Last Tuesday I took a little field trip to get some practice with a new camera I purchased recently. There is a beautiful Japanese Garden right here in the Valley. I'm finding out that a lot of people have no idea that it's there (you wouldnt expect it to be) but it's amazing and so peaceful. I love to go walk around, clear my head, take some photos....but the best part is that every time I leave I feel inspired.
This is the view as soon as you enter the gate!
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We had an amazing afternoon at the Coach 2 Edify (C2E) Villa with the students from the Optimum Performance Institute this past Saturday! I was fortunate enough to spend the last hour with them; and although I had examples and talked about doing a project based on the classes that Mayra (of C2E) taught earlier that day, that wasn't exactly what they did! I sort of knew that they were needing a shift after some heavy classes and a lot of information...So although they didn't do a project based page I was so happy that almost all of them embraced doing something! That they were able to sit outside in the beautiful space that Mayra has so carefully set up for her foundtion.That they were able to switch to the right side of the brain for a little while. They were so busy drawing, doodling, collaging and writing! I had a hard time choosing just a few photos but here they are! After the photos, as promised is a right up on Mayra's Soulworkout #1: Balance Wheel.
Ok, the Balance Wheel! This is basically a very useful tool that Mayra came up with to assess ourselves. A way to look at areas in our lives that may need attention. She has a quiz based on eight areas of our physical and mental well-being. There are anywhere from three to five questions to answer and although I will not put Mayra's entire class here on the blog I am going to give you two questions from each. You'll get the idea and hopefully you'll want to make your wheel. As you go through each question you give it a 1 to 10 rating and then you take an average from that. Here is my visual journal page so you can see what this looks like.
What I loved about doing this is that once you get a visual of your wheel it is so clear where you are out of balance! For me I seem to be really lacking in Spiritual Health and my relationships with Friends. I knew right away that I have not been meditating (I used to regularly) or reading as much as I'd like to. And because of my new studio and work commitments I have been a total hermit so I have not been spending enough time with girlfriends...and so on.
Ok! So here you go, here's the short version of this fabulous exercise and please! If you'd like the whole quiz and the visual balance wheel that you can color in just shoot me an email and I will send them to you. I'd be happy to!
Rate each statement or question from 1 - 10 (10 being the best)
Mental Health: a)Ability to focus b)Ability to stay calm
Spiritual Health: a)Ability to feel joy b)Ability to feel love for yourself
Physical Health: a)Do you get sick more than once every 4 months? b)Do you feel strong enough to do 10-15 pushups?
Relationship to Self: a)Do you feel comfortable and happy when you are by yourself? b)Do you know what you want 90-100% of the time?
Family Relationships: a)Do you feel understood and heard in your family? b)Can you have a healthy dialogue with your Parents?
Friend Relationships: a)Do you find encouragment and get healthy feedback from your friends? b)Do you have fun and laugh a lot with your friends?
Romantic Realtionships: a)Do you accept your significant other as they are? b)Do you feel accepted by your significant other as you are?
Lifestyle Design: (your vision about career, life's purpose and family goals) a)Are you clear on what you are passionate about? b)Are you clear about what you want: family, wealth, travel?
Ok guys, hope you enjoy and maybe think of some of your own questions! Then take a few moments to assess where you are. Are you fairly balanced? And again, if you'd like the entire quiz, the visual wheel and the assessment page please email me and I'll get it right over to you!
Tomorrow I'm doing a write up on Mayra's Soulworkout #2: Thought Catcher! This is my favorite class that Mayra teaches at the foundtion! I'll show my journal page based on this class, the visual can be so fun to create!!
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We are cleaning up over here and getting organized! We are also preparing for a big garage sale tomorrow. While cleaning out our shed I found these little guys, which were just plain raw wood when I got my hands on them. I couldn't resist getting out the paint, paper, glue and glitter. It's March 1st and a perfect time for some Spring color! Spring is right around the corner and I can't wait!
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I am happy to report that the redesign of this blog, my new logo and social media to match are all very close to being ready! I am working on several new pieces for an event I am doing on February 16th and yes I am still moving into the new studio space. It is so cold and now raining a bit so that isn't exactly helping me....slowly but surely!
I was finally able to start on some fabric. I did a post a while back (last year) about how it had become a new love of mine and man...I forgot how much I really do love working with it! If you've not tried fabric I suggest you give it a whirl! It's really not that different than working on paper or canvas. It starts out kind of slow and then if you keep going and adding those layers it becomes something really fun and unique! I decided to post my first layer and then I will post again as these keep moving along so you can see how much they change and what these pieces of fabric will eventually become. Generally I dye some of the fabric (but not all) and then the first layer is really just dye (either in a bucket or by hand with a brush), acrylic paint, fabric paint and stencils. On the grey tie dye piece I did some doodling with a sharpie.
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Yay! I'm finally ready for everyone to get a peek at my new studio space! After a lot of blood, sweat and tears (yes, tears) it is ready for me to start moving in! I am so pleased with how it's coming along. There are still a few tweaks and touch-ups...etc. and I was laughing about how I probably should get some lighting soon... But, nonetheless I will start dragging all of my things from the studio inside our home to this lovely new space, now just outside our home. Can't wait to get some color going on!!! I've been collecting all kinds of fun things for this space!
I am SO excited about my chalkboard wall. I've always wanted one!
I'd also like to say a HUGE thank you to my Husband, my Family and our dear friend Mike for helping me get this space up and ready. You all know what a big deal this is for me and I can't thank you enough. I love you all.
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Hi All! So I am so bummed that I have been absent from this space but let me just say that 2013 has been a bit of a rocky start for me. Most of you know that the structure went up for my studio a while back and you know how projects (especially construction type projects) seem to take longer and cost more money than you ever expected...... While I am SO happy to report that I am almost there, furniture should be going in this weekend! This little buidling has really taken it out of me and my family. Everyone has joined in to help and sadly along the way every single one of us has gotten sick. My Husband was really sick and in bed with bronchitis and then a pretty good cold had me down for several days. My Parents have been sick for almost 2 weeks. Not the most desireable way to start a New Year! However, I am also very happy to report that my new blog is getting there, I spent the last 2 days doing a ton of homework so that I could send it off to the designer! Funny how all of these things make this space so important but no matter how hard I try and how it aches inside me when I am not doing enough art and blogging and connecting with people sometimes I just can't make it happen. The positive side of this however is that having to step away has given me such energy and inspiration to get right back to it. I was working in my sketchbook this morning and then I had my idea book out and I just had so many things to write down!!!!!
Which brings me to my final note and a big announcment for me! On top of everything else I will be teaching for the C2E Foundation on February 2nd and 3rd and again coming up in March! I have reconnected with the fabulous Mayra, the Foundations President, and after a meeting yesterday I will be helping Mayra infuse creativity into her health & wellness foundation. Awesome!!! The flyer is below and if you are anywhere in the Southern California area please check out her classes.
Coach 2 Edify Health & Wellness Foundation classes and workshops are at the top (in grey)
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Here we go....again! It will be exactly one year ago tomorrow that I wrote my very first entry on this blog. I can't believe it, one year ago already. It has been a crazy year, a busy year and a creative year for me and I feel so truly blessed and happy. As I sit here typing my Husband and my Father are outside working on my studio. The final piece of flooring went down today and the molding is going in now.... Such a dream come true and I still can't believe that I will have my very own space to work in for 2013! It couldn't come at a better time as I have so many fun ideas and plans and I can't wait to get to work. I guess my Husband is finally sick of me taking over the entire kitchen counter, dining table and the room that I currently call "my studio!" Ha! I think I'm tired of it too. I've also taken a leap and found a fabulous designer that is currently working on the redesign of my blog....etc. I hope to be in my studio and have my new look ready to go sometime in February. I will certainly keep you posted. Which brings me to what I'd really like to say.....
To all of you who have chosen to follow this blog, like on Facebook, follow on Twitter, to those of you who I've connected with on Pinterest, all of the amazing women in the Taking Flight ecourse and so on.... I want to say thank you. My hope is that I can not only stay inspired and do good work, the kind of work I lay awake thinking about; but also that I can inspire creativity in others as SO many have and still do inspire me. As we are about to turn the page and enter 2013 I wish each of you Joy, Peace, Health, Prosperity, Happiness and above all Creativity. I wish for each of us to find ways to seek inspiration, to create community and to find creative ways to find the happiness we desire and deserve.
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Wow, has December flown by.....already Christmas Eve. It's been a very busy month and I have been so fortunate to have been hired for commissioned works, to take care of client gifts for a friend of mine and put in a few extra hours at my job. I am finally relaxing into the Holiday Spirit as we head to my Sister's in Northern Califonia to spend Christmas morning with her and her family.
decorating...
baking...
drawing...
making handmade ornaments and gift wrap...
...now we relax and enjoy Christmas!
Happy Holidays to each of you! May you have peace and joy and LOVE this Holiday Season.
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Down here in Southern California (last week) we actually had a week of grey, rainy and very damp weather! So, these little guys are sprouting up everywhere and I have become a little obsessed with them! It's funny there are almost little trails of mushrooms, little families of them, double mushrooms (like twins)..... some are so tiny and some are huge! So after investigating them and taking some photos I remembered reading somewhere years ago, an article about printing with mushrooms! I took some different sizes and set them aside to dry out a little, then, the fun began! Here's a peek at my last few days of playing with mushrooms!
I used one of the little guys for a cute border in my sketchbook.
I also used the mushroom prints as a starting point to practice some doodling!
I remembered I had a Birthday gift to wrap so I took out my brown paper (that I've been using to make Christmas wrap) and printed on that!
I added some glitter to a few of the blooms towards the middle of the paper.
...and Voila! tied it with some twine and made a really unique looking gift!
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Last Friday I hosted and taught my first Holiday class! A fabulous group of women and one young lady (my niece) spent the afternoon making all sorts of fun stuff. I am so pleased with how it went and so happy that everyone left with some really fun handmade holiday goodies.
Here's a peek inside the class and some of the wonderful creations! We started with hand- painted Christmas wrap.
Then I showed the ladies how to make super simple stamps with just craft foam to more wrapping paper and also to make gift tags.
This simple star made a fabulous sheet of wrapping paper that she later embellished with a little 3D paint!
These simple decoupage clothes pins are so fun to make! They can be used on wrapped presents or on gift bags to hold the tag. They can also be used to hang embellishments on garland or stockings!
I had to include tissue paper flowers! These are one of my loves right now! These make such a great embellishment for all sorts of things and I think they are so festive! We held these up to several of the gift wraps and they looked so cool! Love what each of the women created! I wish I could have kept them all to myself!
As the time was winding down a couple die hards dabbled with making ornaments out of wooden shapes, something my Mom has become quite good at.... We also talked about Holiday decor and how to make really simple garland out of felt and twine! I will have a post on this soon!
The Holidays are off to a great start! Thank you to each of the Ladies who attended, it was a pleasure.
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