Gratitude And Tea

Don’t Just Look – Typography by Claudia H. Blanton

 

It is really cold out there! Perfect time to sit indoors, with a hot cup of tea, a couple of cookies and in front of the computer, contemplating.

I am always contemplating on what-to-do-next. While this habit leads me to be goal oriented, it also has the downfall of creating anxiety, especially when not everything goes they way it was planned, or when the list becomes so large that it is overwhelming.

Boot With Flowers – By Claudia H. Blanton

So taking my time to stop, make myself a cup tea, and focus on gratitude is not only a good idea but a necessity. Exactly that concept of mindfulness and the fact that I need to be mindful in order to function with clarity changed the direction of the book I am working on. Which brings me to the first thing, I am grateful for – the progress I am making with my tea book.

Working title “Happy Tea”, this book demanded to take on a different direction this week, completely unexpected. I thought I would write a book featuring tea traditions, rituals and recipes, but the Universe had something else in mind. Instead, I will focus on the mindfulness of tea, the connection of this beverage within meditation, gratitude and positive living. It seemed like this aspect of tea would serve you better. There are many wonderful books out there, who focus upon the technical aspects of the subject, so I can focus on this direction.

Another thing I am grateful for is the holiday season is almost over.  Yes, celebrations are nice, but they also mean extra work, so I am looking forward to having more time to write.

I am grateful that my daughter gets to see Star Wars with her boyfriend tonight. I am not a fan, but they are, so I am happy for them. I am sure they will have a great time.

I am also grateful for the decorations I have been seeing in the neighbourhood.While people do not seem to decorate as much here as in Tampa, the few who have did a great job. Almost made me want to join in. Then I looked at my to-do list and decided to just enjoy everyone else’s decor instead.

What are grateful for this week?

How do you deal with the holiday stress?

Blessings!

Claudia

This blog post is a part of the following blog hops:

Celebrate The Small Things

Reasons To Be Cheerful

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday Link Up

 

 

Best of Zazzle – Gifts For Her

 

Christmas is almost here, and while I put a big dent on my shopping list, I am like many of my friends, not completely finished picking out something special for everyone. And because I prefer to give something as unique as the people whom I share the holiday season with, I stop by my fellow designers on Zazzle for that different, out of the ordinary gift.

Here are my 5 favorites for the women on my list:

 

 

Engraved Moscow Mule Copper Mug, 16 oz by HomeWetBar

Classic and elegant.

Welsh Corgi Women’s Hoodie Dress by ArtisanAbigail

I am biased – I have a Welsh-Gorgi/Beagle rescue, so I can not resist anything that resembles her.

Purple Bismuth iPhone 6 Case by WellAintThatNice

Now I love eye-catching designs, and this case is hard to ignore. What a stylish way to dress up and protect your iPhone!

Laurel Wreath Custom Gray Serving Platter by SAGiftsandDesign

A beautiful and unique personalized platter, that fits with any decor. I love the simple elegance of this piece.

Beige Monogram Trellis | Round Pouf by FINEandDANDY

No favorite reading corner is complete without a puff to rest my upon.

Aren’t these beautiful? I hope this made your shopping a little easier. Remember that the above products are designed by independent artists, who truly appreciate your support.

Have a wonderful week!

Claudia

(Disclaimer: The above links to my fellow Zazzle designers are affiliate links. Any profit made from sales does not take away from the designers profits and helps me to continue to promote their work and offer advice for their creative endeavours. )

 

Featured Artist Of The Week – Nadine May

I love you by Nadine May

I met Nadine on Facebook where she posted some of her Zazzle designs, and knew that I had to get to know more about  her work. Thankfully, she agreed to sit down for an interview with me. Her bright and colorful florals are featured in her store “Just Kidding”, such as this  King Potrea Pillow while her store “The Awakening” features fantastical images that are stunning, beautiful and visionary.

Me: How long have you been working with Zazzle?

Nadine: The 14th of October 2015 was my first anniversary with Zazzle.
I found out about Zazzle when two friends were chatting to each other on a Skype group about Redbubble and Zazzle. I was clueless as to what they were talking about so I asked them. That was my first introduction to this wonderful possibility that anybody can design images for products and can earn royalty payments. For the rest of that week I looked, read, and practised while now and then chatting to my friends on Skype.
My normal job doing book cover designs for Kima Global Publishers was going through a quite rough time, so I found myself glued to my computer chair for hours creating images for the Zazzle templates. I thought of all the leather work, drawings and paintings I had done over the years and was keen to see them displayed on their products.
I love illustrating – telling stories through imagery, and today I love working with Photoshop. I’m self taught and learn each day what I can do with this amazing program.

Fairy Kingdom Postcard

Me: What made you choose Zazzle?
Nadine: Zazzle has a lot of products and a very easy platform to create an online presence for a designer.
Kima Global Gifts shop
An idea came to me one morning that I could use many of my book design covers and I format these for the Zazzle templates and at the same time promote the title of the book! I thought the authors would be my first customers! That has not happened so far….but they do like my efforts.
Just kidding shop
It is here that I post all my past and present artworks, especially the leather work. I still have to do a lot of scanning, but now I had to start organizing my computer by creating files for the many images and photos I want to use for my designs.
The Awakening shop
I write articles for Hubpages. Most of these posts are about the research I’ve done over the years for my visionary fiction novels. I love creating images for these articles, but they are more about very alternative topics, so I created a different shop for these designs and two weeks ago I started to prepare an online doodle workshop using Zazzle products. I can also add the article links to the designs for visitors just in case they are interested

Me: How would you describe your process as an artist?
Nadine: I’m a visionary fiction author and learned over the years that to write a book is a lot easier than selling a book, and so I know that the same applies to images. As an artist, I had to invent myself all over again. I’ve created two blogs for all my product designs. One with WordPress and one with Blogpost. I do have other blogs that are more connected with my published novels available on Amazon and many other platforms, and I often post a product image on there if it links to the topics of my writings. I learned a great deal from other Zazzle designers on Facebook, and the friendships I have made with them are an added bonus.
I share theirs and my own products on my own Facebook shopping page and on Pinterest and Google+. I try to be creative by using Polyvore for display purposes. Now all I need is to be able to stretch “TIME”

Spring Basket Gatherers

Me: What do you think are your greatest obstacles in creating and selling art for an online platform?
Nadine: To reach an exposure level that results in sales takes hard work and time.
Many people would never spend the hours that I do each day after I have told them what I have earned so far over the one year period, but I have every confidence that each year my earnings will multiply. What is for me the most important is that I LOVE what I do. I could never do anything solely for the money, no matter how financially lucrative it might be.

Best of Zazzle – Halloween Edition #2

End Of Summer – Are You Ready For Holiday Sales?

Dear Print On Demand Artists, it is time to get ready for the upcoming holiday season! And I do not mean just Fall, Veterans Day,  Halloween, and Thanksgiving, but also Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Years!

Revisit all of your seasonal products from last year, and see where you can make an improvement. How about adding new designs, just make sure that you place them on a variety of products in order to cover the various needs of your customers.

Fall and Winter are a perfect opportunity to create and sell stamps that reflect the colors that correspond to the upcoming holidays. While most people rely on electronic messaging, those are traditionally the times of the year where snail mail is still in use, so take advantage of that!

Here is a quick calendar to remind you of the exact dates you need to be ready for (remember to place your products a few weeks ahead of each holiday)

Holiday	Date
Halloween/Samhain	10/31/2015
Veteran’s Day	11/11/2015
Thanksgiving Day	11/26/2015
Hanukkah	12/6/2015 – 12/14/2015
Christmas Day/Day After Christmas	12/25/2015 – 12/26/2015
Kwanzaa	12/16/2015 – 1/1/2015
New Year’s Eve	12/31/2015

Also, keep in mind the lesser known Holiday of Yule/Winter Solstice, which occurs this year on Dec. 22nd.

Happy Creating!

The Perfect Gift – A Haiku

the light in your eyes
a perfect gift, well deserved
expression of love

Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2014

This post was inspired by today’s Daily Prompt “Secret Santa”.

Winter Solstice – A Haiku

Source: http://deafpagancrossroads.com/2010/12/08/yule-series-ii-the-holly-king-vs-the-oak-king/

 

sweet winter solstice
as darkness embraces the world
renewed hope appears

Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2014