check in and bookmark swap

Yowsa! It's been six weeks since my last post. If anyone tells you looking for employment is a full-time job in itself, believe them! While I look forward to receiving a paycheck again, this transition period and journey of exploration has been tremendously rewarding as far as personal growth. I've met some fabulous women and discovered paths and opportunities I didn't know existed. Going out into the world after nearly 29 years at one company is like discovering a complete library of books when previously you only had access to a few. Oh, the possibilities!

Speaking of books, I've read several so far this year and if I had to pick just one to recommend, I'd recommend Aspire by Kevin Hall. I finished it and immediately started reading it again... it's that good. If you want something to get you thinking & truly inspire you, read this book.

And now for the 'goods.' In April I signed up for a Yahoo Group bookmark swap for May. It was a perfect push for me to create something when I might not otherwise take the time. I created yesterday and oh what fun I had! Creating was fun... the challenge was trying to make items that the recipients might like. I know one of the gals but the other two are new to me, so I had to make assumptions based on previous correspondence I'd seen from them, blogs, etc. Anyhoo.... here's what I ended up with:

The beautiful image of an Indian postcard is from Stampington & Company, cat stencil by All Night Media, and daisy paper by DCWV. Twinkling H2Os made one of the daisies pop out, along with a mixture of embossing powders for the center. It was a great day and I look forward to my next stint playing/creating. In the meantime, I leave you with a quote from Aspire:

"Talents and gifts do not reduce or diminish when shared; they expand and increase like the widening ripples from a pebble dropped in water." ~ Kevin Hall

Believe,
Di

One World One Heart 2011

Last night was the official kickoff of One World One Heart 2011. I am excited to participate this year and want to thank Lisa Swifka for hosting this wonderful event. I'm anxious to blog hop all over the world the next couple of weeks, meeting other bloggers and peeking into their worlds. We are all alike in one way or another, and it's fun to uncover those similarities and learn from our differences.

Oh, silly me... introductions....

Hello, and welcome to my blog! My name is Dianna but my friends call me Di. I live in central Iowa, USA. Having worked in the corporate world my entire adult life, I decided a few years back it was time to nurture the other side of my brain/self. When I could make time in my schedule, I started dabbling in various creative areas, starting first with silk flowers & greeting cards and more recently playing around with mixed media, jewelry, essential oils, a wee bit of photography, etc. I've been having a blast! The biggest challenge has been finding time & energy while working a full time (plus) job. That issue is being resolved for me, as I'm one of 1,500 being laid off at our company. My last day will be 2/15/11, so while I've been busy & will continue to be busy finding a new job, I intend to find one that affords me more time to enjoy life & express myself through creative activities! One of these days I hope to land on one or two creative outlets that truly make my heart sing AND bring joy to others. My dream is to take that creative outlet and turn it into career in some way (hey, a girl's gotta have goals, right?). In the meantime, I want a job supporting someone else reaching their goal. When I'm not working, I'll continue learning, practicing & sharing various art & crafts.

The on-line creative community (bloggers, yahoo groups, etc.) has become an important part of my life, just like creating/crafting is now integral to who I am.

Anyhoooo, I encourage you to roam around my site. If you have a question, comment or suggestion about anything, please let me know.

Oh, and as a thank you for visiting my blog, if you are an active worldwide blogger & leave a comment on this OWOH post between 1/30/11 and 2/17/11 (with a way for me to contact you in the event you win), you name will be entered in a drawing. One lucky blogger will win this bookmark I made along with her/his choice of one of the following books (just three of my favorites, and don't worry, the winner will receive a new book and not my marked up, written in, tabbed version).

• Life is a Verb by Patti Digh
• I Can Do It by Louise L. Hay
• The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

I'll draw the winning name on 02/17/11.

Believe,
Di

bookmark swap

It's been many months since I participated in any of the activities in the Yahoo groups I'm in. I finally ended that cycle today. My plan was to make a bookmark from polymer clay, but for some reason the clay wouldn't harden so I switched gears and used metal. The recipient likes deep colors, nature-inspired themes, suns and moons so I choose jewel-toned ocean colors and end beads that have a sun on one side and moon on the other. The back reminds me of rain.

It was fun to make ~ I hope she likes it!

Believe,
Di

long life copper bookmark

Since I was gone all last weekend, I didn't have time to play/create. Thus, I'll share something I made a year or two ago. It was a fairly quick project and fun to do. I need to make more! First I embossed the copper, then hammered in "long life" before applying Adirondack alcohol inks. The back is heavy card stock, and simple yarn fibers were fed through the an eyelet.

To read a book for the first time is to make an acquaintance with a new friend; to read it for a second time is to meet an old one. ~Chinese Saying