Vamos a la playa !!!

Ola, Chicas !

The Queen is off to the playa for a beach vacation for the Girls !

I am actually driving up to Montreal tomorrow morning to meet Suzanne and Nathalie. Our direct flight for Mexico leaves early Tuesday AM.

I will be on a blog break until the 11th of March when I get back.

I promise to take lots of silly pictures to share.

Art Journal supplies are packed too.

I will raise my margarita glass high for my sweet pals in Blogland !

Hasta luego !

Bailemos !

Thankfulness Thursday - Love Letters to Me !

Do you every write love letters to yourself ?

I used to do that when I was in my 30's -

when I was really in love with myself for a good while
there.

I haven't done it in a while

so I decided that for Thankfulness Thursday I would.

I won't bore you with all the gushing and sentimental stuff.

But I will tell you that it includes appreciation

for my intelligence,

my big, big heart,

my desire for justice and fairness in the world,

my imagination and creativity,

and my sense

of humor.

Write a love letter to yourself, especially if it has been a while...

And while you are listing all the great things you love about yourself,

I will bet that you will realize that the world is

(A Postcard that I received from Jennifer Float at gallerygirljen.blogspot.com)

Blessed because you are in it !

Today, I am thankful the the glorious being that is ME !

Go love on yourself, Beautiful Ones !

(Oh and please check out the Weekly Gratitude Blog. So many wonderful people sharing their stories of thanks. A certain queen was highlighted today too. ;) )

Transitions and 7 Things Re : Me

So my wonderful large juicy art journal that I purchased for $20.00 at Barnes and Noble (a multi-media blank sketch book with 9X12 inch pages) is all but finished. Just three pages left, I think. It is a true mistresspiece to me...

I need to go and buy another journal (hopefully I can find the same one - the paper was delicious) but in the mean time, I am going to Mexico next week and there is no way I can bring the big baby. I bought this stack of little blank moleskins around Christmas and I figured now would be a good time to start breaking one in...

I am not crazy about blank pages so I am trying to fill some of them in before I go as jumping off points in my journaling.

I also took my stamp play page with Jack The Crow and stuck in in there...

and gave him a little story.

New journals are a little hard - they feel too empty to me.

Luckily, I know just what to do to fix that !

Fill 'er up, Kimbo !

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So it is Monday morning and I am kind of stressing and I am doing my best to keep busy.

I read my lovely Sherry's blog and saw that she had shared 7 things about herself this morning after being awarded a Blog Award. I decided to consider myself awarded too, and follow suit...

1. I have a terrible fear of all things medical. It is based on lots of gross experiences throughout my life. I have faced a lot of the fears, found a "team" to work with me, who have finally learned that you need to treat me like a person, your friend or your family member and I will stop freaking out, or possibly crying and my blood pressure will come down a bit when you do so. While this is all good, I still get very, very uptight when I have a doctor's appointment, which I do today at 2:00pm...

2. I like to do things in Kim time. Some people don't follow that timetable or understand it, but I do. Things always work out well for me when I do them in Kim time.

3. My friend Suzanne turned 50 in December and she is taking me and her other best friend to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico for one week of Crazy Chick Fun to celebrate! We leave on March 1st ! Yes, I know I am extremely lucky and fortunate to have such a friend ! Love you, Suzy !

4. I absolutely love Mexico - this is my 6th trip there, and my second visit to Playa Del Carmen.

5. I hate to fly, control freak that I am, and will be asking my Doc for some help in that area this afternoon ! Meditate and medicate !!! ;)

6. I sleep naked. I have since I was about 12. I hate when the nightgowns or pajama pants get tangled around your legs, etc...but I can sleep well in a t-shirt and undies which I will do in Mexico. And no, I will not be getting into a hot tub naked anywhere, anytime in front of strangers !!! (see Sherry's post to understand this one ! )

7. I tend to talk and giggle a lot when I am nervous... ;)...blah blah blah teehee tee hee tee hee...

Man, I can't wait until 2:30...

Hope your Monday is filled with fun details !

Big Love, beautiful Ones...

Play Time At The Queen of Arts Studio

Carved some stamps...

That is a very zen activity too, just like rock painting.

Good for crazy brain.

Stamped some newly carved stamps...

A bird story of some kind...

Jack the Crow and the Flower Stalk maybe...

Worked on some journal page foundations for Art Love Letters class.

Tried out some paint splattering techniques...

Somehow, I ended up splattering myself much more than the page with one of my slaps.

These photos are of me after I thought I have wiped all the paint off

and went into the livingroom to say hi to David.

Guess I missed a spot.

Or two...

Happy Saturday, Playmates !

Abigail Knows !!!

So ENOUGH with feeling like a Gloomy Gus !!! Argh ! I hate that !

Can't stay there for long !!!

I know it is winter (the season of my discontent!) and

traumatic February on top of it ,

but really I have come so far from how winters usually are for me.

I need to allow myself to celebrate that a little !

Last Winter was soooooo rough - this one is a lot better.

The best one I have had in recent memory, actually.

So I am allowing myself to feel the ickies and be a little blue

for a bit because those feelings are real...

but at some point it is time to shake that off ! Or at least try !

So what to do to feel better ?

(art journal page - 2008)

Ah, yes...

Need to take a page out of Abigail's Book...

Time to put those wings in motion !

Fuel them up with art making, time with friends, walking, breathing, being grateful...

Start flapping

and before I know it, I should be using those wings to fly again...

So that's what my plan is for this weekend, Beautiful Ones.

Some sweet Wing TLC.

Dinner and a movie with Sonia tonight (Chick flicks RULE for the Blues!)

Shopping for some Mexico duds tomorrow (yes, I leave for Mexico in 11 sleeps ! what do I have to complain about ?!)

Some cozy time with my man in our sweet nest over the weekend.

A few walks with the Chica Dog in the warm winter weather we are blessed with right now.

And Art Journal Love Letters play time with Connie and the gang !

You bet I am grateful !!!!

Here's my song for today...love it so much !

"Take these broken wings and learn to fly..."

Do your wings need some TLC ?

Well, I am sending them the "L"...

I hope you give them the rest...

Big Love to you and your wings, Beautiful Ones and have a great weekend !

Thankfulness Thursday - Thank God for New Tools !

What do you do when you are feeling stressed, anxious, on edge ?

I have some bad habits - old tools that I pick up,

that I think will help

even though

over the years

I have learned that they really don't.

(journal page 2008)

I used to pick up a cigarette.

Oh, some days, I miss those puppies !

I don't choose those anymore (it is about a year and a half now...).

I still go to the comfort food - you know, kind of medicate with food...

That will be my next battle...

But in the meantime,

I have also learned how to pick up some new, healthier tools as well.

Yesterday was one of those days.

I was literally buzzy with anxiety.

I have stopped asking why for now.

That just seems to make the whole thing worse in my crazy brain.

I just try to accept that some days are like that

and look for the tools to help me get through...

Yesterday, my tools of choice was this :

I literally lost myself in the painting of my rocks.

I had the tunes on.

I was in a rock painting zone.

No anxiety.

No worries.

Just in the present moment...

Ahhh, the relief...

Most of the other stuff was just in my mind anyway and had nothing to do with the present moment. Besides, it would still be there when it was time to deal with it all.

In those rock painting moments, I was able to just be...

The Buddhists say that happiness is relief from suffering...

I think that is what I experienced yesterday...

Today, on Thankfulness Thursday,

I am so very grateful for my new tools.

I hope your present moment brings you to happiness today, Beautiful Ones...

Big Love to you !

Random Acts of Kindness Week

While reading one of my most favorite blogs in Blogland this morning,

Kind Over Matter,

I discovered that it is

Random Act Of Kindness Week !

The girls at Kind over Matter, Jenn and Amanda have a whole list of suggestions

for acts you can carry out and make the world a little kinder place.

(laughing buddha photo from flick'r)

One of my favorites is so very simple and it is one I learned from my Bubbie, my grandmother, when I was a little kid.

Bubbie would smile at everyone she met every day.

Simple, isn't it ?

And yet it is often rare these days....so sad.

What a difference it makes in your day when you share a smile with someone else a couple of times.

They are of course, contagious.

They are also free.

I have some new neighbors who just moved in across the street. I think I will make one of my acts of kindness this week to go over and introduce myself and maybe bring a some little goodies over. They used to do that all they time, you know, when someone joined a neighborhood. I think I am going to do my little part to bring the kindness back on my street...

As I was looking through my pics to find something for this post, I came across this picture of my mom and me last September. Don't you love it ?

It made me smile big and made my heart fill up with the love I have for my Sweet Mommy and also for our relationship.

Hmmmm...there is some nice fuel to get my kindness fires going...

Let's head out and go act kind !!!

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In other news...

I think I am experiencing information/Blogland/inspiration/Facebook/typing/computer screen overload. I realize that I have been spending way too much time in front of the computer these days. It feels like my play time in the studio has become what I do in between reading blogs or Facebook or emails and not the other way around which is what I would greatly prefer.

I do love Blogland and my friends and our connections so very much, but I don't want it to become the only thing I spend my time doing !!! I miss art journaling. I miss creating new things. I have been squeezing those things in here or there between visits on the computer but now it is time for a change.

While I will not disappear completely, I think I will go on a BlogLand and Facebook Slow Down for a good while. At least the next month or so.

My biggest challenge will be disciplining myself to keep my time on the computer at a minimum. I am thinking a timer or something at first.

So while I don't know exactly what this will look like or feel like, I am making my intention for myself known.

I send you Beautiful, Beautiful Ones lots of love and...

I guess I will see you when I see you...

Off to do some Mindful Living....

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

No really I am going now...

bye... ;)

OWOH WINNERS ARE ANNOUNCED!

What a Ride it has been !

327 Comments from Visitors here

and about 900 visits of my own to blogs all over the world !

The One World One Heart Magic Carpet Ride is now over !

It is time to announce the winners of my four giveaway prizes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Pink Love Bird goes to Paula of Yarn Yarns, who actually said she "heard" the pink bird chirping at her in her comment and then went on to win it ! How cool is that ?

The Purple Love Bird goes to Tanya from StarryEyed, who also expressed some love for the birdies.

The Patience Necklace goes to Jodi from Creager Studios in Arizona.

And last but not least, a fellow Canadian Chick, Heidi from My Hiding Place in Cyberspace, has won the bag of Rock My World rocks and I am hoping she will share any sweet adventures that the rocks take her on with me !

Emails have been sent to all the winners asking for the snail mail addresses so the gifties can go out to them

One World One Heart is a really fun annual event that brings so many people together from around the globe, all focusing on being kind, generous and open with one another. Such a great concept that Lisa Swiftka of A Whimsical Bohemian works tirelessly to keep going every year. Bravo Lisa and bravo to all the bloggers who flew along on our adventures this year ! Cheers !

The Queen in the Spotlight...

Lorrie features a variety of artist interviews on her blog from time to time, along with her bright and beautiful art and tips on how she creates stuff. I was honored when she asked me to participate this month.

Check it out here !

You & Me, Baby...

A post for David...

You & Me, Baby,

We can do anything.

I love you.

Thank you for the Cadillac Roses.

They make me feel so special.

Like I am your girlfriend and your wife !

Happy Valentine's Day, My Love !

Thankfulness Thursday - Heart Healing

So I awoke this morning to a really bad nightmare. (Or a day mare, I guess as it was just before 6:00am). The dream was so vivid and horrible and hard to shake off. I woke up sobbing and shaking. David took me in his arms and held me, which usually works to banish any bad dreams away, but this one kept flashing in my head and making me feel all the feelings of the dream over and over.

The dream was about my Dad. I have dreamed of him being hurt or even dying many times since he died 14 years ago. I have also dreamed of him "visiting"me and where things are peaceful and sweet, but most often, when I dream of him, it is in this traumatic way.

It makes sense to me as his dying was the worst thing that has even happened to me. I was only 30 when he died. He left us much too soon. I also had my share of issues with him that I have gone on to try and resolve on my own. I have always said that my Dad was the person I loved the most and also hated the most in my life. I know now that the hate is over and healed but he still was the most challenging relationship of my life.

So why is this a topic for Thankfulness Thursday or my Weekly Gratitude piece ?

Because today, and every day, I am so grateful for our incredible ability to heal ourselves.

This morning, as I described the dream to my mom, I realized that we are coming into the exact time of year when my Dad was dying. He died on March 3rd. The month of February was full of trauma and fear and uncertainty that year as we went through the process with him. It is strange how some years the pain is worse than others - some years it has been close to pain-free. But this year, I obviously needed to heal some more of that big hurt and my whole being - even my unconscious mind, was going to make sure I did it !

This morning, I had a good, deep, cry for the loss of my Dad. I asked those unanswerable "why ?" questions. I was sad. I mourned a little bit more. I did a page in my journal in honor of the day's feelings. I lit a candle to send a message of love to his spirit. I know I am going to continue this process throughout the day and for as long as I need to.

Today, I used my heart, my mind, my body

and my being's incredible powers for healing,

and I healed one more little piece of

that big, big, hurt.

And for that,

I am very thankful.

I know I am usually a much more upbeat type of blogger, but I am also a honest one. While I try to focus on what is right in my world, I also don't want to ignore or deny the harder stuff we all face in this life. I think we have a lot of work to do to help one another mourn better in this society. Feeling those feelings of hurt and loss is a natural part of our life as human beings, just as feeling joy and love are. While I am not grateful for the hurt or the loss, I am grateful of the places that healing the hard stuff takes me to.

It's all part of being a Big Heart Walking, I guess...

Wishing you sweet moments of healing too, Beautiful Ones...

The Queen is Feeling Poorly...

Tuesday afternoon...

Feeling kind of icky today...

Super tired, heavy chested, kind of achy all over...

Kind of weird symptoms - not really cold or flu like but who knows ?

Had some extra sleep this morning, and did some deep breathing meditation.

Finished up my postcards. (click on any of them to enlarge)

The two below are on the Claudine Hellmuth Sticky Back Canvas. LOVE that stuff !

These two are like mini-paintings/postcards. Original art pieces painted by me, traveling through the mail...

Have to say, I will have a hard time sending these two away. I did scan them in so I can have a copy but they look so good in person.

Oh, well...I will let them go to bring a smile to someone else.

Okay, off to snuggle in a sunbeam with the kitties and the Chica-dog some more.

I hope I will feel better tomorrow...

Happy Tuesday, Lovely Ones...