Sleeping Dogs Studio

I mentioned the lovely “Follow your Bliss” necklace I purchased from Beth Quinn Designs yesterday.  This wasn’t the first time I’d heard that phrase, however.  I first fell in love with the concept upon receiving a gift book called “The Business of Bliss – How to Profit from Doing What You Love”.

I can’t find the book on Amazon.com anymore – it seems to be out of print.  But you may be able to find it at a used bookstore if you are interested.  It is by the author Janet Allon and the Editors of “Victoria” magazine.

The beauty of this book to me was how it shared the stories of thirty women who had followed their dreams to success.  It wasn’t so much a “how to” book, as a compilation of individual journeys toward doing what they really loved.

This lesson came home in my own life about a month ago.  I had a choice – I could either look for an 8 – 5  job much like the ones I’d had all my life; or I could take the big leap, and decide to join my husband in the studio full-time.

After much soul-searching, crunching of numbers, and nail-biting – not to mention great advice from family and friends – we ended up going for the latter!  So I can proudly say today that my title is “Supreme Queen of Bliss through Art” – or whatever other title I might think up tomorrow!

The important thing is that I am now following my own bliss each and every day.  I expect to live with a more peaceful soul; more laughter in my life; and more lightness in my heart.  And now that Sleeping Dogs Studio is TOTALLY a full-time effort, I hope you’ll continue to join us on our journey. 

(And if you can think of ways to convince my husband that this also means we need more dogs, I’d be grateful for ideas!) 

I have a favorite jewelry artist that I’d like to share a little bit about on this ”Guest Artist” Wednesday…

Her name is Beth Quinn; her business is called (logically enough!) Beth Quinn Designs; and you can see her lovely items at www.bethquinndesigns.com.

Beth is likely to be a guest artist for one of our more in-depth spotlights later in April, so then you can find out all of the fascinating details about how she makes her work, etc.

In the meanwhile, however, I wanted to show you this very special piece that she made for me:

I am particularly fond of this phrase, but when I saw it on her site among her ribbon necklaces, it wasn’t in the particular color I wanted.   On a whim, I contacted her – and she changed it for me! 

I now wear this necklace on days when I’m either feeling 100% artistic – or, on those when I’m not feeling as inspired as I might like – which I guess means that I wear it a lot!

Regardless, check out her site, and her beautiful jewelry for yourself, and look for the spotlight in a few weeks.

In the meanwhile, there IS something specific about that ”Follow Your Bliss” phrase and why it means so much to me – but that’s for tomorrow’s entry!

I realize more and more how much the dogs contribute to our studio on an ongoing basis.  They are ever-present, ensuring that quality remains high, and inspiration is quick to come by.

I came across this new post from Pro Plan, which I thought was a great idea…yes, it’s marketing their products…but it’s also introducing all of us to ways in which we can better take care of our animals (LOVE the doggie hiking boots!).

It’s called, “Do More for Pets”, and is hosted by “Survivor”‘s Jeff Probst.  Check out the videos when you get a chance…you can find them here.

It’s a rainy day here in Indiana - I have to keep remembering that the rain is what brings the beautiful spring flowers in a few short weeks!  Which makes it worth dealing with that “wet, dog smell” that emanates from the sleeping dogs whenever they go out… 

Today, we have a Sleeping Dogs Studio 5″ X 7″ Single Earring Holder as our Give-away.  This item can be placed either horizontally or vertically, and is a great way to show off your earrings rather than letting them get all jumbled up on your dresser!

Sleeping Dogs Studido 5"x7" Single Earring Holder

To enter, simply put in a comment including the words “Give-away, 4/2″ – and the winner will be picked at random at 5 p.m. ET on Friday.

The Earring Holder also works horizontally

In the meanwhile, check out all of our new items on Etsy – http://www.etsy.com/shop/sleepingdogsstudio!  I’m in the process of completing a store “overhaul”, so have added LOTS of merchandise, with more to come today.  Since all of our items remain one-of-a-kind, this is a place to get products you won’t see anywhere else.

Have a great week, and don’t forget to sign up for the give-away!

Some of you may have already heard of or seen this video regarding the way social media (i.e., twitter, facebook, blogs, phone apps, etc.) have become commonplace.  I saw it today for the first time, and frankly, it made me feel OLD! 

That the world could be changing so quickly is wonderful and frightening all at once.

Try out the video – just seeing the numbers will shock you…

(A special shout-out to my nephew who is sure he texts faster and more than anyone – there are people in this video who have you beat!)

Click below to see what I mean…

Did You Know…

Enjoy the photos and paintings – all by Don and all of Bloomington, IN…