38 wonderful women, that you should know

By Ursula Markgraf | September 28, 2016 - 13:33 |April 11, 2024 Create YOUR Life

On Friday I will celebrate my birthday and turn … *tadaaaaaaaaaa* 38! And in order to celebrate this here on my blog – cause you know, you gotta celebrate properly! ;-) – I have prepared a very special blogpost.

Looking back over the last few years makes me super happy and proud of what I have accomplished. However, I do know that I didn’t achieve it completely by myself. I had help from many women – some helped me knowingly, some didn’t know about it. Among those were the following 38 women that I want to introduce to you.

Some of these women I am friends with. Some I only know from the internet. With some I already drank coffee. Others I only know because I read their books or bought their courses. All women come from different areas of work, different places in the world, different backgrounds – but they have one thing in common (apart from having influenced me in a big way) – they are simply WONDERFUL! And I think you should get to know them. So this is a blogpost that is full of female power!

“Summoning my powers” – mixed media art by Ursula Markgraf, available HERE

So, let’s start! May I introduce you to:

(Simply click the name of each woman to reach her website.)

I do spend a lot of my time on the internet around English speaking people, however, I do live in Germany and obviously also met and still meet many amazing German women. In order for you to easily see which links go to German-only sites, I put a G for German behind the name. :-)

1. Marie Forleo

A few years ago I enrolled in Marie’s b-school and I can’t even begin to explain how much that has changed for me. I can honestly say doing her program changed my life. And most women in this blogpost – or even all? – I only met of her, her program and/or her community.

2. Danielle LaPorte

Her “A credo for making it happen” accompanied me for months, actually year. There were times when I listened to it daily before I started to work. I still have it on my desktop to this day and when I feel super frustrated I listen to it and get inspired again. I also read her book “The Fire Starter Sessions“ and have “The Desire Map: A guide to creating goals with soul“ on my wishlist.

3. April Bowles-Olin from Blacksburg Belle

Without April I probably would have never “met” Marie. And I probably also wouldn’t have bought the book by Kris Carr (see further below). Both things lead to huge changes in my life. Apart from that April is also a huge inspiration for building a biz your way.

4. Denise Duffield Thomas

I learned a lot from Denise about money. If you wanna work on your money issues – and yes, everyone has money issues – then click on her name and check out her website or read her awesome book “Get rich, lucky bitch”.

5. Jo Ebisujima

If organizing isn’t your thing, then you need Jo. And if organizing is your thing, then you still can learn a thing or two from Jo on how to improve it. :-) She’s just awesome and super inspiring. I love how she just get’s stuff done.

6. Megan Flatt

Megan actually hooked me on meditating. Back when I first “met” her she had a 3-minute meditation for moms as a freebie. I loved that audio so much I listened to it daily for quite some time – and I was surprised how much it helped me. Later I increased my meditation time to longer guided meditations – and I’m meditating daily ever since. As far as I know she doesn’t offer this meditation freebie anymore but if you’re a mom with a biz check out her site as she got heaps of tips around that.

7. Oprah

Pure inspiration. Her work, her life – everything. I especially love listening to the guided meditations that she recorded together with Deepak Chopra.

8. Susan Cain

Because of Susan I found out that I’m introverted and started to understand myself much better. If you think you might be an introvert I highly recommend that you watch her TED-talk “The power of introverts”. If you don’t think you’re introverted I still recommend to watch that talk. You most likely have introverted people somewhere around you and knowing what it means to be introverted will help you better understand them. Also, even if you don’t suspect it you still might be an introvert. Often our idea of “introvert” is not quite accurate. (This was the case for me.) And no, being introverted and being shy are not the same thing! I’m actually not shy at all. ;-)

I also can’t wait to read her book “Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking”.

9 . Christie Halmick from Jewels Branch

Christie taught me a lot about how to create gorgeous looking pdfs in Word. I’m pretty certain that without her my e-book (sorry, in German only) wouldn’t exist. By now I use Indesign to create the e-book every year, but the first one was in Word. And if there hadn’t been the first one, there probably wouldn’t have been a second one. Her pdf-Workshop truly is just amazing!

10. Martha Beck

If you know me already for a while you probably know that I love Martha Beck. I recommend her books to everyone. I love the content of her books, but also her humour. It makes reading just fun. Her book “Steering by starlight” is my absolute favorite (I read all her books) and changed my life.

“Determination” – mixed media art by Ursula Markgraf, available HERE

11. Elizabeth Gilbert

As I love traveling I also loved the movie “Eat, pray, love” – simply because it was about traveling. :-) I also loved the book. And when I listened to this interview of Elizabeth by Marie Forleo I knew she was one of my heros. By now I also read “Big Magic: Creative living beyond fear” and recommend it to anyone. Awesome book on creativity!

12. Brene Brown

Brene is a scientist who researches shame and vulnerability. I find her work is amazing and life changing. If you don’t wanna read one of her books – she has several out – you should watch her videos, for example her Ted-Talks or this an oder dieses short video about empathie. I read “Daring greatly” and am super-curious about “Rising strong”.

13. Julia Cameron

I love the book “The artist way: a course in discovering and rediscovering your creative self” by Julia Cameron and recommend it to everyone who wants to bring more creativity into her life. This book changed me and helped me to find my way and create more room in my life for … well, myself and creativitiy.

14. Byron Katie

If you don’t know Byron Katie yet, you definitely should check out her site. I read the book “I need your love -is that true? How to stop seeking love, approval and appreciaion and start finding them instead” and would recommend it to anyone. And for kids – small kids or grown up kids ;-) – the picture book “Tiger-Tiger, is it true? Four questions to make you smile again” is just wonderful.

15. Kris Carr

Her book “Crazy sexy diet: Eat your veggies, ignite your spark, and live like you mean it!” was the first book that I read about nutrition. It changed my world view. And it was the trigger for changing my diet and that of my family. And no, we’re not vegan. ;-) But you don’t have to be vegan or wanting to become vegan to enjoy her book. But you can, of course. ;-)

16. Kelly Courson von Celiac Chics

If you want to – or need to – learn more about gluten-free food and gluten-free living, check out Kelly’s website. Changing your diet is never easy – but with Kelly’s help I learned so much and it made the change a bit easier and so much more effective.

17. Cat Ruehle von A well nourished life

If you’re avoiding gluten and refined sugar, but still wanna bake some amazing and eye-catching cakes, get the book “Let us all eat cake”. Before I changed my diet I was an enthusiastic – and pretty good ;-) baker. At some point I even was thinking about opening a little cupcake cafe. But when we went gluten free and stopped using refined sugar baking was hard. It just wasn’t the same anymore. It was so hard to find good recipes and everything I had learned about baking over the years, just didn’t apply anymore. It was like starting from scratch all over again. I was frustrated and as a result didn’t bake a lot anymore. Until my sister asked me to make her wedding cake. That’s when I bought Cat’s book and it did not only help me to create a gorgeous wedding cake, but also brought my joy of baking back.

18. Christina Caudill

Christina is an astrologer – and I have to admit that I’ve always been rather suspicious of astrology. But when she did a birthday reading for me, I was just blown away by how accurately she could describe my personality, my weaknesses, my preferences, but also my struggles. (No, she didn’t know me before.) I got so many amazing, helpful and practical ideas and suggestions from that reading. Among other things that reading prompted me to start using Instagram :-) If you are interested in her readings, you can check out the info about them HERE or you can find awesome astrology resources on her website.

19. Tracy Ryan Jastrow

By now I feel Tracy is like a good “internet-friend”. A while ago she coached me with the help of tarot cards and the nine star ki. Again I was fascinated how accurate she could describe my challenges and my specific traits or strengths. (At the time she didn’t know me that well, yet.) That coaching changed my perspective on many situations and my view about myself and helped me to deal with some tough ongoing challenges. I’m so beyond grateful for that. If you’re interested in Tracy’s work you can follow her Facebook-Fanpage.

“Holy” – mixed media art by Ursula Markgraf, available HERE

20. Lissa Rankin

Lissa’s book “Mind over medicine: Scientific proof that you can heal yourself” has changed my view about health and healing. A wonderfully encouraging and empowering book! If you ever struggled with health problems or know people who did, read it. There also comes a lovely guided meditation with the book that I just love to listen to.

21. Erin Motz from Bad Yogi

If you read my last blogpost where I shared my favorite links to free yoga videos, then you already know Erin. Her wonderful yoga-videos are fun and easy to incorporate in every day – so perfect for me. And I love her general approach. Amazing!

22. Adrianne Munkacsy

If you write – a book, a blog, for a website or “just” product descriptions – you need to take a look at Adrienne’s blog. She has amazing tips for writing that actually help. When I opened my first own online-shop where I sold handmade buttons – seems like ages ago – she helped me tweak my product descriptions. Her suggestions were amazing and made a huge difference. I should actually keep them in mind and overhaul my current product descriptions. ;-) On her page she offers some amazing free worksheets that help you hone your writing voice and clarify your message.

23. Sara Gottfried

Sara’s book “The hormone cure” should be read by any woman. Honestly, I had no idea at all how important hormones are and how and where they influence my body and life. Not only is it interesting to know that sort of stuff, but also super helpful.

24. Anne Lamott

Her book “Bird by Bird: Some instructions on writing and life” has been recommended to me so many times. I finally bought it and am reading it right now. And even though I’m not finished yet, I can already tell that it’s awesome and I recommend it to you as well. Especially if you write or would like to write.

25. Amy Scott

It’s no secret that I love travel. And in my heart I’ve always had that dream to travel the world. Amy was the first one that made me realize that this dream doesn’t have to stay a dream and that there’s not one way to travel the world. That “traveling the world” can be something that I can do the way it fits to me and to my lifestyle. If you happen to be someone who likes more freedom and would like to be location independent, check out Nomadtopia. It’s a lovely resource for inspiration and information about being a nomad – your way.

26. Megan Potter from Limitless Living

Megan is just simply amazing. I can’t say enough good things about her. If you ever want to learn more about clearing, energy, the elements or simply how to live a limit-less life, you need to check out her site. Over the summer she created an awesome video series about money which is called “Summer of money”. Definitely worth watching! And on top of that she’s an inspiring mixed media artist.

“Travel companions” – art by Ursula Markgraf, inspired by one of Tam’s lessons in Life book 2016, not for sale

27. Tamara LaPorte

Tam is a wonderful and amazing mixed media artist who organizes Life book, a year long mixed media online course where different mixed media artists teach. I love Life book as you can experience so many different styles, teachings, projects and inspiration. Highly recommended!

28. Amy Won

Amy is also an awesome artist and you should definitely check out her website – simply eye candy. Her art is so magical and whimsical. Like looking at dreams. Amy taught me so much about websites, branding, design, and art. I did build my own website, but without her lovely “talks” via email and chat it surely wouldn’t look the way it does today.

29. Jeanne Oliver

Jeanne is also a mixed media artist and her online-course “Creatively made”, was the first mixed media course I ever took. And we know what that lead to. ;-) Forever grateful!

30. Danielle Donaldson

Another wonderful and inspiring artist that I admire and learn from. She has such a special and lovely style in her art – so definitely check out her site. And if you’re interested, take some of her online-courses. She also wrote a book that I can’t wait to read: “Creative girl. Mixed media techniques for an artful life”.

31. Lindsey from The Postman Knock

If you ordered something in my store over the last year, it’s very likely that you held the influence of Lindsey on my life/biz already in your hands. :-) Lindsey is an amazing calligraphy artist. With the help of her worksheets I finally found a way to make my outgoing orders a bit more unique. Now I regularly get lovely feedback from customers that loved receiving their order. One of my lovely customers even made a quick unboxing video (in German). :-) It makes me so happy to have found a way to show my customers how much I value them and to make them feel special. If you wanna see some truly amazing letters or are interested in learning modern calligraphy definitely check out The Postman Knock.

32. Jane Davenport

Jane’s another wonderful mixed media artist with a webpage for browsing. She also offers online courses and workshops with different thopics. And she has also written a book “Drawing and painting beautiful faces: A mixed-media portrait workshop”, which I totally love and highly recommend.

33. Sandra Heim from Mama Revolution (G)

Sandra was the one who recommended one of Martha Beck’s book to me. Forever grateful. :-) She’s also an amazing coach for German women that are mothers and build their own biz. While working with her miracles happened.

34. Meike Linden from LindGrow (G)

Lindgrow is a German manufacture of handmade natural soaps. I’m so happy that I have found those and don’t use anything else for my skin anymore. Meike lives on a gorgeous old house at the Storchenhof , where you also can rent rooms – in case you visit Germany :-) and is a SUP instructor. Can’t wait to try that.

35. Liana Kuschel from Noa-Style (G)

Liana creates jewellery and was the first woman to request a custom painting from me. In our first phone conversation I had actually planned to gently explain to her that I don’t do custom work. However, her enthusiasm was so infectious that by the end I agreed to do it. And I’m very grateful for that experience.

36. Jobina Schenk from Meisterin der Geburt (G)

Jobina was another customer of custom art. I created an art piece for the cover of her book “Meisterin der Geburt” (which is about giving birth). I loved her idea and her enthusiasm and love for her work. And it was so much fun to work on that project.

37. Jennifer Weidmann from Urvertrauen (G)

Jennifer is another of my first custom order customers. I loved working with and for her and also love the name of her business Urvertrauen, which means basic trust.

38. You!

Yes, you have touched my life as well. You are reading this blogpost … maybe you even get my newsletter or have ordered from me before or supported me by sharing what I do. Maybe I was able to put a smile on your face with what I wrote or with an art piece of mine. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am now.

I am forever grateful for that!

And now I’d like to know from you – who are you grateful for? Which woman, has touched, changed, or influenced your life?

Do you love yoga? (Free yoga and new yoga postcards)

By Ursula Markgraf | September 20, 2016 - 10:38 |June 16, 2021 Create YOUR Life

11 Comments

To be honest, I don’t remember when I started to do yoga. But I do remember that I was truly blown away when I did some pregnancy yoga with my second child and it felt SO good for my back and my stomach. It was simply awesome. Ever since I did yoga on and off. And over the last years it’s become a regular habit that I treasure. (Yes, I do fall of the yoga-wagon once in a while. I haven’t found a cure for that one yet. But I do always get back to it.)

Even though I do it quite regularly I do feel rather shy telling people about it. Cause in all this time I have only once taken an in-person class. The rest of the time I do yoga with the help of online-videos or DVDs. So, I might think I’m doing yoga, but someone watching me might think I’m doing some weird form of interpretive dance while watching yoga-videos … who knows. ;-) But at some point I figured, you know, as long as it feels good in my body and is good for my soul – why should I care what anyone else thinks!? I love yoga. And that’s why I finally created these YOGA-LOVE postcards and am so excited to share them with you:

And I thought in order to celebrate the launch of my cards and share a bit more of the yoga-love I share with you my fav online yoga resources. So, here are five yoga links I wouldn’t wanna live without:

1 My all-time favorite go-to resource is Erin Motz from the Bad yogi. I simply love her free classes. (She has awesome longer paid classes, too, though.) There are certain themes to the classes, so you can easily pick what feels right at the moment. Also the classes are usually about 10 to 20 minutes, so short enough to squeeze them into even the busiest day. My two favorite free classes from her at the moment are “Perfect as I am Flow” und “Yoga for when you feel run down”.

Little extra tip: Starting in October Erin runs her free 30 Day Yoga-Challenge again. This was the challenge that helped me to do yoga regularly in the first place. So if your goal is to do yoga more regularly I recommend signing up. You can thank me later. ;-)

2 I just recently – finally – managed how to do the forearm headstand and I’m super proud. Not because I think it’s so important that you’re able to do that. But I had tried for so long … it was just such a nice feeling to finally figure it out. And I did figure it out with the help of the video “How to do a headstand for beginners” by Adriene. She explains so well how to set it all up – and that made all the difference to me. She has many other yoga-videos, too. So check her out.

3 Doyouyoga.com is a pretty big site with many articles on yoga. When you register you can try out a bunch of free classes.

4 About a year ago I discovered YIN-Yoga and fell in love. I find it especially wonderful on those days that I just don’t feel like doing regular yoga – or doing anything at all. ;-) It did need a bit of getting used to as it felt kinda weird at first, to not move as much and hold poses quite long. But once that initial awkwardness was over it just felt amazing. I do love doing this: 30 minute yin and meditation class.

5 Once in a while I try some of the videos by Ekhart Yoga. I do like for example this Yoga for digestion.

I hope I could inspire you to try out some new yoga videos. And if you have a yoga-person in your life you want to send some greetings to or just want a visual reminder on your wall – check out my YOGA-LOVE postcards HERE. They can be framed as a sweet mini-gift as well. ;-)

Do you have any favorite yoga links or resources? Dvds, books, online-shops?

Looking forward to your tips in the comments!

And if you don’t wanna miss anything – new yoga-Christmas cards for example ;-) – then sign up to my free newsletter. :-)

When will the next postcard swap happen?

By Ursula Markgraf | September 15, 2016 - 10:12 |May 7, 2018 Postcardswap

4 Comments

When I hosted the postcard swap last year it was so much fun. You can see the lovely postcards that were created and swapped HERE . And many asked right away, when the next postcard swap would happen. Back then I said I would host the next one in summer 2016. And that was my plan.

No, you didn’t miss that one. I have to apologize cause that swap never happened. I do feel bad that I wasn’t able to host it. But I do hope that you’ll understand …

If you’re not really that interested in my longish explanation why I couldn’t host it yet just skip to the end of this post and you’ll find when the next postcard swap actually will happen. :-)

It all turned out a bit differently. For one, summer school holidays this year were a full month earlier for us than usually. So in order to do it before the school holidays it would have been a spring postcard challenge. However, during that time I simply was struggling quite a bit with other things – health problems, family stuff, personal challenges – it all came together. In addition I had gone back to being a full-time mom in fall 2015 – no new baby ;-), just took my son out of kindergarten – so I had no regular work time. To be honest, I struggled to at least keep my business running a little. When you check back on my blog you will notice that before the blogpost two weeks ago – there was a LONG pause. I didn’t have time to write posts, or newsletters or create new products. I also didn’t create that mixed-media online-course yet, that I’m so itching to do.

(So if you have signed up to my free mixed-media workshop and were hoping for more … there certainly will be more. It just might take a bit of more time. But it’s one of my big goals to create more mixed media resources for you.)

But why wasn’t I telling you this earlier?

I was kinda hoping that once both my kids are in school I would be able to host the challenge in the fall. But now my kids have been in school for four weeks and I just have to admit to myself – and to you – that doing the challenge now isn’t possible. There is simply way too much work to catch up to.

So, long story short – I can’t host the swap in fall. I don’t thinks it’s a good idea to do it during Christmas time. People will be very busy during that time anyway. I don’t wanna give up the swap completely though. And I don’t wanna make you wait until next summer. So …

The next postcard swap will be in February 2017.

What do you think?

Doesn’t it sound nice to have some cozy creative time after the holiday craze is over? Create some mail art – receive lovely mail? I hope you find that as enticing as me. :-)

If you are, stick around or sign up to my newsletter if you haven’t already. I will post updates about the postcard swap in January 2017.

And please leave me a comment with your thoughts about the postcard swap!

Does February sound good? Or do you have other ideas? Should there be a theme?

Do you need some peace, love, and healing?

By Ursula Markgraf | August 23, 2016 - 17:24 |May 7, 2018 Create YOUR Life

And of course I’m curious – which one of the lotus-collection is your favorite?

P.S. Of course those weren’t the only pieces I created during the last months. If you’re curious what else I came up with and what changes will happen around here in the future, be sure to check back or sign up for my free newsletter.

Gifting love (including DIY tutorial)

By Ursula Markgraf | February 14, 2016 - 10:19 |May 7, 2018 Tutorial

1 Comment

The cards read “You are my angel” in German.

Are you wondering what to give – gift – someone you love? Maybe your kids? Or a dear friend?

This card reads “You are my sunshine” in German.

How about telling them what you really want them to know? How you feel about them?

This card reads “You are strong” in German.

In a way that they can always read what you want to tell them.

This card reads “Follow your heart” in German.

Or maybe gifting them your “truths”. Or simply little messages you want to share with them?

This card reads “You are my star” in German.

For Christmas I made both my kids some “message cards”, basically cards with little messages I want them to always remember.

This card reads “You are my treasure/ my dearest” in German.

I thought I share a few of them – maybe it inspires you to create something similar for your kids or another loved one.

This card reads “You are my star” in German.

I made these cards similarly as I made my affirmation cards. If you want to you can find a free online-mini-workshop for my mixed media affirmation cards HERE.
The process is pretty much the same. Just instead of adding affirmations I added little messages personalized for my kids.

This card reads “You have a special gift” in German.

You can gift these anytime – for a birthday, Easter, Christmas, Valentine’s day … or just a regular Monday. ;-)

This card reads “Let your inner light shine” in German.

You can make one card. Or you can make MANY!

This card reads “I love you” in German.

You can make them in a color scheme, or all in the same color – or in a rainbow of colors. Whichever you like most!

This card reads “You are a miracle” in German.

You can make a big batch all at once … or spend a few weeks making one card a week.

This card reads “I’m so happy that you exist” in German.

Which message would you want to create for a loved one?

P.S. And of course it’s perfectly okay to make such “message cards” for yourself as well. We all have some messages that we need to hear again and again, don’t we?

Rituals for a new year

By Ursula Markgraf | January 18, 2016 - 21:53 |March 18, 2024 Create YOUR Life

2 Comments

How do you feel about the start of a new year? Do you get excited?

As you probably know – I LOVE new beginnings. And therefore I’m always pretty excited when a new year starts. However, I don’t really celebrate the year with a big party. I rather like to start it quietly, taking time for myself and for reflecting.

I thought that I will share my little rituals that I did for the new year 2016. Just a little warning – I didn’t do all of this on New Year’s Eve. I kinda spread it out over a few days … Just so you know. :-)

A workbook for the new year

One of the things that I love to do is to reflect on the last year and on the year to come with a workbook. I created my own in German – and if you happen to be German or read German, feel free to check it out HERE. But there are many English resources out there. I list just three here for you to get started. If you have other favourite resources, feel free to tell me about them in the comment section. Here are three wonderful resources:

New Year’s revolution kit by Do what you love

Unraveling the year by Susannah Conway

Create your shining year by Leonie Dawson

Word of the year

I also decided on my word of the year – as I do every year. If you’re not familiar with the “word of the year” – in short it’s a word that you choose for yourself that will guide you through the year. If you think – which word could it be? It’s usually the one that comes to mind first. ;-)
For 2016 my word of the year will be FLY. And I even created a visual reminder for myself. Hey, last year I created my art piece to remind me of my word of the year in September. So this is a BIG achievement! :-)

I got the idea for this piece from a workshop I took more than a year ago. It was an online-course by the lovely artist Danielle Donaldson. Now I just gotta frame it so I can hang and enjoy it.

Visioncards

haven-visioncard-ursula-markgraf

If you happen to have read my blogpost on New Year’s rituals last year, then you know, that I also always create a vision board. However, this year I felt like trying something new. I really wanted to incorporate all the things that are important to me this year into my visionboard. So that would include … three personal goals, three career goals and three feelings. That’s ALOT for one visionboard. So after quite a bit of thinking I decided to make visioncards instead.

So, what’s a visioncard?

Well, basically it’s a tiny visionboard for just one topic or theme, in my case one goal or one feeling. Or, that’s what I decided a visioncard would be. I have no idea if there is an actual definition for visioncards. ;-) I just wanted to create tiny visionboards that are smaller and just for one theme … and called them visioncards.

I figured this way I can display the visioncard that is most important to me at the moment or even display several, if I feel like it. Honestly, I don’t know if this is gonna work as well or better than a visionboard, but I figured … I’m just gonna try it. And if you wanna try it, too, all you need is:

-cardboard as a background for your visioncard – cerealboxes or something alike should work great
-cut outs from magazines – pics and words that resonate with you – I actually sorted mine into different sleeves according to my goals, feelings, so it would be easier for me once I start arranging and glueing
-glue – decoupage glue works great – something like mod podge, but you can also use a regular glue stick
-optional: acrylic paints, brushes, marker, pencils …
-candle, tea, nice music – and a piece of chocolate also doesn’t hurt ;-)

Here you can see how I created my first visioncard – which is for a career goal that I have, to host my first show with my art work:

And here I’m creating my second visioncard, for a personal goal of mine, to create my own little haven:

I hope you enjoyed watching. Just for inspiration … I also made these visioncards:

Now I’m curious – how did you celebrate the beginning of a new year? Do you have small – or big – rituals?

You’re a star – mixed-media star ornament tutorial

By Ursula Markgraf | December 16, 2015 - 19:54 |December 8, 2023 Tutorial

8 Comments

A little while ago I made a bunch of origami stars out of old book pages.

Even though I really liked those stars I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if I add a bit of paint, a few stitches with my sewing machine and some words. ;-) So I finally tried it ….

… and loved it so much, that I made some more.

I’m planning to use some of them as tags on Christmas gifts, some will go on a little Christmas tree and the rest will probably looks sweet in a window.

If you wanna create your own mixed-media stars, you can. Just for you I filmed how I made them.

But first, here’s a list of what I used. Of course, please feel free to swap out stuff or simply use what you have on hand. This is meant just as an inspiration.

List of materials:

-origami star made out of old book pages, instructions on how to fold the star can be found HERE
-gesso (alternatively white acrylic paint)
-sewing machine
-silver acrylic marker or acrylic paint
-white acrylic paint
-materials for mark making like old credit card, little tube cap, piece of drinking straw or similar
-decoupage glue or matte medium (if you don’t have either you can use any clear drying glue)
-printed out words or similar, scraps of fabric
-little silver stars or similar decoration
-button
-wire
-little glass bead(s)

And this is how I made the stars:

I’m wishing you lots of fun making stars! If you make some, I’d love to see them! :-)

And if you have any questions, just ask in the comments!

Christmas card writing as calming ritual – with 5 tips and my Christmas card collection

By Ursula Markgraf | November 17, 2015 - 19:58 |May 20, 2018 Create YOUR Life

4 Comments

I love Christmas. And I love writing Christmas cards. The first one has always been that way. The latter … not.

Eversince I was a child I loved to write. Letters, cards, diary, everything. Still, there have been a few years when I did not write any Christmas cards at all. Why? Cause it was additional stress in an already stressful time of year.

A few years ago I started to say NO alot more often during Christmas time. No, I won’t bake 20 different kinds of cookies. No, I won’t attend every Christmas party. No, I won’t go to every Christmas market or fun sounding activity with my kids.

Christmas card “Calm Christmas” – available HERE

Interestingly at about the same time I started saying YES to writing Christmas cards again. :-) Why?

Cause it turned into a little ritual that helped me to be more calm during Christmas time. Slowing down. Enjoying the moment. Fountain pen in my hand, steaming tea in front of me, cuddled up in a blanket, candle burning … A few minutes just for me and the recipient of a card in a busy time. :-)

Christmas card “Angel hug” – available HERE

Even though I don’t write a huge number of cards, I still never write all cards in one sitting. I take my time. And each time I sit down to write a few cards, I get more into the Christmas spirit.

Christmas card “Christmas hug” – available HERE

If you wanna create a little calming ritual with your Christmas card writing for yourself – here are a few suggestions:

1.Start early to get everything to gether that you’ll need – cards, stamps, address labels, favourite pens, stickers or other embellishments, tea, cookies, chocolate … ;-)

2.Only use things that you truly deeply enjoy. Use your favourite mug for your tea. And have a cup of that special tea, you’re saving for special days. Light a candle. Use cards that you enjoy – the picture and the feel of them. Write with a pen you love.

3.Have everything you need for your little Christmas card writing break in one place. Nothing disturbes the mood like having to search for that one pen, the stamps or the ink … while your tea is getting cold.

4.If you like involve your family and create a little family tradition. I personally like to have the writing time just for myself. But my kids love to help sticking stamps and address labels onto the envelopes.

5.Take your time. There are probably only few people that enjoy the prospect of writing 30 cards at once. No matter how much tea is involved. ;-) So, only do as many cards as you truly enjoy. I for example tend to write around three cards in one sitting. If you’re rushing it, it’s no fun – and definitely not calming – anymore.

Christmas card “ChristmasTREE” – available HERE

Addtional idea:

You can try to find something that will make your Christmas card writing time extra-special for YOU. Maybe you’ve been meaning to learn handlettering or calligraphy? Wouldn’t that be the perfect time to do so? You’d definitely have lots of opportunity to practise. Do you enjoy being creative with others? Check if you can join a workshop in your town on making your own Christmas cards. Do you like to paint, draw, take photos … all those things you can bring into your Christmas card writing. They will not only add a wonderful extra-personal touch to your cards, but will also make the time even more enjoyable for you.

And if you try all these things and you still can’t stand writing Christmas cards?

Then I hereby give you permission to not write any. The world won’t stop turning – I promise. ;-) It’s your life and your time. You are the only one who decides how you wanna spend it.

But if you are in the mood for some Christmas card writing and could use some special cards, I have a special offer for you in my shop this week:

If you buy FOUR sets of Christmas cards (each contains 5 folded cards that you can pick) – then I will gift you a fifth set. All you gotta do to take me up on that offer is order 4 sets until the 22nd of November, 2015 and pick the cards you want. (While ordering you just tell me how many of which cards in the comment field.)

Now I’m curious, do you write Christmas cards? Do you enjoy it – or is it a dreaded must?

Do you have any additional ideas for me and my readers how one can make Christmas card writing a calming ritual?

Wanna see the most amazing postcard-mail art?

By Ursula Markgraf | October 6, 2015 - 19:25 |April 12, 2024 Postcardswap

2 Comments

Omg, finally the long awaited post about the postcard swap. First of all I wanna say a BIG BIG BIG thank you -again!- to every single person who participated. Yes, it was ALOT of work for me to organize. And yes, I totally underestimated how much work it would be. *laugh* But looking at all the gorgeous cards and artwork going through my hands – it was totally worth it!

THANK YOU!

I really deeply hope that every single person had as much fun and joy participating as I did while I sorted and sent off all these wonderful artworks.

I actually tried to take a photo of all the gorgeous postcards spread out on my living room floor – but … well, my living room was too small! If more people participate next year, I will need a bigger house to host the swap. *laugh*
So, here’s a photo of the first batch being sent off. I can for sure say that I have never in my life sent off so many postcards at once. :-)

Here a few fun facts about this postcard swap:

– more than 70 people signed up
– 50 people actively participated in the swap
– 3 envelopes – so far – have not made it to me :-(

So in the end all in all I sent off 188 postcards, of which 47 were handwritten by me.

Participants came from the

-Germany
-Switzerland
-Helvetia
-USA
-Australia
-Great Britain
-Slovakia
-Canada
-The Netherlands and
-Hawaii (Okay, I know Hawaii is not a separate country. But I still thought it’s kinda cool!)

And now for the best part – here are a few of the gorgeous and wonderful postcards that were swapped. I only put those cards in the gallery, where people explicitely agreed that I could show the cards. If I made a mistake or forgot to show a card even though you agreed – please just email me.

Let’s put it this way – I had no idea what I was getting myself into with the blogpost idea. *laugh* Next time I do the swap each participant will automatically agree that I can show the card – that way I won’t have to double-check 47 emails to see whether someone agreed or not. ;-)
The writing up of this blogpost actually was WAY more time-consuming than the actual postcard swapping bit. (And that took me two days.) So, if you find your card and want anything changed – let me know. If you don’t find your card, but would like me to show it – let me know. :-)

(You can just click on a photo and it will enlarge and you can go through it like a slide show … if you want to.)

Made by Meredith <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/vulturecreations" target="_top
">https://www.etsy.com/shop/vulturecreations</a>

Made by Meredith https://www.etsy.com/shop/vulturecreations

Made by Leah <a href="http://tropicalbasenji.blogspot.de/" target="_top
">http://tropicalbasenji.blogspot.de/</a>

Made by Leah http://tropicalbasenji.blogspot.de/

Made by Dira

Made by Lisa

Made by Christy <a href="http://creatingwiththegirls.blogspot.com" target="_top
">http://creatingwiththegirls.blogspot.com</a>

Made by Christy http://creatingwiththegirls.blogspot.com

Made by Laura <a href="http://www.beadsbuttonsandbirds.blogspot.co.uk" target="_top
">http://www.beadsbuttonsandbirds.blogspot.co.uk</a>

Made by Laura http://www.beadsbuttonsandbirds.blogspot.co.uk

Made by Ursula - but not me ;-)

Made by Nani <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nanigraphics" target="_top
">https://www.facebook.com/nanigraphics</a> - And I'm so sorry I messed up the photo. I realized to late that my flash had put a horrible glare on the cards. :-(

Made by Nani https://www.facebook.com/nanigraphics - And I'm so sorry I messed up the photo. I realized to late that my flash had put a horrible glare on the cards. :-(

Made by Nancy <a href="http://www.bebravecowgirl.blogspot.com" target="_top
">http://www.bebravecowgirl.blogspot.com</a>

Made by Nancy http://www.bebravecowgirl.blogspot.com

Made by Sandy

Made by Stefanie <a href="http://www.stefaniemarquetant.com " target="_top
">http://www.stefaniemarquetant.com </a>

Made by Stefanie http://www.stefaniemarquetant.com

Made by Monica <a href="http://www.thecreativebeast.blogspot.com" target="_top
">http://www.thecreativebeast.blogspot.com</a>

Made by Monica http://www.thecreativebeast.blogspot.com

Made by Dira <a href="http://www.dirareeves.com" target="_top
">www.dirareeves.com</a>

Made by Dira www.dirareeves.com

Made by Libbi <a href="http://www.WaitingforGodsdirection.blogspot.com" target="_top
">http://www.WaitingforGodsdirection.blogspot.com</a>

Made by Libbi http://www.WaitingforGodsdirection.blogspot.com

Made by Jennifer

Made by Nicole B.W.

Made by Debra <a href="http://www.debrafillingim.com" target="_top
">http://www.debrafillingim.com</a>

Made by Debra http://www.debrafillingim.com

Made by Gesche <a href="http://geschesanten.com/" target="_top
">http://geschesanten.com/</a>

Made by Gesche http://geschesanten.com/

Made by Kristen

Made by Sida <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/saidafurther/" target="_top
">https://www.pinterest.com/saidafurther/</a>

Made by Sida https://www.pinterest.com/saidafurther/

Made by Karen

Made by Shanda

Made by Kim

Aren’t they amazing? And, many envelopes actually had more than three cards in them. The kindness and creativity of all the participants just warmed my heart!

Of course I will do this again. :-)

I think I will make it a yearly “thing” from now on. :-) I’m not entirely certain yet when I will host it next year. Probably a bit earlier than this year, so I can give people more time. I was quite surprised myself how long some letters took to actually get here.

If you wanna participate next time, make sure to sign up to my newsletter so you won’t miss it. Just click HERE to sign up. :-)

How to create mixed media postcards (Video)

By Ursula Markgraf | August 14, 2015 - 13:15 |May 20, 2018 Tutorial