A World of Inspiration for Artful Living
Whether you prefer to observe St. Brigid’s Day, the Celtic tradition of Imbolc, or the Catholic celebration of Candlemas, this is the time to celebrate the coming of Spring! It’s just around the corner (hold that thought)! As we discussed in our post about Brigid, she is at the root of many of the traditions associated with these holidays. Here are a few ideas for ways to celebrate on February 1st or 2nd:
How full of the creative genius is the air in which these are generated!
I should hardly admire more if real stars fell and lodged on my coat.
Henry David Thoreau
I’m pretty sure Thoreau was referring to real snowflakes, but the same could be said of the creative genius that’s in the air when you make your own virtual snowflakes. You’ll also have a chance to meet some of the other “flakes” who are floating around on this great site.
Warning: It’s kind of addictive…
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This looks like a fun idea for preserving a beautiful snowflake. I admit I have not yet had an opportunity to try it (if you read our post on Being a Snowflake, you know how rare snow is in our neck of the woods).
But it definitely seems worth a try. What’s more, if you get a good one, you can use an idea from Crafty Chica to turn it into a cool necklace (link below). As snowflakes are often invoked as symbols for individuality, your necklace can serve as a reminder and celebration of your own uniqueness. [Read more...]
Very often, when we think something is impossible, it is because we are imposing our own (imagined) constraints on the problem. The phrase “thinking outside the box” was popularized by this 9-dot puzzle, and is based on thinking differently, unconventionally, or looking at something from a new perspective. [Read more...]
All right, it’s that time again. If you’re going to make any New Year’s resolutions for 2011, today is the day!
Borrowing a few suggestions from my favorite goal-setting book, Your Best Year Yet by Jinny S. Ditzler, I’d like to suggest a 5-step plan that you complete before making even a single resolution for 2011. It won’t take that long, and I think you’ll find it very worthwhile: [Read more...]
But there is cinnamon in the famous Cincinnati chili. But why, you may ask, would I want to put cinnamon in my chili? Well, for one thing, because it tastes great. The other reason is that cinnamon provides some significant health benefits: [Read more...]
Those cold gray winter days can get you down, no question. We’ve recognized that for a long time, calling it “cabin fever” or the “winter blues.” And now, at least in its most serious state, there’s an official term for it: seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Associated with depression and seasonal variations of light, SAD is believed to affect some half a million people between September and April. [Read more...]
There’s an old joke that’s been floating around for some time now. Various versions exist, but the gist of it is something like this:
There once was a very devout man who prayed to God every day. One day, because he’d been under some financial stress, he added a special petition to his prayer:
“Please Lord,” he prayed, “let me win the lottery.”
And because he was such a devout man and a true believer, he felt sure the Lord would answer his prayer. But after a week, he still hadn’t won the lottery. So he clasped his hands together, lifted his eyes to the heavens, and prayed again:
“Please Lord,” he prayed, “I really need to win the lottery—not for myself, Lord, for my wife and for my children.”
This time he was really sure he would win and checked every day, but still nothing. He hated to admit it, but he was starting to feel a little disappointed in God. Finally, after another week had gone by and he still hadn’t won, he fell to his knees and prayed again:
“Lord,” he pleaded, “it’s me again. Please let me win the lottery. Not for myself, Lord, but for my family, my wife and my children. And for my mother, who needs surgery. I’ll give anything leftover to charity, I promise, Lord. Just let me win the lottery!” Surely God will come through for me now, he thought.
But as he started to get up, the clouds opened up and a big, booming voice thundered:
“Give me a break, man! Buy a ticket! [Read more...]
As we discussed in our post about candy canes, those sweet confections have been popular since the 1600s, but the peppermint flavoring they contain has been around a lot longer than that! In fact, there are references to mint in ancient Greek mythology (OMG-maybe the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding was right! Maybe everything really can be traced back to the Greeks!)
According to the myth, Persephone (Remember her?? Pomegranate girl from our post about Demeter…?) became jealous when she discovered that her husband Pluto was in love with the nymph Minthe, so she turned Minthe into a plant. Pluto couldn’t reverse the spell, but he did what he could, and that was to make it so the more the plant was trampled, the more fragrant it would become. [Read more...]
You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.
G.K. Chesterton
Here’s another great activity for helping to recognize and give thanks for the many things we love—some big and some little. Take six pages (use your gratitude journal if you like), and number each page from 1 to 20. Next, put one of the following headings on each page: Sight, Hearing, Taste, Touch, Smell, and More. [Read more...]
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