LAUREL DENISE
{please visit laurel denise here}
Just a few days shy of the end of our Happy New You month, we couldn’t end this project without offering you a piece that will become your new talisman now could we? Everyone needs a piece that they can wear that has more meaning to it than the latest fashion trend. Artist Laurel Denise Smith of Laurel Denise has happily obliged. Smith came upon her design muse in a dream, where she fabricated delicate pieces out of glass on which she hand-scribed or designed using equipment she had never seen before. Cut to 2010 where it is obvious that dreams do come true as Smith has a flourishing design studio with you guessed it—delicate hand-scribed glass jewelry strung on equally dainty chains and has started offering stationery as well. Smith also does custom pieces for those that want to wear their own one word personal mantra at all times (mine of course would be ’sunshine’…). Whether you opt for her ‘Art & Soul’ or her ‘Simply Stated’ collection you will find a piece that you can wear that will be a gentle reminder of what you need to do–breathe, live, love, or just smile.
Peace. It is what I want for myself and for others.
“Move” whatever is going on as long as your in motion…your bound to find the strength, the answer, the faith, the motivation, the support…..it’s when you stop the you get stomped on!
My one word mantra would be ‘forge’ because it reflects my attempts to forge a career through metalsmithing and making jewelry.
My word would have to be ‘persevere’. I’m not a quitter, which is good, because many times it’s taken me a few attempts to get something right or simply finished. But in the end, the outcome is often good, as in the outcome is what I wanted, and if it isn’t, then at least I can’t say that I never tried.
Believe. Anything is possible if you just…
Poise.
Clarity.
It is what I am seeking. What I am constantly trying to find in this world.
Or….
Love.
Because it’s all you need.
Its hard to choose between the two, and as soon as I choose one, I immediately change my mind and decide its the other.
Hope. In the words of Nick Clooney, “The cruelest death of all may be the death of hope … but hope is stubborn … “
Faith….. I have the faith chain… and everytime i wear it… its a since of boldness and clarity that is brought to my day
Smile…. because a smile can bring so much love and joy and even another smile to and individuals face that could’ve been the worst day of their life & just by seeing that person smile can also bring me so much more SMILES , JOY and of course FAITH!!!!!
Breathe.. Any time I start to get frustrated,angry or impatient I always have to take a step back and tell myself to breathe.
Faith, Hope, Love. The greatest is Love but my mantra is “Kindness” – love in action, faithfully performed, hopeful of making the world (or at least one person’s world) a better place.
my mantra, which shouldn’t come as a suprise to anyone, is “me”. “Me” helps me decide whether those dishes should be done RIGHT THIS SECOND because it will kill me or if I’m doing it out of some obligatory sense to someone else.. or if I should go out for wine tasting with friends because “ME” wants to or because I feel bad saying no. Yes, this year it’s all about doing things for “ME” because of “Me”. And the nice thing is I’m much happier about things when I say yes because i know ‘ME” wants to and not just because I feel I should.
Give. There are so many in the world worse off than myself. I wish I could do more to help them. I try to remind myself each day to find someone who needs something I can give. Nothing feels better than helping others.
Mine would definitely be “simplify” – I am a perfectionist and obsess about every detail so I constantly try to remind myself to just focus on the important things and to simplify my life. Although my new year resolution is to “be present” – which is hard for me since I am a planner and always thinking about what is coming next instead of remembering to enjoy the moment (especially with my kids – as I know they won’t be little forever!). Love this jewelry!
Today. I sometimes have trouble letting go of things, and the word “today” reminds me that I can’t change the past. I can learn from the it, but I have to stay focused on what I can do, in the present, at this moment, to be a positive presence in the world.
I don’t have a one-word mantra all the time – but my word for the year is ‘change.’ I’m usually not that girl, who likes to mix things up and move or take up a sport, and a few key things (house, boyfriend, etc) are staying the same. But I’m still determined that 2010 is going to be my year to get things closer to how I want them to be. I’ve written down some New Years intentions that are so far-so good. I’ve applied to grad school, which would be a huge change for me and get me out of the industry I fell into after college. Once I figure all that out, I’m proposing to my boyfriend (and have a ring picked out – but I need to figure out his ring size). As much as I hate big changes that come out of nowhere or that I can’t control, I’m pretty psyched about everything I’ve decided to do this year! Change is a good one for me for 2010.
PalmTree
Focus. Even right now I’m not focusing…FOCUS!
A lot of days I just find myself muttering “breathe” when I get really stressed out. Focusing on breathing relaxes me and then I can look up at what’s going on around me and try again. Just Breathe.
Slow down (I know it’s two words, but I’m an over-acheiver).
Fearless.
Love — for the greatest of these is love!
It used to be “fearless,” but these days, “Be Love.” Okay, that’s a two-word mantra, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Whatever! Despite the fact that I say it, I am trying to let things roll off my back a little more and not dwell/overthink. I find that I expend a lot of energy worrying about things so ‘Whatever’ is perfect for the less important things which will hopefully leave me more time to enjoy life.
Breathe.
as cliched as this may be, mine is namaste. it is very calming for me.
FOCUS. I have a habit of spreading myself too thin and writing myself a gazillion “to do” lists. Sometimes I must remind myself to narrow in on ONE task at a time. FOCUS.
Water. I try to live like water (within reason, of course :)). It’s from a passage in the Tao Te Ching that I’m tempted to summarize, but I think it’s better to just link a translation: http://taoteching.org/chapters/8.htm
LEARN. I try to follow the path that if you are not learning something every day about your world or yourself, you are failing to live your life properly.
Empathy. It is so easy to get caught up in what’s going on in my own life, that I need to slow down and look at others’ situations.
My one-world mantra is “confidence”. I am not the most confident person in the world, but when I remind myself that a little self-confidence goes a long way and how many things I’ve accomplished I find that a lot more things go my way and life is that tiny bit easier when you have confidence in yourself.
THRIVE…..not everything is in harmony….just continue to move forward and make a difference. Have confidence in yourself and others.
Water – keeps the brain sharp
Peace
On Earth and in Spirit
Smile.
This little sparkle brings more good to the one who smiles and people around, and is not as loaded as Love with all its meanings.
Smile; because a smile can do so much to improve your own mood as well as others.
i would choose “grace”.
Be.
Breathe.
Love.
lucky — if you think it all the time, it comes true!
forgive
forgive myself my mistakes, forgive others theirs, none of us is perfect & i try to remember that although it can be difficult when i am extremely hard on myself
x
celebrate!
life
love
good food
good company
warmth
light
rest
awareness
celebrate!
Intent…is what I live by. To know that I’m making the right decisions, I look at what I’m doing to see if my intentions are for the greater good.
Smile
Simply powerful :)
Unflappable!
this will sound chessy and cliche but i can’t help that.
“Jesus.”
The only word that ‘works’.
Faith – my daughter’s name, and my belief in the ultimate goodness of people and life.