Rocking My World Some More ! - plus a Rocking Tutorial !

So these little rocks are slowly changing my life, I think, one little smooth surface at a time... Sherry at Esprit d'art commented way back on one of my first posts about them that she thought they should go "world wide" and somehow, they have become part of a mini-campaign of love already. I sent some to Sherry to enjoy and to give away in T.O. where she lives. My mom requested 20 or so to give out in her world. I have also included them in little snail mail art gifts to a few friends in Blog land (really flat ones work best !). It has been so much fun to share the love, especially with such loving people as these !!!!

This Friday I am part of an open house at a local paper craft store (Talk Paper Scissors). I will be selling some of my bamboo tile necklaces (you can see some in the photo above), some felted soaps and some magnets I came up with after being inspired by a gift from the Stumbly Diva herself ! I decided to paint a pile of my rocks as well and offer them for 5 rocks for a dollar and include this little card about the intention behind them.

I want to continue the Rock My World love campaign and allow some others to feel how great it feels when they put out a little more love in the world, even in a super simple way. I will also take any money I make on the rocks and donate it somewhere where I know it will make a difference. (maybe like to jen lemen's request for help for her friend Odette).

I also thought I could give a little tutorial about how I make the rocks so you can do it for yourself if you want ! It is pretty easy but took a little trial and error to find out what worked best for me.

Rocking Tutorial
Step 1 - Rocks :
First find some smooth rocks. I like the small, flat ones myself. Mine come from the beach in Hampton, New Hampshire but if you don't have a beach near you, you could check the craft stores in their flower arranging section. I have seen beach stones there for placing in the bottoms of vases.

Step 2 - Paint :
I add some color to some of my stones with acrylic craft paint. Opaque colors work best on the rocks. Let your paint dry really well before you do the next step - I like several hours or even over night.

Step 3 - Writing the Messages
The next step is writing on the rocks. I used White Gelly Roll Sakura pens for most of my rocks after trying a few different types of pens. The Gelly Rolls work pretty well on the porous surface of the rocks though you make have to go over your words twice. The pens will get blocked up really quickly if your acrylic paint is at all damp and this ruins them. I also had success with DecoColor opaque paint pens but I find that even their extra fine tip is not quite fine enough for my tastes. They work really well on the bare rocks as well as on the dried painted ones, and would be great on rocks that are a little bigger.

Step 4 - Where to Find Messages
I come up with my messages from all over. I pick up inspirational books and look for short quotes that inspire. I check out titles on other blogs that inspire me and modify the words to make them my own. I think of what would make me feel good to hear. I think of words that would make my world a little bit gentler, a little more kind and a lot more understanding and I white them onto those little gems !

Step 5 - Sealing the Rocks
After each rock is inscribed, I coat them with a brush-on sealer - Mod-Podge in Gloss works well and have a shiny finish that looks like the rocks are wet which I love. You could probably use spray varnish if you want but it is a little messy for me.

Step 6 - Let the Love Go !
Hand out your little rock treasures ! You can do it anonymously or person to person. Both feel so great ! And giving it out will bring it back into your life ten-fold, believe me !!!!

FINALE - ROCK MY WORLD GIVEAWAY !
As a little finale to this post, I would like to offer to send a little package of 10 Rock My World rocks painted by me, to the first 3 people who send me a request. If you make a comment and include your email, I will email you for your snail mail address and have your little love package out to you a.s.a.p. !

Keep on Rockin, Baby !

Ever feel Invisible ?

I woke up crooked this morning. Feeling very invisible. After a few tries to reach out and talk to someone about it (they were all busy with their own stuff, which I so get...), I shook myself off and said "Take yourself on a date...take care of yourself, even if it is just for a little bit...". Grabbed the camera, my wallet, a 40% off coupon for the good craft store, a couple of my "rock my world" rocks and headed out ...

This was the view across the street - blue sky, fall colors poking out from above the roof top..deep breath..let's go.

On the way I listened to good music and sang. The crooked feeling came back with sad songs so I rocked it out instead. Got to the craft store and spent 1 hour looking at all the treats, deciding what treats were for me... I bought :

-black gesso

- beautiful blank note cards

- metallic gold Lumiere paint

- a white and a green gel pen

That's it ! Reasonable, ain't I ?

Then I stopped at the post office. I bought postage for a mail art piece I was sending for a blog friend. Something made me remember my "rock my world "rocks in my pocket. I pulled one out. It said "Let go."

I held it in my hand and said to the nice lady serving me "If I gave your this...", handing her the rock, "would it mean anything to you today ?" She looked at the rock, saw the words, and then looked back at me, directly in my eyes, and said "Oh, yes." I replied "Then it is yours. " She thanked me and I went on my way. I didn't feel invisible any more.

(that was a great one to put on my calendar for my 29 Gifts calendar !)

Then I went home and started working in my art journal. I got three phone calls from friends as I was playing. I knew for sure I wasn't invisble.

I made this cool page in my journal. Kind of Fall-ish, kind of Halloween, kind of Kimbo...

Conversation with Birds - journal page

love this detail shot !

How did you leave a mark today ? You were (are) not invisble.

Rock My World

So I found this little movie here at the Dancing Mermaid (don't you love this blog name !), through the wonderfully inspiring Jen Lemen's blog. It made me cry with joy and wanting and inspiration. I want to do what The Dancing Mermaid did and find a group of kids and art journal with them everyday !!! Okay, once a week would be fine.! How wonderful to think of kids learning so early on the wonder, the healing and the joy that taking time to explore and foster our own creativity gives ! There is also such a gap in so many of the school systems when it comes to art and creativity. Ah, I could go on and on about this... I have ideas about how to make it all happen but my ideas are still in the embryo or pupa stage and need some TLC and some fear-facing in order to come to fruition.

In the mean time, I had to make me some of these rocks.

I actually did this before my trip to Montreal last week. I had a bucket of stones I had collected at Hampton Beach, NH a couple of years ago with the intention of using them in some arty way some day. I covered a bunch of them with a layer of acrylic paint, or left some of them their natural stony color. I wrote my inspiring messages with a Sharpie or a gel pen, pasted on a layer of glossy water based varnish and there I had it ! A little pile of love and good wishes to send off to my fellow men and women.

I so loved the idea of someone walking by and catching a glimpse of the color, stopping and picking up the stone and knowing that that message was meant for them ! I only wish I could have been there to see it - like there proverbial fly on the wall. But that's ok. As you know if you know me at all, things have been a little rough around here lately. Words I heard somewhere (or many places) keep ringing in my head...when you are feeling dispair, reach out and help another and you will feel better. And I have to say, I did...I felt connected to my world, felt more hopeful about the strength of good over evil, and good about myself for taking the time to give a little. It just felt good to put a little love out there without any expectations...

So I scattered the rocks here and there along the way to Montreal and back again. Some were left on picnic tables at rest areas in Vermont, on flower planters in the quaint town of Ste. Anne-de-Bellevue, in the coin return slot of a payphone, in a bowl of rocks at a friend's house, and just on the grey cement of the downtown sidewalk. I didn't get to witness anyone finding one but I hope that they had a smile or a sigh when they did. I had one stone left in my baggie when I got home. It was fitting that I give it to my sweet Hubby David and get a hug and kiss in return. The last stone of that trip read :