Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The richest of Christmas blessings to you all! May the love of God bring hope and meaning to your hearts this season.

Please pause music on my blog (lower left sidebar) before enjoying the video.

Musical Emotions.....

I heard this beautiful song on my friend Susan's blog and wanted to share it. The lyrics and sweetly haunting melody just seemed to take you places....little girl places...remembering places. It is stirring yet comforting....bittersweet and hopeful. It resonated deeply with me.

Its a bittersweet time for my mother's heart and soul. One of my sons has decided to "fly" on his own and left an empty room. There wasn't much time to prepare but now that I am here I am not sure I could have anyway. I am slowing creating a new studio in the empty space...amidst a mixture of emotions. I can feel change swirling around me like the winter wind outside. And amidst the grieving found deep in the winter is the hopeful renewal of the coming spring. It all just takes time.

Please pause the music playing on my blog on the lower left sidebar to better enjoy the video....

Portland Art Collective and Giveway Winner!

I am so sorry for the delayed announcement of the giveaway winner! My youngest son had surgery last week and we have been spending time with him as he heals and helping him get back to school. He is doing much better this week and I am busy getting caught up on life and the holidays! Congrats to Stephanie at Whispering Creek House as the winner of the art Blessing Givesaway. Please take a moment to visit Stephanie's beautiful blog. She has such a lovely spirit for heart, art and home!

I had a much needed getaway for the day with a sweet friend of mine this past weekend. We bundled up with Mochas and Lattes in hand and visited an adorable part of town called Multnomah Village in Portland and strolled through the Portland Art Collective Holiday Gift Show. It was a mixed media artist dream, wonderfully done with an incredible collection of diverse work. I plan to make it an annual trip for sure! Be sure to take a peek at this artist group's blog for more pics of this beautiful event!

I have such a passion for collecting one-of-a-kind art dolls and was thrilled to come home with this beautiful piece by artist Tammy Vail. I also couldn't resist this sweet, antique metal sign that says "The world is waiting to hear your story".

Thanksgiving Art Blessing Giveaway!

I have been enjoying some wonderful time in the studio this past week and wanted to share an Art Blessing for Thanksgiving! I created this sweet, mini journal with vintage lace, antique-style button, silk and paper flowers and shimmering ribbons to bless one of you! In the spirit of Thanksgiving....when I am so thankful for each of you who bless me by stopping by...I also wanted to offer a $25.00 gift certificate to my website as an addition to the Art Blessing Giveaway!

So if you would like to be a part of the drawings for the journal and $25.00 gift certificate please leave your name and contact information in the comment section of this post below! Let me know if you post about this giveaway on your blog or website and I will add your name in the drawing twice! I will announce the winners on the evening of Friday, December 3, 2010.

New Journal Art Available! I have a new collection to share with you. The new journals pictured below have been designed as original works of art that may be placed to display on an easel or shelf. They would make very unique gifts for a friend or loved one. You can see more detailed images and find each of these ornate works here on my website here!

Still....

Just a beautiful song to share today. Please pause the music playing on my blog on the right hand sidebar before viewing video...

From God, Through you, To the world.......

Please pause the music on my blog on the lower lefthand sidebar playlist before viewing video!



Just wanted to pass on an amazing video that my young son shared with me recently. Many of you might have heard of this creative one called Akiane. It is a true picture of how God gifts his children! We each possess something valuable, unique, and one-of-a-kind that is given to us with a purpose and a passion. It is designed with our story and DNA woven into it. How completely human and tempting it is to compare our offerings to the obvious "off the charts" gifting of this young girl and say 'well I can't do something LIKE THAT"...to devalue and minimize what we have to give ...but that is such a great diservice to your beautiful heart my friend. What others have to give is unique to them and they cannot give what God has gifted you to give. What He has chosen to give you is just as brilliant, fabulous and meaningful. He knows just who will be blessed by seeing, touching, reading or hearing it! We have no idea the ways in which others might be inspired by, risk stepping out to or be encouraged by what we have been given to share with our world. It all is of use....all that you are wrestling over, shedding tears over, risking over, delving into, stepping out in, being quiet and reflective over....each little effort is of such immeasurable worth and value to the One who created your soul! Watch and see what God does with it all!

Waiting.....

The blank canvas. There it is...waiting. I must admit I have never stood before anything larger than an 11x17 canvas, let alone anything the size my dear friend and amazing artist, Shireen Mackeson, encouraged me with this week. Shireen is a gifted fine artist and prophetic painter who I am blessed to be traveling through "The Artist Way" process with. The journey through this book has us stripping away and examining many of the negative messeges and personal roadblocks to our own unbirthed creativity. So in the spirit of pushing through and braving new territory....we steeped hot tea, climbed the stairs to her lovely studio, took our shoes off, put on some inspiring KINK Lights Out music and accepted the invitation to create.

My talented friend is bold and brave in her painting and I felt like a timid child. As we chatted about our life, faith and art, painting side by side, I felt myself slowly relax into the experience. I felt like I had broken through an invisible barrier and was standing somewhere new. My heart raced at the generous variety of paintbrushes and colors I had to choose from. With fresh eyes, it struck me just how vast the array of tools and creative resources there are at God's disposal as He paints my own story.

I wasn't sure what would emerge on my own canvas but I kept seeing an image of a form nestled deep within her own heart in a season of waiting...waiting for what was possible...waiting for her gifts and passions to emerge from a new depth that only seems to come through attending to the deep and raw places of the heart.

I think thats where God and I are these days. Waiting is so hard. Dissappointments are disheartening. I have felt so torn between many directions these days and in my impatience have been tempted to force the process and pry doors that just arn't meant to be opened yet. So today was an exercise in resisting the urge to spend the day attempting to make something happen...and instead playing, relaxing, waiting and listening for something to emerge. Seeing it as a step in the journey rather than any kind of arrival.





Art and the process of creativity is such a beautiful place to learn life lessons. It is in this womb we can experience the living truth of a creative God who is skillfully blending our unique colors and painting new brushstrokes in our hearts. He is not impatient and is delighted with the process. Like the image I saw as I stood before the blank canvas, God paints our destiny from the ultimate design he has already imagined for us. Our job is to trust Him and risk the steps he reveals along the way.. to participate despite our fears and uncertianty...in His masterpiece.





I was so inspired and in awe watching Shireen move in her gifting. Her paintings explore deep, rich and emotive color. As she painted, she shared the word pictures she heard from God and the stories of His truth that she hoped the work would convey. Truly a rich day!










This is where I paused by the end of our time together. The work is far from done but I am fine with waiting for more detail to emerge and being vulnerable and seen in the process of that waiting. My hope it that my humble strokes on this canvas will encourage you to be where you are, rest in the waiting and invite others in even though you might not feel ready or finished yet!

Going through the fire.......

(Please pause the music playing on my blog on lower right hand sidebar before viewing)

Life has had other plans for me these last couple months. Although my blog has been quiet much is being stirred in my heart. I took a little break through the end of summer from Artist Way as our group enjoyed vacations (my husband and I celebrated our 25th Anniversary in the Carribean) and preparing for the change of seasons. We are gathering again and exploring much new creative territory together.

These days I am trying to go with the ebb and flow of my own unique path, releasing and setting down some things when others rise up and call for my attention...not clutching too tightly to anything and trusting what matters will return to me in the right timing. The healing journey has often asked that of me as unexpected turns can suddenly appear and I must be flexible. This past weekend at church I watched a sweet soul take her first brave steps into her own healing journey. My heart ached as she sang this song as it was the song God used in my own life 12 years ago when I too took my first steps into healing the wounds of my own story. Her beautiful voice touched me and I was compelled to pray for her and for the unknown, dangerous, beautiful, broken and redemptive path that lay before her. The haunting and sweet melody took me back and reminded me of where I have traveled so far and the nearness of God and his provision of support through every step. It marked a new season in my own recovery as well as new layers have been exposed these last few months and God has asked me to go deeper into the fire. For those of you who need to be brave today...and need to take brave steps...I hope this song is an encouragement. You won't ever go alone. When everything else feels shaken to its core...Gods hand won't ever let go.



"She felt the searing heat reach for her through the door of her past...Despite her fears she knew the only way was through the fire"

I wanted to share a beautiful place of healing and encouragment...the Brave Girls Club...these women have been to deep places and have amazing gifts to share!

The Artist Way: Week Two...Creative Expanse!

I have had several requests from readers to share more of my journey with "The Artist Way" book and group I am participating in. I really had no preconcieved ideas of where the process would take me but I know that I felt a great excitement and anticipation. So I thought it would be a wonderful extension of the process for me to share with you some of the highlights along the way!

The two mainstays of the "Artist Way" process are the morning pages and the artist date. There is something quite magical about rising early each morning to write three full "morning pages" of unedited "brain dump" (as I affectionately like to refer to it). I feel like I have stolen time when I am quietly engaged while the world still sleeps and the sun is barely beginning to rise! The act of making sacred space to write again has been healthy food for my soul. I couldn't imagine I would have enough to keep writing...and writing...and still writing...but it appears much has been stored up and waiting for just such an opportunity! There is a cathartic release that happens when all that you are mulling over, worried about, need to do, wish you could do, are having feelings about, need answers for, praying for, dreaming about etc...is spilled honestly out onto the pages. Then when you close the book, its all safely held and you are free start your day. There is a lightness and a clearer view of the details around me. I know my concerns, questions, hopes and visions have been recorded and I have asked God to enter into the pages and give me insight and wisdom. Writing these pages every day frees, releases and keeps in a safe place all that attempts to distract and weigh us down. It announces our awareness of our present situation and the hopes for future resolution. It can always be revisited. But for now our inner world has been given voice so it can rest and let us focus on new surprises. It places the heart in a state of readiness to hear the whispers of God throughout the rest of the day.

This week was another exercise in opening my eyes, ears and heart to the unspoken stories that exist all around me. Its easy to get lost in routine and not "really see" or take the time to slow down, notice and experience these revelations. Taking myself out on the weekly "Artist Date" has begun to expand the space within myself where God and I have long and intimate conversations. Its been like discovering new things about an old friend. I have begun to crave carving out these little spaces of time to nurture my senses and invite new experiences. They create an expanse internally where creativity begins to bubble up in unexpected ways.

"Divine Appointment"

Synchronicity is such a beautiful mystery. For this week's artist date I decided to head down to the river at the crack of dawn. My son had told me about a little spot just down the road from our home. The truth is I had never explored what was right in front of me for all the years I have lived here. I gathered my journal, a chair and blanket and made my way through a small trail, cimbed over some well-traveled rocks and stepped onto a little space to sit by river. I was a little dissapointed at first as it was scattered with bottles and pieces of trash and the smell of my perfume drove a little band of mosquitos into a frenzy around me. But what took my breath away was the little handmade sign. Overlooking the river, as if to call out to anyone who would listen, someone seemed to be crying out for significance. Stuck into the ground was a stick that had a small ripped piece of paper pierced through it and the simple, handwritten words, "I'm Here". I quietly went about cleaning up the little space and pondering what was behind the messege. It was so simple yet incredibly deep and profound. I wondered about the story behind the words. Who had sat at the world's edge, where land spills into the rivers and announced their presence? Was it a silent whisper in the night that was asking, "Does anyone know I exist?". Was the person alone or maybe alone in a crowd? Did they carry a burden? Was it a messege written from the heart of one searching for God? Or was it an announcement proclaiming with confidence that someone "had arrived". I couldn't help but sense it was touching on the deepest need we all have to be known, to be heard, to have value and be valued by others...to not be invisible. As the possibilites of the origin of the words danced in my imagination, the words on the sign suddenly shifted in meaning. I felt God's presence as He whispered an assurance back to the one who secretly offered the little sign....and to all those who wonder if God is there and sees them calling out at the river's edge...He gently said, "I am Here".




I continued my journey and traveled down the old historic Evergreen Highway that parallels our modern, four-lane Highway 14. I had never taken this road out East before even though I had lived in this area for almost 25 years.I was ten minutes from my everyday existance and well-traveled community yet felt I had entered another little world that has been unchartered. It struck me what creatures of habit we can become and what we might miss that is right in our midst. What would happen if were we are willing to go right when we usually go left? What if we risked getting lost for just a little bit? When you enter in new places you are forced to open your eyes and really survey your surroundings. Comfort and familiarity can cause blindness. Our well worn paths can stunt our growth. Different roads can be incredibly encouraging and hopeful....and expansive. The drive can turn out to be just beautiful.

As I passed a speed sign "25 MPH", I became aware of the rushing sound of traffic up the hill to the left. There it was.... the main highway I had traveled for years and yet this old road I was slowing driving this sunny morning had been right here all along. But you had to slow down to be on this road. You couldn't be in a hurry to get where you were going if you went this way. The pavement was worn and cracked here and there. It was quiet and you could stop in the middle of the road if you wanted to head over to the roadside to pick a few wildflowers that sprung up in unexpected places. As I watched the cars rush by off in the distance, I was so grateful for this little road. I was excited to see where it would take me. What a delight when I realized where I was....and the road eventually spilled out into the heart of the sweet little jewel known as Downtown Camas.

Even though it was so early in the morning I had hopes one of my favorite little spots in this little historic town would be open. The friendly door was ajar and I was greeted warmly by the owners. I settled into "Natalias" for a wonderful breakfast, nibbled on sourdough toast with raspberry perserves and sipped hot tea. It all felt so sweetly indulgent. There was much to reflect on and prepare to share with my "Artist Way" group. By the way... A trip to Camas is never complete without strolling through the aisles of Camas Antiques. There is enough eye-candy in there to stimulate your creativity for days!




















I sat next to this sweet little girl for awhile before heading home. She was perched near a beautiful sitting area surrounded by beds of colorful flowers. Her hand poised open. She was peering ata treasure in her hand that it appeared only she could see. Even though from my perspective it looked like nothing was there...she knew there was. She was lost in the delight of discovery. Thats what this artist date had felt like to me in the end. I hadn't traveled very far or probably done anything others might consider "amazing". My journey was simple. My discovery wasn't visible to those around me...but the gift was in the shift in my perspective. The new road opened up thoughts, ideas and creative visions and contributed to an ongoing internal creative expansion. It invited me close to my Creator. It also was simply... just good for the heart and soul. I opened my hand and couldn't hold all that had come back to me!

The Artist Way and Art Blessing......

I am so excited to have begun the process of going through "The Artist Way" by Julia Cameron with two, kindred souls I am blessed to journey with! I have had the book for several years and read it but never really dug in deep and gone through the process in a group where encouragement, transparency and accountability move the experience to a much more powerful level. The comittment calls for writing several "Morning pages" every day and going on a weekly "Artist Date" as well as working through the material in each chapter which can stir up much in the interior! I am looking forward to excavating the layers of untapped creativity and seeing what is revealed in this work of creative recovery!



As part of my "artist date" this week, I took much needed time away for a mini day retreat at my friend Traci Nelson's retreat cottage called "His Hiding Place". Traci has a beautiful heart with a rich gift for creating a nurturing environment to come away and get alone with God. As I entered, the fire was "crackling", the scented candles were lit and gentle music was playing. The sense of God waiting to sit with me was everywhere. It was a sweet time of releasing, reconnecting and just resting.



ART BLESSING GIVEAWAY WINNER!
Congrats to Peggy Aplseeds! I was happy to select your name today as the winner of the "Dream" vintage journal. Take a moment to visit Peggy's lovely blog and her beautiful artwork!

And yes the rumors are true! Blue sky and summer sunshine has finally decided to arrive in the Northwest. It was a long wait through weeks of rain and grey, cloudy days. Nothing like the feeling of the sun on your face!

"Dream" Journal Art Blessing Giveaway!

We are having a very slow start to our summer here in the Northwest. The grey, cloudy and rainy days seem to have covered us like a blanket. We were teased with sun for a day or so last week but it dissapeared again! So it seemed like a good day to create something special to give away!

If you would like to participate in the drawing for this little "Dream" journal(click photo to enlarge) please leave your name and contact info in the comment section. I will draw a name from my "butterfly box" on Wednesday evening, June 30th and share this art blessing giveaway with the winner! If you would like to share about this giveaway on your blog, let me know and I will add your name twice!

Its been a very busy month during my absense from my blog! My son graduated and our days have been full of activities to celebrate the occasion! Starting the family summer schedule, planning vacations and summer camps and moving about in a new church and working more in the therapeutic community have shifted some of my time and creative energy in new directions. New people and experiences seem to be opening another chapter that is yet to be written. Just trying to move slowly, thoughtfully and quietly. Change keeps things interesting to say the least! Hope you are enjoying the sun whereever you are today!

Prayer for the Journey.....

New Journals in my Etsy Store!
I have a few sweet yet simple journals I added to my store this week. Each of these have been accented with a collage print and pretty ribbons and fibers and make sweet gifts of encouragement. I have been slowly working on new pieces to offer soon through my website. As new doors have opened, I have had to divide my time a little more between walking through them and creating in the studio. I am looking forward to releasing my first newsletter soon and have been enjoying the art of creating with words again as writing was such a haven for me as a young girl. So it seems my visits to my blog are a little further apart but what is being quietly woven behind the scenes has been breathing new hope and vision in my heart.


Its also a busy season as I prepare for the graduation of my son. Two years ago when my oldest son graduated I remember thinking time was likely to pass quickly and I would find myself ordering another cap and gown before I knew it and here we are already. So the days are filled with all the preparation and activities for the event. At the same time, I have begun to share my heart in a new direction by supporting a woman's and recovery ministry at a very creative local church and community center. I am so encouraged at their passion for the creative arts and am excited to see what doors open and what God has in store. I had written a prayer to share with the woman recently and hope it blesses each of you.

PRAYER FOR THE JOURNEY:

Lord I break open my heart and invite you to gently explore and expose my innermost being
Help me to truthfully be who I am with these woman who journey to magnify your name
Mercifully reveal and illuminate those hidden places in my heart that need Your health and healing
Let me be receptive to change and to the love, wisdom and discernment of those who care for me
Help me to remove any masks I have worn and let Your light into any darkness they have hidden
Let me move though this journey with a willingness to be real, vulnerable and transparent
Give me the courage to open new doors, risk new beginnings and trust deeper relationships
Show me what it means to create a safe place to carry the burdens of the woman in our community
Help me walk difficult roads with other brave woman and speak the truth of our collective stories
Where there is insecurity and doubts let me reveal and share my weaknesses and fears
Where past experiences have left wounds and scars let me not hide, disguise or deny them
Where there is envy and jealousy let me humble myself and reveal my heart’s struggles
When I feel the need for control help me to slow down, loosen my grip and let you guide my path
Where I need to be confronted help me to release my pride, receive wisdom and take steps of growth
When I have been hurt let me speak honestly and move towards forgiveness and reconciliation
Where there is judgment and condemnation soften my heart and forgive my blindness
In your mercy reveal and expose any hidden agenda or selfish motive in my actions or deeds
Remove any lies that have held my own heart captive and kept me from living in Your freedom
When You speak, help me discern Your voice and embrace instruction without argument, hesitation or delay
Let my words uplift, edify and speak truth, encouragement and blessing to my sisters in Christ
Help me to be an honest and nurturing place that invites the hearts of woman into the arms of Your love
Quietly weave the threads of my own story, unique gifts and passions into the tapestry of Your ministry
Bind and lovingly link me together with the precious woman who desire to serve and know You
Lord magnify my heart from the inside out so that my life may magnify Your glorious name. Amen

Music that heals......

I wanted to share a song that has deeply touched my heart recently. I was asked to sing it at an upcoming luncheon sponsored by ARMS (Abuse Recovery Ministry and Services). This non-profit agency provides services and resources for woman who have been wounded verbally, emotionally and physically through domestic violence. The speaker will be Dr. Patrica Warford,PsyD and the title of what she will share is called "Unraveling the Secrets of Trauma Bonding". If you or someone you know is carrying scars and pain from these kinds of experiences please visit the ARMS website for more information on attending this free luncheon in Portland, OR on June 5th! May the song comfort and offer hope today for whatever challenges or struggles you may face.....

Please pause the music playing on my blog on the lower right sidebar before viewing the video!

The cruelest world
The coldest heart
The deepest wound
The endless dark
The lonely ache
The burning tears
The bitter nights
The wasted years

Life breaks and falls apart
But we know these are
Places where grace is soon to be so amazing
It may be unfulfilled
It may be unrestored
But when anything that's shattered is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see
It will not be unredeemed

For every choice that led to shame
And all the love that never came
For every vow that someone broke
And every lie that gave up hope
We live in the shadow of the fall
But the cross says these are all
Places where grace is soon to be so amazing
It may be unfulfilled
It may be unrestored
But when anything that's shattered is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see
It will not be unredeemed

Places where grace is soon to be so amazing
It may be unfulfilled
It may be unrestored
But you never know the miracle the Father has in store
Just watch and see
It will not be
Just watch and see
It will not be unredeemed

Release into the New Season......

The "new season" whispers to our hearts very, very quietly at first....and maybe only now and then. Like a breeze that you sensed just softly touched your face and you turn but can't distinquish where it came from or exactly what it was. It caught your attention though and you paused momentarily. Often the new season enters our awareness so subtly and briefly that we are apt to miss it and instead pick up our normal pace and activities again without pausing to consider the nudge.

As the new season draws nearer, we may notice an increasingly frequent breeze, stronger and more persistant than before. It becomes much harder to ignore and begins to cause us to stop and turn around....to look around and listen, to ask questions of its source, where it came from and where it is going. It begs us to stop the direction we were headed and get truly present into our current circumstances and actually turn to face the breeze...to really listen and to feel on a deeper level where it is wanting to take our body.

We can choose to fight it...press back against it and push into the force as its pressure continues to mount and breeze turns to wind. We can fight it out of fear or insecurity, heart weariness, woundedness, pride, stubbornness, distrust or because we just don't see clearly where the direction of the wind will take us...and we want the comforts and assurances of the ground on which our feet have been safely planted. What if we imagined the breeze, if our sense was wrong...what if we appeared foolish for stopping and paying attention....for letting go...and letting our hearts be carried into the new season. Sooner or later we will discover this truth....that trying to move against the new season really does take so much more energy than turning and releasing the body to be carried by these fresh winds.

In my own life, that is how God seems to move and invite my participation. The subtle breeze released by a comment or suggestion from a praying friend, a small invitation accepted or the turning of the handle on a door slightly ajar seems to slowly build into the winds of a bold opportunity, a fork in the road with a sign that says "This way", a wide-open door or authentic relationships that speak bold truth into my life and begin to shift the trajectory of my path. God just asks that I be willing to stop my scurrying about and attempts to make my own way and sense His presence in the people and curcumstances in my life.....that I release my grip on what is preventing me from freely moving with the wind. Its really a powerful, mysterious and beautiful force.

So today I let go briefly and was carried a little further into the direction of my own new season. It was a small, simple circumstance yet held the possiblity of carrying me with great momentum. I can honestly say it was a beautifully terrifying experience filled with a good measure of hopeful discomfort! I'd highly recommend the ride. Do you sense the whisper of a fresh breeze in your own life? Are you pressing against the winds of a new season and are tired of the fight? Wont you consider falling back into the wind for a time and letting yourself be carried to the next place....into the hope and Divinely creative possibilities of your new season?

New Etsy Shop "Altered Revelations"...

I have had these sweet, tiny brass easels hiding away in a drawer in my studio for quite some time. So I played with some pieces of "stampbord" (great product with a multitude of uses) and created these teeny collages embellished with copper,metal filigrees. They were just perfect to rest on the easels! You can find these little burst of encouragement listed in my Healing Expression's Etsy shop!


ALTERED REVELATIONS....

I wanted to officially introduce my new Etsy shop called "Altered Revelations". I will be filling this shop with items that are created with the mixed media artist in mind. As an artist I am always on the lookout for items to incorporate in my own work and I thought it would be fun to create a place where I could offer these discoveries to those who also share a passion for mixed media collage and assemblage! Here you will find vintage style collections, unique trinkets, findings and other handcrafted items for use in your paper and fabric collage, altered books, assemblage and mixed media work! Below are a couple examples of two vintage-themed collections that are currently in the shop. You can find these and other treasures to inspire your creativity here at Altered Revelation's Etsy home!



GOODIE BAG OFFER: If you would be interested in helping me spread the word about my new shop by placing a button link for my Altered Revelation's Etsy store on your blog, I have a sweet goodie bag filled with a few Healing Expressions treasures that I would be happy to send you as a "Thank You"! Just let me know by email, include your address and I will send the goodie bag on its way!

Thanks for stopping by and may your day be filled with love, kindness and hope!

Colorful Creative Spaces.......

I finally got to the end of a long to-do list that has been following me around for awhile. I love the wide space that opens up in between crossing the last item off the list and before it fills up again! So I spent a quiet day in the studio and was able to create a few pieces. I added these new inspirational, vintage themed, glass pendants to my website today. If you would like to see more images and find these sweet little offerings you can see COLLECTION A here and COLLECTION B here!




I had the opportunity to create a special order journal this week for a dear buyer of mine who serves overseas in Iraq. Her only request was to "create whatever inspires you"! I love to create "journals as art" and often sell one-of-a-kind-journals with lovely metal picture stands to display them on. Placing your own journals in a special area of prominance, as art, is a wonderful way to honor this process of expression and encourage a daily practice of written or art journaling.

I seem to be entering a season of bright color!I am so drawn to the rich and vibrant jewel tones these days. I fell in love with these handcrafted "silk sari ribbons" and creations by designtalentedone on Etsy. She creates the most unique and colorful ribbons I had ever seen!I treated myself to one of her original hats recently! It definately brought out that funky inner artist in me!

Tapestry of Music.....

Music has been woven through my family history and my own story as long as I can remember. My father was a professional jazz guitarist and the sounds of his gift are etched in my memory. As a little girl I took quickly to singing and spent many nights with a hairbrush in hand practicing all the lastest hits in my bedroom. Later the hairbrush would be replaced with a microphone and the bedroom for a stage as I began to professionally pursue and explore my own expression of music. Sadly, I lost my father as a very young girl and we never had the opportunity to explore and share these gifts with each other. After many years of performing, there eventually came a time when I needed to set it all aside for a season as I let God take my heart on a journey to heal some of the broken places in my heart. My voice was quieted and instead my creativity began to move through art and collage. But I prayed the musical thread in my own life's tapestry would emerge again when the timing was right.

Meanwhile, in the years between, I have been blessed by the unfolding of my son Brandon's gift for music. He began to play piano at about age 10 but it was quickly apparent that being restrained by note reading or traditional lessons didn't fit for him. He saw and felt the music in his soul and just began to play from his heart. This past January as his grandmother was losing her battle with cancer he composed a piece for her. We rented a piano to bring to her home a few days before she passed away so he could play it for her. Later he played the piece for her memorial service and I offered my voice. It felt like life was beginning to come full circle and I could sense that our families musical heritage was entering a new season

Watching him play with such abandon stirred the musical longings I had quietly set aside. I have dreamed of writing and recording a collection of songs to comfort and encourage those on the healing journey and have slowly begun plans for this to become a reality. My heart explodes at the idea of my son sharing his talent on this project as well. This past week he played his heartfelt piece inspired by his love for his Grandmother at his Senior High School Talent Show (it is the second one on the video). Just wanted to share it with you all.....

Please pause the music playing on my blog on the lower right sidebar before viewing the video.....



PS. NEWSLETTER NEWS! For those of you awaiting my first newsletter, I am needing to take a little more time with it and decided to hold off its release until May! If you haven't signed up to receive it yet you can do so by clicking on the link to the left in the aqua colored box! Thanks for your patience!