Cliches, originally uploaded by Smackthatbird.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Partners in Kind : Free September Desktop Calendar + Organization Tips
For a PC : Click on the appropriate resolution below the wallpaper to open the larger version. Right click on the image & choose "Set as Background."
For a Mac : Click on the appropriate resolution below the wallpaper to open the larger version. Right click on the image and choose "Set as Desktop Background."
Partners in Kind! Jenn & I are teaming up to put together a joint post for you all every week! This week I designed the above desktop calendar while Jenn is sharing some of her awesome organizational tips! Enjoy!
- AmandaHi, my name is Jenn & I'm an obsessive organizer.
I have planners (plural), sticky notes filled with thoughts, ideas, lists of things to-do, I have color-coded charts on one dry erase board, and a list of Kindred posts, giveaways, and sponsors on another one. Let's not even get started about my love of making tables in Word documents, ok? I'm the type of person that needs to write things down, sketch out ideas, I brainstorm via writing & e-mail more than talking. I like being able to open a planner & see what is happening when, I like being able to reference one of my sticky notes to see what needs to be done. It makes things easier & with how hectic the day-to-day can be, easier is good. We are fans of easier here at Kind Over Matter.
So, with all that in mind, here are a few tips on things I do to keep it all easy:
- Begin with a good planner & your favorite pen. I always splurge just a bit on planners because I like things to be pretty, original, eclectic. If I'm going to be using this planner for an entire year, I want it to be something I like to look at. I recently got a Filofax
& am completely enamored with it. They come in various sizes, types & colors, and you can order really neat add-ons like multicolored paper, sticky notes, pens, a mirror, a calculator.
Also, speaking of pretty, original & eclectic, Kelly Rae Roberts will be rolling out a new set of planners soon, so keep your eyes on her site.
Prefer calendars? Well, keep your eye on Jess Swift! She's going to be launching a line of calendars shortly -- you can pre-order yours next Tuesday & you can bet your bippy I'm going to be all over that!
- Schedule time with yourself to exclusively work on your project, whether it's writing blog posts, making crafts, painting, drawing. Set aside time each week or day to focus solely on that -- no multi-tasking either! Giving your project your undivided attention will help ensure that details don't fall through the cracks.
- Communication is key. It's really important to make sure that everyone is on the same page. Working on a project with a partner? Get together once a week or once a month, look at them as meetings, write down a list of the things you want to talk about, perhaps in your pretty new planner. Offer suggestions, feedback and creative constructive criticism. Amanda & I do regular phone dates since we don't live near each other, it's so nice to have that time to check in, talk about goals & ideas for making Kind Over Matter the best it can be.
We Love Our Sponsors : Magpie Girl's Power Stories
Do you ever feel pushed around by old messages about what you should do and how you should act?
Do you feel nervous to tell your partner (or doctor, or waiter…) what you really want and need?
Is fear getting in your way of your true dreams?
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still being compassionate and kind.
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Learning to STAND results in:
- a strong sense of direction about personal relationships.
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- a life that feels stable and energized – not timid and depleted.
Power Stories begins Sept. 13. Click here to register.
You deserve to live the clearest, truest you. Let’s learn to stand.
:: Bite-Sized Power Stories :: Magpie Girl :: Flock: a soulcare community ::
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Thank you so much, Rachelle, for becoming a sponsor!
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it's not the load that weighs you down but the way you carry it
LOOK AT ME, originally uploaded by Niffty...
Square your shoulders to the world,
be not the kind to quit; It's not the load that
weighs you down but the way you carry it.
-
Unknown
Monday, August 30, 2010
Question : Where would this bike take you?
, originally uploaded by sleeping wolves.
It's been a rough day. Maybe you overslept, didn't get your coffee or tea, forgot your lunch at home. Maybe you burned your lunch on the stove, forgot to take out the trash, spilled cranberry juice on your new shirt.
Or maybe it hasn't been a rough day, maybe it's been the best of days. You woke up early & watched the sun rise in the sky, maybe you received an e-mail from that one person you love so much but keep missing, maybe you're wearing your favorite pair of underoos.
However it shakes down, this bike is still the same. It's a magical bike. You climb on it, start pedaling, so hard, you're going so fast, it feels like you have taken flight. The colors are blurring past you, everything is green & blue, random bits of brick red tossed in with all the houses you are passing.
This is a magical bike that can take you anywhere.
Question : Where would this bike take you?
Kind Kindred : Jen Lemen
A beautiful day to each of you lovelies, thank you for joining us today. Let me tell you a little bit about Jen Lemen. I found Jen through Shutter Sisters so many months ago, specifically in Picture Hope. Seeing the photographs, reading Odette & her daughters' story, I was so hopeful that things would work out. I felt like I knew them because Jen (and her partner in the project Stephanie Roberts), their words brought these people that I'd never meet to life. Jen's magic is in her words, and her photography, her gift is in telling a story in such a way that you are drawn in, instantly. You care. You dream. You hope. So we are really so happy that she's become a part of our tribe. Peace to each of you, in abundance. - Jenn
the bottom of everything is love, originally uploaded by jenlemen.
Cell Phone Serenade
A few years ago, I met an amazing and kind-hearted woman named Myriam Joseph. After exchanging one or two emails, we were lucky enough to meet face-to-face and within the first hour, we found ourselves sitting on the floor of someone else's hotel room, telling each other long tearful stories about our lives from the beginning until our most recent past. Myriam has been one of my dearest friends ever since, and even though we live on separate coasts, we do our best to see each other as often as we can.
During the months when we can't be together, Myriam introduced me to the Cell Phone Serenade. Every couple of days, I get a message on my machine, and it's Myriam, singing me a song--the cheesier or the more ridiculous, the better. I cannot tell you how many times I've been having a day where I'm sure my whole life is shot to hell and then there's Myriam, singing on my voice mail, reminding me in one kind and simple act, that I'm loved and that someone far away deeply cares.
It took a few months for it to dawn on me that the Cell Phone Serenade could be part of my kindness practice, too. Just yesterday, I sang fifteen cell phone serenades to commenters on my blog, and we were all delighted at how deeply something as simple as a song made us feel connected--and dare I say--complete.
I don't know why, but there's something so lovely about the Cell Phone Serenade. I don't sing the entire song--just a few lines will do--and I almost always don't sing unless the machine picks up. I always feel a little bit shy and silly, but I know truly, truly that the only time most people are ever sung to is when they are babies, or--if they are very, very lucky--when they are in love. These are too few instances, in my humble opinion. Here are three of my favorite Cell Phone Serenades.
- You are so Beautiful to me by Joe Cocker
- Without You by Harry Nilson (I like the height of the chorus, "I Can't Live, if Living is Without You!")
- Climb Every Mountain from the Sound of Music
Part of being kind, I believe, is to make ourselves vulnerable. To show our affection. To reveal the ways our hearts lean in to the other with ridiculous longing and admiration. Sometimes we're able to do that with a note, but sometimes it requires a more audacious gesture. A song, if you will, sung with abandon. A serenade--because we cannot contain how much we long for the other to know how deeply and irrationally we care.
What do you think? Start with your dearest friend, your sister, your long lost favorite old person. Will you join me for a Cell Phone Serenade?
 | Jen Lemen uses photography, storytelling and cross-cultural friendship to explore the power of dreams and the essence of hope. Her current projects include Mondo Beyondo, an online class about dreaming big, and Picture HOPE, a global photography assignment that carries her around the world finding stories of radical trust and remarkable courage. A chronic doubter and aspiring mystic, Jen is learning what it means to be vulnerable and brave, fragile and strong -- all at the same time. |
remodel your thoughts
Sky in the Grass, originally uploaded by rvanr.
patterns in order to look at things
in a different way.
-
Edward de Bono
Friday, August 27, 2010
Friday's Lovelies!
Sadie knows what's she's talkin' about, oh yes, I saw the above video on Positively Positive's facebook feed last night & had to share it with you all, I'm really surprised this isn't viral yet. She is speaking to all of us. What a beautiful soul! Okay, I've been planning my next tattoo. I was looking on Flickr for some inspiration & ran into these time lapse tattoo videos. Dabe says, "I am getting an awesome Nerd sleeve" -- Nerds are the coolest people on the planet. Fact. Parts One, Two, Three of the progress = AWESOME! I don't care that I am 30 years old, I want one of these & REALLY wish they had them when I was 10. I've been watching the Pencil Vs Camera! set for a few weeks now. Love it. We were interviewed twice this week, check them out here & here! As mentioned in one of the interviews, hem is a refuge of sorts for me & a few of the women I love. You should skip over there, Jenn & I are makin' diptychs! GORGEOUS How To Make Bunting tutorial, PDF included! These Shoulder Bags are sooooo sweet! Yes please! This is probably my favorite Friday Lovely from the week, found by my love. He called to me from across the room, "You should read this, it's pretty kind!" I think that he was also hinting at the fact that I always want him to kill the spiders - but he is always like, but spiders are our friends, they kill the pests! He is one to take a spider outside before killing it. It's one of the many reasons why I love him... but I really dislike things that scurry. Anyway, Buddhist Monks FTW.
I found the above video through Mccabe, who pretty much always rocks my world. Go love on her! Indie Fixx posted a really neat (and long!) list of freebie printables! Cards, posters, labels and um, a little something else. Thank you so much for featuring us, Jen! What do you call yourself? The Time Traveler's Wobble made me melt. So. Cute. Remember the first time you did something craftsy & new? Or how about just the first time you did something new? Bet you had questions, huh? Well, Melissa is asking about scrapbooking, let's give her a hand! And this gem from Gala Darling:
Celebrate yourself this weekend, do something you never thought you could.
We will see you lovelies on Monday! xox
let it come in
, originally uploaded by betty.mae.strange.
The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.
-
Morrie Schwartz
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Thoughtful Do It Yourself Handmade Gifts : Gifts for the Group
Scrabble Magnets
S’mores Kits
Printable Tags for Tiny Pies
Printable Packaging Labels for Homemade Jam
Potted Banana Bread
Tea or Coffee Mug Planter
Printable Box for a Single Cupcake
Were you ever in the position where you wanted or needed to give a bunch of gifts that were thoughtful but inexpensive? I am always searching for the right things to give to relatives & friends during the holidays, not being able or wanting to spend too much but also wanting the gift to be warm & somewhat useful. So, here is a list of gifts that you could make in bulk, be it for co-workers, friends, family, neighbors, roommates etc --- have fun!
xox
We Love Our Sponsors : Artizen Coaching
Hi there creative entrepreneurs! Do you cringe when you hear the words business plan? Or maybe even worse... budget, cash flow, or profit and loss statement? If you're like most creatives, those terms make your skin crawl. Yet, as an entrepreneur it's vital to know where you're going and what it's going to take to get there.
So, how 'bout approaching business planning from a visual, creative and fun perspective instead? That's where the Right-Brain Business Plan™ e-Course comes in!
During this eight-week interactive program, you'll cover all the pieces of a traditional business plan (competitive analysis, marketing, finances, products/services, and more) but you'll do it in a way that leverages your intuition and creative genius (thank goodness!). And you'll get plenty of support, ideas, and encouragement from your course leader and fellow creative cohorts.
The course starts Sept. 20, and the early-bird special ends on Sept. 7, so register now.
The course is led by certified coach, author, and artist Jennifer Lee of Artizen Coaching.
Connect with Jennifer:
:: Coaching :: Right-Brain Business Plan :: Facebook :: Twitter ::
-
Jennifer, thanks so much for being a sponsor!
be here now
x., originally uploaded by Harper Wray.
My creed is that; Happiness is the only good. The place to be happy is here. The time to be happy is now. The way to be happy is to make others so.
-
Robert Green Ingersoll
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Giveaway Thursday with The Charm Lady!
This week's Giveaway is from Lori Degenstien at
The Charm Lady!
TWO of you have a chance to win
one of her gorgeous bubble pendants
& you get to choose which one!
Connect with Lori here:
:: Etsy :: Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter ::
How to Enter:
Visit Lori's Shop & comment on this blog post with which bubble pendant you'd like if you won! Don't forget your email address!
To make this a little easier for everyone you can copy, paste & fill-in-the-blanks:
Your favorite bubble pendant:
Your Email address, so we can reach you if you win:
Contest ends Wednesday, September 1st at 8pm EST - winner will be chosen randomly & will be announced on Thursday, September 2nd.
Bonus Entries:
If you do any of the following let us know by leaving a separate comment for each one you do. If you do any of the following already, let us know in an extra comment. Please, please make a separate comment for each of the bonus things that you do or your comment won't count. The separate comments help us to stay organized & makes choosing a winner so much easier...& it also ups your chances of winning! If you have any questions please e-mail us!
1. Follow our blog.
2. Follow Kind Over Matter on Twitter & Tweet about this giveaway.
3. Join our Flickr Pool.
4. Like us on Facebook.
5. Subscribe to our updates in your favorite reader or by email with feedburner & you get ONE extra comment.
6. Share a photo of a card drop that you've done & make TWO extra comments.
7. Buy something from The Charm Lady & get THREE extra comments!
Thank you soooo much Lori!
Good Luck everyone!!
oh ho! we have a winner!
