Picking up

This photo sums up my life.  It doesn't get any simpler than this, a guide to organized living lying forgotten under a table.

I have good ideas, big ideas, good intentions.  I get excited.  I plan.  I make lists.  I buy supplies.  I think "I'm gonna do it".  I intend to do it.  And then I don't.

Why?

Life gets in the way.  I'm distracted by my kids.  I have to do this or that.  There is not enough time, not enough space.  I don't have the right supplies, the right plan.  Oooh something shiny.

My good intention, my big idea, lies forgotten like the magazine, collecting dust under a table.

Why?

I am unorganized.  I am so very unorganized.  I have things, too many things.  These things do not have homes.  When new things come in, old things do not leave.  The new things are piled on top of the old, balanced precariously.  Piles have piles have more piles. Things are shoved behind closed doors.

There is room in my home.  It is the office.  It was designed to be my creative space, space to write, to paint, to make jewelry.  I should feel pride in that space but I do not.  

Oh, that room.  I shut its door, I hope you don't see.  If you don't notice, its contents may disappear.  But, I know it is there.  It haunts me.  It paralyzes me.  I cannot fix it.

Why? 

Procrastination.  No.  Procrastination is just a five syllable word for sloth.  I am lazy.  There is no magic cure so I do nothing.  Doing something requires action, effort. 

Things stay as is.  Ideas collect dust.  Creativity withers.

Or maybe, just maybe, I could pick that magazine up off the floor

Creating

There are times when the realities of life intrude and begin to weigh me down. I can't see beyond the problem that needs to be fixed. Plans and decisions are made. Steps are taken. Things get done.

Life is lived.

However, so much is missed living this way. Forest. Trees.

Stopping. Slowing down. Enjoying what I have. Gratitude. These are the things that matter.

I feel alive when I can create something beautiful, something to feed my soul. I put pen to paper. I pick up a paintbrush. I move a hook through wire or yarn. Simple actions that yield beautiful results.

When I create, I am alive. When I create, I am living the life I was meant to live.

So I create.

Shaking off the Dust

Often times a well loved treasure gets lost. It falls between the cracks, behind something and gets hidden from view. It sits there, forgotten, collecting dust.

There may come a time when the treasure is rediscovered. Perhaps you are searching for something else and stumble across it. You may sit down in the midst of the dust and cobweb to remember. Once the years and neglect have been wiped away, you realize how much this treasure meant to you at one time. Memories come flooding back. You can feel the person you were the last time you held it.

Maybe the sight of it, the feel or the smell will inspire you to bring the treasure back to life, proudly displaying it once more. The dreams it once held are sparked anew. The past now holds the key to your future.

Lost and forgotten no more, endless possibilities await in the future.

Pretty Pretties

I've been a busy girl. In addition to obsessing about BlogHer, I've actually been making jewelry.

Today I actually listed some pieces:



Black Lace



Sunstone Circles

I also redid the pictures on these listings:



Pearl Clusters



Amethyst Circles

Bag It

I am currently obsessing about BlogHer. You've already heard me whine about what to wear. I won't go into that again, suffice it to say I am going to bring everything in my closet to Chicago with me.

I made a list of all of the things I need to take with me so I wouldn't forget anything important. One of the first things on my list was my laptop. Its a blogging conference so I'll need to have my laptop. But what am I going to carry it in?

I have the sleeve that came with it. It is very utilitarian and functional. In other words, it is black and ugly but it protects the laptop. But it doesn't have a handle so I'd have to carry it in something, a purse or bag.

Or I could find a new, snazzy carrying case. Yes that sounds much better. And during a quick perusal of Etsy I found these.

The Orangina from Mareri. It also comes in mustard, lime, midnight blue, periwinkle and lilac.



This beauty from Track and Field.


This great messenger bag from Sinem Inugur.


The Maiden Dove tote from majkatree.


Or I could just make one like the swanky suitcase bag by Jennifer Perkins on the Craftzine blog.

Do Clothes Make the Woman?

Or does the woman make the clothes? An age old conundrum that has me running in circles this week.

As I mentioned, I am going to the BlogHer conference next week and I'm kind of obsessing about it. What to do, who to meet, making sure I open my mouth when I meet them, and what is currently bothering me, what to wear.

When I was in the working world, I was confident wearing pretty much anything. I could dress up or dress down depending on my mood. But since I've been at home, comfort (and washability) is the key when getting dressed. In fact I gave away a lot of my "fancy" "dressy" clothes. I didn't need them because I had nowhere to wear them. Until now.

So now I am pulling everything out of my closet and pulling my hair out in the process. I have two vintage sundresses I want to wear during the day - one is hawaiian retro and the other is very 50s. I love them and I feel comfortable in them so they are in. I'll throw in capri pants and tops for the more casual times.

Footwear is a bit easier. Flats and sandals are all that I own so that is what I'm wearing. I'm tall, I don't need the height.

But the parties are killing me. Dress up or dress down? Fancy dresses or jeans and a nice top?

Or maybe I should just plan my wardrobe around the jewelry I'll be wearing. That might be easier.

Busy, Busy

In eight days I leave for the blogging conference, BlogHer. I will be meeting bloggers from all over the country. Bloggers who I read and "know". Bloggers who I read and admire. And bloggers who I have not yet discovered.

I am relatively new to the blogging game having only started But Why Mommy last May. Many (okay 99%) of the bloggers won't know who I am. I need/want to make a good impression.

In order to make said good impression, I am going to be very busy for the next few days. There are clothes and shoes to buy. Pedicures to be had. Business cards to order. But most importantly I want to make a good impression where it counts, here (and there). I also want to get my Etsy shop in good shape.

So over the next few days, I will be running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to make jewelry, post it here, get it in the store. I hope that you like what you see.