I found a great deal on scrapbooking paper at Big Lots (my go-to place for bargains) and was drawn to a pattern with fairies on it. And because I love flowers, naturally I came up with this handmade birthday card with a fairy and flower theme...

Here's a Thank You card in a flower theme...

Check out more of my handmade greeting cards...

It's been a whirlwind summer.  My writing business has really taken off with client projects coming in - one after another.  This has been the first week in a couple months that I've actually had the time to just mellow out and catch up on blog readings and books. 

Although I am very grateful for the business, I've come to realize that I prefer to have an internet business that is more automated - the kind of business that many experienced internet marketing entrepreneurs talk about.  I'm aiming to create my own product and have a system set up so that I can have a stream of income that comes in without any real effort on my own part. 

San Francisco...

Call me weird if you want, but I love San Francisco's cool, overcast weather!  I love walking through China Town and finding bargains...and I love hanging out in Union Square - especially the multi-level Borders bookstore.

Here is a mosaic of pictures I took during a recent trip to the city...

Between spending time with my family in Lemoore, chugging away at my ebook, and working on client's projects, a month has passed and I haven't updated this blog.  All I can say is that there is never a dull second in my life.  But don't take this as a complaint, I am surely grateful for having a very busy and productive life.  That's the lifestyle choice I made. 

For the past couple weeks I've been getting my life organized, revisiting my visions and dreams, and making sure my priorities are straight.  I must give a big shout-out and thank you to my business coach, Maureen Orey, for helping me stay on track.  If you ever need someone to help keep you mentally focused on what needs to be done to get your business going, then you should check out Maureen's website or follow her on Twitter. 

Artists are from another planet.  That's the conclusion that I've come to. 

In general, people who give advice on productivity always tell you that it's better to get up early...blah...blah...blah.  Sure, this may work for other people, but the creative people I know are night owls who work into the wee hours of the morning.  They're idea of waking up "early" is 10-11 a.m. 

There's something about working in the very early morning...say, 1-3 a.m.  Except for the occasional dog barking, the earth is very silent.  No birds chirping and no rooster crowing. (I have a neighbor with chickens!)  Absolutely silent...and during those hours I'm able to just be inside my head.  There's no oohing and ahhing at how beautiful the sunshine is outside.  I'm focused on the task at hand (Usually I'm writing). 

As someone with a great deal of creative energy flowing through me, I often find it a challenge to stay focused.  Many people have told me that I should focus on one thing, but for me that's hard because I have so many interests.  I love writing, but I also like to make jewelry and greeting cards...and I've built businesses around these interests. 

Perhaps, yes, my jewelry business would be much bigger now had I focused solely on that.  Or maybe I would have finished that ebook I've been working on for the past year had I focused just on my writing.  However, focusing on just one thing just isn't me.  I'm moody like that.  My creative moods are different from day to day. 

"The Abundance Mentality...flows out of a deep inner sense of personal worth and security.  It is the paradigm that there is plenty out there and enough to spare for everybody.  It results in sharing of prestige, of recognition, of profits, of decision making.  It opens possibilities, options, alternatives, and creativity." -- Stephen R. Covey

The quote above comes from Covey's bestselling book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People ".
I thought it would be a great quote to share - especially during this time when so much focus has been on the stock market and the economy.

I invite you to read my blog, The Good Life, to learn more about how to create an abundance mentality for yourself!

Being that I am an artist, I wanted to discover other artists who blog and I came across The Affluent Artist Blog which is written by Rick DiBiasio.

I like this post, Too Busy to Get Anything Done, in which Rick talks about how many of us need to "declutter" our life to make room for the important things.  Here is a video clip of Rick expanding on that thought...