Kelly Rae Roberts's Blog, page 14

December 05, 2014 at 01:21PM

For months now this mantra has been chanting itself into my head. I'm not sure where it came from, but I know it's from somewhere sacred. I thought I'd share it in case it resonates with anyone else. I do believe it's true. Joy is a powerful teacher and mother for all of us. #joy

Two BIG Announcements! Gift Cards and Ecourse Gift Certificates!

For the First Time EVER – Print Shop Gift Cards!

 
You guys. I am so excited about this. I have no idea why it took years for me to make this happen, but it's finally happening. You asked for it, and you got it! We are SO excited to offer Kelly Rae Roberts Gift Cards, in denominations of $10, $25, $50, or $100!! Gift cards can be used for any purchase from our print shop! Perfect for holidays, birthdays, and special surprises!

Gift cards are delivered by email and contain instructions to redeem them at checkout. Our gift cards have no additional processing fees. Get yours here!!


Give the Gift of Creativity – Ecourse Gift Certificate!


Also, this. This. This!!!

We get a lot of requests from husbands/wives/friends who want to gift my ecourse Hello Soul, Hello Mixed Media Mantras to their loved one! So we've gone ahead and made it SUPER easy with this downloadable gift certificate! Just click, download, print, and email hello@kellyraeroberts.com for payment and registration instructions! PLUS, folks using the gift certificate get 20% off tuition (that's a $50 savings!!).

Find out more about the ecourse here! Plus, read a bit about what people are saying about it!

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season, my friends. More soon about part 2 of my week in AZ coming up!

XO,
Kelly Rae

Her spirit was as brave as the brightest star in the sky.

(New work, available here)
“There is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometimes lose sight of this force when there is suffering, too much pain. Then suddenly, the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways.” ― Mother Teresa

It's here! Biggest sale of the season! Hello, Cyber Monday!

Friends,

It's one of our biggest sales of the year! We are SO delighted to offer 25% off all orders from our print shop! WOOT WOOT!!





Our prints (printed on gorgeous, archival paper) are available either ready-to-frame (signed and matted) or print-only.

 


Our postcards are SUPER popular for handing out as little gifts, framing, gift tags, sending to faraway friends, or collecting and displaying together!


Here's a little preview of some our favorite prints and postcards for gifting!



An all time favorite for those we cherish and whose lights shine brightly.
Print available here
Postcard available here

We love these for our best girlfriends, moms, sisters, soul sisters, and anyone who sees us fully, celebrates with us, and love us deeply. Left: I Heart your Heart manifesto (also available oversized!!)Right: Your heart will never be alone print

For those in our lives who nurture and love.Left: Loved and Grateful printRight: Never Alone print and postcard

For those in our life needing some encouragement during the holiday season.Left: The Be Brave Manifesto print (also available oversized!!)Right: Breathe In print and postcard

For our mothers, daughters, sons, teachers, and any child we hold dear.Left: Side by side print and postcardRight: The Dear Child Manifesto print (also available oversized!!)

For those in our lives who we thank our lucky stars for.Left: You are beauty-full printRight: Journey of Heart print



Recap:* All prints (and postcards) are 25% off! Enter code KRR25 during check out.

XO,
Kelly Rae

ps: We are not very time sensitive over here, so if you read this post, say on Tuesday after Cyber Monday has passed, we're certain the code will still work for you. Hello, ease!

pps: International friends: Due to high shipping fees (in most cases, a higher price than the print) and prints arriving damaged during their long travels, we are not able to offer international shipments. I'm SO SORRY. I adore you and wish this wasn't this case. XO!

Thanksgiving Week and #kellyraetakesaweek Part 1

Happy Thanksgiving week, friends. In the spirit of gratitude, I want to take a moment and just say thank YOU. For reading these blog posts. For peeking in. For staying with me, all of these years. For supporting my work. For following along as I figure it all out. I feel your energy, your kindness, your wisdom, and I'm just really, truly grateful for this community. Thank you for being witness to this little corner of my world, here in the land of internets.

In other news, I just returned home from a big trip, first to the Oprah Life You Want Weekend with my friend Andrea Scher, and then I continued on to a solo retreat in the AZ desert. I went in search of solitude, of soul care, of mind/body/spirit awareness. I arrived home a few days ago fully transformed from my week alone. Truly, it was one of the best weeks of my entire 39.5 years on Earth. For those of you who followed my adventures in real time via Instagram and/or Facebook, I can't thank you enough for your encouragement, and for cheering me on to do something I had never done before.

Below are some snapshots and thoughts about the first part of my trip when I went to the Oprah event. I'll share Part 2 of my journey when I venture to AZ for a few astounding days of mind/body/spirit wellness in an upcoming post, but first it all started with Oprah.....


Day 1:
I'm standing on the iconic Portland airport carpet, on my way to an entire week of radical self-care. My soul is about to burst.


I meet up with Andrea, one of my dearest soul sisters. I haven't seen her in a few months and we dive right into chatting about all the stuff that matters: what we're learning, what's hard, what's good, what dreams we're birthing. I'm so delighted to see her. Our connection is strong, deeply rooted, and she is family. We are both big Oprah fans and we know this Oprah weekend is gonna be goooood.


That evening, we go to the event. Do you see the tiny spec that is Oprah? Andrea and I are in seats way up high but it feels like we are all side by side, heart by heart with the messages being shared.

Oprah begins by sharing her journey, from childhood to now. As she talks about the threads of her life - the threads of learning, of books, of grace showing up - I begin to wonder about my own threads. What are the most significant dots (events) that weave together my own thread? I'm not totally sure, but I know for sure that the grace of girlfriends is a big one, as they have always been my guides from the time I was 12 years old.  I know that the thread of possibility and trust, despite deep obstacles is another. The thread of grief and transition is big, too.

She asks us to turn up the volume of our lives, to follow and examine the threads and the dots that connect our lives as a way to discover the reason we're here on Earth, as a way to find our way to our highest purpose. This has me journaling furiously, considering my own story.

She talks about the stuff I know to be true: how we co-create our lives by setting intentions, how we become what we believe, how we must be responsible for the energy we bring into the spaces of our homes, our workplaces, our relationships.

She says something really powerful that strikes me. "Keep your vibration positive." she says. "Take care of YOUR energy field and stay out of other people's energy fields. What belongs in their fields does not belong to you. Your power is in your energy field." How true. How true. It resonates deeply within me as this is a huge struggle for me. Big.

At the end of her talk, she reminds us to surrender to the glory that belongs to us and to take it, all of it, with gratitude. I think of my life. How beautiful it is, how full of grace it is. I am struck that I'm already living the life I want, but when I think about what is calling for more attention, I realize that perhaps I'm being called to up the volume on spirituality, silence, friendship, and body wellness. 


Day 2:

The next day we head back to the arena for a full day of presentations. Here are some take aways I received from the powerful speakers and presenters:

Deepak Chopra:
Really loved him. I don't have a lot of knowledge about him, but my heart deeply resonated with all that he shared. He did a guided meditation with all of us (10K people!) that I found to be very powerful, so much so that I was brought to tears.

Some of the things he said that I loved....
- Good luck = grace
- Religion is pointing to the truth. Spirituality is experiencing the truth.
- Silence is God's language. Everything else is a translation.
- We must free ourselves from emotional toxicity. Fear is the anticipation of pain in the future. Anger is the remembering of past pain. Hostility (anger) is getting even. Guilt/shame is directing fear back to self. Depression is the depletion of energy because of all the above.
- We must look at the essence of our relationships as they are a reflection and mirror of our inner selves. We desire more of the qualities those we love possess and vice versa for people we struggle with. It's important to forgive ourselves first  and then those whose negative qualities mirror our own.

Elizabeth Gilbert:
Holy smokes. Along with millions of others, I have such a huge girl crush on her. I loved all that she shared about our individual hero's journey, how those journeys will have the highest of highs, the lowest of lows, but by the end our spirits will have prevailed, healed, and learned so much about why we are here (our purpose). But, first we have to answer the call to begin the quest, and we must share the stories of the quest so that we can pass on all that we have learned along the way. Powerful stuff that had me thinking about my own hero's journey of answering my own calls. Loved her.

Rob Bell:
Totally blew me away. Funny, warm, and deeply passionate about his message. He talked a lot about the miracle of being alive, about the divinity of our breath, about embracing the mysteries, about daring to enter the mysteries and to enjoy it. He made me cry a couple of times. At one point he shared a story about how as he became more successful and busy, the more he felt like he was missing out. Eventually it forced him to get quiet, to get deeply present, to get back to enjoying his life. I could totally relate to the missing out piece, as well as the getting quiet piece. Yes, yes.

By the end of the Oprah event, I have cried, breathed deeply, celebrated, danced, and honored. I have filled my journal with thoughts, intentions, dreams, wishes, and gratitude. I have seen my life for all of its magnificence and I am even more grateful for all the ways grace has been with me all of my life. This event was crazy good. Best thing I've attended. Ever. And that is saying a lot.



The day after the Oprah event, I left for my next leg of my radical self-care journey where I find myself in the AZ desert for one of the best few days of my entire life. Turns out the Oprah event was the perfect intention setter for what was to come.

Stay tuned: Part 2 of my trip comes up soon...

NEW additions to the Peace On Earth Collection!!

The Peace On Earth Collection

Last year I introduced you to my first ever holiday collection, the Peace on Earth Collection, and I am SO excited to announce that we have added several more holiday decor items and ornaments to the collection for 2014! Of course, the original collection is still available (and can be found at the online retailer Garden Gallery), PLUS sweet new additions that I am really in love with. 

What I love about this collection is that many of its items can be displayed during the holidays, but also everyday – a beautiful mix of themes and earthy colors. 
Please allow me to give you a full tour of some of our favorite items, including NEW pieces we've added to the collection! 
Holiday Figurines!

Hands down, these NEW figurines are the sweetest. I think they're my favorite figurines we've ever made. I loooovvvveee them. Both are delicately decorated with gold wire, glitter, and silver tinsel wings, and are truly made with love. Perfect for your holiday mantel or dining table!


It's a little hard to see in these photos but the skirts are soft (not hard like resin) and I just love the delicate details of the tiny gold wire wrapping around the skirts, the velvet ribbon, the wings. They're like wintery angels. We put a lot of love in creating the newbies, and I adore how they turned out. 
Again, these beauties are available at online retailer Garden Gallery.


(from left to right: Christmas Kindness, Spirit Of The Season, and Peace & Joy)
These figures are a little different from the two above, but I love them just as much. In fact, I teared up when I saw them for the first time (what can I say, I love what I do!).

Ornaments Galore! 
Friends, ornaments are one of my favorite parts of this collection, and this year we have even MORE! Check out the classic glass, tasseled angels, and mini wall art pieces below! 

LOVE this classic ornament, featuring one of my favorite holiday girls. The ornament is blown glass and is 5" diameter with a ribbon hanger. It reads: Dear Christmas, thanks for bringing our hearts together. It also comes in a sweet gift/storage box! Find it 

Also a best seller, these adorable blown glass hearts come in a set of three. Embellished with sentiment, metal flowers, ribbon hangers, and a little bit of bling....love these for everyday ornaments and gifts! You can find them all
Eeeek! These are new to the collection and I squealed when I saw them. I love their whimsy pair with exquisite craftsmanship. The faces are perfection. The green reads "joy" and the red reads "love." Find the set 
Friends, these are 5" mini square canvas ornaments, lined with green velvet ribbon. They. Are. FABULOUS. Put them on the tree. Use them as gift wrapping embellishments. Give them as gifts. You will not be disappointed in these. Best seller so far, only $12 each. 
Here they are for easy takin':
Lift the spiritPeace doveSpirit of the season Joy & Kindness

We added these mini wall art ornaments to the collection this year, and I'm loving them. The birdie tree ornament has olive color velvet around the outside and reads: Together, side by side, heart to heart. The wreath one has dark green velvet with the words: Dear Christmas, thanks for your smallest of moments that bring us the greatest of joy. And the Heart one has burgundy velvet and says: May your heart be filled with peace and grace this season.

Love these. Perfect for decorating your tree or for stocking stuffers!!


These are also new to the collection. Swoon. They might be mini, but can I just say how mighty they are in their details? I mean, look at all the texture and their sweet little feet!  I love, love, love these. 
NEW – Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow Globe!


We've never done a snow globe before, and I am really happy with how it turned out!! I particularly love that the angel is holding an olive branch to symbolize peace. You can pick up one for yourself (and a friend!) at Garden Gallery here!
We made a Music Angel!

Isn't she gorgeous? She plays Fur Elise and she could totally stay out all year long. Stunning. She's like a prize, a really special gift to give or to receive. She's available here. 
Deck the Halls with Wall Art!!

This is new to the collection. It's hard to tell in this photo, but this piece is quite large (12x18) with chunky rustic, wooden sides. Find it at Garden Gallery here. 
Gold Trimmed Wall Art


These pieces are also new to the ocllection. Each piece is 6" x 8.5 and has a beautiful gold trim, perfect for a pop of holiday magic! Get a closer at all of the gold trimmed pieces here. 

This is one of the original gold trimmed series, a bit smaller than the two new ones above. We've got four of these (links below) and they look lovely paired together or on their own.

Seeker of all things peaceDear ChristmasSpirit of the seasonPeace + Joy

These are NEW, and the last of our two gold-trimmed pieces.  These are smaller (3.5"x5"), perfect for stocking stuffers! Dear Christmas and Slow Down are two of my favorite holiday girls, so glad they got the Peace on Earth treatment!

Velvet Lined Wall Art
Anchoring the entire Peace On Earth Collection, is the gorgeously velvet lined wall art, and we've got a lot of it. You can view just about all of it right here. I just love all the peaceful green/cream tones with the pops of ruby red. 
Below are a couple of the new wall art pieces.....

 Love this girl surrounded by velvet. Looks totally meant to be!


The burgundy and gold in this piece really warms my heart! Find it here.  

Again, you check out the entire Peace On Earth Collection over at online retailer Garden Gallery's site. For those of you who are international, they're happy to ship worldwide. You'll just need to send them an email to coordinate! 

Can't thank my team at DEMDACO/Silvestri enough for creating such a stunning collection and for holding the vision that we could create a holiday collection in our own little peace-filled way. Big gratitude!

XO,
Kelly Rae

Love, the Stars

I have always felt this, even in despair, that I was being held by something big, deep, astonishingly GOOD. But sometimes, especially in the mundane of everyday life (carpools, commutes, dishes, etc) I need the reminder that our journeys are exquisite, that they are a part of a larger orchestra of purpose, of meaning - that we are all deeply intertwined, connected, and creating beautiful music together. Even in the mundane.

I love life. Really do.

PS: This piece is a part of a larger series I'm calling the Dear You Series. Prints of them all available here!

Hello Gentle Gratitude

(Loving this new piece, available here)
Hello quiet. Hello renewal. Hello gentle gratitude. Loving this new piece with all its Autumn-ness. Trying on some new ways of creating around here and it feels really, really good.


Fall is here and it feels like a long extended exhale. Lately, I've been taking really long epson salt baths and falling into a new sort of gratitude meditation while soaking. It's a new practice for me, and I'm loving the simplicity of it. Soak, recount the blessings from the day. Repeat. Something about soaking while soaking in the days gratitude feels especially soothing and good for my heart.

I thought I'd share some recent gratitude happenings around here lately:


We recently celebrated 13 yrs of marriage, 15 years of total togetherness. I am so grateful we made it all the way here, to a place where we have learned that there are precious highs and inevitable lows, and that the real commitment and love and friendship and togetherness is being ALL IN throughout the ebb and flow and realness of the journey. I count my lucky stars to be in it with him. And I'm honored, proud of the work we've done together in this life. Here's to love. 

This photo cracks me up. But it's the only one I got on the big day when I signed a lease for a gorgeous new studio/office space in this old high school from the 1800s that is currently being restored and renovated. Think high ceilings, chalkboard walls, pencil sharpeners still fastened to the walls, giant wide hallway spaces with lockers, and a cool auditorium for events. The building will house lots of creative businesses in the old classrooms and I am thrilled to be a part of it! We move in early next year. This feels BIG, scary, exciting. I will create, work, and offer workshops in this space for the next three years (and maybe more!). How cool is that? Major gratitude for this new leap. 

Really grateful that we live near a vintage, fully operational skating rink, complete with 80s music, disco balls, and kids galore. I adore that John gave me pink skates for my birthday last year that come in handy these days. Also love how much True loves skating, too. Perfect family date. 

Super grateful to live in a place where hikes are a plenty with my family, where every shade of green is alive, and where ferns grow from tree trunks. The Pacific Northwest is a magical, magical place. 

I had a hard couple of weeks awhile back and I decided to put this sign (from Barn Owl Primatives) in my bathroom so it would be one of the first things I saw in the mornings. I'm grateful for the reminder, but also for the dark times. They are often where we begin to cultivate more breath, more room, more light in our lives. We can totally do hard things. Every single day.

(collaging with True)
(True's flower)
(True's first family portrait: Bella dog, Papa, True, Mama)
Super grateful for all the art True's been making lately. Something has shifted, and he's beginning to create drawings that look like things. Mainly flowers, and people. So cute! We created a gallery wall in our house where he can hang his art. I love the pride that comes across his face with each artwork tacked up to the wall. Man, I love that kid. 


Speaking of art and color, we've decided to take the leap and paint the white wall of our house. When we moved in earlier this year, we decided to live with the white walls, but after a few months of living here, we're craving color. And so. The painting began this week! Above in our color palette - all from Benjamin Moore's Historic Color selection. Love, and super excited to see how it all turns out. Grateful, grateful.


Always grateful when I stumble upon a message of hope during my walks. Lately I've been considering tacking up large cardboard signs to telephone polls that say things like you're brilliant, you're doing a great job, what you're doing matters, don't give up, simply begin. Hmmmmm, maybe I will do just that :).
XO. 
ps: Speaking of gratitude, I am so thankful for the response to our big shop news. I am constantly amazed that I've been able to create a life as a full time working artist these last few years. And it's because of you. Thank you. 

The Wear Your Joy Project - an update!

One day I started to get more intentional about what I was wearing, choosing only to wear clothes that delighted my spirit and lit me up. And then I started to share my almost daily #dressedupinjoy selfies over on my Instagram feed. And then I invited others to join me, using #thewearyourjoyproject as the hashtag. This project has reminded how nothing in this life is superficial - but rather when our hearts speak, we gotta listen. We just never know where it will take us. In this case, it's taken me to something bigger - it's not about boots or pairing together perfect outfits. It's about wearing our joy.

Click here to read the full story of how this project came to be.
Click here to see/read all the blog posts in this series.
Click here if you want to follow along on Instagram and join in (use #thewearyourjoyproject to tag your photos!)


It's been about a year since I started this project, and it's become an almost daily practice. Not unlike any other practice, like yoga or a gratitude practice, it's deeply enriched my life. Who knew getting dressed could be a conscious meditation of bringing more joy and meaning to our ordinary days? 
I adore the community that's participating, too, especially the tribe on Instagram using the #thewearyourjoyproject hashtag. It's inspiring, and downright motivating.
This recent email about the project really struck me. It reminded me how sometimes it's the simplest things that can bring us back to our joy, and how joy doesn't have any rules. It's unburdened by the shoulds. 
I just had to tell you what this project means to me.   I lost my husband of 43 yrs a year ago.  Since then I have no interest in myself... I rarely put makeup on...just wear painty tees and ragged jeans.  Your "wear your joy " project struck a cord with me.  It got me excited about putting on something that was FUN instead of the clothes that look like I'm going to Walmart.  I put on my red cowboy boots....and took myself to the hair dresser and got PURPLE streaks in my hair.  At 65 ( how could I be this old). I don't want to dress like an old lady. I am an artist....who do I have to impress???  Maybe this is a sign that I can move ahead.  I'm gonna go shopping soon and find something that speaks to me....and I might wear it EVERYDAY if I find it....my husband would be proud....not too sure what he'd say about the purple hair.....but....WHY NOT!!! I just wanted you to know that your project touched someone deeply. Thank you. 

Below are a few recent photos that I wanted to share from this project. As you can see, it's not about creating stellar, perfectly styled outfits. It's really just about being conscious of getting dressed in whatever lights you up that particular day, even if it's a pair of oversized overalls. No rules, friends. Only joy. 


For a girl who wore overalls non-stop in the 90's, I cannot tell you how happy this purchase made me. Even better? I got them on Amazon. 

Dear yellow shoes, thank you for the invitation to get #dressedupinjoy. It was a wonky week of insomnia and a bit of nerves, but the shoes helped. They did! PS: They're old Miz Mooz shoes. Love that brand. Again, I find them on Amazon here. 

Yellow, green, red, and turquoise shoes screen joy to me. You too? Again, these are super old (from 2007!) shoes, but I love this brand for their funky colors and styles. I get my Miz Mooz on Amazon. 

You guys, in the past few months I've bought overalls, my favorite pair of Doc Marten ruby red Mary Janes from high school, and now these Birkenstocks from my days in college. I'm either having a midlife crisis or channeling my younger self from the 90s. Either way, it feels good. 

Autumn has arrived. Which, you know, means the boots come out of hibernation. There are Old Gringo boots. Love, love, and more love. I'm a little obsessed. 



Thanks, friends. I'd love it if you joined in! Click here if you want to follow along on Instagram and join in (use #thewearyourjoyproject to tag your photos!). Also, I'm working on creating a 30 day e-course of prompts, inspiration, and community for The Wear Your Joy Project. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter if you want to know when it launches. .

XOO! 

Love, Wisdom (new art!)

(New art, available here)
I've always known that everything shapes us - that our life's experiences are given to us, not taken from us - even the events that don't feel like gifts - to shape and mold us into people who (hopefully) experience life with a deeper sense of meaning, compassion, connection, and understanding.

But the idea that nothing is wasted was something I learned when I became a new mom. New and raw and unsure, a friend of mine uttered these words to me and suddenly I understood. Every morsel of knowledge I had, every seemingly insignificant experiences I had had, every friendship, argument, embrace, aha moment, inspiration, moments of fear, conscious and unconscious, ALL OF IT, would be useful in this new territory of becoming a wobbly, newborn parent. She told me to remember it in those desperate moments in the wee hours of the night when fear would enter my heart, when I bounced from bliss to uncertainty to unbelievably tired to bliss again. And it turned out to be true. I drew upon every single moment of my life leading up to motherhood and made use of it, drew on it, reawakened some of it, called on it to be of service.

And now I can see how my experience of motherhood and all that has happened since becoming a mother will serve me later in my life, perhaps in another significant transition, or perhaps just in ordinary life.

Either way. It's what makes us wise, I think. This consciousness of knowing how meaningful it all is. How everything really does shapes us, how nothing is ever wasted, and how nothing is wrong with us either. We are just collecting wisdom along the way, every moment, every day. Yes, yes, yes.