TIP TUESDAY #17 - Hey Girlfriends! Who's your She-ro?

Author, designer, creativity guru, blogger, actress, singer, TV personality and BQOTU (Bead Queen of the Universe), MARGOT POTTER, shared her wonderful energy, wit, wisdom and inspiring beliefs with Girlfriendology in a recent podcast. She spoke of her she-roes - women who have inspired her like Georgia O'Keefe and Frida Kahlo.

Then, Saturday came and it was International Women's Day. More she-roes - like women who have gone before us to secure our freedom and rights. And those women who presently live without freedom and rights and how we need to be aware and involved.

Now, for TIP TUESDAY, it is YOUR turn. This week's TIP TUESDAY question:

Who are your she-roes? And why?

Inspire us with the women who we should know about and be thankful for. Go ahead. Leave a comment girlfriend!

(For more inspiration, listen in to the Podcast with MARGOT POTTER.)

Tagged! By a new creative girlfriend!

Anyone who is a friend of my friend JILL MACKAY, is a friend of mine! (I love Jill and am in awe of her creativity and amazing design talent!) Jill has talked about her friend, and fellow super talented designer, BRENDA PINNICK for months - how she is so wonderful and kind and helpful and ... well, you get the picture.

Now, as girlfriends and girlfriend of girlfriends often do, I've become friends with Brenda through Jill and the Internet. In fact, Brenda just tagged me which means that she asked me for seven random or weird facts about myself. I'm not one to talk about me in this blog (it's all about my girlfriends and other wonderful girlfriends), but what's a girl to do? She asked, right?

So. Here goes:

1. I graduated from college barefoot and with a fake honors tassel. (I went barefoot a bunch in college, see #2, so I thought it was fitting.) Hey, at least I had clothes on under my gown!

2. I got frostbite on my feet in college. (See #1.) Ran 2 or so miles in the snow barefoot. Sober. Yep, it was for a guy who never had an interest in me. Had to be carried around to classes for a week.

3. Had drinks with Sheryl Crow. Nice person. She was dating a friend's brother.

4. Once stayed at a hotel with a convention (or "confurence") of "furbies." (Strange people who have a fetish for stuffed animals!?) Too weird to talk about. (well, at least sober.)

5. I don't play games - board games, card games, trivia, etc. My dad was a minister and we had to hang out with the 'youth group' every Sunday night and play games. My sister doesn't either. We played enough growing up.

6. Love America's Favorite Videos. People falling down, hitting each other around pinatas, doing silly things makes me giggle - a lot. Love it.

7. I was the fastest female walker in the Flying Pig Marathon in 2001. Since then, I've done six other half marathons - and never had to use a porta-let. Too much information, I know.

Okay, now I am supposed to ask seven other bloggers to participate. So, I'll tag:

Capitola Girl - I just interviewed her for my podcast (to air March 23rd) and she is a wonderful jewelry designer and an inspiring woman!

Linda Peterson - crafty, creative guru and wonderful person! And her fun blog that she updates daily!

Sorry, I know that is only two but my computer is suffering extreme fatigue (seriously!) and won't let me do much tonight. (And after I had a guy come clean it up today!) Plus, my other blogger buddies - Jill MacKay, Katie Hacker, Margot Potter, Robin Beam have already been tagged and my other blogger buddy/lawyer, Tammy Browning-Smith only focuses on legal insight on her blog.

So, creative girlfriends. Check out my creative girlfriends. Like meeting Brenda through Jill, you might come across a new girlfriend at one of their sites. You just never know!

My Sheros? My creative girlfriends!

In the big scheme of things, "sheros" are the female heros that made "herstory" (aka: women's history). On our recent podcast with author, designer, creativity guru MARGOT POTTER this past week, Margot talked about her 'sheros' - Corrie Tenbaum, Oprah, Joni Mitchell, Frida Kahlo and Georgia O'Keefe.

Since life often is about the actual people who come into our lives and make an imprint on our personality and happiness, I propose that sheros also are the women who bless us on a daily basis with their girlfriendship. Keeping with our celebration of National Craft Month, I propose that we also have creative sheros. I'm blessed, having been in the craft industry for several years, to have some of these creative mentors as dear girlfriends. So, for the coming month I'll introduce you to some of them.

I came across this photo from a Craft Industry event with a bunch of my creative girlfriends ... Sue Warden, Jill MacKay, Marie Browning, Vicki Schreiner and more. I'll introduce you to each of them and other creative women in the coming weeks to hopefully inspire and creatively motivate you! (They do that to me!)

If you have any creative women you'd like me to spotlight in this blog or on the podcast, please post a comment. Let's celebrate creativity during National Craft Month. Share your ideas, creative stories and inspiring girlfriends. Have fun girlfriends!

TIP TUESDAY #16 - Girlfriend gift embellishments?

I don't cook. Thankfully my husband does. However, if I was to cook, in an effort to save time, I'd try to find semi-finished meals and adapt them to make them my own. (I believe there is a Food Network show/personality to do all that. If I had more time, I'd watch her show!)

Sometimes that's the same with being crafty. I so wish I had more time to make and give gifts to my girlfriends. I love receiving cards and gifts that they took time to create especially for me and wish I could reciprocate with the meaningful gifts they deserve. But time is a problem right now so I often end up with a purchased product that doesn't quite have the same sentiment as a creation made specifically for a girlfriend.

So, it just seems fitting to ask YOU this week's TIP TUESDAY question:

How can/do you embellish products to make them more personalized presents? How do you add your sense of style or incorporate the gift recipients personality in embellished gifts?

One easy project I've enjoyed is just getting some picture frames and embellishing them. I've applied glitter or glitter paint, stuck on scrapbook embellishments or added beads to it - whatever suits my girlfriend's design style.

Now, your turn! Have you ever given or received a creative approach to a store-bought product? Tell us. Inspire us. Give me ideas. There are birthdays and special days coming for me and other busy women. Thanks Girlfriends!

(For more inspiration, listen in to the latest Podcast with MARGOT POTTER. That too will inspire your creativity and appreciation for girlfriends!)

Creativity Guru and Impatient Beader, MARGOT POTTER, talks with Girlfriendology

You know those rare conversations that inspire, challenge and move you to reach for your dreams? And, you know those creative women who are so dang talented in so many ways that you'd like to doubt your own creativity except they make you feel like you too have the magic creative powers they have?!

Author, designer, creativity guru, blogger, actress, singer, TV personality and BQOTU (Bead Queen of the Universe), MARGOT POTTER, with her wonderful energy, wit and wisdom, shared her inspiring beliefs with Girlfriendology in this week's podcast.

Listen to find out how this busy, creative, inspiring woman believes girlfriends need to mentor each other, be thankful for the 'sheros' who have gone before us and work together to make us all stronger. Discover the 'power of we' and 'super girlie good power' along with how to live life following your bliss. (I told you it was that good of a conversation!)

March is National Craft Month so we're celebrating by talking with author of the highly successful Impatient Beader books, Margot Potter. Listen in and get inspired!

Every week Girlfriendology interviews a girlfriend author or expert. Leave comments on Margot's podcast as well your recommendations for future interviews. We're here for you. Because YOU, girlfriends, inspire us to be better girlfriends. And, if (when?!) that spreads, the world will be a sparkly, wonderful place!

TIP TUESDAY #15 - Girlfriend inspiration, especially with creative Girlfriends!

Recently I started a group in BlogCatalog for creative women blogs. I asked these female bloggers 'what inspires them' and got back some great answers: children, nature, other artists/art, music, surfing on the web, food and more! As girlfriends we often influence each other with our creativity and supportive friendships. So, it just seems fitting to ask YOU this week's TIP TUESDAY question:

What inspires YOU? How have others impacted your personality, creativity, life?!

For me, as I mentioned in the previous blog post (below) it is often my creative girlfriends. From podcasts with JULIE STEPHANI and KATHY CANO MURILLO, to books by (upcoming podcast interviewee!) MARGOT POTTER and KATIE HACKER (who also did a podcast with us). But, what about YOU? Who and/or what inspires you?

TIP TUESDAY #14 - Creative Girlfriend Podcast Advice?

My creative buddies just returned from CHA - the Craft and Hobby Association tradeshow. Welcome home Jill, Katie, Linda, Lisa, Margot, Tammy, etc.! (Please share the newest, latest, greatest craft trends and products!)

While they were in Anaheim, I was in Nashville where I attended a PodCamp (a seminar for Podcasters and people in "new media" - podcasting, blogs and audiocasting)). There weren't near as many fun, creative women as I've always loved seeing at CHA, but it was a good crowd with more women than I've seen in my previous (short lived!) technology career. Also what is great about this new world of new media, there are so many more great ways to communicate with others which is an exciting time to be Girlfriendology and building community with women all over the world promoting female friendship!

There are a lot of creative podcasts out there. My girlfriend Dana listens to knitting podcasts from U.S. 'knitting celebrities' to a woman in Wales who talks about the yarn she gets over there, etc. So, this week's TIP TUESDAY question:

Do you listen to podcasts? If so, how often? Why? Which ones? What podcasts would you recommend for your girlfriends? Are there some best for your creative girlfriends?

Part of our goal at Girlfriendology is to, like a helpful girlfriend, share information with each other that makes our life better. Listen in to our podcast with KATHY CANO MURILLO on creative girlfriend groups. Beading designer, author, guru KATIE HACKER did a podcast with us on beading and creative women. And "the impatient beader" herself, MARGOT POTTER is about to do a podcast with us on her creative life and girlfriends. All these are based on being a good girlfriend to you.

Let us know of any "girlfriend authors or experts" we should interview on our Girlfriendology Podcasts - email ideas@girlfriendology.com. And listen in to a few podcasts and let us know what you think. We're here for our girlfriends and we'd love to hear from you!