The Crystal Project

This is a little late in coming but better late than never :)

"The Crystal Project", it's like hiding easter eggs for kids, like giving freshly picked flowers from your garden, spreading joy where ever your heart takes you....... I have been enjoying gathering various inspirational, motivational, loving quotes for the last year or so now along with writing my own and this idea came to me one day. The idea of how I can share these wonderful words with others that might brighten someone else's day, life, or just encourage one to keep on following their heart if they are already on that path. You know....Like little signs.

The idea is this...To tie little tags with quotes on them onto various crystals and stones that can be dropped, placed, hidden in areas around communities. Like leaving little good luck charms for people to discover and bring a smile to their day. I love it! It makes me feel so good doing it. One day at mastermind my friends and I spent a couple of hours working on some together and then we released them out into the world. We dropped them in hospitals, outside grocery stores, pharmacies, bus stops, parking lots, newspaper stands, tables at coffee shops, you name it. I wanted to share this because I think it can make a difference in the happiness of the world, even if it is just these little stones I think they could brighten a day:) Please anyone, feel free to copy this idea and bring it to a community near you too! Together we can all make a difference.

Hello Beautiful Day!

Well I am now in the 25th week of my pregnancy and couldn't be more excited to meet our new little guy. What a beautiful time, loving, creative, peaceful, ahhhh....

Right now we are in the middle of selling our home and fixing up our newly purchased home, renovations are going wonderfully. Genie and I have been painting away and the new studio space is near completion. The new studio is bright, cheery, energizing and inspiring. when it is completed I will post pictures. The color palette is rain forest dew, pale avocado, forest moss (on the doors which looks flipping awesome!) and tangerine topped off with bavarian cream. I love how organized the new space will be, consisting of creative stations which lead to a smooth productive flow of creation. For the last couple of years I have been working out of multiple spaces moving supplies from here to there trying to follow the light in the house and the space needed for what ever project I/we were dabbling in. It was a constant take down, clean up, set up flow but NOW it will just be.... Clean up yay!!!! Everything will have its place and I couldn't be happier.

There are so many great projects floating on the horizon and I'm looking forward to planting them and watching them blossom.

OHHHH another thing!!! Vacation vacation vacation, yes!!!!! The vacation of my dreams is just weeks away as well. We are going to Hawaii. Hooray... My favoritest honey poo, the kids and I will all be taking a 8 day trip the beginning of June and I will get to dance around on the beach with my buddha belly:) FUN

Where Have I Been?? :)

Busy:) when am I not busy..We have purchased our dream home and are in the process of fixing her up to move in. Paint paint and more paint. Oh and did I mention, we are having a baby? YAY we are having a baby!!! A boy and he is due August 13, 2010.

Genie and I have taken a break from the earrings and headbands for a bit due to the fact that we are in the process of setting up our new studio space:)

For the time being it will be in one of the SUNNY bedrooms on the upper level of our new place but future plans are to remodel the workshop, connected to the carport, in the back yard. ITs awesome! We are going to put sky lights in some new windows, flooring and etc. VERY exciting. But that will be a while. This new space will do just wonderfully for now. Sun sun sun so we are set. I look forward to all the projects we will be partaking in, in the future. One of them is the crystal project, spreading joy and love to all. I hope everyone is having a wonderful start to your spring and when I find my DARN camera I will post new pictures.

We may be getting a new camera seeing how this one has been missing since Nov.

hugs....

Long Day-Flibber Flabber Flap

Today was a long one, as if time stood still. Oh wait, yes I forgot, we were beamed with frozen time lazers which we worked and worked and worked and yet, no time passed, and hungry we were...Cranky I got, find peace I did, Yoda I am, now...lol Today was a day of Photo shooting for our Pixy Pocahontis and all the new earrings we have made in the last couple of weeks. It started off on the wrong side of the bed and was as if we were battling the whole rest of the day through the elements. Just as we finally got our creations together and ready to start the landscapers came to blow leaves out of the yard and cut the grass. Can you believe the nerve of them? giggle, how dare they take care of our lawn..lol Just kidding we are grateful for that but it was a haul trying to dodge the blowing leaves and dust AND to stay out of their way all the while chasing the sun rays for capturing a good picture. I will say although we are NOT photographers we did learn a lot today and Thanks to the Extreme Home Makeover show that we did with ABC, Genie remembered some good tips from the filming crews, MIRRORS. Mirrors to direct the sunlight to where we needed it for better lighting. giggle. So there we were, Genie aiming the small decorative wall mirror we had and me trying to rearrange each item for the perfect shot. It was fun. What I like the most about it all is it is a learning process and each time we just get better and better.. I'm tired, Thank you for reading and have a good day:) Thank you Ava for your cute giggles and Genie for her tree hugging..

Get Ready....Check... And off we goooo!

Hello, and Wow.. I can't believe that it has been so long since my last post... Are we in warp speed or what???? Getting ready for the Holiday season, yay!

Oh and I just wanted everyone to know about Genie:) She is a wonderful friend of mine and is part of Nato Botto Art's journey. Together we have been working hard to produce fun new things like......Baked Fruitcake. Its all about fruity ideas baked with love by some peeps following their hearts and that's us!! Our newest creations are called Pixy Pocahontis and they are SOOOO CUTE! Hair accessories to bring out the pixy or Pocahontis in us all:) Whether your a kid or a adult they make smiles all around. Items will be available on www.natobottoart.etsy.com soon:)

We are still working on our bookmarks as well, OH AND TONS of Funky fun earrings and necklaces in the works... SOOO much fun fun fun and all things made with Love Love Love!

Also if anyone is interested, we will be at the Edwardsville, IL Tiger Band, 17th annual Art and Craft Fair the weekend of Nov 14&15 from 9-4 on Sat and 11-4 on Sunday. Hope to see you there. More show listings to come!!!!!!!!!!ta ta for now:) lol

Living in Joy

Still working on those projects, Slowly but surely and with love.

I went to the Strange Folk Fest yesterday with my daughter and friends and had a BLAST! It was great. Met some wonderful people and saw some inspiring creations. Thank you universe:) I have one show I am doing for sure in November coming up and another I am submitting to today for December. Fun fun:) I felt it last night, the groove, the synchronistic harmony of being in purpose. Ideas kept flowing and my production kept up with thought, keep in mind it is fast:) I felt myself listening to my body more as well, which is very helpful when in such intense beautiful energy. IT's so amazingly powerful and finally my eyes got wobbly and heavy and thought fuzzy and I decided to call it quits and was glad to have enjoyed the experience. That was a session of truly going for it, following my heart and not thinking the what if's. Listening to the first spark of an idea without judgement and going for it:)

I went to Seattle a couple of weekends ago to see a good friend and possible partner in a awesome book she is creating. I will be doing the illustrations, I'm sure we will collaborate on art in the book too, we have to she is a creative dynamo and I couldn't imagine not collaborating on stuff together:)

Working on Earrings, notecards, bookmarks (so fun) and ????? art in general.

I am also painting at a lady's home at the same time and I would like to thank Marcia, for being so kind and understanding to my schedule and need to take a day here and there to stay home and create. It is people like her that create balance in this world. Having an understanding that when the need comes to create/run/write/sing/dance or whatever you gotta go with it because if not that moment is lost:) Thank you Marcia.

To everyone on this beautiful breezy Monday, Have a fantastic week!

Follow your heart.................

Momentum

I am beginning the beautiful and challenging climb. This is not a mountain that has been defeated before. For so many times I have lead myself on it's trek but have lost steam on the way from the seed of new ideas that catch my attention and bringing a refreshing excitement "seem" to give me more hope of success.

That is such crap! Who the hell planted the seeds in our heads that SUCCESS is measured by money. whether something is going to be financially successful or not.

Success is climbing the mountain not knowing what is to come of the journey but enjoying the experience and all that was learned on the way. Success is following your heart!

I don't know how many times I have been excited about something then while in the process of creation I let competitiveness creep in on me, comparisons, EGO take over and thus I didn't always finish what I set out to accomplish in the first place too worried that I wasn't going to be "successful" because of all the other talent out there. But now because there is a clearing, I know that we are all gifted just in different ways, but each of us piece of the puzzle of life. Without our piece the picture is not complete. At least that is what I feel and think and whether it is actuality or not it makes sense for me in my story:) Without our lights shining brightly we wouldn't be able to see:)

So SHINE ON! I have my backpack on and am going hiking and I am going to complete my journey and look forward to new trips in the future!