Author: designingfairy

I'm Ronni, a designing fairy living among the humans! I'm a writer, illustrator, designer, and animal communicator/medium who loves to share and teach what I've learned in a fun way, whether it's providing tools in my Help! I'm Sensitive series for the sensitive folk, Healing Fairy Alphabet Deck for connecting to your intuition through Nature, the Idea Emporium for thinking like a designer to get out of boxes, or teaching in a classroom lessons I created, I hope my creations help make life more fun and easier. I like to help my fellow sensitives!

humor

10 Things to Do to Make The Holidays Special (a humorous look)

December 22, 2014December 22, 2014 designingfairy2 Comments

A humorous look at the Holidays.

1. Think how silly fruitcake is. Think of times when you received fruitcake as a gift. Draw fruitcakes. Contemplate why there are hard things in a cake. Who designed fruitcakes? A dentist?

2. Be grateful for all you have. There are so many who are less fortunate. Oh no. You are empathic so now you are thinking of those who are unfortunate. You can FEEL their pain. Now you feel deep guilt. Maybe you shouldn’t have so much. Maybe you feel guilty for not having more and WANTING more. And those poor people. No, don’t think about the whole gratefulness thing. Just go to the next one.

3. Avoid holiday music unless it is by Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole. Those dudes could really kick it. Dreamy, right?

4. Count the amount of people on Facebook that go on and on about the real meaning of Christmas and how YOU are so materialistic because you like gifts and cookies. Now laugh at them as you eat your sprinkled-laden gingerbread while playing with your new computer.

5. Drive around and watch blinking lights in the neighborhood houses and have mini seizures like the kids in Japan who watched crazy animation.

6. See how many people you can knock down in the sale aisles. Like bowling. Better yet, head to Walmart and see how many people and carts can fit into one teeny tiny narrow aisle. One? Two? Three? Four?!

7. Don’t listen to I’ll Be Home for the Holidays. I warned you on this one. Just don’t. Whoever wrote that song is a sadist.

8. Treat yourself to a fairy alphabet deck. (Oh c’mon, I had to throw in one of my products, right? And sign up for a class at an early bird rate. Oh now, I am really pushing it, eh?)

9. Watch Rudolph and laugh and repeat “I want to be a dentist,” about a million times. I just love that line! You can hang out with the Misfit Toys and not feel different. Dang it, I want to find that island! Road Trip!

10. Have a happy holiday, how ever happy looks to you, even if it is sitting under a tree in the middle of the forest with a color pencil set.

Happy Holidays from,

A Gnome House Arrives

December 15, 2014December 15, 2014 designingfairy

Thank you to my Aunt Ellen, who gifted me with an early birthday present, a gnome house. The gnomes that live in my kitchen will love it. Perhaps, they will do the dishes for me now.

Uh oh, the Dental Twins, Frank and Justine are eyeing the home. They aren’t too keen living on the cold windowsill.

Frank investigates.

Could be a war between the Dental Twins and the Kitchen Gnomes. Stay tuned…

being sensitive

Help for the Holidays

December 14, 2014December 14, 2014 designingfairy

Ebook support when you need it. BUY HERE.

being sensitive · spiritual lessons

Seeing the Value

December 12, 2014 designingfairy1 Comment

I learned an important lesson this week on feeling valued.

Usually while you are in the midst of living, you curse, complain and suffer through when bad things happen or you are uncomfortable. You don’t see the message or what you are learning until AFTER the fact.

I am teaching kids design and storytelling. My design class is eager and they carry their sketchbooks around to every class designing pants outfits and dresses during break times. They burst through the doors with enthusiasm ready to sketch. Teaching this group is invigorating and fun. I want to come up with a ton of ideas to inspire them and nurture their budding talents. They value the class and the subject.

My story class has been…a challenge. Part of the issue is we aren’t set up with the computer programs or cameras yet and so there is a lag on what I can cover vs. what I want to cover. The group of kids are all over the place in attention. They are rude, talk over me when I am trying to teach, and have little enthusiasm for the projects. I have one child that tends to finish all assignments in two minutes, handing over her notebook crying out “Done!” as if it is a race. I plan my curriculum the day before with such love, and spice it up with inspiration and fun, hoping it will catch on with this group of students. After the second try with this group, I took one look at them and set it straight. I told them we were thinking of canceling the course because this was not rewarding for anyone. I wasn’t going to be a babysitter, or jump up and down and entertain. I was physically and emotionally drained and defeated when I left that class and I never want to feel that way teaching. After my big speech the kids focused on the exercise before them, but I had already made my decision.

This was a turning point for me and I am surprised there wasn’t a big lightbulb that burst over my head in the middle of the speech. I don’t usually just give up. I have a long-standing habit of giving so much where it isn’t valued. I just keep giving and giving, and if that doesn’t work, I try harder. I was able to FEEL the devaluing while teaching in that classroom. Perhaps the feeling was shame and insecurity first because I internalized their devaluing as rejection. Then I just felt hopeless and depressed and later, the drain.

If they don’t see the value of what you are giving, you are going to feel a huge energy loss.

It’s time to look back over everything I give and decide, where is it valued? Keep those. And instead of keep trying and trying and putting it out there (in all aspects of life) only offer where its worth is reflected back.

being sensitive

Fairy Deck Course Available this Friday

December 11, 2014 designingfairy

Only $25.00. Sign up here.

being sensitive · healing art · healing fairy alphabet · lessons from the fairy

This Week’s Card is N is for Nest in High Places

December 8, 2014 designingfairy3 Comments

Christmas Cards.

Christmas Shopping.

Crazy Cooking.

Visits. Errands. Parties. Parades.

Work-related duties. Home-related duties.

Christmas music blaring.

This is the time of year of OVERLOAD of activity and information. The N is for Nest in High Places card can represent limitations and recognizing your limits, which is the word of the week.

It’s okay to have limits. Being a Capricorn and a bit of a workaholic, I have never been good at recognizing limits. I found this out the other day when I was very irritable and weepy, and headachy. It didn’t even occur to me that I was just plain tired and needed to rest. How awful to not even recognize what being tired felt like.

Being sensitive I need to be able to recognize my limits. You can push and push me, but the only result will be meltdown or overload and then I will freeze up and get nothing done.

I read a great article years ago, I think in Oprah magazine, about a woman dealing with overload asking for help from the resident coach. She was definitely wired sensitive and she came from a very successful, extroverted family. The coach suggested she choose three things that day to focus and accomplish. That’s it. Doable. The woman tried it and actually felt a sense of achievement and flow. She felt competent rather then always falling behind. How cool is that?

How can you this week focus on a few things a day to accomplish and recognize and honor your limits. For goodness sake, you aren’t Superman or Woman! (Unless there is a cape somewhere stashed away.)

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Grab your deck before they sell out over here. Deck class starts Friday.

thoughts of a sensitive

Thoughts from a sensitive: ENOUGH

December 5, 2014 designingfairy2 Comments

being sensitive · empath · Empath skills · empaths

Are Sensitive People Part Border Collie?

December 2, 2014December 2, 2014 designingfairy1 Comment

I don’t like chaos. I used to think it was wanting control but I am realizing it’s my sensitive brain needing order. It all makes sense. As a highly sensitive person, I have a ton of information coming in at once. I notice the big things, the tiny things, and the things on an intuitive level also. That’s a ton of neurons firing and sorting at once. So it makes sense if I walked into a room that was, for example, a crazy party, my brain would take in the flashing lights, the music, the people, the people and their thoughts and feelings, ALL AT ONCE and I could easily overheat my main drive.

Walking into a crazy classroom, I feel like a border collie wanting to get some order with these disorganized sheep that are wandering here and there. I look to create immediate order, and the best way to do that is create some kind of focus in the messiness in front of me. Being sensitive is all about the path of self-acceptance. If I had physical limitations, like one leg, or couldn’t see, I would have to adapt and create a way of being. And I don’t think being sensitive is a limitation, but being not the norm in society, we sure are treated as such. We need to know ourselves and know what we need. (And the positive flip side of this is I am great at editing, pulling together a product or project, and can pull out intuitive information that isn’t available to everyone, and a host of other gifts.)

I like the gas in the car analogy. If I know my car needs special gas to function well, I don’t shame and frown at the car. If I know my body can’t do milk, I don’t shame my body (although I do get frustrated when pizza is around), I listen to my body. This is what this body needs or doesn’t need. Pushing my system to just “adapt” to wild chaos and the party in front of me, is just funny. It’s ignoring how you are wired. With the party situation, I know that I need to create some focus. I can focus on my friends, or the dessert table :), or dance and just go into my own little world. Focusing can help block out the extra noise so I create order in my brain. I accept I have a border collie in me that is protecting my sensitive system. And when the little guy can’t round up the sheep, I know I will have some difficulties and will need to work through it and with it, not ignore this fact. Otherwise, I know the consequence, and it looks the same as if I had eaten that slice of pizza.

creative curriculum · creative inspiration · doodles drawings · Saturday Sketchbook · whimsical illustration

In the Sandbox

November 26, 2014 designingfairy

Belonging to yourself…

I used to have a post that was Sketchbook Saturday, because I draw like crazy on Saturdays. That’s probably why I love Saturdays so much. I’ve been feeling lately like my blog has lost its way a bit and has had less of me in it. And it dawned on my when I woke up this morning, “Hello! It’s YOUR blog!” So I am reclaiming it. And I want to play. And share. And invite you into my giant sandbox. Most of my stuff in my sketchbook has a purpose because I collect little pieces here and there for fun ways to teach. They make their way into books or classes, most the time. And hopefully, I will inspire you to make your own drawings.