Raige Creations

I commented to hubby this morning, "there is nothing better than having coffee with you, out here, on a Sunday morning". "Bee Happy" photo courtesy of Raige Creations. I totally felt that, right then, in the moment. I was truly enjoying my slightly sweetened and slightly creamy coffee, after a very good 3.1 mile run (I went past our place to get over the 3 mile mark....yes I was that runner today), and just relishing the moment (even tho hubby was trying to talk politics....my least favorite subject). I feel I should add - this was all before 8am! I just realized at that moment, I was thankful for the slow Sunday we were enjoying. You might say, "SLOW? you call getting up before 6am and running 3 miles slow?" And to that I say, "YES!!" I could get out of bed at my leisure, not because I HAD to at that moment. I got to go for that run, and witness a most beautiful sunrise, and watch an older gentleman line-fishing off shore in the fo...

Today, meet  Ruta Budrikiene , of  Ruta Jewelry. Source: Ruta Jewelry on Etsy She says: My passion is art, fashion and design. All of my pieces are hand made and unique. I make jewelry used beadseeding, beadweaving, soutache techniques. I use seed and glass beads, semi- precious stones, metallic details, leather, wire . Beautiful creations, detailed and thoughtful designs.  From Ruta's blog, rutajewelryideas . Go check it out yourself! Featured Artist Ruta Jewelry is this weeks Featured Artis t on Share the Love, Bloggers Unite! You will find beautiful Handmade Jewelry and Gifts Ideas in her Etsy Shop! You can Find Ruta on: Etsy Facebook Page Twitter Blog Facebook Are you On Fire for Handmade? http://onfireforhandmade.com Shop at On Fire Gift Guide !

Oh, the horror.  Oh, the disappointment. I missed a day of NaBloPoMo.  A NaBloPoMo FAIL! Oh The HORROR  by  hybristophilia666  on  Polyvore It's not like I didn't know it was going to happen. I did. I had a very busy day and after dinner last night I just wanted to relax. I sat on the couch, Kindle in hand  new book waiting, full belly, family all around chillin', and said "Oh CRAP, I didn't post a blog today!" Then, I turned on my Kindle while hubby found a movie for us to watch (I can read and watch a movie at the same time. Multitasking...you Mom's know what I mean), I settled in on the couch, and the thought of blogging evaporated. It's not that I am short of ideas! I have 4 drafts going, and I even have handwritten in my journal ideas for other posts. If NaBloPoMo  right after NaBloWriMo  has done anything for me, it has got me to write every day, whether I actually post or not.  But last night, I just couldn't...

Tell us what you have learned so far from daily blogging. The NaBloPoMo prompt from Friday. Always a day late with the prompts, but here is some of what I have learned. I learned daily bloggin is damn hard.  I learned it means forcing myself to write even when I don't want to.  I learned that some days it is okay to just blog about the mood of the day, and other days it really helps to have prompts . I learned it keeps me from proofing and changing my posts 10 gazillion times before I post it.  I learned it makes me re-write entire posts. I learned the delete key is easy to hold down. I learned sometimes it is okay to share that thing I wasn't sure I should share. I learned it is okay to not include a picture with every post. (Even though I feel I MUST...ADD PICTURE....with this ten-second-attention-span world we live in.) I learned some days I am writing just for myself. I learned some days I am writing for other people, and those are the da...

Taking part in NaBloPoMo , I look forward to prompts to help me get started some days. If you are at all like me, you sometimes sit there, with a blank screen, and stare. Hoping something comes to you.  Then, when it doesn't, you scan the internet for inspiration. I try Facebook , Pinterest , BlogHer , Slate (okay, mostly I read Slate to unwind, not for inspiration) .  I sometimes am forced to look through my old pictures , try to remember which ones I have used, and try to find one that I can do something with. That is why I longingly read the suggested prompts that BlogHer suggested. I need someone to jump start my brain and get me moving! And sometimes it really works!! Sadly, the one posted on BlogHer for the first day did not. The prompt was:  "If you found one million dollars in the morning and had to spend it by nightfall, what would you do with the money?"   I tried, I really did, but who really cares how I would spend $1 million dollars in one...

As I gained consciousness this morning, I was wrangling the tasks to do today in my head.  It is going to be a full, busy day, dealing with lots of people. That alone is enough to make me feel I have to prepare, not to mention the errands I have to run as well. Each on their own is draining, together, almost too much. I almost wrote on the fridge board Terrible Tuesday . But not wanting to spread negativity to the kids, I wrote this: Wishful thinking perhaps. At least some great art was in view. Sculpture done by my daughter. photo courtesy Raige Creations . Determined to make the best of this day, I got right down to folding laundry (yest at 7am), as I had put that off for far too long. Then it hit me. October 1st. I lost a little of the positivity I had mustered. Where had the time gone? How did it get to be October already?! Then I remembered NaBloWriMo , on top of everything else. NaBloWriMo = National Blog Writing Month. A blog post a day for the whole month...

It was time.  I was ready.  Time for change, time for a more focused direction, and I am ready to introduce... Not a different direction really. It is one I have been going for a while now.  As I was growing my other businesses, I was wishing more and more that I could write, share my motivations and insights that I have learned along the way.  Well, the time has come, and my opportunities are changing to allow me to give a more serious effort to writing, blogging, and creating in many different ways.  So I have focused this blog, and my facebook and google pages, to be the Thoughts of Raige; views of life, motivation, and creation. Basically what I have been doing all along, I just didn't realize that the look of my blog had been outdated for quite some time. I will still be selling my creations, as Raige Creations (on Artfire and Zibbet , plus Vintage Rage on Zibbet ), sharing my motivations, getting through life's highs and lows...

I know I know, it is Friday. Actually this post was originally something totally different that it is now. It is a story of Mr. Doubt and Miss Stress trying to make themselves a home right in the middle of my life. Rather suddenly aggressive, and rather quickly all of a sudden. Why Thurs. Day. ? Well, Wednesday was spent in an allergy fog, and Thursday was just too hard to even say when that day came around. Why was it hard? Miss Stress and Mr. Doubt had actually been hanging around since Wednesday, but I was in too much of a fog to address them. They were there, but were ignored. Well by Thursday, they were most unhappy to be ignored, and reared their ugly heads so much that I could only tackle the day in parts. Thurs. Day. It is what I wrote on our fridge message board , unable to come up with anything witty or positive to say on it.  Miss Stress and Mr. Doubt greeted me rather early.  I wrote a long-winded, negative, complaining post. Then went in to work and there ...

It's been one of those days..... Actually, 'one-of-those-days' has dragged out for months for me now..... But it all hit me yesterday, when I stood in the closet looking at my clothes and could not decide what to wear! I pulled out dresses, then couldn't find a slip, pulled out dresses that didn't need a slip, but they needed ironing, pulled out dress pants, but was SO not in the mood for pin stripes, and then, I had a meltdown. All the while, my husband having his coffee, frustrating me even more trying to get me into things that just were not comfortable, that I just was not in the mood to wear. All the while he is perplexed as to why I just can't put on one thing and wear it! "See?" ,  he says putting on a tee shirt with holes in it and jeans with bigger holes. "It's easy!" Of course he didn't have to go and open a shop and try to sell things...so of course he didn't have to look nice, professional, and put together. I DI...

I lost it. I lost motivation. Well, I lost motivation for running, and blogging.  I still seem to get up and go open the shop, but that is all I can seem to accomplish these days. It has been 3 weeks since I blogged! And 5 days since I have suited up and got out the door to run OR walk!!  Rainy view from work. Today, I think I remember where I stashed that motivation. It was buried under mental exhaustion and stress, and hiding from the almost non-stop rain. It is still raining, but I am pulling out my motivation to begin to dust it off and use it again.  Sometimes it takes other peoples words to get me motivated. And other people's ideas. H ere are some that helped me dust off my motivation and at least stretch today. They worked so well for me here I am, I am even blogging, and I really hope to get out there and run tomorrow. These words do relate to running, but really you can apply these to every day, simple living. (All are from Favorite Run .) --Quit o...

Yup. Think it finally has hit me. I. Am. Burnt. Out.   How do I know? It could be that I wake up every day wishing for a vacation.  - Or -  That when I am getting ready to go in to work I just wish I could hire someone to go in for me.  - Or  - That I can't even find the motivation to get out there and run/walk (knowing this usually gives me the energy to get through the day.) - Or - On my one day off I spend in sweatpants and fluffy socks, not brushing my hair, not doing any chores, barely getting off the couch. I couldn't even get up to put the kettle on for a nice cup of tea. Source:  behance.net  via  Victoria  on  Pinterest My Spark Burnt Out! - Or - It could be that I wasted 2 hours before I HAVE to go in to work just trying to find pictures for my neglected blog that I didn't even feel like writing for the past week. Not even Music Monday!   - OR - Worst of all..... 1950's Housewife, complet...

I am so honored! I have actually been saying the word 'Lovely' quite a bit lately, so when I was awarded this 'One Lovely Blog Award' I was thrilled. It was, well, lovely! Thanks to Sunfire , and her quite lovely blog The Dragon's Breath , I have been told I have one lovely blog myself. The rules of the blog include thanking the person who passed it to you, sharing their link and the award image, listing 7 things about yourself, then nominating up to 15 other bloggers who deserve the award. The 7 things about me, that isn't so tough. For starters, -first, I am a proud mother of three wonderful children. -Second, I am happily married to my best friend, and -third, we are about to celebrate our (gasp) 19th anniversary. -Fourth, I just opened my own shop, called Blue Rage of Asheville, where I am happy to share my passions and interested with anyone who comes in. -Fifth thing about me is I am happy to feature locally produced and handmade creations r...

The driving force behind the On Fire Team, Anne is a wonderful supporter of anything handmade. Not to mention she is a talented creator as well. Her scarves are just gorgeous, but what really intrigues me is the crocheted wire jewelry, like this one. Not to mention the great picture. You can get this Caramel and Copper Wire Bracelet here . Are you On Fire for Handmade? http://onfireforhandmade.com This week's Featured Artisan is Anne Hopfer - Made for Me by Oaklie. Handmade knit and Crochet Fashion Accessories made with YOU in mind! You can find Made for Me by Oaklie on: Website Etsy Facebook Twitter Google+ On Fire for Handmade Gift Guide Grab the code for your blog HERE

What a very cool shop this is!  "Where soap meets art!"  No joke, there are some beautiful soaps in this shop. This weeks Featured Artisan is Dallas Soap Company! Yummy goodies to indulge yourself in! Spoil yourself rotten... visit Dallas Soap Company!  You can find Dallas Soap Company on: Website Etsy Facebook This is my fave, of course with purple in it,  and the smell must be awesome!  Mardi Gras Handcrafted Artisan Soap Refreshing Citrus Blend Be sure to stop by and see her!

Today we are honored to have Anna Garner , a very knowledgeable and talented creator who has explored the world, helps us take something old, and make it new. Her interest in the histories of ancient cultures, art, art history, and ancient civilizations brings a unique look and feel to her creations. She is a wealth of information, and we can all learn to appreciate what goes in to making old things into new.  Visit her shop at Crafts of the Past  (for ancient artifacts, antiques, and new creations), her facebook page (where she shares stories of her archaeology adventures), and her blog, Facing East Designs  (where she often shares how she creates, and explains the histories of stones and beads often used). Old Beads, New Designs by facingEAST Designs   by Anna Garner   During the last forty years of my life, I have collected beads and ethnic silver jewelry.   When I am inspired to create a new design from the loose pieces in my ...

Back last year, I won a giveaway from Everyday Inspired , and in it was a magnetic dry erase board. For the past year, it has had a prime location on the fridge, where I would try to give my kids inspirational and motivational tidbits so they would start their day with positive thoughts, as to be out the door at 7am is a tough thing to do in a good mood. Wall-E Wednesday - not sure who Mr. West is. I guess my tidbits were getting a bit stale, because lately the kids have taken it upon themselves to put themed notes on it. I guess my day themed blog series have rubbed off on them.  So for a change, I have taken their cues and let it motivate me! Today it is  Wall-E Wednesday. What was Wall-E's purpose ? To collect garbage. Well, today is as good a day as any to tackle the garbage, um I mean our collections of stuff, taking up main real estate in the basement.   Pile of 'stuff' right in the middle of the basement. "Wall-E hubby" and I will be! Sorti...

Sharing a great creator today. ~Zur Designs~ This Week's Featured Artisan is Deb Hall - Zur Designs! Deb not only is a dedicated artisan she also is dedicated to helping promote her fellow artisans  She has a group on Facebook and team on Etsy called Indie Junction! You can find Zur Designs on: Etsy Facebook Blog

Didn't get my walk in today, it rained nearly all day.  But I did get some good laughs over some of these. These are real signs. No matter how ridiculous they may seem, remember that at some point in time, someone did something to make each of these signs necessary. All are from The Happy Place . I'd like to try that....walk without walking...hmmmm  duh  gotta print these instructions out, hubby wants a hat for Christmas....  ?????  every store should have that one.  BEST doorbell ever!  apparently lots of toilet troubles have happened in the past.....  I wish I knew where this was...never knew this was a problem. There are more on The Happy Place if you are looking to waste some more time.