Day 5: ~ Fly ~

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free
Blackbird fly, blackbird fly" - Beatles

We didn't set up the tipi because it was raining so we met in the studio for our final project of the summer session and celebration.    

Mighty E reported a blackbird at the studio window.  It is said that Blackbird brings the gift of awareness and creativity.

The morning gift was a heaping stack of SoulPancakes from the generous peeps at Hyperion.  The books would be presented by the girls to their moms at the closing ceremony so together they can "chew on life's big questions".

The girls sought wisdom from the Guide for the Advanced Soul and jotted their messages down in their journals... and on their arms and hands with body markers.

They also added colorful details to their bleach pen shirts with fabric markers.

Our final project was a time capsule talisman.  These watch cases came from  Dreamz Etc and they open so they can be filled with all sorts of mementos.  The girls filled their watch cases with symbolic objects and charms to remind them of their dreams and help them on their path.

 We ate champagne grapes while waiting for the moms to join us at our closing ceremony.

We finished the morning with a delicious feast provided by Flippin' Pizza.

The girls surprised me with a puzzle message and...

a beautiful card flag which brought tears of joy to my eyes.

Thank you girls for spending this week with me and sharing the gift of you-ish-ness.   You are Mighty Amazing and I will miss you.

Thank you also to the amazing Chelsea, my right arm.  She helps everything move smoothly...like a dance.

Until next time :-)

Day 4: Sacred Space

“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.” - Joseph Campbel

When we set up the tipi, dragonfly was there to greet us....

“Life is never quite the way it appears, but it is always filled with light and color. Dragonfly can help you to see through your illusions and thus allow your own light to shine forth. Dragonfly brings the brightness of transformation and the wonder of colorful new vision.” - Ted Andrews

The gift today was Punjammies from The International Princess project.  The girls loved them and put them on immediately.  Punjammies are created in after-care facilities by women who have been rescued or escaped from a life of human trafficking.  Punjammies help to provide a loving home, a sustainable trade, healthcare, income, dignity and freedom for our sisters overseas.

 After the Validation Ceremony, the girls continued to work on their journals.

We then glazed our canvas panels and added ribbon for hanging.

After a quick break and a snack, we made bleach pen t-shirts.

I'll be washing the shirts tonight so the girls can bring them home tomorrow after the closing ceremony and a pizza celebration sponsored by Flippin' Pizza.

Thank you, Flippin' - we love you so.

See you tomorrow girls...

Day 3: Sharpening Our Senses

"The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to become sharper." - Yeats

When we set up the tipi, two bees flew in to greet us.  Bees symbolize gathering and community.  Bees remind us to fully engage our creative endeavors.

We began our day with morning gifts.  Today's gift was a bracelet from Ember Arts.  Ember Arts partners with women in Uganda, Africa to create gorgeous jewelry made from recycled plastic and paper beads.  The jewelry sales enable these women to rebuild their lives that have suffered immensely as a result of a 20 year civil war.

The girls continued to work on their art journals, adding layers of color, fabric, and ephemera. 

The journals were placed in the sun to dry...

then we continued to work on the inkjet transfers from yesterday.  The girls began rubbing the paper pulp off the canvas board to reveal the ink jet image adhered to the gel medium.

They were pretty AWESOME!

(Dirt is Mighty M's favorite color)

Last night I managed to finish sewing all of the prayer flags they created onto ribbon so they could bring them home today.

We had several curious on-lookers.  Catbird spied on us from a nearby tree.  Catbird symbolizes communication.  Yellow Swallowtail came back too.  And the little winged one from yesterday had to be ushered out of the tipi again today - TWICE!

We were busy bees.  The morning passed quickly and the rain clouds kept their distance.  We cleaned up and headed for home.

 See you tomorrow girls - don't forget the tags for the Validation Ceremony.

Day Two: Pay Attention to Your Dreams

"Take time to listen to your dreams, to write them down. Take time to recognize that there are things going on within you that need to be felt, or said, or lived, or grieved. Pay attention to these things both in yourself and in the people in your life. Pay attention to the authentic self."  - Marion Woodman


A large Tiger Swallowtail was there to greet us when we set up the tipi.  The butterfly is a symbol of transformation.   And just to make sure we got the message, this little winged one flew into the tipi to join us while we were painting.  I opened the flap and let it out.  It flew back in when we were making dream catchers.  I cupped my hands around it gently and carried back out to the field.  It sat on my palm for a spell before flying off.

 We began the day with morning gifts.  Today's gift is from the uber cool peeps at Fine Featherheads.  They are most known for their hair feathers, but they just launched a new product called Hair Chalk, a super cool and washable tint for your hair.  The girls got busy tinting colorful streaks in the hair.

Today we worked on painting background in our journals.  Tomorrow we will be building upon our pages adding layers of ephemera and incorporating journal prompts.

 

While the journals dried in the sun.  Mighty M, who assisted me in the "Spring-e Session" taught our summer tribe how we make dream catchers.  As an artsy twist, we use doilies for the web.  Then we decorate them with feathers, baubles and beads.

See you tomorrow, girls.  Pay attention to your dreams...