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.

Listen to the Podcast

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.