inspirational – Cynthia D. Griffin

Etsy, Etsy Store, inspirational, mugs, New product, new release

New Product: 7 Inspirational Mug Designs

Posted on April 3, 2021April 2, 2021 by Cynthia D. Griffin

One of my favorite things to do in the morning, is to sip from a nice warm mug of mint tea as I journal. And sometimes, I just relax with my mug between my hands as I let my mind wonder and play with ideas. On one of these particular mornings, I played with the idea of creating my own mug designs. After I opened my Etsy shop, I decided to look into taking some of those ideas and making them a reality. These 7 mug designs are just the beginning of many exciting ideas I will be offering. What can I say? I love creating stuff! It’s soooooo much fun.

Check out the 7 inspirational mugs below that I just added to my store.

Always Choose Love Mug (image above)

Description: Always Choose Love text is on both sides. Comes is 11 oz. and 15 oz. sizes.

Buy here.

Smile It’s Contagious Mug

Description:

Smile it’s contagious text is on one side with handle to right.

Smiley face on other side with handle to the left.

Buy here.

Note: This mug only comes in the 11 oz. size.

The Best is Yet to Come

Description:

The Best is Yet to Come text is on both sides with abstract color background going around whole mug. Colors going from blue to pink. Comes is 11 oz. and 15 oz. sizes.

Buy here.

Note: The pictures above are of the regular 11 oz. mug.

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Do the below mugs look familiar? The designs come from my Journaling To Feel Good Series. So now journaling is even more fun for me with these matching mugs!

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blog series, Celebrating the Journey Of, creativity, empowerment, inspirational

Celebrating the Journey of FortCraftGaming (YouTuber)

Posted on January 12, 2021 by Cynthia D. Griffin

So today I am going to shamelessly promote my thirteen year old son. He has been dedicating a lot of his time and energy to getting his YouTube Channel off the ground in the last few months, because he has dreams of becoming a well-established YouTuber. His name (for the purpose of this post) is FortCraftGaming.

Above is a video he posted that he says he loves the most so far. I’ve enjoyed most of them simply because I like watching the progress of his personal growth, over all creativity, and the increase in video editing skills (and yes, I’m being a proud and supportive momma too). Sometimes he’s a little whacky, sometimes he’s very informative (such as how he makes his videos), and he also loves to demonstrate some of the video games he plays.

One of the things I admire most about him is his determination. When he sets his mind to something, he makes it happen (even if it takes awhile). And I know this will take him far in his journey of life whether he sticks it out with YouTube, or eventually decides to pursue something else.

He began his YouTube journey several years ago as he started watching the journey of YourTubers like Unspeakable, DanTDM, and MrBeast.

So let’s turn this over to FortCraftGaming so he can tell a little more about his journey.

So tell us a little bit about your journey as a YouTuber? What inspired you to take this journey?

I’ve always liked making videos, and when I found out that YouTube existed, and that anyone could make videos, I was just like “Yeah, this is what I wanna do.”

What do you like the most about what you do?

The support I get from my friends and fans, also editing and making thumbnails is fun.

What sort of topics or things do you do in your videos?

Whatever I think of doing really. I’ve done videos on gaming with Minecraft and AirMech Arena. I’ve also done some skits. And for a month I did the Stereotypical YouTuber Challenge (SYTC).

Is there any special equipment or knowledge you need to know about being a YouTuber?

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inspirational, self-care, self-empowerment, self-improvement

Why Is Self-Care Important?

Posted on January 6, 2021January 14, 2021 by Cynthia D. Griffin

If you have been following my blog lately, you know that I have had a common theme in several of my posts on the topic of self-care. This is because this practice has taken a major front seat in my life, and since making this change, I’ve enjoyed richer life experiences.

So I would like to take the time to write out some blog posts on my knowledge of self-care and how powerful it can be, not only for myself (because it’s been a passion of mine for awhile), but anyone that might be interested in starting their own self-care practice, or those wanting validation (and support) for a the self-care practice they already have in place.

I will get the ball rolling with discussing why self-care is so important.

Self-care is the ultimate expression of love. When we love ourselves enough to care how we feel, we are showing love not just to ourselves, but others too. We can do more, be more, and share more when we are at our best. This is why self-care is an important practice to have in our lives.

The misconception is common that we should put others first, that if we take time for ourselves or focus on ourselves too much, then we are being selfish. But how can a person be a functioning member of their friends, family, or even society, if they are stressed out, frazzled, and/or too sick to give back time or effort?

When we don’t feel good (for any reason, no matter how big or small), we are not just stealing from ourselves, but every other person we come in contact with. We are stealing the opportunity to have peace, joy, love, and happiness. We are stealing the opportunity to be our best selves.

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artistic, blog, blog series, Celebrating the Journey Of, creativity, inspirational, the creative process

Celebrating the Journey Of Nature Bound Design Co

Posted on January 4, 2021January 4, 2021 by Cynthia D. Griffin

One of the things that I have loved doing in the past on my blog is author interviews for books or series I have read. I’ve decided that I want to broaden that concept and start doing interviews for other people too. There are so many wonderfully talented individuals out there, and I want to celebrate at least some of them on my blog.

So I’ve created this new blog series that I hope to post on at least several times a month, celebrating the journeys of some interesting people I either know, or happen to meet along my own journey.

I’m going to get the ball rolling with Sophia who I met through this blog. She has a business creating handmade jewelry. I saw her products and decided I had to know more about her and her business. So I’m going to hand this over to Sophia, so she can tell you more about her journey.

I love your jewelry designs. I’m curious to know more about your business Nature Bound Design Co. Can you tell us how you got started?

I really got started through my love for nature and the outdoors. I was born in Germany, and I was always out and about there, exploring the beautiful forests and natural areas that my part of that country had to offer. Sometimes my family would go on long hikes as a group, and sometimes I would just spend time in the woods near my house. I was lucky enough to live at the end of a road that terminated near a large forest, so there was plenty of nature to explore right in my backyard! From that exploration grew a love of natural materials, like stones.

I have always been a creative type. From building things to painting and creating music, I have always felt an overwhelming urge to create. One day, I was exploring YouTube and noticed someone creating jewelry from polymer clay pieces that looked like colorful stones. I gave this a try myself, but I found that I didn’t like the non-authentic nature of the clay or the way it smelled when baking. So I decided to try to create with the real stones that I had adored since I was young.

Wire wrapping seemed to be one of the most popular ways to approach this, so I started devouring YouTube videos about how to wire wrap stones. After much practice, I got good enough to feel comfortable opening an Etsy shop to sell what I had created. Close friends were my first customers and support, and I am so thankful that they provided me a foundation to get started!

Tell us a little more about the products you make?

I create mostly wired wrapped jewelry, although I do some beaded pieces that are strung together without any kind of wirework. My hope is to start doing some projects with leather this year, since I just launched a men’s line, so I will be offering woven pieces soon as well!

What makes jewelry making so special to you?

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Christmas, inspirational, seasons greetings

A Christmas Card To You

Posted on December 20, 2020December 26, 2020 by Cynthia D. Griffin

I love receiving Christmas cards in the mail. We even have a doorway we hang them all up so we can see them every time we enter the living room. The cards aren’t just lovely thoughts that come in the mail, I use them as a Christmas decoration too.

Sadly, I’m not that great at sending out Christmas cards myself. Last year, I actually sent out a Christmas letter, because we had moved and I wanted to keep everyone up to date about how we were doing, and it just felt right to do. But I really suck at keeping up a tradition that others seem to like to do.

Maybe that’s part of my problem. I never liked to follow the crowd. I always liked doing things my way. And I often buck “traditional” things, especially if it’s expected. Yep, I’m a total rebel. lol…

I struggled with whether to send out cards or a letter this year, and ultimately decided to just stop trying to be like everyone else. I’m just not a send-a-card kind of person. I am a blogger though. And I do love finding fun ways to lift people up and let them know I care about them. So instead, I’m sending Christmas wishes through my blog this year.

The best part is that by posting a Christmas greeting on my blog, I’m not just sending a greeting to a select few, I’m sending it out to everyone. So here you all go, whether I know you personally or not, here is a Christmas card greeting for you.

My Dear Friends (and Family),

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