Inspiration for a joyful and creative life

If you need some free creative inspiration to get you going, you are in luck.

Marney Makridakis from Artella is a creative force and always brings a lot of energy and fun to her classes and programs.

She is offering a a fun, inspiring,and FREE (that’s hard to beat!) teleclass called The ARTsignment™ Power Hour: Plug In and Renew Your Creative Spark! on Tuesday, August 2nd.

It’s a full of really fun and unique self-exploration tools that are designed to plug in to the power of your creativity.  Check it out!

You can get more info here!

I love pulling out bits and baubles and playing with arrangements that reflect the season.

You don’t need everything to match.  In fact, it can be more fun to go on a treasure hunt in your home to put together an interesting collection.

It was my turn to host my wonderful book club and I wanted to set the table to celebrate the beginning of Spring.  Here in Denver, the new spring growth of leaves is just starting to appear on the trees, the crab apples are blooming and the song of birds is in the air.

I used both a combination of color and theme to begin pulling things from my cupboards to place on the table.  The coral pink quilted runner atop the mint green table cloth helped make the items pop.

Thinking of all the things of spring, I gathered a miniature nest with three blue eggs that I perched in a tall crystal candle holder.  I had a faux moss ball that I placed in the other candle holder.

I used the beautiful basil and lemon thyme herbs in our dinner and placed them in matching mint green pots.  This represented the fresh green of spring.  Using a live plant is a great alternative to fresh flowers.  I threw in a speckled egg in each that reminds me of an Easter egg hunt.

I used three spiky plastic green moss things ( I don’know what to call them) and put them on top of a short crystal candle stick..  A pretty metal brown bird sits atop an upside down crystal glass.

A small box with soft blue green background and a white rooster was placed in the middle.  A bottle with a bird wearing a crown that says bless our home was placed at the far end.

I originally planned to use lots of votive candles to light the table but I didn’t want things to get too busy.  I had so many odds and ends.  I only used one green votive in a wire bird candle holder.

After the party was over and the plates cleared, I kept most of the arrangement in place so we can enjoy it as we pass by for a little bit of spring in the air.

I encourage you to play with your stuff!

Sometimes all you need is a different perspective to get some good ideas.

Think Backwards

In the early 60’s the FCC was concerned that some of the quiz shows had supplied contestants the answers (remember the movie the Quiz Show?)

Julann and Merv Griffin were on a plane to New York and she suggested that they give the contestants the answers and they guess the questions.  They had their concept of the show by the time the plane landed.  Jeopardy has been on the air since 1962.

Begin with the End

Think about what you want to accomplish and write down the end result as if it has happened.

For example, let’s say you want to write a book.

Write a book from the end or write the back cover first with the kinds of quotes people would say about your book  which gives you insight into what you want to write.

What are you working on now?  How might you start at the end?

P.S. In case you are wondering, the photo was taken at a wonderful garden design show we went to when we were in France a couple years ago and it is an etched shovel.