Secret Santa....YOU ROCK!!!!

I recently participated in a Secret Santa swap with MMCA. This was my first time participating in a swap like this. It was fun watching the excitement build and boy was I surprised! My Secret Santa was Kelly Snelling... For those of you that know Kelly, you know what a wonderful and beautiful person she is. For those of you that don't know Kelly, you need to visit her HERE. You won't be disappointed.

Kelly sent me this huge box full of goodies...sharpie pens in every color, Soufle pens, a candle, a journal, list notes, bath crystals, tea, chocolate, tons of the greatest epherma, beetle wings (they are really cool), quills, the most beautiful ornament (she has a great tutorial on her site), and this really cool painting. It all touched me so deeply, but this painting is so special to me and I wanted to share it with you (no, you can't have it, but I'll let you look)... Kelly put a lot of thought into this piece, about me...I absolutely love it Kelly...your package made my day, my month and year. You are such a special person!

More Ornaments

I LOVE this time of year. I'm always inspired to create something from the bottom of my heart...something meaningful and something to share. A few years ago, I participated in an ornament swap. It was fun receiving handmade ornaments. I didn't participate the past two years as I wasn't sure I would have the time to make the commitment. Instead, I decided that if I had time, I would make ornaments and send them out as RAKs with no return expected, but purely from my heart.

This year, I wanted to share my favorite word, "hope." The word "hope" has always been my favorite word as it is the opposite of despair. Each little star is painted and sewn. A tiny lightbulb hangs from the bottom representing the light of the Christmans season. I loved making these and I hope those receiving them will cherish them as well.

Wishing you all a blessed holiday season!

After a Long Break

I've taken a break...a very long and needed break. Working full time doesn't allow me the freedom to sit at the computer for very long anymore. I have to make choices...either spend my time doing something productive, or spend time catching up on the computer. Don't get me wrong...I love to sit and catch up on all the blogs and groups, but I just don't have that luxary anymore...so, I have made some goals:

1) Update my blog once a month
2) Take one hour a week to catch up reading my favorite blogs
3) HIRE A HOUSEKEEPER (a must, must, must!)
4) Put no pressures on myself

This break away has been very positive in that I have learned so much about myself, my strengths and weaknesses (both personally and professionally), the power of true friendships, and the importance of being genuine.

This being a 3-day weekend, I immerged myself in creativity. Thank goodness for opening bird season weekend, as I have the house to myself and four critters...

When it comes to visual arts, I always work intuitively. I see something and immediately it just comes to me. I bought a Dover clip art book and was flipping through the pages with a Halloween theme in mind, but something else came to mind instantly...that which grabs our heart. While the pictures are pretty bare (bare to the bones, literally)there was such power in my thought process as I moved quickly through the pieces. Our hearts can be grabbed both positively and negatively...that we can not control, but what we can control is how we react to those feelings...