sponsor giveaway

I'm so excited to offer the following giveaways from a couple of our sponsors. I'm throwing in a matted print into the mix, too!

Artist Julie Abbott is offering this 18x24 original painting (on wood box canvas) titled "The Cottage" to one lucky reader. Be sure to check out Julie's blog and her etsy shop where you'll find a whole lot of inspiration and color. I'm especially loving her whimsical face paintings over in her etsy shop.

Another lucky reader is going to win their choice of a PAIR of prints from artist Jeannine Roberts Royce's series titled You Have a Song to Sing. Winner will be able to choose sizes 8x8 or 10x10, and whether or not they want hand-glitter detail or not. The image above is a sampling, but to view entire slideshow of the selection, head on over to Jeannine's website. Prints will come on foam core, signed by artist, sealed in plastic sleeve.

Jeannine says the following about her work: "This material has been germinating since my days writing self-discovery workbooks and curriculum for teen parents and at-risk kids. I’m still driven to share this guidance: Each must know her song, and play her part, and fulfill her promise… the world awaits your juicy, succulent gifts."

I'm offering one reader a print of this original titled brave in all things - I thought it went perfectly with all the mondo beyondo dreams and posts about courage and bravery going on over here and elsewhere lately. It's also one of my faves - print will arrive matted, signed, and ready to frame in any 11x14 frame.

***********************************

giveaway recap:

*one reader will win the lovely original painting by Julie Abbott.

*one reader will win two prints of their choice from Jeannine Roberts Royce's You Have a Song to Sing series
*one reader will win the signed and matted print by me

giveaway rules:
* to enter the giveaway, leave a comment in this post - but there's a twist. please just leave a 1-3 word comment. using just 1-3 words, tell us what your biggest dream would be for yourself.
* just one comment per person, please.
* i'll announce the winner in just a couple of days.
* go!

ps - as always, contact me if you're interested in becoming a sponsor.

especially brave in love

(photo by andrea scher)

last week when the lovebombers gathered, katherine painted words + phrases on our bodies -talk about a powerful exercise. the words and phrases we chose were delicate, yet powerful tellings of our stories and of our spirits. when it was my turn to get painted, i had trouble choosing a word, or a sentence. my mind, perhaps a little too bouncy from all the excitement of the weekend, couldn't settle. just as i was about to give up, one of the girls yelled out "brave in love, kelly rae, brave in love." and then it was settled.

brave in sadness, brave in love entered my life last summer when andrea led the lovebombers through a truly transformative exercise that helped each of us define our core values - the essence of who we are and what we want to invite more of into our lives. by the end of the exercise, what came through loud and clear for me were these words: i wanted to live my life brave in sadness, brave in love.

to me, brave in sadness means sitting with our tender spots and vulnerabilities. it means facing the direction of our fear and inching our way through it to the other side. it means expressing our broken pieces with absolute courage, whether in writing, conversation, or art. it means seeing the light of possibility in our disappointments. it means giving our sadness a rightful voice, listening to it, and allowing it to birth experiences we need in our lives.

(photo by karen walrond)

on the flipside, brave in love means courageously, and without apology, celebrating our successes, our love, our creativity, our joys + discoveries. it means telling our stories of dreams come true without downplaying the goodness or dimming our lights. it's recognizing that love is what matters the most and what carries us through in life and in work. it's being fearless in the pursuit of beauty, community, soul.

this last year, more than ever, i'm learning the gifts of being brave in love, and it was such a important part of my journey to have it written on my heart. thank you katherine. it was a powerful gift.

mondo beyondo list

(pacific city, oregon)

been thinking a lot about dreaming and wishing these last many days. i'm so inspired by the community over at mondo beyondo. jen + andrea are doing such a great job leading the class and now i've found myself all wrapped up in dreaming big, almost ridiculous dreams for myself.

in 2006 i declared my life's first really big dream: to make a living making art. in some ways, my passion fueled this particular journey and i didn't really have much say in what unfolded - the dream had the reigns and i was along for the ride so to speak. of course, there was (and still is) so much hard work, but most of the time it doesn't feel too much like work, and more like dream living. and for that, i'm forever grateful. sometimes i can't believe i'm inside this life. i really can't.

i like dreaming. i like the energy it gives to the world. i like thinking of possibilities, however ridiculous they might sound. i like cheering for the underdog. and i love happy endings that involve triumph and open hearts, no matter how deep the struggle. we are, afterall, the creators of our own happy endings - a rejoiceful response to all the broken pieces of our stories.

back to dreaming. i want to be brave in these next dreams i surrender out into the world. i want to stretch and reach and expand my vision for my life. i want to wish for the expansive, the unlikely, the onhoneyyou'llneverhavethat dreams. so here it goes. bravery, and all....

my mondo beyondo list:

to create a family as soon as possible

to write book #2 (a non art book that has been in my head for months). and for it to be wildly successful and really good.

to work with anthropologie in some way

to learn yoga and for it to become a part of my life

to create HUGE giant art

to expand my licensing gigs

to make really good friends in seattle

to continue making a good living doing what i do. i hope it never ends.

if your soul is calling, listen.

(photo by tracey clark)

jen and i have been getting several emails asking for advice on how to create a gathering of women similar to lovebomb. here's the quick and dirty of how we did it. of course, you can do it however you'd like, but the most important thing is to do it - especially if you are feeling the pulls to create a true-blue-beyond-the-internet-community for yourself.

1. partner up with a friend to co-lead your gathering - someone who is a good balance to your personality and who has a similar vision for what you'd like to do. it's helpful to have a partner so that you can share all the responsibilities and it makes all the planning that much more fun.

2. think about where you'd like to hold your gathering. what's a special location that holds meaning for you? we chose a sleepy beach town in Oregon because it was a place that we had both been to and loved deeply. we knew any soul on the planet would love it, too. but it was special because it already felt familiar to us and held meaning for both of us on different levels. it's important to choose a location that will inspire, nurture, calm, and ignite adventure.

3. find a great cabin or house that can sleep lots of peeps in the location you've chosen. having a great space is key in setting the stage for a cozy, intimate gathering.

3. dream up a list of all the people you want to invite. who do you want to meet? are there people you've been chatting with online that you want to meet in person? are there people out there in the world that you admire? are there local friends that you can't live without? who are you being called to? get together with your organizing partner and dream out loud together about who these people are and create your dream list. be sure to let your heart guide you. you already know your tribe deep down, we're sure of it.

4. send out a lovely invitation to your dream list via email - an invitation so juicy (with photos + descriptions of where, when, why) they would be crazy to decline.

5. squeal in delight when most of them say yes, they'd love to come!

6. introduce everyone via email. include their websites/blog addresses so that they can all begin to know one another a bit before meeting one another. some of them may already know one another and some may not. it's important to address the natural concerns that come up as people anticipate being in a brand new group for the first time. keep sending lots of love and welcome out to your group and invite them to create a safe space for each other.

7. collect $ from everyone attending that will cover the rental fees of the cabin/house and all food/drink/and other surprises. you'll be surprised how doable this kind of weekend is when you share the expenses between 10-12 women. it's also a good idea to ask for a small portion of the $ close to the time of the invitation so you can feel confident about your RSVPs.

8. plan to arrive with your planning partner at least one day before your time together as a group begins. this will give you time to shop & get ready, but more importantly it will give you both time to connect and talk in person about what you're dreaming for your gathering. we've been very specific about what we wanted to create and have been amazed at how powerful those intentions can be. whatever you ask for for your group, you WILL get, so put your best wishes out there.

9. on your first night together, welcome your friends to a shared communal meal and the warmest introductions you can imagine. there's nothing like gathering around a table and eating together like long lost friends to get your weekend started on the right note.

10. plan one or two shared activities and let the rest unfold naturally. we decided early on we could trust these women to make our time together magic, and we haven't been disappointed. being honest with the women you've invited about how much you trust and respect them is a beautiful place to start. from that place, true friendship and real connection can blossom and grow.

11. come up with a name for your group. this could be really fun and silly. we call ourselves the lovebombers after one our ladies said she was going to bomb us with love. what can you call yourselves? we're sure you'll come up with a meaningful name specific to your gathering!

we hope you go for it. that you create what your soul needs. that you reach out to all the women in your online circles and otherwise. that you create something so powerful with your friends, that it sustains and transcends.

xxo

kelly + jen

did i mention that i had the best time?

because i did. there was dancing.....here we (me + andrea) are cracking ourselves up doing the running man and the ride-the-pony moves:

and more pure joy:

dear universe, please don't let me ever forget how much fun it is to have fun. because it is so good for my soul. like, really.

(dance photos by jen lee. wig + dancing photo by karen walrond. all others by andrea scher)

the beauty of creative messes

(photo by ali edwards)

(photo by brene brown)

it's late. i should be in bed. or packing up my artful messes. or cleaning. but all i can think about is all that happened these last many days. i wanted to share what it looks like when you spread out a sheet, open up a suitcase full of paints and art supplies, and ask 13 of your friends to get messy with you. the result: astounding gratitude that they were even interested yet alone freaking out in happiness. and more: hearts bursting with creative pride, energy so good you want to bottle it up and take it home, and many stunning collaborative canvases. in other words, i was in heaven.

(photo by ali edwards)

(photo by karen walrond)

together, we devoured the collage papers and the paints, each taking turns to sit around a couple of large canvases to add our own personal touches, making the paintings incredibly meaningful. after our collab pieces were done, most of us went on to create our own pieces. omg! there was such an explosion of excitement and connectedness that, in the end, we blazed through 12 large canvases, gobs of gel medium, and joy the size + width of texas. i loved watching my friends get inspired - some of them painting for the first time - delicately yet excitedly maneuvering what it feels like to have goop on their hands, to actually create a real life painting. and the paintings were downright stunning - all of them.

(photo by brene brown)

at one point we were all huddled around a couple of large canvases when lionel richie came on the ipod (loud). for those few minutes we all spontaneously got up from the floor, paints all over our hands, and sang our hearts out to 'you are sun, you are the rain...' - hands down, it was one of the best moments of my years.

(photos by tracey clark)

(photo by andrea scher)

my heart is so happy from these days spent creating alongside my friends, i can barely stand it. on saturday, there was a moment when i was washing mounds of paint off of my hands thinking about how just 24 hours prior to that moment i was confessing my whatdoihavetooffer worry to jemen. who knew that a suitcase of art supplies and some blank canvases could be so much fun, so rewarding, and so healing.

(photo by katherine center)

my creative spark is in full blown mode now. thank you, lovebombers. i am SO inspired! the above is a quick snapshot of a couple of paintings. the first one on the left is one of the group's collaborative paintings - more on that soon. the others are a couple of pieces i did right there by that giant window that looks out into the ocean. working on many pieces over here for a big sale next month.

ps - speaking of collaborative paintings, check out the upcoming sept/oct issue of Somerset Studios magazine. i wrote an article about the collaborative paintings that mati and i did together earlier this year. it's a gorgeous, gorgeous article (love somerset's layout and design) and i'm so thankful to be a part of this issue! thank you, somerset studios! sneak peek above :)

pss - please welcome our newest sponsor, Color Incorporated.

psss - i keep forgetting to mention this here on the blog, but for all of you who have been waiting for the necklaces, they're back! i've added many of them to the shop. check em out here!

next up: more creative fun.

lovebomb 2009

(photo by tracey clark)

(photo by jen lee)

i'm stumbling over my words today...bear with me as i sound downright dramatic, like a teenager in love.

i've been in manzanita, oregon for several days with the lovebombers (a group that started last year - more details here and here and here). it's been several fat and full days of spontaneous joy of the best kind - the kind of days where you say outloud to anyone within earshot, "this is the best day ever!" truth be told, i can barely believe my luck in having landed in such a rich community of women.

the day before we arrived in manzanita, jen and i were in portland gathering up food and getting ready for the weekend. there was a moment inside a sweet little downtown cafe where i confessed my worry: what do i really offer to this gathering of women outside of the mechanics of organizing our weekend, our carpools, our housing arrangements? how can i insert my heart + soul into these next few days when we're all together? i wondered if any of the other women were feeling the same.

(bottom 2 photos by karen walrond)

what i'm learning is that we all have our misconfigurations of heart. sometimes we're downright blind to our offerings and to our trueness. and then, perhaps with a bit of resistance, we meet one another face to face in the exact spaces of where we are on any particular day: fulfilled, not fulfilled, tired, blissed out, overworked, in love, confused, not confused, and on and on. and then, the magic happens. all of our combined lives and gifts and moods converge for one very large display of lives + friendships in the making, in the real, like cracked open hearts finding just the right balm in the puzzle pieces of what's been laid out on the table. it's the unplannedness and the spontaneity of this convergence that makes it so downright special, like the most important happy accidents of our lives.

(photo by karen walrond)

(photo by karen walrond)

i've learned so much these last several days about how the simple act of having fun creates an intimacy between friendships that soothes and fuels. in between important and enriching conversations, our weekend together was all about impromtu dance parties in the dining room, bonfires, and lots of singing outloud to lionel richie and other classics. it was gathering around and doing collaborative paintings together - some of us discovering our inner artist for the first time. it was playing dress up for silly and fun glamour shots. and painting our toenails hot pink. so yes, in my quest for deep connection i sometimes forget that simply having fun is often the most important portal to creating intimacy in our relationships. what a gift.

(photos by karen walrond)

i am so honored to be a part of this circle of women. we lovebomb one other all year long through phone calls, emails, letters - all in celebration and support. but the very best is when we see one another in the flesh for a few days of heart + soul care. thank you, manzanita, oregon. you hold such meaning. and thank you jemen, jen, jen, andrea,hula, katherine, tracey, myriam, karen, ali + anna, brene, alex (missed you mati) for all the rest, the love, and the silly.

more photos and thoughts soon (i have so much to say)...

ps - for those of you who are longing for a specific community, i want to encourage you to go for it. the lovebombers were born out of a yearning, from the feeling that something was missing. i strongly believe that we must create the experiences our hearts most need - that's how lovebomb was born and the same is possible for you....really, really.

new pixie do!

it's so funny to me that something as simple as a new haircut paired with a new dress from boden has successfully pulled me out of my week long funk. but it has. and now, i'm just feeling sassy and upbeat.

i went to get a trim today but when i sat in the chair, i looked at my sweet hairdresser who i adore (and who has been cutting my hair since we moved to seattle) and said "you know, i think i need to cut off all of my hair. i'm feeling brave in this instant so please do it now before i change my mind. let's go for a full-on pixie cut." the minute she starting cutting, i felt instant joy and release, like i had just made a very good spontaneous decision. still, i wondered what john would think when he came home from work to find me with a short do (i'm still wondering...i haven't told him yet but he'll be home soon).

i am so glad i did it. feeling so much better, lighter, free. and the funniest thing happened when i was getting my hair cut: my hairdresser and i were chatting like we always do when she mentioned that she does hair+make-up for her older sister who is in a band. curious, i asked her who her older sister was. very calmly and in a rather nonchalant tone, she responds, "brandi carlile." this is the part where i 100% geek out. right there. i tell her to put her scissors down so that i can properly squeal and scream. i go on and on about how much i love brandi's music, how i know every single lyric of every single song, and on and on and on. i've had my hair cut many times but it's never come up until today. i sat there all blushed and geeked out for the rest of the time. it was so cool. i haven't felt that rush of celebrity crush in a really long time. truly, i love brandi carlile's music. you have no idea.

so that's my story of how i successfully worked my way through a week long funk. tears + rest + new pixie hair + new clothes + conversations + comfort + release and letting go.

i feel so much better now :)

serious inspiration

(my hands...photo by denise andrade)

been stalking anahata's blog over here and now i just want to say that i'm officially in love with

one

two

three

OMG!!!!!!!

where i'm at. it's all good.

(large painting. it reads she was grateful for the brightness of being alive)

in the spaces of the friction, i feel deeply loved. and protected. i'm just a girl navigating the next step, intimacy vs armor, creative longings, and some pretty intense pressure. sometimes it all feels like a whirlwind with unseen forces spiraling toward me, at me, all around. the energy is good, but overwhelming. my linear brain can't make sense, my creative side frazzled and undone. my gratitude is huge, but i sometimes feel lonely, like i'm pioneering a new road for myself as i try to grab ahold of what's left to keep from behind. it's all very hard to wrap my head around. the language comes in broken stream, both to my heart and to those i hold close.

still, my friends call, and my husband gently tends. i try to explain. i explain my way through. and through again. i accept the comfort, all of it. i allow myself the tears, the release. and try very very hard not to restrict myself to only five minutes of falling apart, but perhaps more time. our hearts don't work well with deadlines, i remind myself. through all the muck, i'm acutely aware of the shine and sheen of my life. and i'm grateful beyond measure for the brightness of my crazy life, of being alive. i'm one lucky girl, cracked open heart and all.

switching it up

sometimes it's nice (and fun) to switch it up a bit.

happy monday everyone! today i'm all about running errands, and getting ready for some upcoming travel. had a great weekend exploring the city with our oakland friends who were up for the weekend. feeling like i love seattle more and more, and having visitors makes it seem more like home as we give tours and talk about living here. i can't believe it's been over 8 months since we moved here. feeling more upbeat - been thinking a lot about what's really bothering me and i think i've got a hunch. more on that soon. i'm still navigating....but it's good to dig deep and get to the root. we're all just out there doing the best we can, no?

with time + love....

(my best therapy: painting what i feel, what i know, where i am today)

not sure if it's hormones or what but boy am i moody this week. up and down. left and right. tearful and grumpy. release then anxious again. i'm in a rut. and i know that the only way through is through. so i'm toughing it out over here. of course there always hope and love. and i've got a firm grip on those. but i'm just sayin...i've got a small case of the summer blues. it happens.

we've got some lovely friends coming into town tonite. i'm looking forward to a weekend of food, conversation, and play. i'm sure my spirits will lift as soon as they hit our doorstep...see you guys on the flip side.

***************************************

please welcome our newest sponsor, the courageous traveler. courageous kate, the lovely woman behind this venture has transformed her love of travel into a remarkable livelihood by offering courageous traveler workshops all over the world. pretty cool. check it out!

sweet bella painting

earlier this summer i asked my friend sarah if she would paint us a portrait of our doggie, bella. anyone who know us knows that bella is our life. we rescued her over nine years ago from wretched conditions when she was 6 weeks old and we've loved her every step of the way. soon after we rescued her, she was diagnosed with a severe bleeding disorder (similar to hemophilia), making owning her quite an adventure (complete with countless emergency vet visits, lots of blood stains everywhere, doggie blood transfusions, and on an on). but boy do we love her. as i type this, she is snoring at my feet with her giant airplane ears in full view. anyway, i totally love + adore the painting sarah did of bella. i placed it so that it sits on our bookshelves in our living room. thank you, sarah!!

in other news, i feel like telling the truth. and the truth is is that i'm all mixed up over here. feeling like i need to recalibrate after many long weeks of business work, like i need to get balanced again. i hate this feeling but it's also what motivates me to make a change. i suppose i'm in in-between land with a few moments of tears as i try and work myself out and re-evaluate what i want to do. also working on big plans for upcoming travel (which makes me so happy). so yes, confused and off kilter after a big wave of release last week. the ebb and flow...there it is again.

hope you guys are well. i'll be back soon with a painting show + tell.

xxo

ps - i added a necklace to the shop (the CREATE necklace - a fave) today with more to arrive soon. loving having my own shop vs my old etsy shop (so far).

pps - please welcome our newest sponsor, artist valerie lorimer!

update on megan and happy birthday, taking flight

(another heart rock for you, found on whidbey island)

hi friends,

i'm so happy to report that with your help, we were able to help megan reach her goal of raising $100,000 by august first. in the last week alone, you have raised a whopping $6000 toward the grand total. i can't thank you enough and i'm so in love with every single one of you right now for donating, sending the love, and spreading the word. head on over to megan's blog where you can read her latest update on how she's doing. i'm pretty amazed. also, the winner from the fund raising giveaway is sandy gonyea - sandy, get in touch with me so we can coordinate your $200 shopping spree! thanks to all who left eons of kindness in the comments on that blog. they were all deeply seen and acknowledged.

********************************

in other news, i sent out a newsletter this morning. man oh man, those things take time (as anyone who sends out newsletter know!), but totally worth it. you can view the entire newsletter on the web right here, but i've included a bit of it below for you to see (because i don't want you to miss out on a couple of important announcements and specials that are lasting THIS WEEK ONLY!!!)

Introducing 2010 Calendars + Datebooks! (They are awesome) I am delighted to introduce my first calendar and datebook. Both are equally lovely though I especially love the datebook for its design + everyday use. I'm taking pre-orders for both, but act fast as supplies are limited. They'll arrive signed by me, delivered to your door in the fall. All the datebook details (and photos) can be found here while all the wall calendar details (and photos) can be found here. Taking Flight is 1yrs old! Happy Birthday, dear book! It's hard to believe that a year has passed since my book, Taking Flight, released out into the world. Simply put, I've been surprised and amazed at the response. It continues to rank highly over atamazon.com both in reviews and on bestseller lists in several categories. My heart beams over its success. It also got its own new + improved page over on my new website (check out the look inside the book feature - pretty amazing). To celebrate its 1 year anniversary, I'm including a signed 6x6 print of Believe In Possibility (photo on the left) to anyone who orders their signed copy of Taking Flight THIS WEEK from my website! I love this print and I think it's a perfect companion to a book that's all about believing in oneself, reaching for the moon despite the fears, and taking flight toward possibility. So there you have it. Act fast as this special is for THIS WEEK ONLY.

more soon. thanks everyone!!!