Hayley + Allan

What a lovely couple of days enjoyed with a lovely couple of humans.

Hayley Barry is an extraordinary hand lettering artist from Provo, Utah whom I happened upon on Instagram about two years ago. I was immediately in awe of and inspired by her intricate and pristine works of word art.

A year ago, when it came time to revamp our Panic-Free Pricing book into an e-course, I suggested to my co-author, Becca, that we include Hayley as a guest contributor, sharing her wealth of knowledge on the subject of pricing for mural projects. She was a complete delight to work with, writing an entire chapter and providing amazing video to support her material.

This past August on Instagram, Hayley asked her audience where she should host her next Hand Lettering workshop. I (not so) jokingly sent her a message reply, “How about Ottawa, Canada!?”

You can imagine my squeals of delight when she replied, “I’d love to! If you can secure a minimum of 12 participants, I’ll come!”

After working out the details, and selling not only the minimum of 12 spots, but selling out all 25, Hayley booked flights for her and her husband Allan to spend the weekend in Ottawa, starting with our workshop Friday night. Not only was this to be Hayley + Allan’s first trip to Ottawa, but their first trip to Canada!

The anticipation of this weekend has been not unlike that leading up to Christmas morning. Waiting for them to arrive at the airport yesterday morning was like waiting for Santa! My heart was racing and my palms were sweaty! We all did a little happy dance upon first recognizing each other—them at the top of the escalator, me at the bottom. People must have thought we were long lost cousins, or completely bonkers!

After their overnight flights, Hayley + Allan were just about ready to ground themselves in their AirBnB, so we headed that way taking the scenic route, stopping along the way for quick hellos with a mutual friend, and a bite to eat in trendy Hintonburg. While they rested, I headed to ALE—Amberwood Lounge + Eatery—to set up. (Handy that I work there part-time as the Event Administrator!)

Hayley + Allan arrived with Becca at 4:30pm, followed by 16 of the 25 workshop participants for an early dinner. The workshop began at 6:30pm, and was jam-packed with hand lettering knowledge, tips, tricks, and techniques—sprinkled with Hayley’s charm and humour to keep everyone giggling.

By 9:30pm we were all exhausted and ready for bed. Becca drove Hayley + Allan home, and we confirmed plans to meet up this morning for a full day of Ottawa sights.

We started this morning at the National Art Gallery, followed by a stroll through the Byward Market, landing at The Aulde Dubliner for Hayley + Allan’s first taste of Poutine! We then visited The Original Giant Tiger, as a bit of a gag—before taking her calligraphy business full-time, Becca worked in the Interior Design department of GT, and had requested Hayley take a selfie, should one cross her path.

To rest our legs a bit, and take full advantage of the season, I drove my guests to Gatineau Park. We made it to Huron and Champlain Lookouts, where Fall Rhapsody did not disappoint!

Farewells were bid at about 5pm, as I left them at their AirBnB with suggestions for places to explore during the rest of their time here before heading home Monday morning.

Our bittersweet hugs goodbye felt so much more connected than our excited hugs hello. Time and memories shared brought the three of us closer together as friends, and Utah has officially been added to my wish list of travel destinations!

I have been reminding myself constantly of the magic in this entire experience—from admiring a young artist’s work, to saying hello, to collaborating on a project, to inviting her to travel to lead a workshop, to touring them around my beautiful city, to becoming friends.

Some people frown upon social media for the lack of connection and withdrawal it seemingly causes in real life relationships. And while I don’t necessarily disagree, I also see and embrace the opportunities it offers for connections I wouldn’t have imagined without it—real, intimate, authentic connections.

What a lovely couple of days enjoyed with a lovely couple of humans.

Wordless Wednesday | Cuba 2019

xox
Joanne

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this story. Feel free to leave a comment and let’s chat!

Hola!

Tomorrow at this time, Quinn, Jake, and I will be on our flight to Varadero, Cuba.

This trip is a promise I made to my boys way back in 2010—the last (and fourth) time I travelled to Cuba. I promised them the next time I went, it would be with them—just the three of us. They were nine and four then, now 18 and 13.

Quite honestly, even though I have wished a thousand times I could have taken them sooner, I think now is the perfect time. They are old enough to understand the value and opportunity of this adventure, and young enough to appreciate our time together (I trust I have raised them to always appreciate our time together 😉). I am so proud to be able to make this happen—so looking forward to the laughs we will have, and witnessing the wonder in their eyes as we tour though Havana, their amazement at the sights + scenes, and their appreciation for the local culture, and my love for the country and its people since my first visit in 1998.

This will be my fifth trip to Cuba, and by all counts, the most special.
✨☀️👩‍👦‍👦💕

xox
Joanne

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this story. Feel free to leave a comment and let’s chat!

Joyful Living through Creative Play

I’ve been sitting on my front step since 6:40am—and it’s Sunday.

There are two reasons I might wake up early: 1) the anxiety over money, relationships, work is too much to bear, and I need to distract myself from the rumination my brain forces upon me by hauling my ass out of bed and doing something—anything, or 2) none of the aforementioned condition exists and I am enthusiastic about the day and all it has to offer—especially if I have a new project or idea.

On July 10th, a very sweet lady passed away who impacted my life more than she ever knew. I only met Julie once. In September 2015, she attended my very first women’s art retreat weekend. Her energy was bright and buoyant, colourful and calm, happy and healing. She and I felt a kinship right away, as I know she did with many other guests that weekend, as did I. Julie and I remained in touch, albeit with decreasing frequency as her health was ailing.

In one of our earliest communications, Julie said to me, “Joanne, you are a healer.”

That single statement has affected me daily ever since, though it didn’t come as a complete surprise. People have been drawn to me for support, advice, respite, and cheering up since I was a child. I make people feel welcome, relaxed, listened to, comfortable.

What was most profound about Julie saying it to me, was that she, in fact, was a healer. Julie was an art therapist and teacher, and helped hundreds process pain and hurt through art and creative play. In Julie telling me I am a healer, she was encouraging me to give myself permission to keep doing what I was doing, and what I have felt for years is my purpose here on Earth.

Yesterday, I was inspired by another artist—Thank you, Universe—by way of Pinterest. You know artists, always wincing in anticipation of peoples’ reactions when they answer questions of, “What do you do for a living?” with “I’m an artist.” You may not always see the wince, but oh, it’s there.

I watched a few of Belinda’s videos, and WHAMMY, she hit the nail on the head for me a bunch of times. She speaks of having jobs to secure income (I have three, at last count). She speaks of friends and family encouraging her to get a real job. She speaks of feeling a complete lack of inspiration when she needs it most—for a commission, or an event, or to sell something, already! And when inspiration fails to ignite, she speaks of beating herself up, feeling inadequate, like a failure, like a fraud, like anything but an artist.

Belinda also speaks about healing though art, and she offers clients the space, time, and freedom to do so without judgement or fear.

It can cause such inner turmoil for us artists and creative healers. We often struggle to do for ourselves what we are meant to do for others. In my experience, it is in precisely those moments when I know I am affecting someone’s life, that I too heal. Seeing women around my studio table lighting up, and being inspired by my teachings, my experience, my story—heals me. It heals the wound that works so hard to convince me I’m not good enough.

Well, that’s garbage.

I am plenty good enough. Thank you, Julie and Belinda, for reminding me of that.

In the days ahead, I will be reworking and rewording my website to focus more on the healing powers of creative play, and the ways in which I will inspire joyful living though creative play. I will be more raw, more vulnerable, more forgiving, more open, more free.

Here I sit on my front step. The mid-Summer sun is warming my skin, even at this early hour. I’m sweating in all of my nooks and crannies, and am kinda wishing I had a Mojitio instead of this Matcha.

I am inspired.
This is why I was awake so early today.

Joanne
xox

JoeGirl set to Climb the CN Tower!

On October 20th, I’m participating in 2012 Enbridge CN Tower Climb for United Way, and will be climbing 1,776 stairs to the top!

Help me reach my fundraising goal by sponsoring me in the Enbridge CN Tower Climb for United Way! Every dollar raised will go toward United Way Toronto which helps provide stability to community agencies and strengthens their capacity to serve our city—both today and into the future.

By sponsoring me, you can help create opportunities for a better life for everyone in our community. Of the pledges I gather, 100% of the funds will directly go to United Way Toronto, helping support a wide network of health and social service agencies serving our community.

If you would like to sponsor me, please click on the link below. Once you’ve made your donation using your credit card, you will receive an electronic tax receipt immediately. It’s fast, easy and secure to do!

Sponsor JoeGirl’s CN Tower Climb!

For more information on how you can participate in the 2012 Enbridge CN Tower Climb for United Way, too, please visit this page.

Thanks for your support!
Give. Volunteer. Act.

{ Psst… I love to receive feedback on my posts. Please leave your comments whenever you feel inspired to do so! }

Inspiration 365: Day 54

[ Yes, I skipped a few days. Forgive me. ]

Today was Quinn’s Grade 5 ski trip to our regular hill. I volunteered to join the class as a parent helper, but was {don’t tell anybody} not particularly looking forward to the outing. “Why?” you ask. While I do love skiing and the outdoors, and I love spending time with Quinner, there were a few potential issues that were making me wince a little.

1.  The weather has been so mild all week, even raining at times, I was anticipating lousy conditions. Considering I had to pay for my lift ticket, I didn’t want to be forking over my pennies to ski in slush or on ice.

2.  Quinn is considered an advanced skier for his age group. This is his eighth year on skis, and his fifth in the racing program. He knows his stuff, knows the trails, and often goes skiing on his own without supervision. Most of his school friends are hockey players, having never clipped a boot into a binding before. Two of these guys (I’ll call them A-boy + H-boy) were assigned to my group to make our foursome. While I love teaching kids and working with them, I was not sure how we would all have an enjoyable day. Either Quinn would be bored on the easier runs, or his buddies would be frustrated and not able to keep up.

Quinn and I opted to drive to the hill instead of taking the school bus (more of that good ol’ quality time). We arrived about 45 minutes ahead of the class. While we waited another NINE schools came, resulting in about a thousand kids, of various skill levels, all ready to ski.

Once everybody had their tickets and gear, we were told to go to the star test station so the kids could be qualified to ski safely. A-boy had been on skis once or twice before and, as an avid hockey player, understood the science behind weight-shifting, balance and speed control. H-boy had never been on skis, and rarely on skates. These big planks on his feet made him stumble and fall simply getting from chalet to rope tow.

The hill was clearly ill-equipped to handle so many kids. The few instructors there weren’t so much teaching as they were herding kids through tow lines, hollering at them to “Keep going! There are too many kids here to hold up the line!” Poor H-boy stumbled on his first attempt to grab the rope tow. I exclaimed to the lift operator this was his first time on skis. “Oh! Well then he should be over THERE!”, pointing to a station where kids were learning how to STOP. Oh, there is a process here! So H-boy and I went over, while Quinn and A-boy proceeded to acquire their star with ease.

After six attempts, H-boy passed his stopping test, but not before frustration and defeat set in. He told me several times “I suck” and “I can’t do this”. My heart sank, but I encouraged him to keep trying. I took him over to the Turning station for his next step. He rode the magic carpet, while I skied uphill to meet him at the top {it’s a mild grade slope, at best}. Again at the top, there was a line up of kids waiting to go down, weaving gracefully through pylons, and who were expected to make turns and stop successfully at the bottom. There was zero instruction, only crowd control. “How can you expect kids to keep going, when they don’t even know what they are doing!? Most of these kids have never been on skis before, let alone know how to turn!” I said {forcefully, but not yelling}. “Hey, I’m the only one here. I’m doing what I can” was his response. “Well shuffling them down the hill is only going to result in a pile-up and potentially injuries. These kids need to be taught.”

I took H-boy to the side and tried to show him how to shift his weight in order to turn. He just wasn’t getting the hang of it. He toppled over at every attempt, becoming more frustrated each time. You know that point, when you just feel so lousy, you don’t even want to try? That’s where he was.

I looked up and saw Quinn patiently waiting, clearly bummed, but also feeling sad for his friend. It was now almost noon, and Q still hadn’t even gone down the hill. I approached their teacher with the situation. She suggested she might be able to find another group of kids at H-boy’s level with whom he could learn to ski. Feeling awful about his first experience, I agreed this was the best idea given the situation.

I thought about H-boy all day, wondering how he was doing. I learned that he spent the three hours after our last turning attempt just sitting in the lodge.

At about 3:30pm, I saw the teacher at the bottom of the hill. She caught my attention and was thrilled to tell me H-boy had decided to get back out there and try again. She pointed to the top of the wee rope tow hill, where I saw him prepping himself for another run. I waved, and he waved back. From fifty yards away, I could tell he was beaming with pride.

I had promised his Dad I would take photos and video, so here was my chance. In the time it took me to haul my iPhone out of my pocket, Quinn, A-boy and Q’s BFF L-boy were on their way up the rope tow to ski with their buddy (I’ve known all these kids since they were four years old. They are all such wonderful boys).

He was so excited coming down the hill. My heart sang at the sight of his huge grin as he sailed by me. “This is awesome! I’ve never gone that fast before! Well, except for that time I was in an airplane, but that wasn’t ME! I love this!”

We were so close to the end of the field trip, and time for the kids to be hustled back on the bus. I told the boys to stay where they were, I would be right back. I headed over to the teacher and asked her if I could keep H-boy with Quinn and I, and that I would drive him home. Seeing how excited and pleased he was, how could I put an end to his fun knowing I could give him the opportunity to continue? After speaking with his Dad, she gave me permission to keep him under my wing a little longer.

H-boy couldn’t believe his ears. “Thank you!” I made him a deal that if he could come down the learner’s hill three times without stumbling, I would take him on the chairlift for a few runs. He did it.

This little boy who was so devastated only a few hours earlier, was now wishing he could ski all night, and every day until Spring arrives. I felt so proud and thrilled to be able to give him this experience.

We proceeded to go down the easiest run four times, his turning and control improving each attempt. Quinn was so patient and encouraging, cheering H-boy on as he went along. He was exactly the kind of friend I always hoped my kids would be. I was proud of him too.

It was soon five o’clock, and time to go. We all could have easily stayed until 10pm close, but I had promised his Dad that H-boy would be home by 5:30pm.

We were all fired up from this amazing afternoon. What a transformation—a brilliant display of courage, perseverance and determination.

H-boy, you are awesome and inspiring. I will be happy to bring you skiing with us anytime.

{ Psst… I love to receive feedback on my posts. Please leave your comments whenever you feel inspired to do so! }

Inspiration 365: Day 28

There is nothing quite like when a child who is not yours snuggles in beside you to watch a movie.

Reveals to me that children express emotions freely—love, fear, anger, pride.

Why do adults hold back? Where did that inhibition come from? At what point in our development do we begin to retract our expression and turn inward, or express false emotion?

To what gain? Or more importantly, to what loss?

Thank you, Sweet N, for the genuine, unabashed demonstration of admiration tonight. You taught me a lesson I won’t soon forget.

{ Psst… I love to receive feedback on my posts. Please leave your comments whenever you feel inspired to do so! }

Inspiration 365: Day 25

Growing up, I had one really, really good girl friend, and at any given time, two or three other girl friends I could occasionally call or hang out with. I tended to have more guy friends, and often felt more comfortable around them, as I was much of a Tomboy myself (for example, spelling my Jo, with an ‘e’ since the age of 8).

It wasn’t until launching JoeGirl that I really became focused on women, thereby attracting more women into my life. In the last 18 months since opening Marshall’s, I have become very good friends with over a dozen women—any of whom I could call at a moment’s notice to join me for a drink, a meal, a shopping spree, or a good cry.

One of those women is Chantal. Gorgeous, real, humble, sweet, spirited, tender Chantal. {I do believe she is the most beautiful woman I have ever met. Seriously. People Magazine has yet to feature anybody more stunning than this girl.}

After being unable to attend each other’s fortieth birthday party, Chantal and I agreed to set a lunch date. Today was the day. Given recent events and a rough start to my day, I walked the 100 paces from the Centre to Back Lane Café, wondering how my mood was going to pick up enough to be anything more than mediocre company.

As soon as I saw her face, my lugubrious mood lifted immediately. We caught each other up on our recent goings-on for no less than thirty minutes before even placing our order. Seems we have been leading similar lives, struggling with similar issues, battling the same ego wars. It was refreshing and uplifting to share our wins and losses with somebody who has really been there. And yes, we cried.

I practically skipped back to the gym, beaming with an optimism for my future—the okay to feel what I have been feeling, and the confidence to surge ahead with my dreams.

Chantal, you are extraordinary. Thank you for walking into my life, and welcoming me into yours.

{ Psst… I love to receive feedback on my posts. Please leave your comments whenever you feel inspired to do so! }

Inspiration 365: Day 24

Some Thank You’s are in order today…

• Thank You, Wayne. For saving my ass {again}.
• Thank You, Scott. For playing so sweetly with Jake this afternoon. I had not before seen that side of you. You will be a remarkable father some day.
• Thank You, Matt. For listening as I moaned about the state of affairs. You have become a great friend, and I look forward to spending more time with you in the future.
• Thank You, Cierra. For being strong. You are a bright light, surrounded by love.
• Thank You, Tara. For your text message smile this morning. You have no idea how much I needed it.
• Thank You, Kelly. For your trust. It speaks volumes.
• Thank You, Mom. For your encouragement. You always put it all out on the table. Raw and painful sometimes, but always offering tremendous growth.
• Thank You, Marshall. For giving and receiving so much love.
• Thank You, Quinn. For taking so much initiative this morning to help out. You are amazing.
• Thank You, Jake. For being the best junior receptionist Marshall’s has ever seen. I am so happy you are feeling better tonight. Sweet dreams, Little Bear.
• Thank YOU. For your regular readership and continual support. Now, if only I could encourage more feedback and comments. Are you really out there?

So… what inspired YOU today?

{ Psst… I love to receive feedback on my posts. Please leave your comments whenever you feel inspired to do so! }

Inspiration 365: Day 22

You want to hear something crazy?

I am friends with my ex-husband’s girlfriend on Facebook.

Yep. Wacko. I know.

The three of us went to lunch last November 11, 2011. As nervous as a teenaged girl on her first date, I wanted her to like me. I didn’t want her to be uncomfortable or uneasy. I simply wanted everybody to get along as adults should. We met under the guise of a colour consult, so I came equipped with 30lbs of paint fandecks, and she brought samples of her bedroom linens. It was the perfect—albeit unnecessary—ice-breaker.

I think Andrew was the most uncomfortable of all of us. He was fidgety and quiet. Likely thinking, “Oh my God, my worlds are colliding.”

Within 24 hours, she and I had connected via private message on Facebook. Within another six, we were “Friends” with Andrew’s blessing, of course. Ever since, we have ‘liked’ and commented on each other’s status updates, photos, links and shares.

What a wonderful situation—to not begrudge the person who now occupies Andrew’s heart, simply because society expects me to. I am thrilled for both of them… so deserving of happiness.

Thank you, Caroline. You inspire me.

So… What inspired YOU today?

{ Psst… I love to receive feedback on my posts. Please leave your comments whenever you feel inspired to do so! }

Inspiration 365: Day 19

At about ten minutes to three this afternoon, a man with a kind face walked into the Centre. No, there is no punchline. He spoke softly, with a broad smile, introducing himself as local Naturopathic doctor, Julek Meissner. He mentioned a mutual friend, Wayne, and I instantly recalled the fondness Wayne expressed for this man standing before me.

Julek’s smile and gentle demeanor immediately lifted my Spirits. It had otherwise been a low-energy/low-vibration day. Marshall arrived just as Julek was leaving. The three of us chatted about our shared beliefs in Spirit, Energy + Frequency. It was a delightful albeit brief conversation, though one which led to the two gentlemen booking a date for tea and further discussion next week.

People are fascinating. Julek reminded me to never feel intimidated to introduce myself to another. You just never know what you’ll learn from the encounter, or how you will feel afterward. Go for it!

{ Psst… I love to receive feedback on my posts. Please leave your comments whenever you feel inspired to do so! }

Inspiration 365: Day 16

Tonight, I am inspired by the many strong, beautiful women in my life…

Kelly, for working so hard to promote my new business direction;
Tara, for listening and lending a new perspective;
Cierra, for being so passionate about raising awareness to her peers about safe driving;
Elsbeth, for her determination and perseverance;
Melissa, for racking up the overtime so she can contribute enough to her RRSP to avoid paying taxes;
Tali, for inquiring about a power lifting program for women {oh, yah!};
Clarissa, Karla and Jennifer, for joining my 6-Meal Dinner Club within three minutes of receiving their invitation {Don’t be offended if you did not receive an invite. This is a spin-off for the participants of last week’s Nutrition Workshop. I will offer more dinner clubs down the road.};
Céline, for opening the Centre at 6am today after buggering-up her knee last night; and
my Mom, Sharon, for yesterday’s encouraging words which echoed throughout my thoughts all day long.

Thank you, Ladies.

…What inspired YOU today?

{ Psst… I love to receive feedback on my posts. Please leave your comments whenever you feel inspired to do so! }

Inspiration 365: Day 14

Green Tea at Red Salon.

Also tonight, Marshall, Cierra and I have had (and continue to have) the most inspirational, motivational, “shit-or-get-off-the-pot-inal” evening ever. I love this life.

{ Psst… I love to receive feedback on my posts. Please leave your comments whenever you feel inspired to do so! }

Inspiration 365: Day 6

From the moment they were first born, I have taught my boys to be gentle. Wait. I feel like I have written this before. Oh right, I have.

Please refer to ‘Exhibit A’ before continuing…
‘G is for Gentle’, originally posted July 4, 2008

Thank you. Let me continue…

My boys are most certainly gentle. At ages ten and a half (remember how important the increments were between birthdays?), and five and a half, they have grown into thoughtful, compassionate, observant, sweet young men. Sometimes they need reminding. Don’t we all? Yet most of the time, they take their gentle very seriously.

Gentle. When Quinn comes and wraps his arms around me for no other reason than just because.
Gentle. When Jake asks his daycare provider to phone me 30 seconds after dropping him off so he can tell me one more time that he loves me.
Gentle. How they take turns having Marley sleep on their beds, and whisper sweet nothings to her as if tucking her in.
Gentle. The way Quinn helps me bring the groceries in from the car, saying things like “No Mom, let me do it.”

Tonight the boys and I went to the movies. On our way out, Quinn held the door open for a man headed inside. He looked Eastern European—tall, dark moustache, maybe in his 50s. I don’t think that matters, but wanted you to imagine his character… In a great, booming voice he said to Quinn:

“Thank You! You are a gentle boy!”

Quinn beamed the entire ride home. So did I.

{ Psst… I love to receive feedback on my posts. Please leave your comments whenever you feel inspired to do so! }

Inspiration 365: Day 4

I arrived home this evening to find my landlord sitting on the edge of my bathtub {where I was so eagerly headed to soothe a persistent headache} cowering over a gaping trench dug out of my sweet, original, hex tile floor.

Oh, yes… That is the downstairs neighbour’s bathroom you see through the opening.

Oh. No.

I had received an email yesterday requesting permission to enter with a plumber to investigate some reported leaking in the downstairs apartment. No problem, I reply.

This is how he left my once glorious, immaculate, private haven… promising to return tomorrow to begin filling the trench with something to build up the floor again. This ought to be interesting.

So, where is the inspiration in this mess?

I could have reacted poorly, throwing foulness at my landlord, refusing to pay a portion of my rent, demanding he put me and my family up in a hotel until it is fully repaired, and so on.

But no. That kind of reaction is not in me (or at least not in my outside voice). It was clear he was embarrassed, frustrated, discouraged and upset, so what would it have accomplished for me to respond in anger? He and the plumber had been there since noon, and it was now 7pm.

I prepared a small plate of carrots, hummus and pita wedges for the two of them, and continued about my business, grateful to have such a beautiful home.

{ Psst… I love to receive feedback on my posts. Please leave your questions, comments + feedback whenever you feel inspired to do so! }

Gratitude: Day 365

I did it!
365 Gratitude Statements for 2011. 

I am grateful for inspiration and the Universe. I am grateful for my creativity and the opportunities it has brought to me. I am grateful to each of you, for sharing your gratitude with me. And I am most grateful for my children, and the lessons they taught me over the last year.

Happy New Year!

Gratitude: Day 364

Grateful this morning for the long, wonderful chat I had with one of our Members. The more I speak with her, the more we discover we have in common. Today, our shared belief in the power of thought and choice. So refreshing to discuss with others who practice these values, rather than ridicule them.

Gratitude: Day 363

Grateful today for the inspiration for my 2012 daily post project “Inspiration 365”… Excited to begin! I hope you will follow along, and perhaps even consider your own daily posting ritual to spread beauty, love, gratitude + happiness.

For 2012…

I have been contemplating these past few days on what my 2012 Daily Post will be. My Grateful Statements have been wonderful—though challenging at times—to write. What I set out to achieve was certainly accomplished within the first 30 posts. I had hoped my friends, family and followers on Facebook and this blog, would catch the wave and consider their own gratitude for things big and small. I had hoped they would share their gratitude with others as well, and so on… My heart danced when I would read somebody’s Facebook status update starting with the words, “I am so grateful that…”

In 2012 I am going to widen the scope to include all inspirations—what this blog was originally designed to capture and share. So for 365 days, I will not let my camera or notepad leave my side. I will be scouring both the soft-copy and hard-copy versions of this extraordinary world, and the people who populate it, for excerpts of creativity, spontaneity, design, wisdom, humour, beauty, flavour, joy—all things inspired and inspiring.

As always, you are encouraged to leave feedback and comments {please!}, and share with us what inspires you.

The purpose of all this? To open our eyes to beauty—inside + out. And to share.

Enjoy… and Happy New Year!

Gratitude: Day 362

You know what!? Today I am grateful for Facebook. Seriously. I don’t pay a cent to stay connected with friends, family, loved ones. I can keep up to date on world events + trends, and even follow the makers of my favourite products. It’s pretty cool. And Thank YOU for being part of it too :) {I typically write my Grateful statements on Facebook first, then transfer them over to my blog}