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.
( 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."
As I state on my site, in ancient times women gathered and elders shared their wisdom, skills and craft with younger generations. When women gather, they are given an opportunity to discover who they are and who they can become. If we create more meaningful practices and opportunities to gather, we can enrich our lives with creativity, intuition, and wisdom.
Erin will be now offering seasonal herbal medicine teachings to Mighty Girls and their moms. I'm elated that she will be taking your daughters under her glorious wings.
Registration is open now. Please visit her site for details and to reserve a spot for you and your daughter!
Quiet, contemplation time,
away from the rushing world,
- David Burbill
This morning was blustery! Even the winter birds were hunkered down in their nests. The girls arrived and settled in with a cup of hot cocoa. Mighty S brought some of her paintings to show the group.
The last project of our 2017 wintry workshop was a loom knit scarf. A perfect project for a cold and blustery day. The girls picked out a skein of yarn that they liked and we talked a bit about how to use the loom. The zippy loom is a terrific tool for making quick and easy scarves and blankets with bulky yarn. With a little practice you can make a scarf in 15-20 minutes. At that rate you could easily make a basket full of scarves and give them to a homeless shelter ( holiday hint ).
*There areLOTS of tutorial videos on the Zippy site if you forget how to make to make the scarf!
Mighty N, stepped outside in the fresh brisk air to knit for a spell and she looked so lovely with that wintry light illuminating the edges of her hair. I asked her permission to capture the beauty of that moment and she agreed. I'm so glad. One of the great joys for me during Mighty Girl Art is getting to witness these luminous souls being themselves. And they are all so wonderful and have their own unique gifts.
As you can see, the girls did an outstanding job on their scarves!
After we finished the scarves we launched wishes for a new season using flying wish paper and afterwards we made s'mores. Due to the wind advisory we were unable to have a bonfire, so we got creative and roasted our marshmallows over candles. We even had a little extra time to get inked.
Have a great winter, mighty ones!!! It was a joy creating with all of you. You all did an fabulous job on your projects. Thank you all for blessing me with the gift of yourselves!
Until we meet again....
Made so & rooted by love,
Wendy PS- As you know we are approaching the cold and flu season. As such, my dear friend Erin Fairlight will be teaching a Mother & Daughter herbal medicine class on January 20th at 2pm. You will learn how to make your own natural remedies for self care. The cost is $40 for a mother/daughter team and the supplies are included. Please don't miss out on this wonderful experience. Registration is open now!!!
“Happiness, not in another place but this place... not for another hour, but this hour.”
― Walt Whitman
The morning began below freezing. There was ice in the boot tray when I went outside to hang the giant paper snowflake that marks the trail to the studio. I received a text from Mighty E which read:
"It's below freezing are we still going for a hike?"
"Yes"
"Yay!"
The girls arrived and began filling their mugs with hot cocoa. We warmed up and chatted about our week. Mighty A wrote a beautiful entry in her journal that are wise words for all to remember.
Our plan was to take our hike first then come back and work on our projects. We crossed the stone bridge in search of a patch of princess pine to place inside our ornaments. Lycopodium obscurum, also called rare clubmoss, is a native plant and grows in the understory of the forest. They look like miniature trees for fairy folk. They are ancient plants and I was told that they are prehistoric, but of this I'm not certain.
We stopped to take a group photo atop the big boulders, before making our way off trail in search of a fallen tree to cross. The tree was a bit high above the creek and somewhat challenging for those afraid of heights, but they did it. It can be invigorating to push past our comfort zones and land safely on the other side.
Our second project was origami lucky stars to fill our second ornament. Wishes were written onto strips of paper and folded into stars before slipping them into the ornament. These are tricky to make at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's super easy. Here is a video tutorial to help you remember if you decide to make more at home.
Our last project of the morning was a simple and really cool pendant that incorporates the spring from a wooden clothespin. When I measured the gauge of the chain, I didn't realize that clothespin springs come in different sizes and I measured for a spring that was larger than the others so the chain would not slide through. These super creative girls decided to improvise.
( On Monday I went to several different stores on a quest to find the larger spring clothespins and found them at Target. The girls can switch them out and slide the pendant directly on the chain next week. )
We celebrated the rain free morning with a fire and s'mores.
After class I drove to Maryland for the Owl Moon Raptor Festival. I have to say I've never seen so many owls up close and in one place before, including species I have never seen in person. I was pleased to see three mighty girls there also. Mighty S, brought her sketchbook and sketched many of the raptors.
I'm looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday for our last class of the Wintry Workshop!
and the soft rain—
imagine! imagine!
the wild and wondrous journeys
still to be ours. - Mary Oliver
It was another rainy morn, but the glow of the little house lanterns was enchanting as I set up our work table.
When the girls arrived they helped themselves to hot cocoa in their self-designed mugs. Mighty S brought a wondrous surprise to show the group. While hiking recently, she found a fox skull. Her mighty mom took it home and cleaned it. Mighty S brought part of the lower jaw and passed it around. She also found a peacock feather at the zoo. We marveled over these magical objects.
Our project for today was Safety Pin Bracelets. We've made these in the past, but I received a request to make them again. They are simple and fun to make. We talked briefly about color combining, then the girls dove right in and began creating.
The girls enjoyed this project and since it was raining, we decided to skip our nature walk and S'mores so that they could make another bracelet.
*We used acrylic beads because glass beads, while lovely, make the bracelets qute heavy. I purchased the beads from BeadTin because they have a wonderful selection of colors that I can't find anywhere else.
You did an amazing job on your bracelets! I hope that next week we'll be able to take a hike and enjoy a fire. Until then, have a great week and I'll see you Sunday!
"There is no house like the house of belonging." - David Whyte
It was a grey and rainy day, but it was warm for Autumn. I lit some candles and opened up the door to let the fresh air into to the studio. The girls arrived, gathered 'round the work table and helped themselves to hot cocoa. We took some time to settle in and catch up. The girls were happy to try out the tattoo ink and stamps that ClearSnap sent for our body art toolbox. The ink is skin safe and fun to use. The stamps make adorable little tattoos. Thank you ClearSnap!
Once settled, we began working on our mugs. Creating these vessels is a Wintry Workshop tradition. The power of simplicity is what makes these mugs so lovely. It is "Inktober" afterall. Tonight the mugs will be fired and ready to use next week.
While the mugs were set aside to dry, we began our secondary project. The girls painted paper mache houses. These charming houses will be lit from within with a battery operated candle. They make an enchanting little night light during those cold, dark winter nights.
We closed the session by making S'mores. We seized a rain free window of opportunity for a small fire.
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