Wednesday, January 27, 2016

~ Coming Full Circle ~



I have been thinking about what life has been like after coming out of the devastating loss of a loved one. Feeling a sense of being grounded, connected, strong and stable comes in time after such a loss and it's a work in progress, reorganizing your life. 

We make adjustments, go through transitions, tweak our lifestyle to find a new way of living. We begin a new season of life. I think mid-life crisis is an understatement in today's world.

Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Come visit our online store: Tangled Art Boutique, Zentangle Inspired Art. We aspire to inspire on social media. We hope you find peace and joy.

The Caregiver Gallery of gifts can be used for individuals as well as fundraisers, special events, contests, employee incentives, rewards or a special thank you or for recognition and appreciation. A great way to affirm your favorite Caregiver(s) with something personal for her/him/them.

www.tangledartboutique.com 

If you have people in your life who would appreciate our Caregiver greeting cards & giftlines to celebrate and affirm Caregivers, please have them contact me by email: cbrecht4@gmail.com 

Best wishes,
Carole Brecht

~The Sandwich Woman, The Heart of the Sandwich Generation~

~Where Words Soothe and Ideas & Art Delight~


Twitter: bit.ly/SanGenTW

Instagram: bit.ly/SanGenIG

Facebook: bit.ly/SanGenFB

Tangled Art Boutique: bit.ly/TABoutique

Copyright 2016

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

-----> A Caregiver's Creative Outlet <-------



As I continue my journey creating Zentangle Inspired Art, I was thinking of what life was like before I discovered this art form and how much it has changed my life.

I discovered this in June 2014, at the tail end of my Caregiver days with Mom. I spent years caring for her and had no creative outlet in place during that time. Mom was only a few months out from her death when this new interest/hobby/art form came into my life. 

All those years I was so engrossed in her care, managing so much, I never stopped to think about how to help myself. I wasn't plugged into a community like this. I had become withdrawn, I experienced a strong sense of feeling alone and I was full of sorrow witnessing the changes that were occurring with her extreme memory loss and personality changes. It never dawned on me to think about art or anything at all to help myself find peace of mind and to help me deal with the level of stress I was living with. I was too busy doing the job of Caregiving to stop and think about myself.

Once I found Zentangle, I threw myself into this art form and took to it like a bee to honey! I couldn't get enough. It made me happy, made me feel at peace, it was something Jan and I learned together, so we had a blast tangling together (and still do). So many positive things came out of moving forward this way internally and externally. This is something I can do anytime of day or night, by myself. It's easy to carry around and pick it up and down all day long if I want. It brought a perspective to my life that was missing. That despite the horrible things that are happening around us to people we love, there is still beauty to see and behold

I encourage you to find a creative outlet. It could be anything. It could something as simple as going to Michael's and picking out a stencil to create imagery or a wreath to create for the Spring or a wooden shape to paint and hang. You can keep it for yourself or you can create it for someone else. The possibilities are endless. And even if you don't feel like doing a thing, I say ignore that feeling, don't let it rule you. Step out of your comfort zone and find something that gets your creative flow going and puts a smile on your face, even if you don't feel creative. 

I hope you have a fun time, beginning to end. And when you finish one project, go get another to work on... even a sketch pad will do. Or take a class or get a do-it-yourself book or do oragami or paper quilling... whatever floats your boat. And if you have no idea, get a book from the library or go on Google and start searching for one idea to run with. Once you take the first step, everything else will follow.

Jan created the tangle I used in this blog. It's placed four different ways. A reminder to me: however I am viewing life, that is my view and I can change it any time and see something I didn't originally see. We have the capacity to look at an object or a scenario and have free will to interpret life any way we "feel" like it. Either our feelings are ruling our life or our voice of reason is in control. We can take our pick on how things will move along in our life, just from our thoughts and perception. It's a pretty amazing life when you think of it that way. Yes, we have circumstances beyond our control in life, but our perceptions will determine how we carry ourself, how we behave around others and how we do our job. 

Self-care is paramount to your doing a good job during your Caregiver hours. You matter and make a difference in someone's life. Go make a difference in your own life, just for you, just because. You deserve peace and harmony in your life, no matter the circumstances. 

Best Wishes,
Carole Brecht

~The Sandwich Woman, Caring For The Sandwich Generation~

~Your Caregiver Support Network: Where Words Soothe and Ideas & Art Delight~


Twitter: bit.ly/SanGenTW

Instagram: bit.ly/SanGenIG

Facebook: bit.ly/SanGenFB

Tangled Art Boutique: bit.ly/TABoutique

Copyright 2016

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

~A New Beginning~


2016 is here!

I'm trying to wrap my head around that we're in a new year and well into the 21st century! A reminder how fast time flies.

There's something fresh about a new year. New dreams, new horizons and aspirations when the clean slate appears on January 1 of every year. We want to feel that each day is well lived, that we have purpose and that we're productive. 

If you're caring for another, I hope you remember how important it is to keep your voice of reason intact, to put your best foot forward and to be glad you won't look back with any regret because you are the one who stepped up to the plate. You are responsible and caring, one who made a difference in your loved one's life. 

Keep your calendar and notebook nearby daily, stay organized, make your daily list and, most importantly, be sure you're at the top of the list to take care of yourself. 

Jan and I have created this social media platform with Facebook, Twitter & Instagram that has been gaining momentum globally. We're happy to see that The Sandwich Woman Community is a place for The Sandwich Generation to come together.

We also created an online store called Tangled Art Boutique bit.ly/TABoutique
In the store there are over 130 Zentangle Inspired Art designs we created. Each of us has our own gallery of designs and there is a Caregiver gallery too. The Caregiver line of designs is one way we love to support Caregivers with our art by affirming them with words in beautiful tangled designs. We'd like to share our store link with assisted living facilities, hospitals, doctor's offices, independent living facilities, hospice organizations and/or any business or person that has Caregivers, be it family or professional Caregivers, that are part of their lives. The Caregiver Gallery of gifts can be used for individuals as well as fundraisers, special events, contests, employee incentives, rewards or a special thank you or just merely for recognition and appreciation. 

If you have people in your life who would appreciate our Caregiver greeting cards & giftlines to celebrate and affirm Caregivers, please have them contact me by email: cbrecht4@gmail.com 

Best wishes for a life well-lived in 2016!
Carole Brecht

~The Sandwich Woman, Caring For The Sandwich Generation~

~Your Caregiver Support Network: Where Words Soothe and Ideas & Art Delight~


Twitter: bit.ly/SanGenTW

Instagram: bit.ly/SanGenIG

Facebook: bit.ly/SanGenFB

Tangled Art Boutique: bit.ly/TABoutique

Copyright 2016

Sunday, January 3, 2016

~Caregiver Love In 2016~


We are happy and humbled to learn we recently logged over 3,000 Likes on The Sandwich Woman facebook page. This is a Global Community of hard working men and women who take care of their loved ones. Thank you for showing up and embracing this community as your own. We lift you up and praise you for doing a great job and doing what needs to be done. Happy New Year 2016 to You! 

bit.ly/SanGenFB 



We love Caregivers & we love supporting you. We look forward to a new year full of hopes, joyful moments and a peaceful, calm and fulfilling journey for all. We are here for you and wishing you much success in 2016!

Best Wishes,
Carole Brecht


~The Sandwich Woman, Caring For The Sandwich Generation~

~Your Caregiver Support Network: Where Words Soothe and Ideas & Art Delight~


Twitter: bit.ly/SanGenTW

Instagram: bit.ly/SanGenIG

Facebook: bit.ly/SanGenFB

Tangled Art Boutique: bit.ly/TABoutique

Copyright 2016