Jacqstar Creations - behind the scenes

Win a beautiful snuggly cowl!

Love this peacock-coloured cowl?

WIN IT!!!

Simply sign up to my monthly newsletter 

and automatically go into the draw to win it. 

(Link is to the top right ----->)

Made with Cleckheaton Artisan 12 ply 

50% wool,the colours run from teal 

blue through browns, green and purples. 

Knitted in the round with a twist, it's 

beautifully warm and not too long. 

Competition ends 30th of April 

2014. 

Winner will be notified on my Facebook page by Friday the 2nd of May.

2013 - my year in review



Happy New Year and Merry Christmas to you!

I'm sitting cross-legged on my floor in my spare room (also known as the junk room, or as I prefer to know it, the 'craft' room). I'm going through my 2013 Create your incredible year calendar and workbook .

It's time to look back before I can look forward.

I can't know where I'm going if I don't know where I've been and how I've got to where I am today. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, good and bad, and if I don't acknowledge it, I'll never learn from it and move forward.

'Cause that's what life is all about - moving forward.

Getting a bit better every year. (I hope. At least that's the plan.)

I have to say it's been an exciting year. I have an amazingly wonderful boyfriend who supports and encourages me with all my dreams and schemes. My little biz is chugging along, bit by bit, and I've found a group of like minded women in Leonie Dawson's Biz and life academy, who encourage and  run ideas off each other so we can all reach our collective goals.

A few of the goals I have achieved this year (drum roll please...)

* Having Internet free days so I can work on my art and not get bogged
     down by non important things
* 200 likers on  Facebook (at this date I'm actually at 214!)
* Meditation classes - I've been going sporadically this year - must do it
    more regularly next year
* Opening my heart to love (an extremely personal goal) and allowing myself
    to receive the love that was right in front of me. Also being able to
    properly reciprocate that love.

Of course there's plenty I haven't achieved, a few I didn't really start and some things I thought I wanted at the beginning of the year, and now I'm thinking that they don't matter so much any more. That's OK, life is ever changing and your interests and goals should be fluid to reflect this.

So now I move on to setting my goals for next year, and I'm really excited about it. It's wonderful to think about what I will have achieved this time next year when I'm looking back on 2014 in review.

Now it's audience participation time. What are your big (and not so big) plans for 2014 - I'd love to hear about them.

Love,
Jacqui xx



How to achieve your goals

Hello my Lovelies,

 

I've always believed that if you truly want to achieve something, you write it down, and share it with the world. Make it public and it will happen.

 

It's true, try it. Even if it's so big you don't dare to believe it.

 

Even if it's so tiny you think it's not worth putting down on paper or telling anyone about it.

 

Even if you're a bit scared to share it in case someone thinks it's silly (if it's your dream it can't be silly now can it?)

 

Last year I shared my 100 dreams (part 2) (here's part 1 in case you missed it) and number 34 was to learn Burlesque dancing. I had every intention to get around to doing it (one day) but life got in the way and it didn't happen this year.

GUESS WHAT??????????

For Christmas I got this:

A totally unexpected (well, it shouldn't have been unexpected because I wrote it down and made it public and told the Universe that's what I wanted) gift from my boyfriend's Lovely Sister. She did some research and looked at my blog and decided she wanted to give me the Burlesque lessons I wanted.

Thank you
                                Thank you

THANK YOU!

 

It goes to show that you need to write your goals down. You don't have to do a blog and tell the world - put a picture of what you want on your fridge (new car/ cruise/ new dress - whatever) and if you (or others) see it every day there's far more chance of it happening.

 

Don't hide your dreams, put them out on display. It'll happen :)

 

 

all my love,

Jacqui xx

I Believe...

 I believe in old fashioned creativity.

 I believe in getting your hands dirty- gardening, cooking, finger painting.

 I believe that giving hand-made gifts means so much more than just  
   buying  them at the shops even if the quality isn't as good).

 I believe that growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

 I believe in manners.

 I believe that everyone is creative and contributes something wonderful     to the world.

 I believe in miracles.

 I believe in singing and laughing and dancing (sometimes all at once).

 I believe in unicorns.

 I believe that if you believe in it and want it badly enough it will happen.

 I believe in bright colours.

 I believe in releasing my inner child as often as I can.

 I believe in just giving it a go, even if it's a total failure (failures aren't   
   failures, they're lessons).

 I believe in sitting on the floor.

 I believe in stretching.

 I believe in hugs.

 I believe in YOU


 What do you believe in? I'd really like to know.

My 100 Dreams Part Two

Hello fabulous people,

I can't believe it's the end of July already. The nights are long, the days short and the clothing warm and fabulous. I love hats and scarves, and knee length coats. All in an effort to stay warm though, as I HATE being cold. Nothing a nice hot chocolate can't remedy  :)

Time for me to share with  you my next 20 dreams. I must say it's hard for me to get to 100. I'm ok at big huge wonderous goals, but the little achievable ones are more difficult. That's because it's easy to say 'I want to go to Paris and speak fluent French' and write it down on my list because I know that's something that won't be happening this year - it's a long term goal that I can put off for a little while, but all the little things are far more achievable. I've got no excuse to put them off, and that makes them scary. 

If I put the idea to paper (or blog) for the world to see, I'm accountable for achieving as many of these dreams as possible.

 

WHICH IS THE IDEA FOR DOING THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE

 HOLD ME TO IT!!!!!!!

21. Dance in the rain

22. Get my face painted

23. Go to the Science Centre

24. Have my Tarot cards read - done already yayyyyyyyyyyy!

25. Go on random drives with no set idea where I'm going - I may or may not have done this under the guise of being totally lost!

26. Learn to make pottery

27. Learn to paint with oil paint

28. Wear more green

29. Publish a book

30. Sell a painting before the end of this year

31. Go to hot yoga

32. Go on a wine tour to a vineyard

33. Do a wine appreciation tour???

34. Learn burlesque dancing

35. Sing in an open mike night

36. Climb a mountain

37. Sing every day - I pretty much do this already, but it's a habit I want to keep through the rest of my life :)

38. Appreciate what I have each and every day - I try to do this but I need to be reminded sometimes

39. Do aqua aerobics

40. Stretch every day


I'm working on these and the rest of my goals, and it's making for an interesting and varied life. Last year I couldn't plan for the week ahead let alone the year. I had no goals, and no real dreams for my life. It's amazing what a difference it can make to you if you think about all the little (and big) things you'd like to do. Places to go, things to see, stuff to learn. There's so much out there in the world, let's get out there and experience some of it :)

The Halfway Mark

 

Hello my little yellow bubbles of happiness, how are you?

 

 

 

I live such an exciting life.

   On the Edge.               

                     

I'm off the chain baby!

I'm such a wild child that this afternoon I - wait for it - sorted out all my wool and catalogued it!!!!!!!

 

 

 

                     I know!!!!!! - what a crazy gal I  am! You wish you were me don't you?

 

 

This is my drawer of reds/pinks/ purples which had just been sorted, and then all the blues and greens that I just dumped onto the floor ready for sorting. I've got all my colours sorted into different draws to make it easier to find them. Life is much easier this way. And I'm a Virgo, and we like things to be neat and orderly...

Anyhoo, I've been buying wool randomly for several years and it was time to take stock of what I have and how much I've used. I also tidied up the balls, rolled all the little loose bits together, the half balls of the same colour that somehow end up not being fully used.  I'm in good shape with the wool, it's just all the hats and scarves I've made I need to sell now or at least add an extra room onto the house to store it in!

Maybe it's the full moon, but I was energised and wanted to get all sorted and tidied and just to know what I had. I even managed to go through some old half-started (or is it half- finished?) projects and recycle the wool and even threw one out that was not redeemable at all - I was holding on to it for ages (years) thinking that I'll get back to it, I'll undo all the wool and re-use it etc. etc. etc. But I never did and I feel so much better for just getting rid of it. It's like a weight off my chest and a bit of space reclaimed in my cupboard! And it's good Feng Shui :)

Around the time I was sorting out my wool, my boyfriend was at his place sorting out his finances. He  went through his bills, looked though his accounts, did a catalogue of what he owed, what he spent and what he saved. He looked in every dusty little corner, taking stock of the Good the Bad and the Ugly in regards to money, then culled a few expenses that he didn't need and cut back where he could. It's that time of the year where we need to take stock of things.


It's almost the end of June; the 6th month of the year.

The halfway mark.

How has your year been so far?

 

Have you done some of the things you said you were going to do? Have you done any of them? Can you even remember what your plans were way back in January?

 

It's not too late you know, you've got another six months to go until the end of the year.

That's absolutely ages!!!!

 

Now is the perfect time to look back on the last 6 months, take stock, and look forward to the next 6 months. Look at your resolutions/goals/plans objectively. Air them out, so to speak, unroll them, sort them out, dust them off and

GET CRACKING!!

let me know how you go,
Jacqui xx
 

 

 

 

 

 

 



My100 Dreams part one recap

Hello wondrous Readers, remember this?

 

my 100 dreams part-one

 

If you've been wondering how I've been going with these goals and what my next instalment of dreams will be, never fear. Part two will hit the cyber presses soonish, but I thought I'd do a follow up on the first instalment to see how I've been going, what I've been doing and what I haven't been doing to achieve my goals, both big and not so big. This is my way of keeping myself honest by sharing how slack I've been in some respects and how amazing I am in others ;)

So, without further ado here's part one recap:

1. Go to the Melbourne Cup - I've been to Melbourne lots of times, but never for the   

            Cup! Still planning it but money's very tight so we'll see how big my tax return is this year!

2. Go back to painting lessons  not yet, but still planning on doing a day class here and there

 

 3. Say Yes! (I'm more of a say no then regret it later kind of person)  - YES, I've said yes to positive things more than I've said no, and good things are happening, (including getting back together with my ex boyfriend :) )

 4. Go to Meditation lessons -YES, have been going on and off for the last few months and I love it! Its helped me still my overworked brain, and to think and feel a bit more clearly about things. I'm trying to meditate at home, but find it harder to do as there are too many distractions. Something to work on.

5. Keep eating healthy - yes and no. I've slipped back into some bad habits (ie coffee, sweets), but for the most parts, I'm eating well and making much better food choices.

6. Be involved with three market stalls to sell my products YES. This one is done and dusted - I've had a stall at 2 of the Springwood Creative Markets and one at the Mother's Day Mt Gravatt one. I'm considering doing more markets but I need to find somewhere suitable as the 3 I've done haven't been all that successful. It's all a learning experience, and I'm having so much fun along the way.

7. Get my car loan to under $10,000 (have already made a start to this one and have

         increased my weekly car repayment) I'll know how I'm going next month when I get my statement

8.  Get Jacqstar Creations to 200 likers - If you haven't stopped over and had a look at my Facebook page yet please do and help me achieve this goal :)

Here's the link:  Jacqstar Creations  - I've gone from about 90 in January to 142, so I'm well on my way :)

9. Sing jazz in a jazz club WOOT this is going to happen on Sunday night. OK, it's not in a smoky basement jazz club, but I'm singing Etta James' 'At Last' in my choir concert and it's a jazz concert and I'll be wearing black, and long gloves and it'll be all cool and atmospheric!

10. Visit all the Australian capitals (so far I've only been to Brisbane Sydney

        and Melbourne) - no updates on this one but it's a long term goal so I'm not worried about it

11.  Take drawing lessons - not yet -  I must look into this

12. Go to a wine tasting tour around the vineyards somewhere - if I can work it into my Melbourne trip I will, if not it's still on my to-do list for later this year or next year

13. Release my inner bohemian - I've noticed that the clothes I choose are brighter in colour than usual, and instead of being dressed almost exclusively by Target and K-Mart, I've bought some skirts at the Southbank markets. My inner butterfly is starting to uncurl her wings.

14. Go to G.O.M.A three times this year and see the latest exhibits - have been once so far, two more to go. (if you've never been, it's amazing)

15. Travel to Egypt - long term goal, will start saving once my car is paid off

16. Learn to speak Fluent French - long term but I'm putting it down for something next year to start a tafe beginner's French course

17. Travel to France and live there for a while and really learn the language

        and soak up the culture - long term

18. Paint my nails in bright crazy colours - I'm painting them blue for my choir concert - that counts as done!

19. Go to the Planetarium. - When I added this to my list the Planetarium was closed for upgrading, so now I've got no excuse, I'll organise something soon.

20. Do the Bridge to Brisbane again this year. - it's on the 1st of September and I'm registering this week and have organised the day off work so it's practically done :)

my 100 dreams :) Part one

I've been inspired.

The wonderous Leonie Dawson, is teaching me how to be my own Creative Goddess. She's eight shades of crazy in a magical glittery rainbow fairy dust kind of way, but I like that.

(I think I might want to be her when I grow up).

Anyway...

One of the many things I'm doing this year is goal setting. Big ones, small ones, mundane ones like writing down fabric softener on my shopping list so I don't forget it - MAKING the shopping list so I don't forget the fabric softener and only come home with chocolate biscuits. There are so many things I want to do with my life and I've come to realise that if I don't write them down I'll either forget about it or keep pushing things to the background and never get them done, then get totally frustrated that I didn't achieve anything this year AGAIN!

If you write things down you give them importance. It's tangible and if it's somewhere you can see them on a daily basis it becomes a priority. It's constantly on your mind, you're thinking about it, wondering how you'll do it, when you'll do it, in what way you'll do it. And magically, you'll start making plans to actually do it!

SO, one of Leonie's suggestions is to list 100 things you want to do this year. Small, medium, and incredibly huge dreams. Some so crazy you think there's no point putting them in writing cause they'll never come true. Some just  take a bit of planning, or putting on your daily to-do (or grocery) list. Now, 100 is a lot, and I'll let you in on a secret - I'm only up to number 34 so far. I've got a ways to go, but hey, it's only March and I've got the whole year to add more things and cross a whole heap off the list too.

 

What I've decided to do is let you in on my list and share 20 with you every couple of months. I'll also update you on how the last 20 are progressing.

MY FIRST 20 DREAMS FOR 2013 ARE:

 

1. Go to the Melbourne Cup - I've been to Melbourne lots of times, but never for the   

            Cup!

2. Go back to painting lessons

3. Say Yes! (I'm more of a say no then regret it later kind of person)

4. Go to Meditation lessons

5. Keep eating healthy

6. Be involved with three market stalls to sell my products

7. Get my car loan to under $10,000 (have already made a start to this one and have

         increased my weekly car repayment)

8.  Get Jacqstar Creations to 200 likers - If you haven't stopped over and had a look

        at my Facebook page yet please do and help me achieve this goal :)

9. Sing jazz in a jazz club

10. Visit all the Australian capitals (so far I've only been to Brisbane Sydney

        and Melbourne)

11.  Take drawing lessons

12. Go to a wine tasting tour around the vineyards somewhere

13. Release my inner bohemian

14. Go to G.O.M.A three times this year and see the latest exhibits

15. Travel to Egypt

16. Learn to speak Fluent French

17. Travel to France and live there for a while and really learn the language

        and soak up the culture

18. Paint my nails in bright crazy colours

19. Go to the Planetarium.

20. Do the Bridge to Brisbane again this year.

Now, as you can tell, I'm not going to get all of this done this year. Some, like the moving to France are lofty plans, but it's one of my dreams and it if doesn't happen this year it's going on my list of dreams each year until it does come true.

Here's where audience participation comes in. I'd love for you to share some of your goals/wishes/dreams for the year with me. If I can help in any way I will. AND... if you can help me achieve any of mine please let me know.

Now it's your turn...

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Don't let the Vampires get to you

This is currently my favourite creative quote. It's by Vincent Van Gough. He heard the vampires. Heard them telling him that he couldn't paint; wasn't  good enough. He was a troubled soul and  eventually succumbed to them, but for a while he silenced the vampires by doing what he did best - creating something out of nothing.

Now before you start wondering what I've been smoking, I'm not talking about the blood sucking vampires of lore. It's a different type of vampire I'm referring to, but they're just as scary and they walk among us day and night.

'Listen closely,
a vampire is any person or thought or feeling
that stands between you and your creative self expression,
but they can assume many seductive forms.' [title of show] 

This is a quote from one of my favourite musicals, [title of show]. It's a musical about two guys writing a musical about... two guys writing a musical, and follows their (and the musical's) journey. It also touches on the process of creativity and how you can be riding high with confidence one day and in the depths of despair the next.

This video clip will explain everything; it's the song 'Die Vampire Die' from [title of show] with still footage from the Broadway production. Sorry, I couldn't get live footage without compromising sound quality.

** WARNING, THIS CLIP CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE AND ADULT CONCEPTS**

So there you have it: vampires can be everywhere. Friends, relatives, teachers, mentors, or the voice of 'reason' inside our own heads. Don't listen to them. Just do it. Paint, sing, dance, sculpt, write, Create. Don't be worried that it's not good enough or pretty enough. If you're creating something out of nothing that's a miracle and it's perfect. :)

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Where is your Creative Sanctuary?

Today I found my creative sanctuary only a few minutes walk from my front door. It's amazing how such a beautiful place can be in the middle of suburbia; it's nestled between a main road and a housing estate.Who would have thought it was here, hiding behind a row of trees and bushes.

To be honest, I didn't actually discover it today. I've lived in my current place for three years, and I'm a walker. I love to explore, and try and get some exercise while I'm at it, so I had come across this place before, but I hadn't been here in ages and had forgotten about it. It's an easy place to miss if you don't know where it is, as the entrance is well hidden. It's my secret garden- although I bumped into a couple of children exploring here too, so perhaps it's not that much of a secret to the locals.

I have a second favourite place. It's an old quarry that was abandoned when the workers hit a natural spring almost 100 years ago and it's now a small lake in bushland with a walking track surrounding it. It's about a ten minute walk from my place and I'm sure not all the locals know of it's existence. This site is far more open and sunny (and has far less mosquitoes) than the wetlands area, but both are beautiful, quiet, and so close to me that I can escape for a little while any time I like, chill and just be.

I do love where I live :)

Do you have a special place you can go to switch off (literally and figuratively)? Somewhere you find beautiful, serene, a break from your usual routine?

For me, it's nature and water that soothes me. I love to watch birds on the water, listen to their songs, see the turtles come up for air. Or if I'm at the beach, it's the sound of the wind and the waves that seem to clear my head of cobwebs and make everything clearer. From a creative point of view, I love to go somewhere that inspires me. The serenity of a secluded place, no electronic distractions, just me and my thoughts and sometimes I bring my pencils, sketch pads and watercolours.

Is there somewhere near your home that you can go, to switch off and just 'be'? It doesn't have to be a secret place, what about your local park? Sit on a park bench one day, under the shade of a tree, take a book or just listen to the birds and the sound of the wind in the trees. LEAVE THE PHONE AT HOME! Chill, relax,it's great thinking time.

Who knows, you might have an epiphany. A great invention, a better mousetrap. An idea for a song/play/painting/poem/speech etc. That writer's block you've been suffering from in your assignment might disappear and all become clearer if you get away from your usual routine and find your own personal creative sanctuary.

Let me know how you go...

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