Banff x-country ski day

Note to self:  If a certain friend (who is supposed to be injured & awaiting knee surgery!) says that she just wants to go for a "gentle" ski...maybe skip the morning spinning class - because it ain't just gonna be a leisurely stroll in the woods!  But beautiful it was...  :)  And so are T's car shots!

Create with K8 - February

Mission 2 accomplished!  February’s activity was decorating/creating Gratitude Journals.  I’ve always considered myself a pretty grateful person – I mean, we have SO MUCH to be grateful for!  But sometimes I still find myself getting lost in those thoughts of “life will be better when…” or “I will be REALLY happy/satisfied if I can just…”  Anyone with me?  So I’m curious to see if a daily practice (of writing down 3 things that I’m grateful for) might allow me to settle into the perfection of today. 

A friend of mine that couldn’t make the journal-making day wanted some instructions…so I figured I would share with all of you as well!  Here’s a really simple and economical (less than $5/journal!) way to make your gratitude journal.  (Sorry the pictures are so small…just playing around with Picnik after being inspired by Lisa’s recent post.) 

1.     Choose your favorite fabric!  (100% cotton works best)

2.     Cut the fabric so that it just covers both sides of a journal – you don’t want too much hanging off the edges otherwise it will be too bulky when you go to glue it.  (Journal purchased at Michaels for $1.50.)

3.     Glue the edges and center of one side (I used Arlene’s craft glue) and then fold the fabric over it & press firmly into glue.

4.     Make a couple snips at the top and bottom centre edges so that the fabric will lie nicely.

5.     Wrap the edges of your fabric in (much like wrapping a present) and glue.

6.     You’ll likely need to trim the centre (snipped) piece so that it sits nicely.

7.     Cut out a piece of card stock big enough to cover the inside of your journal (front & back) and glue down (covering up edges of fabric).

8.     Using Rubber Cement, glue your favorite gratitude quotes onto the card stock.  

Et voila!

Meet my headless friends and their creations!  

(I didn’t ask permission to post their photo so figured I’d better chop their heads off – haha!)  

Here are the quotes that I used for inspiration:

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."
-Melody Beattie

As the months pass and you fill your journal with blessings, an inner shift in your reality will occur. Soon you will be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you are feeling. As you focus on the abundance rather than on the lack in your life, you will be designing a wonderful new blueprint for the future. This sense of fulfillment is gratitude at work, transforming your dreams into reality.

- Sarah Ban Breathnach

Snail mail rocks!

So excited to get this postcard in the mail today!  

Less than 2 months to Artfest!  

This is what her wings say...(awesome) 

"Sometimes I start thinking...the incredible power that creativity holds and how much it can make such a huge difference in our lives.  If you can find the right vehicle that will allow it to flow freely then you have found a priceless gem that holds more power and energy than you can imagine.  Kings would give all their treasure for this level of power and energy.  So why is it that once we experience it, we forget to harness the energy of it?  Because the powers of the world get it and keep us numb with too much daily input.  It is true."  Teesha Moore  

For realz??

Ok people.  Can you tell me what is wrong with this picture?  I was so dumbfounded to find these happy, little INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED oranges while shopping at Superstore this weekend.  I seriously did a double take.  It's witnessing atrocities like this that make you feel so powerless against the consumer society - of which I am a part of!  I mean, does my recycling really make a difference when you're going up against this on a global scale?  And so, I did the only thing that I felt I could do at the time - I took a picture.  

Imagine yourself as this woman

I started this blog with the hope that it would make me accountable; that I would force myself to do more art, to share more art, to get off my butt & create!  The idea behind “studio K8 and me” was this: I would share creations from my “studio” – be that art, photography or a combination - and then occasionally share a little about me.  

About my thoughts, my feelings, my hopes and dreams.  

The word little was very intentional.  I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to pour out my soul to the universe.  I don’t express my feelings easily.  People that have known me for years will likely attest to this – I’m a tough cookie to crack!  But it appears that sharing my thoughts isn’t turning out to be that hard – I guess it’s easier for me to write about my feelings than to verbalize them.

Getting to the creating part though – that seems to be easier said than done. Aside from a of couple pictures here and there, I really haven’t produced much of anything.  Oh well, I’m just going to let it be what it is…see where it goes.  

But while I work through this block and try to sort it all out, perhaps what I’ll do is share something from the vaults.  I drew this piece back in 2001.  I can’t remember where I got the original picture from – some magazine likely.  

My favourite part about it is the words that I wrote on the edges.  I was recently reminded of this poem after Lori Portka posted it on Roots of She.  It goes a little like this: 

Imagine a Woman

Imagine a woman who believes it is right and good she is a woman. A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories. Who refuses to carry the sins of others within her body and life.

Imagine a woman who trusts and respects herself. A woman who listens to her needs and desires. Who meets them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman who has acknowledged the past's influence on the present. A woman who has walked through her past. Who has healed in the present.

Imagine a woman who authors her own life. A woman who exerts, initiates and moves on her own behalf. Who refuses to surrender except to her truest and wisest voice.

Imagine a woman who names her own Gods. A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is. Who celebrates her body's rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.

Imagine a woman who honors the body of the Goddess in her changing body. A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom. Who refuses to use her precious life energy disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman who values the women in her life. A woman who sits in circles of women. Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.

Imagine yourself as this woman. -- Patricia Lynn Reilly

Scenes from my office on a Tuesday...

What can I say?!  

My new iPhone is a little distracting!