SweetMyrtle

vision board practice

Making vision boards is a practice that i enjoy and find beneficial. This January I will be leading a Vision Board for 2015 workshop at The West End Arts Centre again (my 4th year running it) and will create mine early in the new year too. Here was my 2014 board which i shall soon be reviewing  as i close the year and prepare for 2015.

As well as a New Year board I find that creating one at each full moon can be very powerful too. (i have shared some of my previous ones here and here) Taking Jamie's amazing Full Frost moon workshop last month  has injected the much needed drive for me to continue this as a monthly practice rather than randomly as i get so much from the process. Carving out a little time for me to create one is part of my vision for honouring myself and my needs too, so win win ; )

This is my December Cold moon board. I work intuitively with the moon boards and they help me to bring into focus where i am and offer guidance on what is important to me for the month ahead also offering clarity about the direction i am travelling.

My interpretation of Decembers board tells me that i need to leave the shore and venture out alone if i am to return to being fully and authentically me. Trusting my intuition shows up a lot for me these days and well as being present and living fully. Something that popped up last month after a few health difficulties was to see and appreciate the JOY in life. The word JOY just had to be included. Sometimes images want to be added and i am unsure why, I am curious about the leather bag. It was such a strong pull to add it. At the moment i see it as a Medicine bag to add tools i need to help me on my way but maybe there is travel and adventure waiting for me too. What is good to remember is to be open to the opportunities that come our way.

 

Do you have a visioning practice? or make dreamboards? I would love to hear how the process works for you.

The artists that inspired me and introduced me ,over these past five years, to the vision board process (during e classes i have taken) are Amelia Critchlow, Leonie Dawson, Louise Gale and Jamie Ridler, so do check out these beautiful souls  and their offerrings.

 

frost + moon + clarity

i awoke to the first frost of the season, just perfect for the Full Frost Moon today.

there is a sharp crispness in the air, so fresh, invigorating and kind of head clearing too.

As you know i love creating vision boards and last year started visioning at the full moon, though this practice has lapsed and i  haven't created a full moon vision board for a while.

 

i was drawn to this Full Frost moon as a means of gaining some clarity  as i have been feeling somewhat muddled and unfocused recently, so i have signed up to join the wonderfully warm and inspiring Jamie Ridler for her Full Frost Moon Dreamboard workshop

I am so excited.

Happy November everyone and wishing you clarity for your dreams

x

october full moon

my october full moon vision board

love the colour palette that emerged... cinnamon and saffron

a good time to be mindful and rebalance... oh and a yoga way of life...

creating space for mind, body and spirit

oh yes!!

shifting patterns

on the last full moon at the beginning of the half term holiday  i made a full moon board. It is the first one i have made. some of my favourite artists and creatives use them and something pulled me this month to finally create one for myself. each full moon has a name and meaning. May's full moon is called the 'Flower Moon'.

last term's workload was heavy so a weeks rest and quiet is just what i needed. i think it shows up here in my board.

things are changing for me at the moment too.  patterns that had become familiar have shifted and change is certain. at first this unsettled me but i am now welcoming the chance to review and refresh things.

this past week's resting time was crucial; a pause, a recharging my energies and precious time spent with loved ones.

i feel ready to make a new board now, one filled with uplifting energy to aid my focus and to support me through the activities and decisions this month will bring.

x

past and future

happy new year to you! i hope you are having a good 2013 so far x

the few weeks off over the festive holiday were very welcome for me as I had been working very hard. It was so good to have some time to relax and reflect. 

2012 was both busy and fulfilling. i faced a few fears, applied myself to tasks which at times where difficult and was pleased for the first time in my life to have fairly successfully managed to balance all the different areas of my life.

a few things i was proud of  in 2012 were,

• finally getting round to making my girls quilts for their beds,

although my youngest prefers to wear hers!

•  devising and delivering a 45 minute solo talk to a large group of business ladies. kinda scary but hugely enjoyable and i want to do it again!

• running my first vision board evening; something i had wanted to do for some time as i wanted to share my enjoyment of this process with others. it was a little departure from my usual sewing teaching and it was fun. i ran my second one last night and helped a lovely group of ladies create their vision boards for 2013.

• in 2012, along with my gorgeous sewing partner Alice, i  taught lots and lots of  people how to sew and how to use their sewing machines. it is so rewarding to facilitate and help others on their sewing  journeys. Many of our students really got the bug this year and we are both so proud of all they have achieved.

 

• Alice and i also wrote our third book. It's another sewing book but this time it's for children, though we suspect many adults will enjoy making the projects too. It's release date is in March, so more on that soon : )

 

So 2012 was a good year. I ate better than ever and returned to my yoga practice, which felt like coming home. i have realised  how i need to have that space and me time and how my body needs to stretch. yoga grounds me, brings me into the moment and helps me to feel positive and energised. so more of this in 2013!!!

Since the new year has arrived, it's all been about decluttering. Even the family have got  involved. decluttering years of stuff is an ongoing process but it is all moving in the right direction.

and we have made some family plans;

• to finish off all those unfinished jobs around the house. our first project was to tile the kitchen which has been without tiles for, hmmm, 5 years!

• we are thinking of inter- railing with the kids in the summer but still need to work out where, although a separate trip to Scotland is a definite. if you have any recommendations please do let us know.

• we are also going to spruce up the garden so we can feel like we are on holiday at home, think tuscany, alfresco : )

My personal aim is to 'Keep it Simple', which is my mantra for the year and i am going to follow my interests and continue to live lightly.

This is  my 2013 vision board.

what are you inviting into your life this year? how do you want to feel in the months ahead?

wishing you every happiness for a wonderful 2013

Gx

a dream come true

i have been spending a lot of time dreaming recently. both with Amelia & now with Louise.

as a result of  this dreaming i have begun to put names to my dreams or intentions &  i now either write them down or visualise them creatively which seems to help me focus & create small steps towards reaching them.

once such dream was of having an open fire.

 i have always been drawn to open fires. i find watching the flames mesmerising.

& there is something so primitive & connected to the spirit in creating and lighting a fire too.

 ritualistic even.

the dream of having my own fire has been with me for 15 years after a friend taught me to create one whilst on holiday in the fireplace of a tiny cottage in oxfordshire one very cold winter.

 it is curious that in the year two thousand11, after being in this house for 11 years & of 11 being a very significant number for me that finally the dream has been realised.

so on Tuesday night with friends we enjoyed our first fire... sigh....

our first fire

so go on, put a name to your dream and see if this helps you focus on taking steps to achieve it.

page from sketchbook, ' journal your dreams ' course with amelia critchlow

note the fire place bottom right

i am also wanting to create those gorgeous velvet floor cushions!