Monthly Archives: December 2009
inspired life, final day
| December 31, 2009 | Posted by Linsi Brownson under Inspiration |
Think about your life for a moment in pie-chart form. The portions are divided between things you don’t like to do, things you do like to do, and things you don’t really mind doing. And then there is the section of your life that is spent doing something that you are passionate about. It lights you up from the inside, something you can get lost in and feel richer for. What percentage of your chart falls into this category?
Stop and think on this. Letting your passion play a larger role in your life will create a sense of self that nothing or no-one else can give you. If your ‘pie-chart’ number is relatively low or non-existent, now is a great time to really examine the things that make you feel whole. Once you are aware of how much or how little time you devote to your passion you can figure out ways to bring it into your life even more.
Let’s use me as a quick example. I know I’m passionate about design. I also love giving advice. I get excited when I find cool, design-y things in magazines or on the internet. I’m giddy when it comes to fabric, dinnerware, pillows, you-name-it. I’m a self-proclaimed design geek! So when I sat down a year ago and had this same conversation with myself…this blog was born.
And when I had this conversation with myself (and my husband this time) a few months ago, another project came to be. We decided to open a furniture and home decor store. That’s not exactly how I planned to announce it, but in the spirit of openness -and getting the point across- this is the perfect place to put it out there.
Even when life gets crazy, demands are high, money is tight, and support is hard to come by, there is always room to nurture what you love to do. So the assignment today is to look at your ‘chart’ and see where it falls. I imagine that most of us could use a little more spark, so my next assignment is to have that conversation with yourself about what exactly makes you glow. Once you’ve got it identified you can begin to work it into your life with small (or large) steps.
Enter your comments or email me at linsi.brownson@gmail.com to enter yourself into the last day of our giveaway from living rooms direct for a chance to win this awesome, design-y pillow from allmodern.com
Every day you’ve commented or emailed to let me know you’re participating becomes one entry into the drawing. As a bonus (thanks to Tyler of Living Room Furniture) if you repost this on your own blog you get an additional entry. Hey, if it makes an impression on you why not share it? You can enter until midnight tonight -not like anyone is at home reading blogs on New Year’s Eve, but whatever – and I will announce the winner on Monday. How exciting!
Thank you once again for following along and I hope you’ve enjoyed doing this as much as I have. I feel rejuvenated, inspired and ready to take on the New Year. Cheers!
Oooh, one last thing. If you’re inspired by this to seek out a new passion, check out this great article from Life Coach Cheryl Richardson. Click here
inspired life, day 3
| December 30, 2009 | Posted by Linsi Brownson under Uncategorized |
image courtesy of fanpop.com
As the song goes ‘everybody needs somebody sometimes.’ Let’s focus today on nurturing those connections. Life gets hectic and it’s easy to let weeks or even months go by without reaching out to the important people in your life. So the assignment for today is to think of these 5 people in your life:
1. The most important person in your life at this moment. Think of a way to tell them how much they mean to you.
2. Someone who has done something nice for you. Find a way to thank them.
3. Someone you think of often but rarely or never talk to anymore. Maybe do a little search on facebook to locate that long lost college bud.
4. Someone to say sorry to. We all have small regrets for things we shouldn’t have said or done. Sometimes “I’m truly sorry” goes a long way.
5. Someone you are starting to lose touch with, and give them a call before it happens!
Send a comment or an email to let me know you’re participating and you will be entered into this week’s giveaway from living rooms direct, with a cool prize from allmodern.com. Each day you comment is one entry, plus an additional entry for reposting this on your own blog (great idea Tyler!) This giveaway series ends Thursday, December 31st at midnight PT
Working with Metal, and Forcing Patinas on Steel
| December 29, 2009 | Posted by David Betz under in the workshop, Projects |
Like this:
These doors cost me $30 each and are 21″ x 24″. I was really surprised at how inexpensive they were. Strolling into a dark oily shop with welders blazing and grinders screaming may seem a little intimidating, but the guy told me himself that he grows weary of working on trucks all day and likes to something different every once in a while. The holes were cut out by his plasma cutter, then he uses a press to add the dimples. I only mention this because the plasma cutter runs off of cad files, so if you are handy with that sort of thing, or know someone who is, you can get ANY shape you want cut out for not much money. He showed me some house numbers made from 5/8″ thick steel that looked terrific, but maybe you are into birds and want a life sized flamingo made of metal. No problem! Get some pink paint you’ll be set. For inspiration and some inexpensive scrap, visit: http://www.industrialmetalsupply.com/ or something like it in your area.
Naturally, the doors come in a silvery steel color (this isn’t stainless, by the way), but I am looking for something a little grungier and more weathered looking. I have seen old industrial parts and there is a certain character they have from use. This is what I was going for, but I refused to paint them. Paint is too thick, and to me looks like you are trying too hard to add age. There is some info out there on the web regarding patinas on steel but not much, mostly you’ll find sculptors talking about aging bronze and working with copper.
From what I could find, the easiest D.I.Y. route to a darker look to my doors was using gun blue. The gun blue can be bought at most sporting good stores, but here is a link to the brand I bought: Birchwood Casey, and another link that taught me how to use it. The actual results are more black, with a hint of blue. It’s easy to apply, but difficult to apply evenly. On large pieces like these, I’m not sure if I could ever get it to a perfectly solid looking black color. If you want to have a go yourself, don’t forget the latex gloves and a well ventilated area! This stuff stinks something fierce, and I vaguely remember reading the word “poison” on the bottle. I tend not to get bogged down by such minor details and neither should you. Just have fun and try not to drink any of it.
inspired life, day 2
| December 29, 2009 | Posted by Linsi Brownson under giveaways |
image courtesy of storm communications
The thing is, if we don’t have our health what do we have?
So my assignment for today is to ask yourself: How do I feel? Take a look at your physical well-being and make note of what’s going on. If there is something that you know you could improve, come up with some simple changes to start.
For example, if you’ve been feeling tired a lot lately and you’ve become a caffeine addict as a result, make a promise to get yourself to bed a half hour earlier for a couple nights (Note: I won’t tell you to ditch the caffeine, so don’t worry…). In a couple of days ask yourself the same question and see if the answer is any different.
Feel free to share as much or as little as you want. We’ve got two days left to our giveaway so let’s keep it up! If you’re still feeling inspired when this is over, check out the whole living total action plan for wellness
Note: I received some emails from readers that were unable to comment via blogger due to a technical error. If you run into that problem shoot me an email at linsi.brownson@gmail.com. Each day you comment is one entry into the drawing so comment away! Plus, get a bonus entry if you re-post this on your blog.
This giveaway is brought to you by Living Rooms Direct, with a prize from allmodern.com
in with the new…and a giveaway!
| December 28, 2009 | Posted by Linsi Brownson under giveaways |
Over the next week I would like to spend some time looking at those important things: our health, our personal connections and our passions. I believe these elements are key to living a happy, balanced life. And what could be more inspiring than that?
Today’s Topic: Stress
The one thing that has always helped me when things start to feel a little crazy is to breathe. There are so many times when things like yoga, meditation or a hard workout are out of the question (like after a stressful office meeting or when you’re in line at the grocery store) but breathing is something you can do anytime, anywhere. Check out this great article on coping with stress through breathing.
Now that we’re breathing, let’s talk about the giveaway! Monday through Thursday this week I will post a small assignment to help get you more focused on your needs. Post a comment to let me know you’re participating (you don’t have to share unless you want to) and at the end of the week I will enter your name into a drawing. The folks at allmodern.com have graciously donated a gift for me to giveaway to the winner of this little challenge. Exciting, right?
List up to 5 things that are stressful for you right now. Be very honest: if you break down the obvious things (love, money, work, etc.) you will find that there’s usually more to it. My biggest stressors typically come from guilt.
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Now look carefully at each of these things. What about it can you control and what can’t you? I’ve always been told that if you can change something you don’t like, do it and if you can’t, let it go. That’s easier said than done, and this will take a little work. But it’s totally worth it.
Think about it and let me know. If you have some insight to share, please do. Happy Monday!
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