Once Thanksgiving is over, I like to focus toward the future. Granted, I am pretty much always looking forward, but this time of the year is key for me. I take the time to reflect back over the past year. Did I accomplish the goals I set out to do? Then I look at what’s coming. What’s next? What do I want to focus on in the coming year? Now is the time I choose my word of the year.

How many of you have a word of the year? For those of you who wonder what I am talking about, having a word of the year is a powerful way to work on yourself or what you want to achieve throughout the year. Choose a word that resonates with you, something meaningful, something that you want to focus on, or just something you want to be more mindful about. Write it down and put it somewhere that you will see it regularly and keep it top of mind. Some of my past words are Shine, Abundance, Grace, and this past year, Limitless.

I don’t know what it’ll be for 2019. I have a couple friends who already know, and I really like what they’ve come up with. I’ve been tossing around “Magic” and “Create” but I feel like there is still something more exact to be discovered. I’d love to hear what your word is, either this past year, or what you’re thinking about for next year. Comment on my FaceBook page, or email. I’d love to hear from you!

Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/reggi_coles

Reggi Coles

Threadvertizing

I got back for the International Quilt Festival in Houston about a week ago, and what a wonderful and fun trip it was. We had a luxurious place to stay that was a comfortable walk from the convention center, and not far from an incredibly diverse grocery store. As always, there were hundreds of classes to choose from, a vendor mall that was so big it was overwhelming, and a fabulous display of quilts.

There was so much to see, such beautiful artistry. The quilts were colorful and original. They were pieced, painted, dyed, whole cloth, embellished. There was every size and shape imaginable. They even had a display of saddles that had been quilted. It was a lot to take in, especially when you’re trying to find the quilt that you know your friend entered, but you have no idea where in the center it was! There was inspiration to be found everywhere you looked.

I chose classes to learn new techniques, and that gave me the opportunity to play around with some different materials, including paints and dyes, silk roving, different stabilizers and cheesecloth. The opportunity to learn from other quilters, other fiber artists is one that I always look forward to. The experience did not disappoint. Although neither item is quite finished yet, my pictures here show the work in progress from the classes.

It doesn’t really matter how good you are, there is always more that you can learn. There are always explorations that you haven’t done before, techniques to learn, art to make. Never stop learning, never stop creating.

Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/reggi_coles

Reggi Coles

Threadvertizing

I was watching the news this morning on the horrible wild fires in California. This right on the heels of the night club shooting, the yoga studio shooting, the plane crash, the synagogue shooting. Which was not too long after a hurricane devastated parts of Florida. Countless lives loss. Precious lives lost. I mention these tragedies, not to add to sadness, or horribilize the world, but rather to remind us to live for today. Be Present.

Life is one of the greatest gifts we are given, as are our families and friends. It’s easy to get caught up in the daily hustle and bustle. We quickly rush from one appointment to another, grabbing a quick lunch or snack and eating on the go because that’s all we have time for. Only to rush home for soccer games, school plays, dance lessons, hockey practice, the list goes on and on. The end of the day comes and we fall into bed, hoping we got it all accomplished before we have to get up and do it all over again.

Is that being present? Is that really the way we want to live our lives? Are we really fulfilling the divine destiny that calls our souls? I’m willing to bet it isn’t, and we aren’t. I want to encourage you to Be Present. There’s nothing wrong with doing things, with caring for our children and encouraging them to taste what life has to offer, doing things we enjoy. But at some point you need to draw the line. You need to just stop and say “enough”. How many activities does your child really need to be involved in? How many things do you really need to commit to? How much do you really, really need to cram into your day?

Be Present. We never know how much time we will have with our loved ones. It’s time to slow down a little, and enjoy our time here. Enjoy the time we have with our families. Show up for ourselves. Take time out of the day and just sit and enjoy breathing, being alive. Take time and be grateful for what we have. Watch a sunrise. Watch a sunset. Watch the clouds go by. Be Present.

Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/reggi_coles

Reggi Coles,

Threadvertizing