Daily Structure for the Unemployed: How To Have a Great Day!

 "Pink Dreams," by Nina Reeba; Mixed Media on canvas 8x8" $60

Since I lost my job on 01/03/10, I've been having a tough time creating a routine and sticking to it every day. I haven't been out of work since 1994 and that was for only two months. 

One thing I have learned about myself, is that I do a lot better with structure in my life. So now I have to make myself do it without the natural structure a job provides. I found this list and wanted to share it with you. I think it might also be helpful for those who work from home.

"Purple Dreams," by Nina Reeba; Mixed Media on canvas 8x8" $60

This comes from the Art Biz Blog - for the Business of Being an Artist. Please click here for a direct link!

"How to have a great day!"

by Alyson Stanfield on October 28, 2008

1. Decide that it will be a great day. This is the most important step.

2. Lie in bed thinking happy thoughts and envisioning your great day for an extra 15-20 minutes.

3. Get dressed and ready for the great day ahead. Put on something that makes you feel good.

4. Start the day with something inspirational: a podcast, a recording, a book, or a favorite (inspirational) blog. 

5. Say hello to the sun and, in my case, the mountains.

6. Chug a glass of water. 

7. Grab a cup of coffee or tea.

8. Eat breakfast and take your vitamins. 

9. Check your email to make sure there is nothing urgent there, but don’t spend too long in the inbox (5 minutes). Note that this is #9, not #1! 

10. Check your task list and prioritize what is most important. Repeat this step at least two more times throughout the day.

 Image ©Laura Tyler, Mint Tulip

11. Tackle the task list. Listen to soothing music or sounds. My favorite CD these days is the sounds of the ocean, seeing as we have very little water here in the high desert.

12. Say Yes to the really good stuff and Thanks, but No Thanks to what doesn’t serve you.

13. End the day in good time. Look at your task list for tomorrow and plan your day. Mentally leave your studio or office and spend time with yourself or with loved ones.

14. Before going to bed, write your gratitudes in your journal. What are you thankful for today? Also, write what you accomplished during your great day and pat yourself on the back. Just as you started your day with an inspiration, you will end it with another inspirational ritual.

15. If you have a significant other, kiss them goodnight. Before turning out the lights ask him or her: What made you happy today? Be prepared to share what made you happy. 

16. Say one last prayer of gratitude to the universe for giving you such an amazing day.

 17. Sleep soundly for 7 to 8 hours.

Thank you to Jackie Jacobson for alerting me to this post on Twitter where I found it on her blog. She's a wonderful artist, so please visit her blog during your internet travels. In case you missed it earlier, here's the link for the Art Business Blog. Thanks for stopping by!
 

 "Salmon Botanical," by Nina Reeba; Mixed Media on canvas 16x20" $150

2010 Olympic Colors to Inspire Any Artist!

 I love the colors of this year's Olympics! Not just the logo colors of blues and greens, but all the other colors next to it! The athletes are dressed in every color of the rainbow and then add the white snow with it - and wow- inspiration for days.

 If you're an artist and feeling in a rut, because you've been using the same comfortable colors ad nausea, then look no farther than the color's in Vancouver, British Columbia for the rest of this week.

 Loving the logo green's and blues.

Red, blue, green, black and white! See any others?

I love the black and white with the logo colors! But add a pinch of yellow and red and wow! Having a ton of colors in one piece doesn't mean they have to be distributed evenly. It works!

Green-gold is a favorite of mine, but I never would have thought to pair it with light blue. I like the blue-gray and white on the uniform with it too. I would consider that an analogous combination - yellow, green and blue.

 

The always popular red, white and blue!

  

Different shades of red, white and blue, with a smidge of orange thrown in and teal from the famous Olympic rings.

 

I love how the yellow ski's add a pop over the mostly red, white, blue, black and green. 

Check out all the different colors seen here! Love those ski's!

Check out this bunch of colors together! It can really cheer a person up who's suffering from the winter blues.

Can't forget the all important metallics!

Or the must-have item of these winter Olympics.

The colorful gold winning, American, Lindsey Von in action.

The most decorated American Winter Olympian, Apolo Ohno. 

Love him! Mostly red, white and blue, but also the black glove with gold finger tips.

I hope you found some color inspiration from looking at these photo's. I'm taking an online color class right now and learning so much about color! I encourage you to take a risk and try some color combination's that you would've avoided in the past. Remember, if you don't like it, you can always paint over it!

The Winter Olympics 2010 are on NBC through the weekend.  Be sure and watch for more inspiration for your art and for your life, as we watch people go after their dreams.

What are your favorite color combo's? What new pairings have you tried lately? Please leave me a comment - I'd love to know! Thanks for stopping by!

(all photo's came from Google images)

We Have Two Winners for the OHOW Global Blog Event!!

Congrats to Amy from the US and to Trianna from Victoria, BC, Canada!

You are the lucky winners for my give away. 

Here's what you won:

 

 

These are two of my hand made greeting cards. If I don't hear from these ladies by Friday, I will select another winner. 

This year, there were links to 1,088 blogs from 40 countries. For more information, please visit event creator, Lisa Swifka's blog.

Please stop by and visit again sometime soon!

Happy Valentine's Day Movie Review

Hollywood has packaged a star studded cast in an ambitious little romantic comedy just in time for the holiday weekend. I was excited when I saw the list of actors, but wondered how they could pull off a story involving ten main characters. The answer - they do - kinda sorta.

But there are actually more than ten characters.Valentine's Day stars: Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, Bradley Cooper, Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Emma Roberts, Jennifer Garner, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Topher Grace, Shirley Maclaine, Ashton Kutcher, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, Queen Latifa and Hector Elizondo.

 

Topher Grace and Anne Hathaway

  

Bradley Cooper and Julie Roberts

  

Jessica Alba and Ashton Kutcher

  

Jennifer Garner and Ashton Kutcher

  

Patrick Dempsey and Jennifer Garner

But for me, the adorable, little, blond kid, Bryce Robinson, stole the show, as well as my heart. Remember the cute kid from Jerry Maguire, Jonathan Lipniki - he's cute like that. I predict all the girls will fall for this little heart breaker. He also appeared in, "Marley and Me," but I refuse to watch that movie.

 

Bryce Robinson and Jennifer Garner 

 

Bryce Robinson

Valentine's Day tries too hard to reach mass appeal by having a character that everyone will relate to. There are seniors, teens, gays, gorgeous girls, hot guys and generally lots of very pretty people. The eye candy gives you something nice to look throughout the entire movie. 

 

Handsome Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy's Dr. McDreamy)

  

Sexy Eric Dane (Grey's Anatomy's Dr. McSteamy)

 

Emma Roberts and Taylor Swift

  

Taylor Swift and Jennifer Garner

Shirley Maclaine and Hector Elizondo 

This movie was visually colorful and bright, which sets the pleasant tone. Ashton Kutcher's character plays a florist and his people all wear pink shirts. We get to see lots of gorgeous flowers and a nice house here and there, but it's the pretty people who are the most watchable. Is that enough to make a movie? Of course not, but it doesn't suck either. It's a romantic comedy after all, so we have to expect some fluff. But it's also fun.

 

  

  

Fortunately, a few of the couples have interesting story lines, while others are predictable. There are two surprises at the end, so it's not a total waste of time. This movie was light hearted fun just like it teases in the trailers.

 

Jessica Biehl

Jessica Biehl has a single's party with a different take for those who are without a special someone on this holiday for lovers.

Overall, I give this movie 2 1/2 out of 5 stars. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. I wasn't expecting excellence from this romantic comedy like "It's Complicated," starring Meryl Streep. I was expecting a light romp, watching pretty people who made me smile. So accept it for what it is or wait and rent it.

Opening Ceremony for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver 2010

I love the Olympics! So I was excited to watch the Opening Ceremony for the 21st Olympic Winter Games,  Friday night on NBC. 

I was curious to see how it measured up to the over the top spectacle put on in Beijing in 2008. While it didn't compare, it had a lot of pizazz and packed a powerful entertainment punch. I watched most of the four hour show. 60,000 people packed into the coliseum in beautiful, Vancouver, British Columbia,Canada.

 Commentator's Bob Costas and Matt Lauer pointed out that many of the athletes were wearing black arm bands to honor the death of fellow competitor, 21-year-old Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili. His fatal high-speed crash at the Whistler Sliding Centre happened just hours earlier.

The crowd stood to observe a minute's silence for their fallen comrade, Nodar Kumaritashvili. Here's a shrine dedicated to his memory.

We learned a lot about the rich cultural heritage of Canada during the festivities. Bob Costas  said Canadians are, "as a group, among the friendliest, most welcoming people on Earth." He noted there was nothing wrong with their competitive spirit where they would offer a friendly greeting, but then tell you they plan to kick your butt during these game. I love Bob Costas. We had him on The DSC as a guest many times over the 16 years I was on that radio show. He's a super nice guy in person. 

Here's a general view of the indoor stadium. This was the first time an opening ceremony was held indoors at the Winter Olympics.

The ceremony opened with a snowboarder zooming down a hill and flying through the Olympic rings.

 A giant, glittering, white bear lit up the stadium.

As giant sheets of fabric dropped from the ceiling.

 

2,500 competing Olympians from 82 nations paraded through the coliseum, including 216 from the USA ...

 

 while athletes from Canada paraded last.

 

 

The fabric reappeared a few times for different times. Here it was used to look like a giant mountain with skiers flying up and down it.

 

People on rollerblades skated around the white mountain.

 Here's are two close up's.

 Here the fabric was used in a tribute to the city of Vancouver.
 

 For the first time diverse, Aboriginal participation in the planning and hosting was huge for this event. We learned a lot about their deep roots in Canada's rich history.

 

  

 

I want to register my complaint against NBC for not airing the Olympics live. Those of us on the west coast will watch everything on tape delay, so NBC can air the events at a later show. That means people like me who like to Twitter while we watch TV, will read everything that happens before it happens, thanks to tweets in other time zones. Please follow me on Twitter at Ruthie66.

 

This shows a musical tribute performed on a gigantic stage.

 

There were tons of stunning laser light shows, but I couldn't find any photo's to share here. Click on the link at the end of this post to see video's of some of the performances; especially the whale light show.

The evening was capped off with the traditional lighting of the Olympic torch.

 

The most famous Canadian athlete, Wayne Gretzy waves to the crowd.

 

The only glitch in the night came when the fourth column didn't rise up from the floor.

Gretzy left the stadium to light this outdoor torch.

 

No opening ceremony is complete without a fireworks show.

 

 There were also standout performances from K.D. Lang and Sarah McLachlin. Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado sang a duet. Donald Suterland narrated a few portions of the show and we heard a lovely rendition of O Canada by one of the locals.


Click here to see video's from many of the night's offerings!