Kelly Rae Roberts's Blog, page 51

Weekend Spotlight Love

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Weekend Spotlight Love is a weekly series that features my amazing sponsors. Want to reach 150,000 Possibilitarians with your business message – every month? Become a Sponsor – all the details are right over here.

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  Andrea Scher: Mondo Beyondo

What happens when you give an unspoken wish a place to become a dream come true? How do you gather the courage to help a new-found dream soar?
Join Andrea Scher and Jen Lemen as we explore “Mondo Beyondo” — the powerful mindset that transforms our deepest dreams into practical realities.
This 6-week adventure is rich with inspiring lessons, real life stories, secret missions, audio interviews and hands-on activities — all designed to help you carry your dreams from the realm of wishing into everyday motion.
And whether your Mondo Beyondo dreams are simple & humble, or world-changing & audacious, you’ll find just the right atmosphere to take the risks you've always dreamed of.
Join us for the next session of Mondo Beyondo, starting on September 10th, 2012. And experience the power of a mind designed for dreaming.  

You can also connect with Andrea through
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Blog
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Jump Trust Repeat - An eBook for Artists by Jessica Swift

I’m Jessica Swift: full-time artist, surface pattern textile designer, and rain boot renegade! And I just wrote my first e-book. It’s 120 pages chock full of stories and info about being a creative business owner.

Jump Trust Repeat is the story of my creative business: ups, down, mistakes, successes, and all. From the beginning when I was 23 years old until now, 8 years later. Part 1 of the book details my creative journey, the lessons I've learned along the way, and my insights into how to successfully navigate a career and life as a full-time working artist.

It's also a comprehensive tool full of answers to the nitty-gritty questions of how I run my business. Part 2 is question and answer style, filled with dozens of questions and detailed answers on topics like finances, licensing, social media, pricing, and trade shows.

If you’re an aspiring artist/creative biz owner looking for inspiration, encouragement, information, and answers, this is for you. Dive in and start thriving in your creative business!

You can also connect with Jessica through
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Blog
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Kat Eye Studio: Exploring with a Camera
[image error] As an artist, that’s your job. You see the details in the everyday and transform them into something new. No matter your medium, photography can help you truly see the world around you. You have a camera, right? Then join photographer Kat Sloma monthly for the Exploring with a Camera series and learn to see the world from a different point of view. Covering everything from composition to subjects, this series will spark your creativity and inspire your art. There is no cost to participate in this monthly blog series, no photography experience required, and you are welcome to join anytime.

Kat is here to help you use photography to express your experience of the world around you. The more you can see the details in the everyday, the more raw materials you have to create your art. Visit Kat Eye Studio to learn more about Exploring with a Camera, along with Kat’s other blog series and online courses. Your inspiration and creativity will thank you.

You can also connect with Kat through
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Blog
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Tattered Inspirations
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Tattered Inspirations is an online shop created by Carol Mead who has an affinity with vintage and vintage inspired products.
Tattered Inspirations provides creative products with a vintage heart to use in your scrapbooking, cards and mixed media art. We aim to encourage and inspire you to do something creatively different out of your comfort zone, in new and exciting ways, with unique vintage inspired products.

Tattered Inspirations Shop offers vintage inspired kits with vintage elements, such as hat pins, flowers and a range of embellishments and kits that cannot be sourced anywhere else. We have customers from Australia and overseas and offer a flat rate postage rate.

The Design Team Michelle Lark, Rachel Walsh, Helen Jolly and Belinda Comerford creatively use the products in exciting ways. These amazing artists provide our customers with inspiration to make their own creations something really special. There is a Tattered Inspirations Blog and a monthly email newsletter too.

Tattered Inspirations is offering a 10% discount for Kelly Rae's readers, enter the code kr2012 before you complete your order.
You can also connect with Carol through
Facebook  |  Blog  |  Etsy
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Big thanks to my sponsors! I'm honored to highlight their offerings. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor you can find out more information here.

operation wellness.

Haven't lost a single pound since I declared my overweightness, but I'm slowly making some diet changes over here and making some other big changes as well. In fact, I've moved from Operation Weightloss to Operation Wellness. Because that's what it's more about. Yes, I want to lose the weight, but more importantly I just want to feel better, more energy.

Also, I'm realizing that this is a journey that is more about spiritual/physical/mental wellness than it is about the weight. I have a deep feeling that once I get my spiritual/physical pieces back aligned, the weight will fall away.

Here's where I'm at.....

  

I've signed up for three months of intense training! Think 5:30-6:30am workouts with a group of women. Think careful food monitoring, calories in and calories out. Think sore muscles. Think punching bags. Think resistance training, cardio training. Think bad ass!

I have an intuition that starting my day this way will be good, very very good for the overall structure of my life. By the time I get home from these morning workouts, True isn't even up yet!




I am the last one you'd think would be enjoying a green smoothies but I am! I'm having one or two a day.

My favorite one is the one above:
two or three handfuls of spinach
about a cup of frozen pineapple
about half a cup of frozen strawberries
whey organic protein powder scoops
couple spoonfuls of almond milk yogurt
flax oil OR fish oil (flavored)
about 8oz or so of crushed ice and water

Put it all into the Vitamix (BEST INVESTMENT EVER) and out comes deliciousness.

 

On the spiritual side, I'm finding myself more open than ever before. I'm reading books like this one and this one while also seeing energy healers, psychics, and more. I'm having deep conversations about past lives, metaphysics, karma, the journey of spirits, God, and how love is the only energy/currency that matters. I absolutely believe that we are spiritual beings having human experiences and am currently fascinated by the man who says this is so.

So there you have it. No answers really. Just progress in the forward motion on wellness. I will keep you posted!

22 months.

22 months. Counting. Talking in 3 word sentences. Repeats everything we say. Into everything. VIGOROUS. Hugging and kissing everything. Dances and especially loves reggae. Bossy in the most endearing of ways. Still sleeping from 6pm - 7am and napping midday (we are lucky). Still loves his books. Still quite social - says hello to all and stares at the older kids, studying their every move. Definitely getting the developmental defiance that I hear will be coming in full force pretty soon but pretty laid back overall and easily redirectable. It's a rare day when he's feisty (so far).

I just love him.

I love being his mama.

I love having no idea what to do but making choices that feel fun and balanced.

I love making green smoothies for him that he loves.

I love reading to him at night and his rubbing my nose with his and giggling and then falling asleep.

I love his random but very enthusiastic hugs to my legs that come throughout the day.

I love how he loves to watch videos of himself doing anything on the iPhone.

I love how eager he is to learn.

I love that he still loves to be carried in the ergo.

I love how hilarious he thinks we are.

I love how boyish he is with his fascination with diggers and garbage trucks and construction sites.

 

Total heaven. Still feels like the best childhood Christmas Morning whenever I enter his room in the mornings. Total delight. Total joy.

Art in motion: Sunshine piece.

With Art in Motion, I share the visual journey through the life of one of my paintings — from the blank canvas, to the first splash of inspiration, all the way to the finished piece. Enjoy to the fullest!
Click here to see all the posts in this ongoing project series.


Blank canvas. It's bigger than my usual ... 20x20. Starting out, I didn't have a vision except that this painting would be for personal use in my home, not for commercial use. I wanted to write a love note to John and True.


Layer #1 with paint drips (achieved with a water bottle) and paper towel texture (blotting wet paint with a flat paper towel). Super fast - anything to get color on the canvas. No thinking, just moving.

    
Layer #2. Lots of paint splatter and working fast. Added some paper - glued down with gel medium. I painted this quick message to myself between layers as a reminder to be free and work fast. The faster, the better, the freer for me - especially in the beginning stages of a painting.
 
Next layer. Wiped away my message to self. Added more paper, more drips, more paint. Used my hands and no brushes. Moving, quickly. Not making any real choices, just picking up paper and paint and adding them to canvas. Lots of rubbing, dripping, wiping, mark making. Also turning canvas about every five minutes - a great trick I learned from my pal Flora.

 
Next layer - added lots of white. I was feeling the bright white. Went with it. Also chose an orientation for the canvas - what would be top, what would be bottom. Used gel medium to glue on some vintage lace.

   This is what emerged about an hour after starting the blank canvas. Lots of layers in there involving stenciling, gluing papers and fabrics and lace with gel medium, oil pencils, spray bottle drips, spray paint, paper towel textures, and more using several of my favorite supplies. 
I chose to make something out of the flower in the upper right that was peaking out of some paper that I glued on. Kept working with that, adding pieces of fabric and drawing and collage elements around it until it felt like it was an icon of some kind - an anchor for the painting. That specific part of the painting began to feel and look like a sunshine flower so I added some more flowers around the entire canvas with white and gold paint. This is what I love about working fast. The painting begins to reveal itself to you and you don't really have a plan in mind - trusting that it will unfold. 


The finished piece. A love note to John and True. This one will go in our home...it's been a long time since I made a piece just for me, for us, and not for specific commercial use. Feels good. More to come! 

PS: Here's what my space looked like while creating this baby.[image error]

Mamahood + Business: Dr. Brene Brown

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This series shares brave, honest, sometimes hilarious stories of how we hold it all together in one breath and let it all go in another. I want to share stories of what mamahood biz really looks like, and demystify the idea that we can’t do both well....because I believe that we can do both really well.


As a newish mom I created these questions as a way for me to sit and pause inside the wisdom of the mothers who are ahead of me. I'm deeply interested in hearing what they have to say about how they manage, how they cope, how they do their work in the world while also being fully present in the center of their motherhood journey. I need the examples, the stories, the truth.


 (Brene me, summer 2012)
I'm excited to share today's conversation with Brene Brown. Since meeting and becoming friends with Brene about five years ago, I've watched how she has beautifully (even in the rough patches) navigated the demands of her exploding career while staying true and centered in her motherhood and family journey. 
I trust her explicitly and often consider what she would consider in any given mama dilemma, or business dilemma. She is one of the few people I call when I need solid, good, heart-centered advice. She speaks from a deep place that merges heart with logic, wisdom with texan feistiness, boldness with tenderness. I just adore her and excited to hear her thoughts in the conversation today.



Brene's groundbreaking work on vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame has been featured on PBS, NPR, CNN, and has appeared in The Washington Post, Psychology Today, and many other national media outlets. 


Her 2010 TEDxHouston talk on the power of vulnerability is one of most watched talks on TED.com, with millions views. She gave the closing talk, Listening to Shame,  at the 2012 TED Conference in Long Beach. 


Brené is the author of the forthcoming book Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead (Sept. 2012). She is also the author of The Gifts of Imperfection (2010), and I Thought It Was Just Me (2007).



::SPIRIT:: What makes you come alive? 1. Laughing or dancing around the house with Steve, Ellen, and Charlie.
2. Being in “the research connections zone” – when I’m thinking about work, what it means, and what language I can use to describe/define what I’m learning.
3. Those “thin places” moments of deep faith when I feel really connected to myself and God. 

::BOUNDARIES:: How has being a mom changed your boundaries & priorities when it comes to your business? What do you find yourself saying NO to, when you used to say YES? I think the most serious strechmarks I have from motherhood stem from the pulling and pushing of boundaries. When I first became a mother I suffered from serious “half-ass” shame. I felt like I was mediocre at everything. I felt so stretched and so distracted (and exhausted). I said “Yes” way too often in an effort to prove that I could do it all. I’ve worked so hard over the past decade to move from “What will people think” to “I am enough.” It’s no mystery why I study vulnerability, shame, courage, and worthiness.

As my worthiness increased, my boundaries increased. I learned a lot from my research – especially the importance of choosing discomfort over resentment. I even bought myself a ring. I think boundaries grow from self-worth.

::DAILY RITUALS::  How do you structure your day? When do you rest, when do you create, and how do you summon the energy to show up for your kids, while running a business? I don’t negotiate sleep, exercise, or healthy food. I can’t show up for my life when I’m tired, eating crappy, or not exercising.

My new approach for showing up is to not apologize for working and having things to do, but to be fully present with my kids when I’m home.

::VISION::  What kind of world are you trying to create for your child to grow up in? A Wholehearted word! I can answer this really specifically because I just wrote about it in Daring Greatly. Here’s what I want for my kids:

• Engage with the world from a place of worthiness.
• Embrace their vulnerabilities and imperfections.
• Feel a deep sense of love and compassion for themselves and others.
• Value hard work, perseverance, and respect.
• Carry a sense of authenticity and belonging with them, rather than searching for it in external places.
• Have the courage to be imperfect, vulnerable, and creative.
• Don’t fear feeling ashamed or unlovable if they are different or if they are struggling.
 • Move through our rapidly changing world with courage and a resilient spirit.



::MELT-DOWNS::  Have you ever had a full-on, grown-up-lady tantrum or puddle-of-mush meltdown? (Be honest.) What triggered it? What was the lesson, for you? I’ve had lots of them. I think there are several things that almost all of my meltdowns had/have in common: Exhaustion, lack of boundaries, shame gremlins of “Never good enough” and anxiety.

I absolutely believe that we can’t give what we don’t have. We can’t take better care of our families than we take of ourselves. Meltdowns = me trying to do more for others.

::AWESOMENESS::  What is the most rewarding thing about being a mom and an entrepreneur? My children get to watch me struggle, fail, succeed, and do what I love. They’re clear about the relationship between work and success. They also get to watch Steve and I deal with both failure and success. It’s vulnerability in action around our house. It’s daring greatly.


::BALANCE::  For you, is balance a myth or something you reach for - tell us your philosophy, your secrets, your ideas.I’m done with balance. For years it just felt like one more thing I wasn’t doing well. Now my goal is values alignment and clarity of choice. I want to live fully grounded in my values and I want to be clear about the choices I’m making.

I also have an extremely supportive partner. My husband Steve is passionate and excited about my career and I feel the same way about his work. A long time ago someone told me that a good marriage is not 50-50. A good marriage is having a partner who’s willing to show up with 80% when you only have 20% and who can count on you to do the same. I could NOT have the career and family I have without Steve.



::LESSONS DISGUISED::  Is there a moment, a decision, a day, a week that you regret when it came to motherhood business? Tell us about that. What did you learn? I’ve made several bad choices along the way. They’ve been painful learning moments. In almost every instance, scarcity seduced me into staying quiet when I should have spoke up or walked away. When I’m afraid of turning down opportunities or telling people, “I can’t do it this way” – I end up regretting it.

There’s always pushback when we begin to lead courageous, authentic lives. We’re going to piss off people, make people uncomfortable, and get criticized. I don’t know if I’ll ever be comfortable with disappointing people or being on the receiving end of mean-spirited criticism, but I know I can’t go back to pleasing, performing, and perfecting. Vulnerability is hard, but not as hard as regret.

::The BIZ-BRAIN, at HOME::  How has being an entrepreneur influenced your parenting style? Do you bring your entrepreneurial spirit ‘home’ with you? I hope Charlie and Ellen are learning the value of hard work and perseverance. These are extremely important values to me and Steve. In this culture of “fun, fast, and easy” – we want our kids to understand the importance of grit and tenacity. We want them to know that failure and set-backs are part of the process.

::The MOM-BRAIN, at WORK::  How has being a mom influenced your business? Do you bring your mama ways to work with you? If so, how? Parenting has taught me that it’s not about what you know, it’s about who you are. We have to be the adults that we want our children to be. The same is true in business. We have to create the business culture that we want to be a part of. Just like with parenting and family culture, it’s about values and clarity of choices.

::SELF-CARE::  What’s one of your secret indulgences . . . something you love to do, when you’re unplugged from your work & nobody’s watching? Downton Abbey, The Newsroom, and The Good Wife.

::SILLINESS::  If you kid was in charge of your business, what changes would he or she make — immediately?!More speaking engagements at Disney and Harry Potter World.


Huge thanks to Brene for time, and for giving us a peek into her life.
You can connect with Brene through
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Blog


Click here to see all the posts in the Motherhood Business series.

Weekend Spotlight Love

Weekend Spotlight Love is a weekly series that features my amazing sponsors. Want to reach 150,000+ Possibilitarians with your business message – every month? Become a Sponsor – all the details are right over here.

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Jane Davenport | The Artomologist

I’m feeling very appreciative of everything the universe (and ok, some hard work!) has thrown my way…and whenever I run ‘Supplies Me’ as a Live class, all my Alumni are invited to do the workshop again. That's a 600 strong team, so it takes courage to offer that!

A ‘Live’ class doesn’t mean I’ll be flying down your chimney and tap dancing around your lounge room (although that would be hilarious!); it means it’s running …well… live! A bunch of awesomely creative lovelies all head off on this unique ARTventure together! There’s more energy, more artwork uploaded, more bravery happening and creative courage is what I am all about!

So! If you would like to join us, then come along! The more the merrier…

Click here for info and to register.

You can also connect with Jane through
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Blog

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LeahCreates

LeahCreates makes websites for creative entrepreneurs (artists, yoga teachers, coaches, etc). My designs are clean and professional, with a whimsical edge. I pride myself in making my clients' personalities truly shine through their web presence. I have several website offerings, starting at as little as $750. All are built on the WordPress platform so that you can manage your content (including a blog!) on your own.

Additionally, I offer web presence consulting and content strategy so we can make your web presence truly work for you and your business. Visit me at leahcreates.com.

You can also connect with Leah through
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Blog
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Liz Lamoreux and the Be Present Retreats

This September, come along to the Pacific Northwest woods outside Seattle with Kelly Barton, Mindy Lacefield, and Liz Lamoreux as your guides at Unearth. This Be Present Retreat will be a heart-opening five-day experience that will hold space for truth, laughter, moments of quiet, and the opportunity to share your story.

During our time together, Kelly and Mindy will be co-teaching a three-day juicy, soulful painting workshop, and Liz will share some of her favorite creative self-care practices in topics like writing, self-portraiture, meditation, ritual, and everyday sacredness. There will be time for stories, time for recharging and rest, and time to connect with kindred spirits as you are tucked in by the fire at beautiful Frog Creek Lodge.

This is your invitation to spend time away from your daily roles in a place where you can just show up as you. Learn more details about the Unearth Retreat and register here.

You can also connect with Liz through
Twitter   |  Blog   |  Etsy
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Susannah Conway e-Courses


Hello lovely Kelly Rae readers! I’m so excited to share that registration for the autumn sessions of two of my e-courses is currently open: Unravelling: Ways of Seeing My Self and Blogging from the Heart!
Unravelling is an 8-week online class designed to help you heal the way you see your self and your world, using photography and journalling to access hidden thoughts & dreams and encourage personal realisations, all in the safe space of a like-minded community. You don’t need any previous photography experience to do this course — all you need is a camera (iPhones are perfect!), a journal & pen and an open heart :)
In Blogging from the Heart I teach you how to share your life and heart online as a way to express yourself creatively, dive deep and make friends along the way. There’s lots of writing prompts for blog posts as well as interviews with creatives who inspire me. I won’t be looking at how to make money from blogging, but if you have a biz and want to share more of yourself online with your customers, then this course will definitely help with that. It’s all about being honest and open, enjoying the writing process and getting your creative juices flowing!
Registration for both courses is currently open (Unravelling here and BFTH here) and classes start on Monday, September 3rd — WOOT!
Hope to see you in class! 
Susannah xo
You can connect with Susannah through
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Flickr

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The Creative Explorer's Club

I invite you to explore your creativity and become inspired in ways you may never have thought possible.

I'm Linda Matthews, a mixed media textile artist and designer. I run The Creative Explorer's Club – a unique online group designed specifically to nurture your creativity, inspire you to think more creatively, and learn how to be more consciously creative.
Inside The Creative Explorer's Club you'll find:
~ Inspiration ~daily links to interesting and inspiring places around the web.
~ Motivation ~weekly creative articles where I offer up many different ways to motivate you and help you learn how to incorporate creativity into your life on a regular basis.
~ Education ~monthly artful tutorials where you can explore different mixed media techniques and applications.
~ Plus ~lots of "members only" specials, freebies and even online classes.
For full details about the club please visit The Creative Explorer's Club, or for additional information about me, please visit my main website and blog at www.Linda-Matthews.com.
You can also connect with Linda through
Facebook  |  Flickr  |  Pinterest
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Big thanks to my sponsors! I'm honored to highlight their offerings. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor you can find out more information here.

Stunning store displays

Hi friends! I'm starting a new blog series today called, you guessed it, Stunning Store Displays. The goal? To highlight some of the extraordinary displays that retailers put together in an effort to showcase the Kelly Rae Roberts collections in their stores. 
It's a major talent to create displays and I want to celebrate not just their creativity, but their support of my product lines! 

The Rusty Bucket, Cariboo, BC. Love the mix of the old with the new...always a fave.


Garden Gallery Iron Works, Woodburn, OR. Love the stacking of suitcases and the blend of furniture..


The Square Nest, Salt Lake City, UT. Love all the dark wood and greenery mixed in with the display.

 

Bradleys, Knoxville, TN. Adore the use of the metal screen door as a magnet display!



The Marketplace, Alpena, MI. This feels romantic. And I love romance!


Are you a retailer with a great display of my product? I'd love see! Get in touch OR simply post them to my Facebook page where I can easily grab them :)

Gorgeous Guest Post: Sarah Stevenson of redlinedesign®

Kelly Rae: About once a month, I'll be featuring a guest writer  — someone with a big message to share. It's part of my new sponsorship program and I'm thrilled to have Sarah Stevenson of redlinedesign® be our guest today. I'm smitten with all that she's doing in the world and her upcoming art retreat looks divine. Have you seen her teacher line-up? I want to go! My entire art journey began at an art retreat and I'm just so personally, crazy grateful for people like Sarah who have a passionate purpose for creating them. Please enjoy her post today....love how she describes giving our internal mentors a voice and especially love how her internal mentor has led her down the path of bravely creating art retreats for other women. Go Sarah! 
Brave Stepsby Sarah Stevenson 
Photo credit: Sarah Stevenson
beams of light...

yellow and pink

vivid and bright

carried away from my present space, through the living room, to the roof above my house, above my city.

i can see the mountains and feel the wind.

i go through the clouds, the most beautiful, crazy wild clouds

out into space where another beam waits - this one a beautiful glowing white
     soft and gentle.

I climb on the beam and it brings me back through the clouds,

but...

this time to a beach with children playing and my husband out in the surf.

I walk up the steps to house, where I am greeted by my older self in my early sixties.

I am slender with short hair. I am wearing capri pants and a beautiful flowing top.

We enter the house and head to the kitchen.

My older self makes a pot of tea.

She gathers a tray and we return to porch....a beautiful porch filled with flowers and swing.

We sit.

and look out to the beach.

She tells me everything is going to be alright.

Have FAITH, have LOVE and FAMILY.

She hands me box that is filled with butterflies.

They are beautiful, colorful, peaceful

and they flutter around me.

I laugh.... I cry.


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Photo credit: Andrea Scher
My name is Sarah Stevenson. I am the owner of redlinedesign®, and I've dedicated myself to helping artists and creative people in all fields carve out space in their daily life for their own creative exploration.
I wrote this piece as an exercise in a course called Playing Big. Part of the exercise was to envision your internal mentor, a source of wisdom and guidance inside you. We all have this internal mentor, but whether she appears is determined by how open we are to what our world wants to unfold for us and whether or not we are brave enough to take the steps to “see the potential of things to become.” In order to take these brave steps, you must hold the internal mentor in your mind each day and live more consciously with her, thus bringing her picture into view.

One of the ways, I am taking brave steps and allowing this internal mentor to guide me is through the development of an art retreat called Create. Explore. Discover. Now in its second year, this retreat is a culmination of a journey I started many years ago.

On October 12-14, I'm inviting 40 women looking to reignite their creative spark to an art retreat nestled in the stunning scenery of Truckee, California.

Each woman will be able to select one of three workshops of her choosing:

•  Lisa Congdon is teaching a three-part class in making your own art-filled accordion books
•  Mati McDonough will lead us through Daring Adventures in Paint
•  Liz Kalloch and Jen Lee will share their insights on indie publishing
•  Alessandra Cave will help us become one with our camera
•  Anne Weil is teaching four knitting techniques and a cowl

Registration is currently open. I'm happy to answer any questions you have about the retreat, and you can see the event website and photos of the location and instructors here.

Thanks so much Kelly Rae for inspiring me to believe in myself and think outside the box when creating this piece.

All my best,
Sarah

You can connect with Sarah through
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Website

Hip Hip Hooray! Giveaway!

Hi friends,We've got an awesome giveaway today from Elizabeth Glz Designs, but I also wanted to share a few link loves with you as well:
- Loving this shot she took of my collection in the Creative Co-op showroom!- I think the Olympic commercials are way better than the Super Bowl commercials. I especially dig this one (so true!).- I believe this with my whole heart.- The cutest DIY mobile ever. - I cannot wait to get my hands on this trophy project. 
And now for the giveaway....!

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Sponsored by: Elizabeth GLz Designs

The Giveaway:  One spot in Elizabeth's e-Course, A Creative Journey with Ceramics and Mixed Media (includes Module 1: Creative Ceramic Designs with Clay Slabs and Module 2: A Transition to Mixed Media) - a prize worth nearly $300!


Details: You’ll be creating more than 12 original projects with this versatile ceramic technique. After completing the course you will have a $600+ value in ceramic pieces plus all the necessary information, tips and techniques to produce and sell them to stores.

Elizabeth Gonzalez has been creating ceramic pieces for 20 years and selling them to boutique stores in Puerto Rico for the past 16. In 2002-2003 she designed ceramics to AVON Puerto Rico with stunning success. She is very proud to sell them also in the store of the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico. Elizabeth is very excited to teach this course for the first time and offer her knowledge and experience. More information about the class can be found on Elizabeth’s blog.

Thanks for the awesome giveaway, Elizabeth!
You can connect with Elizabeth through
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Blog

Enter the Giveaway: Just leave a quick comment and you'll be entered! Comments will be closed Thursday, August 9th at midnight, and the winner will be announced a couple of days later.

Lovebomb - five year anniversary

I arrived home recently from our annual Lovebomb retreat - a gathering of women that started five years ago. We toasted to our togetherness anniversary, danced (a ton), laughed more than ever before, and explored beautiful Martha's Vineyard - a place most of us had never been before. Loved it.




A lot happens in five years. Not just to the group as a collective, but in each of our lives. Because lovebomb is the only consistent thing/travel/gathering/event I've done five years in a row, I look at it as a sort of marker in my life - an indication on what I'm doing, how I'm doing, and what's ahead.



I remember what my life looked like at every lovebomb - from our first gathering in 2008 before my book launched and when I still had a day job to 2009 when I first started licensing and growing my biz to 2010 when I was pregnant and renovating a house to 2011 when I was very new at figuring out motherhood and business to 2012. This was the first year in all of the five years since we've been gathering that I arrived to lovebomb without feeling utterly frazzled by my life and work. I will remember that, always, as a testament to the ways in which I'm learning, growing.

 

This group has helped teach me some crucial lessons in how to live a life of dreams while also staying grounded. We need the sky but we need the ground. I think I'm getting that for the first time since taking flight with my dreams and passions.




For all of us, our yearly gathering has marked years of great business leaps, great personal leaps, pregnancies, motherhood, tragedy, moves, marriages, break-ups, new beginnings, old stories, struggles, and so much joy.

Life feels so much richer when you have people who bear witness - over years and years - to where you've been and where you're going. History forms, relationships deepen, and friends become family. Love this.



A few things I loved and will remember always about this years gathering:

- Myriam's amazing food, including the simple yet delicious chickpea salad
- Four of us getting stuck (and lost) deep on a dirt road where we had to unload all the heavy luggage and get relayed back to the main road, one by one (hilarious)



- Dancing for hours and hours to the most amazing blues band I've heard live, maybe ever. So good.
- A hilarious inside, naughty joke that had me almost peeing in my pants with laughter and delight.
- The countless bowls of yummy chowder, lobster rolls



- Singing countless songs out loud on the beach while we ate our lobster bake while watching the beautiful sun set over the ocean
- The general themes of discussion that surrounded the idea of being fully alive, adventurous



- Being in the car with the girls, windows open, listening to one another's play lists while singing or being quiet and taking in the moment.
- Staying up until 1:30 am most nights and waking up at 11am. BLISS. 



- Watching Jen Lemen ride her bike down the gorgeous rural road in nothing but a bikini and rain boots.
- Toasting to our five years of love bombing
- Having one of Myriam's dear guy friends tell us all the secrets that women need to know about men for hours and hours of juicy late night discussion.



- Lounging, lounging, more lounging. BLISS x 2.
- Watching Myriam and Brene dance in the living room to country tunes
- The landscape and weather at MV made me incredibly nostalgic for my rural Florida hometown as a child. The trees, the smell, the air, the mosquitos, the dirt roads, the humidity - all similar and had me loving my roots.




On the plane back to Boston, I was literally in the seat next to the pilot of tiny 8 seater plane. I loved it. The overarching theme of our gathering this year was the idea of being alive, really LIVING and embracing the senses, the adventure, the realness of everyday moments. Sitting in the co-pilot seat of this tiny plane brought the entire trip home for me: alive, and on an adventure.

Here's to being alive.
Thank you MV.
Thank you, Lovebomb.

ps: Every year when I write about lovebomb, I'm reminded of the idea that we really must create the experiences we most need. That's how this group was formed a few years ago, and the same is totally possible for you. Please head over to this post that Jen and I wrote on how you can create your own gathering. If your heart is calling, listen. I can't encourage you enough to really lean into those whispers....