Posts Tagged ‘inspiration’

Inspiration often comes in our quiet moments, when our minds are at rest from the whirling dervish of daily activity.

“He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.’ ”

{Psalm 46:10}

CHALLENGE!

Go on a walk today, whether for five minutes or fifty. No camera, no journal. Breathe deeply. Talk to God. Listen when He speaks.

Be still.

Today’s challenge was to make your own note cards. I posted links to several note card tutorials around the web and chances are, once you started crafting, it wasn’t too difficult to create more than one card. However, the words on or inside a card often prove more difficult to create than the cards themselves. Enter Words to the Rescue!

Words to the Rescue: The sentiment guide for the tongue tied. 1000 thoughtful things to write on the card when you don’t have a clue.

I’ll admit that I was a bit skeptical this little book would actually be worth having on my shelf. I already have several books of quotes, a ton of poetry books, and my handy-dandy Webster’s Thesaurus. Did I really need a book of sappy greeting card lines? Well, no, I didn’t. And I still don’t. But upon review, I discovered that my bookshelf does indeed need its own copy of Words to the Rescue. There may be a few sappy lines throughout, but this book is mostly filled with great ideas perfect for crafting your own greeting cards, sending notes with flower arrangements, signing a group card, or even leaving a message on someone’s Facebook wall.

There are 12 categories in Words to the Rescue, each one filled with a minimum of 6 pages of 30-word-or-less sentiments. The categories include anniversary, apology, birthday, congratulations (with sub-chapters), encouragement, friendship, get well, goodbye & miss you, romance & fun, sympathy, thank you, and thinking of you. Wow! That covers pretty much everything.

No matter how many candles on the cake, you’re still the one who lights up the room.

In addition to the 12 category chapters, there’s a section in the back called Fast Phrases. It covers the same 12 categories, but each one is filled with even shorter, 1-line phrases.

One thing that I really like about Words to the Rescue is that I didn’t find any off-color phrases or foul language inside. Obviously, no one is going to like every phrase presented in such a guide, but I didn’t discovered any that were offensive or crude. The sentiments are sweet, funny, and generally appealing.

You’re always on my mind . . . and my screensaver.

Steve Fadie really did a great job with this book. Here are just a couple more reasons I like it:

1. Many of the sentiments include underlined words. These words are easy to change to make the phrases more personalized.
2. There is a tip, idea, or inspirational thought at very bottom of each pages. (Many of these repeat,  but they’re still helpful.)
3. It’s visually appealing. From the cover to the lists of phrases.

In conclusion, this little book is a must-have for anyone who writes notes, signs cards, or does anything that requires written sentiments at any point in life. The only downside I can think of is that I need one to keep on my bookshelf (or desk) and another copy for in my car!

BUY IT!

You can purchase a copy of Words to the Rescue (or Words to the Rescue 2) from Amazon. Or, if you plan to purchase multiple copies as gifts, or want to go in on an order with friends, you can buy them directly from the Words to the Rescue website – when you buy 3 copies, you’ll receive a 4th copy free!

WIN IT!

Steve Fadie and Orange Sky Books have graciously offered up 2 copies of Words to the Rescue for Honey and Cheese readers. One copy will be given away this week, and the second copy will be part of our Grand Prize Giveaway. Enter for this week’s copy via the Rafflecopter form below, and then go enter the Grand Prize Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary copy of Words to the Rescue in order to facilitate this review. However, all opinions are 100% my own. Additionally, the links to Amazon above are my affiliate links. If you would prefer NOT to visit Amazon via my affiliate links, simply visit the site as you normally would.}

 

It’s great to get a friendly note via e-mail, when it seems that nowadays most e-mail consists of business mail, advertising, and spam. But there’s still nothing quite the same as receiving a card or a letter via the good ol’ USPS. It doesn’t have to be long, just a quick “hello, been thinking about you,” is enough to make anyone’s week a little happier.

Just think of all the people you could write to:

• your husband
• your mom
• your dad
• your kids
• your grandma
• the next-door neighbor
• your best friend
• a friend you haven’t talked to in awhile
• someone in the nursing home
• your nieces or nephews
• a missionary
• a college student

There are also letters that aren’t meant to be mailed. Letters to yourself, to God, or back-and-forth between characters in a story.

 

CHALLENGE!

Sit down and write a letter to someone. It can be a letter to yourself that you write into your journal, a letter to your daughter that you pen into her baby book or tuck into a box for the future. Or you could write a letter that will deliver happiness to someone’s mailbox. Be creative!

If you’re really stuck for ideas, here are some other posts that may inspire you:

• Who do I write to? What do I write about?
• Tell a Story
• Write a Letter to a Stranger
• How to Write a Letter {Using a Deck of Cards}

Remember: Check out the rest of the Color Outside the Lines posts, share your journal pages to our Flickr group, and start adding up those participation points for the Grand Prize Giveaway.

One of the best ways to exercise creativity is to unplug. Turn off the computer and the television and go live. But there are certainly elements of technology that also make it useful for fueling inspiration.

Bookmarking sites such as Pinterest and StumbleUpon allow you to “favorite” blog posts and webpages and search or browse through other people’s favorites.

Blog memes or link-ups are also great for visiting new sites and seeing different projects, often revolving around a theme. Here are just handful of the wide variety out there:

• Sew Modern Monday
• Tackle it Tuesday
• Take it on Tuesday
• Works for Me Wednesday
• Wordless Wednesday
• What’s Cooking Wednesday
• Booking Through Thursday
• Weekend Wrap Up Party
• Just Something I Whipped Up
• Sepia Scenes

CHALLENGE!

Today’s challenge is a simple one – I want you to go blog-hopping! Pick a blog link-up from the list above and go surfing. Leave comments along the way as you discover inspiring new sites, fantastic DIY projects, or delicious looking recipes.. I’d also love for you to come back here to share your discoveries.

Just don’t let yourself spend too long online – use it as inspiration for unplugging and creating.

EXTRA POINTS: You can earn 2 extra points for the Grand Prize Giveaway for submitting a post to a link-up party this week.

{image © Aaron Twa | Dreamstime.com}

Polyglot. Copacetic. Atrous. Smoodge.

Can you define all those words? I promise I didn’t make them up!

One of the best ways that I have found to pull myself out of a creative rut is by exposing myself to new words. One word’s definition can lead to another word, which often leads to a thought, image, or other idea. If you’re ever in a creative rut, crack open the dictionary!

CHALLENGE!

Randomly open the dictionary and read a full page, then select one or two words to look up in the thesaurus. Write your favorites in your journal. Practice using at least one new word during the day. Use it in conversation, write a poem around it, illustrate the meaning. You may even want to consider highlighting your favorite words in the dictionary.

Be creative!

Come back and let us know what new words you discovered and how you used them. We’d love for you to add your journal pages to our Flickr group.

Don’t forget to check out the other posts in Color Outside the Lines.

{Photo copyright Ove Topfer}

CHALLENGE!

Today’s challenge is to flip through old magazines and tear out anything that inspires you. It can be a recipe, a font, a decorating idea – even the advertisements! Pin these pictures to an inspiration board, place them into an inspiration binder, or glue them into your journal.

Whenever you feel stuck in a creativity rut, pull out those images and let them give you fresh inspiration.

Remember, this “inspiration station” isn’t a static one-time-fits-all project. If you come across new material that you love, add it to your board or binder. Or, if you find that something you added previously isn’t speaking to you anymore, feel free to throw it out. The only rule here is to keep just what you find inspiring.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the other challenges in Color Outside the Lines. And feel free to add your project to our Flickr group!

Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2012 is Tangerine Tango. (Yep, that’s it above as RGB numbers 226, 73, 47.) It’s not quite as orange-y as I expected, which I rather like. Will you be using this color in your home decor or wardrobe? What colors will you pair it with?