Calm Mind, Peaceful Life

This is one of my all time favorite photos of Sasha - one of my 'kids' who has me very well trained. I couldn't resist putting her on the coffee table (you should see all the photos I have from this day!)

Oh the Sunflower - my FAVorite flower of all time! It makes me happy. I actually love wild flowers over store bought flowers. Every once in a while Mark brings me home sunflowers from a local flower farm. Natural beauty - I love how they brighten up the room. I have sunflowers in many forms around the house actually - not too many where it's gaudy, just sprinkled about here and there. Oh and Mark says that he lucked out in the flower giving department because I'm allergic to roses, well, just about all heavy pollinated smelly flowers that is.

The reason for this blog? Not meaning to sound cliche', but we truly need to 'stop and smell the flowers' - just like Sasha. No, it's more than that actually.

I do my best to live my life day by day, moment by moment as we truly do not know what is in store for us tomorrow. But here lately there are so many things going on that I need to practice more of what I preach.

Don't get me wrong, my life is fine. I'll admit though that there is some hard hitting reality going on that is a bit difficult to digest, but I'm dealing with that. With that said, I'm going to take in some fun activities that I've put off for way too long, step away from my studio and get out of the house more, not worry about slow sells (which I'm not actually) and simply enjoy my life as it is. I love my life!

Thought I would share my "Calm Mind, Peaceful Life" creation that came about while reflecting this week. Feel free to visit my shop to read more about it.

Happy Friday everyone!

☼ Rocki

All Fired Up

I came across a very cool and unique Etsy shop the other day when I was looking for glass items to put in a Treasury I was working on. I knew I had to blog about it, so I contacted Lisa Rippee, the owner/creator of Cloud Eleven. I’m glad I did as I believe I’ve made a new friend.

I’m a firm believer that challenges and events change the course of your direction in life (I speak from experience). A stressful job as a juvenile intake and assessment specialist took up most of Lisa’s time. I can only imagine her stress! Long hours and overnight shifts isolated her from friends and family. Then one day in March of 2005 Lisa picked up a torch. Hot glass became her therapy, obsession, meditation, passion, and the perfect vehicle for her creative expression. Who needs a therapist when you have a torch!

Lisa has a studio in her home, in Kansas City metropolitan area (on the Kansas side). Her home is small & colorful, and some describe it as eccentric (I would love to see it!). She enjoys listening to music while creating, but in the beginning she only listened to instrumental Jazz “while learning the rhythm of the glass dance” (how poetic!). The Beatles, Zepplin and Mary J. Blige are in her CD player right now. Right on!

When asked what inspires her, this is what Lisa had to say: “Anything that elicits a strong emotional response would probably be the short answer. Everyday moments that make me smile or laugh usually find their way into my creations. The social issues that I’m passionate about show themselves as well. My muse is very in tune with my moods."

Lisa’s creations are fun, amazing and full of life. There is a big variety as well: Wine Stoppers, Vessels, Magnets, Focal Beads, Sculptural Glass Vessels and more. I especially love the blown-out mouth vessels as they are so realistic (many have uvulas!) In fact, I bought the Make Me Smile vessel (the one at the top of this post) and can hardly wait until he arrives!

Oh! Lisa eventually left the high stress job. Her torch therapy led her to a part-time job at a local stained glass shop called Bearden’s Stained Glass and eventually a shop on Etsy. How did she come up with her Etsy buisness name? When she first started flame working, every time she turned around it was 1:11, 11:11, etc. So, she figured she was on the right track of making her dream come true and since hot glass had her “beyond cloud nine”, she simply had to name her business Cloud Eleven.

Just goes to show that when you get all fired up about life’s challenges, you can turn them around into something spectacular!

Happy day everyone!
☼ Rocki

P.S. Lisa sees dead people. I do too, but I’m not telling anyone ;)