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Decor Tip: Framed Greeting Cards

| Ella Bea + Art Effect
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Decor Tip: Framed Greeting Cards

A quick and easy way to store and display your fav or most precious greeting cards is to FRAME them!

I received this Blue Mountain card, titled Don’t Ever Lose Sight of the Wonderful Person You Are, in 2014 from my former supervisor/mentor. I now keep this card framed with a photo of me in primary school. These are the words I needed to hear as a little girl. These are the words I need to read every day to continue to become a better me.

Turn to your fav magazine for more quick, easy and FREE art! This beautiful African model rocking jumbo gold metal earrings was ripped from the pages of a Harper’s Bazaar magazine. High fashion turned high quality framed art!

    A Letter To Society

    | Ella Bea + Art Effect

    Comparison is the thief of joy. This also goes for when others compare you to the norm. For so long, I questioned why I wasn’t more a certain way. The answer is simple: life isn’t meant to be lived in a box.

    Dear Society,

    You can keep your box.

    For so long I questioned why I didn’t enjoy the monotone, barely there, beige is the new black-modern, minimalist decor aka be like the Kim Kardashian’s of the world. Fact is, I’m more of a Drew Barrymore. A wild flower that doesn’t want to be picked. The things I love most have a story to tell. That rug. Found buried under boxes at a garage sale. That lamp. Found at a thrift shop-surprised it actually works. That couch. Found sitting in a driveway and when it was too big to fit in my car, the owners loaded it in their vehicle and delivered it for free!

    If everything is too new, too perfect, too perfectly placed, the space itself loses its soul. Treasured finds are constantly in rotation, drifting from room to room in search of the perfect home. And when I no longer feel a connection, I store them for a later inspiration or release them back into the universe. From thrift it came, to thrift it return.

    This also reflects my philosophy on life. My closest friends are those who were drawn to me, where the bond was instant. When I feel a shift in energy, I pause to give it a chance to autocorrect and, if not, I give myself permission to walk away. I am incapable of making decisions too far in advance. I leave things up to chance and honor how I feel at the moment. I embrace small doses of chaos and the unknown, if everything is too perfectly still and predictable the normalcy drives my crazy.

    I’ve learned to accept my oddities. Move that rug for the hundredth time unapologetically. Avoid accidents as I swerve across multiple lanes to follow an estate sale sign. I’ve learned to be more of ME and love every indecisive, need to get a grip, so what if this doesn’t match I’m wearing it, unrelenting, wild child minute. And although I may look back from time to time and wish I was more like the rest, I know no matter how hard I try, the box will never fit.

    Backhanded Compliment

    | Ella Bea + Art Effect

    It’s the attempted delivery of a compliment but once received we don’t quite know where to put the Thank You! You know, the ones that start with “I love your shirt!” 🙂 but ends with “But I would NEVER wear that color!” 😦 

    Yeah…that moment

    Sometimes a back handed compliment is simply when a person opens their mouth and inserts foot- on accident. Most times its on purpose. Be mindful of a bitter person trying to steal your joy. Never be afraid to live bold, take a chance and take the unbeaten path. 

    So the next time someone backhand slaps you with a few uncouth words…Protect Your Joy. Live in Your Truth, Mistakes and Discoveries. Smile. Show The World That Happiness Looks Good On You!

    Life Lessons

    | Ella Bea + Art Effect

    For the past 6 months I’ve been completing what should have been a 5-day inspirational plan titled How Do I Find My Calling? This plan helped me to dig deep and reach the surface of my insecurities. A much needed soul cleansing. I’ve decided to share the plan and a few of my responses.

    Question: If you could do anything you wanted to do, you had unlimited time to get further training, unlimited money, and you could not fail, what would you do?

    My Response:

    • Be a writer/journalist
    • Own a consignment/vintage/thrift store

    Task/Assignment: When discerning your calling, it is helpful to give a thoughtful examination of your life. Note what you have enjoyed doing and feel like you have done well. List at least three illustrations in each period of your life: grade school, junior high, high school, college, post-college.

    • What kinds of challenges trigger your motivations.
    • How and why you are motivated to learn.

    MY RESPONSE: I realized a common denominator throughout my entire life is CREATIVITY and more importantly using CREATIVITY TO EXPRESS MYSELF when going thru personal challenges. When work and life is overwhelmingly stressful (my trigger) I cope by immersing myself in a CREATIVE project (my motivations).

    My BUSINESS side is what keeps me motivated to learn. It’s my strong side; my “get her done”. It’s the side of me that excels in the workplace and walks confidently in a boardroom. She is relentless and goes after whatever she wants. Unfortunately, there 
    comes a point where I become tired, bored or not challenged enough, or even afraid of my own strength (my trigger) which motivates me to switch to creative projects (my motivations).

    Final Conclusion: So often I feel torn between my CREATIVE and BUSINESS side. My feelings are if I’m in creative mode, then I’m not focused on business (work/real-life responsibilities). As of now this blog represents my creative side. After  my uncle passed away I found the motivation to begin my blog, but truthfully the idea long existed. Dealing with loss gave me the courage to follow a dream. It was the push I needed. I’m still working on establishing a business from my creative talents. I’ve been dreaming about it, mentally developing a business plan, secretly researching ideas and opportunities. I just need another push to bring both worlds together-for good.

    I challenge you to answer these questions for yourself. What have you learned about your own triggers?

    Motivated By Death

    | Ella Bea + Art Effect

    As I travel to say my goodbyes to my dear uncle who suddenly passed away from pancreatic cancer, I can’t help but notice all the empty promises I have made, the to-do list I never finished and the dreams I half accomplished.

    At this moment, life has never felt shorter. As the scripture resonates within my soul, no one knows the day or hour.  By acknowledging death we are truly able to live for today. It is when we overlook and underestimate time that it catches us off guard and desperately unprepared. I know that one day we must all leave this earth, so from this moment on I choose to be motivated by the present. For it is what we do in the present that dictates our life after death.

    Bloggin’ Ain’t Easy

    | Ella Bea + Art Effect

    Pimpin’ ain’t easy and neither is Bloggin’

    When I decided to live true to my creative self, I thought that setting up a blog would be nice and easy.  Fast forward a few months later and I haven’t done much… besides posting this blog… on me not having done much!

    Every so often I have to remind myself that there is no competition. I’m in my own lane, more like the slow, right lane versus the left. Creative processes take time and I’ve got plenty of it. So whether I post every week or once a year… it doesn’t matter as long as I make myself proud.

    Here’s a sticker to anyone else who needs to be reminded to breathe, take your time and make YOUrself proud.

    Ungracefully Leaping

    | Ella Bea + Art Effect

    “Life remains unchanged till a leap of faith runs towards heaven”  

    Life is about taking chances. It is through these leaps of faith that we uncover our strong and successful selves. Moving from South Carolina to New Mexico was definitely not as graceful as I would’ve hoped. Leaving my loved ones to live in an unfamiliar place felt more like a crash-landing. I didn’t have a clue of the true happiness and adventures that awaited me. What once was a strange land has blossomed into a home away from home.  Through EllaBea, I am excited to share my moments of truth.