The Best Mother’s Day Ever with a Must-do DIY!

By Nicki on 2013/05/14 in Art & DIY, Uncategorized

This past Sunday was the best Mother’s Day ever!!

As I relaxed in bed for the better part of the morning, it gave me time to enjoy one of my biggest blessings – my family!!

My day wasn’t lavish at all. It wasn’t extravagant. It was simple. I was surrounded by loving messages, thoughtful gestures and lots of family time.

Each gift that I received was handmade, carefully delivered and made me cry. Here’s a little peak at my bedside table Sunday morning…

These meaningful gifts of homemade cards, printed certificates, and even a mini-book, made me think about how technology and electronic messages can never really replace a handwritten, hand-decorated, note, card, or simple message from a loved one.

I’m sure if my daughter sent me a text or email with the same words that filled pages in my Mother’s Day book, I wouldn’t have reacted the same way, with such depth of emotion and deep love. Of course, I would have loved and appreciated it no doubt, but I truly believe that these handwritten notes will always hold more value and genuine expressions of love than any text, private message or email ever can.

Try it!

Write someone special a note expressing your heartfelt feelings and see what reaction it spawns!

As a result of this very big ah-ha moment, I’ve come up with a few DIYs that will inspire you to bust out the crafting supplies and make a card for a special someone, to embellish a special gift or add a personal touch that shows the receiver just how much they mean to you! Over the next few weeks, I’ll share an easy DIY with you that will inspire all those things and more!

The Best Mother’s Day Ever with a Must-do DIY!

Fabric Feathers

To start off, here is a really fun and easy way to use up scraps of fabric and have fun making decorative feathers to embellish or add a personal touch to just about anything you choose!

Here is where I found the fabulous idea to make fabric feathers and where you can download the template.

This is what you’ll need:

Scraps of fabric (I recycled fabric from old jeans and pants here too!)
Craft or floral wire stems
Glue stick
Feather template
Scissors
Your personalized touch!

You want to begin by gluing the wire stem between two pieces of fabric. While you are waiting for the glue to dry, cut out the feathers from your paper template.

When the fabric is dry, hold the paper template on the fabric and carefully cut-out the shape from your fabric.

I used gold leaf to embellish a few of the darker feathers, which can be a bit tricky, but is worth it!

I used markers and stamps to embellish a few others…

…and voila! A personalized touch on a special gift, or …

embellish your simple flower pots, or…

liven up your pencil holder!

Whatever you chose to use them for, they are meant to show a little extra love, create simple beauty, and inspire special moments.

If you liked this post, please share it with a friend and spread the inspiration!

Nicki

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An Affirmation to help with Productivity and Organization

By Nicki on 2013/05/07 in Affirmations

This week’s affirmation is inspired by my own needs at the moment. It’s been a little chaotic to stay the least, but I do see a very bright light at the end of the tunnel.

Here’s an affirmation to help with Productivity and Organization

If you’ve been a follower of l.i.d. for a while now, you know how much I love to use affirmations and how much they’ve helped me shift specific areas of my life. This affirmation is a new one for me and one that I hope you’ll do with me over the next few weeks.

“It is easy for me to be Productive and Organized!” Even when I have a million things on my to-do list and don’t know where to start.

When you are feeling overwhelmed, simply repeat this mantra by taking a deep breath in, letting it all the anxious breath & energy go. Do this a few times, as often as you need and you will find that you will easily sort through your to-dos therefore becoming more productive and better organized in no time.

Here’s an example of how I created a better work space in my studio after beginning to use this mantra.

I needed a clean, organized area to cut my art prints, store my paper, tools, etc. By adding in a few storage solutions, a dedicated spot for cutting and housing tools nearby, I now spend less time looking for things and clearing space to work on, and more time getting things done and crossing off my to-do list!

You know the drill, download the PDF, print a copy, save it on your phone, or use it however you chose, to remind yourself to repeat, feel, and take action to be more productive and creative!

If you’re not familiar with how to use these affirmations or what they are all about, click here to learn more.

Sharing is cool here!! Let me know what you need to be organized with and how you want to be more productive, I’d love to hear about it!

P.S. Before you go! l.i.d. has moved email services in order to improve our communication with you! If you’ve received a message from us to confirm your email address, please do so that you don’t miss any updates and goodies from us!

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Can you Relate to this …

By Nicki on 2013/04/30 in Free Printable

I’m not sure if you can relate to this or not, but sometimes I need a time-out from life’s demands.

It’s just seems like there isn’t enough hours in a day. Life gets busy. Schedules fill up and time passes so quickly these days. When you are a Mom, a business owner, a student, or a combination of all of the above, it is inevitable that something has to give and decisions have to be made on how to handle time and spend energy. Don’t you agree?!

Most recently, I launched my new Art Shop, I enrolled in an intensive online Business School with Marie Forleo, I started another Mixed Media Art course with a local artist and still have to plan and pack lunches, cook dinners, help with homework, chauffer the kids and enjoy some recreational time with the family. Feeling like I’ve been stretched too thinly lately, I’ve pulled back on a few core tasks in my business that I “should” to be doing.

Most importantly, I’ve done so without feeling guilty about not doing them {very empowering}. You’re ahead of the game when you can consciously choose NOT to do something and NOT feel guilty about it!

So I stopped agonizing over the stuff that I had to do and couldn’t deliver with the quality and focus that is my usual standard.

I let it go, and realize that the world wasn’t going to end. Guess what happened?! The world did not end, and I had a chance to re-charge and re-focus. It’s all good!

Choosing not to spend time and energy on those tasks meant three things for me,

1) they didn’t get done, and the world didn’t end {the reason why you haven’t heard from me in a few weeks};

2) I’ve streamlined my important tasks and increased my efficiency;

3) I freed up some mental space and have come back refreshed, refocused and recharged!

In the grand scheme of things, it means that I’ve shifted some energy, solved some challenges, and have even more passion for what I am sharing and delivering!

So expect the same great content here at life i design, the same great affirmations and tools that I use to shift and grow everyday, but also you can expect a lot more creative inspiration!!

Expect to hear from me once a week at least, but if I have something really good to share and can’t hold back on giving you the scoop, then I’ll post a little something extra once in a while!

Here is my little gift to you for today

A downloadable PDF of the very printout that I use to organize my week each and every week. Yes, I use my iphone, outlook, google calendar etc., but I like to use pen and paper just as much, and each week I can see my tasks, appointments, and to-dos and find it to be very gratifying each time I scratch out or tick off something that I’ve completed!

Click here to download and save the PDF. Print away and share it with a friend! My only tip: Print one week at a time and don’t over-schedule yourself or create a mile long to-do list. Think in 3s and you’ll have more success with completing your tasks and you will feel a greater sense of accomplishment!

Cheers to taking a moment to breath and to creating balance in our everyday lives!!

xo Nicki

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