THIS IS THE BLOG/DIARY FOR MIGHTY GIRL ART™! OUR NEW WEBSITE IS LOCATED HERE!

* The purpose of our documentation is to provide a window into the creative process and the interactions within our circle. It keeps the memory of our work together alive and offers a touchstone to revisit later for further reflection by the facilitators, the parents and the children.



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( To register for our workshops, please visit MightyGirlArt.com, thank you! )



Women are the primary resource of the planet. They give birth, we come from them. They are mothers, they are visionaries, they are the future. If we can figure out how to make women feel safe and honor women, it would be parallel or equal to honoring life itself."

- Eve Ensler



When I am Among Trees: Winter Break


When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks, and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.

I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”

The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,”
they say, “and you, too, have come
into the world to do this, to go easy,
to be filled with light, and to shine.” - Mary Oliver



A bit o' crafty goodness to try over winter break!  I will be going into winter hibernation, researching new ideas for MGA Summer
and working on my own creations!  Until we meet again, wishing you and yours comfort & joy in the coming year!

Made so & rooted by love,

Wendy



And don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter.
It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous.  - Rumi


Tree Cookies from BH&G




Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you. - David Wagoner


http://motherrising.blogspot.com/2011/12/snow-day-diy-anthropologie-snowglobe.html
Anthro knock-offs I made with my son.






















You are the fearless guardian
of Divine Light.
So come, return to the root of the root
of your own soul. - Rumi

                                 
http://other-wordly.tumblr.com/



here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart) - e.e. cummings


Unusual Gifts for Unusal Girls

“You have no idea how hard I've looked for a gift to bring You. Nothing seemed right. What's the point of bringing gold to the gold mine, or water to the ocean. Everything I came up with was like taking spices to the Orient. It's no good giving my heart and my soul because you already have these. So I've brought you a mirror. Look at yourself and remember me.”  - Rumi

Every year around this time I am often asked, "Do you have any suggestions for an UNUSUAL gift for my daughter?"  So I decided to answer that question here...

As my favorite poet, e.e. cummings once wrote

Yours is the light by which my spirit's born:
- you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.”

That said here is a short list to celebrate the light of the girl that is your sun, your moon and all your stars...

...how about a DIY star projector kit - $22.

http://www.infmetry.com/diy-romantic-star-projector


Or this Solar System necklace by the lovely Gracie of AptoArt.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/123552050


Looking for an extraordinary stocking stuffer?  How about a tiny box of handmade perfume samples made by Jill.  Her shop is called "For Strange Women" but there's nothing strange about it.   Made from plant extracts and essential oils, you can choose from scents like Coyote, Moss, Horse... and my favorite, Winter Kitty ! - $16.  Of course you may just have to indulge her in a full size bottle - $40.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/64233978



Cassandra of Zenned Out makes lovely, customizable bracelets and rings with inspiring quotes! 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ZennedOut






And because you want her to follow her passion, you may want to consider this brilliant passion planner invented by Angelia Trinidad!  - $30

http://www.passionplanner.com



For the girl who has everything, I'm quite certain that she doesn't have THIS...her very own hand mapping by my friend and gifted writer, Isabel Abbott.  - $75

http://www.isabelabbott.com/hand-mapping/


For the irrepressible doodler, there is Zentangles - $15. 

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Zentangle-inspiring-drawings-meditative/dp/160058358X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1418925027&sr=8-3&keywords=zen+tangles




















Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season! 

Made so & rooted by love,
Wendy



Week Four: It's a Wrap!



"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do." - Rumi













































Today we got right to work on Giving Tree (wood transfer) Ornaments...






























and finished our "blessing cups".




























Our final project for the day was Flying Wish Talismans.  We used flying wish paper to set our wishes soaring, then collected the ash into a tiny glass vial.  We added some sparkle, then sealed the vials with melted wax.   This project was inspired by the Holiday Wish Bottles in the Free People catalog...
and also my friend, Becky







Our closing ceremony for the Wintry Workshop was a Releasing Ceremony.  We wrote down all the things we wished to release so to enter the new year a bit lighter.  We wrote upon very large leaves which I had collected earlier and set out to dry.  We had intended to send them sailing in the creek, but it began to rain so we decided to release them into the fire.









































We celebrated with S'mores...




















and we said our farewells.























Dear Mighty Girls,

The weeks have gone by so quickly.  The fire is out, the supplies are put away, the floors swept and mopped.  The candle is still burning in the window and I've been sitting in the dark making a video from our session this morning.    It's so quiet...and I already miss your joyful, creative presence. 

Well...I guess it's a wrap! Oh, and speaking of wrap, here are some lovely wrapping ideas to inspire you:
If you want to spiff up your hand lettering, see this list of free hand lettering tutorials!!!
 
Have a happy holiday girls!  Until we meet again...

Made so & rooted by love,
Wendy