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Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

weeping cherry

Photo by Linnell Chang

Tucked away and wrapped around the scars of sawed off limbs, lays an oasis of flush, verdant growth. Young leaves glow brightly as the sun weaves its way through heavy branches and highlights this little piece of heaven. Despite its injury and its scars, this tree found the strength and the resiliency to prove that it’s still alive and beautiful. Alexander Pope said it best, “Hope springs eternal.”

#1 – From the Brink of Extinction
Imagine your excitement if you were an exploratory botanist and you noticed a tiny plant that had been thought to be extinct for the last 60 years growing on the steep slope of a volcano. Read the article about this amazing discovery on Mother Nature Network.

#2 – A Poet Who Knows It  
Whether you have a daughter or not, you will appreciate poet Sarah Kay’s heartfelt, sometimes rambling, but always thought-provoking TED presentation titled “If I Should Have a Daughter . . . “

Here are some examples of her thoughtful prose:

“Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.”

“Put the star in starting over . . . and over.”

“There’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline no matter how many times it’s sent away.”

#3 – Art and Nature

Artwork by Moki

Painting by Moki

German-based artist Moki combines humans with nature in some of her artwork. Learn about this talented artist and see more of her incredible art by clicking here.

#4 – With a String of Lights . . .
With a string of lights you can do a ton of fun and interesting things – well, at least the 46 Awesome String-Lights DIYs For Any Occasion that are shown on BuzzFeed. I really think the doily wedding garland is cute, but there are just too many clever ideas for me to choose a favorite!

#5 – The Negative Is the Positive
“Life is like photography. You need the negatives to develop.”
– Unknown

Have a wonderful weekend!

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pink spring bud

Photo by Linnell Chang

Spring promises hope with its mix of weather. Rain washes away dusty days and dim outlooks. The sun hastens growth and invigorates. Renewal and rebirth for all  – inside and out. Life is transformed on many levels.

#1 – Women Unite!
Global Mom Relay Women unite! We have the power to change the world! By sharing a daily post on the Global Mom Relay site everyday, we are helping a woman or a child somewhere in the world.

The United Nations Foundation states this about its Global Mom Relay:
From now until May 8, moms are powering an online conversation about motherhood to unlock donations. Every time you share a relay post on Facebook, Twitter, or email or donate $5 or more as part of the relay, a $5 donation (up to $8,000 per day) will be donated by Johnson & Johnson and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to one of four initiatives that are helping women and children lead healthy and happy lives – Girl Up, the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA), and the Shot@Life campaign. Led by co-chairs, Arianna Huffington, Jennifer Lopez, Lynda Lopez, Elizabeth Gore, and Sharon D’Agostino, the relay is in support of Every Woman Every Child, a movement launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to save the lives of 16 million women and children by 2015.

The first step is easy. Read this article, Mothers Rewriting the Future and share it!

#2 – The Joy of Books
Hey book lovers – you know how books have a way of coming alive? This video is for you!

#3 – An Eight Letter Game
Get those cobwebs out of your head. Play Eight Letters!  It’s a little like playing Boggle. You must create as many words as possible with the eight letters you are given, in the allotted amount of time. There are extra challenges, too. Each level has a target amount of points for you to reach, plus after every five levels there is a bonus anagram to solve.

#4 – Find Your Passion
find your passion test There are only ten questions in the Find Your Passion exercise. The first one reads, “When I was a kid, I dreamed of _______.” Working through these questions, I surprised myself with some of my answers. The answers were so obvious, but evidently not to me, until now. It’s taken me decades to come around full circle and to finally see that the things I have passion for are the same things I enjoyed doing as a kid. The Find Your Passion exercise is part of O’s 4-Step Guide to Discovering Who You’re Meant to Be.

#5 – Dare to Bloom
And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
Anais Nin

 Enjoy your weekend! Bloom!!

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Three envelopes with photo transfers

Print, cut, dip, rub, dry, and voilà you’ve just made custom tape! Use your custom tape to personalize greeting cards and envelopes. I first learned about the process of transferring photocopy ink from my oldest son when he was in high school. Back then I thought it was a pretty cool artistic process, but one that I could never see myself using. Now fifteen years later, I’m personalizing envelopes using a technique similar to his. Thanks to the site Lil Blue Boo for the inspiration. I can’t wait to experiment more with this technique and to try using it in other ways.

Supplies:
Supplies 1. Photo images on paper
2. Scissors
3. Clear packing tape
4. Straight edge
5. Bowl of water

Directions:
1. Select the photo image you want to use. Make a photocopy of the photo or print it up using a laser printer, not an ink jet printer. Larger images work better than smaller images that contain a lot of details. Images with a fair amount of contrast will also show up better. If printing the image from your computer, you can format it to have multiple copies on one page, thus creating a strip of photos. This technique also works with images from a magazine. Black and white wedding photos

2. Cut out your image and lay it face up on your work surface. Cut off a piece of packing tape about four inches longer than your piece of paper. Center the tape over the paper with sticky-side down and 2 inches of extra tape at each end. Press tape down gently on paper. Rub a straight edge, a ruler, or a paper boning tool over the entire surface of the tape-covered paper to ease out any bubbles and to make sure the ink is evenly and securely adhered to the adhesive.

Place tape over photos

Place tape over photos

3. Holding the two ends of the tape, immerse the paper-side of the tape into a bowl of water until the paper absorbs water and softens.

place tape with photos in bowl of water

Place tape with photos in bowl of water

4. Using your fingers, gently rub off all the paper from the tape. You may need to dip the paper in the water several times to remove all of it.

Rub paper off of tape

Rub paper off of tape

5. When all the paper is removed, the tape will resemble a clear photo negative (even though it is a positive). Hang to dry.

6. Press the dry tape to your desired surface.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. I made custom tape to decorate Valentine’s Day cards for my favorite couples and for anniversary cards, but I think personalized tape would be cute for other occasions, such as baby showers, birth announcements, etc.

2. You are not restricted to photos. You could also create personalized text. Again, just make sure you use either a photocopy or a print out from a laser printer.

3. I also transferred a color image from a page out of a magazine. That opens a whole new realm of possibilities!

4. This process would be a fun activity to do with children!

Enjoy!

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Daphne

Daphne by Linnell Chang

If you walk up to my front door right now, there’s a gift waiting for you. For, at this very moment, the sweet fragrance of Daphne flowers infuse the air. Such a delightful way to be greeted, but how will you reply? Will you bask in the moment or will you move on?

#1 – Tolkien’s Ents?

Methuselah tree

Photo by Rick Goldwasser

From a flower-strewn bush of Daphnes to the sky-high tops of trees, nature’s gifts always impress. Mother Nature Network assembled this photo series of “The World’s 10 Oldest Living Trees.” Looking at these photos of ancient trees, one has to wonder if any of them were the inspiration for Tolkien’s wise Ents?

#2 – A Bright Idea
DIY project: Aluminum Lanterns Here’s a really clever decorating idea that was inspired by a creative person’s shopping trip to Home Depot. These lanterns are made from aluminum sheets and require minimal supplies to construct them. Looks like a fun project for the weekend!

#3 – The Skinny on Salad Dressings
Eating a salad for lunch or dinner is a nutritious and low-calorie meal, right? Well, that all depends on the salad dressing you’re pouring over those fresh greens. Not only do many salad dressings contain fat, many of them are also high in sodium. Here’s registered dietician Joy Bauer’s recipe for a low calorie (59 calories per 2 tablespoons) and low sodium (40 mg per 2 tablespoons) salad dressing:

Joy’s Skinny Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
In a jar, combine all ingredients. Shake until everything is well combined. It’ll stay fresh in the fridge for five days.

Makes eight 2-Tbsp servings

#4 – Made Me Smile
Made Me Smile Just looking at this graphic made me smile, but I loved the introduction to Marc and Angel Hack Life‘s post “7 Things Happy People Say Every Day.” The introduction reads, “You have the right words within you to make every day a happy one.” Words have power – say the right ones!

#5 – Flowery Thoughts
Couldn’t decide, so here are two:

“The earth laughs in flowers. ”
e.e. cummings

“Every flower is a soul blossoming in Nature. ”
Gerard De Nerval

Get out and smell the flowers this weekend!

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Robert Chang If men are from Mars and women are from Venus, then my father-in-law and I certainly came from different galaxies. For forty years our relationship resembled a roller coaster ride with its undulating highs and lows. My touchy-feely-emotional ways and his rigid self-righteous attitude were like oil and water – existing together, but with slim chance of permanently blending. Throughout our relationship, he brought out an intensity of emotions inside of me that I never knew existed. But as I matured and gained a better understanding of his modus operandi, I suspected that his arrogance and bravado masked something deep inside of him. Early Monday morning he passed away in his sleep at the age of 90. How do I go about reconciling my feelings for this proud and highly-principled man? How do I remember a man who made me so angry I screamed or who wounded me so deeply I cried? Despite some rough times with him, my best answer is to remember him with kindness. For in the end he was just a man, a person fraught with human frailties, fears, and insecurities, like the rest of us. He was far from perfect, but I believe he did the best that he knew how.

#1 – Notes from the Universe
Notes from the Universe Every weekday morning I wake up to a “personalized” inspirational email message. Reading these messages, helps me start my day inspired and motivated. It’s a little like having a personal cheerleader. So, if you’re interested in having a little food for thought along with your breakfast every morning, check out and subscribe to Notes From The Universe.

#2 – Ways to Make Your Groceries Last Longer

Freezing and preserving fresh herbs in olive oil

Freeze and preserve fresh herbs in olive oil. From the Kitchn.com

A shopping trip to the grocery store nowadays costs a small fortune. Check out these 27 Ways to Make Your Groceries Last As Long As Possible and get some great ideas that will, in the long run, save you money.

#3 – Left Brain Vs. Right Brain
Mercedes Benz Left brain Right Brain graphic This Mercedes-Benz graphic illustrates the inherent differences between left-brained and right-brained people, but it also reflects two different approaches to life – much like the differences between my father-in-law and me. Click on the image to enlarge it.

#4 – Whose Life Is It Anyway?
If your life is not how you imagine or dream it should be, you need only look at who’s in the driver seat – you! Writer and blogger Shelli Johnson wrote a post called, “Need Permission To Follow Your Dream?” regarding her own moment of realization that she needed to take charge of own her life.

#5 – Live a Life Worth Remembering
The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.
Bruce Lee

Enjoy your weekend!

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DIY jar and jute candleholders

Get out those skeins of macrame cord you’ve been saving since the 1970s and pull out those empty glass jars from underneath your kitchen sink. It’s time to upcycle them into retro-chic candle holders! I made these candle holders in just one morning. Their relaxed vibe makes for great centerpieces (outdoor or indoor) or thoughtful gifts. For a morning coffee gathering or a brunch, put a base layer of coffee beans in the jars and let the candles help release the aroma of freshly-roasted coffee!

Materials:
Glass jars (for a more interesting arrangement, choose jars of different heights)
Jute, twine, or macrame cord
Hot glue gun
Assorted lace trim
Bamboo skewers
Tealights
Nonflammable base material such as rice, beans, coffee beans, sand, etc.
Scissors

General Directions:
1. Remove labels from jars. If some adhesive remains, use a solvent such as Goo Gone to remove it.
2. Wash and try jars thoroughly.
3. Heat up your glue gun.
4. Place a little bit of glue on the twine and press it down on the glass jar using a bamboo skewer or your fingers. Using a bamboo skewer prevents burning your fingers on the hot glue. Putting the glue on the twine versus directly on the glass prevents globs of glue from showing up on the glass or getting all over the glass.
5. Because you’re not using a lot of glue, it will set quickly, so work fast. It helps to have a design in mind before you start.
6. Rub off stray glue “threads,” fill jars with base material, and insert tealights.
7. Tie a bow or wrap twine several times around the top of the jar for a more finished look.

Heart Jar:
Laying down a little glue at a time, create a heart-shape perimeter with the twine. Gradually, coil the twine around and around inside the heart-shape, putting down small spots of glue on the back side of the twine as you go. I coiled small circles in between the hearts to balance the design.

Lace Jar:
Starting at the “back” of the jar, I tacked one end of lace to the jar, wrapped it around the jar cutting off the right length, and glued it down on top of where I started. Twine was then centered on the ribbon in between the lace and glued down on the back of the jar. Lace jars in of themselves are pretty, but I felt twine had to be incorporated into the lace design to create a cohesive design grouping.

Loopy Jar:
I started at the bottom of the jar and just looped the jute in a free-form pattern around the jar. When making the loops, it is easier to glue the contact points of a loop before tacking it to the jar.

Love Jar:
This was created in a similar fashion as the loopy jar, except I spelled out the word “love” on the front and back of the jar.

candle holders made from glass jars and jute

Enjoy your candle holders!

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inspirational Tolstoy quote

Photo by Linnell Chang

As today is the first day of February, thoughts of hearts naturally come to mind. The record player in my head reveals my age by playing this Eddie Fisher song You’ve Gotta Have Heart all day long. (Click on the link to hear the song)

#1 – Free Valentine Printable
Valentine flower printable

Looking for a cute, easy, and inexpensive Valentine’s Day project for my National Charity League group to make for residents of a senior citizen’s home, I found this free printable on Skip to My Lou. I downloaded the free printables (a page of flowers and a page of leaves), printed them on colorful cardstock paper, cut them out, and punched out hearts from the paper scraps. When my group meets, all we’ll have to do is glue hearts on the flower petals and assemble the valentines. So that the seniors know who this treat is from, I added “From your National Charity League friends” to the leaves before printing them up. 95 hearts are going to be very happy when they receive their flower and lollipop Valentine’s Day cards!

#2 – Every Heart Has a Story to Tell
Four minutes of inspiration. What kind of story does your heart tell?

#3 – Game of Hearts
Ace of hearts
Remember playing the card game Hearts when you were younger? Here’s a free online version complete with opponents. How many hands can you win? You’ll ♥ it!

#4 – Go Red
The month of February not only highlights chocolate hearts and paper hearts, it is also the month designated to recognize women’s heart health. Today is the 10th Anniversary of the National Wear Red Day, a movement created to raise awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. What are your chances of getting heart disease? Check out this infograph from the American Heart Association: risk of heart disease infograph

#5 – Your Heart Knows
“The trouble comes when we try to fashion our success to the outside world’s specifications even though these are not the specifications drawn up in our own hearts.”
–Howard Whitman

Have a lovely weekend!

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black lab photo

Photo by Linnell Chang

“But I haven’t even finished reading the instruction manual for my current camera!” I exclaimed as I looked at a new camera in my hand, a Christmas gift from my husband. I’m so far behind in reading instruction manuals, it’s not funny, but this gift of a new camera is his way of encouraging me to continue seeing my world in new ways. Buster, my grand-puppy, modeled for me today as I took my new camera out for a pre-instruction-manual spin.

#1 – Snowflakes
macrosnow-2 Russian photographer Andrew Osokin exposes the singular beauty of snowflakes. Using a macro lens, he captures snowflakes as they are melting. Their beautiful crystalline formations look surreal as they are juxtaposed against their natural outdoor environs. Check out some of his photos by clicking on his name.

#2 – Fire Safety
how to use a fire extinguisher I have a fire extinguisher at home, but don’t ask me any specific questions about it. After reading “How to Use a Fire Extinguisher” on the Art of Manliness site, my eyes were opened. I realized that my fire safety knowledge needs improvement. I learned much from the article, but I am still going to find and take a fire extinguisher training course. Do yourself a favor and do the same.

#3 – A Feast For The Eyes

painting of food

Painting by Tjalf Sparnaay

A work of art that looks good enough to eat, but cannot be put on a plate is most likely the art of Dutch painter Tjalf Sparnaay. He is part of a modern art movement called Hyper-realism or, as Sparnaay refers to it, Mega-realism. Whatever you call it, viewer beware: do not view this artist’s work on an empty stomach!

#4 – 30 Truths
Here’s a valuable list of truths from Marc and Angel Hack Life. Marc penned these gems of wisdom on the occasion of his 30th birthday, but no matter what your age, you’ll be the wiser if you open your eyes to some of these truths and incorporate them into your daily beliefs. I like number 11: Someone will always be better looking. Someone will always be smarter. Someone will always be more charismatic. But they will never be you – with your exact ideas, knowledge and skills. Which ones are your favorites?

#5 – A  Poem for January
German writer Jean Paul once wrote, “To read a poem in January is as lovely as to go for a walk in June.” This being the last Friday in January, here’s a poem for you to read:

DROP A PEBBLE IN THE WATER

Drop a pebble in the water: just a splash, and it is gone;
But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on,
Spreading, spreading from the center, flowing on out to the sea.
And there is no way of telling where the end is going to be.

Drop a word of cheer and kindness: just a flash and it is gone,
But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on,
Bearing hope and joy and comfort on each splashing, dashing wave
Till you wouldn’t believe the volume of the one kind word you gave.

Drop a word of cheer and kindness: in a minute you forget;
But there’s gladness still a-swelling, and there’s joy a-circling yet.
And you’ve rolled a wave of comfort whose sweet music can be heard
Over miles and miles of water just dropping one kind word.

James W. Foley

Sprinkle kind words wherever you go this weekend!

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chocolate truffles

photo by Linnell Chang

In the movie Forrest Gump, the main character repeatedly tells people that his mother always said, “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”  In life each chocolate represents an adventure, an opportunity, a decision, a lesson, etc. You may not like what you’ve bitten off, but you had a choice and you made a decision. Good or bad, there’s always another piece of chocolate waiting for you.

#1 – Tiny Wisdom
From the site Tiny Buddha comes this tiny bit of wisdom on starting anew:

One of the greatest misconceptions in life is that we are somehow powerless to let go of what’s behind us. That we have to carry regret, shame, or disappointment, and that it has to dictate how today will unfold, at least on some level. It doesn’t. At any moment, you can let go of who you’ve been and decide to be someone new – to do something differently. It won’t always be easy, but it is always a choice you can make. You can either dwell and stay stuck, or let go and feel free. Give yourself space to fill with good feelings about the beautiful day in front of you – and the beautiful tomorrow you’re now creating.

#2 – Sharp or Dull, Serrated or Plain?
My father owned grocery stores and when he started in the business, he was both the produce man and the meat butcher for them. Having received professional butcher training, he taught his children how to identify the best cuts of meat, how to slice and bone meat, how to cook the different types and cuts of meat, and how to select, respect, and use knives skillfully. One of his bits of knife-wisdom is, “Keep your knives sharp, because you’re more likely to cut yourself on a dull knife than a sharp one.” This Hone Your Chops: the Chef’s Guide to Knives infograph is a nod to my Dad. Thanks Dad!

#3 – You’re Benched!
You wouldn’t mind being benched, if you could sit on one of these benches! Click on this link to see a photo series of amazingly creative benches for indoors and outdoors that are made from new and repurposed materials. Who said being benched was boring?

twist bench

Kenan Wang twist bench

#4 – Best Reads in 2013?
The Strongest Librarian Books are like chocolates, because you can’t tell by the cover what’s inside. Browse through The Huffington Post’s Best Books of 2013?: Our Picks For The Year’s Biggest Reads and see if a few don’t catch your fancy.

#5 – Beginning Again
“No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.”
Buddha

Enjoy your first weekend in January!

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kids in Santa hats
Eleven years ago my husband and I took our kids for their annual holiday portrait. Getting them attired for this event was never an easy task, especially the older they got. As we sat and waited for our turn at the photo studio, my family watched other portraits being taken. By the time the photographer called our names, my kids were more than ready to go home. The photographer must have read “Photography Poses 101” or something like that, because he put my kids through the normal repertoire of poses and then uttered, “Okay, you’re done.” That’s when my oldest son said, “Can we get in that?” For an hour he’d been watching little kids being photographed with all sorts of props, but one prop, in particular, caught his imagination – a large plastic pair of Santa pants. The photographer paused to think about the question for a minute. I could tell he thought this prop was only for little kids, but he finally said “Okay.” My three kids voluntarily donned Santa hats and giggled as they crammed into the pants. The boys laughed while they pulled Santa’s suspenders over their shoulders. Everyone in the studio stopped to look at them and we all laughed at the silly sight. What a joyful moment it was and I remember it like it happened yesterday.

#1 – 82 Blessings
Children embody hope, unconditional love, and wonderment. Because children are gifts to be cherished and they are our gifts to the world, we need to nourish them and care for them physically and emotionally.  From the blog Finding Joy comes a list of 82 Blessings for Kids. Read the entire list for the children in your life and for the child in you.

#2 – Looking for Butterflies
butterfly In an article titled Finding Joy, author Karen Kleiman, MSW, LCSW, based her essay on the saying, “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over . . . it became a butterfly.” Although she writes articles on healing postpartum depression, her words and the saying apply to anyone coping with issues. She writes about looking for the “butterflies” in life: What is a butterfly? It’s a moment of pure joy. It’s an instant in time when everything feels right. It’s a thing or a look or a feeling, a sense or an energy that grabs us from behind, often when we are not looking. Most of the time, it is fleeting. Sometimes, it rests right in front of us. We cannot see it if we do not look for it. If we aren’t mindful, we will miss it; it will be gone. If we find it, it’s exquisite.

#3 – Finding Joy In My Kitchen
white chocolate popcorn White Chocolate Popcorn, anyone? This and other tasty edible gifts can be found via links from the blog Finding Joy In My Kitchen.

#4 – Enjoy the Moment and the Music
No hip hop dancing was performed during this flash mob in Sabadell, Spain. More than 100 members of symphonies and choirs participated in this event which has been called by some people, “The most beautiful they have ever seen.”

#5 – Be Joyful
“Now and then it is good to pause in our pursuit of Joy and just be Joyful.”
Anonymous

Have a joyous holiday!

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