Etsy Handmade portraits...

I love these Handmade Portraits that are posted on Etsy! It is so wonderful to see how fellow artists and craftspeople go about their lives and gain inspiration. Some really touch me. I've always been drawn to the fiber arts and as a young girl fancied myself a dollmaker. I secretly have a stash of fabrics and notions that will one day become spectacular little beings like the ones created here by Mimi Kirchner, aka mck254...

Doldrums?

It's actually been the opposite of being in the doldrums. Things have been super busy and exciting. Besides Etsy, Isabella Smiles is now being sold at Fresh Inc, a sweet little stationer located on Oahu at the Windward Mall.

As some of you may already know, I also received a promotion at my day job. As always, I am honored at what the universe offers me. And I want to do my best at everything. Being a perfectionist is not always easy. I want to make sure that everyone is happy and sometimes I forget that I need to be happy as well! I know there are many of you that are just as guilty as I am of neglecting your Self. Thinking that creating and having a constant flow of output is where happiness dwells.

And then comes some sort of crash, something gives and I realize that I haven't been taking care of me. Yes, creating is my heart. But if I don't take care of where that heart is housed, something is going to give. And it's usually health and relationship that suffer. Whether that be my children or a co-worker or a friend, when I am stretched I am not very pleasant to be around. Creativity suffers. And I have to work extra hard at getting back into the flow.

What do you do to find that balance especially when there is so much that you want and need to accomplish? When there is never enough time?

Abundance...

I have found myself, many times, being bogged down by the details of a situation. In relationships, work projects, or even with money issues, I find myself lost in all the stickiness that goes on with the details. It's like driving over speed bumps, you have to slow down and pay attention. Those bumps are there for a reason. But if I spend all my time focusing on getting over those bumps, I lose sight of where I'm going.

I think we all know instinctively how abundant life can be. The trick is not to allow insecurities and the feeling of lack to get in the way. To stop putting off what should be done because things aren't "just right". Excuses of not having enough time, trying to survive gets in the way.

My goal this week? To not get stuck on a speed bump and just hit the workbench, grab my tools, and make something...everyday.