April Cornell Headquarters in Burlington, Vermont

 As you walk into the store this poem is to the left

 What a beautiful welcome to the store

 Flowers.....

 Flowers....everywhere....even painted on the pavement....

Butterflies perfect for selfies!

 Peace!

 The clothesline

Love the colors, love the detail, love the whimsicality, love how it is a true reflection of April Cornell's color palette and love of nature!  A very welcome addition to her building in Burlington, Vermont.

Hampden, Baltimore Window Display Inspiration

 Hampden is a section of Baltimore that my daughter loves to share with me when we visit.  Above is the record store.

 Milagro was my favorite store front of my first visit to town.

 The next visit my favorite storefront and store was Trohv

 Each window was draped with different color tickets

 The colors are a wonderful color for the background with a vintage feel.

It gave a glow and a feeling of fun at a fair.  A great feeling to have while you are shopping.

Was happy to see a book by Meeralee in the store.  She is working  on a new journal and I still have to go back to Sea and Green in Asbury Park to get a copy of her book "My Friend Fear".

Covent Garden Window Display Inspiration

One of my favorite parts of walking through Covent Gardens was to see the mix of vendors and storefronts and how they displayed their merchandise.  To see macarons from Laduree, across the street from a sneaker vendor, I became more intrigued on how this could all flow together, but it did.  I liked how the store windows used a theme and it seemed to be some manufactured visuals and some home made.  I liked the themes.  The birds, clouds, ice-cream, flowers, butterflies all made you feel joy, light and carefree.  This was done with images, merchandise and color.  The soaps in the cart merchandised like a fruit stall was genius.

Take your own advice!

Kinda a big deal for me.  Declaring I am happy with myself.  I love this dress from April Cornell   I don't love it because it isn't that flattering.  I don't love it because it makes me feel younger.  I do love it, because it makes me happy!!!!  I love blue and white, and gingham makes me happy!  I had great success losing weight last year, and this year has been a huge challenge.  I have been losing and gaining back the same three pounds for the last six months.  I have not quit weight watchers, yet.  Then, there is the whole idea of feeling young in an outfit.  Well, that should make me feel good.  Sometimes it makes me feel foolish.  But, now that I am 58, I will settle for what should make me feel great, AND I am going to LOVE it.  This is not what I imagined being like at 58, but it is what I would want for myself.  Soooooo, bring on the clothes that make me look and feel young!!!

Still Curious?

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Curious?

I'mmmmmm   back!!!  I am taking my blog back as a place to write and share......not just about the business of Greetings from Geralyn....but, my life as I continue to search out what is the American Dream and achieve it successfully?  I will be sharing my thoughts on the pursuit of happiness in this ever changing world.  This picture ends up being my favorite picture I took last year.  It captures a day I ended up in New York City, by myself.  I went to the Stationery show at the Jacob Javits center where I was seeing what was new and exciting and ended up walking south through Greenwich Village and SoHo.  I came across this store and it answered all my questions.  Basically, this store told me to be myself. brand myself, have some kind of service available, have great fixturing, appeal to all of the senses upon entering the store, have something in the window to make you want to walk in, be colorful, have a continuity and flow in product choices, be friendly and inviting, be whimsical, well basically it was perfect in everything I want would want in a store.  As, I continued to walk I felt I would need a lot of money to make this happen.  But, as a store owner and listening to my customer I really felt confident I could do this with creativity and not a lot of money.  But, I still feel the environment of business, in general, is not ready to let the little guy win.  I still need a paycheck week to week to depend on and health insurance.  So, basically this is why we closed our location.  I still have the hope of having a place of my own again, it just won't be anytime soon.  Glen has basically come into his own as the maker of all the product and we think we can really take what he has started and bringing it  to different customers around the country.  We have an opportunity to sell his product in Arcade Radio, the store next to where our location was in Convention Hall.  This would allow us to see the country and enjoy music festivals and be able to do shows at the same time.  It will problably take about a year to start seeking out venues and opportunties before we actually start doing the shows. Our blog will be a great opportunity for you to share in our journey.   Looking forward and curious to see what is ahead for us.  Meanwhile, here is a great quote on curiousity:    I could not, at any age, be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.
Eleanor Roosevelt  

The above post is from my blog Greetings from Geralyn.  It was one of my last posts on that blog and I feel all of this post has come true for me in the last few months as I work for April Cornell, now.  Everything I was wishing for has come true, especially with our new location in Spring Lake. 

I have taken a bit of a break, actually the longest since I started blogging, but I have been happy and my goals and intentions of this blog post from the past has been fulfilled.  I used to write more as I have been struggling with fear of my future.  Now, I deal with fear of success.  I am afraid of Murphy's law.  I have always had the attitude of Murphy's law.  So, when I am happy, I don't share it so much, because I am afraid of the rug being pulled from underneath my feet.  But, I always love to share my success and others.  So, today I am declaring I will try to blog more often.  I will concentrate on Art and the creative process.  I also would like to focus on store fronts.  I want to feature windows I have seen all over the world in the last few years, and have some kind of forum of a place where others can share their storefronts to inspire others,also.  I also, would like to share my venture into watercolor painting as meditation and setting intentions.  

Easter April Fools Reflections

I never really had a chance to write last year after visiting so many artful destinations.  This is the dining room of the Florence Griswold Museum in Connecticut.  I visited with my two nieces and nephew.  He really enjoyed the scavenger hunt.  I was paying attention to any pictures of women artists and subject matter.  I LOVED the dining room and I am using it as an example of what I think Easter is.  I think Easter is about the resurrection of Christ.  But, I also think it is about how light shines.  I think we have inner lights and it comes out in all different ways.  I think our light shines brightest as being a good daughter, son or as a loving parent.  It is effortless and comes naturally.  For example, a baby shines effortlessly and beautifully.  A baby shines new life!  The panels in the dark dining room were painted by the Artist's who stayed at Florence Griswold's house.  As we exited I quickly asked the volunteer if there was any special lighting on the panels and she said no....the light is from the painting.  Wow!  I love how the brightness of these panels showed through the photo as well.

 I quickly took a picture of this woman painting.  Notice her feminine dress, yet she is wearing a man's tie.

 Loved this painting as it really reflected a scene of a Victorian household.

It was so beautiful to walk the gardens and then see how they were painted more then a hundred years ago.
March is Women's History Month.  So, I always try to learn something about a Woman painter that I didn't know about before.  I remember during the visit hearing the name Woodrow Wilson many times.  But, during the last week of March Florence Griswold Museum's Facebook page featured Ellen Wilson the wife of Woodrow Wilson.  I have been spending all morning reading about her and am totally fascinated by her story and her beautiful paintings.   I knew nothing about her until a few days ago.  I have been spending this Easter morning reflecting and really enjoying and actually relating to her in different ways.  If you want to read more about Ellen Wilson click here.
At this time in my life I am enjoying waking up in the morning and putting a paint brush in my hand. This morning I went to paint and I was on my last piece of paper.  I have been using paper I had purchased more then twenty five years ago.  I think, what am I going to do with these anyway?  I decided all the paintings I did in March I am going to cut into butterflies and use them in the store window when we move to Spring Lake.  Butterflies are free to fly......and so am I!!!!!

A Letter a day in February

So far, so good.  It is the fifth day of February and here are four cards ready to go out in the mail.  I have been frustrated, as I felt I could do more with a computer twenty years ago.    I bought this printer July and waited until I used it for awhile to recommend it. What I love about it:  You can print pictures wirelessly from your phone.  You can print envelopes wirelessly from your phone.  There are four fonts including a pretty script. The best....I am still using the ink that came with the printer!!!  Yes, since July and I print a lot of graphics.  The name of the printer is Kodak Veriti Anna Griffin version.

Use a Challenge to Make a Goal

http://lettermo.com  Now, that January is over, I am up for a new challenge.  I would like to celebrate making my goals happen in 2017.  They were challenging.  It was a struggle with unexpected twists and turns to distract me.  But, that is what life is all about, and how we can lean into the bends in the road to make things happen and not give up.  I decided to try this goal again of writing more letters and get back to card making.  I gave up (not really, I lost focus because I was tending to my brother who ended up passing away after surviving septic shock three times in the year 2016).  I could not
spend my free time with another letter writing  challenge in April of 2016, because my heart wasn't in it.  And, that is ok!  So, I took this challenge after I sent some mail on February 1st already and felt this would be perfect for me right now.  I started organizing all my supplies and have everything pretty ready and I am up to a challenge.  It is a fun challenge where you can earn badges.  One of my favorites is a Jane Austen badge.  The link is in the beginning of the paragraph, if you would like to join in, too.

Use MUSIC to attain your goals

I think music has made one of the most positive impacts in my life.  When

I was a teenager it became my icebreaker.  I was incredibly shy and I actually

remember the turning point for me.  I had attended my first concert.  It was The

Eagles.  My best friend's (at the time) brother had taken us.  We were freeeeee!!!!

The stadium was packed, but dangerous.  It was one of the last events to happen,

as it was going to be torn down, because of a shooting.  So my newfound freedom

came with some fear.   I had started working at the time and I bought a

t-shirt.  I remember when I wore the shirt, conversations would start.  And, instead

of being mortified someone was talking to me and was comfortable with the

conversation.  My first goal as a teenager was not to be so nervous when meeting

people.  Then came the album Darkness on the Edge of Town by Bruce Springsteen.

I was a fan of Southside Johnny with anthems like Reach Up and Touch the

sky helped me feel everything was attainable.  I looked forward to this album, and

couldn't wait for a song like Born to Run or Thunderoad to sing along to while

driving back and forth to work.  Instead, came songs like Badlands and No Surrender,

and they seemed so negative to me.  But, I didn't realize how much these songs

would become my new anthems and would help me immensely when I was

really struggling to overcome my biggest fears.  When I went away to college my

song of choice was "Mr. Blue Sky" by ELO to lift me up from darkness and show

me the light.  I still use music today.  At work lately I started to listen to ABBA and

I forgot how uplifting that is.  At home we just got a "Google Home" and I can't wait

to say OK Google play me some Abba or Hey Google play me some Queen singing

Don't Stop Me Now as I FINALLY take down my Christmas tree!

Positive Quotes

I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” 

— Albert Einstein,

I don't do a formal meditation each morning.  But, I love opening my computer and having a wealth of information at my fingertips.  I also buy magazines such as Flow, Calm and Breathe.  These magazines are full of posters of inspirations, which I like to put places I can read and be reminded of positive quotes.  Reading positive quotes helps you feel positive and makes reaching goals easy.  The weight watchers meeting I attend also ends with a quote to sum up the meeting.  Use a journal to write these quotes down, and go back to and read them when you are feeling the need.

Goal Setting 2018: Write it Down

 Rule #2:  Write down your goals.  Use planners, calendars, vision boards, write on the side of books, travel journals, weight loss journals, letters to yourself, letters to others, messages in a bottle.  You get the idea.  Not only write them down, but later re-read what you wrote.

 I am always surprised at my accomplishments, because I don't always celebrate them.  Acknowledge your accomplishments and give yourself an healthy reward system to celebrate your goals you made happen.

The biggest one is "let go".  Let go of what is holding yourself back.  What keeps you from making something you dreamed of your whole life happen.  Face your fears.  Embrace your freedom. Forgive yourself.  Be your own best friend.  Think positive thoughts and act on them and everything else negative, let them go!!!

Goal Setting Tips for 2018

Rule #1:  Don't be hard on yourself.  This is a picture of the Advent Calendar from Trader Joe's.  It was full of delicious chocolates and tea.  Even though I am on Weight Watchers I felt having a small treat each day would be fine.  But, look what happens, no matter how good what is behind the door, if you don't have the time or the focus days go by without taking the time for yourself.  The same happens when you set goals.  Then a week in, you beat yourself up and probably quit.  I am going to boast for a bit, but in 2017 I rocked most of my goals for the year.  My work, travel and weight saw the most success.  Hope you join me here as we set new goals and intentions going into the new year!