Stepping Out Challenge - Day 5 - Tropical Gardening

Welcome to today's post, I am taking part in a 31 day blog challenge where I post everyday in October.  I love creating challenges for myself and joining ones by others.  My challenge for the rest of the month is to reflect on some of the series I created for myself and inspiration that I have taken away.

Listen to the Podcast

Today I am going to be talking about a series on my Gardening Channel called 31 Plants in my Tropical Garden  

I moved a few years ago with my family to the Caribbean, Barbados to be exact, and I try and spend time between Barbados and London where possible.

I decided to do this challenge when I started growing my own food, plants in a space that could accommodate some of the things I wanted to grow in a tropical environment.  

 I had been collecting and purchasing seeds for the longest and in our current home was set with the challenge of planting on a slope and having an extremely tight budget, so I had to be creative in what I did.  The Creative Gardener was born!

As I traveled round Barbados I came across many trees and plants that intrigued me and I wanted to know more about them and see if I could grow them myself.

It has been an exiting journey to see many of the plants grow and I was able to get quite a few going from seeds, some of the herbs I found that they didn't grow for me and I brought a few small plants then as they started to grow I propagated them, which was the start they needed.

The 31 Plant series was a way for me to share the plants that I was growing and how they looked in their small state,  I found it encouraging as it took the mystery out of growing cause if I could do it then you could too!  Filming the series was a way to document the progress and something for me to look back on to see how far I have come

Some plants have done really well, others have died and it is then the adventure to see what I need to do to correct the soil for next time.  Some plants gave the appearance of having died, but then resurrected themselves and that has been really great to see.  

One of the rewarding things that has come for sharing about what I am growing is that it has been so exciting seeing something that you put in the ground grow especially fruit trees, and plants that have so many beneficial and medicinal properties.

There are so many plants that I have wanted to grow over the years but being in a colder climate wasn't able to.  I am now able to create a food forest, an edible landscape that is pleasing to all the senses and provides medicinal and nutritional benefits to the family as well.

Garden Nursery Set up - DIY

I encourage you to think about using your space to grow something whatever size you have.  It is very rewarding and you will learn much about yourself in the process.

If you are on a budget and want to start growing your own, why don't you start with growing some of the seeds that come from the fruit or vegetables that you eat, you could start sprouting pulses and grow them on from there

Many of the seeds that you can purchase are quite economical and you can start quite quickly.

Places like the Pound Store/Dollar Store have a garden section and you can pick up some supplies for cheap.  I have not brought seeds from them so can't say how good they are.

I will be sharing another series on my Gardening Channel for those who want to grow and garden on a tight budget so please subscribe and click the notification bell so you know when a new video has been uploaded.  I currently post 2 or 3 new videos every week.

What has your approach been to your green space?  You might only have a balcony but you can add a couple of pots and get some plants growing.  If you don't have outdoor space you should get some pot plants.  A lot of the plants grown in the Caribbean can be grown indoors in a warm environment so you can bring the tropics to your own home.  

Do the plants you have need to have a new lease of life? you can look for some ways in which you can do some DIY and create a green space of your dreams.  

Elephant Ears - gorgeous plant

Tomorrow I will share the second part from my Tropical Garden Series.  I hope during this month you find some time to challenge, be creative and stretch yourself.

Why not join me each day for the rest of October as we dive into to some exciting challenges and look at ways in which they can impact on your own life. 

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, it is never too late to start! The main thing is to take one step at a time and do something that you find interesting.

Stay blessed and be a blessing.

Ps:  If you are on a budget and would like to check out some gardening supplies/books at a discounted price, check out one of the links below:

Amazon suggested Gardening books

Adorn it 

Dollar Tree 

Book Outlet 

C&T Publishing 

Craftsy Kits

Stepping Out Challenge - Day 4

Welcome to today's post, I am taking part in a 31 day blog challenge where I post everyday in October.  I love creating challenges for myself and joining ones by others.  My challenge for the rest of the month is to reflect on some of the series I created for myself and inspiration that I have taken away.

Listen to the Podcast

Today is the second part of the challenge that I did called 31 Art Studio Essentials.  Yesterday I looked at the necessity for not only spending time everyday in an art practice but work with what you have and spend time getting to know your supplies.

Click for the PLAYLIST

For those people who are starting out you have to resist wanting to purchase every single art supply that you can get your hands on.  It is tempting I know, I've done it, I used to get this inner urge that felt as if it were driving me and the feeling wouldn't stop until I had pressed buy now on Amazon.  Once the item came there was some initial excitement, and then it left. 

There are several things that you can do if you are on a budget:

One of the things that you can do is to swap with a fellow artist.  They may have the supply you are thinking about buying and visa versa, you can try it out before you commit. 

Also some companies give away samples, you could contact the company that makes the supply you want to purchase to see if they will send you a sample.

Is there a sale on where you can purchase the items at a discount - If you are in the states and shop at Michaels you may be able to use a Code to get a discount off your total spend.

Are there things around your home can double up as art supplies?  You might be able to save some money by say making your own journals, stencils, stamps.  In one of my videos I spoke about how you can make your own art journals by making your own from directories - the department store directories are made with quite nice paper as well.

It has taken me a while to know the different mediums I like and I realized over the years that I had many favorite mediums and through experimenting became confident in using a variety of them together. 

 I also go through phases when I only want to use just one particular medium, but end up combining it with other things say clay with textiles, and jewelry embellishment.  When you experiment you come up with some exciting surprises and combinations that just fit together.

Working on the challenge enabled me to look at my materials in a different way that has worked for me.  It is vital that you give yourself time with your supplies and get to know them.  I discovered with supplies that I had brought, I didn't do any of the points such as check to see if a friend has pastels I can try out I just went and brought them. 

They were quite pricey and for some reason I had to have them I should have started out with a cheap set or a smaller set but once I had brought them I realized that I disliked the dust and getting my hands dirty, the feel was uncomfortable and they just stayed in a draw for the longest. I didn't play around with them, but because of the cost I didn't want to let go of them either. Years later I saw an artist use them with gesso - which is one of my favorite supplies to use in an art journal and when I tried it it worked for me and I was able to give my pastels new life.

Day 4 Insights

• Some of my favorite supplies are jewelry pieces that I use with some textiles, I love collecting different supplies but they all tie in together and can be used interchangeably. You don't have to spend a fortune, you can find jewelry at the thrift or charity store, or you may have some that you don't wear that you can re-purpose.

• I also enjoy creating moulds to use with clay work.  Some of the store brought moulds can be expensive, but you can make your own You can also find unique molds that you can create your own embellishments.

What has your approach been to your supplies?  Do you have some that are just hanging around waiting for a new home or could you breath new life into them?  Why not combine them with other supplies and give them a new lease of life.

Tomorrow I will share snippets from my Tropical Garden Series.  I hope during this month you find some time to challenge, be creative and stretch yourself.

Why not join me each day for the rest of October as we dive into to some exciting challenges and look at ways in which they can impact on your own life. 

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, it is never too late to start! The main thing is to take one step at a time and do something that you find interesting.

Stay blessed and be a blessing.

Ps:  If you would like to check out some art supplies and materials at a discounted price, check out one of the links below:

Adorn it 

Dollar Tree 

Blick 

Book Outlet 

Stampington 

C& T Publishing 

Dover

Craftsy Kits

Stepping Out Challenge - Day 3

Welcome to today's post, I am taking part in the 31 day blog challenge as part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge for October.

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Today I wanted to share one of my favorite challenges and this was my 31 Art Studio Essentials.  

I created a challenge called The Art Studio Essentials Challenge, and it was probably one of my favorite challenges where I took a closer look at the 31 supplies that I most like to used, it included not only looking but also playing with my favorite art supplies.

There are times when you need to reintroduce yourself to your supplies, many of which can be neglected if you have quite a few supplies.  I have had some supplies that I hadn't even used dry up, partly because of the change in climate but they could no longer be used. 

The Challenge also made me realize how much I enjoyed spending time creating in my art studio.  The important thing you have to remember is that you take the time out each and every day.  

Art and creativity is an integral part of life and it is something that I believe we should all take time out to do every day.  You may not be inclined to draw or work in your art journal, your thing might be photography, dance or music, but you must find time to tune into your creative passions.

Day 3 Insights

• I didn't start out having the studio space that I currently work in now, I guess I have grown into it over the years and started out on the edge of my kitchen table.  I had to put everything away at the end of every day, but I made what I had work for me at the time.  We don't necessarily need a large space to do something creative and you need to think outside of the box at times. 

What is your creative space like, are you utilizing the space you have or do you wish for a different space?  Very often we do not see what we have in front of us and desire more, more space more time, more supplies.

Tomorrow I will share some of my favorite supplies from the essentials of my Art Studio.  I hope over the challenge you find some time to be creative and stretch yourself.

Why not join me each day for the rest of October for the Ultimate Blog Challenge as we dive into to some exciting challenges and look at ways in which they can impact on your own life and possibly challenges that you might decide to do. 

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, it is never too late to start! The main thing is to take one step at a time and do something that you find interesting.

Stay blessed and be a blessing.

Stepping Out - Ultimate Blogging Challenge - October Day 1 and 2

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The challenge season has come round again or did it ever go away!  I am taking part in the Ultimate Blog Challenge where I challenge myself to write 31 blog posts for the month of October.  There are many different blog challenges that take place throughout the year that helps get you kick started to new routines, regimes and lifestyles, so it is worth taking a look and seeing which one fits with you.  

You can choose what you want to blog on or the hosts might give you a prompt for the day for you to post on.  There are so many things that you could post about; it could be something that interest you, hobbies and pastimes, interesting facts, it can be anything, but you have to show up each and every day.

I took quite a long time in finding the thing that I wanted to share, and I am also running a day late, and then October came upon me so quickly, that is no excuse really, at the end of the day you are doing it to challenge yourself and hopefully along the way others are blessed.

I have taken part in many of these challenges over the years my very first one was with Blogging from A to Z challenge, this currently happens in April.  I have also created a series of different challenges for myself over the years that have ranged from a 7 day, 26, 31 day challenges, 52 week challenge, 365 day challenge and one that took me over a year and a half writing about the things that I was grateful for.

It is always a sigh of relief when you complete the challenge and speak about what you learnt about yourself over the challenge. 

For my challenge this October I will be reviewing and reflecting on some of the challenges I did over the past few years and the nuggets of learning that came out of it for me and what I might decide to take forward and create from them.   I feel that it is vital that you learn something about yourself from taking part in a challenge and when you share your insights you are able to help someone else. 

I will also be sharing a snippet about myself and by the end of the month you can get to know me and my work a bit better.

The challenges are a time for growth and enable you to see things from a different perspective.  I will be sharing 15 challenges that I have done over time, how they impacted my work, my favorites of the challenges and what I might do as a follow on with the information that comes from the challenge.

Day 1 and 2 Insights

• I like creating and taking part in challenges for myself. I find a work better if I have a schedule and know what things that I need to be doing. This also works well for me with the challenge, it is almost like breaking things down into manageable chunks and then you keep working away until you finish, I find that the challenge help me get specific things created or help me process information - like being able to create Tips for Carers I was able to see the things that I did in my role as a carer for my mother.

• Whilst challenges need to be planned to get the best out of them, sometimes you need to just begin, stop making excuses and jump in! I have been known just to start a challenge, and half way I begin to flag because I have become overwhelmed.  Where possible plan ahead and get all the information or tools that you need ahead of time and this will make it easier to stick with it and not start stressing about what you need to do for that day.  You also need to take things at your own pace if you start to flag - but that is where the planning ahead comes in, it is better to keep going rather than stop because you are a few days behind.  That said on some of the days I will do two posts so that I stay on schedule.

Why not join me each day for the rest of October as we dive into to some exciting challenges and look at ways in which they can impact on your own life and possibly challenges that you might decide to do. 

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, let me know if you decide to take on a challenge, it can be for as long or short as you want, if you have never done one before start with a 3, 5 or 7 day and see how you get on.  The main thing is to start and do something that you find interesting.

Stay blessed and be a blessing.

Podcasting - Just Start

So I decided to start a podcast in the last few months on a platform called Anchor, and have been sharing insights and revelations, about art and creativity, my time as a carer for a mother living with Dementia and things that generally inspire me.  It has been great, I am learning so many new skills, and juggling everything is becoming a fine art!

The great thing about creating the podcasts on Anchor is that it is shared on a variety of other podcast platforms and so if you have a favorite one you will be able to listen on that specific platform.

Podcasts have always been a great way of listening to your favorite content, and Anchor have made it easy for you to create and upload and then take the hard work out of it for you by uploading to additional podcast platforms.

Here are a list of the platforms that my podcasts can be found on:

Anchor Podcasts

Apple Podcasts

Google Podcasts

Spotify

Breaker

Castbox

Pocket Casts

Radio Public

Stitcher

Did you see your favorite one, check them out, and while your there check out my current podcast on your platform of choice - It's easy!

Stay blessed and be a blessing!

Podcasting Week - 2018 & Creative Live Free on Air Classes

It is Podcasting Week 2018. 

I had always wanted to get into Podcasting over the years but never followed it through. I got into radio and did a 3 year stint on local community radio. It was great, and I found doing the research for the show interesting and knowing the power of radio in taking the message out to potentially the world! 

I have always recording my thoughts on my phone using the voice recorder or video and found I had a lot of content that I could use. I jumped in feet first this year and signed up onto a platform called Anchor. It is very easy to use and you get a good quality sound just from using your phone. It also shares your recording on a selection of 9 other podcasting platforms.

If you have been considering making your own podcasts I encourage you to take the step. I started out making one recording a week, and now I am better familiar with editing and uploading I have started releasing two episodes a week. You can obviously do as little or as much as you like.

The advances of technology now means that you can create your own radio talk show, you decide the hours, and collaboration, location. Think about the topics that you can talk about, or who you want to talk with. It is a great opportunity to share your voice with the world.

Weekly Podcasts - This weeks - Letting go of negative words

Most of all don't hide your ideas away, take the leap, be bold, make that step, and you will have amazing memories to look back on.

There are some courses that you can do to give you a good start and you can take a look at some of the courses offered by Creative Live. You can start learning for free with the selection of live and on air classes. You will learn creative skills from top experts, and with over 1,500 curated classes in Photography & Video, Money & Life, Craft & Maker, Art & Design, and Music & Audio, and more!  There is something for everyone.

Creative Live is has a selection of on-air broadcasts for free or you can purchase a class and own the content for life.

Additionally, you can get your daily creative fix on the iOS app with 1 free lesson of your choice, each and every day. I have included some upcoming classes below for you to check out.

Check Out CreativeLive's Free On-Air Classes

Free On-Air Classes - Week of 9/23

Class Name: Automate and Outsource Your Work

Text Link: Automate and Outsource Your Work Class at CreativeLive

Start Date: 09/23/2018

End Date: 09/24/2018

RSVP Date: 09/23/2018

Class Name: Podcasting for Crafters and Makers

Text Link: Podcasting for Crafters and Makers Class at CreativeLive

Start Date: 09/24/2018

End Date: 09/25/2018

RSVP Date: 09/24/2018

Class Name: Grow Your Business with YouTube

Text Link: Grow Your Business with YouTube Class at CreativeLive

Start Date: 09/25/2018

End Date: 09/26/2018

RSVP Date: 09/25/2018

Class Name: Foundations in Metalsmithing: Bracelets

Text Link: Foundations in Metalsmithing: Bracelets Class at CreativeLive

Start Date: 09/27/2018

End Date: 09/28/2018

RSVP Date: 09/27/2018

Class Name: Getting Started with Pen, Ink & Markers

Text Link: Getting Started with Pen, Ink & Markers Class at CreativeLive

Start Date: 09/28/2018

End Date: 09/29/2018

RSVP Date: 09/28/2018

Try and check out some of the courses, I will definitely be checking them out and will share at some point on the blog.

Check out my podcast, and let me know if you would like to be join me on one of the episodes.

Why not do something new, you never know where it will lead, or add to the work that you are currently doing. Let me know how you get on, or which ones you might try.  Stay blessed and be a blessing.

Letting go of words - The Negative ones!!

Letting go of the Negative Words

After listening to a snippet of a Ted Talk, I stumbled on it and thought that I had book marked it, but when I went back to listen to the rest I couldn't find it.

The short of it was a question which asked you to think of a negative word that you commonly use, and think about removing it from your vocabulary.

What word would you remove and why?

When you remove the word you have to give more thought to your situation.  My word was Insecure, and rather than use that word I had to dive deeper into the situation I was trying to explain away under the banner of 'insecurities'.

It then began to be clear that there were many things that I didn't do because I explained it away as me being insecure.

But when I let go of the word I found that I got to the root of how I was feeling and why, instead of fobbing myself off.

What negative words are you using to describe how you are feeling that you could omit from your vocabulary that only makes you feel stuck and doesn't really describe how you might be feeling.

Let me know what word you will stop hiding behind.  Create a journal page, play with your supplies, or write about how it feels.

If you want to listen to the podcast you can do so HERE

Stay blessed, pass it on and be a blessing!

Caribbean Fine Art Fair (CAFA) 2019

Every year in March the Caribbean Fine Art Fair (CAFA) comes to Barbados, and it attracts artists and visitors from around the globe. I have participated in 3 fairs so far and 2019 will be my forth year. 

The dates for the ninth edition of the Caribbean Fine Art Fair is the 6 - 10th March 2019. 

Our guests curators for the Fair is Victor Davson, Guyanese co-founder of Aljira Center for Contemporary Art and Oneka Small, Barbadian Artist, curator and founder of Artist Alliance.

Applications are currently open if you would like to take part. and you can check out the link HERE

It is a great way to meet other artists, with so many different styles and approaches from around the world and share dialogue and love for art over the 5 days of the Art Fair.  It is also great to interact with art lovers and talk about the work on display. 

I hope you check out the Website and consider being one of the exhibitors.

Here are a few of the photos from last years CAFA Fair, check the link below for a full look at the work of the Artists that took part.

Organizer - Anderson Pilgrim

With family and friends

Amanda Trought - My mixed media Wall Hangings

Fellow Artist and Art Curator Dr Myrah Brown Green

Fellow Artists and Art collectors

Here are some mini videos that I took on the day

Walking round checking out some of the Art work

Remember to put the dates for 2019 in your calendar and make sure that you attend.

So you got a flavor of the opening, you can check out the work of the Artists who participated in the 2018 CAFA  HERE

Stay blessed and be a blessing!

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Moments to Ponder - Just Start - You have everything you need!!

You have everything you need to start!!!

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You have everything that you need to start, so what are you waiting for?  Do you need some special permission, letter from your parents, critic or some other person that you have been seeking approval from?

What you haven't always realized and I talk to myself as well as you, I hope you know that!! But you have everything you need to make a start.  You might not have all the pieces to complete the job, but you don't have to wait until everything all lines up.  You take a step, each and every day, break things down and before you know it you have moved on!.

Think back over your life the many things that you have done, and realized they were not as bad as you thought it was going to be.  The fear was in the unknown, but once you knew it was alright.  Well, there are many other things that you are holding back on, some things are to do with health, that pain or twinge you felt but have been ignoring, that quiet 'me time' you should be taking on a regular basis to find balance in your life, or that creative space you are suppose to be giving yourself.

Don't hold out or back on yourself anymore, it doesn't have to be perfect, improvements come over time, you just got to work hard at it.  Start something today, take 5 minutes and just go for it, if you still 'feel' you need permission to get started, see the slip below - all access pass, no waiting

There you have it, it might feel scary to start, but you have loads us creatives in your corner as your cheerleaders, and family and friends.  Let me know how you get on, leave a comment, check out some of my other platforms and share what you are doing.  It is never too late to start - I believe in your dreams!

Stay blessed and Be a blessing, as you are blessed pass it on.