February 25, 2013

19 Ways to Say Goodbye

classic chair

After 2 years and 57 posts, it’s time for me to bow out as a regular contributor here at Scoutie Girl. And so I leave you with 19 ways to say goodbye.

I guess it’s that time.

I’m about to turn into a pumpkin.

One more picture before you go.

Gotta run!

The rumors were true; you’re awesome.

Let’s plan to run into each other again.

Take care.

I love you.

Call me when you get home?

You go–I’ll pick up the tab.

Later.

Bye, now.

Drive safe!

Sincerely,

It’s been so nice to meet you.

Hope I’ll see you again soon.

Facebook me.

Thank you.

Gathering light,

ls Sig

Filed Under: Dialogue Tagged With: 4 Comments
August 24, 2012

Tooling Around: Stop, In the Name of Love

My darlings, we need to talk.

First, you need to know it isn’t you; it’s me.

I hope we can still be friends. If not now, then in the future. Perhaps we’ll even find ourselves together again. Who knows.

Sometimes, the most powerful tool you have is the word “no.”

If you say “yes” to everything you prioritize nothing, and, without priorities, your business cannot become the very thing you most want it to be.

Via Jones Design Company. Click image for details.

I do not have the time or energy to make Tooling Around everything I want it. Honestly, you deserve better. The team of Scoutie Girl writers so carefully selected by Tara Gentile and Carrie Keplinger can give you more of what you need right now. I must, therefore, step down and leave you in their capable hands. I plan to stop by every now and then, if you’ll have me.

In the meantime, I want to leave you with some of my favorite tools: websites. Many of these are my go-to sites before I ever start writing a post. I think you’ll like them, too.

For the stitchers:

  1. http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/
  2. http://inaminuteago.com/stitchindex.html
  3. http://www.coletterie.com/category/fabric-haberdashery (I adore the posts on fabrics).
  4. http://elegantmusings.com/tutorials-2/
  5. http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2009/08/sew-basic.html
  6. http://www.adventuresindressmaking.com/
  7. http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2009/05/how-i-get-my-groove-on.html

For the sketchers and the painters:

  1. http://alisaburke.blogspot.com/2012/08/frequently-asked-questions-sketching.html

For the renovators:

  1. http://www.brooklynlimestone.com/p/hi-renovators.html#.UC6Z_PVjdD9

For the floriculture lovers:

  1. http://botanicalbrouhaha.blogspot.com/2012/08/working-designer-wednesday-mixed-bag.html (Look at every single Working Designer Wednesday post).


For the crafters:

  1. http://www.lemonjitters.com/2012/02/craft-adhesives-basics.html

For the bakers:

  1. http://www.makeit-loveit.com/category/make-a-cake-series

For the writers:

  1. http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/40uYMR/www.dailywritingtips.com/50-problem-words-and-phrases/

For you all:

  1. http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/exploring-handmade-tools/?ref=fp_blog_title
  2. http://pinterest.com/ (The place for inspiration, tutorials, and losing track of time).

Darlings, I’m so glad to have had you in my life. Thank you for welcoming me into your hearts, homes, and internet browsers. I’ll miss you when I’m busy tooling around in my studio.

But for now, I must say…

Via Piccsy. Click on image for details.

Filed Under: Buy You, For You, Tooling Around Tagged With: , , 1 Comment
July 2, 2012

farewell vs goodbye and doing what you must do

Doing What I Do - GM

It is Sunday and my Scoutie Girl post is due. Oh how I stall, avoid, procrastinate. I do laundry and eat lunch, I waffle and ponder, and I don’t decide what it is I need to say. This is the case many Sundays, but this one is different special.

It has come time for me to part ways with Scoutie Girl and it is a very bittersweet time for so many reasons.

When I first wrote here in April of 2011, 14 months ago, I was in such a different place creatively, professionally, and with reference to life and goals. I was pondering things like What is Art?, and What is original?, and even How do you get started? Good questions all, and I still enjoy a conversation around them, but… I am in a place where pondering and conversing are far second to doing. I’d say the prior is a luxury, yet it turns out the luxury is in going ahead and DOING.

We all search for answers and gather information as we try to find our place in life and work. It is natural, and necessary, and there comes a time for it to stop.

Now is that time for me.

The past six weeks since my spinal surgery I have had time for deep introspection and a good dose of  woe is me. Having cancer is hard. Spinal surgery is hard. Life is hard, and so it goes. I may have been dealt a lousy hand this year, but I am far from alone, and for the time being, at least, time does go on.

I have had to decide what I want to do. Not how can I best earn the bucks, or what people will admire me for, or even how much I can give back, but what makes me feel alive?

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
-Howard Thurman

Why, I have asked myself, does it need to take a tragedy to come to this? The truth is the tragedy may have nudged me, but I think I was ready anyhow. I ended last year knowing I wanted to go deeper into my art, write more, and work with people in some healing or growth capacity.

The only thing different is my perspective on time and my new physical limitations. So, I had to make some tough decisions based on both of these. What do I continue with, what do I stop, and what do I start anew?

Sadly Scoutie Girl is a discontinue, FOR NOW. I will likely be back with guest posts as I get my next ventures off the ground!

I have decided to redo my original website again and make it more of a static site for my art, i.e. no regular blog. I will be focusing mainly on my new website and blog and the creative projects I have in mind around it.

I have learned – or, more accurately, remembered – that I am a project artist. I have been trying to force myself into the mold of… I’m not quite sure, but something else. Just creating and not paying enough attention to the purpose I suppose. For me, all my work is multi faceted, the visual images just another language for the deeper work I think about.

I need to embellish with words, to explain what I think, to interact and inspire, and create something beyond imagery that feeds the world! I also need to know when I am done and move onto the next thing.

Again, for now I am done here. I have so enjoyed the writing and even more so the feedback I have gotten here. I would not be where I am (in all the good ways) had I not done this. I have met some amazing people and have gained the wisdom of Tara and expertise of Carrie while I am at it. I have gotten past my fear of the almighty dollar and learned it is about quality of life, not pay checks. I have gained the wisdom and genuine thoughts of many readers I will miss. Perhaps you will join me at Art. Hope. Truth. I thank you all more than words (or images) can say!

And so it is I say farewell, not goodbye, as I go do what I must do to feel alive!

From the Heart,

Filed Under: Conversation Starters, creating action, Plot Notes Tagged With: , , , , , , 12 Comments
February 10, 2012

little things link love: chocolate (and a farewell)

LOVE chocolate poster - Me gusta el chocolate by MandarinPrint - click image to view more

Pretty sure I’ve been a chocolate fan since the womb.

Who DOESN’T like chocolate? I mean, I know there are people who are allergic to it (bless their hearts), but is there anyone that really just can’t stand it? I’m not talking about white chocolate, either, which is neither good nor actually chocolate. Oooof… that smell.

The origin of cocoa dates back to 2,000 BC in the Amazon. The seeds of the cocoa tree, cacao (pronounced “kuh-KAH-o”), have been used in beverages, as fertility symbols and currency, and offered up to the gods. Early uses of cocoa did not include sugar, which was unknown to the region at that time. It was therefore common to include spices, especially chiles, as a means of adding flavor. It wasn’t until the 1500s that Spanish explorer Hernando Cortéz suggested adding sugar to the mix. This new-and-improved version was reserved for royalty and the elite, and kept a secret by Spain for almost 100 years. In 1615, Anne of Austria, the daughter of Philip III of Spain, gave a sip to her French husband, Louis XIII. From there, a world love affair was born.

Chocolate, these days, is big business. It’s one of the few industries that actually does well in a recession, one little splurge indulged in by many on a budget. On a trip to Belgium a couple years ago, we saw chocolate stores in Brussels that would rival any high-end department store in terms of ambience and displays. You would think those velvet-swathed, ribbon-embellished window features would be hiding some kind of diamond bauble in them, but no. The real gem is the chocolate.

If you are even mildly obsessed with this holiest-of-holy confections, check out these links:

  • AllChocolate.com - Probably the most solid site I’ve seen that is devoted to chocolate. From here, you can get a great background on its history and production, and learn about chocolate tastings. Just like wine and coffee, location and blending make a big difference. Find out how to interpret origins, percentages, milk contents, and more.
  • Become a chocolatier – As there are pastry chefs devoted to breads or sugar, there are those who dedicate their careers to the cacao bean. A good read if you think making chocolate might be your true calling.
  • Chocolatier, the game – Become a chocolatier with this downloadable game by sourcing your way around the globe and dealing with the competition. There’s even Chocolatier 2 and Chocolatier 3 to keep you going.
  • Chocolate factory tours – Most of us in the states are familiar with Hershey’s, but here are ten factory tours in the U.S. and around the world that take it to another level. Plan your vacation around it? But, of course.
  • Eco-friendly chocolate – As with most edible items these days, there is a growing focus on eco-friendly, sustainable practices in the chocolate world. Learn the basics about organic and fair trade, and read a list of eco-friendly production companies.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As for that farewell, this is my last little things post on Scoutie Girl. I have loved exploring and sharing with you all the quirky topics that pique my interest, and enjoyed all of your sharing through the comments. If you follow Scoutie Girl regularly, you know that it’s important to take steps to shape the life and career you dream about. In my own molding efforts, I’m restructuring my path and must say goodbye to this column. I owe much gratitude to Tara for allowing me to come on board as a contributor, and to Carrie for keeping all of us writers on track.

If you liked little things, I invite you to follow along over at Dandyville, my curation of all things creative and swell. For more information, and to keep tabs on me and my other work, please visit tinajett.com.

Happy early Valentine’s Day, and much strength and bravery to you all in 2012 and beyond!

Tina

Filed Under: Link Love, little things, Read & Play Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments
December 20, 2011

walking the talk


A couple of posts ago I talked about doing less, better. Indeed, I am going to follow my own advice and bring several of the projects that aren’t part of my core business scope to a close this year.

The Steal This Process series has been a lot of fun. It helped me consolidate, define and express what I’ve learned over the years about project management, and share it with a group of people that are close to my heart: creatives and indie business owners.

As I look back over what I accomplished in 2011 and what I want  to get done in 2012, one thing is clear: this year needs to be about e.m.papers only. So to that end, I’m going to be wrapping up my series here on Scoutie Girl.

Through the fall I had to make a decision. Did I want to do more with Steal this Process? Like give more workshops and/or turn it into an e-course – which I think would be great, and there would probably be a lot of demand for.

Then, I had the incredible good fortune of getting contacted – out of the blue – by magazine editors in both Germany and the US for major publications. Wonderful news, but I realized that I needed to get a lot done around product development and shop improvements to reap whatever benefits the publicity brings.

I realized that I had gone out on some tangents this year, and would have been more prepared if I had stuck to working on just e.m.papers.  For a couple of days I was really mad at myself for not staying 110% focused on business.

But I remembered that sometimes the path to a goal is not always straight.

There is no denying how much my life was enriched and my experience deepened by following my heart a little more than my high level plan in 2011.

But now it’s time to get back down to brass tacks and focus on e.m.papers exclusively.  I want to thank everyone who has read and/or commented on my posts. The feedback from this community has been an encouragement and an inspiration. I feel honored to have been a contributor. I look forward to continued sustenance as a Scoutie Girl reader in 2012!

As part of my Steal This Process ‘wind down’ I’ve decided to permanently reduce the cost of the Steal This Process kit, it is now just $27. Scoutie Girl readers can get another 25% off until Christmas day with this code: sgprocess

I wish you a joyful and productive 2012!

Filed Under: Steal This Process Tagged With: , , , , , , 5 Comments