HOW TO - Doodle Inspiration

 I seem to have somehow 

caught a bug!....

a flippin' great dose of 

DOODLE BUGS that is!

Oooooer! I forgot how therapeutic these were!

And with a little bit of colour here......

And a little bit there.....

they can look amazing!

Check out those quirky heart flowers!

Painting with colour 

makes all the difference....

and brings it all to life!

Doodles are easy, quick and

 a fun and funky way

to wind down and relax...

Plus you can use them for all sorts of other crafts,

from card making to scrap booking.

Try it.... once you start you can't stop,

and the ideas will flow and grow.

Happy creating.

Any questions?

please leave a comment :o) 

Creative People Have Attitude? - You bet we do!

Creative People Have Attitude? - You bet we do!

There I was, minding my own business (as you do) when I came across this article by Pro Blogger.

The article takes a look at some attitudes to build into your approach if you want to be a more creative person. The article is definitely worth a look-see and I'm wondering what other attitudes are needed to build creativity?


And while we're on the subject, this blog post also caught my eye
The 100 most creative people in business 2012  I notice my name is missing off the list...but hey ho, I might make it for next year? 


Do you have attitude?


What attitude do you think is important to be a creator? 


Please engage with me and leave a comment and a link to your blog by clicking the box below :-)


Until next time.... happy creating! Sue x

Feel The Fear.....and do it anyway!

Whatever you may think and feel while reading this blog, I want to share this with you:

As a fellow creator, I am no different to you. I have had the same doubts, the same anxieties, the same insecurities and the same fears as you feel. Ironically it was during a time of great illness (cancer to be precise) that I started to read positive thinking and self awareness books.



One book in particular comes back to me over and over again and it is with the highest recommendation that I suggest this to you.
The book is 'Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway' by Susan Jeffers.

The book will teach you how to turn your fears and indecision into confidence and action.
Many creators feel the fear. What if no-one will like it, what if no-one will buy it, what if I fail, what if.......
Ahhhh.....but the point here is 'What If'.....they DO like it? What if it DOES sell, What if you DON'T!


Unless you try and at least have a go, then you will never know. It's easy to buy all the gear and never get started.....why? Because of your fear of failing? Let me tell you right now.....There is NO such thing as FAILURE! It's a word that need eradicating from the dictionary! 


Surely it's better to try than never try at all. And surely trying something and finding that that particular thing does not work is a success because it may just lead you onto something else.
I started my creative career doing something completely different....in fact I have had 2 other businesses before this one. Both I gave up, but boy did I learn so much from both of them.
From the first I learnt to teach groups of people, something that would stand me in good stead when I taught at Further Education many years later. It taught me how to teach a structured craft class and how to communicate with different type of learning models.


The second taught me how to sell my work....to the general public and later to approach shops and outlets. Neither of the first two made me a fortune, but the valuable lessons learnt were priceless.


So....be brave......take the bull by the horns and make a start. If that fear is still inside you try this:
Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half. On the left side write a list of what you fear most about starting to create and on the right what have you got to gain if it works!


Then tear the sheet in 2 and taking the right hand list, pin that somewhere where it is visible daily and often, say the fridge door perhaps.....remind yourself EVERY TIME you see that piece of paper WHY you want to create.
Question: What holds you back?

If there is something in particular I will write an article sometime soon, because you can be sure, if you are being held back by something or have some doubt or fear.....then someone else will have.
So.....Feel That Fear..... AND DO IT ANYWAY!

Please feel free to leave a comment... 

We love hearing from you!

Article (c) Sue Simpson

Inspired by Script and North Yorkshire Weddings

Finding Time

Oddly enough, I find that women have a far harder time, finding time to create than men. Women always seem to need a reason for doing something creative......while men just do it.

I'm wondering if this is related to when kids come along, time is at a premium and we take on more responsibility, because I have certainly found that mothers in particular struggle with finding time.

Creating is something they tend to 'fit in' after all the other chores have been attended to and then they are usually too bushed to actually do anything.

Many times there is an overwhelming sense of guilt attached to this 'me' time. But, when examining it closer the problem seems to be self induced. I think that partners, husbands and the kids certainly benefit from having a happy, creative mother around and the kids can often be given their own 'workstation' to be made to feel a part of it all. If this is not possible you can always wait till the kids are in bed or at school.

One of the most important things however is to schedule in your time. Jot it on the calendar. An hours creating every day may not seem much, but multiply this by 5 days and then by 52 weeks and you will soon see how the hours stack up...around 250 hours a year.

The trick here is to block it in and do nothing else....just create. Within just 4 weeks you will see how the small pieces of your creativeness stack up, this then will help you carry on to make more. Little and often is the key and do not be distracted by anything else. The washing, hoovering, bed making.... and the ever growing list of other things that busy mums have to do will not suffer because you took an hour off, If anything you will find that because you have LESS time, the chores get done a lot quicker.

You owe it to your partner and kids. Frustration for not being able to create, often laden with excuses as to why you haven't, can lead to resentment. Better to have a cluttered happy home, than one where you can eat off the floor but the occupants are miserable.

Two quotations spring to mind here:

Creative Clutter is better than idle neatness.
and......

A tidy house is the sign of a sick mind.

Why not write them out and pin them up for all your visitors to see :o)

Happy creating to all domestic Goddesses out there!

Please feel free to leave a comment... 

We love hearing from you!

Article (c) Sue Simson
Inspired by Script and North Yorkshire Weddings