Focus on this resolution alternative when you need motivation

Let's start the new year off with something fun, motivational AND creative! 

First, let me share that I'm not much for New Year's Resolutions.  In the past, I would set them, not keep them and end up feeling like a failure. 

Sound familiar? 

This year I decided I would give myself some "love" and a little positive self-talk through affirmations instead of the usual resolutions. It was pretty simple, really.  Using the alphabet, I came up with words that coordinate with each letter of the alphabet.  Here is an example:

Roben-Marie is... "an artist" "strong" "loved" or Roben-Marie "belongs" - and so it goes for each letter of the alphabet.

What started out as a simple affirmation alphabet on which to meditate each week, turned into a box of charms and the idea for a shared challenge. tweet that!

Want to join me?

It's called the Charming Challenge and begins January 1 on Instagram!

Charming Challenge Details:

WHEN: Starts Monday, January 1
WHERE: Instagram
HASHTAG: #charmingchallenge2018
FREQUENCY: Every Monday (January 1 - June 25) I will share a new affirmation charm on Instagram to coordinate with each letter of the alphabet. 
SUPPLIES: Use your creativity to make affirmation word charms that co-ordinate with each letter of the alphabet. Decorate an Altoids Tin or something like it to store them in.  I also made a changeable necklace for my charms, but that is certainly optional.
How do I participate? First, download the Affirmation Alphabet Worksheet (see below) and begin working on your affirmations. Next, create a little box to hold your charms.  Follow along each week, create your charms and share them and your thoughts about them on Instagram.
Is it free to join the challenge? You bet!

Want to make a Charming Box and Necklace just like mine?  I created a mini workshop to show you how and it's only $15!

Charming Affirmations Workshop

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I hope you will join me for the FREE Charming Challenge on Instagram (@robenmarie) starting January 1.  Let me know if you have any questions!!

Have a blessed day!

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Grab Your Free Copy of My
Affirmation Alphabet Worksheet

Enter your name and email to access your download!

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My Creative Business Toolkit: Social Media Tools

Staying social media savvy in your creative business

Social media has rapidly become one of the most important and effective ways to talk, and listen, to everyone around and I think this is especially true for the artist community. Never before have we had such unfiltered access to like-minded creatives. tweet that!

The problem is that there is just so much to think about.

Which apps or tools should you use? What is the best way to make your content visible?

I have tried a few (a lot!) of different things, until I found what works for me - here’s a round-up of my favorites.

Convertkit

Convertkit is the email marketing platform I use for communicating with my followers and customers. It’s a breeze to set up, and it charges per subscriber (instead of a flat rate), no matter how many times they sign up for your goodies!

Leadpages

I love Leadpages for their templates - they are tested and great at getting your audience to engage with your content, as well as being super simple to set up thanks to their easy-to-use drag and drop system. It’s perfect for things like creating sales pages, opt-in boxes and so much more.

SmarterQueue

This is the answer to scheduling all of your social media posts. I’ve tried a few different tools for doing this and SmarterQueue is by far my favorite. It’s much easier to use (and less expensive) than programs like Edgar, and it allows you to recycle posts (unlike tools such as Buffer). SmarterQueue makes it so simple to keep things organized; you can create multiple categories for your different types content and even pull in your blog feed so that you see great results fast.

Planoly

I have to admit - I have tried way too many Instagram schedulers. After much deliberation, I decided that I liked Planoly the most, so now I use their paid plan. It has a beautiful dashboard and makes adding content straight from your desktop really easy.  With the addition of stored hashtags, the ability to upload IG Stories and Multiple Images, it has made Instagram planning SO easy!

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Grab Your Free Copy of My Creative Business Tools:
The Complete Guide

Enter your name and email below to access your download.

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Tailwind

Tailwind is a Pinterest scheduling tool - it gives you the choice between pinning things immediately, or scheduling pins to your boards for later. It’s very powerful and has a beautiful interface, and I’m only just touching the surface of its features here… but I can’t leave without sharing my favorite thing - that it gives me fun pin suggestions based on my history.

Boardbooster

Another tool for Pinterest, I use this to help me repin my own posts in a ‘loop’ so that they are always being shared and ‘boosted’ to try and make them more visible.

Don't give up!

Sometimes it feels like the world of social media is overflowing, like there’s too much content, and there’s no way yours will ever be seen… but try not to give up. These tools will all help increase views, and ultimately engagement, giving you the opportunity to share your creativity far and wide.

Have a blessed day!

This site uses affiliate programs for monetization, which means when you click on links to various sites that I recommend in my posts and make a purchase, this can result in a commission that is credited to this site. I only recommend products I use myself.

A Season of Giving - Crafting Ideas

Need inspiration for some handmade gifts?

Look no further than this design team round-up.  These fresh, fun and clever ideas are sure to get your creative mojo going!

Ready, set, create!!!

Karen Gaunt

When was the last time you looked around the house, in the recycling bin or stopped yourself from tossing something that could be used in your art or craft projects?

Enter...the bottle cap!

Design Team member, Karen Gaunt got her “creative on” by upcyling some bottle caps for her Design Team project.

Now, fish those caps out of the bin, follow along and create your own magnets to adorn your fridge or gift to someone special.

You can view Karen's full tutorial HERE.

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Sherry Canino

Design Team member, Sherry Canino not only considers the gift to be special, but the lovely packaging as well. Don’t miss her Artsy Gift Tag Holders tutorial as she guides you in how she created hers using Art Pops™ from the Laguna Dreaming Collection

You can view Sherry's full tutorial HERE.

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Jenni Zmuda

Design Team member Jenni Zmuda is sharing with us a special mixed media art box which is perfect for gift giving with us Design Team project.

She transforms a plain cardboard box into something really special which will be cherished just as much as the gift inside it!

See Jenni's full tutorial HERE.

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Anna Friesen

Mail Art Rocks and Design Team member, Anna Friesen knocks this one out of the park! Watch as she shares her clever idea for making sweet Happy Mail Art Pockets in her latest video tutorial. It would be such a delight to see these lovelies waiting inside my mailbox! Create your own beautiful piece of "Art to Share" and send it via the good old fashioned pony express today!

See Anna's full tutorial HERE

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Ashli Oliver

Ashli Oliver is sharing with us some beautiful hand painted gift bags. Follow along with her video tutorial as she creates something which is sure to make you the hit of the party!

See Ashli's full tutorial HERE.

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Kristi Nazzaro

Kristi Nazzaro is sharing with us how she has made this beautiful and empowering Positive Affirmations Mirror for her latest project. Create your own powerful piece for yourself or someone special in your life

See Kristi's full tutorial HERE

Mixed Media Gift Tags for Christmas Tutorial

By: Sarah Donawerth

Every year, I try to add a personal touch to my gifts. I have hand-knit scarves, engraved names onto mugs, and even wrapped gifts according to each person’s house at Hogwarts (Gryffindor!).

This year, I’ve decided to personalize each gift with a mini piece of artwork on each gift tag. These gift tags can feature everyone’s favorite part of Christmas, from the tree to snowmen to stockings and cozy mittens.

Each tag features the same color palette and dots, so the whole set looks like one cohesive collection. 

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Sarah Donawerth is a writer, blogger, and published artist from Orange County, CA. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys reading Jane Austen and playing fetch with her two little dogs, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. Follow her as she crafts whatever her heart desires on her site HERE (and get access to her FREE library of clipart!).  Get social:  Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

Products Used in Tutorial

Pocket Tag Book Tutorial

As seen in Brush Magazine - Issue Two

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Products Used in Tutorial