A Happy Bloggiversary Giveaway!

Another year, another bloggiversary! Would you believe I've been blogging for SEVEN years? Woot!

I started here, where I decided to document my journey as a first-time urbanite living in a colourful 1920's gem of an apartment (I loved that apartment!). It also corresponded with my going solo after seven years of marriage, which means it was quite a journey indeed. Voici, my first every post:

Introducing ...

Hi.

I’ve joined the masses and started a blog. My intent is to document my experience as a first-time urbanite, but I suspect other things might creep in. There will likely be many firsts for me to share this year.

I’ll fill you in on how I got to be an urbanite a little later. Bottom line is: this is my first time living in a truly urban environment, smack dab in the middle of downtown. When given the opportunity a few months ago, I decided to take the plunge and start my own Urban Living Experiment and see where it leads me. I plan to document my findings here, and see where that leads me.

Enjoy.

Incredible, where it all led me.

In-FREAKIN-credible.

~~~

To celebrate, I am having a good ol' fashioned GIVEAWAY! It's my way of thanking you for joining me for the ride. I LOVE having you here!

THE PRIZE: One 8x10 print of your choice from the shop, or in the case of Giselle, one 12x12 print.

THE DEETS: Leave a comment on this post by 6:00PM EST Tuesday, January 29th and I will add your name to the pot. I'll put all the names in the giveaway basket and ask D. to pick one. I'll announce the winner here Wednesday, and he or she can send me a note through the blog's Contact page and we'll go from there.

Sound good?

~~~

A little taste of what's in the shop, to pique your interest...

What She Seeks, for the fan of all things vintage

Giselle, for the bold and the feisty

Gaia's Plea, for the earth lover in all of us

See them all here.

~~~

So go!

Leave a comment by 6:00PM EST Tuesday, January 29th, introduce yourself if we haven't met yet, and stay tuned for the winner's name on Wednesday.

Thanks again for joining me here, I hope you win!

Steph

xo

On stillness, work, and insights...

Bit by bit I'm getting increasingly clear insights on the projects and products I'd like to create this year to continue the work transition I started in 2011*. I'm not sure they'll all come to fruition, but I certainly can't deny their presence.

* For all posts related to my work transition journey, click here.

Words, titles, and images are asking to be acknowledged.

tea and candlelight: tools for creative biz planning

One morning journalling session produced an outline for an entire online course or program; another revealed an idea for a new booklet. An evening dedicated to business planning saw me complete the sentence "2013 will be the year that..." with "... I create and submit a book proposal."

WTF?

I also keep coming back to a series of mantras, or tenets, to guide my creative biz work this year. These are short phrases I can't seem to shake, so for now I'm choosing to go with them. (Stay tuned for another post, specifically on these tenets.)

The moral of this story, you ask? Two things jump out at me:

Insights, guidance and even more prodding questions come when we take time to be still, ask the questions, listen for the answers, and acknowledge them.

Some insights call for swift movement and adrenalin-filled action; others may ask for a more gentle approach, with more value gained by letting them percolate, or taking small, next right actions to see what unfolds.

Either way, we move forward.

~~~

What practices do you have in place to receive insight and guidance?

Are any of your ideas or projects calling for quick completion? On the flip side, are any of them calling for a more gentle approach?

Easing Into 2013

I am called to rest and putter, stepping away from creative work and play to sink into quiet time, books, hearth & home.

I'm tidying up my physical spaces, enjoying movies and documentaries like this one (if you're an artist, you'll love this insight into a painter's mind and process), this one and this one. I'm sleeping, reading, and doing a lot of research for a certain trip to PARIS. <giddy>

post-Christmas goodies from Amazon

It hasn't been all idle though.

I've been crafting a new website, feeling the time has come for a fresh look. Stay tuned for that and a bloggiversary giveaway (seven years!), the latter later this month.

a fresh new look for my website in progress - coming soon!

I also wrote this article for Scoutie Girl, about claiming our path into 2013 and honouring our transition pace into the new year. No one's keeping score on how quickly we make the switch.

My part time work is keeping me preoccupied and heading into a busy, challenging-to-me period.

All the while I'm reflecting on last year's accomplishments and lessons, dreaming of work and projects for 2013, still unsure of how I will convert my dreams to action and let it all unfold.

Life is uncertain. Life is good. Life is full.

~~~

How about you? What've you been up to?

Scoutie Girl Contributions - Roundup 2012

One of the things of which I'm the most proud from last year is becoming a regular contributor to ScoutieGirl.com.

Because I don't always post links to my bi-weekly contributions here, I thought I'd gather the lot of them for 2012 in an end-of-year roundup post.

I am proud of the work I did for Scoutie Girl. Often these posts were written because their message was exactly what I needed to hear or process at the time. I return to them regularly when I need to do so again.

They serve me well. It's my hope that some of them may serve you too.

~~~

What's Your Rhythm? (Dec. 2012) - Certain times of year bring certain types of energy. Discover your natural annual rhythm and let it serve you instead of fighting it.

Five Practices to Stay Grounded During a Busy Season (Dec. 2012) - Though written in the context of staying sane and healthy during the holiday rush, especially for creative business owners, these five practices more than apply to anyone, any time of the year.

Right Brain, Left Brain: It's All Complementary (Nov. 2012) - Reason, passion, left brain, right brain - it's all good and necessary. How could you use one to serve the other?

Productivity: Manage Your White Space (Nov. 2012) - Just like it factors in good design, deliberate white space in one's schedule factors heavily in the ability to be productive. It's up to us to figure out how to best use it.

Who Are Your Possibility Tracks? (Oct. 2012) - Possibility tracks - fictitious or real - offer inspiration or proof that through commitment, action and usually with a bit of serendipity thrown in, dreams and goals can be met. Whose path, behaviours and successes would you like to emulate?

What Are Your Success Factors? (Oct. 2012) - A clean desk, uninterrupted time, specific tools at your disposal... What could you - or do you - have in place to increase your chances of meeting your goals and minimize deterrents?

A Procrastinator's Guide to Procrastination (Sept. 2012) - I confess: I'm a planning & productivity geek who procrastinates. These six tips help me circumvent panic when I've left things to the last minute, and lead me as gracefully as possible to a finished product.

Defeating Resistance: The Magical First Draft (Sept. 2012) - A powerful tool to move forward and into action when deadlines loom: the innocuous first draft. It's helped me many times in submitting these very posts on time.

Push, or putter? (Aug. 2012) - When it comes to productivity, there's a time to push and a time to putter. This post offers thoughts on reconciling planned action and firm goals with intuitive action and letting things unfold.

Defeating Resistance: Make It A Game (Aug. 2012) - Three powerful and effective productivity tools I use games I play when procrastination or resistance stop me from doing what I want to do.

The Next Right Action (July 2012) - Get unstuck by figuring out your next right action, the crux of getting things done. The most basic, yet probably one of the most powerful tools in my productivity toolbox.

On Summer Slumber and Ambition (July 2012) - It's hard to find motivation to get things done when the hammock beckons. Here are six tips to help reconcile summer's slumber-filled nature with work and deadlines.

Happy 2013!

From Solstice to New Year, happy wishes to you!

My heart is swelling with possibility and my head swirling with ideas and projects for the year to come. Words dance a million, and gratitude expands as I reflect on the year past.

2012 was rich, rich, rich. Blissful, heartbreaking, enlightening, it was full.

2013 promises to be just as rich, with a trip to Paris and London on the horizon (oh yeah!), plans to find a house we can call our own, and the gentle beauty that comes with every day living.

I've many blog posts forming themselves as I type, but none ready quite yet. For now, following the rhythm of the recent holidays, I am allowing the space for words to come together, slowly.

In the meantime, I wish you a 2013 filled with all that makes your heart sing, and leave you with a few favourite snapshots that capture the holidays at their best...

candlelight, early Solstice morn

a Solstice breakfast outing at our favourite diner

it was storming outside, but perfectly cozy inside

Cassie, resting up before the clan joins us for Christmas dinner the next day

the holiday table, ready for feast and clan

(note Cindy Lou Who at the piano!)

I went back to the art table for the first time in two months. It felt good.

D. and I spent a quiet New Year's Eve with a sumptuous meal for two.

I wish you could smell the beefy, red wine, shalloty goodness that was simmering.

The highlight of my holidays, no doubt: the gift of a trip to Paris, from D.

It's a dream come true.