The Ultimate 2012 Gift Guide

My goodness me, it was a labour of love putting this post together!  I didn’t realise I knew so many fabulous people and their wares! If you like it, please share with others :)

Well it is coming to that time of year again where we are gifting our loved ones with festive presents. I really wanted to support brands and products I've had experience with first hand and those that have some social conscience or supporting business owners that do!

Finding the perfect gift for someone can be a difficult task. What I ask of you is not to give crappy presents! There are some fabulous things out there.

You could make something yourself or give them something thoughtful that will enhance their lives, entertain their faculties or brighten up their everyday.

Recycle, reuse or repurpose items and packaging. There is enough waste out there!

Without further ado, here are my top picks :)

GIFT IDEAS

Candles For Community

CANDLES - CANDLES FOR COMMUNITY

www.zulucommunications.com.au/candles/
Sue has created a special Christmas fundraiser and is selling a beautiful range of 100% soy candles.  She is doing this as a fundraiser for Sunrise Children’s Villages. I helped to pour some of the wonderful candles – they smell divine and come is such a wonderful range.

The Sunset to Sunrise range has been created EXCLUSIVELY for Sunrise and Sue is donating 50% of profits from the sale of candles will be donated to Sunrise.

CHRISTMAS ORDERING DEADLINE IS 5 DECEMBER.

Sweet Pins

HOSIERY – SWEET PINS

www.sweetpins.com.au
One of the most gorgeous women I know is the entrepreneurial woman behind Sweet Pins. Lidia is an Italian in Sydney. I’m looking forward to buying my wedding ‘things’ here!

Sweet Pins is the one-stop-shop for discerning ladies and gentlemen, glamorous brides, pin ups and burlesque queens looking for luxurious stockings and vintage inspired lingerie. At Sweet Pins you will find a fabulous selection of fashion tights and hold ups, seamed stockings as well as garter belts, girdles, suspender dresses and lingerie sets from exclusive brands like Kiss me Deadly, What Katie Did, Dottie's Delights, Gerbe Paris, Playful Promises and more.

Baby Teresa

BABY – BABY TERESA

www.baby-teresa.com
I bought a gorgeous romper, hat and blanket set from this Tasmania based organic cotton range. They were gorgeous and came in lovely wrapping. What I love the most about Baby Teresa is that when you buy a product from their range they give another to a baby in need. Awesome huh?! Buy once – give twice!

MICROFINANCE LOANS – OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL

www.opportunity.org.au
Does someone you know have everything they need but you still want to give them a thoughtful gift? Make a microfinance loan on their behalf. Microfinance is a system of providing small loans to those (generally women) who wouldn’t be able to get finance using traditional methods. They then use these funds to create income generating businesses to help their families and their communities out of the cycle of poverty. You can choose who you want to give your loan to. The amazing thing is that these loans have a much higher repayment success rate than loans given by banks. 97%!

KeepCup

COFFEE – KEEPCUP

www.keepcup.com.au
“Hot Coffee. Cool Earth.” Is their catch phrase. This Melbourne based business create awesome reusable coffee cups that stop you from putting all those one-use cardboard ones into landfills. You can even design your own. How cool earth is that?!

Goddess Guidebooks - Create Your Year

GODDESS GUIDEBOOKS

Create Your Year Workbook 
Goddess Circle

Leonie Dawson is a magic maker! She is a fabulous self-proclaimed ‘hippie’ turned creative business goddess that has a range of e-course and a uber supportive online community – The Goddess Circle. I’ve used her great products and they are truly useful, actionable and inspiring. Sign up to her newsletter too – its part of my authentic business mindfood regime.

The Burial

BOOK – THE BURIAL 

The Burial

I met Courtney when she was part of our 10thousandgirl Steering Committee. She is one fire-cracker of a writer with a heart of gold and is also a social entrepreneur support system with her previous work at the School of Social Entrepreneurs. The Burial is a majestic and poetic novel set in the outback and inspired by Australia's last bushranger, young woman Jessie Hickman. A very unusual narrator tells the story. Perfect holiday reading!

BOOK – ROCK THE WORLD REHAB 

Rock the World Rehab: a 4-step "get red carpet ready" body+mind+heart+soul detox adventure

Nothing to do with drug rehab guys! Denise was one of the absolutely inspiring women I met at Kimberly Wilson’s Paris and Provence retreat this year. She is one amazing, sparkly person – lawyer, Phd, writer, furmama, wife and all round inspirer, her book, Rock The World Rehab, is a four step program to detox your body, heart, mind and soul.

GAME - ALTARS

Altars Game
This game for your iPhone is by The Man. It's awesome, it's fun. It's challenging and addictive! Check it Out!

BOOK – TRANQUILISTA 

Tranquilista

I have been a long term Kimberly Wilson fan, falling in love with her doses of inspiration and musings on bringing tranquillity into your everyday. Her book Tranquilista: Mastering the Art of Enlightened Work and Mindful Play provides valuable tips and tools for embracing your many sides. Plus I love the way she writes – it’s a fun and enlightening read!

Half Beast

PRINTS – HALFBEAST

www.etsy.com/shop/halfbeast
Sarah Gleeson is one talented gal! Graphic designer, illustrator and dog lover extraordinaire, she created Half-Beast to provide customised prints that is one half is your favourite animal and the other half is you. Fun, yes? YES! She is also the designer that helped me with the Life is Crafted templates :)

I couldn’t do this post without including my own lil’ ventures now could I?!

LifeTyped

PRINTS – LIFETYPED

www.lifetyped.com/products-2
LifeTyped are made-to-order typographic prints that help you celebrate life’s moments or inspire you in the now. We do Birth Prints, Wedding & Engagement Prints, Pet Prints and Life Manifestos for you to frame on your wall, nursery or shelf.

Imagine your life’s moments captured in words, honoured as art!

Life is Crafted

DIARY ORGANISER PLANNER – LIFE IS CRAFTED

www.lifeiscrafted.com
The printable planner range is definitely more than just a boring scheduler! It is colourful, inspiring and has a really useful layout perfect for planning and organising what you need to do. Plus there is a big collection of life-enhancing lists and info-collection pages.

Life is crafted. Craft yours!

PLANNER FOLDER – PHILOFAXY ADS

http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/p/adspot.html

If  you are looking for a planner folder to put your diary inserts into check out the Filofaxes on the Philofaxy site! My favourite size is A5.

OTHER GREAT IDEAS…

While these are not so much gift ideas, they are GREAT ideas that you can either get gifts through or keep in mind for yourself and others in the future.

HONEYMOON REGISTRY

Are you or someone you know getting hitched? Here’s a great Honeymoon registry! I’ve started setting my own up. It is thoughtful and easy to navigate!
http://ourhoneymoonregistry.co

DOGGIE RESCUES

So many pets are bought as thoughtless Christmas gifts and abandoned as soon as people realise what a responsibility it actually is (BOO on them). For those who make an educated decision about having a pet, consider getting one that really needs a home, rather than paying with an arm and a leg through pet shops which can source through unreputable means.

We got Zander from Companions For Life based in Portland, NSW. Two Sydney organisations rescuing dogs in need are Monica’s Rescue and J & J Rescue. If you’re looking for a cat or kitten check out the Cat Protection Society who have a no-kill policy.  . Google for an equivalent near you.

OPEN SHED

www.openshed.com.au
Ever tried a new hobby, fell in love, bought everything you needed and then never used the equipment again? Or splurged on a drill and only used it for 12 minutes (which I have now learned is the average time a drill is used in a year). Why not rent what you need from your local community instead of buying things you might not get a lot of use out of? Fabulous co-founders Lisa and Duncan are some of the biggest voices around collaborative consumption in Australia.

ANDABLE

www.andable.com
A fabulous online market place for awesome products. The ‘sugar-on-the-top’ benefit? If you buy an item through their system, 10% of what you spend is given towards a microfinance loan! Winners all round :)

BEAUTIFUL MINDS

www.beautifulminds.com.au
Teenage years can be tough (gosh, sometimes even when you’re older times can be tough too!). My friend Marina Passalaris runs courses for teen girls to help them navigate their inner and outer world. She works magic and the impact it has on the young ladies is transformational giving them tools and skills to handle a lot of what is around them.

THE 10THOUSANDGIRL CAMPAIGN

www.10thousandgirl.com
You probably all have heard about 10thousandgirl from me! I've been deeply involved for a long time, but have taken a small step back in recent months to focus on my projects. Here, we’re all about making finance fun for young women around Australia and inspiring a global ripple effect. Events are on year round!

Please note that three of these are affiliate links – most of them aren't!  Most of you who know me, know that I give a lot to help make good things happen so I really hope you don’t mind!

December 2012 Dreams/November Review

Summer Christmas!

I feel as if this month has gone past in a blur of productivity and yummy refreshments. Luckily December is a great month to stop and review the past year and start looking forward to the next. My December Dreams are mainly made up of these activities :)

DECEMBER DREAMS

1. 2012 Year in review session
2. New Year's goals and resolutions
3. Revamp routines
4. Plan projects and commitments for 2013
5. Develop product range for Life is Crafted
6. Develop product range for LifeTyped
7. Maintain Family Christmas tradition - interviews
8. Celebrate NYE with ones I love
9. Finally go to the hairdresser!
10. Other long overdue pampering - massage & beautician
11. Attend Hungarian Christmas party with The Man
12. Host informal LifeTyped launch party and catch up drinks
13. Attend 10thousandgirl Link Up Event
14. Write a gift guide and share goodies with friends and network
15. Attend local Christmas street party and connect with neighbours
16. Check out the Finders Keepers market
17. Wave a temporary farewell to biz partner as she jets off to New Zealand
18. Organise computer - clean up desktop and files
19. Esty and Andable myself up
20. Find awesome basic advice from an accountant for legal set up
21. Tax prep

NOVEMBER DREAMS REVIEW

1. Launch Life is Crafted - printable planner refills that are more than just an appointment recorder - Done! So excited to finally see the tangible outcome of one of my dreams!
2. Launch another biz of which I have a wonderful Co-founder :) - Done! www.lifetyped.com is live! Gorgeous prints around celebrating life!
3. Do more videos for my Life is Crafted YouTube channel - feel free to subscribe! - Done! I'm so chuffed to have over 100 subscribers now - I've got some great videos in the works too :)
4. Organise Perth christmas trip (mostly Zander related organisation - we'll have a flying puppy!) - Done! We just need to get a crate now...
5. Spend quality time with the Daddy-O - It has been challenging with so many business things going on, but we've managed to have wonderful dinners together most nights and we went out for a lovely lunch yesterday!
6. Write my non-fiction version of NaNoWriMo - Not done! I mean really. What was I thinking?! Launching two businesses and writing a book?! This has been postponed!!
7. Help out at Bookclub Fundraiser join us if you can! - Done! What an eye-opening evening. I laughed and I cried and I got inspired to help. If you've not already heard of Geraldine Cox and her Sunrise Children's Villages in Cambodia, I strongly suggest you do. One way of supporting is buying candles
8. Attend lovely friends' baby shower - Done! Some great ideas and activities!
9. Jazz in the Park, dinners with friends, Bday celebrations and nothing more! - Done! I really tried to keep focussed on what I had to do in the short-term. I worked hard and had a few outings - but nothing too over the top!
10. Remember tear myself away from the computer to exercise because it is good for me - Hmmm, so so. I did start yoga back up for a few days, but I really need to get back into the swing of things now that the urgent launch dates are over
11. Maintain date nights with The Man - Hmmm, not so great at doing this. Luckily The Man is uber understanding and supportive!
12. Breathe, be grateful and enjoy the busy-ness! Remember the big picture. -  Done! I'm not saying it was easy and I didn't get stressed, but most of the time I remembered to try and enjoy the journey - It helped when others noticed I was very stressed and pointed it out and reminded me to breathe :)

What's one of the things you're planning for December Savvies?

Make it as you wish,

Week In Review: 24-30 November 2012 Launches & Lunches

The Life Manifesto Print from LifeTyped

I wrote a post about doing a Week In Review over at Life is Crafted last week and it proved to be quite popular! I know I haven't done one here in a while (though I have a few draft posts) but I should let that put me off getting back on the horse.

I have to say that part of me feels like some big things happened, but not much else. Though, it is not until I start looking through my Filofax and seeing what I've actually done, that things I've 'forgotten' about pop out again. So, I might be surprised...let's see!

• Worked on all the pre-launch tasks with a level of manic craziness for LifeTyped. This included website tweaking, buying process designing and implementation, image decisions, photoshoots, social media launches blah blah blah. I really feel this took up the majority of my time, energy and efforts this week!
• Launched LifeTyped
• Friend and business coach over for dinner
• Picked little Zander dog up from the vet. He had an x-ray done to see if the limp that has been hanging around on and off for 6 weeks was anything serious - IT WASN'T!
• Went to Australian Businesswomen's Network (ABN) catch up evening
• Went to the launch of Discordia - it's awesome - check out a different voice for women!
• Planning gift guide post 
• Celebrating The Man's Name Day today
• Lunch with the Daddy-O in Balmain
• Lots of social media-ing
• Responding to sales inquiries and emails for Life is Crafted
• Lots of time with Kirsten (my biz partner and friend in LifeTyped) singing 'What you've done to me' by Xfactor winner Samantha Jade. And yes we though the line was 'I'm a hobbit on the run.'

What was the highlight of your week SSSs?

Make it as you wish,
Arienne

Do You Hate A Part Of Yourself Too?

Photo Credit

Warning! This post goes a little bit lovingly woowoo :)

Is there a part of yourself that you hate? A section of you that you fear will raise its head? Yes, hate is a strong word, but let's be honest now. Do you have a part of yourself that you hate? I have.

That was hard for me to admit because I don't hate anything. There is no room for hate in my life. Instead of 'hating' I try:

• to understand with compassion, 
• to see from another point of view, 
• to see through the filter of another person's experience, 

and then to express my opinion and persuade if I feel strongly enough. Ultimately I try to accept others and to let go and let live. 

I have no control over other people. I can only change myself (haha, yes, this is frustrating on occasion - I'm only human after all!).

Anyways, back to the hate I have towards a part of me. That part is ANXIETY.

I've come to understand it from many different sides and now see it as the desperate Wake Up Call to live the life I was born to live that I truly needed to stand up and pay attention. 

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut. I hate how it makes me feel when it rears its head. 

In those moments that it wells up in my chest, I hate. 

When I fear the world going dark again, I hate. 

When it lifts my heart rate and I go into fight or flight mode, I hate. 

When it narrows my perspective, I hate. 

When I lose my connection to who I know I can be, I hate. 

When I feel the world is hopeless, I hate. 

When I feel constant fear, I hate.

When feeling some of those, ahem, not so lovely things above the other day I went for a run and chanted to myself, "I am strong, healthy and happy in body, mind and soul." and then again, "I am strong, healthy and happy in body, mind and soul" and again and again and again and again and again and again.

It didn't quite connect at the time. 

Next I went to yoga for the first time in months. I went through the motions of moving and breathing, trying to focus my distracted mind on the simple (and strenuous!) flow. It felt good to move my body and channel cleansing breath to the stagnant corners of my being.

Finally laying down in Savasana, I was trying to sit with (or ignore - I couldn't decide which would be better) the anxious fear sensations in my chest. 

A thought popped into my head: Send it love.

I'm willing to try anything in those uncomfortable moments, so I did.

I visualised the anxiety as a ball of dark cloud residing in my chest and I told it it was loved.

I felt the fear and told it it was loved.

I saw the darkness and told it it was loved.

I felt the hopelessness and told it it was loved.

I felt and repeated "You are loved"

You are loved

You are loved 

You are loved

You are loved

(Oh my god, big tears are falling as I write this and my flatmate is coming downstairs to watch X-factor at any moment now...)

You are loved

You are loved 

You are loved

You are loved

You are loved

You are loved 

You are loved

You are loved

You are loved

You are loved 

You are loved

You are loved

And I felt overwhelming love and compassion for that part of me. Laying there on the mat, in a room full of yogis, I silently cried for the acceptance it felt, for the overwhelming love it finally was receiving. From it being a hated, unwanted, feared, and loathed part of me it had turned into something that I was giving love to.

It felt the love. It felt it so truly and so deeply. So it let go and transformed.

What part of yourself do you hate? Can you tell it is is loved?

Make it as you wish SSSs.

You are loved.

Feel it.

Schadenfreude - A great word for Toastmasters

The last time I was at Toastmasters (I'm beginning again next year when I have time to refocus!) I brought up the word schadenfreude as the word of the session and everyone got a point for using it subtly in a sentance they brought up. Okay, it really is more fun than it sounds!

On the first day of xmas your true love gave you a schadenfreude

Do you know what the word Schadenfreude means?

Make it as you wish SSSs!

Arienne

Neglecting Me

I'm having a really off few days. Not sure if it is because:
A) I've launched Life Is Crafted and having a bit of a lull (even though there is still heaps to do!)
B) I worked 16+ hours for a few weeks in the lead up to the launch and I didn't balance it with healthy living (not much exercise at all)
C) I had a big weekend and let loose after being so work focussed and my body and mind is not handling excess alcohol and the repercussions...
D) There is something else going on and the Universe is sending me signals to pay attention.

You'd think I'd have learned my lesson from the experiences in my past to try to live a more balanced life - to listen to signals and know how beneficial doing yoga, journaling and theta is for my mind, body and soul.

Everything was going so well that I think one side of me said I didn't need to do all that 'good' stuff. I was in the flow, kicking goals and my attention was taken up by positive deadlines and getting all the necessary stuff done. My priorties seemed right, but skewed that in the end I neglected my core health and the habits that give me strength, sanity and stability through challenging, and even enjoyable times.

I guess this post is me talking out loud a little. Trying to work through these icky feelings and attempting to understand what is going on.

I know the solution and the lesson is here, I just have to be patient and attentive and catch the penny when it drops.

Do you ever feel anything like this SSSs?

Making it as I wish,
Arienne xo

November 2012 Dreams/September Review!

This post is also for Day 1 of the November 365/30 List for Philofaxers.

Well friends there are a lot of amazing things happening in the land of Arienne, Savvy Sassy She and my new venture that embraces my planning/planner side. Life is Crafted . I'm being a bit head down, bum up as I focus on making my business dreams happen.

I'm so loving the fact that I am making something I love. That I have an outlet for my passion and creativity and it is being channeled into something I so enjoy (and that I hope others will too). I understand, for the first time, absolutely loving what you do so that it doesn't feel like work. There will be a lot going on over the next few weeks and I'll finally be able to make a lot of announcements! Yay

I also have to pull back on my social outings - so apologies in advance if I don't make it to things. It's nothing personal :)

Because of this focus I think my November dreams will be quite short. Some of these dreams/goals have numerous (many, plenty, heaps of, a lot, plentiful - any other synonym for numerous) steps...

NOVEMBER DREAMS

1. Launch Life is Crafted - printable planner refills that are more than just an appointment recorder
2. Launch another biz of which I have a wonderful Co-founder :)
3. Do more videos for my Life is Crafted YouTube channel - feel free to subscribe!
4. Organise Perth christmas trip (mostly Zander related organisation - we'll have a flying puppy!)
5. Spend quality time with the Daddy-O
6. Write my non-fiction version of NaNoWriMo
7. Help out at Bookclub Fundraiser join us if you can!
8. Attend lovely friends' baby shower
9. Jazz in the Park, dinners with friends, Bday celebrations and nothing more!
10. Remember tear myself away from the computer to exercise because it is good for me
11. Maintain date nights with The Man
12. Breathe, be grateful and enjoy the busy-ness! Remember the big picture

SEPTEMBER REVIEW

1. Celebrate 3 year anniversary together with The Man - Done!
2. Progress SSS redesign with Carly from Moozoo Designs - Done!
3. Help celebrate friend's book launch - Done! Check it out! http://courtneycollinswriter.com/
4. Help celebrate Ms C & Mr M's Permanent Residency Party - Done!
5. Attend cousin's wedding - Done and what a lovely wedding it was!
6. Clear up paperwork that is currently all over the place - not done, paperwork only added to!
7. Get back into a regular yoga practice - ahem...not done
8. Craft new health goal - ahem...not done
9. Reconnect with my journal - Done!
10. Catch up with Perth Bestie coming to town - So fab to see Ms L!
11. Launch the new professional focussed me - Done - I'm professional now ;)
12. Get clear on biz direction and timeframe - Done!
13. Create logo for new biz - Done! Check out www.lifeiscrafted.com
14. Revamp editorial calendar - Done!
15. Implement new insight into my life - Done
16. New website progress - Progressed - still a few things to do today!
17. Web copy draft - Progressed
18. Finish $100 Start Up as below - Done! Love it!

360/30 Lists: 19-23 Oct 12

19. Today is amazing because…

Even though I’ve been so busy with The Man away, the animals, the Dad arriving and the pre-work launch stuff for two businesses (plus the usual social, personal and household demands) I got everything on my to do list done.
I amazed myself! Go me.

20. Favourite characters in films

I’ve drawn an absolute blank… Amelie? The dolphin at the end of Deep Blue?

21. Foods to try

I’ve tried most foods that I wanted to (I’ve even tried some I didn’t want to!). Traveling gives you many opportunities to test your palette…

A food I wish I liked are Olives. Yes, it just seems like they should be something I love. They’re salty and sophisticated and I really believe I should be an olive loving person. Alas I am not.

22. Colours of the rainbow from most to least favourite

What was that rainbow song from my childhood? Red and yellow and pink and??? [just back from googling rainbow colours].
So, from Newton’s 7 primary colour spectrum my hierarchy of rainbow colour favourites from highest to lowest amount of liking are…
Violet
Red
Blue
Yellow
Green
Orange
Indigo

23. Sports you want to try

I grew up reading lots of Enid Blyton books. I wanted to be part of the Magic Faraway Tree with Dick, Fanny and Bessie (no kidding), the Famous Five and Malory Towers. Because of the latter, I have a weird curiosity around Lacrosse. I’ve never seen it played, have no idea what the rules are or what you would need to wear. BUT I WANT TO PLAY IT!

Candles For Community - Give Good

Today I'm bringing you something that speaks to the heart (assuming you have a warm one... of course you do silly! ;)

I've been helping a girlfriend (this woman is amazing - she gives so much - from being on the ground during the Tsunami aftermath to visiting Cambodian orphanages and plenty in between) out with one of her charity passions  Geraldine Cox's Sunrise Children's Villages in Cambodia.

Two campaigns are being run by this new friend Sue Liu over the next few weeks.

1. Geraldine's Big Book Club and Fundraising Event 

In Sydney, on Tuesday 6th November, I'll be helping out with this intimate evening showcasing Geraldine's adventures and a Q&A. It is such an interesting story - you can get a book from www.scv.org.au

Date:  Tuesday 6 November 2012
Entry price: $69 incl GST  (price includes a glass of champers, grazing plates and a donation Sunrise Children’s Villages)
Time: 6:45pm (for 7:15 start) -  9:00pm
Venue: Berkelouw Books – Leichhardt 70 Norton Street, Leichhardt

BUY TICKETS

2. Candles for Community

Buy gorgeous handpoured candles as Christmas gifts and help a community! Give good, smell good, do good. Make an impact on the recipients with a gorgeous handcrafed gift and on Sunrise Children's Villages, Cambodia with 50% of profits donated. 

I helped to make some of the free gift bonus candles the other day. They smell divine and are so beautifully wrapped!

100% natural soy candles in exotic mosaic glass, glass jars, travel tin and tealights
Delicious flavours: spiced orange, lemongrass, vanilla and citronella
All candles are hand poured to order
Beautifully packaged and ready for giving

BUY CANDLES

More Info

Visit www.scv.org.au for further information and where you can also:
• Sponsor a child for $40 per month
• Make a donation to Sunrise
• Buy a copy of Geraldine’s book “Home is where the heart is” or DVD “My Khmer Heart”

Thank you!

If you can help out please do. Candles make gorgeous presents and it will go even further with Candles For Community.

Make it as you wish SSSs!

Favourite Quotes: 360/30 Lists: 18 Oct 2012

This post is part of the 365/30 List for Philofaxy October 2012
 
18. Favourite Quotes/Sayings
I have soooooooo many!

One that I say often but without eloquence is "You're with yourself 24/7. You're there when you go to sleep at night and when you wake in the morning. No one else is. So make yourself happy and the rest will follow."

The 'real' ones that popped straight into my head (because there are so many amazing ones out there are):

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. George Bernard Shaw

 

She turned her can't into cans and her dreams into plans.

 

Follow your bliss and doors will open for you, where there were only walls. Joseph Campbell (okay - the poster is a bit different, but I thought it was pretty!)

And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. Anain Nin (again, slightly different wording in the pretty picture!)

Make it as you wish SSSs!
Arienne

Philofaxy 360/30 Lists: October 2012

I believe there exists a high correlation between loving stationery and loving lists… If you love one you gotta love the other… I don’t know which one comes first. You love stationery therefore you love lists or the other way around??

Anyhoo, the understatement of the day or realistically, the understatement of the decade is that I love lists. I also love planners, diaries, journals and notebooks (surprise!). So when I came across the fabulous Facebook group 365/30 List: Philofaxers I couldn’t resist!

I know I’m starting late, but didn’t want to let that stop me!

I’m writing the lists here on the blog and/or in the notebook file I’m carrying around at the moment while I set up my own system.

Are you a list lover too?

Make it as you wish SSSs!
Arienne

What’s In My Happy Place: 360/30 Lists: 17 Oct 12

This post is part of the 365/30 List for Philofaxy October 2012

17. WHAT IS IN YOUR HAPPY PLACE?
One of the happiest places I have in the world is where my Dad lives in Switzerland (as opposed to calling it our Swiss Chalet – which sounds a bit more wanky right?!).

Because we moved around so much when we were younger – we never had a real family home – except for Chalet Edelweiss (yes, very original I know). No matter where we were in the world we would visit our small town of Troistorrents at least once a year. It was the only constant abode in our nomadic lives.

To me it is a symbol of family time. Of easy days full of laughter and time. Of magical Christmases and wildflower filled summers. It holds wonderful, wonderful memories of board games, fire-side chats and warm neighbours.

Physically, it has the mish-mash collection of:

• childhood toys,
• 30 year-old washed-so-many-times-it-feels-amazing-so-I-never-want-to-get-out-of-bed sheets,
• favourite mugs from which to drink Suchard Express (our fav hot chocolate eva),
• photos and videos of crazy and touching family moments and
• probably every pair-less mitten and glove known to man.

It is a place I wish I could get to more often in these days of
having to pay for my own plane ticket. responsibilities. Whenever I have a bad day and need to ‘go to a happy place’ in my mind, I visit Chalet Edelweiss.

Make it as you wish SSSs!
Arienne

September 2012 Dreams/August Review

Me expressing my joy towards the top of Mauna Kea to watch the sun set

My September dreams post was slightly delayed by a detour to Hawaii.

When my mum suggested, on a Sunday night, that I get on a plane on Tuesday night, I froze. I thought of all the things I had scheduled, the other doggie we were to look after, whether I deserved to go on a last-minute family holiday. I felt guilty that I was lucky enough to be in this position. Funny huh?

But when opportunities like these present themselves - you need to jump. I was letting things that I could change and handle stop me. I checked with The Man if it would be okay (after all, this decision effected him too!) and then said yes. I got over myself and the buts. I scrambled to re-organised and rearranged the meetings and work I had planned and ensured I packed work with me. After all, I want to be creating a portable business and this was an opportunity to have that.

I ended up not quite having the internet access and time by the pool I thought I would while I was away, but I got to create some precious memories with my sister and mum (while doing a little bit of work in McDonalds and Starbucks for internet!).

Unfortunately not all my August dreams were able to come to fruition, but the rest of September will make up for it! Plus the Hawaii experience helped me disconnect from the regular distractions and gave me awesome inspiration for some new long term goals that are starting to seed themselves!

SEPTEMBER DREAMS

1. Celebrate 3 year anniversary together with The Man
2. Progress SSS redesign with Carly from Moozoo Designs
3. Help celebrate friend's book launch
4. Help celebrate Ms C & Mr M's Permanent Residency Party
5. Attend cousin's wedding
6. Clear up paperwork that is currently all over the place
7. Get back into a regular yoga practice
8. Craft new health goal
9. Reconnect with my journal
10. Catch up with Perth Bestie coming to town
11. Launch the new professional focussed me
12. Get clear on biz direction and timeframe
13. Create logo for new biz
14. Revamp editorial calendar
15. Implement new insight into my life
16. New website progress
17. Web copy draft
18. Finish $100 Start Up as below

AUGUST REVIEW

1. Catch up with girlfriend up from Melbourne - Attempted - we showed up but the ferry queues didn't allow for actual connection
2. Catch up with US based BFF and her little family who are visiting - Done (even though the little man was sick and it delayed their arrival in Sydney so we had 20mins at the airport!)
3. Have a house repairs day - Done (well, I made the list and The Man did them...)
4. Write draft of new biz idea with The Man - more deets to come! - Postponed
5. Write website copy - Postponed
6. Website development - Postponed
7. Start Health Challenge - postponed by a few days due to lingering cold - Postponed
8. Knit Scarf - Done - it was really crocheted and I don't think anyone is getting the wonky thing
9. Start Granny Square challenge - I bought all the bits but didn't end up creating a single square
10. Online monthly meeting with great women around the world - (I missed it as it was the night before leaving for Hawaii and I was frantically running around and had rearranged meetings)
11. Wedding dress viewing with girlfriends - Done - awesome - approved
12. Finish reading $100 Start Up by Chris Guillebeau- Postponed
13. Announce Thirty Days Of Thanks - Postponed
14. Finish incompletes - there are a bunch of emails and promised items that are keeping me awake at night. It doesn't sit well with me. - Done
15. Catch up with 'long-lost' friends I've not seen in ages - Done - caught up with one and had to postpone the other

What is one of your September goals Savvies?

Make it as you wish SSSs!

  

Week In Review: 8 - 14 September: Alohas, Puppies and Reality

Sunset at Waikiki Beach

Some of you may know that I had an amazing last minute opportunity to go to Hawaii to spend some time with my mum and sister - which is why I'v not been too active on the site the last couple of weeks - but more on that later!

I've been back one week now...In some ways productive and in others pining for the warmth, sea and carefree holiday feel the islands gave me. Sigh...

Arienne's Week In Review

• Travelled back on Hawaiian Airways and watched many Hawaii 5-0 episodes
• Face to face business coaching session
• Watched X-factor episodes (yes I love it)
• Bucket-loads of laundry
• Happily putting away my beautiful shopping finds - I've got my whole summer wardrobe on the cheap (thanks Labour Day sales - Macy's, Factory Outlets and Victoria's Secret!)
• Happy doggy walks with Zander and his girlfriend Maddie
• Girlie time with Miss J who is staying at the moment
• Aussie time with Mum (though more Hawaii time together would have been slightly preferable)
• 10thousandgirl website work...hackers...why?
• Phone catch up with friends near and far
• Hot-water drama in investment property
• Lots of home cooking - bolognaise, chicken curry & tacos
• Re-organising work timeframes and to-dos
• Logo work
• Project planning
• Runs, push-ups and sit ups during doggy walks
• Reading fun switch off novels

I have so much to share about my upcoming plans - I'm excited to let you all know what they are but need a little more time to put them in place before I shout them out :)

What was a highlight of you week Savvy Shes?

Make it as you wish SSS,

A Glimpse Into A Possibility Of How Life Can Be

Photo Credit

This may seem simplistic. When I wrote it out I wondered if it was as amazing as it actually feels. There can be such a difference between hearing a theory that resonates with you and actually implementing it in your life...

Ever had that experience? For example, where you know that forgiveness is freeing, it sounds simple, but that actually doing it is sooooo hard? But when you do - when you forgive and let go, that 'free-ness' is amazing.

Or, one that is close to my heart, that when you allow the fear you feel in and sit with it you can get through it. You get more empowered and the fear diminishes. Yeah. Not an easy one but when you actually do it, it is true and liberating.

So the other day I had an insight into how life could be for me.

What if I just stop putting needless pressure on myself and design my day the way I really want it to go - so I can enjoy it and look forward to it?

Simple? Sounds like it should be - so why have I not allowed myself this before? I've come so far in making significant changes in my life so I can live a life that is more mine. Now that I am here why am I allowing myself to not enjoy the things I have chosen??? I'm ridiculous aren't I??

We all put shoulds, musts and have-tos into our lives that drain so much of the fun and enjoyment out of our everydays. What if we were able to remove this needless pressure and go about doing stuff in a way that gives us joy, bliss and laughter? Plus how about ensuring we work in some obviously pleasurable things?

What if we could change our perspectives on some of those less fun tasks and see how they fit into our bigger picture and therefore do them with more delight? If they have to be done, why can't we choose to do them with more pleasure and enjoy the necessity?

My **SPARKLY** (I emphasise that because she does sprinkle sparkle wherever she goes with her tiara and awesome self) friend Denise over at Concert Chick wrote a fabulous related post about being Peacefully Productive.

I find that because I'm looking at all the things that need to be done that I am not doing I think I need to make more time for them so I don't schedule the fun stuff - catching up with friends, going for a lovely walk.

So now...
I am choosing to stop putting that needless pressure on myself. I choose to enjoy my days a whole lot more! I choose to view my shoulds/musts/have-tos with more understanding and have more fun with them. This is all done with the view of peaceful productivity, gleefully working towards my awesome goals and joyfully waking up and looking forward to my day.

Sounds good, right?! Here we go!

How do you want to feel everyday? How will you make that happen?
 
Make it as you wish SSSs!

10thousandgirl: 11 Ways To Do More With What You Have

Found On

Hi all you awesome Savvy Shes!,
I wrote a post over on the 10thousandgirl blog that I thought you might enjoy. It is all about spending less by doing more with what you currently have - and you can get creative about it! We talk about Upcycling, Repurposing and Collaborative Consumption

Here is the link: http://www.10thousandgirl.com/2012/07/24/11-ways-to-do-more-with-what-you-have/.

Make it as you wish SSSs!

Week In Review - 4-10 August 2012 - A Week Of Not Quites

View of the city sunset from Cockatoo Island

I had a lot of plans this week, the to do list, goals and social calendar were pretty much full. I have to say it was one of those weeks where not a lot got ticked off. Part of me beat myself up for not creating lots of outcomes and 'wasting' the week but the other part of me was more understanding. I was listening to my needs. It was yearning for comfort and coziness rather than rocking it out to the two gigs we missed!

• Big laundry/clean up day - felt refreshed from clearing things out
• Cockatoo Island with Miss C - because the ferries etc were full and chaotic we missed Miss L up from Melbs :( but had a great time

Miss C and the awesome bamboo wind chimes installation at the Biennale at Cockatoo Island

• Weekly accountability session
• Weekly coaching session
• Exercise jaunt around the park
• Juicing!

Delicious fresh fruit and veg destined to be crushed up in the juicer

• Day spent at the beach side with lovely friend and her daughter for a long overdue catch up (and Zander in tow)

Zander gazing out over the ocean and contemplating where all the balls are at Dee Why Beach

• Interviewed the wonderful in pink Nicole Cannon of Pink Finance for the 10thousandgirl podcast
• Warm, cozy evening at home with The Man, The Dog and a movie

How was your week SSSs? Did you schedule things in that didn't happen in the end?  How did you feel about it?

Make it as you wish!