Saturday TastyLinks™

Rainbow Road copyright 2009 Margot Potter. Rainbow Calsilica beads courtesy of HHH Enterprises

This week has not flown by for me, it has crawled by like a giant sea slug. I've been juggling a variety of looming deadlines, quietly saying goodbye to a longtime job that I love and dealing with an unneccesarily complex professional situation.

No matter what they tell you, everyone has an agenda.

I'd like to believe I've been transparent about mine. My agenda is to succeed by doing what I love and sharing that passion with others and to do that in a way that doesn't require screwing other people over in the process. My vision is far bigger than crafting. My plans are far bigger than the job that I lost or the situation that arose last week. Sometimes these growing pains are what we need to experience to propel us to take bigger risks. Sometimes we have to do the dirty work and face the tough stuff. Sometimes the things that feel like the end are really a beginning.

Actually all things that feel like an end are really a beginning. It's just that when we rip off a band-aid, we're going to feel sore for a bit afterwards. Then if we're smart, we'll be stronger and we'll embrace those changes and let go of the need to have everybody like us. No matter what we do, other people will view us through their own lenses and we can't fix that. We simply have to let go and trust that the universe has our back.

Life isn't a popularity contest. It's a journey. Even when you're tired and you feel like saying, "F*^% it!" and giving up, you have to find the strength to stay on your pathway. You have to cheer yourself on. You have to love yourself enough to make up for those times when you're misunderstood or not feeling the love from the world around you. No one can give that to you.

Then if you're wise and compassionate, you will pay what you've learned forward without ever expecting a return on that investment. That's a tough one, but an important one to remember.

I don't mean to be opaque here. I'm merely sharing with you, gentle reader, the bumps in my road so that when you hit yours perhaps my words will help you get around them with whatever grace and dignity you can muster.

Crafty shout outs to:

Christopher Nejman for his delightful reworking of our Oo La La Pendants Video!

When Creativity Knocks has a fun new upcycled water bottle hummingbird feeder video!

And so here is this week's generous serving of TastyLinks™ from the Crafty Bloggers:

About Family Crafts If you are trying to find creative costume ideas for couples or groups of peoples, check out the lists I have compiled with the help of visitors like you.

Aileen's Musings There is less then 14 days until the Ties That Bind Art Doll Raffle is done. Stop by and read how you can help us spread the word !

Cathie Filian Dry hands and feet season is just around the corner...Time to whip up some handmade lotion bars. Cathie has a yummy DIY recipe!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world Craftside's got a chance to win a copy of Nature Inspired along with some original artwork by the author Tracie Lyn Huskamp, a fun Halloween ghost decoration delivered to you by Fedex, creatively photographing your shadow and a sneak peek into the soon to be released 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse.

Crafty Princess Diaries Tammy shows off the preemie baby blanket she started not that long ago. If you are looking for a super easy crochet project, this is a good place to start.

Cross Stitch at About.com Go Team! Make some sports-themed gifts or decorations using the free Sports Motifs Pattern Collection. Your fans will think you are "Number One"!

Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style What did I find at the Wisconsin Quilt Expo? Check it out!

Mixed Media Artist Cyndi shares her finished quilt...and swears she is ready to start the next one!

Naughty Secretary Club If it will sit still long enough Jen will find a way to make it into jewelry, even iron-on T-shirt transfers are not safe.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery See how to make a patch with a rubber stamp project inspired by the Super fun book- Bend The Rules With Fabric by Amy Karol

The Artful Crafter If this isn't a green craft, we don't know what is! Let Eileen show you how to make desktop organizers from junk mail. Saving the planet - one catalog at a time.

The Impatient Crafter Madge talks about crafting a life of joy, which is a crafting of a sort indeed. The best sort.