Random Acts of Kindness II

So to get more specific about the contest, I am looking for stories about something you have done, something you have witnessed or something you have received as a random act of kindness. Maybe you know of someone special who constantly gives freely of themselves and is always looking out for other people's needs...

I had a great discussion going on my facebook fan page and then realized that facebook is NOT friendly toward give-aways, anyway, here are the comments so far:

from Krista:
Like you, I am inspired by "random kindness". Often times, senior citizens are lonely so I honestly try to chat, smile and just listen to a senior citizen whenever I have the chance. I work in the public sector and love to chat and joke with them. Smiling at someone goes a long way!! For some people, your smile can make their day! So, whenever you can.... smile, listen and laugh ...... and just be nice to people, in general! Jewel said it best in her hit song .... "In the End, only kindness matters". This is my personal motto and I always try to remember that!
Have a great day and I think you have a great thing going here.
I can imagine that you will certainly make someone's day by sending them some of your beautiful work.

Something else that I do on a regular basis is pay for the person's coffee that is behind you in the drive through line at my local coffee shop. This happened to me once and since then I try to return to favour at least once a month. Really, what is a couple of dollars, but its make the receipent smile. Remember to "pay it forward".
:), K

From Mariana:
This may not seem like much, but the results are surprising: I make sure that whenever I pay a cashier (especially at the drive-thru window, but really all cashiers) that I make eye-contact and smile at them as I thank them. If I have the chance to say something encouraging I do that too, but you would be amazed how their spirits lift just from getting actual eye contact.

I can't wait to see what everyone else posts!

My facebook fans and blogging followers (well, OK, so I don't have much of a following yet...) will vote on the best responses.

The winner will be announced November 13, World Kindness Day, and will receive something special from Songbird Gardens!

Random Acts of Kindness

I love Random Acts of Kindness because it is fun to see something small make a big impact on someone's heart.
I feel they make the world a better place.

I am having a Songbird Gardens Give Away for the BEST Random Act of Kindness posted on my blog. My followers/fans will vote on the best story.

More details forthcoming...

Winner will be announced November 13- World Kindness Day! :-D

When it rains, it pours...wine

Well, I just found out that I lost my job. Fantastic. I am joining millions of other Americans in that floating, abstract void of the dreaded job search.

I loved my job...I worked for an amazing company and I knew I was lucky to work there. Due to budget cuts and lay-offs, I had the least amount of tenure and I was let go.

It has not been easy. After ripping into three bottles of wine with my sweet husband and having a good laugh at myself, I feel much better. Red wine can make you do really stupid things, but you have moments of sheer brilliance (at least they seem brilliant at the time) that makes you feel you have a bit of control over your little world.

I have to take my kiddos out of daycare JUST as they were getting used to their school. Ugh, here is another transition kids. Great!

The drudgery of finding a new job is miserable at times, but I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason and 9 times out of 10, you wind up being thankful for your trials.

I found some jobs that sound cool, but since I do not have an 'in' with them, I am worried my emails and resumes are invisible and will go unnoticed.

Still, I march on in my crafting adventures...keeping my house a fun place to be. I don't want to stress my kids out.

I painted lots of different glass items this weekend. If anything, this will allow me the time to really create and finally get back to that fairy story I have been working on. I wish someone would call me to do a mural in their house. I LOVE painting murals.

Anyway, I don't care that I am basically talking to myself right now. It just feels good to talk.

I find myself making breakfast for dinner and just ordering pizza these past few days. Breakfast for dinner makes me HAPPY. Actually, as long as I have a big fat cup of coffee, I am happy.

If you can remotely relate to anything I am saying, feel free to comment!
xoxo
Songbird

A sample of my new creations

New Rose Earrings
New Modern Garden Pendant


Fairy Wand











Orange Briolette Chandelier Earrings






Polymer Clay is AWESOME. I have been making everything from fairy wands to jewelry using this fantastic medium. I am inspired by my kids and by nature, of course.
Finding time to create is a challenge to say the least.
I work full time and have a wonderful family to take care of as well. Sometimes I long to create something, but I have to give into the fact that my inspiration will just have to wait.
That is so frustrating.
Like most intuitive, creative people, "scheduled creative time" is like an oxymoron. We are go-with-the-flow...not structure and limitation.

If I feel I only have a small block of time to work with, I freeze! I sit there with hundred of ideas flying through my head and I try to figure out which one is do-able in that allotted amount of time. Ugh, forget it!

Trying to squeeze time in to create is difficult, but when it happens, it like magic. I just get in the zone and stay there for hours...turning out creative ideas and loving every minute of it.

I also am working on a fairy story. This would be my very first book and it is a daunting task, but I am writing it because my heart has a story to tell. I do not mind if it will take time to get it right (I have been working on my 1st draft for a year).

Anyway, I want to blog about my adventures in crafting. The highs and the lows...sharing what I find and what successes come my way.

Join me in this journey! If you are a crafting mama like me, no doubt we struggle with many of the same things.

Talk to you soon,
Sonja

Songbird Gardens
www.songbird1.etsy.com

Back from a Trance

Ok, so I was not really in a trance, but it sure feels like it!

I went back to work last year and working with two small kiddos can be stressful. It has wound up being a great transition and we have finally found our groove again.

I have been making jewelry again- www.songbird1.etsy.com AND I have been making fairy wands out of polymer clay!
I will post photos tonight...

So glad to be back...

xo Songbird

A Joyful Heart Makes Joyful Creations!

Well, I am happy to say that returning to work has not broken my heart completely.

I miss my kids so much, but because I love what I am doing, I am actually quite happy. Morning are still difficult with Emma as she wants to be with me and she wants to come to work with me. I got tears in my eyes when she said "Mama, I want to come to work with you. I promise I will be good and I will be a hard worker." Ugh...that made me so sad.

When I get home we play all sorts of games and try to do a craft of some sort, but it is challenging when I am trying to get dinner ready, feed Ethan, finish laundry, etc. I need to blow my chores off and just have fun with her as that is really what she needs. I mean really, is it more important to be remembered as being a great cleaner or a great mom??

I promise tonight I will just be a great mom and blow off the 'perfect house syndrome'.

Anyway, since I am enj0ying work and life in general, I have found that I still have the heart and energy to create. I will write a little later about my latest project...I am creating fairy kits!!!

xoxo

Fairy Kingdom Birthday Party

One of my customers sent me pictures of her daughters birthday party and it is one of the most ADORABLE parties I have ever seen!! The little girls were SO precious...Oh, I LOVE what I do!!

Kids are AWESOME

You know...I mentioned how busy I have been and how distracted I have been....
I find myself rushing through each day, hardly taking a breath at times, just trying to push through. I wonder- what am I pushing through for? Where am I trying to go??

I am reminded to just take in each moment, even when I am stressed to the max, by my precious daughter who looks at the world with fresh, new eyes. Her soft heart and open mind take it all in- making old things new.

Just the other day, we were walking to the mailbox, and of course I was trying to go as quickly as possible because I had so many chores to do. She stopped when she saw a dandelion and exclaimed "Mama! A flower! Look this one if for wishing!" I turned and saw the sheer delight in her face and so I told her to make a wish. We kept walking and she was just behind me. I heard her say very softly, "I wish that mama would make a cake today- with strawberry icing. I really like cake". Then she blew the tiny seeds to the wind.

Those soft words melted my heart! I thought: THIS is what it is all about. THIS minute has a chance to become immortal in our memories. I have to submit to each minute, each situation individually, even when my body seems to tremble with pressure, and give in to the fact that before I am anything aside from a child loved by God, I am a mama. That is my priority. That is my mission right now.

Sometimes I am captured by the American dream which can so easily turn into a nightmare. I feel like I am not doing enough...like I am missing out...like I should be doing something more substantial, when REALLY all I am supposed to be doing is joining my daughter in her wish making and baking strawberry cake.

:-D

Busy Busy...

I have not written in a while...the world itself is such a distraction at times...

I am so excited that one of my butterfly fairy crowns has been featured on myhandmaderegistry.com!
http://www.myhandmaderegistry.com/

What a lovely surprise that was.
I have had a few custom orders and I have been making more fairy dwelling night lights. They are so much fun! My daughter LOVES looking at them and playing with them.

I am so glad I have a girly girl to make things for!!

One of my customers had a fairy birthday party for her daughter and I am so excited to see the photos. She ordered 8 custom fairy crowns and a pin-the-star-on-the-fairy wand game. Hooray for little girl birthday parties!!

I am going to do a separate post with some of my new creations...

Fairy Art

I found a way to sell my artwork without selling the original! I am too attached to my watercolors to sell the originals, but I really wanted to see what I could do with them.
I thought this shadow box was a great idea and I had so much fun making it.

I got copies of my artwork done and then with an exacto knife, I cut out the fairy image so I could use it in my collage. It took over an hour!

I sometimes wonder if I will ever be truly successful in selling my artwork. I would love to illustrate books and continue painting for a full time job.

Finding the creative energy I need with a 3 year old and a 5 month old clamoring for my attention all day, everyday really takes it out of me.

I was so proud of myself for finishing this shadow box. It took around 5 hours total to finish and I love how it turned out.

Fairy Crowns

Every little girl loves being beautiful and loves being a princess! Especially my girl.

Emma's best friend Caleb came over to play and he is such a good buddy. He wanted to wear a crown too!

Future blackmail photo??

New Fairy Night Lights!!

I am so excited about my new fairy night lights.

My daughter loves them too.

Your little girl can go to sleep knowing that she keeps magical company!

This night light flickers like candle light (it is an LED candle so it does NOT get hot) and when it is lit, it looks like a fairy is dancing around inside the house. This house also comes with two miniature fairy thrones. I used glass beads for some of the windows and they look so pretty when the candle is lit.

This house is small enough to fit just about anywhere (6" tall) and it gives off a good glow. I added quite a bit of glitter, so it sparkles and shines during the day too! Just lift the house off the base to access the candle and turn the light on and off. No cords or wires. Batteries are included (3 Button Cell LR44) and last around 100 hours.

Not intended for children under 4 because the batteries in the candle are very small and may pose a choking hazard.

I am making fairy crowns and head bands again!

I am so excited about my new head bands...my little girl had a lot of fun trying them on and posing for pictures.
I loaded two of them onto my online shop- www.belovedchild.etsy.com

Mermaid Cove Fairy Dwelling

Fairies and Mermaids have had a partnership for thousands of years and in the past few hundred years, their bond has strengthened a great deal. When man started to sail the seas, mermaids were often caught unaware sunning on small islands or sometimes out of curiosity, they would swim along side the great ships thinking they were a new kind of ocean animal. Mermaids quickly learned that is was not wise to make themselves known to the sailors who tried to catch them in their great fishing nets. With the help of seagulls and the Wind, the mermaids cry for help reached the ears of the Fae. After much discussion, Queen Eldablossom called her bravest and most adventurous fairies to the Rainbow Table and charged them with the task of following ships out to sea to warn mermaids of their approach. These brave fairies would hide in the great ships' masts or sometimes they would ride birds of the sea to do this dangerous and sometimes lonely job. Thousands of fairies and sea life have now been properly trained in the warning system for mermaids' well being and secrecy. These fairies prefer to live on the coast, listening to crashing waves and smelling the salt air.

Hello World!!

I thought of many reasons why I did not want to create a blog and then realized that it was silly NOT to do it.

I would love to have a small place I can visit that is filled with tons of beautiful things- things that inspire and capture the imagination- so why not create such a place?

My life can be seen as small and though it may appear to be simple, I am anything but simple.

I imagine many of you out there can relate. I am happy doing many things, but I am truly happy when I am creating.

I love to paint, draw, create fairy dwellings, create jewelry, write, sing...

I have two online shops where I sell my handmade creations: www.belovedchild.etsy.com and www.songbird1.etsy.com. I will be posting my thoughts and ideas behind each item I create. I am trying to figure out what I want to feature in my songbird1 shop...

I have so many ideas...

I want this blog to be a place where anyone can come to share their creative thoughts- poems, writings, cool web sites and links, wonderful books...WHATEVER. I just want it to always be something that captures the imagination and brings JOY to whomever is reading it.

I adore fairies and just about anything that glitters and shines. I love miniatures and I love the though of looking through a small door in a tree and seeing a tiny living room or an entirely new world.

I love seeing how far I can push my imagination...how far can I push in trying to create something completely original??