walked down the road towards his home. The comfort I felt at the previous bus stop was immediately suppressed as I watched him walking.

And I couldn't help but wonder if this was some statement of the lives and future of black men, walking the road alone.

It’s Storming in the Southeast

I actually love rainy days. Even stormy days are acceptable as long as the damage is minimal. Unfortunately this weekend has brought several doozies our way. Here in Chattanooga is not nearly as bad as Atlanta but the thunder, high winds and lightning at four o'clock in the morning will make anyone think their roof is about to fly off. I hope you all are staying safe. Stay off the streets if you can. People here in Chattanooga tend to get a little crazy on the road in the rain.
To keep myself entertained, I've been watching horror movies. I'm watching Village of the Damned as I typed. Last night was the Omen trilogy. I love the Omen, but I've never seen Omen II and III until last night. There's nothing better than horror movies on a stormy day to get your heart going.
If you've got DirecTV, check out the Chiller channel (#257). You're sure to get a good fright in.

Journal Love

I have an addiction to journals, notebooks, paper and anything else made to record one's thoughts. I probably have hundreds of them. Some are completely written in, some are still blank, some are only half used. But that doesn't stop me from buying more of them.

When I discovered ETSY, I immediately looked for sellers of handmade journals and I found MyHandboundBooks. I ordered a small leather covered journal and I absolutely love it. I don't know what thoughts it's pages will hold but I can not wait to write the first words.

My love of journals has probably been a clue that I should have pursued a career in writing. I have always loved the idea of leaving a legacy behind and I'm finally going to start working towards that goal. I hope you all find your passion in life and choose to pursue it.

Happy writing, blogging, scrapbooking, making videos or whatever else suits your style of legacy preservation.

Trying New Things

Wow, it's been a roller coaster of a week. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail right now as I am trying a new blogging method. I am using Microsoft Word 2007 to compose my post. I'll then see how things work. I'm trying to be able to do as much as possible off line so I can move around the house more. No I don't have wireless at home.
In addition to a new method of blogging, I am trying something new on the job front. As of leap day I am unemployed. I still can't quite get my head around that, but I'm going to use this time wisely and not stress out too much. I'll have a new job soon enough.
In my free time I am going to get a lot of knitting done and I'm also considering starting an Etsy store. More on that soon. I hope you all are doing well. Write to you soon!