21 Secrets Early Bird Special!

Click Below for all the deets! 

It's going to be one amazing 21 Secrets class this fall with 24 teachers!

Tattoo Towanda

Today I'm working in this Antique Feed store ledger from 1907.

Throw a little bit of clear Gesso on it and secure it here and there with masking tape and it's good to go. 

Half way through this spread I realized that this was one of the many faces of Towanda.

Happy Towanda Tuesday!

I am teaching at Spectrum with Hali Karla!

I'm so excited to announce that I am teaching at Spectrum with Hali Karla this year!

Click here for all the details and subscribe to my blog to stay tuned for my scheduled blog hop giveaway day & for some treats and things on the horizon!

Yay <3

Stamping, Trampling & Snorting

There's this thing about uncharted territories.

Places we long to go but never dare.

Things we want to do but find a million reasons not to.

Connections we wish we could make but feel undeserved.

I'm smack in the middle of this and it's showing in my journaling pages.

This ariel view of sorts... of a forming or damaged coast line.

Huge mountains protruding out of the ground, mountainous feats I suppose.

Reflecting my yearning to make changes and connections and not quite sure how to do that.

The other night I dreamt of picnicking in the midst of a herd of Bison.

As they peacefully grazed I was suddenly startled by a stamping, trampling, snorting White Bison on hillside staring straight at me ready to charge.

I sat frozen, half saying to myself... well I belong here and if I sit still this Bison will know that.

Of course the other half of me wanted to run.

It was quite a dream one I wont likely forget any time soon... if ever.

So here's what I know today 

I will show up. I will do the work. I will move INTO the fear because 

I have the right to be here... just like you do.

So take a seat next to me, let's do this together.

Suntsaa <3

{Suntsaa means LOVE in the Shoshone language, my Grandmothers people, my people}

image url 

<> Journal Entry today I wrote<>

I think staying in the flow of creativity is Hope. It's a steady stream of hope. It is a trust fall of sorts. It's a shedding of the skin down to the star dust of our sacred selves and setting fire hope.

At least that is what I envision hope.

Not just the word slapped on shabby chic wood signs in every boutique downtown, but an actual spirit in things. It's got me through many a dark and stormy lone wolf night.

It carries me through on its Bison Back today.

I journeyed with Pixie Lighthorse today in our first meeting of Sisters on a Journey 2016

I was hoping to share the Journey here but it was deeply personal and something that I will have to keep going back to in the weeks to come to suck the marrow from, make sure all the medicine is put in my medicine pouch for future journeying!

I am a fortunate daughter of the universe to be with these women at this time and you can join us too at any time.. I hope you do.

This Art Journal page came out after my Journey work... actually about 4-5 pages came out and I will be working on those in the month to follow until we all meet again next month. All Love <3

<>

---------------------------------------------------->

Follow me on instagram @kitty_o_hello 

Pick up what I'm laying down

I'm in absolute awe of the little things in life such as what just simply sharing... can do to a persons heart.

How it can ground them, tether them to the moment and have them relishing in the human experience.

Lookie what a student shared with me in 21 Secrets 2013... isn't she beautiful!

Tracy Watson shares:

Absolutely love your work - so was inspired to have a go!  Very scared to publish this but here goes.  Would love any feedback Kristina on how I could have improved this.  Did not go for ears but diddly boppers (that's what we call them in the UK) instead!  Tracyx

Tracy Watson {Accept}ional Art 21 Secrets 2013 with Kitty O

And I am a grateful daughter of this universe I'll tell you. Blessed beyond measure...forgetful as I may be to this blessing at times. And then... a student shares with me that I have helped them surpass a sort of fear that would otherwise have left them stagnant or paralyzed to go forward and my heart just SPLITS wide open. Oh yeah... that's the good stuff... all that HEART stuff. I encourage you to find it in your day today. In your week this week. In your weekend this weekend. In your month this month...well.. you picking up what I'm laying down here?

Be good Lion Hearts! Be Good to YOU!

SOUL FOOD ~ What nourishes your {creative} SOUL?

It's here sound the trumpets and eat some .... CRUMPETS!! What? Annoucing

An amazing new art community inspired by juicy 

Art & Nummy Noshings! 

Soul Food is an online community filled to the brim with delectable artful delights....oh and food too squee!

{.35.}

amaz-za-Z I N G artist/foodies to tempt 

ALL the senses!

What more can you ask for.... art+food= H E A V E N!

I have been asked to teach in this new adventure and I am so very honored !

CLICK HERE AND JOIN US !!!!

CLICK ABOVE TO SEE ARTIST PROFILES!

CLICK HERE TO JOIN US !!!!

CHRISTMAS IN JULY SALE !!!!!!

$49.00 FOR THE MONTH OF JULY

THAT'S 21 TEACHERS- 21 CLASSES TO PARTAKE IN AT YOUR OWN PACE FOR $49.00...

Mind... B L O W N !

SIGN UP HERE HERE HERE !

WONT YOU JOIN US!!!!

 { Oh hello you }

Been awhile and summer is here and there is so many exciting things that are coming...that have gone...that are still marinating in all their glorious juices!

21 Secrets is going so well you can still sign up for all the fun!

I have had some AMAZING feedback from you all that are CRAVING an {ACCEPT}ional life! I am so grateful for all my students that are incredibly LION HEARTED and have taken steps to {ACCEPT} themselves in AS IS condition! Bravisimo lion hearts.. you are so beautiful!

I have been asked to teach in another online workshop and I am incredibly EXCITED about this !! More details to come (insert me doing the cabbage patch kid and 80's Robot...oh yea)!

I have been approached to do a couple artist interviews as well and I am looking forward to delving in deep and getting to some core heart centered questions.. YUM!

Stay tuned creative hearts!

Personally it's been a blessed but rough couple months... my Rhain has graduation high school.. my Sunny turned 20 and I find myself on the verge of buying our first home and it just being me and my adorable, amazing husband. YIKES!  It's a scary, exciting feeling to think that I am only {37} and I still have so much ahead of me..that I can finally focus on .. {ME}.. (insert me with a blank stare). 

This absolutely terrifies me people. I am working on it ;)!

I have a newfound (lost and then found again) love affair with {POLAROIDS}... oh you have no idea what this does for my soul! 

With the help of

The Impossible Project

I am able to take these little photographs..these little snippets of my life and put them down in my journal. 

In the digi-insta-age this really quenches my thirst for old school film! 

Needless to say...

{{I am in heaven}}

Like I mentioned earlier we are house hunting.. and after years of wishing/plotting/planning/saving we are at the fun part.  

{The hunt} 

It's been WAY harder than I thought it would be. Houses come on the market and they get gobbled up so quickly your head spins. We've taken a break to go with a different Real Estate Agent (she's badass I love her) and get refinanced with a different lender and will be starting the hunt again come July.. 

{OH WISH ME LUCK CUPCAKES}

Meanwhile I am trying to not let that deter me from doing my work...

I hope you are embracing the Summer months and taking time for

 relaxation, poolside, lakeside, oceanside time!

Here some things I've been up to and some obsessions that I simply MUST share.. 'till next time!

{OBSESSION}

Tattoo's

Unicorns

GATSBY

Leggings

A Beautiful Mess IPHONE photo app

{MUSIC}

The Shins- Chutes too Narrow Album

{THIS SUMMER I SHALL}

Decide on my next Tattoo

Dye my hair RED again

Wear more dresses with more leggings

See Counting Crows with my Sister

House Hunt until I drop

Spend time in the water

Drink Margaritas

MORE: painting/blogging/polaroiding

{Some pictures from my life}

Audaciously Artsy... what I want outta 2013

Hello yous !
I've been trying to avoid the ol' year in review blog post. Trying not to be cliche... trying to keep quiet a bit..reflect, review, revise, relive.
A week and a half into this new year it's been an emotional one. Personally things are wonderful, goals I've made are coming to fruition, my children are happy and doing well.. my husband is a saint...and my love of mixed media is something I'll be able to share with hundreds in a few short months with
21 secrets 2013 launching.

Here's what I want outta 2013.

I want more moments. Moments where I am not overwhelmed with the tasks of the day, but overwhelmed by a sensory overload. Touch, smell, taste, hear. I want more moments to just sit on my tongue and linger so I can savor every last tid bit morsel.
I want more lingering. More loitering. More meandering. More lollygagging.
More... time to just be and let be. To settle into my skin. Fat, thin.. sagging... firm doesn't matter.
Time to marinate in gratitude. Let it permeate through all things... let my thankfulness for this life just ooze off of me like warm icing on a big cinnamon roll (yum).
More permission to do, feel, say what my heart scratch that what my LION HEART says it wants.
Gettin' down to the nitty gritty. More time to dance, fearless, uninhibited, wildly free.

:WORD OF THE YEAR: 

  Audacious lively; unrestrained; uninhibited:

Oh yeah. Last year was LionHeart so I am thinking this is along the same lines... and I loved loved loved last years word... it seriously brought my back to it so many times over the course of the year...where I had to tap into that word and use it to propel me through.

This year is no exception. And I take with me last years word as well.

Audaciously Lion Hearted.

Share with me on facebook Hand Over Heart Studios fan page would ya? What are gettin' outta 2013?

Join me for 21 Secrets you can sign up now it's open...go! I'll wait..... didja go yet?

21 artists...months and months of artist fun, tempting you, techniquing you, loving you, supporting you? What's not to love my LionHearts? GO!  See you over there!!! I'll be teaching you ((psst click on the link)

{ACCEPT}ional art. The art of Accepting...you. Accepting all of you. Where you are right now. In as is condition. Plus there is a giveaway involved.. couple more days left on that so jump on it :) I'll be sweetening the pot with some art books....oooo secrets OUT!

And there is always room for: 

I stand in awe at the light my life has.  And I am aware of how very blessed I am to have another year for {ACCEPT}ional opportunities to be inspired. 

Heart that matters most. 

Much love Lion Hearts!

Embrace the Messy

Life is messy. Much like any art form. There is a period in the process of completion that there is an inevitable veriable. Mess.

I used to get caught up in this. Cleaning as I go. I mean this literally and figuratively.
I have learned in my latter 30s that the mess... IS... life. It's the process. You've heard this expression right? "It's about the process.. not the end result".

It's not about the completion. At the completion of life is death. My truth in death there is a rebirth in a sense back to your original form, your soul.
However at the completion of any form of Art.. there is a sense of gratification, a sense of accomplishment, a sense of wonder.. "how did I get through that"..."how did I weed through that mess and come up with this masterpiece".
It is my truth that at the end of life.. it is the same celebration.

Wow. How exciting that we are here in human form to work on our dream.. on our masterpiece..and our art is our life.. how we live our life!
I find great comfort in this, as I've really been working on celebrating even the small things.
Like getting outta bed in the morning and not cursing that I have to go to work .. ( you feel me?)
Like choosing BODY ACCEPTANCE instead of telling myself that I will do that, wear that, say that, experience that, eat that..when I am "skinny again".
Like choosing to put myself out there with my thoughts, art, love, light with NO angle. No sense of "what will I get outta this".. "whats in this for me".
Just being big, beautiful, glittery, me...Kitty, Kristy, Kristina, Mom, Wife=Babe, Sister, Friend.

I am filled suddenly typing this with a sense of gratitude and solace. What an amazingly blessed feeling that has washed over me. I am grateful and I believe absolutely hands down blessed beyond my wildest dreams, for what I have in this very moment. Now. and Now. and again.....Now.
HAPPY TEARS FOR THIS LION HEART!

I invite you to mull this over. Put in your favorite inspiring song and just think on your life. REALLY look at the messy parts. Ew. It's ugly isn't it? It's beautiful...isn't it?
Now look where you are right now. Literally right now..sitting where you are.  You are so beautiful... look at you with all your bumps and scars and bruises. Look at you with that smile spreading, those tears welling.
Oh my heart !!!   It's over flowing with how stunning you are.
Take this truth if it serves you and put it into the weakest part of your heart and let it bloom.

You are loved. You ARE love. Go live your messy life Lion Hearts <3


Gift for You:

The Eternal Optimist from WriteAboutMaps on 8tracks Radio.

LION HEARTS I LOVE YOU!

♡CLASSES I'm Taking: AROUSE

 ♡CLASSES I'm Teaching:  ALTERED BOOKS

You sure must be strong...

Love such a simple thing that we do... with nothing to prove....
The Shins- Simple Song 

if you haven't heard it. Go. Listen to it. Let it marinate. Listen to it in a loop.
It does the soul good. Seriously. Go.
You're welcome.

This week plagued with 2 major migraines. Not fun. Hubby working out of town. Not fun.
Art journaling. Fun. I think I am .. dare I say.. finding my palette. Finding my "style" my "nitch".
Or not. I dunnow. Why do we have to label things. It's just a necessity really isn't it? To fit it all into organized and neat and easy identifiable containers.

I miss. ALl the time just miss.
I miss my kids being little.
I miss my son walking down the hallway and saying in his funny voice "Hey Mob"...
I miss my daughters crooked little ear and the way she'd yell for me when she was hungry... her fragile little body, constantly in my arms.. she was like an appendage.
Severed.
It's something I am really struggling with.
Trying not to fill the void with food. That was hard to type. I almost wanted to hit the backspace but decided I better leave it.

I have no idea what I will do when Rhiannon moves out.
The thought just crushes me, and leaves me with an icy cold feeling in my chest.
Deep breath. One thing at a time Kitty. Be nice to yourself. Don't overwhelm yourself. Be kind.

Are you being kind to yourself where you are?
WIth the upmost care and attention, love and kid gloves?
I recommend it.
It's highly underrated.

"Don't go thinking you gotta be tuff and play like a stone.. could be that there's nothing else in our lives so critical..as this little home"....
The Shins. Simple Song.
go and have a listen.
and be good to yourself.
right now.
wherever you are.