Skip to main content

Posts

The Soul's Journey - Haiku

whisper to my heart and the little stars above dreams cast the soul's path Astronomy in watercolor by Cindy Bahl.

All Parts Required - Haiku

  mistakes are needed without flaws, no growth or life  these complete the soul

Writing Resources to Check Out!

  Should you pay for writing resources? No! Internet is full of fantastic free software and websites to help your writing. Take advantage of them! Here are a few of my favorites... Bhooks - Fantastic way to get feedback on your writing. Or find some great reads. Read, write, or share feedback. Make friends with like-minded people.  https://bhooks.com / Writing It Out - Excellent blogging guide for writing and editing. https://howto-writeitout.blogspot.com/   HemingWay App - Online AI editor. Follow the instructions on their website to understand what each color means. This editor rivals many of the AI editors one could pay for. https://hemingwayapp.com/   Apollo Pad - ApolloPad is a feature-packed online writing environment that will help you finish your novels, ebooks, and short stories.  https://apollopad.com/   Wavemaker - Novel planning and writing software that runs on any platform. https://wavemaker.cards/   Quoll Writer - A writing applicat...

Redefining My Flaws - Haiku

  Photo By Kyaw Tun on Unsplash My flaws, not failure  But my uniqueness of self  Dimensions of me

Quick Knit Patterns for Last Minute Gifts!

  Generations Purse Don’t panic if you need to make a gift quickly! Browse through this extensive list of ideas for small, free, fast, and cute knit patterns which are perfect as gifts! If nothing else, hopefully the list will inspire you on ideas! Have fun! I would absolutely love to see your finished projects in the comments section! And it would be fantastic to hear what patterns you think I should add to this list! Please let me know if you discover any patterns are crochet (oops!) or have a fee. They’ll be removed immediately as this list is just for free knit patterns.   Wee Knitting Needle Bag Knitting Needle Knitting Bag Lavender Sachet Simple iPhone Cozy, Two Ways "Grrr" Cute Funny Washcloth/Dishcloth Knitted Pocket Felted (1) Coin Purse or (2) Notions Purse "A Little Bird Told Me" Cute Small Handbag/Purse Christine Bag (this is really pretty!) Beginner's Luck Pouch Square Cake Wristlet Handbag/Purse The Little Coco Bag Swa...

Writing is Hard - Haiku

Effort of writing Temperamental and mean beast Can't tame the creature  

Blind Hope is Magic - Haiku

  Blind hope is magic I won’t be stuck forever Deep breath, persevere Blind hope is my best weapon in surviving trauma and the depression episodes. During depression, I’m unable to envision experiencing joy once more. The blind faith takes away my fear of never escaping that black hole. If I am patient with myself, this trick works every time.  Photo is of a quick mixed media piece. I recommend mixed media art as a fantastic way to create little messages to yourself that you can put up on your mirror or fridge. As a reminder to show yourself compassion.  Or to provide yourself positive encouragement. 

Spring - Haiku

  Birmingham Museum Trust Spring brings joy and hope  Possibilities, rebirth  Earth’s call to renew

Surviving Depression

Within despair, through the dark, it stings inside. No one appreciates the anguish I endure, resulting in me baring the burden alone. With no respite, no one wants to see the blackness that sullies my soul. Only I can pull myself through each hurricane of torrential suffering. My only saving grace is blind optimism. The belief it will get better and I will be here tomorrow. Author's Note: Photo is of my first attempt at creating an abstract painting of flowers. 

The Gaslighter — Haiku

  Contempt carves her soul He wants her pain to sustain His pleasure is cruel

Only Now is Promised

  nothing awakens love,  and the soul, like forgetting destiny is cruel to those who forget moments are fleeting fate never promises a future, not to anyone, especially to those who neglect  appreciating the gifts the universe bestows upon them pay attention, always pay attention, this moment is the only promise  that will be kept to you

Goodbye, Best Friend

  I lost my best friend on March 30 th , this past Tuesday. She was fourteen years old and literally saved my life on more than one occasion. Her friendship was invaluable. Her soul changed my life forever. I love her so much and already miss her.  Today, I created art that represented who she was. Wise, non-harming, intelligent, loving, devoted, and so much more.  Thank you, Lilly, for being an amazing friend and honoring me with your love and kindness. 

Fantastic Uses for 14 Inch Knitting Needles

  I posted a question to all my favorite Facebook knitting groups. Hoped for inspiration on uses for my unloved 14 inch long straight knitting needles. Sharing with you the amazing answers. I didn't include names of people who provided the answers out of respect for their privacy, especially as the answers come from multiple groups. Know that your answers were fantastic and incredibly helpful! Thank you so much to everyone that responded!  Check back often as I’ll be adding even more possibilities as the answers keep rolling in!  (1) Use with the Lever Knitting Technique. Also called Irish Cottage Knitting, Speed Knitting, Pit Knitting and Underarm Knitting. This is where the needle goes under your arm in your armpit. It helps decrease pain in the wrists & elbows and allows for longer knitting sessions. Various, useful links on it.   https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/knit-faster-with-lever-knitting-2115451/    -OR-   https://yo...

Discontinued Yarn Help

Did you run out of yarn and then discovered they discontinued it? Never fear! There are several possibilities to explore. You may luck out.  There is always the chance you must settle for yarn of a different dye lot. Read on for resources to help you in your hunt. See if you can find your discontinued yarn in one of the resources below.  The bottom of this post will help you find yarn substitutions should the worst case scenario become a reality. Even a substitution yarn may help you finish your project. Discontinued Yarn Hunt Locally -  Y our local yarn store or local chain craft store. Try your local yarn stores, whether a locally owned one or a chain store such as Michaels, Joann, or Hobby Lobby. Walmart and Target are also good options. Do not be afraid to ask a clerk (call or in-person) for exactly what you are looking for. They should be able to look up their inventory and tell you if it is still in stock. And where to find it in their store. If a chain store? Th...

Creativity & Mindfulness - Book Review

  I highly recommend the new book, “Emergence: The Role of Mindfulness in Creativity” by Rosie Rosenzweig. She presents creativity in a way we have not seen in ages. Or ever. It is an intriguing book which includes how quite different individuals achieve their creativity flow with a beautiful awareness of humanity. She unravels the congestion the western world has put upon the word’s ‘mindfulness’ and ‘meditation’. Her clarifications in how we see these concepts is long overdue. Loved this book and the exquisite way she breathed life back into this artist. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1681145383/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_t1_LUdTFbTHK5RXF   Enable Ginger Cannot connect to Ginger Check your internet connection or reload the browser Disable in this text field Edit Edit in Ginger Edit in Ginger ×

Python - Learn for Free

Python free resources. Newbies to the language or coding itself. Before you go and start bouncing around on websites, read this first: A lot of people tend to learn through YouTube. However, it is strongly suggested you first go to the website www.python.org and follow their instructions. You need to log into the official website and follow the instructions. It will tell you have to download and install it. Plus it has all the documentation. STACK OVERFLOW (1) Sign up for Stack Overflow account. https://stackoverflow.com/ (2) First rule of being a successful programmer - Learn to use Google. No joke. (3) Second rule of being a successful programmer - Learn to use Stack Overflow. (4) Stack Overflow is the the website used around the world by most programmers. Learn to use it. YOUTUBE (1) Python Programmer - h ttps://www.youtube.com/user/consumerchampion (2) SentDex - https://www.youtube.com/user/sentdex (3) Python Tutorial for Beginners [Full Course] - https://youtu.be/_uQrJ0T...

NaNoWriMo - Join Me?

I'm finally doing it! After all these years. I'm doing NaNoWriMo! It's a bit scary when first considering it. 1,670 words a day, everyday, for the month of November. Write one, long book during that time. With the goal of 50,000 words (minimum) by end of November 30th. Truth is, it's not as hard or as scary as it sounds. Some of my days  will be more productive and make up for the days when I'm overwhelmed with life and unable to write as much. Also, when I log my progress on their website, no one actually sees what I write. I actually never show anyone what I wrote. Unless I want to. A NaNoWriMo veteran made sure I knew that I was to write furiously and with ZERO edits during this time. First rough draft only. Do NOT go back and edit, no matter how badly I wanted to. It's how this fantastic annual writing event works! Many people have gone on to publish what they wrote during that November. After heavy editing, of course. Reminder: Only editing AFTER November ...

Favorite Knitting Help

Knitting is a forever-learning craft. Sometimes answers are hard to find. Sharing my go-to knitting resources accumulated over the years. I would love you to share your favorite resource!  Absolute Favorite Sites Handy Knitting Calculators and Charts  - This website contains other calculators you will use over and over again! Also, look at the bottom of the page to links of other useful tidbits of information!  https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-us/knitting-calculators#countryYarnWeightConversion Knitting Calculator - Want to know how much yarn you will need to knit that women's sweater? What about when you want to use a specific weight of yarn? This is the only website I can find that does these calculations for you!!!  https://www.jimmybeanswool.com/secure-html/onlineec/knittingCalculator.asp Ravelry - The world's largest collection of free knitting patterns! Did you know that it allows you to do amazingly detailed searches? You can even save these searches and get ale...