Let You Light Shine!

Today is the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. The next few days are the darkest of the year. This year the Winter Solstice also coincides with the December New Moon. Time to shine some light! Not just strings of holiday lights. Now is an excellent time to look at our light inside and let it shine. Let Your Light Shine  and you will attract the people, ideas and things you need to be your most beautiful best self.Let Your Light Shine and see the beauty all around you. Let Your Light Shine and the beauty that you bring to the world will be seen! Your beauty will lighten the darkness.Happy Holidays!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfz0MtwThYM

Fairy Tales and Fairy Godmothers

Do you read fairy tales? This week there were several reviews of new or re-issued books of fairy tales on some of the blogs I  follow. Reading them  ( and adding to my books wanted list!) I began to wonder why some of us never tire of versions of the same stories over the course of our lives. Some of us love the enchanting illustrated versions -there are many available this year! Some of us have favorite stories and some of us have favorite themes or characters. One of my favorite characters is the Fairy Godmother. Have you ever wished that you had a Fairy Godmother?  Do you know any Fairy Godmothers? Do you have one? Are you one? I made a video this week with a reflection on Fairy Godmothers. You can watch it here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq9l6pmGXKw
Here are some of my favorite blogs about fairy tales:
 SurLaLune  http://surlalunefairytales.blogspot.com    
Fairy Tale Fandom http://www.fairytalefandom.com
and my favorite Canta Fiabe Smemorato  https://cantafiabesmemorato.wordpress.com
It is Italian, but you can get translations!
I would love to receive  your comments and opinions about Fairy Tales, Fairy Godmothers and blogs about Fairy Tales! Leave a comment below or email me  colleen412@gmail.com

An unsolicited teastimonial for the 10 Days to Creative Flow Challenge from Sara Waters

It was so much fun finding Sara Waters http://creativeflow.squarespace.com/ again! Here are some things she inspired me to do (click on images to enlarge):

I also made a new tunic as the main part of the challenge. I had been wondering what to make with this lovely soft fluffy peach and multi -color yarn. Here it is in my video!
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64Py2f4qmiE
Do you participate in Facebook or blog challenges? I would love to read your comments  and see challenges you have completed! Please leave a comment or send me an email  colleen412@gmail.com

Crazy Beautiful Facebook friends meet up for Tea and Bubbles

It was so much fun to meet my Facebook friend Jan in person! Jan is an artist with a playful, creative spirit. She mentioned in a post that she would like to have Tea and Bubbles with me. When she made her autumn travels we managed to get together!
Have you ever met a cyber friend in person? Please leave a comment or send me an email colleen412@gmail.com.

When you look good, do you feel good?

This week on my my video I ask  two questions:
When you look good , do you feel good?
When you feel good , do you look good?
Please take a moment to answer these questions for yourself. If you have been reading any of these pages you will already know my thoughts.  Beauty FEELS GOOD. Feeling good is key to looking good. I invite you to look for what is beautiful about your face and body and appreciate your beauty. When you dress yourself choose clothes that feel good and look good. Give away,trade , sell or throw away the things that do not fit, feel good and look good on you. Even if you are going to schlepp around in sweats or pajamas all day - I do sometimes ;^) - they can be in colors that look good on you and you can wear some jewelry or a lovely scarf or put something pretty in your hair or even put some color on your face if you like! Whatever makes you look good and feel good ! Looking good and feeling good has nothing to do with age, size, weight,etc. It's about your attitude and appreciating your unique beauty.

                                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HAqj_60Jrc

Please leave me a comment or send me an email  colleen412@gmail.com and share your views.

What in your life influences your concept and appreciation of beauty?

I am still enjoying the interactive nü Icon movie by Laura Hollick this year http://nuiconmovie.com/
It is not too late to join and participate! This is a totally unsolicited testimonial . I just love the insights that watching her films and working through her exercises bring.
This week I made a portal to guide me from where I am now to where would like to be.

The messages are not new to me-  I just have to summon up enough courage to do them!
 So we had some time to sit with our portals and then came the assignment to gather up the elements that make up  our iconic essence, form them into a star, and see what the message is. It was another
challenge. Here is my star:

Again, no real surprises -except that I had never really put it all together. So far the message is:
I am discovering my true calling by feeling Beautiful, Cherished, Fulfilled, and Inspired.
My portal bridges tell me to Dance with Life, Love what is Now, Shine my Light, and Appreciate my Beauty. Another chance to summon up courage...
Why am I sharing all this? I have been so moved by the other people who have been participating on the Facebook page. If you want some insight to pull things together for you on how to move toward your desire Join us!http://nuiconmovie.com/  It's free and there is a very supportive group of people sharing their own insights and supporting each other.
This week's video  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xkrmsfg6JHY is on the subject. I am enjoying being in my enchanted, magical fairy tale woodland! No courage required!  ;^)
Please leave a comment below or email me colleen412@gmail.com  Does any of this resonate? Does it help you to appreciate beauty everyday? Can any of this help you to embody your ageless beauty?

"Heaven on earth--if we're not seeing it, it's because we're not living it." Tambra Harck

This week's video for the 52 Videos in 52 Weeks Challenge set by Michelle White Hart.

 I want to share the quotation from Tambra Harck who is leading  http://www.youareusymposium.com
The quotation comes from a live chat and has been posted on the You Are U Facebook page. It inspired me to post photos of my autumn landscape which for me is a reminder everyday that I do indeed live in a place that is Heaven on earth.
What is your feeling about living Heaven on earth? Are you living it? Everyday? Some days? Perhaps for you it is not about your landscape. It may be your passion about your life's work, or your family and friends, or music, dance, art...What makes you feel happy and fulfilled?
Please leave a comment and share your Heaven on earth!

Who Has Influenced You to See and Appreciate Beauty?

This week I am posting my second in a series of 52 Videos in 52 Weeks- a challenge led by Video Visibility High Priestess Michelle White Hart. I am giving an unsolicited testimonial to Laura Hollick for her nü Icon Movie  http://nuiconmovie.com/ click here to register for free to see the movie and to participate in the rituals that accompany each episode. The first steps this year include looking at your favorite art masterpieces and following a guided exercise to discover your Iconic Inner Essence. I love how it relates to appreciating beauty in the art that inspires us and beauty we can discover within ourselves.
Here is my response to the Iconic Inner Essence  discovery ritual.

I hope you find this fun and enlightening! When you register at  http://nuiconmovie.com/ you will also be able to join the interactive Facebook page and participate in the rituals.
I appreciate Laura Hollick's work  so much because she awakens people to beauty, she creates beauty, and she inspires  us to see, appreciate and create beauty from within ourselves.

My First Steps to Ageless Beauty Embodiment - Part One

How do you FEEL when you see yourself in the mirror?  I remember one day in my sewing room. I was making a darling little dresses for my dolls so that I could make  photos  for an Impressionist painting photo challenge for a group I belong to. I caught a glance of myself in the mirror. I was horrified!  There I was dressed in an ugly sweatsuit with very messy hair piled on top of my head- looking about 110 years old.

It was a wake-up call as I looked around at my lovely doll collection and then at myself! I decided then and there to begin to care for myself as well as I care for, cherish and dress my beautiful dolls! I realised that not only is it Never Too Late To Have A Happy Childhood but that it is also Never Too Late To Look and Feel Your Most Beautiful Best. My dolls taught me quite a lesson that day. I was appreciating their exquisite beauty - many of them are one of a kind, hand made by talented artists- but I was not appreciating my own unique beauty.
So I took the first step. I would continue to appreciate beauty everyday and expand my appreciation to everything beautiful in my life. My friends and family, my pets, my beautiful landscape, my surroundings, music, food - everything beautiful in my life. I hoped that by appreciating the beauty around me I would be able to rediscover the beauty within me. I would also begin to do one small thing everyday to begin to appreciate my own beauty no matter what my age. To be continued...

A Vacation!

I had a fabulous vacation at the beach in Florida. Quite a change of scene for me from my woodland hills and valley which are becoming cool and autumnal!
I enjoyed the change of pace. Balmy dawns on the balcony dancing and stretching as the sun rose over the ocean.Gorgeous sunsets and starlit nights on the ocean. I had lovely fresh seafood and some delicious authentic Italian food. It was so very easy to Appreciate Beauty Everyday!

Ageless Beauty Embodiment : Beauty is a feeling!

Age is just a number, Beauty is a Feeling!I love inspiring women to be their most beautiful best. I believe in the Ageless Beauty within us that is our truth, our essence, our expression of  divine energy. I see every woman as uniquely beautiful. It's not about age or size (those are just numbers!)- nor is it the same as  fashion or glamor-although many of us have fun with those.
 It lights me up to inspire women over 40 to feel energized and happy in their bodies, to appreciate their unique beauty and to be the radiant most beautiful expression of themselves.
 I am on a mission to reawaken you if you are a woman who feels as if you are growing  "old ", "burnt out ", and beginning to sleepwalk through life. Maybe you feel as if something is missing from your life- maybe you are even feeling numbed out and on auto-pilot. Perhaps you have gained a bit of weight, your skin is losing it's glow, and you don't like who you see in the mirror! It saddens me that so many of us are disappointed by the way we look and feel.
 I would love to guide you to discover how to embody your radiant energy, your unique beauty, and to light up your life! When you discover how to embody your most beautiful self you will feel fabulous, radiant, energized and confident. You will live your truth. You can help to save the world and have fun doing it!
I invite you to contact me
 colleen@agelessbeautyembodiment.com
 and we can schedule a free Discovery Session to see how you can be your most beautiful best. 

Favorites Languishing in the Closet

http://youtu.be/BK_-1EFK72oMy Friday Fun videos and my Wednesday Work on Message videos are beginning to merge. My Message has to be Fun or I am not going anywhere with it. This video did not come out at all as I intended, but maybe I can learn something from it. I am still floundering about - no clear concise "I can help you with this" message yet. Comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism are welcome!

Being Ageless ~Choose One Beautiful Thing About You!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFy-gC3U-Cw&feature=youtu.be

I love inspiring you to be your most beautiful best! The Ageless Beauty within you is your truth, your essence, and your expression of divine energy. My wish is to encourage you to Embody your Ageless Beauty- a steep learning curve for some of us! I have been there. I see every woman as uniquely beautiful- it's not about age, size,  weight, coloring, etc. It's not the same as glamor or fashion (although some of us have fun with those!) It is your unique expression of who you truly are.
So many of us hide our Ageless beauty, or worse, deny it! I want to inspire you to acknowledge and embody your Ageless Beauty so that you feel radiant,energized and confident. So that you are living your truth. So that you can be the powerful source you are meant to be- to help save the world and have FUN doing it!
Today I ask you to take one small step. Choose just one thing about your body that you can appreciate and see as beautiful. It may be your smile, the color of your eyes or hair, your strong legs, your lovely arms that hug, your capable hands.... Spend this week appreciating whatever you have chosen. Please leave a comment and share what you have discovered that is beautiful about you.

Fairy Tales

Happy Friday! In this video I am coming out of the closet and admitting that I am a Fairy Tale addict. I would LOVE some comments. Any other Fairy Tale fans here? Especially those who read/ watch the more recent re-tellings ? Still working on getting my message clear. My Ideal Client would definitely be open to Fairy Tales about courage, resilience, kindness, overcoming obstacles.....
http://youtu.be/2i2Cb9RxCNs

Wednesday Work On My Message Day

Wednesday Work On My Message Day! Still feeling my way to my message.It lights me up to inspire women over 50 to feel energized and happy in their bodies, to appreciate their unique beauty and to be the radiant most beautiful expression of themselves. It saddens me that many of us are disappointed by the way we look and feel. This video has some ideas for discovering what makes us feel good.
Today I want to explore a bit of time travel with you. Think about times when you felt most at ease in your body and happy. What ages were you/?What was your life like? What did you do, how did you play, what did you wear, what did you eat? Who were your friends and companions? See if you can recapture that ease in you body and that happiness in your life today.. Also try picturing your life a year or 5 years or 10 years from now. What makes you feel good, happy, at ease in your body? Again, using the questions above- what are you doing , how are you living? Who are you with ? Write down your answers. See how you can add more of the people,  activities, and things that make you feel good into your life now. I would love comments and constructive criticism! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XRVGF_PboQ&feature=youtu.be

Beauty and Abundance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww39qVthfGk&feature=youtu.be
Fun Friday video in the blueberry field! It's a very hot August day and there are still lots of blueberries on the bushes despite the squirrels,wasps, and the birds.There is Beauty and Abundance all around us - if we just take the time to notice! The basket had 3 quarts of luscious blueberries! It is a gloriously abundant summer this year -flowers, fruit,and vegetables galore.What is beautiful and abundant in your life right now? Please leave a comment below!

Being Ageless~Appreciating Beauty Everyday

 I am posting videos on Wednesday - working on my message.Here is today's video - which ended up having an essay in the description. I would LOVE constructive criticism. Also I would love to see what beauty you appreciate and how it makes you feel!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZKGLKzJAyI

Being Ageless ~Never Too Old To Swing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZH8aeEkaak&feature=youtu.be

Today I am  Wondering if there is something FUN you think you are too old to do. What is it? Are you willing to give it a go? Can you enjoy it today?

Being Ageless~The power of Play

I have several "work stations" in the house as well as outdoors. Today's video shows the one in a corner of my bedroom which is the most relaxing. It is an area where I do work which requires reflection.I take little breaks to play and to appreciate the beauty around me- the views from the windows, my doll collection, the lovely things in my room.

 Play is definitely a component in Ageless Beauty Embodiment. Wednesdays and Fridays are now my days for videos. Working on being consistent in turning them out and feeling my way to my message.
Somehow writing just isn't doing it for me. Too many notes- too much paper- too many files on the computer! When I have to do a video , ideas get condensed. Comments and constructive criticism are requested!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwZ7Rp1aCG0

Today I would like to inspire you to reflect some more about Being Ageless. One of my favorite expressions is "It's never too late to have a happy childhood- it's never to early to tap into your older inner wise woman." In the video today  I give you ideas for tapping into your younger self and your older self. You might be surprised to hear what they have to say to you.
 The video was filmed on my dance floor in the woods - a long held wish come true! I look forward to  cooler late summer nights and crisp autumn evenings dancing under the stars. It's never too late...
http://youtu.be/HHGekWcEzrs

Feeling Ageless

What is the experience of feeling ageless?
Do you ever feel like you are a child again? Maybe you are riding your bike or singing along and  dancing to a favorite old song -or perhaps you are outside on a lovely summer day with the sun in a clear blue sky and a cool breeze to temper the heat.
It could be the experience of eating something you loved as a child.The damson plums in late summer take me back to being  about 9 years old and eating damsons right off a huge tree I used to climb in my stepmother's backyard. I feel like a little girl again and I can see the tree and that backyard when I take a bite from the first damson plum every year.
Perhaps it is seeing a photo of a place or seeing a toy, book or plaything from your childhood.
Or maybe you feel like a teenager again when you are with your best friend and you are cruising down the highway with your favorite golden oldies blasting in the car!
On the other hand, sometimes you may feel quite old- you may even remember feeling old when you were quite young!
Do you experience a sense of being ageless inside no matter what the calendar or the mirror tell you?
It is enlightening to keep a little notebook to jot down when you feel young and when you feel old. What brought on the feeling? Soon you discover that inside you are ageless.....
Next time I plan to post an exercise or two to inspire you to discover the ageless you.
I posted a video about this here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HGzKvLiIWE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awTHIT30OAE&feature=youtu.be

Thanks to Jan Blount , Laura Madden , and Meilin Ankermann-Ehlke for inspiring me to get some bubbles! I can begin to see that play is a big part of my so far elusive brand.....http://youtu.be/awTHIT30OAE

Hi Beautiful Ones! Here is my Friday video- having fun with color. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cullsbh-0qk&feature=youtu.be
Another short one follows showing colored mandalas.

Crazy Beautiful Coloring

It's fun to color while you are waiting or travelling ! There are many beautiful books on Coloring Mandalas,Mandalas for Meditation,etc. from Shambala Press ...

youtube.com

Coloring Mandalas 2

Here is Part 2 of my Coloring Mandalas. It's so much fun to play with color! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3Y5khFC7ww&feature=youtu.be If you do not already play with coloring -try some mandala coloring this weekend! See what shapes and colors speak to you. Let us know , post your colored mandalas- maybe with an inspiring  text overlaid on it!

Coloring Mandalas

Appreciating my beautiful summer landscape

Hi beautiful ones! I got ready to shoot a video, and it was too dark and I was feeling discouraged, low energy , not my usual self. So I had a cup of tea and just sat and felt my feelings ( THANK YOU Michelle White Hart, Julia Minden, and Angela Gower- Johnson). I decided to make a video of what I love about summer ....Appreciate the Beauty around you and you bring out the beauty within you. Check out the tiny tree frog in the daylily! I did not see it until I stuck my nose in the flower to smell it! It's a miracle it was still there when i fetched my camera. http://youtu.be/FqGgW2lQK10

This Friday's video : summer skirt. Perfect for today. The top is actually red and white but it did not film that way. LOVE the discussions about why we wear what we wear. Do you wear long skirts/ do you find them cooler than jeans, shorts, etc.? I feel so dressy in a long skirt- I have loved them since I was a child! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIMnXPguWv4&feature=youtu.be

My Friday/ Venus day video this week is about how I choose what to wear. A CRAZY BEautiful tip - dress how you want to feel.
http://youtu.be/wwhj_GMaWFg

For Ursula O 'Connell and the 30 Day Bring It On Challenge - Today we were to raise our vibrations with Appreciation ! So here are photos I took that fully express my appreciation for the life I lead!

I am working on my message!

I love inspiring people to be their most beautiful best. I believe in the Ageless Beauty within us that is our truth, our essence, our expression of our divine energy. I see every woman as uniquely beautiful--it's not about size or age--it's not the same as glamor or fashion (although some of us have fun with those- Laura Madden comes to mind!). So many of us hide our Ageless Beauty , or worse, deny it! I want to inspire women over 40 to bring out their Ageless Beauty and allow their true essence to be expressed in their bodies. When a woman embodies her most beautiful best self she feels fabulous, radiant, energized and confident. She is living her truth. She is a powerful force. She can use her power to help save the world and have FUN doing it! I want to harness my Starpower by inspiring women over 40 to embody their Ageless Beauty---I want to start the Ageless Beauty Embodiment movement! Thank you for letting me "think aloud " here! 

Appreciating Beauty Everyday is going to be a major component in Ageless BeautyEmbodiment. We bring forth the Ageless Beauty within us when we appreciate the beauty around us- a wonderful daily practice!

I am starting a movement on Facebook at Colleen Gilbert- Ageless Beauty Embodiment LLC
Come and join us!

Life is a Picnic! My birthday video....

I managed to fulfill the 30 Day /30 Video Vamp Up Your Visibility With Video Challenge. I made a brief film of my introductory video and my wrap up video just to see how much progress I made. Still learning about lighting, camera angles, and editing!

Playing is a very important part of my life. One of my many ways of playing is with my doll collection. I am sharing a video I made that features some of my dolls in clothes I sewed or crocheted. I love photographing them in little vignettes - especially in the garden! I belong to several Doll Collector's groups in which we have challenges for various doll adventures, sewing challenges, etc.  Beware! I will be posting more!

I made this video in response to a post by Bethany Perry about our Inner Princess. In this video I want to show how my Inner Princess has a childlike love of  the beauty of Springtime and her birthday!

I am trying to become more at ease singing in front of a video camera. I actually thought it would be easier than singing for an audience. I was quite mistaken. I will be doing more of these until I figure out how to be more at ease. It would definitely help if I had an accompanist/ accomplice! Comments/suggestions are welcome!

So, two days after the ice storm video I just posted we had the First Day of Spring! One lovely, warm sunny day before the temperature began to cool off again. I enjoyed the day very much and I made this video in my secret garden.I had to compress this considerably to upload it to Blogger. I will set up a Youtube channel soon. Maybe then the videos will not have to be so compressed.

Today I want to show you my brief video of the second ice storm we had this month of March! I apologise for the video compression - Blogger will only upload very compressed videos! When I get brave enough to post on Youtube you will be able to see better quality. I use Sony Cybershot and on my computer and on a closed private Facebook page these look great.

Today I would like to begin sharing a few selected videos I have been making for a 30 Day Video Challenge. I had my camera for almost a year- unpacked , still in the box- until this Challenge. I am learning a great deal about light and camera angles. Then there is all the techie stuff about making the video and posting it. The worst for me is watching myself on video. This is a real eye opener for discovering where my deepest vulnerabilities are... The first one I am sharing was taken midway through the challenge when many of the participants were feeling daunted.

I'm in a 30 Day Video Challenge! I am overcoming my fear of being seen.....

Yikes! I'm in a 30 day Video Challenge.  So far I have resisted posting the videos here.  Some of you want to see the videos- but you can't because they are  posted in a closed group. So today I am going to work on getting them up here. The theme  so far is  overcoming my fear of being seen. It is a journey taken with baby steps....