Exciting Times

I have been pretty active on Pinterest, and the funny thing is that I saw a quote on it once and I have been living by it recently. Only, I didn't "pin" or "like" the image, so I can't show it to you now.

But it said something along the lines of "When you find what you are meant to do, you will never run out of energy or imagination to do it."

It spoke to me because I yearned for that sensation in creating my writing business. I don't know why I held onto it for so long, but it wasn't happening. Yes, I have education in training in writing. Yes, I can write. However I have been unable to successfully start a business for myself as a writer. For 10 months I walked around knowing that I had set up my business and I never did anything with it. It never got off the ground floor. Ultimately, something was missing. I didn't feel that extreme excitement that provoked my imagination and energy. I just had a looooooooong list of reasons why I didn't have time to market myself, and therefore, get any work.

And now. Now. An opportunity came across my path and despite my serious reservations about being involved in products sold by direct sales, I have started a new business that has sparked something inside of me that I didn't know was there. Suddenly, I find the energy and I find the imagination to push and build and grow this business. One of my best friends started her own company and she once told me something along the same lines---When you find something you love, watch out! You will be consumed by it.

I found that so hard to believe. And yet, here it is. LuLaRoe by Leah Ruth is my baby and I can not get enough of growing, shaping, exploring, and building our business. I could sit here and analyze it to death, but I won't. It is like I have been called to do it, and I am doing it. Dan is 100% behind me and we are having fun.

Here are some pins that I DID keep over the last year that are so applicable for me now:

Moorea Seal

Do people work really hard and amazing things do NOT happen to them? Sure. But you know what? I also think it is about the energy and intention you put out to the universe. I have had the good fortune of seeing this unfold positively over and over again ever since I left a job that was unhealthy for me and carved out something new. The new job/lifestyle is NOT perfect, but the more I focus on building and working hard at what can be better, I am getting back opportunities and positive interactions. It is tiny and occasional, and I only see it because I am on the look-out for it. (And really, isn't this whole idea all about whether or not we live our lives with the glass half empty/half full? I am living half full as best I can.)

I love this quote that I pinned because it is so against my nature. I do not want to be "vast" ---but I do want to be brilliant. :) I am focusing on this in terms of marketing and sales. I want to reach out to anyone and everyone that I can who would benefit from our products, and that means pushing past my "delicate" persona. I am soft-spoken and shy. This does not work in retail. In fact, I was just telling my boss recently that I have learned to develop an alternate persona when I am at work. I am 100% more talkative. I told her, "I'm like Beyonce," to which she replied "WHAT?" I explained, "Beyonce has a stage persona --Sasha Fierce." My boss laughed and told me she would use my Facebook name at work--Bangs McGee. That would be my persona. Anyway, whether it is me or Bangs McGee, I am being vast and brilliant, outside my comfort zone, and shedding my delicacy. The world of sales has no room for soft-spoken, unsure, delicate people. I try to channel my mother's chatty personality and reserve my father's quiet personality for other occasions. I am really the best blend of both of them. ;)

Design You Trust

In the same breath, let me say that I am not interested in being someone that I am not. I am using the strengths and abilities inside me and bringing certain ones out more than others when appropriate. I really believe that you lose people (friends, clients, customers) the second that you stop being genuine. So I really love this quote because it reminds me that my goal is to be myself---and the best version of myself. And so far, with the support of my husband, that is doing wonders for our business.

I also see these jewels of word wisdom in friends of mine who are exploring their own paths as business owners, whether they are collaborating with companies in direct sales like me or operating their own independent companies.

If you want to learn more about what we are doing, visit our web site LuLaRoe by Leah Ruth. We are also active on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. :)

Cheers to 2014. I am going to be busy.

a wish list for washington

On November 17, an EF-4 tornado struck my hometown, Washington, Illinois. It decimated entire neighborhoods and struck portions of others. This included the street I grew up on, Gillman Avenue, where my parents still lived. So many people I know were impacted, not to mention loved ones and family members of the people I know. I have heard stories of former teachers, friends, family members, and neighbors about how they survived. Some of them were at church or out of town and came home to rubble. Some stayed in their basements while their houses were destroyed but they were unharmed. Others were trapped in their basements after their homes collapsed upon them and had to dig their way out of the debris or wait for others to rescue them. It is horrific. And it is horrific to see the photos and videos of my parent's home and the homes and streets of my loved ones now barren. We will not be back to visit for two more weeks and I already know it will be entirely more difficult to see it in reality than it is to look at photos.

Here in Oregon, I felt utterly helpless when I heard the news. What could I possibly do to help? My sister lives in the region and was able to help my parents remove belongings and settle into a temporary home. She helped clean up debris and move everything damaged out of the house to be hauled away. My friend, Megan, took to the streets of her neighborhood with a wagon and hot coffee for her neighbors who were doing the same. I did the only thing I felt capable of doing from 2,000 miles away---fundraising. I set up a web site for my parents to help raise money. In two weeks, I raised over $2,000. By 1 month we surpassed a new goal of $5,000. Next, I designed a poster and mason jar labels and asked local businesses to help. Next thing I knew, some of my best friends living in Colorado and Washington state were asking how to help, so I redesigned the poster for their community and/or businesses and sent it to them. Today I am so excited to say that between me and my friend, Allyson, 'A Wish List for Washington' raised over $500 in cash and gift cards to send to four families directly affected by the tornado. We used current/former employers and businesses to advertise and these donations came from complete strangers in Oregon and Chicago! After the New Year, we will have a second wave of donations to send from communities in the greater Tacoma area of Washington state. HOW AWESOME. Strangers helping strangers. It warms my heart.

Because of the success of my campaign, I created a web site for anyone who also might want to donate.

Remember This

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And, if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.”  -Martha Graham

I have been pondering lately what makes me unique and what my greatest "gift" is. 

What is yours?

Happy New Year!

Card for GG Karpiak, by my most favorite Rifle Paper Co.

Finish each day and be done with it.

You have done what you could.

Some blunders and absurdities

no doubt have crept in; 

forget them as soon as you can.

Tomorrow is a new day;

begin it well and serenely

and with too high a spirit

to be cumbered with

your old nonsense.

This day is all that is

good and fair.

It is too dear, 

with its hopes and invitations

to waste a moment on yesterdays.

 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson, in a letter to his daughter

 

(Totally swiped that from Christie's post Sage advice for the new year at life at the condo.)

 

Cheers to 2013! I have high hopes for this year. ;-)

 

I Don't Know. Today Was Rough. This Made it Better.

*and thank you to grant for sharing this so i saw it. ;)

SUMMER BBQ BABY!

The hostess-with-the-mostess, Ali, getting real into horse shoes with Kristi. :) There were other toss games and badminton, too!

Host Anthony's homebrew--a nice clean IPA, and local brewery HUB's summery lager

Lovely lavender on the tables!

There were some awesome shoes.

I wore a dress and tried to look pretty.

Raine was pushing two new teeth, so quite tired. Still sweet but not as social as usual. ;)

Yummy fruit in a beautiful wooden bowl! We also devoured ribs, pulled pork, and all kinds of salads. Unfortunately we had to leave before the pies were served... 

Part of Ali and Anthony's super awesome patio space in their backyard...crushed gravel, garden beds, hops vines, fireplace. I love it all so much. It inspires me should we ever be lucky to have a yard someday.

 

And while I'm sharing...Here is their awesome dining room (taken when I was there for brunch a few weeks ago).

So lovely.

See more photos from the BBQ here and Ali's dining room here!

April Artist of the Month: Bill Rankin

[Tropical Cyclones, 1945–2006. Data from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center and the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Citynoise (Bill Rankin), March 2008.]

This month's artist is making the recent rounds on blogs, including The Lulu Bird and the email subscription for Apartment Therapy. Rankin is a graduate student in the departments of history of science and architecture at Harvard, with side projects including his site, radicalcartography, and work featured in exhibitions and publications. Aside from the site, his maps can be seen in a traveling exhibition, Experimental Geography. The show is currently stationed at Rochester Art Center, in Rochester, Minnesota, February 7 - April 18, 2009. Other destinations planned over the next two years include Albuquerque, Maine, and Ontario.

Is cartography art? Absolutely. It takes a conceptual mind to wed science to aesthetics, building visual models of reality. Rankin distills data from urban development, sociological and personal data, astrology, agriculture, and area codes (to name a few!) into visualizations in both design and animation. I was immediately taken with the first map that I saw (photo at right), as it simultaneously speaks to the analytical and aesthetic pleasure points of my brain.

Links to further exploration of Rankin's work:
Official web site of radicalcartography
Experimental Geography
Bill Rankin student web site

March Artist of the Month: Hayley Barker

[Hayley Barker. The One that Eats Your Fears, 22 wide by 30 inches high, ink, pencil, & gouache on paper. 2008.]

March came and went and I didn't post on Hayley Barker, the artist of the month. I came across Barker through MU's Art Gym. Sadly, Dan and I missed her exhibit, Wolves and Urchins. The day we were in the neighborhood, I think that the gallery was closed for Spring Break. Regardless, I fell in love with the ink, pencil, and gouache works on paper. There is an element of the grotesque in natural elements and creatures that I am drawn to (I'm beginning to establish a theme, aren't I?) She writes in her artist statement:

"I am using the idea of a “monster” as a template on which to build representations of the other as creatures that both explode and implode; living conglomerations that are on the verge of formlessness."

I also love working with these mediums and her work, as well as Rankin's work, has inspired me (after a very long sabbatical) to begin my series involving anatomy and the intangible degrees of pain and suffering.

Links for further exploration of Barker's work:
Hayley Barker official web site
Hayley Barker blog
Gallery Representation at Charles A. Hartman Fine Art

In An Effort To...

...Make up for the fact that I somehow thought my Mom's 60th! birthday was on Saturday, when it was actually on Friday, I now present to all y'all 60 reasons why my Mom is like...the BEST!

1. She gave birth to me. A 10 lb. 4 oz. baby. That could probably be numbers 1 - 20.
2. She then gave birth to my brother (and best friend), at 10 lbs as well. Probably should be numbers 20 - 31.
3. She tucked me in every night. I sometimes held my breath just to freak her out.
4. She gave up working to raise us boys.
5. She and my Dad somehow saved up enough to feed us through our teenage years
6. And still send us to college.
7. I have never seen her yell.
8. She says "I Love You" and "God Be With You" every time we get off the phone, or leave the house. That is awesome.
9. She was always up for camping.
10. She holds onto things from my childhood. She still has Christmas ornaments and Thanksgiving decorations Doug and I made in pre-school!
11. She remembers everything and everybody from my childhood. Even memories I don't even remember.
12. She was Band-Mom of the year from 1991 - 1995.
13. She cleaned my room, because I had to focus on grades? I really wasn't that messy as a kid. I have gotten worse in my adulthood.
14. She and my Dad had concerns about the lyrical content of the music I listened to. I was glad they did, but I still turned out OK.
15. She was supportive of me being in a punk-ska band.
16. She liked all my friends......even Sean.
17. She made it to almost every sporting event I had.
18. She bakes some killer cookies.
19. She is the cleanest person I have ever met. Nobody had a cleaner house than we did. Nobody.
20. She helped raise other children of family and friends while we were young, and up until my Dad retired.
21. She taught me how to eat healthy, even though the Mexicali Chicken has scarred me for life (sorry Ma).
22. Her brothers and sisters are awesome, and so are their kids. As well as my Grandma....I can see where she gets her kindness.
23. She's still got it goin' on, even at 60.
24. I don't think there is anyone on this Planet that dislikes her.
25. She sang cute little songs to us as kids. I just shared "You are My Sunshine" with Leah.
26. She saves extra money to spend on things my parents want. That rubbed off on me...I have a super secret stash as well.
27. She'll shop for Christmas of next year, the day after Christmas.
28. She likes all the different types of music I listened to growing up. Even some of the loud stuff.
29. She decorates for all the major holiday's
30. She doesn't mind our goofiness, like moving the baby Jesus around in the nativity scene.
31. She likes to sing.
32. She is crafty. In the craft store way, not in the shady CEO way.
33. She laughs at all of my jokes.
34. She likes bread and ice cream........just like me.
35. She traveled with me to Europe, and thought me and Jay got swept into a river in Switzerland.
36. She likes to talk, which is good, because I never have much to say.
37. She made Kevin eat meatloaf, even though he put up the protest of a lifetime!
38. She taught me how to be thrifty. Hence the thrift store T-shirts I still wear from high school.
39. She is very very organized. That did not rub off on me.
40. She'll watch sports on TV.....while she might be cleaning.........but she still watches.
41. She is a great list maker, much like my wife.
42. She sends us holiday gift baskets. Cashews at Christmas, marshmallow pumpkins at Halloween.......too bad ponshki's don't stay fresh across country.
43. She liked to go hiking and play in nature. Waterfall Glenn, and now Morton Arboretum.
44. She let me put a blonde streak in my hair and grow it long. I was such a rebel.
45. I love how she always said, "I'd live to be 100".
46. She loves her daughters-n-laws.
47. She loves my Dad.
48. She loves him so much she takes a 2 day train ride to come visit me when they can.
49. She loves pictures. Taking them and saving them.
50. She helped us paint the ugly spare bedroom in our condo!
51. She tries new things, like Hummus and Sushi.
52. She tromped down a river with me to get to my favorite fishing hole, which we couldn't get too because the river was raging that fall.
53. She and my Dad would take us to go look for Reindeer on Christmas Eve after we left our Aunt and Uncle's house.
54. She can dodge flying popcorn bowls...............
55. She introduced me to Leaner Weiners and Noodles. I need to try to make that with Veggie Dogs!
56. Hands down best Broccoli and Cheese Casserole EVER!
57. She always made soup for the Super Bowl.
58. She builds gingerbread houses.
59. She was supportive of me moving to a strange state, with a new job, and a new wife, and no friends or family within 200 miles, which looking back seems crazy, but it was one of the best things I have ever done.
60. She didn't make me feel too bad that I forgot to call her on her 60th birthday!

Happy Inauguration Day!

Projects I Aspire To

[Hand-embroidered portraits by bobetsy]

[Wool/acrylic mix dog hats by BeanTownHandmade]

Artist of the Month: Mandy Greer

[Chandelier, Sculpture, The Wolf Prince and The Parrot Princess installation, Priceless Works Gallery, Seattle, April 2004. Photos from Flickr profile]

I came across Mandy Greer while checking up on exhibitions at the Portland Museum of Contemporary Craft. Her undergraduate study included a B.A. in English and B.F.A. in Ceramics from The University of Georgia Athens, and an M.F.A. in Ceramics from The University of Washington, Seattle.

I love the way her installations and sculptures are saturated with monochromatic color schemes, textures like string and cloth, and cross-pollinated themes of domesticity, fauna, and spirituality. They are like frozen glimpses of dreams, suspended and trailing in out of realistic and subconscious images.

"Mandy’s work presents her own elusive interior narratives remade into archetypal tales. These “fairy” tales transcend the personal by mimicking theatrical illusions and tapping into a collective mythology of imagery. By using animal and hybridized forms made up of the flotsam and jetsam of the thriftstore domestic, Greer shoves the viewer into a vivid yet sometimes inexplicable world with the meaning always on the tip of one’s tongue. Her installations attempt to wrap around and contain many paradoxes; the collusion of homeliness and glitz, hunger and indulgence, love and violence, the decorative and the meaningful, the diligence of the handmade and slovenliness of the animal realm. Every surface and stitch is laced with the hope that exhaustive labor holds the promise of the transformative power of Spectacle." (Quote from Greer's Blog.)

Geer's Flickr photos
Greer's personal blog and official web site
Greer's MyArtSpace profile
Details for Greer's upcoming Dare alla Luce exhibition at Portland Museum of Contemporary Craft

The End of Another Chapter

My darling employers, the owners of Henny Penny, have closed shop. :-( It was time. The store has struggled for a while and they felt now was the time to move onto new things. The current economy certainly has not helped. Closing was very bittersweet...Henny Penny gave me an amazing opportunity to learn about owning a small business from the most creative and fabulous women. I will miss seeing them often, daily trips to the Pearl, working on the web site, ordering inventory and merchandising, and especially seeing fresh designer clothing every season. We announced our closing and clearance sale the Saturday after Christmas and it only took two weeks for customers to wipe out our inventory, fixtures, hangers, and anything else they could get their greedy little hands on. The past two weeks I have worked very hard to make closing as quick and easy as possible for us all, so I have been exhausted and emotionally drained. I am sad to see this chapter of my life end, but I'm optimistic for the future. There are plans in motion and I'm already interviewing for new jobs. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

You can see some photos of the store here...It was such a unique shop!

Grief

Betty Trotter
Elsie Hodel
Marjorie Porter

“Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break." -William Shakespeare. I can only speak names. I find comfort in winter, the ever-growing family, familiar hymns from childhood. I particularly love Sufjan Steven's renditions of "Lo How A Rose E’er Blooming," "Holy, Holy, Holy," and "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." Such a strange feeling they bring...

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!

Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright, she bore to men a Savior,
When half spent was the night.

The shepherds heard the story proclaimed by angels bright,
How Christ, the Lord of glory was born on earth this night.
To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger found Him,
As angel heralds said.

This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;
True Man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.

O Savior, Child of Mary, who felt our human woe,
O Savior, King of glory, who dost our weakness know;
Bring us at length we pray, to the bright courts of Heaven,
And to the endless day!

Artist: Robert A. Nelson

[The Milk Train Arrives for Loading

Mixed media on paper 30 x 42 inches.]

I wish this image was larger, but this size was all I could find! I was thrilled to see Nelson exhibiting another show in the Pearl at Beppa Wiarda gallery this month. This image just does not do him justice, but I wanted to give you an idea. They are quite large pieces, on paper, usually depicted with mixed media or pencil. With the most fantastic intricate detail, I am always moved by the way his images address humanity, myth, industry, and animal...Often it is violent or disturbing but it still rings true--Humanity, myth, and nature is indeed partially composed of the bizzare, grotesque, and brutal. Anyway, much love for his artwork...If I am ever able to purchase original art for my home, his would be the first I would acquire! See more of his work on the Beppu Wiarda gallery web site.

(Belated) Grateful

{For hubby, blankets, shelter, libraries, coffee, ma & pa, sis & lo lo, fingerless mittens, paint, chocolate, hobbes, blake, rocco, water, jaccuzies, trees and the birds trapsing about singing, all of my friends that make me laugh and give good hugs; ali, allie, allyson, amy, april, carmen, corey, dan johnson, gayle, hattie, jess, jim, john, josh, kate, lorri, matt, megan, meghan, melissa, nick, pax, sarah, & tina!}

See all of our Thanksgiving day photos here.

Baby Abigail Grace

Say hello to Abigail Grace, daughter of my second cousin, Chris, and his wife Meggan. She was born Thursday, October 30th, at 8:02 in the morning. She was 8 lbs., 2 oz., and 20.75 inches long!



Chris is adorable, too! I was born in October of 80, and he came along the next fall in 81. We spent many days together in our early childhood. I can't believe he's a dad now!!! I'm so happy for him and so proud of him! These photos make labor look like the best experience EVER. Just look at their joyful grins! Love and blessings to their new family....!

Boinky Popus

We are more than thrilled to have Jess & Josh (& Pax) join us in the blogosphere. You can find their blog here. I had to look up "popus" in the dictionary because I had no idea what it was. Not only is it part of the blog's name, it is also listed as an interest of theirs on their profile. They are the only blogspot members who have this interest. The dictionary asked me, 'Do you mean ''porpus'' or ''pops''?' It also suggested "pop-us" or "po-pus," which neither have definitions anyway. Hopefully they will enlighten me as to the meaning of the word, but maybe it is not meant to be understood by the rest of us. Either way, I like it. And who doesn't like that ridiculously adorable boy, Pax? Or Jess or Josh? They inspire me. We are so lucky they settled here in Portland and we get to spend time with them. Our recent rendez-vous have been debate night get-togethers and football watching at the Ship. As you can see on their blog, they've already voted, which kind of bummed me out because I wanted them to come over for our "vote night." That's right! I'll be making a pumpkin filled stew, adorning guests with vote stickers, busting out our ballots (we mail in Oregon), and maybe watching a little baseball followed by Obama's 30 minute message. Yes, we plan on voting for him. We have proudly placed an ObamaRama air freshener in our car to signal our support. We also plan on voting for Linda Hendersen, who is running for city council position #4. She wants to build a dog park in Sherwood. YES PLEASE!!!! If it happens, we'll invite Josh, Jess, and Pax down for some dog play at the park-which is more fun than coming to our small condo. (They live with four dogs.) Anyway, happy reading and blessings for Boinky Popus!

Capilano Suspension Bridge

Capilano Suspension Bridge :: Vancouver, British Columbia

Breast Cancer and the Race for the Cure - Can you help Modern Image Studios?

The following letter is from Ryan, the husband of Sarah, one of Leah's dearest friends:

To all my friends and family,

I am writing today about a very serious subject. Sarah felt uncomfortable writing to ask for charitable donations from her friends and family so she asked if I would feel comfortable doing so. I asked what the cause was, and once given the information volunteered immediately. This is a cause that is near and dear to my heart, a cause that you may have been able to ascertain from the subject line of this email. We are talking about the breast. So, within this context, I ask you a simple question...who wouldn't want to be involved in the preservation of the breast and the women who manage and display them. We are talking about the foundations of society. The subject of countless pieces of art, and I am guessing, the crux of the Roman conflict and the inspiration for the majority of Da Vinci's inventions.

I remember once as a young boy finding a brochure on self examinations. This important piece of literature got me through many a trying time, providing comfort on dark nights just knowing that the breasts of the world were being slowly, gently, and thoroughly examined. If it weren't for organizations like the Susan G Komen Foundation, I don't know that this kind of support would have been available. It is my firm belief that we, as humans, must contribute anything we can to the protection of the breast. In fact, I cant be more firm in stating that we all must chip in to support breasts. What would this world be like without breasts?

As you may or may not know, Modern Image Studios, Sarah's company, gives a tremendous amount of support to the Susan G Komen Foundation, as a Gold Level Sponsor and has also donated their time as the exclusive Photographer and Videographer for the Chicago Race for the Cure. This year, the team has taken on a personal goal to try and raise an additional $5,000 beyond the $10K Gold Sponsorship. We have had a slow start, but it's not too late. Just a thought but, maybe the key is actually asking for support?! Anyway, I would like to think that every one of you has a few dollars to throw in to support the research and development of a cure for breast cancer. I promise I will only ask once a year, unless of course I need your help.

In all seriousness, I would miss the breasts, but I couldn't live without the women attached to them. Lets do what we can to help find a cure.

Here is how to participate. Go to the Modern Image Studios Team Page. Here you will be able to click on a team member name (right now we only have a few team members but Sarah and Susan are listed). You can make a secure donation by credit card right on the sight which goes directly to the foundation (you will receive an email receipt for tax purposes too). If you could help me out and send a request to any of your friends, collegues, or family that might be interested in a small donation I would greatly appreciate that as well.

Thanks again for your generous support!

Ryan Christensen (Sarah's Assistant and Husband)