A great reminder and a mentality shift

Today was supposed to be a Facebook free day. But I forgot. I didn't look at my "Today's Goals" part of my diary until well after the middle of the morning. Woops. But I think it was meant to be.

A FB friend and fellow blogger put something up that she had created. She is getting into script and writing and all that. Anyway... today she popped on facebook this quote and she wrote a response to it.

(of course hers looked way prettier than this!)

In a nutshell she addressed something that got me thinking. She was telling herself to look past blog post comments and likes on FB and Instagram and all that and get back to the heart of what being creative is all about.  

I was thinking of not bothering blogging anymore. I figured that I don't have many regular readers (except my husband, bless him!), if any... So what was the point? I didn't think anyone would care if I stopped. I rarely got comments and I fell into the trap of comments = validation and approval. I had lost sight of what being creative is all about. I had lost sight of what this blog was really about. 

So... I don't care if anyone reads this or not. This blog is about recording what really makes me happy - and that is getting my craft on! I used to blog in the early days, knowing I had no readers, and this didn't bother me in the slightest! I just kept rabbiting on and showing off the stuff which I made and was proud of!  This blog is about ME and my creative journey. 

I am going to create for the sheer love of it, not for blogging material or for someone to tell me it's beautiful. I KNOW it's beautiful! I don't need validation and approval of readers - I get the validation and approval I need from the little girl who is wrapped up tight in a quilt I made when I go in to kiss her goodnight. I get the validation I need when each of my kids show disappointment that the current project is not for them. I get the recognition of my crafting abilities when I am asked to teach my craft. I get the approval I need from my husband who shows pride in what I do and always tries to take an interest in my hobbies. I get encouragement from my Mum, who bawls her eyes out every single time I make her something. For heavens sake she shed bucket loads of tears when I made her a microwaveable heat back! How could I think that comments and approval from people I have never even met would ever compete with that??

I hope that people do stumble in here and perhaps be inspired by something I've made, even if they never return again. My focus will not be my disappointment of having a small readership. I am going to blog what I love. I need to make the creative process and the love I have for it my focus.  

Thanks for the reminder and mentality shift Barefoot Crafter.  Now... back to making stuff because it's what I love to do!

Shining brightly!

Last week I was feeling pretty negatively about this blog. I didn't feel like I blogged enough, and what I did blog was pretty ordinary. What was the point in even keeping it? I was seriously considering just shutting it down.

Then I had this idea. How about I blog MORE than just crafty stuff? That way I have more material. Cooking, baking, decorating etc....Then I went on thinking, what about if I blogged experiments and recipes and other stuff that I find on Pinterest? That could be cool! :)

So... a few weeks back I found a pin - a jewelry cleaner. It looked simple enough and it used simple household ingredients. So I gave it a whirl. I mixed up the ingredients in hot water...



BA-BUH-BLIIIINNGGG!!!



It doesn't look like it, but my wedding ring set is so freakin bright I need sunglasses!! The gold doesn't look so yellow anymore and the diamonds are so bright. I'm really pleased with this find! I shall be doing this one again!

Pinned from here

It's slightly different.

Don't mind me. I'm working my head around blog templates etc so Creative Expressions is a work in progress at the moment.

:)

Carry on.. :D

Oh wow!

How bout that? I had a stack of visitors from over at IN STITCHES because apparently I was on the blog roll. How exciting. :) So welcome, hello and thank you for stopping by and admiring my blog/work/children. :)

In answer to the question about my digi-scrapping - I use Photoshop to digi scrap and edit my photos.

Projects for 2011

I've just discovered and had the time to work out how I can make pages for my blog. So... if you look up the top of my blog, you will see 2 extra pages. 1 is Projects for 2011 and WIP's. So if you are interested, you can keep track of all my projects for next year and watch my WIP's hopefully be completed. No doubt I'll be adding more and more things I want to do... and I want to add a page for tutorials I find that I want to make... but we'll see. :)

Do you have a list for crafty projects you want to accomplish in 2011?

Bah....

So I was fiddling with my blog, trying to change it, and it all went KAPUT, and I lost all my widgets. :(

I hate that....

Oh well... not worth stressing over now...

I've had to up the security settings.

Sorry everyone, but I am tired of spams and bots and goodness knows what else leaving messages - so I am going to make it harder for them to do so. :)

Anyway... back to your creating. :P

Blog Template Links.

Ok so Car asked - I think for the second time now... Where do I get my blog backgrounds?

Ok number 1: I don't use blog backgrounds. I hate them.
I use blog TEMPLATES. They are all jazzied up for me - it's just a matter of finding the right one for the blog.

Before I give you a list of links of template people, I have some tips.
1. Create a "test blog" so you can test these blog templates out. Because they are free - you can't expect quality control. It's better to Try it out on a blog that no one will see and that won't destry your current blog.

2. When uploading your template KEEP YOUR WIDGETS. It saves time later on putting them all back in.

So here are a few of my favourite template people:
Simply Fabulous Blogger Templates

Leelou Blog Templates

Arcane Palette Creative Design

BTemplates

All Blog Tools