Posts Tagged ‘Creative’

Save the Date Cards: Creative Ideas

Wedding stationary is the first impression your friends and family will have of your wedding.  Before the showers, before the ceremony, and before the reception, save the date cards set the tone and theme for your wedding.  Since the cards are more informal than the invitations they can be selected before you have made your final choice for your wedding stationary. Of course, it is always a good idea to send them out as soon as you have completed the guest list and chosen the date.

Just to be clear: save the date cards are sent to individuals you are inviting to the wedding. That may be obvious, but a save the date card is not an announcement of your engagement or the fact you are getting married.  Those who receive the save the date card will expect to receive an invitation in the coming weeks.  Feel free to send out an engagement announcement that does not include the wedding date to those you will not be inviting or are not sure you will be inviting. You can follow up later with an invitation if a spot on the guest list opens up.

In addition to the save the date card other wedding stationary includes: the invitation, reception card (separate from wedding invitation), place card, announcement, response card, program, menu card, multi purpose cards (directions, accommodations) and thank you card.

Many couples decide on the date but have not booked the location of either the ceremony or reception.  It is a courtesy to your guests to let them know as far in advance when your wedding will be so they can make arrangements for travel, pet sitting, and taking vacation days from work. Save the date cards save the day.

Informal fun

“Save-The-Date Cards Green Card with Pink Accents,” these playful cards announce your wedding day in a sweet but not saccharin way.   Other more informal choices are the “Couple,” with a hand drawn bride and groom popping up to announce the date. The “Flower Bouquet,” says it with flowers in pink, green, and lilac.  “In Love” is bordered with a green band on the bottom of the card and L O V E with each letter in a different color, yellow, bright pink, green, and aqua.

Are you having a beach theme or beach wedding? If so, choose “Seashell Hearts Save-The-Date” cards with a photo of an incoming wave on the sandy shore, complete with the words “Save the Date” written in the sand. Another choice is the “Beach Theme” with hand drawn sea shells in yellow, blue, and pink on the sand.

If you have a photograph of the two of you, that photo can be scanned into a digital file and used as the background of a save the date card printed on your own computer printer.  Print the card on standard size note card stock and buy envelopes separately.  If you are on a tight budget print on card stock and use the back of the card to address as a postcard.  You will wind up saving money on postage and on envelopes.

Formal But Fun

If you haven’t chosen the theme of your wedding yet simple, save the date cards with classic font on grey card stock look perfect. A more contemporary look are the “Double Hearts” Design of pale pink on white and the “Forever and Ever” of bright pink on white and “Twin Hearts” a simplistic design on light grey card stock.

Personalization

Of course the save the date cards are personalized with the names of the bride and groom and the date.  The city and state can be included on the card as well if you know the wedding will be held in that city.

Personalization can go much farther with a selection of 33 colored inks and 36 solid color envelope liners and five prints.

Since the backs of the cards are blank why not take a few extra minutes and write a note on each card with a short message about how much you are looking forward to having them join you on your special day.

If you are one of those couples who have everything organized and chosen right from the get go, make the save the date cards part of your wedding stationary package.

Kick Off the Wedding Festivities

Save the date cards are fun, creative, and start you on your way to a wonderful wedding day.

A Creative Online Dating Profile Is The Key To Dating Success

Registering for dating websites is taking the singles scene to a whole new dimension speeding up the process of finding romance or casual fun thanks to the massive pools of singles signing up for love. Exploring online dating sites also means spending less time and money meeting other people in locales that might be otherwise pricey. Online dating sites assist in removing expenses like entry fees to venues and over charged drink prices when all you have in mind is meeting new people. Whilst researching online dating how come singles need to pay exceptional care to their dating profile and headline?

Your perfect match will not automatically come knocking at your inbox, no, this result requires effort. Online singles should be prepared to make themselves a saleable item in this competitive online sea of singles in order to attract someone suitable.

Profiles that jump out and are unforgettable are by nature alluring and inviting to read; on the other hand, tedious claptrap and unmemorable profiles are typically brushed aside and will leap out far less in a possible prospect’s psyche.

Be Original.

Remember to quantify all points mentioned with details. Instead of writing, “I like Chinese food”, say something like, “late night spring rolls are a perfect way to satisfy a late night Oriental food itch”. Select harmonious descriptive words which stick out in somebody’s brain and try to concoct off-centered experiences and examples that depict singularity.

Strike a Pose.

An ingratiating pic conducted in an instinctive posture shows the profiler is at ease with unprompted shots and loves to have fun. An assuming affectation not deliberately done for the photographic camera generally oozes self-assurance. The picture provides a good visual not only of physical appearance, but of body language, confidence, style and personality traits as well. Try to relate the picture in some way to information published in the profile.

Stay Positive.

Profilers who use dismissive terms on their remarks, even once invited to do so, impart a speculative and negative vibe. When asked to express dislikes, be sure to turn the sentence around and make it positive somehow. Be friendly and inviting in order to attract the right people into your life.

Awaken Your Creative Intent

The catalyst for internal alchemy is what I call “creative intent.” This is your ability to find new ways of moving past obstacles while staying focused on your final goal.

Support Your Internal Creativity

Creativity is the feminine polarity of life, a sense of playful experimentation. Creative energy is the flow of art, and moves as a spontaneous response to stimuli. Creativity stems from dreaming and intuition, and a wide horizon of perception.

Creativity is the juiciness and flow of life. It is often unexpected, unexplainable, and unpredictable. Creativity is our unique expression of life, which we manifest for the pure joy of it. When we are in the river of creative flow, we seek neither reward nor recognition; rather, we tap into the unknown, and mystery moves through us into form.

Creativity cannot be forced or scheduled, but it can be enticed and allowed. As we make ourselves vessels and clear out our doubts, “shoulds,” and rules, creativity often comes to fill and overflow us. We see new possibilities, new actions, and new ways of being. We are inspired to take the images, sensations, and taste of our inner world and make them tangible. This creative expression is not only what artists strive for; it is a vital force helping us move through our own internal obstacles and fears.

Our places of limitation often stem from the creative ways we tried to stay “safe” when we were children. For example, most of us grew up with a sense of scarcity in our lives: not enough love, resources, self-confidence, etc. In order to compensate, we create fantastic agreements or strategies, e.g., “I have to be in a relationship or I am not whole.” “If I have a lot of money in the bank, I am safe.” “If I make sure everyone likes me, I know I am a good person.” (These are examples of wacky internal creativity.)

As we become more aware and strive to change these agreements, obstacles arise. Our old structure, which we created to order an unpredictable world, fights to stay alive. Our habitual response is to follow the old pattern, e.g., “That relationship just ended, so I must quickly find another one, or feel lonely and fragmented until I do.” “I am feeling insecure, so I am going to go buy something expensive” (and later go into fear that I don’t have enough money.) “My friend is disappointed in me, so I must have done something wrong.”

When we are willing to risk being creative, there are a million different ways we can respond to stimuli. It is exciting, for we pull our heads out of our tiny box of responses and look towards infinity for our answers. We approach obstacles and fears with a sense of adventure: “What will I do today?” “Who will I be today?” “What will I learn about myself today?”

For example:

Your relationship ends, and you consciously choose to be creative, so you

o (and your former partner) have a divorce celebration with close friends to support you, where you cut the cords on this and all of your previous relationships;

o spend a week in retreat, nourishing yourself with good food and long hikes;

o take your new alone time to do something you have always dreamed of;

o get on the internet and create a personal ad, and then go on dates with fifteen people in four weeks with the agreement that you will not get into a relationship, but simply explore what you like or who how you act around others;

o shave your head and dedicate yourself to meditation for a year;

o volunteer to help a child in need;

o find a good therapist or spiritual guide.

In other words, you are creative, and you do anything that breaks the habit of your usual pattern. To cultivate your own creativity, try these activities for a week:

o Select a problem in your life and list at least ten different ways to work with it. Let some of your ideas be outrageous. Stretch your mind. If you cannot think of a problem, take the examples above (money in the bank or disappointing a friend) and list ten creative things someone could do. Then do at least one of these creative ideas this week.

o Pay attention to the ways your mind goes into habit. Constantly ask yourself: “How can I be creative in this situation?”

o Do at least one physical activity that opens up your creativity: paint a dream, visit a museum and wander through the hallways feeling the art, dance wildly under the moonlight, build a fire and speak to the flames, sing out loud in public.

Tapping into your creativity may feel awkward at first. Remember you are breaking your own box, which can feel frightening, liberating, or both. Enjoy and keep breathing through whatever arises. Pay attention to where you want to limit yourself, or where you are uncomfortable stepping out of your own comfort zone. Keep dancing towards the infinite.

Hone Your Intent

To stop undermining yourself and truly unfurl your wings means attending not only to the beginning, but also the perhaps uncomfortable middle all the way through the alchemical process of internal transformation. Intent is the masculine polarity of life, the movement of focused purpose. It is the determined questing of science, and it moves as a piercing force of transformation. Intent stems from disciplined stalking of the goal and strong action to stay on course.

Intent is the clarity in life that keeps us focused on a specific purpose. Intent acts as the guiding force for our actions in the world. It gives us direction and the will to carry on, despite the obstacles that arise. Intent is a combination of determination and dedication. Intent is a science, a practice of getting from point A to point B systematically without getting distracted or straying from the course. Intent allows us to see beyond chaos, fear, and temptation. All of our senses align with our goal. All of our energy aligns with our senses. We are a pure point of perception, undaunted by the impossible. We know what we want and are not afraid to go for it.

One problem, however, is that our intent often flows from an unconscious place. When we act from unconscious intent, our integrity and truth are compromised. Our actions are colored by our experiences of the past. Old agreements and fears dictate how we react to life happening around us. Our intent then stays at its default setting, which is usually the setting we agreed to when we were very young.

We would never consciously say: “My intent is to sabotage myself and prove that I am not deserving,” or “My intent is to never put my full heart and energy into any project, so I do not have to worry about failing,” or “My intent is to blame everyone else around me for my inability to take responsibility for my life decisions.” But we hold these types of unsupportive intents and live our lives from them.

There is a great little book that expresses perfectly the sort of intents we carry within us. “Today I Will Nourish My Inner Martyr” is a book of “Affirmations for Cynics,” or really, for the unconscious. Some favorite samples are:

o “Today, instead of dealing with situations that upset me, I will create melodramatic diversions.”

o “I have a right to be a victim after all that I have been through.”

o “Because I demand that everything in my life is the best and beautiful, I will disown my body today.”

o “Today I will remind myself that my friends and family are just waiting for me to fail.”

o “Today I will cultivate a relationship with an especially needy person so I can fulfill my need to be needed.”

The first step in honing your intent is to clear out the garbage intents that clog your system. They are heavy energies that weigh down the lightness of pure, conscious intent. Play with making up intents for yourself based on your unconscious beliefs. Keep this practice as play, for it will expose more of your unconscious heaviness. Notice where you are sabotaging yourself or acting in ways that go against your heart. Then make a joke of it:

o “Today, I will wake up depressed and then punish myself all day for it.”

o “Today, I will make a mistake and repeat it in my head over and over again.”

o “Today, I will say I want to write, but I will spend the day cleaning up someone else’s mess.”

Get these thoughts out in front of you so you can see them. Once you are aware, you have the power to make a choice and ask, “Is that really the intent I want to hold for my day/week/life?”

Once you have played with and felt you unconscious intents, rewrite what intent you actually want to be living from. What different action can you take? How can you bring the creative aspect in to this new intent? Write these intents when you are not in the pattern, i.e. before you get depressed, confused, anxious, etc. Action is best planned from a neutral or joyous space. Make three action steps you will take that oppose the old intent, or nourish your new one (preferably one of each).

For example:

o “Today if I wake up depressed, I will not believe the lies my mind tells me. Instead I will (a) call two people and ask them to tell me what they appreciate about me, (b) will email two people and share what I appreciate about them, and/or (c) go out and take a dance class.”

o “Today I will write despite distraction or drama. If I get distracted or caught in drama, I will (a) take a deep breath and acknowledge my distraction; (b) get my butt back to the writing chair with minimal judgment, (c) drink a cup of tea while I read what I wrote before I was distracted, and continue onward, and/or (d) spend a few moments looking at what I felt like before I was distracted, and what uncomfortable feeling or thought arose that I can teach myself to sit through.

Write out your new intent, and new actions someplace you will have them handy when the situation next arises. Do your actions when you get off track; don’t rethink them. Notice the results, and enjoy.

How to Be Creative with Wedding Save the Date Cards

An excellent way to share the joyous news of your upcoming wedding date is to mail out save the date cards to family and friends. They come in many whimsical designs to reflect the excitement you are feeling. Since this is going to be one of the happiest days of your life, have some fun spreading the news.

It is easy to choose a save the date design that matches your personalities with all the choices available today.

Save the date magnets can include one or more of your favorite photos will make a special keepsake for your guests to display and save as a memento.

Another unique design is a card that includes a decal for guests to place on their calendar as a reminder of your wedding date.

Other save the date cards can come in specific themes or even creative shapes to set the tone for your wedding. There are many distinctive save the date designs that are specific to beach or tropical themed weddings. Vegas themed weddings have also inspired unique designs.

Sending a scratch off card will put a smile on your guests’ faces as they reveal your wedding date much like a lottery ticket.

A calendar save the date magnet shows the days of your wedding month with your specific date circled and can be displayed as their reminder.

Invite your guests to save the date of your special day by sending them tickets symbolizing admission to your event.

If you are looking to complement your wedding colors, save the dates are available in a wide range of colors, too.

Have fun broadcasting the date for one of the most important days of your life with save the date cards. Hopefully, you find these suggestions helpful as you consider your card design. Your wedding invitations can play a more formal role later in your wedding planning.

Creative Miserablization: Are You Practicing it Daily?

You’ve probably heard of creative visualization, a technique that helps you imagine what you desire in great detail with the intention of making it real.

You communicate your desire to your unconscious creative mind so specifically and authentically that your inner mind naturally leads you toward acquiring it.

Say you want to meet the ideal life partner. You’ve tried dating services, clubs, and fix-ups without success.

So you make it a habit of imagining your desired partner: You imagine him/her a few times a day, perhaps in different settings, moods, and situations. You conjure up your idea of his or her looks, sound, manner. You sense what it’s like being with this someone, growing a deep and satisfying bond.

Soon finding such a mate seems possible; you are willing for it to happen, pleasantly expectant, and yet not desperate to force a situation.

You feel possibility and calm rather than overeagerness or anxiety over whether this is or isn’t THE ONE.

You believe that at the right time you will meet someone, and it will feel comfortable and natural. As if you already know this person.

And then one day, you meet someone. He may have a different hair color than you expected. Be taller or more muscular. She may work in a different field. Have a larger family than imagined. Still there is a feeling you received what you wanted, with some intriguing differences.

That is creative visualization, successfully realized.

What then is creative miserablization?

Remember how the creative visualizer created an image and feeling for how the desired partner would be?

Creative “miserablizers” focus on the opposite.

Their thoughts run to: “I don’t want my life partner to be fat, ugly, rude, a beer drinker, a knitter, unemployed, a spendthrift, a constant dieter. I wouldn’t enjoy an intellectual. A penny pincher. A movie addict. I would feel uncomfortable with someone too close to the folks. I couldn’t stand a sports lover going out with the pals all time…”

Get the picture?

Here’s an example in business: An unemployed miserablizer trying to get a new job will not want a boss like his last boss; not want a job in a particular locale; not want a job requiring a certain set of skills; not want a windowless office.

Nothing is wrong with preferences or boundary setting. But miserablizers focus intently on what they don’t want, on what would be miserable – instead of what could make their little hearts sing!

How can you get what you desire when all you think about is what you don’t?

It’s like making a grocery list featuring only items you don’t need.

The same holds true in many arenas: dating, job, residence, friendship. And just about everything else.

How to stop miserabilization chatter?

Ask yourself what your Don’t-Wants hint at regarding your Do-Wants:

I don’t want someone fat might mean… I want someone of average weight or leaner.

I don’t want someone close-minded might mean… I want someone with an open mind, who will listen, share, even change a viewpoint when warranted.

I don’t want a job that requires me to learn X,Y and Z the first three months might mean … I want a position where my current skills in A, B, and C are desired, or where I will get a chance to learn skills within a comfortable timeframe.

Your job is to figure out your Do-Wants and communicate them with openness and patience to those who want or need to know-and willingness to help them achieve what they desire.

That way you share your vision, end your misery, and gently assist others too. ©2009 by Wendy Lapidus-Saltz. All rights reserved.

Marriage Proposals: Creative Ways to Pop the Question

Is it the right time to ask your special someone The Question?  Whether standing on two feet or on bended knees, making your marriage proposal can be a very scary and exciting event.  And you’d want to get it right, too.  About 60% of engaged people say their proposal could have been better.  If the hopeless romantic in you wants the perfect pitch, here are some creative ways to pop the question:

Tongue tied?  Let a jigsaw puzzle say what you want. This is one of the many creative ways to pop the question. Have a special jigsaw puzzle designed with your proposal printed and then have it cut.  Ask your loved one to help you put it together and when it’s nearing completion, excuse yourself to go to the bathroom or some fake errand and fetch the ring.  Make sure he or she has completed the puzzle before you re-enter the room and pop the question.

Go on a treasure hunt is one of the creative ways to pop the question. Remember the reality TV show National Treasure?  Why don’t you create a treasure hunting expedition of your own?  Consider all the places that have special meaning to you both – the bar where you met, the place where you had your first date, the park bench where you first kissed, the favorite spot in the park where you liked to picnic, etc.  

Plant a clue on each spot and then give her a treasure map.  You can use romantic poems or quotes to begin each clue or use lines that rhyme for the clues.  Once you’ve reached the last stop (the place where you’re going to pop the question), bring out the ring.

It’s a kind of magic. Hire a magician to help you think of creative ways to pop the question.  Arrange the time and place where it will be and go out on a usual date with your loved one.  Make sure to explain everything the magician has to know – what he needs to do, when and where exactly.  When you pass by, tell your girlfriend or boyfriend that you want to watch the magic performance.

The magician then takes your beloved to participate in a magic trick.  The magician can then ‘magically’ produce flowers and a note.  When your girl or man reads the note, it’s your cue to pop the question.

Go fishing. If you both like fishing, this is one of the creative ways to pop the question.  Prepare your fishing lines and tie the engagement ring securely at the end of one line and give that to your girlfriend.  Wait a few minutes and then tell her to reel it in.  Once she sees the ring, untie it, present it to her and ask her to marry you.

Ask them through a cartoon or computer-generated animation. If you or someone you know has talent in animation, this is one of the creative ways to pop the question using your talent. Prepare a short video of your proposal.  Write a storyline that will tell the story of how you met and include significant events in your life.  Use a popular fairy tale if you don’t have other ideas, but make sure the characters in the movie can clearly depict you both.  At the end of the video (3 to 5 minutes will do), have your short film character pop the question.

Whatever creative ways to pop the question you decide to use, remember that a lot of things rely on planning and timing.  Focus the entire proposal event on your story and include things, places and events that are unique to your relationship.  Be creative, have fun and if everything goes right, there’s a huge chance you’ll get a ‘yes’.

Marriage proposals don’t have to cost a fortune. In fact, the best ones usually don’t.  If you are thinking of getting engaged, you probably want to do it right. You want it to be amazingly special. Something she or he will want to share with everyone. Do you really want to know how to create a marriage proposal that will blow her (or him) away? Find out more about creative ways to pop the question visit Best Wedding Proposal Ideas

To know more about love, dating and weddings visit All About Relationships

Two Creative Tools for Couples

Want to find several easy ways to communicate better with your mate? Read on.

TOOL #1: ONE WAY DATES
Over time, couples can easily develop routines that become ruts. Does this sound familiar? Partner #1: “What do you want to do?”
Partner #2: “I don’t know, what do YOU want to do?”
Then they end up doing pretty much the same thing they have done before. Couples can also fall into “compromise ruts,” where each gives up what they really want to do in order to find something they can both agree upon. For example, in choosing movies, he might love action-adventure, she might love drama, and they might routinely compromise on comedies. After awhile, this might get old! (True story- happened to me!) What’s the alternative? How can couples keep dating each other fresh and exciting? Try rotating the following four ONE-WAY DATES:

TYPE 1: Partner #1 creates an experience for partner #2
The purpose of this date is to give a gift and please partner #2 one hundred percent. This doesn’t have to cost anything, and doesn’t even require going anywhere, as long as the time and activities are creatively focused on what would please partner #2.
TYPE 2: Switch; partner #2 creates an experience for partner #1
TYPE 3: Partner #1 creates a self-centered experience

The purpose of this date is for partner #1 to please themselves 100%, to have fun exactly the way they want, sharing the experience with partner #2 in the way they wish, but not worrying about partner #2′s experience at all. TYPE 4: Switch; partner #2 creates a self-centered experience To work, this requires planning and coordination. I suggest couples plan their dates and one-way types on a calendar a year in advance. This may sacrifice the spontaneity that some prefer but often can’t sustain, for intentionality that can continue to create romantic closeness and excitement for decades to come. I have found that trying to reach agreement on everything can hinder creativity and dilute the possibilities. Using these One Way Dates allows for each partner to freely and creatively choose activities that would truly please themselves or their partner, without eliminating exciting choices trying to please both.

TOOL #2: ONE-WAY DECISION MAKING
As much as we value mutuality and agreement, wouldn’t it be nice to get your way sometimes, even when your partner disagrees? Similar to the “One Way Date” is the GIMME.
A “Gimme” is a request one partner makes of another, when there is something they would really like to have or do that the partner disagrees with. Let’s say that partner #1 really wants to go to the opera, but partner #2 hates the opera. Partner #1 really wants to go, but doesn’t want to go alone or with someone else, they want to go with their partner! Partner #1 could ask for a “gimme” which means “please do this as a gift for me, not because you agree or want to, but give this to me because you love me and want me to be happy.” Ground rules:
1. A gimme is not asked for lightly or often
2. When asked for a gimme, try your best to say “Yes”
3. When delivering a gimme, do so with a positive attitude
4. The gimme is a gift, delivered with unconditional love, without expectation of a quid pro quo

Sometimes in a relationship, ONE way is the BEST way!

Dating On a Budget: How To Be Creative

There are some people due to the economic downturn that have taken themselves out of the dating ballgame. That is of course their right but in many ways it is not a good option. A better choice is to stay in the game and use more imagination

The numbers keep rolling in and they are not good. Companies are doing some mass layoffs while others are just closing down altogether. You can see some examples of this by going to your local mall. Chances are you are going to see more than the usual empty spaces adjacent to some businesses that are barely hanging on.

This downturn is not only causing many companies to make hard choices but millions of individuals across the country and around the globe. Among those individuals are singles in the dating scene who through no fault of their own are finding the economics of dating a tough proposition to navigate.  In the article “That Game We Play: Dating in a down economy”, Lacey Storer of the St Joe News writes, “Some guys are getting more creative with their dates, or looking for cheaper options to the traditional dinner and a movie. Others are just avoiding dating altogether.”

While that passage may focus on single men it applies equally to single women as well as the rest of us. Everyone is feeling the crunch.

But the last thing you want to do is take yourself out of the game altogether. Sure you can wait for things to improve before you get back into the dating scene but none of us knows when that will be. In the meantime isolating yourself from the social contact that comes with dating can have a not so good effect on your attitude and thought process.

So what’s the solution? Date inexpensively but creatively. For instance.    

1. Games and Puzzles

Monopoly anyone? How about a good game of Scrabble? Maybe during your travels you’ve come across one of those puzzles with five hundred or more pieces. Never really been into puzzles? To each their own but give it a shot anyway. Dating relationships are about give and take. And who knows? You may find being with someone enthusiastic about puzzles and games rubs off on you.

2. Music Days

Got some favorite music? Sure you do. So does the person you are dating. Invite them over occasionally and tell them to bring some of their favorite music. What they have may not be to your exact taste but again healthy dating is about equal give and take. Leave the TV off. With television you pretty much have to stop what you are doing periodically to focus on what’s happening on the screen. Music on the other hand can keep the conversation flow going while the two of you dance and laugh the evening away.

3. Take the Walk

We are a nation of motorists and we love our cars. That’s why it is good from time to time to get out and stretch the legs. It’s not only healthy but it can strengthen the connection with your dating partner. Where do you go? Anywhere. Go to the park, check out a historical monument you have always been curious about. Walk to some busy area and get lost in the crowd, do some window shopping or find a nice cozy spot and watch the sunset. 

No it is not going to be easy to make some of these adjustments. Many of us get into a dating ritual that we are quite comfortable with even if part of that ritual is the spending of money.

If you are in any kind of dating relationship one way or the other you are going to spend money. That’s not going to change anytime soon. However by coupling it with being creative on a more regular basis you can extend those funds a lot further and add some new exciting dynamics to your dating relationship.