Gram Inspired Off the Hook

When I was a little girl my grandma was my absolute favorite adult. She was Australian and lived 6 months Down Under and 6 months with us. Every year I couldn't wait for her to arrive after such a long absence. We would all drive to the airport, park the car and take the long walk through O’Hare Airport. I always knew we were getting close when I saw the enormous hanging globe that was suspended from the ceiling. It was such an exciting trip.

Back then we were allowed all the way up to the gate to wait for arrivals. There were no security lines or barriers. We just walked right up to the gate and waited. I remember feeling like I might jump out of my skin when people started to file out of the plane.

My grandma always made a statement when she walked off the plane. She was dressed to the T’s and walked with confidence and a little strut. I can still see her clearly walking toward me with her fashionable gray jumpsuit, fuchsia scarf, bag and pumps. She was put together.

It was always so joyous when she arrived and I knew that the next 6 months I would have someone to play with and to take care of me. We played cards endlessly. She loved her Canasta and taught me how to juggle the enormous handful of cards. I was never alone when she was visiting and I loved that.

One year I remember she tried to teach me how to knit. I was a willing student and sat for hours with my needles. I can still hear her voice with her Australian accent,  “knit one, purl two.” I remember feeling a bit frustrated trying to knit and it wasn't long before I retired my needles and went on to new things. 

Last year my grandma passed away. She was 92 years old. She wasn't sick but she was tired and decided she was ready to go. She refused to eat and about a week later she left us. I was thrown for a loop. I was not prepared to lose her. I hadn't said all I needed to say and I felt this deep hole in my life.

I painted it out and I journaled it out and I cried and I spoke to her and I did all the things I could do to heal. And then one day I decided I wanted to knit something. Knitting reminded me of her and I thought it would be a nice connection to her spirit.

I wasn't really prepared to knit with actual needles so I went out and bought myself a knitting loom and made a scarf. It was cute but it needed something more so I started researching how I could put a nice little scallop edge on it and I didn't even realize I was teaching myself how to crochet.

There is something magical about crocheting. It is soothing and meditative and pretty darn addicting. Pretty soon I had yarn and crocheted items everywhere. I made blankets, scarves, fingerless gloves, hats, and baby blankets that I have no idea who I am giving them to. And every stitch of those items connected me back to my Gram.

In my quest to live my passion and share it with you here on The Creative Healing Studio I have to honor my love of crocheting and honor my beloved Gram.

I am excited to offer a new series titled Off the Hook where I will share with you all things crochet!  So excited!

xo

Michelle

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

Happy New Year!

Here we are entering a new year. This time of the year always feels exciting. No matter what happened in the previous year we get a do over. I love it.

This year I am especially excited to usher in a new era for The Creative Healing Studio. I have spent the last year on a sort of sabbatical. I really had lost my way. I needed time away to figure out more deeply who I am and what I am here to do.

I spent the last 5 months deeply immersed in Connie Solera's Ignite Program. I dove deep into myself, my beliefs and my creativity. I learned so much about what I love, what I am good at and how I can combine them to create offerings that will uplift, transform, and inspire the women in my circle.

I've updated my website with a new look that I am really excited about and I have some exciting new offerings coming up. I would like to invite you to come over and check it out.

Most of all I want to wish you a happy new year. May 2015 be everything you hoped it would be!!

xo
Michelle

The Fingerprint

Fingers covered in cool, fluid paint.

Each stroke has something to say.

Soft, gentle caresses,

Forceful jabs at the surface.

Timid movements,

Bold, sweeping gestures.

Gazing at each layer.

Wondering,

Questioning,

Asking for guidance.

What are you trying to say?

What do you want to express?

How can I give you what you need?

Listening.

Hearing.

Understanding from the depths of my soul.

Seeing the truth emerge.

Giving voice to what was once a faint whisper.

Breathing life into buried thoughts.

Creating what was previously only a dream.

Feeling the connection.

Knowing its bigger than just me.

There's an energy,

A force,

A creative flow that carries me away,

Bringing me closer to myself.

Closer to my source.

I leave my fingerprint in the paint,

As a record of my existence.

As a signature from my physical form.

It is the key that unlocks the mystery. 

It is the code that reminds me what is real.

Join Me on My Painting Journey

 I've been on a painting journey and I wanted to bring you along for the ride. 

 The beginning stages of a painting for me are so fun. It is freeing to splash the paint around and play.

 Adding darkness and shapes.

 Being drawn to more color is always exciting. 

I've been loving all things turquoise lately so it is no surprise it showed up. 

 The energy is rising. 

 Typically for me there is a point in every painting where I absolutely hate it. This is the beginning of this stage here. 

 I brought in some pinks and it feels better. 

 Playing with the darkness on the left. 

 There was a need for softness. My soul was calling out for softness and light.

 Frustration has come over me and I know I need to paint through it. I don't want to but I know I have to. 

 These horrible faces appear and I didn't even want to give them mouths but I knew they had something to say. 

 They had so many lessons to teach me. I am so grateful I gave them mouths. :o) I was called to transform them.

This is the final piece. It feels so good to me because of the journey it took me on and the healing I experienced on that journey. 

It doesn't hurt that I was able to paint out in my screen room, overlooking the green grass and listening to the birds chirp. 

Or that I was kept company by my sweet little puppy Elly. 

Love!

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)