Make Life a Work of Art

Greetings! Brightest Blessings to all who have found this page! Perhaps you are a sensitive spirit, searching for ways to add beauty and harmony to your life. Maybe you are an aspiring writer, musician, poet, or keeper of the flame. Whatever your life's path may be, I hope you will find here positive inspiration, good resources and a generous helping of bratty irreverence as well.

Elizabeth Aisling

 

Inspirations

Journals: Creating, Decorating, Writing
There are many ways to keep a journal; here is one: Either buy a supply of cardboard-covered composition books or go to a factory outlet mall and find a "Book Warehouse" or some similar remainder bookstore. They usually sell blank journals for as little as $4.00 apiece. Buy them in bulk and don't worry about the covers!

Then, stop at a fabric store and buy quarter-yards of the most beautiful, magical batik or otherwise sensuous fabric you can find. Invest in a couple pairs of artistic edging scissors and some pretty paper. Add a big UHU glue stick and some purple pens...or any type of writing instrument that makes your handwriting flow and dance on the page. Finally, find some stamp pads and some rubber stamps that inspire you. I have one that says "Journal" in calligraphy, and some multi-sided Celtic designs, and cat stamps, and a fairy goddess in long, swooping skirts, and a crescent moon...

At home, lay an open journal over a length of cloth and cut around the book, leaving about an inch all around. Lift the book and slather it with glue. Carefully press the fabric around, paying attention to the spine. Inside the covers of the book, miter the corners, cut and glue.Cut a piece of decorative paper and glue it to each inside cover to give a finished look. The first couple of times you try this it might be somewhat messy, unless your craftsmanship and patience are a lot better than mine...

Now, the real fun begins. Decorate your title page. You might want to create a special vacation journal, or a chronicle of pregnancy, or perhaps a coming-of-age or change-of-life theme, or perchance a daily companion for jotting down everything from essays to rants - from dreams to poems - from shopping lists to observations of people around you to stream-of-consciousness meanderings. You may want to glue a special picture on the title page. Let your imagination run wild! Finally, cut about a quarter of an inch off the edge of the first page with your scalloping scissors, and glue a strip of fabric on the second page that will show when you open your book to Page 1.

I number my journals. Since 1990 I've filled over 160 of these little blank books.You will find your own ways and I hope you will share them with me. Indulge and enjoy!

 
Music that lifts the spirit
After reading Elaine Aron's The Highly Sensitive Person, (available through amazon.com) I searched the Web for kindred spirits. I found several wonderful pages, but none addressed the subject of music. I offer this somewhat opinionated page:
Music For Highly Sensitive People
 
My Favorite Books
Elizabeth's Reading List Click on this link and explore my list of recommended reading. If you are interested in any of the books, try your public library. If you don't have a library card, by all means, get one! Here's my home away from home:Rockford Public Library
 
Soul Dolls
The doll you see in the above picture is Aisling Elizabeth Amber. She is a "My Twinn."
The next two images will introduce Molly Madeline, who was made from Apple Valley's 36" "Chris" kit. She is hanging out with her friends: Aisling Elizabeth Amber, Hadley Kirsten (who is an American Girl doll) and Trilby Elissa, the 18" Apple Valley "English" doll wearing a human hair wig. We Love Dolls
Little Darlins
I believe that dolls, when loved, develop spirits. As an adult I have felt very drawn to the idea of having special dolls made to resemble me as a child - only these kids would have LONG hair....and I searched the Web to find companies that custom-made dolls to resemble a person. My Twinn offers gorgeous custom-made dolls that truly resemble real people. They are designed from a detailed profile that you fill out when ordering - there are many skin tones, eye colors, hairstyles and hair colors to choose from - and you can even add freckles.
Both My Twinn and Apple Valley dolls wear XS clothing from Old Navy Baby and Baby Gap, and there are many patterns available now for clothing to fit these 23" dolls. While the dolls are marketed to children, I see many ways in which adults can enjoy them as grown-up toys, adornments for the home, or as tools for gettting in touch with the inner child.
 
Cats: Our Animal Familiars
Sasha and Amanda's Page
"Cats are angels with fur." Meet my two animal familiars, Sasha Belle and Amanda Victoria Aisling, by clicking on the above link.
 
Creating a Magical Living Space
This section is under construction.
 
Clothing: Personal Adornment as a Work of Art
Getting dressed in the morning is more than just finding something that's clean and unwrinkled! To me, the body is a blank canvas - a template for creating art. What we put next to our bodies affects our walk in the world. Wearing polyester, garish or scratchy fabrics, ill-fitting shoes, too-tight waistbands, or anything that just plain feels wrong can make a major difference in one's day. Visit these magical places for comfortable, beautiful clothing, shoes and jewelry.
 
Simply Southwest Comfortable, beautiful Santa Fe fashions.
Marketplace This store also has an outlet in Evanston, Illinois which is open 1-4 every Saturday.
Decent Exposures 100% cotton lingerie and nightshirts for women of all shapes and sizes
J.Marco Gallery of gorgeous treasures
Sandals4less Nice people, fast service, good prices and excellent selection of Birkenstock sandals
Walking in the World: Beauty and Symmetry in an Insensitive Age
Here find a collection of sites that offer a graceful retreat from the harshness and stress so often encountered in daily life. These pages link to other sites that contain wisdom, humor and enlightenment.

Thomas Eldridge's site for Highly Sensitive people is for those who have read Elaine Aron's book The Highly Sensitive Person and identify with her list of traits. http://www.thomaseldridge.com

Red Rose Collection is a simply beautiful catalog, full of clothing and ornaments to refresh the soul and adorn the body. http://www.redrose.com/index.html

Goddess Shoppe is a cybermall for spiritually-inclined women. http://www.pointsoflight.com

Z.Budapest's home page http://www.zbudapest.com and GoddessSpace http://www.goddesspace.com are two more very nicely done, spiritually oriented sites for women.

Personality Tests
Some of these are illuminating, some ridiculous, some just plain fun. Two popular tests are the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, which is the lay version of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Another is the Enneagram, which is based on an ancient Sufi system of organizing and analyzing personality types. http://www.queendom.com/testring.html

Biographical Information

I am an ENFJ, Enneagram Four, a librarian assistant, artist, poet, journalkeeper, cat-lover, fretted dulcimer player, Celtic harper, pianist, guitarist, dreamer, wearer of purple. I have a bachelor's degree in art with a minor in music and I have worked in the library field since 1972.