I’ve been to Texas before and you can read about that trip here. The boys stayed with their Dad and the Pups; Oreo and Sofy went to my hometown in Lodi to stay with my parents.

Inspire Workshop!

The Inspire Workshop is hosted by KariAnne Woods of Thistlewood Farms. It is for any blogger seeking assistance on helping to build your blog or helping you create a framework on how to build a successful blog.

Note aside: If you don’t remember KariAnne, you can read my posts about her here.

The trip to Texas was a combination of work and visiting old friends. I signed up to attend the “Inspire Workshop” with KariAnne Woods of Thistlewood Farms and of course, factored in some additional time for shopping and visiting one of my best friends.

My Favorite Shops in Waco, Texas!

As I sat nestled, shoulder to shoulder, in the center seat, on my flight to Austin, a thought entered my mind.  “What is the next chapter in this book of my life?

Will the Inspire Workshop provide me the answer?

With trepidation and excitement I think of the upcoming workshop.  Seeing KariAnne and meeting the other women bloggers creates a bit of fear, but I tell myself, “I got this!’

As the plane begins it’s decent from the sky, the women next to me shifts in her seat.  She seems nervous.  As the pilot lands the plane onto the runway, the women in the seat next to me, gasps in fear and positions her hands in a prayer position. She calls out to her higher power in a language I don’t speak. 

Tears of empathy and understanding fall from my eyes.  My hand touches her shoulder to reassure her all is fine.  As I sit, wiping away my tears, I felt her fear, I had my own. 

I believe we are all fearful, but we all must embrace the suck. I’m reminded of these words over and over again as Brené Brown writes them in my favorite books.   As I sit I’m feeling hopeful, I click over to Audible for my daily does of inspiration and I reflect on what I will embark upon this weekend. 

The women’s hands forming a prayer position, reminds me to stay encouraged, to reach out to my Higher Power and to continue to believe that we are all amazing.  “RockStars”, as KariAnne says!

Once I arrived in Austin, I rented a car to drive to McKinney, Texas. Of course, on the way I made time to stop in Waco to visit some of my favorite shops. 

I thought you might be curious about my favorites as this is my third trip to Waco!

My Favorite Shops in Waco, Texas!

Here is a list of my favorite shops in Waco, Texas:

• Magnolia Market and the Silos
• The Findery
• Harp Design Co.
• Junque in the Trunk
• Spice Village
• Junky Monkey
• The Little Shop on Bosque

On Sunday morning I woke and drove back to Austin to spend time with my BFF and her daughter. 

The Inspire Workshop has been present in my thoughts since the day I left McKinney. I learned some amazing lessons and met some incredible women. KariAnne is an amazing woman and I am so thankful for her lessons. The food and it’s amazing decor of old trucks and evergreen trees trailed with fall leaves and little pumpkins was quite the show. It was all compliments of Barbara from Gasthaus on the Meadow. Don’t forget to check out her website here.

Leaving my home and family of five behind for an inspiring and fulfilling trip put a tad of guilt on my heart.  Balancing my family of five and work always comes with a price.  This trip was a necessary thing for me to do and I am so grateful I had the opportunity.

If you get the chance to visit Waco, be sure to check out My Favorite Shops in Waco.

Now go out there and create something.

Cynthia

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DIY Valentine’s Day Pillow

I admit I’m jumping ahead a little with Valentine’s Day about a month away, but I always take my Christmas Decorations down on January 1st and my home seems so naked without all the fluff and circumstance.

It’s been a tradition to get rid of Christmas on January 1st since my oldest son Luke has a birthday on January 4th, and shortly after my youngest son Troy has a birthday on February 4th.

I don’t like mixing Christmas and Birthday’s. Of course, I would not want to miss out on any celebration, decoration or holiday planning opportunities. LOL

So, the XOXO pillow popped into my head and I had everything I needed and it was Super Easy and came out Super Cute. No need for a video on this one, but you can check out my son’s birthday video here. Troy and I left Reno early this week to be home on the 4th for Luke’s birthday. Don’t forget to subscribe to my You Tube channel and hit the notifications button.

Here’s what you need to make the DIY XOXO Pillow. I’ve included all the links below:

1. A Maker’s Studio Mesh Stencil XOXO 9×12
2. A Maker’s Studio Gel Art Ink in White, which comes in 13 other colors.
3. Ikea Pillow Cover Cushion Sleeve 20” X 20″ Cotton Black Gurli, which also comes in white or red and possibly others. I purchased mine on Amazon.
4. Ikea Inner Insert Cushion Throw Pillow, 20 X 20-Inch, I purchased mine on Amazon.
5. A Maker’s Studio Scraper or your finger works too.

p.s. if you purchase any of the above products I may be compensated as well.

I love how this pillow turned out and although it’s perfect for the upcoming Valentine’s Day it really can be used all year long anywhere in your home.

If you enjoy crafting pillows you can check out my post on the “DIY Holiday Pillow with Essential Stencils and Gel Art Ink”. This post includes a video with some helpful tips.

Sweet Friends, what Valentine projects are you working on? Please share a comment as I’d love to hear.

Make it a great day.

The post DIY XOXO Pillow appeared first on Create With Cynthia.

If you’ve been following me along on Instagram you’ll know I was in the yellow rose of Texas. It was interesting weather; quick bouts of rain storms, lots of clouds and a heck of a lot of humidity.  

All just to attend the Texas Pinner’s Conference?

The Texas Pinner’s Conference was in Arlington, Texas.

I went primarily to the Pinner’s Conference to network and learn more about blogging.   Of course I dragged along my bestie, Annie.  It also just so happened to be my birthday week.  Wednesday, September 12^th, I turned 49.

The highlight of my trip was meeting my new friend Carol from BlueSky at Home and hearing KariAnne from Thistlewood Farms speak about blogging.

I could not find the picture of Carol and I but KariAnne and I are below.

We started in Austin to visit my other Bestie Dawny, then after two days went to Waco and lastly settled in Arlington for the Pinner’s Conference.

The week or so before I left for Texas I was so thrilled to read a blog post from Rachel Tedoro on “20 places to Visit in Waco, Texas.”

We followed her recommendation and almost shopped until we dropped.  The only place I felt that she left off the list (which we thankfully drove by on our way to Arlington from Waco,) was Junky Monkey.

This store is amazing.  Don’t forget to go upstairs and outside and check out their junk. Holy guacamole…. need an old window or an old door????

I’m off to Tennessee this week for the launch a A Maker’s Studio.  I am excited and certain it will be a trip to remember.

Where are you traveling these days???  I’d love it if you left me a comment below.

Have a great day sweet friends,

Cynthia

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