snickerdoodles

the joy movie...

   Only a couple weeks to Christmas.  I love this time but I also tend to get overwhelmed by all the things I want to do and start being a little ba-hum-bug at times.   Just this morning a friend asked if I was all ready for Christmas and I moaned and grumbled about the cards I had to do and the parcels to pack!  What a Scrooge I am, I love doing those things and I have no idea why I responded that way.

I do these things because I want to, I certainly do not have to do any of them. 

My Aunt Paula sent me this little film that is loaded with some classic quotes.  If you need a little slap in the face, like I did this morning, take a minute and watch...

www.thejoymovie.com

Hope life is full of joy for you today...and always.

the true cost of stuff...

   Leo  Babauta has long rocked the world of blogs.  He is the creative genius behind Zen Habits.  Zen Habits isn't his only blog though...he has powerful message about minimalism on his other blog mnmlist .

  For this Eco Friday post I'd like to share his clever message on the True Cost of Stuff,

http://mnmlist.com/the-true-cost-of-stuff/

Wow, does he ever bring up a lot of things to contemplate.  He definitely doesn't enjoy  a good visit to Winners like I had today!   

Just kidding, I resisted buying a lot of knick knacks that were adorable but not needed.  I did walk out with several lime green enamelled stainless bowls with snap lids for school lunches though.  They are cheery and way more resilient than the glass ones we've been sending with the boys.

Hubbie has been obsessed with finding a used second vehicle and I am strongly opposed.  We've been a one car couple since we got married years ago.  Yes,  it does sometimes create a bit of juggling with trips, a bit of waiting around, and sometimes a bit of limitation.  Financially, environmentally and logically though it is a huge savings and a worthwhile sacrifice.  Hoping he reconsiders.

You could spend a lifetime exploring all the blogs out there in blog-land, but, if you seek simplicity and following your bliss (like Snickerdoodles) I would strongly suggest putting aside some reading time for Leo's work.  There is a reason he has one of the top 100 blogs in the world.

The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less. - Socrates  (and to soak up all the loveliness of what you already have) -me

Joseph Campbell...

   Do you know of Joseph Campbell?  He is the man who put together the brilliant words that Snickerdoodles is based on...Follow your Bliss.

We tend to just focus on this section of the quote but in his lectures and writings he expanded this phrase in many ways.  Here are a couple of my favorites:

...if you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.

My general formula for my students is "Follow your bliss." Find where it is, and don't be afraid to follow it. Joseph Campbell The Power of Myth pp. 120, 149

Learn more about this great teacher on the Joseph Campbell Foundation webpage. 

 

A while back I helped a good friend start a blog for a wonderful project she is involved with.  Once in a while I check in on the Growing Great Children page...today I found Shannon quoting me with my favorite phrase.  I thought it a perfect time to share a little more about those words.

 

Now for,  other breaking news and a me feeling sorry for myself update...

Not seeing the Doctor yesterday turned into  a big mistake.  I couldn't get in before a car appointment then in the afternoon I had my three boys and two others to watch, not an ideal time to go either.  I hit the health food store and got a few things to try but I am afraid my throat was way past that phase.  As the night went on I developed a evil fever and became unable to swallow at all.  My throat was so swollen that I was actually gagging on it- how gross is that?  Now I have completely lost my voice and hubbie took me to the doctor to get some meds.  I got a throat numbing rinse making it possible to drink again and swallow pills - yay!  I also got a round of antibiotics which should lick my strep throat.   A nasty headache is also still holding on so I am going to keep this short and sweet today. 

 

My bliss today is in the warm shade of the backyard, sipping ice cold cranberry juice, drooling in privacy and watching my little peanut play until his brothers come home.   Hope you find some bliss to enjoy as well without the strep throat! 

 

Watch for a Father's Day craft idea coming up soon!

fire starter session coming here...

   Last summer I just about blabbed your head off about my classes with the folks from Style Statement.  Now I am excited to be sponsoring a workshop with Danielle that will be taking place here in Whistler this June.   It's going to rock your world.   Danielle has a gift for empowering and directing entrepreneurs that's not to be taken lightly.  I'd love to host you, meet you, catch up and hear about your dreams and goals. Spots are being filled quickly so don't hesitate, Snickerdoodles documents my journey to follow my bliss...find yours and make it real.   Here's the scoop....

my group fire starters + speaking gigs: usa + canada 2009

GROUP FIRE STARTERS:
Vancouver: Sat. April 25 {SOLD OUT}

Victoria: Sat. May 9

Los Angeles: Fri/Sat. June 12 or 13

Whistler: Tues. June 9

Toronto: Wed. June 24 or Thur. June 25

Portland OR: Fri./Sat. July 17 or 18

New York: summer, TBA

Atlanta: fall, TBA

CONFERENCES + RETREATS
Calgary: Sun. October 25, The Business of Bliss Conference

Park City, UT: November, Image and Media Training Retreat

Group Fire Starter Fee: $100.
Booking is first come, first served. Contact me directly: d@daniellelaporte.com to reserve your space.
SEE TIMES AND LOCATIONS BELOW

Group Fire Starters Sessions with Strategist, Danielle LaPorte
3 hours. 10 entrepreneurs.
A candid success story. Your questions.
Useful ideas on how to rock your business.

Got the mojo, but need the game plan? Have the strategy but want the customers, the capital, the Twitter following? From start-ups to 9 to 5'rs who want to break out on their own, this is a special opportunity to get PRACTICAL ANSWERS and MAJOR INSPIRATION to take your business to the next level.

"...brilliant, radiant, generous and results oriented."
- Rebecca Walker, named by Time Magazine as one of the 50 most influential American leaders of her generation

"My Fire Starter Session with you is the best investment I have ever made. Ever. You pinpointed exactly what I needed to do to go to the next level. Within a month, I've had a 125% increase in income. What's next?!"
- Sarah Bray, Web developer, Virginia Beach

how it works

1. You register for the evening or morning group –  only 10 people per session.
2. I send you the “Burning Questions” to answer.
3. I personally review your business in advance. Send me to your site and the sites that inspire or compete with you. I will likely come to our session armed with some ideas and opinions for you.
4. The group session is part motivation, part how-to, and 100% inspiring. I talk candidly about the grace and grit of my accomplishments - from pitching Oprah producers, to raising big bucks in venture capital, landing book deals, rocking social media and social responsibility, while balancing spirituality and legal contracts.
5. We jam. We’ll look at each person’s business or ideas and explore everything from branding to guerrilla marketing and social media.
6. You leave pumped and pointed in the right direction.

The session is relaxed, but intensely focused. Women only. Real experience, unfettered opinions, and genuine encouragement. True magic. Truly practical.

Contact me directly to book your space: d@daniellelaporte.com. Upon payment via Paypal, I'll email you the Burning Questions and you let the sparks fly. Spread the word.

With Love,
Danielle

the promo stuff

Danielle LaPorte founded www.whitehottruth.com because "self realization rocks." Her blog as been lauded as "one of the best places on-line for kick-ass spirituality and business." She is the lead author of the bestseller, Style Statement: Live By Your Own Design, which caught the attention of Oprah producers, and Body + Soul Magazine praised it as "redefining the concept of style." She is the co-founder of the popular personal development site, carrieanddanielle.com - which she left in 2008 to go solo.

For ten years, she ran her own business development and communications agency "promoting visionary people and projects" - from Nobel Peace Prize winners to philosophers and pop stars, and worked with the top US publishers on publicity campaigns. As the director of a DC-based think tank for future studies, Danielle managed scenario-planning projects for the likes of the Pentagon, The World Bank and IBM.

She now helps entrepreneurs blaze their careers and creativity with her signature Fire Starter Sessions. A speaker and media personality, she has been featured in Elle, The Huffington Post, Vogue Australia, The National Post, Domino Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Entertainment Tonight, and numerous talk shows. She is based in Vancouver, BC.

very happy fire starters

“I had the privilege of having a Fire Starter session with Danielle. I honestly feel like I’ve been revived after flat lining. She makes it easy to let go and trust the process even if you don’t see out outcome at the moment. By the time I finished listening to the recording of our session, I had completely written my action plan. I haven’t stopped since."
- L’Tanya Durante, magazine founder, North Carolina

"You're one of the most highly intuitive, creative souls I've ever worked with. Each time we speak, you open my mind and heart to career possibilities I've never thought of. Really, you're a true creative visionary/genius."
- Linda Siversten, Writing Consultant, author of Harmonic Wealth with James A. Ray, and Generation Green, Los Angeles

"An excited, thankful update: my blog readership went up 60% last month. THANK YOU, THANK YOU a million times over for all of your practical inspiration. I really feel blessed."
- Lindsey Lewis, Yoga teacher, and Writer, Vancouver

"F. Scott Fitzgerald held that the mark of a good mind was the ability to hold two thoughts at the same time without them colliding. Danielle LaPorte has that ability to an awesome degree: the ability to be both a tough professional and a sensitive human being, to talk a mile-a-minute and then really listen, to value her own time highly and the use it generously on behalf of her clients, and finally, to emphasize both grassroots publicity opportunities and national media priorities."
- Dan Simon, Publisher, Seven Stories Press, New York

"...one of the coolest things I have ever done for myself."
- Alisa Barry, CEO, Bella Cucina Artful Food, Atlanta

“Your work is like a blazing path into my highest good with my business. I can't thank you enough for your authenticity, humor, and straightforward honesty. Your Fire Starter sessions are something I would do over and over again.”
- Lauren Harkness, Jewelry designer, Seattle

“My mind-altering Fire Starter Session just over a week ago is having an ever-growing ripple effect. Our one conversation cut through layers of fog and delivered insight and business answers.”
- Emily-Sarah Lineback, Creative Director, Booneville NC

the important event details

All Group Sessions are $100.
Private 1-on-1 sessions are $300. Click here for more info.

Victoria BC:

WHEN: Saturday May 9
morning: 9:30am to 12:30pm {as of April 21, 2 spaces left}
afternoon: 1:00pm to 4:00pm {as of April 21, 2 spaces left}

WHERE: disclosed upon booking

Whistler:

WHEN: Tuesday June 9
afternoon: 2:30pm to 5:30pm
evening: 6:30pm to 9:30pm

WHERE: disclosed upon booking

SPONSORED BY: Kerry MacLeod & Snickerdoodles, a blog about motherhood and life's sweet moments.

Los Angeles

WHEN: Friday June 12
evening: 6:30pm to 9:30pm
WHEN: Saturday June 13
morning: 9:30am to 12:30pm
(a 3rd group may be added for Saturday afternoon)

WHERE: SoulTree Studio, 206 10th Street, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

EVENT SPONSOR Emma Alvarez Gibson creates whip-smart copy concepts that succinctly hit just the right note. She strongly believes that simple is best. And she delivers the best. Hire her, check out her blog or just say hello at www.oldsoulink.com.

Toronto:

WHEN: Wednesday June 24
afternoon: 1:00pm to 4:00 pm
WHEN: Thursday, June 25
afternoon: 1:00pm to 4:00 pm
evening: 6:30pm to 9:30pm

WHERE: Centre for Social Innovation
215 Spadina Avenue, Suite 120
Tel# 416.979.3939

SPONSORED BY: Säbeen Imam and Ladies Who Launch, Toronto Chapter: Entrepreneurship and Creativity as a Lifestyle.

Portland

WHEN: Friday July 17
evening: 6:30pm to 9:30pm
WHEN: Saturday July 18
morning: 9:30am to 12:30pm
{a 3rd group may be added for Saturday afternoon}

WHERE:
Pig and Panda Studio, SE Portland
3635 SE 76th Ave

SPONSORED BY: The Savvy Collaborative is a Forum for Women Entrepreneurs serving Oregon and SW Washington. It may be just the tribe you're looking for!

New York:

WHEN: summer, TBA

Atlanta:

WHEN: fall, TBA

build a nest...

Everyone needs beauty as well as bread. (John Muir)

Have you been to the Nest site?  It's a wonderful find.  Remember that sweet bluebird cup I showed you a couple days ago?  Here's the scoop... 

(Sorry, I promised this on the weekend but I had a big deadline today for a street banner tender.  I spent most of the weekend working on my submission...wish me luck!)

Today our heat is not working and it's too chilly to type so I took this information right off the Nest site.  Grab some tea later and spend some time admiring the wonderful work.  You'll  be inspired to give back.  What could be better than knowing you are actually helping others by shopping!

Nest is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of women in developing countries. The mission of Nest is to support women artists and artisans in the developing world by helping them create sustainable entrepreneurial businesses. To do this, Nest provides micro-credit loans to be used for the purchase of the supplies and materials necessary to begin and/or maintain art or craft-based businesses.

The funds for these loans are generated by selling a unique line of clothing, accessories and merchandise for the home produced exclusively for Nest by a group of artists and designers. The Nest line also includes ceramic pottery, women’s clothing and other items with the Nest logo. In addition to these exclusive items created by well-known designers, the recipients of Nest loans in developing countries also make their crafts available to Nest as repayment for the micro-credit loans. These items, too, are incorporated into the Nest line of merchandise. In this way, Nest draws together artists from across the globe into a cooperative network with a shared vision of mutual support.

When you buy from Nest, you have not only have purchased a unique and beautiful item for yourself or your home, you have participated in a proven effort to better the lives of women all across the globe. Through our work, and your participation, women all over the world are able to plant their roots in a refuge filled with warmth, solace, comfort and joy. It is our sincere hope that Nest can help you create a home, both for yourself and women the world over, filled with energy, beauty and peace.

Our Mission

What is micro-credit?

Micro-credit loans are a financial innovation that allows poor women the opportunity to become self-sufficient by providing them with small business loans to create sustainable entrepreneurial businesses. Because women in developing countries often lack steady income, collateral and/or a credit history, historically banks have been unwilling to provide assistance. Now, however, nonprofit agencies are providing these loans, resulting in thousands of successful businesses.

Why women?

Women in developing countries face hardships complicated by lower levels of education, lower social status and talents and abilities that do not always translate into productive employment. And when women are poor or undernourished, children and families are also deprived, resulting in cycle of poverty that is difficult to break.

Since the inception of micro-credit in early 1970s, loans of this type, made to women, have had remarkable success. Women are more likely to both repay their loans and devote their earnings to assisting the family. Furthermore, when women are given the opportunity to create their own businesses and earn a stable income, their social standing in the family and in the community improves. By giving women the tools they need to provide for their families, micro-credit loans give stability and hope to families and communities.

Why art-based businesses?

Women have been artists through the centuries, whether they are creating utilitarian household objects, clothes for the family or decorative objects for themselves, the female artistic tradition is a way of defining and maintaining the community. By providing entrepreneurial loans to craftswomen and artisans, their life can become their livelihood and the decorative objects that are the fruits of their labor can be enjoyed by discerning patrons throughout the world.

LOVE, love, LOVE this idea and company...yeah NEST!

A little bit of fame...

I am so honored to have been interviewed for the Profile of the Week on Carrie & Danielles amazing website.  You can see the page and read my profile at www.carrieanddanielle.com .  These two women are doing some ground breaking work to empower women and I feel blessed to be a part of their movement.

Have a wonderful day...I am going to start to tackle my glass orders...72 mugs, 24 martinis and 12 wine, I am glad it is raining.  I miss my boys soo much!  oxo

Don`t forget to enter the Twice Shy $100 gift certificate contest by the 4th!  Read about it below....

Let's communicate

“The two words ‘Information’ and ‘Communication’ are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through.” - Sydney J. Harris

This quote really gets my squeaky wheels a turnin... I am an information maven.  Love learning, love sharing finds, tips, deals with everyone and everyone...it fulfills me in some way, not sure why.  Maybe it's my ego, but I don't think so.  I like sharing stuff that helps others and makes them smile...I think it's my little way of giving back here and there.  Taking two seconds to give directions, giving some change to help someone plug their parking meter, taking a picture of a group together...little things I can do that make me happy.

I want to share information with my blog...I know I can do it.  More importantly though I want to communicate with my readers.  It would be amazing to build some sense of community through Snickerdoodles...share interests, insights, and to grow together.  If you have something to share I'd love to hear.  I will continue to really try to communicate, I want to learn your needs as a reader.  Ask questions, make comments and we can grow together!

Follow your Bliss

This has been a quote I've loved for years.  I wear it around my neck on a sweet silver charm by Andrea Waines, I write it my journal, I preach it to my boys.  I haven't been living it though and I am on a mission to change that.  My life now is chaotic and in my search for "my bliss" I discovered I love being with my boys, all stuff creative, home decor, kid stuff, fashion, reading, recipes, taking photos, and blogging. So here I go.  Keen and inspired to document moments that move me.  I will share my fashion finds, yummy recipes, great reads and anything else that brings me bliss.  Clearing my head, seeking clarity, being present, having fun.  Sweet and simple like a Snikerdoodle cookie -  with lots of cinnamon!