gathering spriggs

Crafting Respect

After a glorious day off yesterday and time to blog hunt and surf for pleasure I came across a fabulous new blog, Supercyclers via The Design Files.  This girl power design duo, Plastic Fantastic created these water tight upcycled plastic bag containers  for this month's Milan Exhibit The Other Hemisphere. (You'll be surprised at how simple this project is) 

Then I read through my email blog subscriptions for the day and flagged this article by the ever poignant Tara Gentile. Who proposed this idea of respect towards craft and all items made by hands:

"I propose that we codify an expectation of respect throughout craft culture, microbusiness, and personal consumption. If you’re an entrepreneur, respect yourself in your prices, your product descriptions, your conversations with cooperititon [definition coming!], and your use of the marketplace. If you’re a consumer, respect others – all of them – for the value they add to your life through the products they produce – whether lovingly handcrafted or mechanically constructed."

And the light bulbs began flashing faster than a strobe on a dance floor. Yes! That's it! Crafting a Life of Respect. Respect for ourselves, for others, for the planet, for creating, for connecting, for family, for our bodies, for the things we touch daily. 

What if this idea became the new business model. The new approach... 

Something tells me it is heading in that direction. Of course we live in an imperfect world but what will the next generation look like if our lives are built on the foundation of Respect?

These are exciting times we live in. A place for visionaries! 

What is your vision today?

images: plastic fantastic-- sarah k and liane rossler

Busy as a...

Have you been seduced by busyness? 

 

My back screened-in porch and flagstone patio are beginning to come alive with the signs of Spring. Hosta plants unfurling, frogs leaping, birds nesting and a fair amount of bumble bees buzzing. I've noticed that the bees tend to get trapped inside the screened in area (we leave the doors open for our dog to go in and out) and end up never making it back outside. Many meeting fate with no escape. Last night I discovered a constant buzzing sound and looked up to find one such bee still beating its wings wildly as it moved up and down the screen searching for an escape route. My heart ached to see such a sight. Knowing what was in store for this little guy. So I grabbed a plastic cup and tried to gently escort it into the cup and away from the window. He however did not see my vision and ended up one very angry bee. Buzzing, flapping wildly and not letting go of the screen. For fear of being stung when I tried to scoop him up into the cup, I had to walk away. 

I stood inside watching him return to the busyness of trying to find a way out. 

Maybe the bee would not find his escape from a life of unfruitful wing flapping... but I knew I had been given a second chance. 

You see, as I finished up my taxes yesterday with the humbling realization of my slowest year to date, I wondered what I was doing with all my free time last year. I know I was busy and stressed ... a lot of wing flapping apparently. 

Then I read Tara Gentile's E-Book and realized I was seduced. Here are some of her thoughts from "Making Motion"

"Busyness isn’t just a jealous lover. She’s also a habit. You

get in the habit of having too much to do. You get attached to

feeling overwhelmed. You learn to depend on being unfocused.

You know it doesn’t feel good but you just can’t stop.

Part of the problem with being busy is that you often don’t realize

your own busyness until you stop at the end of the day, drained.

It requires an awakening of mindfulness to even realize how

deeply you’ve been seduced."

 

The good news is that I know I have been given a second chance. The hands of Love have guided me gently away from the screened in trap and into the glorious freedom of being truly alive. Truly connected to my own heart, my desires, my passions, and the ability to believe in my best ideas. So I can get out there and start pollinating. 

Just as Martha Stewart tweeted this week:

"My best advice? Be passionate,work hard, believe in your good ideas"

Lets start flying toward freedom together, shall we?

images: bee necklace- creations by juliann, poster: evencleveland

A Rosy Outlook

 

Is it Friday already? Another week past! Wow. This one has been a whirlwind for me. Some ups and downs but ending on a rosy note. :) 

Thank you for your amazing love and support with me and for me on this road toward physical healing. Your warm embrace this week has buoyed my spirits , uplifted my heart and brought new hope for tomorrow. ... 

(was that a tear?.... i am so moved by our fellowship here) 

So speaking of tomorrow, you will find me in the GS booth at the Antique and Artisan Market here in Nashville where a local antique store has invited artists into their space for a new kind of collaboration. Hopefully I will take plenty of pics of my booth... im mostly excited to be styling my little corner. You can see a sneak peak above.. 

Inspired by a British Country Living spread from my magazine collection. 

How is your weekend looking?? 

Here is to a Rosy Outlook this weekend and the abundance of Spring! 

Hugs,

h

images: heather spriggs thompson 

Handle with Care

If only.... I handled my body with the care I take with my precious vintage items or fragile hair adornments. With a little more respect and nurturing. 

One of my doctor's orders this week was to listen to my body and respect its needs. Seems simple enough, eh? But the challenge has already begun this week with a taxing painting project, an artisan market approaching and more projects lined up waiting for my attention.  Even something as simple as getting at least 8 hours of consecutive sleep starting before midnight has been a stretch. This instruction came with helpful hint that our bodies begin their healing process at midnight and so its important to get into that REM sleep before then. 

It reminds me of a simple poem cross stitched on my grandmother's walls and etched in my brain:

Early to bed,

Early to rise,

Makes a man,

Healthy, Wealthy and Wise

I always blew it off as an old wives tale but with age and learning things the hard way it seems pretty true. 

So I am taking baby steps. Since the illness I am experiencing now (as I learned this week) is stressed induced ... Its called Adrenal Fatigue.. then I am trying my best to take a lesson and begin to handle myself with care. 

Its a challenge believe it or not. (Especially as a people pleaser who doesn't like to use the word " No") I am taking it one day at a time. Baby steps. Towards health.

... and who knows.. maybe wealth and wisdom will follow!

 

Fragile Paper art by Ronald Ceuppens

Story Telling

Friends, How are you today? This week? 

This morning I awoke early with a little time to ponder... 

and have been thinking about the beloved people in my life who are uplifting me right now in a time of uncertainty.  friends who have been a part of my story for many years. friends whose lives are closely  woven together with mine through the stories we share (past and present) .

this in turn led me to think about you... and your stories. I would love to know more about you. what things have brought you to where you are today.

Just to break the ice, I will start ... with a movie clip of my story. (because who can truly share their story in a tiny box meant for about 100 characters? but its a start) 

Hi, my name is Heather Lee Spriggs Thompson ... 

the daughter of two creative, spontaneous parents looking for a place to call home in central Texas. At the age of 8 we moved from city life to a small country town with Main street and plenty of antique shops. After a nearly two year battle my father passed away from a brain tumor. A moment that forever shaped me. My mother bravely raised my sister and me in this small town with the support of family and friends. She remarried, my youngest sister was born, and I went off to college to find myself. After two years studying art, I moved from West Texas to Nashville, TN (with my family). Unfortunately home life was unstable and unhealthy so my sister and I moved out and started new lives on our own. We spent two Summers in Romania, moved in with two other sisters and lived in a beautiful turn of the century home on a lake in Nashville. (Dubbed The Betty Crocker house.. it was a safe haven for our souls). Then I met my husband and all of that changed. We married in 2003 and stayed in Nashville after my friends and sister moved away. I began my decorative painting business, finished my BFA at a local art school, and then by 2008 was searching for a new creative business to pursue. Thus began Gathering Spriggs. Still a work in process I am getting closer to my dreams everyday. 

In fact, I have a "brand storming" session tonight via Skype with the fabulous Bernadette Jiwa of The Story of Telling. We met last week during a conference call hosted by Tara Gentile of Scoutie Girl. Part of the deal was that if you were on the call you were entered into a drawing to receive one free brand storming session with Bernadette. Yep!! I was one of the winners!! Oh the benefits of not only a fabulous community but of signing up and receiving newsletters. 

So in preparation for our phone call I filled out an in depth questionnaire to help her know more about me and help me better brand my business. 

Whew!! I've been talking alot today. So needless to say, Story Telling is on my mind today. It feels essential to communicating who we are and who we long to be. 

So now I hope you will take a turn to share your story. ( and I hope it will be the start of many more). 

What is your story today? 

image: quote book tumblr and prettyfnmess

Love For Japan: Local effort goes Global

Friends, in times of great tragedy comes great need. We watch the devastation feeling helpless. Maybe even hopeless. That is why I want to share with you several efforts here at home where artists and shop owners are taking great steps to be proactive within their grief. When I saw EZ's relief fundraiser (donating all of her shop sales to the Red Cross), it sparked a light of hope within me. Then I began seeing more tweets of other shops taking action with donation. Redefine Home is pledging 25% of all sales to Architecture for Humanity. And many Etsians are offering special limited edition art prints where all proceeds will go to help our neighbor in need; like : this Remember Print by Design Twenty Six. In fact if you search "Japan or Japan Relief" on Etsy you are sure to find numerous shops that are contributing to the need. 

So, Gathering Spriggs and Gathering Vintage too are participating in the cause by donating 30% off all sales in both shops to World Vision (Building a Better World for Children). With new items being added daily in each of my Etsy shops, you are sure to find a gift for a friend, a special something for yourself as a reminder of your donation, or even a present to give for Easter or Mother's Day. 

Are you aware of other relief efforts in the art/design community? Please tweet them to me so I can add them to the list. How do you offer hope and help for those in need during great tragedy? 

** UPDATES: ** ( I will add other resources here through out the day)

For Japan With Love (Bloggers Day of Silence)

Dutch Door Press (100% of profits go toward Red Cross Relief)

Pingg- Designer cards with a heart for Japan

WSAKE- Help Japan Necklace

Secrets of a Butterfly: Withe Love to Japan, a Postcard donation event. 

Sweet Eventide: For Japan Print

 

Japan, know our hearts are with you! 

 creature comforts,  remember print by design twenty six, redefine home 

Not without Hope...

Over the past several days I have witnessed the horrific images of yet another devastating natural disaster. My heart cries out for the Japanese, so many still suffering and living in fear of the potential for more tragedy. 

A friend of mine called me Saturday on her way to take her child to the ER. As someone who is already living in the midst of other saddening news,  I prayed and ached for her. 

Not without hope we suffer and we mourn.
William Wordsworth

And so I have been pondering suffering today. Imagining the possibilities which lie beyond current circumstances. We tend to ask ourselves a resounding "Why?" or "Why me?" .  But what if we could be assured that with suffering comes great fruit; and giving ourselves over to experiencing pain means also opening ourselves up to great love and joy. 

I know I try to avoid pain at all cost, mostly by numbing it. But what if I am also numbing myself to joy at the same time? As Theodore Roosevelt states, maybe I am settling for a gray twilight that knows no victory or defeat.  

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt

So do you  embrace uncertainty and adversity as it comes? 

How do you dare mighty things in your life?

 

and let me whisper... not without hope...

 

image: heather spriggs thompson for gathering spriggs

What Does Your Blog Say About You?

Good Morning glories! I'm having a bit of a late start today but I"ve been thinking about the state of affairs here at Gathering Spriggs. With the anticipation of a new site on its way, I feel as though I have never been more ready for a change. A new look, a new outlook. 

Maybe it is also this time of year with seasons changing, Spring dawning slowly. My world seemingly caught between two places. Waiting. Waiting for a diagnosis. Waiting for and seeing change come at its own leisurely pace. 

Over the past few months, I have debated over how much to reveal here on GS about my personal life or my private thoughts. Some blogs are used as an open journal, or a place to collect images of inspiring design, or even to share new creations, ideas or creative processes. And it is here I feel in between as well. I have been struggling with focus my whole life. Trying to write a business plan for a couple of years now with every intention of being goal oriented this year. Until I began having some health problems that kinda threw a wrench in those plans and have caused me to come to terms with my limitations. 

And so.. I hang here with you in the balance. Sharing a little of myself and a little of that which inspires me. And I am so very grateful that you stop by and offer a bit about yourself too, in this little corner of the world called Gathering Spriggs. From the beginning I longed for this blog to be a place to gather friends, hearts, and inspirations. Thanks for being a part of my journey. I am daily blessed by YOU!!

And so I ask you the same thing I have been asking myself... What does your Blog say about you??

images: teacup: sanne van winden, we are in this together: lorena siminovich

Mottos to Myself

Little reminders... 

After a long awaited dr.'s appt this week I am now entering into a month long  battery of tests to determine what my root health problem is. There is much still unknown. 

Tears came, sleeplessness came and went and now I am facing a new day. With sunshine at my helm today I have committed to go forth... one step at a time. 

Thanks to Kim Smith at Art=Happy for some blessed and beautiful reminders to keep me going.

And thank you for being such dear, supportive friends with me on this journey. You inspire me daily, so... tell me... 

What mottos do you live by ??

Need for Spring

Carefully lifting winter weathered windows yesterday to usher in sunny breezes felt like spring teasing me with her silken scarves. Her breath brushed the hair from my face and her warmth caused me to shed my layers. She whispered reminders of new days ahead. Days fresh. Days restored. 

With ever growing health complications, which have disrupted life and a long awaited doctor's appointment only a week away, I am painfully aware of my need for Spring. Need for restoration. Need for hope. 

...and I see glimpses of it. Maybe as I shed more layers within I will sense the light again. Will smell blossoms. I'm no gardener but I do find this allegory to be true in the garden of my own life:  new growth comes only after the pruning of spent portions. 

And you? How do you sense hope in your own life as seasons change? What season are you experiencing in your heart today?

images: dress: we heart it  flowers: desde my vantana teacup: gathering vintage;  pillow:  seesaw vintage, table: style me pretty