merry and bright.

santa, kelly and shawn, circa 1967...ish

may this day be filled with peace, a little love and
spent in an unhurried manner.

many blessings today and through the new year.

peace ya'll

eve of eves

..elf on the shelf..

as i sit here, i am working so hard not to
melt down until after the 27th. yes - that
is how long it will take us to get through
the intitial "holidays". actually it will be
jan. 2. but the first push begins today.

today...i have to clean, put things away
and hopefully get the pooches in the tub
for a bath before my miss c flys in from
her journey to spain.

i sit here gazing at all my twinkle lights
and my new vintage finds that make me
smile. i can't help but think about my
childhood and what christmas meant then.

it meant one big family gathering on
christmas. it meant my grandmas
traveling down from lafayette to stay
with us so we didn't have to leave
home and could enjoy our day with
our gifts. it meant my parents, always
on a tight tight budget....making every
christmas eve and christmas morning
magical. it meant my dad saying...."this
year i wonder if santa would like us to
leave him a beer and pretzels rather than
milk and cookies. apparently santa loved
a cold beer and snacks.

most years at least one nite we would sleep
under our tree with all the twinkle lites, my
brother shawn would lay in bed with erin
and i, and tell us to hush - he thought he
heard sleigh bells. and then around 3am,
he would come get us out of bed and we
would run downstairs to find what santa
had left under the tree. santa never wrapped
his gifts at our house and to see everything
sitting is a big group for each of us was
drool worthy.

in those days....the word global warming
had not been spoken and there were
many snowed in days, igloos and snow
forts were built, hot chocolate warming
on the stove and mom's cinnamon rolls.

as i reflect, it makes me a bit sad that my
kids have not been given these simple gifts.
they have had to be shuffled back and forth
between my house and their dads. they have
had to give up many fun vacation options
only to head to the pool for two a day practices,
holiday invitationals and numerous family
gatherings because in todays world, we are
all flying from here to there trying to make
everyone happy rather than just saying -
this year christmas will be spent together
in an unhurried manner...with hot chocolate
warming, toboggans lined up on the porch
and bing crooning softly in the background.

i can say this - this year i have worked to
enjoy the preparation. i have tried to put
a doable schedule together, so that we aren't
so burnt out before christmas even arrives.

i do count my blessings of my three gorgeous,
usually heathly children. cheri' will be returning
from her little journey to spain. and i so look forward
to sitting in little mexico on christmas eve afternoon
again this year so she can tell us abput the trip
and we can laugh. i say a little prayer so that gabe
and clancy will have safe travels to their dads and
then back again after christmas so we can watch
them open more gifts here. and i look forward
to spending some time with aunt lynnies family
for christmas eve dinner, then on to mom and
dad's for our traditional eve gathering with our
beloved labbes'.

to each of you who stop here occassionally, who
have been a brite lite in my life....i say peace
be with each of you. enjoy and celebrate with
those who mean the most to you.

....and to all my chickadees who are on the
artist journey with me - holy crap! new hampshire
and oregon just what the dr. ordered.

regardless of the holiday you celebrate - blessings.

peace. kelly

views of a camp day

life has been very full at the camp, of late.

shoppers stopping by. so many baubles going to new
homes...and new tees.

new originals in the works

healthy, beautiful kids

miss cheri' heading home from spain soon

silly pooches who drive me crazy

a husband who cooks occassionally

and the friends who make me laugh like i am 5 again.

i bet your life is full too....so tell me - all about it.

hurry! its a giveaway

..giveaway from the guilded bee and pretty tape..

today is the last day for this fun giveaway! head on
over to "tell love and chocolate and enter to win.


the eyecandy in these two shops just makes me drool. and
maybe you will win!

no go on, do it!

the elves have been very busy..

new items appearing in the shop.

originals, graphic tees and baubles.

Now through december 31, 2009....free shipping
on any order over $30.oo! see shop for details!

tees and baubles will perfectly fit in your loved ones
stocking!

happy friday.

Ingrid Michaelson - Maybe (Official Music Video)

..love..

the betty process

seek : the journey

workings : seek the journey

i have been messing with this piece since, well forever it seems.
trying several different paths to work it out. each time, i put it
to the side. but it really bothers me peeking out of its lonely corner.

the last time i worked on it put a little elephant over the eye of
the girl. the elephant is actually a piece of an ikea napkin, that
i took from a party.

today i put her back up on the table to show her some love and
as i sat there looking at that little pink elephant...it slowly
came to me. i am a great admirer of pixie campbell and her
knowledge of how the wild protects us, how they walk with us.
her love of the "wild things" is something i am so intrigued by...
and inspired by pixie and all that she offers this world.

and with that i began to think of the gracious souls i spent 5 days
with on the oregon coast. each one showing up, checking the ego.
each of us again peeking into each others windows, realizing that
no matter what is on the outside, it is the inside that is most
beautiful. we each hold our fears, loves and goals inside that
plump red heart that glows the yellow light. right. always finding
that she may be just as scared as i am. that she is working so hard
to keep her family together. that she is working 3 jobs too just
to maintain.

so with all of those thoughts and inspirations....today i am working
on me and my painting. not done yet. i have a way to go. but right
now, i am happy to have the elephant in my house, towards the door.

home.

at our core...

"At our CORE, buried deep within the foundation of who we have
come to know ourselves to be, we find our truth, our spirit and
our art. Our intuition hangs honest & heavy, resting in the bellies
of the bodies we were blessed with. Our spine holds our heads up
high, keeps our courage close and allows us to stand up tall for all
the good things we believe in. Our spirit & our light - the very forces
of our life - spark somewhere softly in the middle of who we are,
reaching out toward one another with longing, forever hoping
to be heard."

Saturday November 7th 2009
6-10pm
822 Wall Street 2nd Floor
Downtown Los Angeles, CA 90014

i am so excited to be part of this exhibition. hop on over and
check out the other wonderful artists, if you are in the area.

check out the woman i have the honor of sharing the
floor with...

Christine Mason Miller
http://www.christinemasonmiller.com

Marisa Haedike
http://www.creativethursday.com

Jessica Seaton
http://www.jessicaseatondesign.com

Pixie Campbell
http://www.pixiecampbell.typepad.com

Cathy Nicols
http://www.cathynicols.com

Michelle Caplan
http://www.michellecaplan.com

Liz Kalloch
http://www.athenadreams.typepad.com/design/

Mati Rose McDonough
http://www.matirose.com

Sarah Ahearn
http://www.sarahearn.blogspot.com

Carla Terwilliger
http://www.twiggyoriginals.com

Nicol Ragland
http://www.alyssanicolphoto.com

Outi Harma
http://www.outiart.com

Linda Esterly
http://www.kitasmom-gettingby.blogspot.com

Karin Collins
http://www.SpoonFedArt.com

Anne Carmack
http://www.folkandfable.com

...leavin' on a jet plane.

...friendly skies, somewhere over our universe...

tomorrow i leave for the oregon coast. to say i am elated is an
understatement and for so many reasons. one, i have never
been there and i am flying into seattle - a city i have always
wanted to visit. i am going to be surrounded by beautiful creative
souls again, within three weeks. yes, i am a blessed and spoiled
girl. and in that group are many who i get to sit with and just
be. and i love that part.

bryce will be running his first marathon while i am gone. i am so
proud of him getting to this point. i wish i had half his dedication
and determination.

i am sitting her looking at a little note i received from the 2008 squam
retreat, " your dreams deeply matter. you can trust that." oh yes they
do and yes i can.

peace out.

..for the moment....i got a buddha-tude..

the girls of sommers - squam lake 09

in honor of today's buddha-tude, my
overdue list of 5 happy, good things....

1. tuesday i leave for oregon, to be
part of this chicks first art retreat.
you can find more info here.

2. new work in the studio, slow but sure.

3. sitting in harry's tonight having a beer
with mr. b. this is a rarity. and a quick
trip to von's for fun little chatzky's. oh
how i love that place.

4. miss c's sense of adventure.

5. the pink book that sits beside me. at
last - a little something that shows me
that i can be a little wacky in this little
town. it is a ray of sunshine. thank you
mr. doonan.

hope this finds each of you well and happy.

peace.

squamlicious

wednesday, early morn...on my way.

i sat on the plane.....giddy that i was on my way to the woods
of new hampshire. on my way to old and new faces. so happy
that i was sharing a ride with my girls from last year, tracey
and sarah. we were the girls of hamilton last year.


my unfinished box from lisa's class. last year i remember
watching lisa - a bit intimidated by her striking beauty.
this year i was blessed to have her as a teacher. and
the best part was, she was wickedly funny and even more
giving in her knowledge and creativity. i sat there saying
to myself....seriously kelly, why do you form an opinion
before it is even validated. i so want to have more classes
with this chick! what a talent and gift s.a.w. has with her
in the mix.


ah....miss hula 70. i have followed her blog for about 2 years and
her short querky bangs are a true love of mine. [ i am chopping mine
soon - hope you don't mind!] her free love approach and giddy
personality wraps around you so fast that all you can do is go along
with it. i am sure she was the one in high school always forging the
way for crazy antics, like dancing on tables and playing spin the bottle!
i am so happy that i have a new contraption to play with.


my third class was with helene. i have never meditated and i didn't
find her white light. but what did happen was even better for me...
i was able to slow down my breathing and the ping pong balls that
reak havoc on my gray matter simply found a resting place and i was
able to simply be in that moment, and rest. i was able to calm some
anger that i have been carrying. not totally letting it go yet....hell
it was a 4 hour class people...i will work on that one, but slowing
it down, validating me and moving on to calm. i will take that
little gift. oh yes i will.


this is sommers...where the girls are,
where the girls played and where the fun
happened. i love the girls of sommers and
i have to admit, the first nite was a bit rough
for me. i missed my roomies from last year
and had a bit of guilt that i didn't stay with them
this year. but i went upstairs to the room that i
was sharing with someone new, sat on my bed,
shed a little tear and then miss georgia came in
and i was all better. two years of loving, fun and kind
roomies. oh yeah...i am one lucky chick.


my girl georgia...need to laugh, curse or just be silly -
georgia is the one!


i have to say friday nite has to go down in the history
books as one of my best nights ever. liz and i walked
down to the dock to find 4 other beauties putting down
a little sheet to rest on, layered with bottles of wine,
crackers and cheese that they had conveniently borrowed
from the rdc dining hall and a candle. we sat out under the
dome of stars on that dock and we were simply girls. there
was some dipping involved, plenty of spirits ingested and
reading of the cards [ who wants to do a tarot reading
and i sat there like a block of ice from the ice house,
at first with this thought running through my mind...if my
mother gets wind of this she will not be happy. i will be
reminded that this is sacreligious and i will go to hell!
that lasted for about 2 seconds and then a quick I LOVE IT!]
it was so safe on that dock. i was among the girls of sommer
and a couple of our adopted chickadees - friday nite on the
dock was simply home.


...and this is me - wickedly happy.

[ this is my 2nd year for s.a.w. - i have to say this. i am blessed
to have had this opportunity in my life. i live in the middle of indiana,
middle of soybeans and cornfields, middle of 3 kids, two dogs and
a husband who works overtime - every day....sundays included. and
until i met some creative souls through blogs, then the big leap
to spend some time and money on me and head out alone to new
hampshires, squam lake - i was a very lonely creative girl. each of
you who have smiled at me on the path, taken my hand as we walked
through the woods, giggled at my silliness on the dock or in the cabins
have made my journey shine like no other day. and maybe you have not
truly been introduced to me, but i have seen you, i have heard
you, i have learned from you. what we have is a bond, a creative
sisterhood...along with a few brothers that ties us all into a neat
sometimes messy little bow. and because of that - i can lay off my
husband a little more about moving me out of this conservative
little burb - and he says thanks a bunch!, me too! ]

peace. out.

gone squamming

squam lake 2008 - rockywold deephaven camp.

[ the exciting qualities you see in others also exist
in you. you may not be able to see your potential,
but it's there and it is enormous. ~edge keynote]

----------------

i will see you there, and if you aren't going this time round - i will
miss you, and if you have never seen your enormous potential and
don't dare go to a retreat like this - then seek that potential, hold
on to it, then give that gift to you.

be back in a week!

peace out.

..goodness..

the hamilton....home. - squam lake 2008

so much has been going on here. i feel like i have been
thrown into a cyclone. last weekend was such a crazy
one, filled with plenty of goodness and memories, but it
is funny how all that goodness can throw me into a weird space
in life. i had an odd few days, of dealing with some emotions
that were brought up. and it is hard to go into it without sounding
like a giddy girl, so lets just leave it at that.

um...so - right - concentrating goodness. i have had plenty
so here is a little look into my window for the week.

1. in just 6 sleeps....i am heading back to meet up with so many
that i adore and can't wait to sit on the dock with, sipping some
cool drink.

2. tomorrow is the gallery opening for the "vision of squam"
i have a couple of pieces in the show...so hop on over to
the artstream gallery and check it out. susan schwake and
liz kalloch have been so kind to all of us.

3. and with the squam show - susan schwake is doing interviews
with some of the artists. you can check mine out here!

4. i have some new items heading to squam with me for the
art fair. liz kalloch and i are sharing a table. plenty of goodness
there, so please stop by and said hello if you are there!

5. and last but never least.....my boy has officially reached
manhood. no no....just the ripe old age of 18! gabe - is
one of the kindess, caring and funny boys i know. he plays
guitar and sometimes even sits with his mama, strumming
out some coldplay while singing the tune. how i love this
kid.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GABIE BABY.
YOU ARE WELL ON YOUR WAY!
please....just stop leaving homework piled at the
bottom of the locker, turn it in for the love of god!

well there you have it....a little bit of goodness and
a whole lot of crazy!

bad fog of lonely

how is it you are around those you love,
friends, kids and you still feel this fog. it weighs
deep on me, causing me to question, wonder and
yearn.

stages of feeling like you aren't where you
need to be. you have some how missed
out on on specific moments, chances
..moments of lonely

i breathe, breathe so deep that the filling
of my lungs hurt. but i have to go that deep
that the breath evens out my pulse, my thoughts
and my mood.

i ask, am i the only one who feels unsettled.
is it that i am so selfish in my wants that i
yearn for more or is it that i haven't reach
my point, my reality, my place where i truly
belong.

the unsettled feeling rushes over me, it
pushes me to places i really don't want
to go. that roller-coaster feeling returns,
right as you hit the top, your belly fills
with butterflys and suddenly you feel
queazy and out of control.

i tend to blame the scorpio in me,
i am too fickle, to passionate. and
at the same time, i am happy, i love
my kids, i love my life - and yet this
little voice tells me - you aren't there
yet. a gypsy wandering through the
daily channel.

bad fog.

weekend scenes

one of my favorite chickadees...


happy couple..


wedding flowers..


heading to campus for pictures..


blurry..


the bearcats


the glory..


the mac daddy..

friday nite frenzy

north montgomery sky - friday night frenzy

here in indiana, every friday nite football is played. and
occasionally an indy news crew comes across the fall
sky, in the glory of a helicopter. it was amazing tonight
to watch the blue and orange crowd as the helicopter
graced the sky.

tonight was a reminder of where i come from, my roots
planted here in middle indiana. rooted deep in this county.
my growth began in 1964 when my parents brought me home
to the little house in new richmond, home of the coal creek
bearcats. my father a teacher and varsity football coach. i grew
up on wooden bleachers, splinters in the arse, let me tell ya!
i grew up to the smell of popcorn and fountain cokes. when
students had a love for their school and respect for those
who taught them. my forth year, the bearcats entered
football season with a perfect record and as they came to
their last game, a perfect season.

tonight that 1969 bearcat team was honored during halftime.
i watched my 73 year old father, walk out on the track with his
assistant coach and family friend of over 40 years by his side.
i watched each player shake his hand, wrap there arms around him
and they still address him as coach. as i stood to the side getting
pictures - i could smell the popcorn, i could smell the locker room
and the 5 gallon bucket full of salt tablets. i was 4 again, riding home
after a game on the gravel road, moths smacking the window as the
breeze came through our open windows. i was 4 again, watching my
dad on the sideline, proud of him. to watch 20 some men, still show respect to
a man that coached them 40 years ago, to still shake hands, i was proud of
the job he did.

bearcat football - 1969 - undefeated.

oh happy day

oh happy day apron.

i have no clue where to even
begin. life is crazy right now.

making lots of new baubles.

long phone chats that nourish
my soul.

19 sleeps till squam.

6 tee shirts that i need to
screen - bit off way more than
i can chew on this one.

need to paint, need to find
to paint first.

trying to get in shape
and shed this weight.

missing so many right now.

gabe has shingles....but
not too severe, love that
blessing.

clancy shot a 40 in her
golf meet and medaled.

both will be getting there
braces off in the weeks to
come.

another child we know
has been fighting cancer
and damn it - it has spread
to his spine.

but....with all this crazyness - i
am ready for squam.

i am part of this happy place..

stop by and check out all
the great artists and crafters
there! i say let the holiday
shopping begin!

...and i will have a few more
fun announcements coming
in the next couple of weeks
about another show, retreat
and goodies in the shop!

oh and...my friend liz made the
apron i am wearing above. this
is my second, i love them - i do!
so if you would like one....toddle
on over here to check out her
fun little room.

happy friday, ya'll!

lookie:lookie, 5 really sweet things

little baubles from moodswing studios. super sweet.

1. kristen at moodswing studios has her new fall line
of baubles up and ready to own! go check them out.
i am so in love with mine. i was so excited today when
i found the package in the post, but when i opened the
envelope and found the little additionals surprises, i just
sat there with my mouth on the floor. kristen...you are
a jewel. thanks so much for being so kind.


2. this chickadee....cause, i love our long chats. they always come
right when i need a kick in the arse. i am so proud of her and
all the crazy things that she is doing. namely.....be present retreats.
i am so fired up that i am heading to oregon in october to see it all
first hand.

3. peach and gladys ride tonight through cool rain and some gutsy
winds. but the ride left me feeling so clear. better than i have in
weeks and that makes me happy and content. the crickets are loud
tonight making their presence known through the window - wide open.

4. the mannequin that was on my front stoop today. i feel so blessed
to be part of this upcoming show. more info soon

5. today....today was a sweet day, filled with long chats, much needed
clarity, lunch meeting with a new opportunity and time with many friends.

to each of you who have touched my life this week, who have smiled at
me, who have given me that token kick in the arse and to the boys at
the muni....i am blessed.

oops....here is a 6th. i am loving this bit of inspiration. go check
out the retrieval project. i am simply amazed. jenny and her family
have taken an idea and turned it into a lesson in life. i kinda like
that. go check out there story and maybe you will find a little something
to remind you of those lessons.

peace out.