Intention Stones

I have never been good at making resolutions. Like most people I pick something that sounds really good and do it for about a week and then move on. I do believe that is how most health clubs stay in business. ;o)

But a few years ago I heard about the Word of the Year concept and I was intrigued. I liked the idea of one word flavoring my entire year so I decided to give it a try. Let me tell you, it was life changing! I was really surprised that the word stuck with me all the way to the end of the year and even more surprised about the things I learned about myself and the world around me through the lens of that word. It changed everything for me.

Last year I didn't pick a word of the year. I was disenfranchised and lost and couldn't even muster up the strength to care about it so I let it go. I can't say I had a bad year or that I didn't learn anything about myself because of course I did but there was something missing.

• I missed having a touchstone that could remind me what I wanted and keep me moving in that direction.
• I missed having the lens of my word to view the world through to help me see with clarity.
• I missed the a-ha moments when I was able to understand my life in a deeper way.
• I missed the excitement of synchronicity when events seemed to line up to bring me closer to an understanding of my word.
• I missed having a word of the year!

So I have decided to bring it back into my life for 2015.

It's not always easy choosing a word and this year it took me quite a while to figure out what I wanted. My awesome friend Carrie Saba has a workbook that really is amazing to help you zero in on how you want to feel and how to choose a word that aligns with your desires. I worked through it and was really close.

I whipped out my trusty thesaurus and lo and behold my word popped out at me. I knew it was right. It was like a bolt of electricity ran through me and lit me up.

YES!

My word of the year for 2015 is

And let me tell you why. The definition of the word encompasses everything I am looking for and the synonyms give even more depth and clarity.

Def: a successful, flourishing, and thriving condition especially in financial respects. Good fortune.

syn: bed of roses, abundance, expansion, fortune, growth, success, the good life, well being, accomplishment, arrival, easy, plenty, thriving.

It makes my heart skip a beat!

When I was thinking about the Word of the Year and what I missed about it, "touchstone" popped into my mind and I knew instantly that I wanted to create an intention stone to carry with me and inspire me throughout the year.

Of course I had to crochet a little pouch to tuck it away safely.

It's my little personal talisman that combines so much of what  who I am...mandalas, intention and crochet...all rolled into one cute little package.

I got so excited that I knew I wanted to share with all of you and send you a personalized stone with your Word of the Year on it.

As you can see I have quite a few stones ready to be personalized. Each one is unique. Some are big and some are smaller and I will intuitively choose the stone that fits you and your intention. They stones are sealed so you can rub them all year long. Each stone also comes with it's own little crochet pouch made of an earthy wool blend yarn.

I am so excited to pour my energy into making

you the perfect stone for 2015. 

The cost is $20 per stone which includes shipping (in the continental US). For shipping outside the US, additional shipping will be required.

Email me to reserve your stone today!

xo
Michelle

It's a New Day!

It's always amazing to me how art has the power to revitalize me, teach me and reveal the patterns I live in every aspect of my life. My most recent journey into paint is no exception. In fact, the experience of painting this mandala shone even more light on myself than ever before.

Of course I started with an intention on what I wanted to learn from this experience. I wrote it in my journal and started painting away. Oh the ups and downs I experienced were amazing. Frustration, chaos, boredom, anger, hatred and power are only a snippet of the emotions that flowed through me and through my brush. Each step forward was met with new emotions. There were moments I wanted to give up, to chuck the whole thing in the garbage and I painted those feeling out and finally I reached a point of surrender.

Once I was able to surrender everything flowed. Every stroke I made was pure joy. Watching the colors blend and the shapes form made my heart skip a beat. Playing with the color, manipulating the negative space, and adding the tiny details were pure bliss.

When I finished I KNEW I was finished. It felt right. It felt perfect and not the kind of perfect that stifles and holds one up to impossible expectations, it was a perfect expression of where I am and what I'm experiencing.

Of course I had to dive in deeper with a barrage of questions so I would find the messages this painting had for me. It all made complete sense for me and I was beaming with my new found knowledge.

And then I got to a question that asked me to reflect on my original intention for the piece. Don't you know that I completely forgot about the intention I set the week prior. I flipped back in my journal and found what I wrote. I did a double take...is this really what I wrote? I had to read it twice. Oh my! A lightbulb went off and it all came together in the most amazing way...like MAGIC!

Part of me wishes I had taken pictures of all the layers this mandala went through (there are at least 15 layers below), but a bigger part of me is tickled pink to have my own secret journey buried beneath the layer just for me.

Baseball and Embroidery

I am about to enter my busiest time of the year. Spring is like no other season for me. As many of you know, I have 5 boys. I have 4 of them living home with me now and they all play baseball on some level. One plays in college, one in high school, and two play for travel teams. That amounts to a whole lotta baseball. 

A small yarn and bead mandala

I recently finished putting my schedule in the calendar for the upcoming season and realized that I am going to have on average, 15 games a week. OMG! Of course I won't be able to go to all those games because there are some days that all 4 of the boys are playing in 4 different towns so my husband and I will be doing a lot of dividing and conquering to spread the love as much as possible.

In the past I've been overwhelmed, angry, and spent a lot of time feeling victimized by my situation. Of course I know I could just say, "no more baseball kiddies!" but that's never going to happen so I have learned to embrace it as best I can and try to find balance.

Playing around with a face

The first few years I cried a lot. That doesn't happen anymore. I now listen to audio books at the games, spend time preparing menus and dinners ahead so I am not in panic mode, and make sure I have everything I need in my car no matter what the weather. Yes, I have a sleeping bag ready to go all the way into August. Hee hee.

12 x12 garden mandala
 

This year I've decided to take it a step further. I have taken up a new hobby that I can bring along with me. With so much time spent outside the house, this can be a time when my creativity really suffers. So why not bring the creative fun with me?

A gift for a dear friend

I decided embroidery would be a totally new and fun thing to try and one that can easily be carried from field to field and as long as the weather cooperates I can be stitching in between innings. I am so excited about this. My 15 year old is not at all thrilled. He said, "Mom, please don't bring this to my games! It's so embarrasing! It's what old ladies do!" Hahahahaha! I love it!

Small leaf in progress

Of course I haven't been able to wait for the games to start so I've been having all kinds of fun playing around. I made sure I brought it with me to my son's orthodontist appointment to work on in the waiting room. I want to make sure he eases into the idea. Maybe those baseball games won't be so traumatic.

Have you recently taken up a new hobby? I'd love to hear about it. Maybe you can give me some new ideas. I still have a week or two til baseball starts. ;o)

Where O Where Has Michelle Been?

 

Well, I've been right here. Immersed in Inner Alignment Mandalas and diving into my own spirit. Creating mandalas that make my heart sing and connecting with people who teach me new lessons everyday.

 

I've learned to touch a part of me that I never knew existed. OK, a part of me knew it was there, hiding beneath the surface, under years of disconnect and hiding from my own light.

 

The creative process I've been swimming in has healed me in ways I had no idea was even possible. It has connected me to powers that are greater than myself and I feel as if I am deep in gratitude for each day I am able to wake up and make my way to my computer or my art desk.

 

I'm excited by everything I do, even the most mundane tasks like setting up a newsletter to the most exciting, like watching a mandala emerge from a canvas covered in rich, deep color.

 

Lately I've been connecting to my intuitive side even more. I've taken the step from Intuitive Artist to Intuitive. I've been doing Intuitive Card Readings and I can't tell you the excitement that rushes through my body as I connect to my higher spirit and the spirit of those I am reading.

 

I've been getting clear messages that it is time to take this intuitive skill to the next level and truly connect with others to be able to offer healing and guidance. I can't tell you the honor I've been feeling in being able to combine my coaching and intuitive skills to guide people on their spiritual journey!!!

 

 

As a sort of "welcome back" to The Creative Healing Studio, I want to offer card readings to 3 of my readers. I will do an Intuitive Card Reading that I will record and put up on YouTube for you to view. There will be an opportunity for you to get clear on what area in your life you are seeking guidance in prior to the reading.

 The first three people to leave a comment below with their email address will receive a card reading. I am so excited to be able to share this with you. Thank you for all your support!

I AM Live!!!

The time has come to introduce you all to my new website, Inner Alignment Mandalas. It was created over the summer in partnership with my amazing friend Jill Chesrow! I am so grateful for meeting her and for being guided to create this new business with her!

Inner Alignment Mandalas is truly a partnership. Each of us have our own talents and together we have created something truly wonderful. I am intuitively creating custom mandalas for our clients and Jill is doing quantum energy sessions to clear, balance and expand their energy fields. These mandalas are really powerful. We've been making them throughout the summer and I've just been amazed at the energy they have.

Right now we are offering Custom Mandalas and Business Mandalas and we plan on adding prints, coaching and online programs in the future. It is so very exciting to be working on something that I  know is a gift and that I feel truly passionate about. I can't tell you how smooth everything has gone. Things have seemed to flow and fall into place. We have both felt very guided in this endeavor.

I would love for all of you to check out our new website. I even created a video! It was so fun. There is also a free download where you will get our I AM Love Mandala pictured above. If you like what you see I would love for you to like us over on Facebook and tell anyone and everyone all about us. It might sound kind of cheesy but I really want to spread the word because I want as many people to be able to benefit from this amazing energy!

Thank you for all of your support over the last few years to help me find myself and connect with my creativity. It has given me to confidence to call myself an intuitive artist and with that confidence I was able to find Jill and create this wonderful partnership. You guys are the best!!!

Before I started The Creative Healing Studio I actually had another blog that was more nutrition based. I shared recipes, food facts, and health tips on top of my insights and stories about my life and family.

Recently I went back and looked over some of those posts and I decided there were a few good ones I would like to share with my new friends over here.  I will most likely add some original artwork since I wasn't creating back then and only used boring photos I found on the web.

I plan to sprinkle them in here and there and I just wanted to give you a heads up. I hope you enjoy them!