Fantastic Friday!!

Why?  No, not because it’s the weekend (although that’s nice too!).  Not because fireworks and barbeques and beer are bound to happen in celebration of the 4^th of July.  Nope!  It’s going to be a fantastic Friday full of learning, laughter,  creativity, pompom shaking and glitter flinging fun because Friday (tomorrow) is the official start of The Elements of Art Journaling class!

We’re already having fun though!   With three generous bonus lessons, a bit of a party in the classroom and lots of wild, creative, wonderful  (and did I say creative?) people to share with.  Lots of encouragement; lots of warm fuzzies; lots of room for everyone, no matter where they’re at in their journey .

I’ve been in a state of excitement and anticipation all week.  I’ve prepped pages in a composition book – nice, pristine, glued and gessoed pages eagerly awaiting inspiration and color.  I’ve made a slew of background pages in a rainbow of colors.  And I’ve even organized and cleaned my creative space – woohoo!!  

It’s not too late to join us!  And seriously, you really should - I'd love to connect with you there too.  To learn more and to register, simply go to The Elements of Art Journaling

 

Your Soul is Starving—Feed It!.

I have to admit to sometimes forgetting to eat.  I forget to eat breakfast often.  I forget to eat lunch on occasion.  It’s a habit that has its roots in poverty, when, as a single parent, I often chose to skip meals so that my children had enough to eat.  A time when popcorn was all that I could afford to take to work for my lunches.  Skipping meals is still a habit that I am constantly trying to change, possibly a bigger challenge because, with my illness and disabilities, I’m not able to expend a lot of energy or burn a lot of calories. 

What I do know is that I can be happy without feeding my body 3+ times a day, but forgetting to feed my soul can darken every moment, every perception, and every experience and can even worsen my symptoms and intensify my pain.  I think that, for each of us, remembering to feed our souls is as necessary as breathing.  It’s what keeps us balanced, hones our inner strength and resiliency, nurtures our connection to self, to others and to life and gives us cause for gratitude and celebration no matter which path our lives take.

There are many, many ways to feed your soul.  This list is just a beginning, so I invite you to add to it or to create your own list.  Feel free to share if you’re so called – I’d love to see what each of you comes up with! 

 I’ll start off with these:

•  Cultivate and practice awareness of, and find joy in, the small things, the things that might be overlooked in the bustle of your life. 
• Find your own unique way to piece the fragments of life together. 
• Acknowledge beauty in its many forms; make eye contact with people; savor life! 
• Pick a wildflower, send a blessing to a stranger, smile for no reason, walk barefooted in the grass, appreciate the turning of the leaves or the budding of flowers – nurture an awareness of the seasons and the elements. 
• Watch the stars come out at night; look for ‘the man in the moon’, watch the sun go down, or enjoy the freshness of dawn. 
• Look for shapes in the clouds. Sing in the shower, chant, dance in the dining room, practice affirmations, give thanks, laugh at every opportunity! 
• Give a hug, accept a hug; give a true compliment, and learn to accept them too. 
• Enjoy a fresh breeze on a warm day, a good book, the wind in the trees, the color of the sky at sunset or dawn (those of you who are photographers know why these times of day are termed “the magic hour”).  
• Above all, embrace, appreciate and celebrate yourself and the miracle of life and love that you are!  The world would truly be less without  you.

We're Having A Par-tay!

Yes!  Over at Wild.Precious things are gearing up for Effy's upcoming Elements of Art Journaling class and we're having a par-tay in anticipation.  People flinging glitter, sipping virtual cocktails, beating drums, flinging glitter, tooting horns, making new friends - and flinging some more glitter!

You should come along and join in the fun!  Effy is a totally wonderful Wild Woman; our fantastically creative, big hearted, supportive "den mother" and she's growing a great place for us to be, to gather, to connect and to learn.

I'm excited to be able to be a part of her class - thanks (and a few hugs & kisses too - mwaaah!) to the angel who paid my tuition.  It's going to be full of awesomeness and I'd love for you to join me there! You might even win the pre-party contest and get 50% of your tuition refunded ;)

Effy's also released two videos in advance of the July 1st start - a really wonderful one covering the basics of making backgrounds (which I really, really needed!).  And a newly released video with an example of a cover page for the journal we'll be making during the first week.  The first is only available to those of us who've signed on for the class, but the second can be seen below (yup, I have Effy's permission to share!). 

                                                   
Where do you go to register for the class?  Right here:  The Elements of Art Journaling 

If you do sign up, let me know so that I can fling some glitter your way - and I'll see you at the par-tay!!

The Beauty of Sorrow...and Me

I'm excited, tickled fuschia, so happy - and feeling hugely vulnerable too!  I saw mention of a new blog on willowing.ning.com, called The Beauty of Sorrow, being started by an amazing woman named Regina Hong.  After watching her video and visiting the blog, I took a few deep, deep breaths, gathered my courage and submitted some of my art and a bit of writing.  And, my submission is up on the blog today!!!  Woohoo!

So, I invite you to visit The Beauty of Sorrow.  Read, leave some comment love - and keep on reading!  There are some amazing, inspiring and uplifting stories there that will leave you in awe of the human spirit!  And, if you are someone who lives with the beauty of sorrow; who embraces or is learning to embrace and transform the broken places that shelter within us all, then I invite you to take part and seriously consider adding your own story.  I'd love to read it!!

http://beautyofsorrow.blogspot.com

"My soul has grown deep like the rivers"  ~ Langston Hughes

Wild Thing, You Make My Heart Sing!

Wow!  It's been nearly a month since I last posted.  Been busy dealing with my first fibro flare in over 2 years.  For those of you who aren't familiar with fibro, a flare is when pain and symptom levels intensify to incredible levels...But, things are getting better and I hope to have things back on track!
For now, I'd love to share the Wild thing that's making my heart sing, lol!  Effy Wild, Wild.Precious Studios, and Effy's new e-course, The Elements of Art Journaling. 
I'm so excited and over the moon happy to be taking the course AND to have the opportunity to post here about my progress.  Check out the video below to learn about what promises to be an awesomely amazing, wild and wonderful time.  I really hope that you'll join me there - I think that it'll make your heart sing too!