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It’s Black Friday, one of the biggest day of sales in North America.

So today, instead of my usual Gratitude Friday blogpost, I thought I will do something a bit different: share the Love for what my friends are doing. Because most of all, it makes me happy to praise their work. Not just their sales.

My darling Mindy Lacefield is having a sale in her Etsy shop: enter BLACKFRIDAY2013 to get 20% off at checkout. She has a book now available, and of course paintings and prints, go check her out.

Mindy has a new class, Wild Surrender, beginning in January. It will be a 6-month one and I am already very excited about it !

The amazing Danielle Daniel recently included me and 6 others gorgeous artists in her «7 Artists 7 Totems 7 Stories» project, on her blog (catch my interview just here).

Her book, Sometimes I feel like a Fox is a pure work of poetry. Find it in her Shop, amongst her inspiring art.

My SisterFromAnotherMother, Micki Wilde, currently has two wonderful online classes going on, Paint Happy and Wilde & Free. For being in both, let me tell you they litterally changed me as a creative being, and as a human. She is also frequently adding goodness in her shop (I just received the last 2 paintings I ordered from her, they are presents for my girls’ rooms).

She did it again this year. And 2014 is even better than the previous years ! Leonie Dawson just released (like… yesterday) her 2014 «Create your Amazing year» workbooks/planners/calendars. You can choose the Life oriented one, the Biz oriented one, or a pack that has both. More info on her website. And you know what is new ? This year, you can order a printed edition from Amazon, so no more printing at home if you don’t want to. Have you used it before ?

My dear Lynda just posted plenty of new cuties in her shop. When I see a fox I think of her immediatly. She is the queen of whimsical cute animals.

My love, Samie Kira, is awing me with her strength and commitment. Enter HAPPYHOLIDAY in her Etsy shop to get 25%off, and it’s also available on her website for anything digital she offers AND it’s working for her online classes as well (woot woot !!).

You know I adore Lindy Stamp Gang, and being part of their Design Team has been on my bucket list for a couple years. Black Friday is our biggest sale of the year: get 30%off EVERYTHING. Now through Dec. 2nd. Enter BLACKFRIDAY13 at checkout. And we now make your life easier with different kind of sets (because we also have amazing embossing powders, glitters, shimmer-only and non-shimmery sprays).

More info on the blog.

Athena, who runs The Sage Goddess, is putting her knowledge on service of everyone needing it. It is no secret anymore who I used to be, and my current need to reconnect with it. I wish I was a millionaire to be able to hire Athena to guide me. She is having a sale, get 10%off your oder with code BLACK10 in her shop.

And yours truly (yes, me) too. Get 20%off your entire purchase (including original paintings) by entering BLACKFRIDAY20 at checkout in my Etsy shop 🙂

Please  don’t be shy and share the love in the comments (I will have to approve it, as it may be considered as spam so don’t freak out if you don’t see your comment right away).

Hey there !

I am so happy to share with you today some painting you may have seen snippets of if you follow me on diverse Social Media platforms.

It’s still a bit hard for me to put paintings for sale, I  guess I take it too personally if nobody buys them but I am working on it.

(scroll to the bottom of this blogpost for more info on the sale !)

All these three paintings are Sprixies (these characters that look like nothing you know, or not exactly), created on 7.5×11” (±19x28cm) watercolor paper.

Prints are not listed in the shop, but know that it’s an option (the 8×10” print is $20+s&h). Contact me if interested.

«Reach Out» was made when I was feeling extremely lonely, forgotten, and a pretty deep sadness was filling my heart.
This is usually when I go deeper in my painting process. I lay it all out, on the surface, and cover it up with papers, and paint and goodness to bring the Happy back.

Don’t let the Sadness fills your heart for too long, it does not have to be so painful.

Find this special someone to reach out to.

Click below to see him in the shop

«Be You» is dear to me. I have a thing for Koalas, if you’ve been on my blog before you know it’s the nickname we give our little one (she is 6 ½).

As I never plan what I will paint (and if I do, it never actually turns out like I had in mind in the first place so I barely bother anymore !), I had no idea a koala-ish Sprixie would appear. But I went for it when I saw his ears and nose emerge in between the chaos that was the background.

Click below to see him in the shop *with more of his backstory*

«Remember» is a bit less abstract as you can see 🙂

Elephants are known for their amazing memory, so I was not that surprised when he showed up, seeing that piece of paper that made its way in my first layers.

Click below to see him in the shop *with more of his backstory*

I love Leelah.

I am part of my dear TrueSister Mindy’s year long class called True Free Spirit (more about that soon).
For our October project, Mindy shared with us a patchwork background painting and I instantly fell in love with it. Got obsessed with it, even. I am making them with the end of my palette (because you know, I hate to throw paint away so I either create painted papers with it, or now add them to a patchwork background).

She is also created on 7.5×11” waterolor paper.

Leelah is your reminder that no matter what, go for what sparks your flame, what makes you happy, what you are passionate about.

Click below to see him in the shop *with more of his backstory*

And now for the sale !
Enter BLACKFRIDAY20 at checkout to receive 20% off your entire order. Yes, you’ve read it right ! See you in the shop: http://InnerWorlds.etsy.com 🙂

Gratitude Friday is a weekly ritual I started in order to focus on all the small and big positive things that happened during my week. I invite you to join me, you’ll see how much being thankful can change your life. If you want to know more about it, read my introduction post.

I’m happy it’s Friday ! This week did not turn out how I expected it to… I missed two steps in thr stairs while heading to the Studio and injured my knee. I am writing from my bed. I am in pain, yes, feeling useless, yes, but it is an experience that forces me to count my blessings even more.

This week, I am thankful for:

• Not having broken any bone.
• Not having broken my latpop in the fall (which I was holding), and that it’s still working properly.
• My husband who rushed from work and was able to work from home for a day.
• My neighbor who came right away when I called her, crying.
• Parenthood and other tv shows.
• Seeing the progress Koala is showing with her reading skills.
• Homemade chocolate chip cookies (finally found a recipe the 4 of us like !).
• The possibility to buy/find great (Christmas/birthday/anniversary) gifts for my loved ones.
• Becky Higgins’ free live class, still on today for the last day (but it is part of why I fell).
• Cooking in advance at the beginning of the week… as if I knew somehow.
• Friends. Family. «I love you-s»
• Danielle Daniel’s «7 Artists 7 Totems 7 Stories» project. Her book. Her Light.
• Voltaren cream.
• Good book (I am reading «City of Ashes» right now, by Cassandra Clare).

It’s really the little things that, put together, makes it all a better week than if I had focused too long on the pity party that was crawling on the back of my mind.

What’s in your Gratitude Bucket this week ? 

If you wrote your Gratitude Friday on your blog, don’t forget to enter your NAME and URL below so I’m notified and can come to read you (you can also join by commenting this post): [linkme]

I am a self-declared foodista. You may know that food is one of my first passion. I started cooking school before discovering we were pregnant with our first daughter and had to withdraw from it before graduating, but it all happens for a reason.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I am sharing pictures of my lunches on a regular basis. I know it is weird to some. I do it because it sometimes forces me to actually eat some lunch.

Last Summer, I discovered Trader Joe’s vegetarian chorizo. It is made out of tofu and spices. I had no clue what to expect but I try to find vegetarian options of meat things I like when I can so decided to try (come on, it is less than 2 bucks !). Oh my… this is good stuff ! and makes two to three different meals out of it, so it’s very nice. (and yes, we do cross the border to do most of our grocery shopping in the US. we live closer to Bellingham, WA than to Downtown Vancouver *to give you an idea*. So we can enjoy TJ’s).

I’ve always loved lentils but find them quite challenging to cook (I am known for me either hard lentils or mushy lentils). 
When you are vegetarian, you need to find other food that will give you the proteins you need. Lentils and legumes in general fall into this category (which makes me very happy).

I rarely measure anything so I apologize for those of you who do, this is more of a general guideline than a real recipe.

Ingredients*:

• One package of steamed lentils
• About half a soy chorizo
• Mushrooms (white or cremini), sliced
• Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• Spinach
• Bell pepper, diced
• Red or green cabbage, finely sliced
• Vegenaise to taste

Reheat the lentils according to the package (you may simply have left over you cooked yourself, it is totally fine).

Remove the casing from the chorizo, be careful the paprika stains so protect your cooking aread 😉 Scramble it in a heated pan, just to get it warm.

Blend the lentils and the chorizo, add your veggies, a bit of vegenaise (or mayo). It is just there to bring everything together so don’t go overboard with it. It is always easier to start with a little and adjust than the contrary.

Enjoy !

* I vary my veggies so it does not get boring (even if, to be honest, I sometimes eat the same lunch after lunch and I’m okay with it). You can switch the spinach for lettuce (my fav. is butter lettuce). Add sliced avocado. And really get creative with what you like and go from there.

(inspired by Liz Lamoreux).

On this day…

I want to remember the joy of baking French Toasts for the family, the way Mom used to make some for me when I was a kid. The «hmmm this is so good» from the girls, and from Chéridoo. The pleasure of making something instead of going for the easy way.

I want to remember that first, there was my husband and I as a couple, then we created a family. I want to remember the joy of staying a bit longer than usual in bed on a weekend, just to cuddle with that part of my Soul living in his body. The whispers. The «I love you-s».

I want to remember the joy the girls have when they play together. This is when I am happy we decided to have two babies, close in age.

I want to remember that it’s okay not to work every single day or every single hour I am supposed to.

I want to remember the joy of being inside when it is pouring rain outside. Doing board games, watching a movie, and baking some sweet treats as a family. Remember that I do love the sound of the drops on our roof.

I want to remember that everything will come to me once ripe, that pushing it too much will just slow things down.

I want to remember that sometimes, all you can do is try your best. And it’s okay.

I want to remember that no matter what, Love will win.

What do you want to remember today ?