Time to be an ARTIST, not a TOURIST!

So my goal today was to make something creative, lol i spent my day looking for something to inspire me! So i'm not ready to make this but...


...I WILL BE MAKING THIS!

This site is where i got my IDEA, she did a fabulous job and if i can find a bag just like the one she used i will use it but right now i found another bag i am thinking of using!

Ok so my project is making my own camera bag, who wants to carry around a big black bulky bag when they go out and live life as an artist and not a tourist! LOL

Here is the bag i found to make my camera bag, the only thing i am concerned about is it might be too big or tall and the canvas might be to thin, altho i will make the foam panels for protection i am just not sure about the full protection and endurance this bag could be in the long run.

Here is where you can buy this bag, FABULOUS site!!

Here is what i would like to transform a bag like this into!

Once again this is the site you can refer to if you would also like to make your own CAMERA BAG

Ok there is one more piece to my puzzle....

I need to borrow someone’s sewing machine and also have them teach me how to do some basic sewing.

I am gladly able to pay for compensation, with some heartfelt girl time and a bottle of wine, hehe!

Our Day in Boulder

Yesterday Kreg and I spent an afternoon in Boulder, as our Valentines date. It was also something on Kreg's bucket list of things to do in Colorado before we leave. We had fun walking Pearl Street, visiting a couple book stores, the Giam store, Prana, Patagonia and a couple brewery’s. (I love that I got to wear my new boots...but man did they KILL my feet, haha)

The first brewery we went to was the Walnut Brewery. You can easily walk to it from Pearl Street if you like. We tried the 6 sampler! It’s a great way to sample many brews but not spend too much. I did like their stout and Kreg liked their Buffalo Gold and Indian Peaks Pale Ale. We ended up getting a growler of the St. James Irish Red Ale. A little pricy in our opinion for a microbrewery, but has a dark and cozy feel to it, a long bar and high ceiling. Above the bar you can see all the tanks for brewing which I hadn't seen before, but I really liked!

The second brewery we had to drive to. The Boulder Beer Brewery, it’s more popular and many people probably have seen their beer at the liquor store or bar. The oldest micro-brewery in Colorado started in the 1979 and was the 43rd brewing license issued in the United States. When we arrived there was no tour available on the weekend, but that’s ok, we found a table to sit at to watch the interesting people that came in. It is Boulder and no matter what anybody says there is just a different kind of person found in Boulder, unless you have been there you don't really know what I'm talking about, you just have to go for yourself. I loved the Mojo IPA and Kreg really liked their Hazed and Infused Dry Hope Ale, we really wanted to try the seasonal Double Black IPA, but it wasn't on special. We took home a growler of their Flashback Indian Brown Ale!

Overall I enjoyed the look and feel of the Walnut Brewery!

Interesting fact we found out, Buffalo Gold was at both breweries so when we asked about it we found out that the Buffalo Gold was an original from the Walnut Brewery. The owner of the Walnut Brewery bought the Boulder Beer Brewery and incorporated Buffalo Gold because it was so popular. So when you drink Buffalo Gold it’s brewed at the Boulder Beer Brewery. The only way to get the original Buffalo Gold is to actually get it at the Walnut Brewery on tap. Just another reason to go directly to a brewery to get that authentic flavor and feel.

All in all we had a great day and had so much fun sampling the tasty brews and talking about our own brewery we would love to open one day!!

Dreamy Dreams….

How do I do what I love and make money?

I am sitting here watching 30 Rock, browsing through pinterest....I realize I have a lot on my mind.

How in the world am I going to do something I love in life and make money!?!? I know that kind of sounds dumb out loud, but isn’t that what we all really want? Well that’s where I am at...sigh...I want to do something I LOVE. I make money now, but I don’t in any way love what I do! Kreg and I have financial goals and so that is what keeps me going, but one day, once we hit that goal I need to do something else!! Something creative and benifical to others.

How do people make money with blogs online? I have seen so many amazing blogs about Wedding Planners, DIY artists, Fantastic Cooks, Photographers, Artists, Home Designers and so many more. They are all very creative and inspiring to me, I suspect they make money...not sure how much, but it’s gotta be worth it and they love what they do! 

How do people start their own businesses? I would love to run my own little running shop or something in the fitness field. Or my own brewery...lol, I know these things are not even close but both things I would LOVE to do...the brewery more because that’s something Kreg would love too. If I wanted to start my own business, should I go back to school and take business classes? I will have to research this.

I laugh at Liz Lemon, Leslie Knope and Michael Scott, but they do what they love and I find that I want to be them.

I went to a manager training college for my work this week, I found out what kind of personality I am and how I deal with conflict. I am a relater/expresser and I avoid/accommodate conflict.....well crap! HAHA, every type has its pro's and con's but how does that fit with what I want to do that I love!

Relaters can be:

Patience

Team Players

East going and calm

Concern for the group and team

More asking and emotive then telling and reserved

How to influence the Relaters:

Seek their help

Emphasize your faith in them

Praise their contribution

Express your appreciation of them

Be open about problems/issues 

What matters most to Relaters:

Harmony

What attracts Relaters:

Relating

What Relaters need to practice:

Initiating 

Perceived excesses during stress:

Inconsistent

Avoids confrontation

Lacks conviction

Aimless

Over compromising

Pliable

Unstructured

Undisciplined

Minimizes risk in relationships 

Most comfortable pace:

Leisurely, deliberate 

Climate or atmosphere for comfort:

Cooperative, friendly, relationship-oriented 

Information expected:

Some detail, relationship impact, evidence of trust

Kind of support needed in decision making:

Offer opinions, assurances

Planning preferences:

Pulls pieces into creative outcome

Involves others in plan

Shows concern over acceptance of plan 

Just some of things I find to be me to the T, like WOW this is so me. I also fall into the expresser but I didn’t add anything to this list from them. They are very creative, which is the part of them that I tested into. 

With that said why did I write this out? Why bore you with my issues? 

Because I need help, haha if anyone has anything to help me out please let me know! Maybe a way to research how to start my own business, or how to make money blogging….or maybe from my personality some insight on what kind of job I would excel at….I don’t really know. Maybe I just need to vent and write it out so I can process it all. Either way thanks for reading! 

Becky