I Would Be...

Creation # 4: Make a list! 

(And don't think too much about it...just do it!)

Here's mine:

If I could be anything I wanted, I would be...

• Clown (...or fairy...or some other colorful character found at a kid's birthday party!)
• Fashion Designer
• Marine Biologist
• Psychology professor
• French ambassador
• Singer/songwriter
• Ballerina
• Sociologist
• Ten years old again!
• Astronomer
• Professional Photographer
• Journalist
• Anne of Green Gables
• House cat
• Purple
• Blue butterfly
• Six years old again!
• World traveler (on a cruise ship or my own plane...)
• The sound of a clarinet (which I played once upon a time)
• Velvet...or corduroy...something soft & cozy!
• A hint of cinnamon
• and Lavender...

Mostly, I would be...what I already am: 

A writer who wants to inspire both children and adults to laugh, love, and have the courage to live beyond what seems possible!

Stick Kitty!

Here she is...

Creation # 3

My sweet little stick kitty!

Anybody have ideas for a name?

FRUIT BLOSSOM

Creation # 2- An Imaginative Snack!

Here's my take on Creation # 2 from my post "10 Creations You Can Make in 10 Minutes".

Unleash your imagination and make snack time more fun! 

What are your creative snack ideas?

Haiku LOVE

Love dances across

fields of wildflowers blooming

against fading light.

Take Ten!

I shared this video on Rini by Design's Facebook (www.facebook.com/RinibyD) page this morning!  

The 10 minute concept inspired me to create this:

10 Creations You Can Make in 10 Minutes!

• Write a Haiku-it's only three lines!  (1st line: 5 syllables, 2nd line: 7 syllables, 3rd line: 5 syllables)

• Make a snack but find a way to do it creatively!  Arrange fruit in the shape of a heart, star, or flower; draw a face on your sandwich; or use cookie cutters to make snack time more fun!  *Extra points: Name your creation!

• Draw a stick figure portrait of yourself, a friend, or even your cat!

• Make a list-of anything!  Your favorite ice cream flavors, zoo animals, vacation destinations...It'll get that brainstorming part of your brain going!

• Take a picture of something strange!  Could be in your house or around your neighborhood but it's often those odd things you notice that can inspire a story, poem, or song!

• Write a funny paragraph-about what scares you!  Heights?  Spiders?  Creaky noises at night?   Turn it around & give it a silly ending!   

• Design your own leaf creature!  Grab a sheet of paper, a crayon (or pencil), & a leaf!  Now put the leaf under the paper and color on the paper with the flat part of your crayon/pencil.  Then take your leaf rubbing and use it to draw something else!  Maybe your leaf picture might transform into a leaf dragon, monster, or a new kind of insect!

• Build a sculpture!  Collect a handful of random items from around your house (paperclips, bottle caps, ribbon, empty toilet paper roll...) & use glue/tape as well as your awesome imagination to arrange them into a new piece of art!  *Extra points: Hold a special reception (with those yummy snacks of yours) to showcase your creative genius!

• Write a short autobiography-of something inanimate!  Pick something...let's say your phone, purse, or favorite pair of shoes...and write their life story!  Where did they come from?  What's their passion?  What do they hate?  What do they hope to accomplish a year from now?

• Put together a life recipe!  What kind of life are you making?  What goes into it?  How much?  What comes first?  Any helpful tips?  *Extra points: Grab a stack of magazines & make your recipe! Cut/glue photos (your ingredients) onto a large sheet of card stock (or whatever paper you have handy-you might even consider reusing a paper bag for this!).    *Double Bonus Points: Find a frame (or ribbon/yarn) for your masterpiece & hang it up-keep yourself inspired!

Sound too complicated?  I'll do this with you my friends!  

That's right, I'll do each of these ten activities myself & post my creations here...so come visit again soon!

Unexpected Beauty

What's beautiful to you?  A sunset?  A long stemmed red rose?  A set of candles at the dinner table?  

A walk around my bustling Berkeley neighborhood yesterday morning got me thinking about all the beauty that slips right past us....unless we slow down long enough to really look at what's there.

Take a quick look (30 seconds) at this photo!  What's the first thing you see?

Probably the first thing you noticed was the NO PARKING sign.  This probably made you cringe.  
In fact, this unsightly red sign might make you want to walk a little faster just to get away from it.

Now remember that it's not Thursday and slow down...way down.  Look way down there in that photo 
and see...

a vine of rich purple flowers cascading up toward a beautiful blue sky!

Now look at this next one.  I almost walked right by it.  It's just a bush after all...or is it?

Luckily, the sun was out in full force yesterday and something shiny made me stop and take a closer look...

A spider's web glistening in the morning light...

each bead of water shimmers like a tiny star bursting with brightness, hope, and mystery...

There's so much unexpected beauty every day.  These are the things that we don't stop to notice unless we slow down and make a conscious choice. We can choose to notice these "little things" that made us gasp in wonder and awe when we were children.  

The unusual twists and turns of a tree trunk.  

The crisp smell of leaves in the Fall.  

The squirrels that run and jump like little gymnasts along the top of the neighbor's fence. 

All I can say is...BEAUTIFUL.