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october 3, 2007 | issue twenty-four This morning, as I was moving the laundry around - such fun, I started thinking about some of my favorite pieces of clothing. The ones I really love - that fit just right and feel so good - those ones I just had to have. Why, I wondered to myself, do I let them sit in my closet rather than getting more frequent enjoyment out of them? Why not wear my favorites in my everyday-work-at-home life, rather than saving them for some special time to come in the future? Do you, like me, keep those favorites hanging in your closet waiting for just the perfect opportunity? As I kept thinking about this I realized that I do this with my scrapbooking supplies too. Which leads me to this thought: Why wait? My goal this week is to wear some of my favorite clothes (even if I am just working here at home) and to use up some of those favorite products I have been saving for just the perfect project that never seems to pop up. No time like right now. Want to join me? Peace, Ali NO DAY LIKE TODAY So what's the deal with this? Why be delighted enough by something to buy it and than stash it away for someday? In my own life, creatively and otherwise, I am working on not saving so many things for later. Later is right now. If I love it, I should be using it, creating with it, cooking with it, wearing it, making something else with it. I don't want to be holding off on things, waiting for whatever it is to make it just the right moment. Now is the right moment. Today is the right time for using your favorite supplies or wearing your most beloved clothes. Or for telling someone how much you love them. Here's a couple tips for actually using those things you have been holding on to: 1. Assess your real needs. Sometimes I get stuck in the same old same old (not reaching out for my most favorite things) because of this perceived list of needs that keeps running through my head. To be able to use such-and-such I first need this or I need to do that. Make a list of those needs and assess which ones you really do need to be able to enjoy those most-loved products. And take some time to think about these needs: do you really need ten different colors of ribbon to work with that most beloved embellishment or can you just use it on its own? 2. Repeat the phrase: no day like today. I love the Broadway production of Rent. One of the last songs on the CD is called Finale B and this is the mantra in that song - no day but today. This is how I want to live my life. Why not grab that skirt you keep saving for a someday something and just wear it around your house? Why not grab that most favorite embellishment and just stick it on the page you currently have in progress? Why not tell that story you keep meaning to tell as soon as you get home from work tonight? The time is now. 3. Take a deep breath and think about this question: why really are you holding on to things so tightly? Life goes by so darn fast and you never know what is coming around that next bend. If you love scrapbooking, get your stuff out and do it. Tell your story. Stop waiting for the perfect whatever to come your way. Stop worrying about design, or what you don't have, or holding back on using that beautiful paper and instead, focus on what you do have.  (Supplies: Labels: Fontwerks Blue, Paper Source, Every Jot and Title; Rubs ons + Stickers: American Crafts, 7gypsies.) Now go on. Stop waiting. Stop procrastinating. No day like today. OCTOBER Kit of the Month  Who do you know who has shown courage in life? Men, women, children, teens-there are everyday heroes all around us. Even you could be that hero. Here's your chance to celebrate those around you that give you hope, to honor these amazing people, to honor your own strength, to honor theirs. To honor the ability of people to face challenges with courage, and in the process, to bring a little bit of hope into each of our lives. The amazing stories of hope you record will bless generations in the future-and right now. INSPIRED BY | things having to do with 100 | books · Jessica's 100 in 10 : this is the beginning of at least 10 different posts filled with inspiring creative tips and ideas. · Creating a 100 Things Life List : this one came from my friend Dona - I have been wanting to do one of these for awhile now and in the spirit of the theme this week I am not waiting any longer to get started. · 100 thing challenge : this one is all about living with less stuff. Could you live with only 100 things? CREATIVE SHARING Thanks to those of you who took up the challenge from last week to share your creativity online with some sort of how to post. Check out the following links for inspiration: 1. Nicole on Remember When Scrapbooking talking about quick + simple design. 2. Idan on creating a perfectly imperfect layout. 3. Noelle on how negativity can have a positive impact on your layouts. 4. Maria sharing a cool handwriting technique. LIFE ARTIST | autographed copies Looking for an autographed copy of my new Life Artist book? Check out Cocoa Daisy for details. Copyright 2007 Ali Edwards/AE Design/Life Art Media. Please do not reproduce any content without permission. Ali Edwards, author of A Designer's Eye for Scrapbooking and A Designer's Eye for Scrapbooking with Patterned Paper, is Lifestyle Editor of Creating Keepsakes magazine where she writes a monthly inspiration column called Studio A . She is a wife, mother, artist, writer, and seeker of balance. Owner of AE Design and Life Art Media, she conducts life art workshops around the globe. You can find her online on her blog or contact her through email at ali@aliedwardsdesign.com
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