Wintry Workshop Day Two

"as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending" - e.e. cummings

















This morning at dawn I began setting up the studio for day two of the Wintry Workshop. I thrifted some red mugs for the girls which will be used in a project next week.

















Today we'll be working on two new projects...Snowflake Talismans (inspired by these)...






















and Winter Bloom Hairpins.


















The girls arrived and immediately filled their new mugs with hot cocoa while we chatted about the projects for the day. Then we got right to work on our Snowflake Talismans.

















They were lovely!

















We tucked them into little organza pouches and created gift cards.


















Next we made Winter Bloom Hairpins!






















During which, one of the magical sprites accidentally turned herself into a fabulous crow.

































And the hairpins were fabulous too!

















Lastly, we finished up our felted soaps from last week.
















Of course, such gorgeous creativity makes one rather snackish so we made S'mores in the fireplace.

















Then we tidied up and went for a walk.

















See you next week, girls...Don't forget your branches!

Wintry Workshop Day One

"“Earth's crammed with heaven...
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes ." - Elizabeth Barrett Browning























As the leaves begin to fall, and the days get colder, shorter and darker with the earth’s tilt, we move into a season of thankfulness and giving. In this sanctuary we celebrate the gift of our artistic nature by creating handmade gifts for our friends, family and ourselves.

I began setting up the studio before the sunrise....

















I spritzed the studio table with a bit of Joy Juice flower essences by the amazing Lotus Wei. Then I lit a java log in the fireplace so it would be toasty and ready to welcome the girls.

















For the felting water, I'll be adding a few drops of "Nurture the Goddess" shower gel so that it doubles as a hand soak, and we'll be using the lotion on our puckered hands after our wet felting projects. This wonderful duo is a gift to the Mighty Girls from the generous peeps at Bodhichitta Botanicals. Their products are lovely and made with both flower essences and essential oils.






















Before the girls arrived, we received the gift of unseasonable snow flurries which provided the perfect backdrop for our Wintry Workshop. What could be more perfect?






















And then the girls arrived...






















We warmed up with a cup of organic hot cocoa...

































then I introduced today's projects - felted rocks and soaps. Felted rocks are very popular and turning up in design mags and stores like Uncommon Goods. They make wonderful paper weights and are a perfect gift for teachers.

















































While the felted rocks took a tumble in the dryer, we worked on felted soaps. Felted soaps are a real treat and are sold in stores like Anthropologie. We used a natural and wintry peppermint soap.

































The soaps were placed on a drying rack until next week, and I removed the felted rocks from their tumble. They were dry and ready for their gift tags.

















































Did I mention the scalp massager?






















And to finish the morning, we made S'mores in the fireplace.







































See you next week, girls!

MGA Tour - Girl Scout Camp

Share the gift of who you are...
it's why you came to be. - Deborah Latzke






















I drove the beautiful winding roads to the campsite and the scent of Autumn blew though the opened windows bringing with it memories of my own childhood adventures as a scout. As I approached the camp, the excitement was evident and the girls took turns introducing themselves to me. They started their own campfire and began making S'mores. Sated and sticky, we moved into the lodge.

















I sat upon a rocking chair near the fireplace. The girls gathered 'round.

"I want you to picture yourself in this story", I said, "because we are all a part of it...there is great wisdom in this tale and it may be different for each of you. When you find your truth, hold on to it because you will need it for our project".

I read slowly, deliberately, taking time to pause now and then to hold their gazes.

"Those who listen carefully, will here her whisper...all answers are found within..."

When I closed the book I explained that we would be making Wisdom Necklaces based on the messages in the story. The girls were rapt with joy. Together we created miniature oak leaf charms.

















On the back of the leaf, each girl wrote the message that she received from the story.

















When we were finished, I gave each girl a piece of chocolate with a little message under the wrapper and we took a walk in forest before I headed back home.

















Thank you, troop, for inviting Mighty Girl Art™ to circle with you...and remember this, what you believe will become your truth.

With love,
Wendy

Mighty Girl Art™ Scouts

"The secret of making the best person:
it is to grow in the open air
and to eat and sleep with the earth." - Walt Whitman

I am pleased to announce that Mighty Girl Art™ will be making art with the Girl Scouts tomorrow at their campsite !!!

See you soon, troops

Mighty Girl Art™ Wintry Workshop

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

Dear Mighty Girls,

I am delighted to share my sacred space with you for our Wintry Workshop. This workshop is a bit different than our Summer Celebration of Self. In this workshop we will unleash our mightiness to create artful gifts for the upcoming winter holidays. We'll play some tunes, sip hot cocoa and if it gets cold we'll make S'mores in the fireplace.

You are a gift!
~Wendy

Yes, You Are Wise: Day 5

"Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable." - Mary Oliver

The last day of camp was a day of celebration mostly...

















Since the girls are not old enough for champagne, I bought some champagne grapes....

















and the girls toasted each other and I think I might have heard some clinking of imaginary fluted glassware.






















There were FOUR lovely gifts today. One came from the inspiring author SARK who sent her "Awesome Anytime Adventure" e-course so the girls and their moms can begin a new journey together now that the summer session of Mighty Girl Art has come to a close.










And this gift came from the kind and generous Hay House Publishing who sent positive affirmations cards for the girls.





And from kindred spirits, copy of Wild Sister Magazine! A WebZine created to empower and inspire women.

And my friend, the wild and wise Pixie Campell sent the girls a bag of gemstones. I passed the pouch around the circle and each girl picked the stone that felt right. Then we read about the properties associated with each stone. Many of the girls already knew the names of the stones which completely blew my mind.

The girls surprised me with a gift too! Somehow amidst all the creating they managed to sneak off and make me this beautiful flag, aided and abetted by my assistant Chelsea, and my intern Ann.






















And just when I thought my heart couldn't possibly burst open any wider...the Mighty H presented me with a gorgeous mer fish necklace that she made herself. Yes, I spent a good part of the morning on the verge of tears.






















We finished up our bird totems...





























"These souls were explicitly created to fly through more than one world and to return, ever return, to tell the stories of what can be seen when one is allowed to soar." - Clarissa Pinkola Estes PhD


































































































And made tissue paper flowers for these cool vases.






















After the moms arrived we circled and had our closing ceremonies. During the validation ceremony the girls took turns revealing all the wonderful qualities they had witnessed in each other.

















In our Belonging Ceremony, I passed around a walking stick that once belonged to my late father. Each girl took a moment to stand in her power, and acknowledge her maternal lineage.






















There beneath the prayer flags and hanging vases, we celebrated with a pizza party sponsored by our beloved Ledo Pizza!

















Together we took down the tipi and packed up our camp. I removed the flowers from the hanging vases and left them in place of our sacred circle...

















It was an honor to hold presence for these girls and I feel so blessed to have spent a week with them. They are wise, they are strong and I will miss them madly...

(At this point you should probably turn of the music player in the sidebar so that you can hear the girls' message)

Until next time...



With gratitude,
Wendy

"It's one of those magical places wise people
like to talk about.
One of the things they say about it, that is true,
is that, once you've been there,
you're there forever." - Mary Oliver


A heartfelt thank you to the Mighty Moms for giving me the gift of your daughters for a week; to the generous sponsors for the beautiful gifts that you sent to the girls; to Ledo Pizza for providing a delicious celebratory feast; to my assistant Chelsea, my intern Ann, and to my friends and family for their inspiration, encouragement, love & support!

*Postscript: On August 18th I nearly fell off my chair to discover this message in my in-box, delivered to me by the manager of a certain inspiring woman. Though it was sent to me, in truth the message is really for the girls. I think I'll frame it and hang it in the studio:

Congratulations on the work you are doing. Empowering women is vitally important at this time in history.
All the best,
HR