Paper Heart Book Page Ornament

Now that the Christmas decorations have been tucked away, what's next? Would you believe Valentine's Day is only six short weeks away? My book page pumpkins were such a favorite with Etsy buyers and treasury makers that I expanded the idea into a heart ornament.

paper heart book page ornament - Le Charmed Life

I hear that those who are reluctant to say good bye to the yuletide holiday can now reduced their wait time between seasons from 12 months to 10 by transitioning the tree from Christmas to the Valentine's Day tree. I haven't quite embraced that concept but I do like the idea of ornaments so here's a little something I made that can be used as stand alone ornaments or made into a garland.

Check out Le Charmed Life on Etsy for other photos

Leonardo, Kell Belle and a Magical Imaginarium

After spending nearly every free moment of the past year engaged almost exclusively in online shopping, I find myself ready to contemplate the next chapter of my life and what that will look like. With so many varied interests to pursue, I find the voice of social conformity screaming inside my head that it would be career suicide to appear too unfocused. How do I select and commit to just one? Thankfully, the answer is simple. I don't have to.

A Google search turned up an article written by Steve Pavlina titled "What If You Have Many Different Interests and Cannot Commit to Any of Them?"  Keeping my options open will not only make me smarter but it puts me in the same company as Leonardo Da Vinci, an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, military-engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer, and a shining example of someone who excelled in a variety of areas simultaneously.

I call BS on any rule or limiting belief that says I have to be a genius to pursue multiple interests at once especially if being engaged in those interests makes me feel more deliriously happy than having the life sucked out of me day after day in an over illuminated office surrounded by cement colored panels and living like an industrial worker drone.

Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da Vinci - Wikipedia

That said, I made one tiny adjustment to my blog header this past year to include the term "Imaginarium." This word beautifully encompasses all of my most cherished, creative endeavors leaving room for new additions while allowing for the falling away of those that no longer interest or serve me.

In addition to paper crafts, expect to see more posts on such topics (in no particular order) as natural beauty products, craft fairs, herbalism, essential oils, tarot, dolls, painting, mixed media art and digital design. This sounds like the most creatively fulfilling life I can imagine so I'm anxious to see how my transition to gypsy life takes shape this year.