My Creative Muse Blog

Just put the finishing touches on this (if I do say so myself!) beautiful tag that is just exactly what summer means to me!  I used the beautiful work of Jamie Kidd from Creative Design Outlet.  Tags were made for my Blessings, my Always List, and all members of the CDO Main group and can be found at Fotki.

Those of you who are in Yahoo groups with me or keep up with my personal blog, Life in a House of Testosterone (now linked in the navigation bar on the MCM Blog!), know that I've just come off of a 4 day Glee marathon and am more than a tad bit obsessed with the show now and cannot wait for season 4 to begin.

Watching this show has been so extremely satisfying and inspirational to me!  I remember, very vividly in fact, what it was like in high school for me.  I was a geeky, shy girl ... usually the one in the back of the room that nobody paid any attention to.  There were several classifications in my school clique - the in crowd, the jocks, the cheerleaders, the stoners, the rebels, the geeks.  I was in the "something other" category in school and never really felt as though I fit in anywhere - except when I was in chorus.  I lived to sing back then.  I remember trying out for my school's "Glee Club" which was called the Ensemble, my senior year of high school.  I wanted to get up on that stage and sing and perform in front of all of my classmates, to be able to go to competitions and help my school win amazing awards.  My dream was to become a famous singer like Olivia Newton John or Pat Benatar or Madonna.  I don't know of a single girl in the 80's who didn't want to be just like Madonna.  That is, until my chorus teacher told me that I did not make the cut and that, while I had a 'decent' voice, I was pretty much tone deaf and would never be able to sing professionally.

Talk about having a dream thrown to the ground and stomped and shredded to bits.  I cried for days and days and days afterwards.  So, while my dreams of being famous went out the window that day, my love of singing never did.  I sang anywhere and everywhere that there was music playing.  In the car, cleaning the house, at work (when nobody was around and very, very softly LOL), walking the dog - it didn't matter.  Music has a special connection to my very soul that is as essential as breathing is to me.

I stopped singing several years ago.  My inner voice was silenced, and I have noticed that since I have not been singing, I have not been as happy as I once was.  Not as carefree.  Oh sure I still listen to music all the time, but there is a big difference between listening and singing.  The kids at McKinley High School gave me my voice back over the past four days.  They have inspired me to continue reaching for my dreams, to continue reaching for the stars, and to just SING as much as I want, or need to.

So with that in mind, I created this signature tag for a few members of the House of Tags Yahoo Group, for my own Always List, and for my Blessings List.  I would love to challenge each and every one of you that reads this, to create a tag about what your dream was that you let go of - for whatever reason.  It is never too late to get joy in your heart again, to awaken your soul, to give you something to look forward to every morning!  So start dreaming again - and leave a comment with a link to your Dreams and Inspirations tag to share with the rest of us!

I have just spent an exhausting day and a half going through all of my bookmarks and pulling out links to places that you may find of interest.  In the left sidebar on our home page, you will find My Blog List.  Every blog that I subscribe to that relates to the PSP community is listed here.  If you would like to be included but do not see your name - just send me an e-mail and I will get you added to the list!

The following items can be found in the right sidebar on our blog page.  If you would like to see a site included in any of the following lists that is not currently listed - please just send me an e-mail and tell me the name of the site and provide the link and I will get it added.  I am attempting to build a completely inclusive listing of all of the various sites that we each use and love in one central location for everyone to enjoy - so your assistance is most appreciated!

Free Fonts - My current listing of Free Font sites that are a few of my favorites.

Free Stock Photos - We all have need for a good, quality stock photo now and again in our designing and creating.  Here are quite a few who offer free photos - some require you to sign up for a free membership, others you can just download at will without registering.

Fav Forums - This is a listing of tagging and digital scrapbooking forums that I enjoy frequenting when I have a free moment.

Store Favs - This is a listing of all the PSP Licensing stores, and includes independent artist stores, a few independent poser and kit creators, etc.

Scrapbooking Favs - This is a listing of all of the scrapbooking stores that I either subscribe to or know of.  I am positive there are oodles more out there - so if you belong to one of them or subscribe to one you don't see on the list - please let me know!

This 'n That - Is exactly what it says.  A collection of some commercial use sites, posers, pixels, free tubes, etc.

Welcome Wednesday is now open ALL WEEK and starts NEW every Wednesday!  The Welcome Wednesday blog hop is hosted by Take It From Me, Happy Hour Projects and Making Memories with the McClellen Family!  Welcome Wednesday is a great way to meet new people and learn new things, as well as increase your blog followers!  So let's have some fun!

If you want to be a part of Welcome Wednesday, just follow these five (5) simple steps:

• Follow the Welcome Wednesday sponsors (as well as me too!) via Google Friend Connect, Google+, LinkyFollowers, Facebook or Twitter, as well as the Spotlight Blog of the Week!
• Link up your blog name and URL with our Linky. (You only need to add your info once for it will be seen on all the blog hops participating!)
• Grab our Welcome Wednesday button and include it in a post about the event on your blog.
• Go to as many blogs on the Linky list as you want and follow them.  Be sure to leave them a comment and tell them you are hopping by from Welcome Wednesday!
• Be sure to follow back any new followers you have gained from our Welcome Wednesday event!

This week our Spotlight Blog is:

Dana from Luv'N Lambert Life writes -

I am 30, Momma to three beautiful kids, a boy and two girls.  I am currently expecting baby number 4.  I'm engaged to Joshua.  I homeschool and am a stay-at-home Mom.  Love to read, hand paint ceramics and take pictures all the time.

What is neat about our Blog Hop:

• Put the same linky list code on your blog and you'll have the exact same list show up!
• Your blog visitors can add their blog to your list and it will show up on everyone's lists!
• By adding your blog, YOU MAY BE RANDOMLY CHOSEN FOR OUR BLOG SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK!
• Leave a comment with your blog address if you are new to our hop so we can follow you back!