Celebrating Bead Heaven

I have to share with you the launch of this beautiful bead store, which is the heartfelt effort for our dear friends Andrew and Sherry. Justin and Andrew have been friends since they were in junior high. I can guarantee you that if anyone suggested at that time that Andrew would own and run a bead shop, there would have been some serious laughing going on! But here it is - a beautiful space of colour and creativity: Bead Heaven.

It is always inspiring and exciting to see someone put their heart and their work out in the world, to see people find the courage and wherewithal to share their gifts and create something in the world. It's something to celebrate! Congratulations, Andy and Sherry.

Bead Heaven sell beads, offers classes and will also feature the work of local artisans. Until the end of June, they're having an opening sale featuring 20% off of everything. If you're in Toronto, check them out at 569 St.Clair Ave. West, west of Bathurst. You can also visit their website at www.beadheaven.ca or find them on Facebook.

Be sure to say hi to Andy for me :)

Celebrating Suzie's Etsy

I am so inspired by the world of creative bloggers. And today I get to be double inspired by a creative blogger that is also my sister, Suzie. She has just relaunched her wonderful Etsy store with a large array of jewellery. A year's worth of creating has found its way out into the world. Not only are Suzie's pieces beautiful and handcrafted, she puts her soul into them, choosing every detail with care and investing them with thought, intent and energy. They are truly magical.

Above are some of the creations that I've been lucky enough to receive from Suzie. She has also made a custom pendant for the amazing Jessie and described the process on her blog here. You can read about Jessie's reaction here.

One of the things that's really important to me is taking the time celebrate - to celebrate life, success, joy, moments, everything. And today I want to celebrate Suzie's leap into sharing her creative and magical energy with the world. Congratulations Suzie!

Meeting Jenn!

This weekend I was so blessed with the opportunity to meet Jenn from Life Unfolds. Jenn was in Toronto (well, kind of in Toronto) as a leader for the Coaches Training Institute's (where she and I both trained as coaches) Quest Program. And we managed to have dinner together which was such a treat!

Jenn and I met as fellow members of a Creative Artist Coaches discussion group. She had some beautiful art up on the homepage and so I reached out and told her how much I enjoyed her work. Before we knew it we were fast friends connecting regularly about our aspirations and our work. We even recently collaborated on a proposal to share our take on the emerging discipline of Expressive Arts Coaching. Amazing things can happen when you connect!

And connecting with Jenn has always been a treat. She's honest and playful and so inspiring in how she gets out there in the world to share her gifts - of which she has many. One of the things I admire about Jenn is her relationship with beauty. Beauty surrounds and is created by Jenn. Her blog is beautiful, her website, her dreamboxes. She showed me her flyer and I got teary. Yep, I cried. Jenn's spirit is beautiful and that comes through in all that she does. It's a wonder to see.

And Jenn has a new ebook out called the Right-Brain Business Plan. For us creative types running our own business, this is a new way to think about planning. You can check it out and download it here.

Do you remember last year when I decided that I wasn't going to "network," I was going to meet interesting people? This is what can happen. You can find new and wonderful friends who can make a difference in your life and your work. I reached out to Jenn. Who will you reach out and connect to?