Featured in Halloween Orange ~

Some folks are still thinking about Halloween - and that's good news for me, because Charan at Creative with Clay posted her Color of the Week: Orange feature today. And guess who is one of the eight lucky artisans she chose for the feature ~ that's right, moi! I'm honored that Charan picked my Sweet Heart ACEO ~

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The original of this striking ACEO is available for purchase at my Etsy shop, using this link: Sweet Heart ACEO. It's perfect for Halloween, don't you think? Or any time when you need a jolt of color! I also have this design available in print-on-demand products over at my Zazzle store; to find them use this link: Sweet Heart Zazzle Gifts. It's a popular design at that site; fortunately with print-on-demand it will never run out.

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A big thanks to Charan for her weekly color feature - it's quite fascinating, and a great way to discover new shops. I'm thrilled to be part of this week's selection :)

November's Energy is "The Gate"

If you've been longing for some new opportunities to move forward on your path, dear reader, then this is the month for you! November's energy brings us to The Gate ~

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The Gate represents the challenge of how we deal with opportunity. It asks us to go through the gate (at least a little bit) and check it out. It's not the time to reject things out of hand. You can always turn around and go back to where you were, but you'll never know what's on the other side of the Gate if you don't walk through it!

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On the Star+Gate Pattern, the Gate's nearest neighbors are:

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~ The Token: the attitude of appreciation and give-and-take; making our intentions known while expressing appreciation for others.

~ The Handle: the attitude of starting things and taking initiative, balanced by accepting responsibility for what we bring forth with our initiative!

~ The Cave: a place deep within that contains all of inner resources and insight.

~ The Bell: being able to attract and attune ourselves to what we need; also a wake-up call.

~ The Maiden: the part of ourselves that seeks the best for everyone - gentle, pure, and uncompromised.

~ The Letter: the gift of being able to ideas into form; to go within and retrieve symbolic messages from our subconscious dreaming.

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Major themes for this pattern of energies center around relationships: involvement with others, partnerships, agreements, and all the ways we combine our energies. Aligning with these energies brings harmony and enhances our independent judgment. It's a way of rising above the fray, so that we don't let our fears put us out of balance.

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These energies will peak around November 12-13, giving us more than half the month to develop them into a firm platform for the next step on our journey. Enjoy!

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Would you like to have a forecast of your personal energy cycles? My intuitive readings will help answer your questions and illuminate your path - and are now available by e-mail!. For information and to request a reading,click here, or send a message to burchjan@gmail.com.Visit my website www.GeoGlowConsulting.com for more information about my intuitive services.

New on Zazzle: Bright Designs for a Gray Day

Yesterday the first brush of winter came through the Rocky Mountains, reaching as far south as Albuquerque. The day was gray with a cold drizzle and snow falling on the mountain elevations. I, however, had a warm fire going, so I curled up with my computer and made some new Zazzle designs ~

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Don't these colors look positively tropical - the perfect antidote to a blustery, gray day! Why don't you click and see the full array of Fantasy designs I've made so far:) Yes, there's even a skateboard in mix! I'm proudly showing off my first my first skateboard, and I have a few more in the works.

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As I write this, the sun is peeking through the clouds, and the forecast calls for shirt-sleeve weather by the weekend. Don't we love New Mexico! And you know what, I think these designs look just as pretty in the sunshine. I'd love to know what you think ;)

I Have Movies to Crochet By!

With the holidays approaching, my crochet project list is growing by the minute! Here's my new (soft, warm, and cozy) Tricolor Scarf, recently listed for your holiday gift* shopping ~

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* That includes a gift for yourself :)

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I made this scarf while watching video clips on my computer. As any dedicated crocheter or knitter knows, once you get the pattern down, you don't need to constantly look at your project; you can go by the "feel" of the yarn and stitches. (Yes, I'm giving away one of our trade secrets ;) That means you need something to occupy your mind & eyeballs while turning the yummy yarns into a thing of beauty - and that means, TV/movies are in order!

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But I don't care to watch TV - never have been a fan, never will be. I like movies, and I'm fortunate to have to a public library system that makes DVDs available for checkout. It's been a great boon, but I've now pretty much seen everything in their collection that I want to watch! What to do, what to do???

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This weekend I took the plunge and signed up for Netflix (and, no, they're not paying me to post this - sigh). It didn't take long before I had a queue of enough movies to get me through several weeks of crochet evenings! Best of all, I can stream the movies directly to my computer, and not have to wait for the mailed DVDs to come and go. I guess I'll be getting some DVDs in the mail, which is fine, but I haven't quite figured out how that works. We shall see. Meantime, I've already watched Hancock and Paul Blart, Mall Cop, and made great progress on my next crochet wonder. For an added bonus, I got to see the entire movie without commercials!

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My project list for the season includes more Christmas goodies like stockings, home decor, and maybe another scarf; as many shawls as I can turn out because they make such great gifts; and maybe a small afghan or lap robe. Whew - my fingers will be getting a workout! But I don't mind; I love it and the crochet movements really do keep my borderline-arthritic hands pain-free!

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So it looks like I've gotten into this movie stream at the right time. I wonder if I can write off the monthly fee as a business expense, lol. And while I've put together quite a queue, I tend to get stuck in a rut (a dozen Jackie Chan movies may be a bit too much). So I'm asking you, dear readers, to suggest a your favorite movies to crochet, knit, craft, or just veg by. It will be great to see what other crafters like to view, and maybe we can keep our queues from getting stuck in a rut!

Notable Quote: Empty Boats

If a man is crossing a river

and an empty boat

collides with his own boat,

he won't be offended or get angry,

however hot-tempered he may be.

But if the boat is manned,

he may flare up, shouting and cursing,

just because there's a rower.

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Realize that all boats are empty

as you cross the river of the world,

and nothing can possibly offend you.

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~ Stephen Mitchell,

The Second Book of the Tao