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Hello !

If you follow me on Twitter, you may know that I was recently the lucky winner of the Lovely Trenda aka Tarot Mama double yummy scoop giveaway last week. I won a tarot reading by herself, and it was very encouraging and inspiring, AND a spot in Rachelle Mee-Chapman (alias Magpie Girl) new workshop called Power Stories.

This workshop is about listening to your Inner Voice and following your gut. Stand for your truth and don’t be affraid of it. Here is what Rachelle tells about it:

This course is designed to help you tap into your intuitive source of guidance; and to shut down noisy interlopers. As a result you will move through life from a place of powerful internal authority.

Learning to STAND results in:
a strong sense of direction about personal relationships.
confident, “right fit” work decisions.
the strength to live into your own spiritual or religious beliefs.
a life that feels stable and energized – not timid and depleted.

[…]

Here are the weekly stages in Power Stories:
Stage One: Get Grounded
Stage Two: Kick it to the Curb
Stage Three:Re-Establish Your Own Truth
Stage Four: Listen to Your Muse
Stage Five: Become Embodied
Stage Six: Move Onward

This is exactly what I need. Befriend my Inner Voice, listen to what she has to say, and just… go for it !

And you know what ? For only two days, Rachelle makes a super duper offer to be sure everyone can sign up: you write her an email (at moi@magpie-girl.com) with the amount you can afford and this is what you’ll pay. I’m just amazed by so much kindness and generosity, that’s also why I want to help her spread the words about it.
You have until Saturday September 3rd to contact her.
She tells you all about it:

::Power Stories:: Tips and Tales for Standing in Your Own Power from Rachelle Mee-Chapman on Vimeo.

I know that signing up for workshops is not easy. That’s always why it’s something I think about for loooong time, I discuss it with my husband, I write down the pros & cons & “do I really need this or is it just a passing desire ?” etc.

This workshop really goes along today’s Wishcasting Wednesday about new beginnings and Trust.

Just click on the image below to sign up:

Hello !

You’ll think I suck with my journals… you may be right, I don’t know.

I’ve been working on this one here and there for a week (because I never had the possibility to focus on it more than 30mn each time). I love it but I am facing several issues, and one is kind of “serious”.

This time, I wanted to try Teesha Moore’s method (because I know her journals are awesome, right ?! ;-)). I’ve done several of her 16page journal made with only one sheet of paper (and if you didn’t give this a try yet, go there. It’s just easy peasy and really fast to make).

First, I realize thanks to this journal making process that I need to see the person creating to understand more easily. It’s just a observation. Words and few illustrations are not enough for me. I had to read several time (lots of times I should stay, and to ask for confirmation of good understanding).
Second, I hate math. I am probably numb but it took me a while to figure out where to put my 6 holes on my 10inch guide.
Third, I have some small strength issues and it’s very hard for me to pull the thread correctly. So it’s too loose despite my efforts to keep it tight. My husband told me that next time, he’ll help me (he’s so sweet).

As you can see on the picture, my problem is simple: the book tape (which is self-adhesive, I bought it a while back online at Paper Source for Julie Prichard‘s awesome class about book binding) does not stick properly on my painted book board.
My brother-in-law suggested it’s because of the paint. Personally I don’t know. When I made a journal using painted masa paper, I didn’t face the sticking problem. And because bookboard is quite thick, I can’t sew the tape and the bookboard together as Rhomany does in her Cryptic Coptic Binding class (which add a beautiful finish look, by the way).
It’s the same on the inside when I open the journal…
I tried to glue with PVA glue but it got messy and absolutely useless.

Did you experience the same ? How did you fix it ?

My husband and brother-in-law gave me some ideas, so for now I simply put some magic mesh over both covers. As it’s very sticky, it’s okay but I’m not sure it will last forever like this 🙁

Here are some pictures (but the front cover does not look finished to me yet):

I love the dangly things on the spine. The beads are from an old broken necklace.

So it was a struggle to make for all the reasons I wrote but I enjoyed the process eventually and will just change some things next time to make it more suitable with what I can do.

Every suggestions for the sticky problem are, of course, welcome 🙂

By the 4 winds is a project I do with other women in our Journals. One subject, several points of view. If you want to know more about it, go there.

Hello !

This time, it’s back for good (I hope so). It’s already the 13th week of our challenge, a little bit more of three months. I was not really a good host during summertime but it’ll change.

This week, the random subject was EMOTIONS. Quite vague and allows a lot of possible interpretations.

This page was not aimed to be part of the By The 4 weeks challenge when I started it last week. I just wanted to play with the cheap Crayola water paint (yes, the same that we bought to my daughters for their art journals; I loved it so much that i spent $4 for having my own). And yesterday, while thinking of this theme, the page became obviously THE page for this week.
I then coloured the face, rework quickly the hair and the text just imposed himself to me.

So this page didn’t take me long to create but I really like what came out. My intuition took over me, creativity just drove my hands. For once, I didn’t ovethink it.

The texte says “Acknowledge every emotion you experience as it serves a greater purpose“.

I am over-sensitive. I used to hide it the best i could because for me, it’s caracterised by a flow of tears. Every single strong (for me, which is totally subjective) emotion brings tears. And it tends to destabilize people (which I can totally understand). But always explain “no, I’m not crying because I’m sad” is exhausting, and usually people just don’t (want to) understand.
Until not so far ago, it was really a heavy burden. But now, I see it as a blessing: at least, the emotions I feel are there, I can’t deny them, and my body expulses them so they don’t eat me alive.

It’s important to acknowledge what we feel (as well as what we think), even if it lastes three seconds. Thus, we can decide to shift them for better.
We are often affraid of our emotions. Affraid of what they can say of us to others. But we are not out emotions. They can go through us without sticking on our Soul. We can grab them and chase them. We can shift them. That’s why I say it’s important to take time to look directly at it, and to try to understand. But yes, sometimes it’s just too scary. And it’s okay to feel the fear.
Don’t let these “negative” emotions take control, let them flow on you without penetrating your heart. But drown yourself in all the positive feelings you can experience, and think about these ones when you realize you’re not feeling as well as you’d like to.

Here is what Sofiah created about our Emotion theme.
Click on the picture to enlarge it.
Click on her name above to be redirected on her blogpost -but it’s in French, so you can translate it using Google translate; just paste the link.

You felt inspired by this journal theme and created about it ? Enter your NAME and URL below so we can see what you did:
[linkme]

Hello !

I kind of disconnected this week-end. We were hiking in the mountain, we visited friends in another mountain, we celebrated birthdays, we just enjoyed being alive and the beauty of our beautiful Province. So I don’t feel any guilt for not having been there. I missed you, though 🙂

Most of you already know the gorgeous Leonie, aka Goddess Leonie. She’s an Aussie, she’s a woman, a goddess, a mama, a sister, a dreamer, a daughter, a lover, a teacher, a muse… She’s awesome !

And to prove it, she proposes us something that let me jaw dropped, litterally: one year of goodies. Here is how she sums it up:

Goddess Circle membership will give you access to everything I’ve already created – and all the things I will create for the next year – so you can use them again and again to not just discover the goddess in you, but keep connecting with her wisdom, creativity, joy and love.

All up, you’ll get over $600 of my goodies – for only $99.

Yes, your eyes read it right. For only $99, you’ll get access to everything Leonie created PLUS everything she WILL create during the year. Isn’t that wonderful and generous and genius ?

She explains it all in this video:

And if I’m right, she is planning to build a discussion forum so we’ll be able to share and cheer up with each other. How cool is this ?

It’s definately on my list of things I will sign up as soon as I can. I signed up for her affiliate program because I like to share what i love and earning some dollars by encouraging people to discover their truth(s) allows me to continue on my healing and creative path (by attending workshops and buying books).
I am honest with you: if you sign up for Leonie’s Goddess Circle by my link, I’ll get a comission so I’ll be able to access to it myself (it’s my goal).

You can buy it via the link above, or by clicking on the button located in my right sidebar 🙂

Today is the welcome back of my Inspiration Mondays. Everybody with me: “yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah“. I know I know, the last one was ages ago. I want to do it on a more regular basis, especially with all the goodness I want to share with you.

You know how much I love Samantha Kira, aka Journal Girl, right ? She’s currently very active: a weekly vlog on uStream (every tuesday, at 5pm Pacific Time), she just launched HodgePodge which is a huge e-zine in 4 parts, she is moving in the other side of the US soon, she journals, she paints… wow ! And she found the time to create something awesome: the Secret Art Pen-Pal Swap.

Do you remember when you were a kid and that you exchanged snail mails with other kids you didn’t know “for real” ? I loved it, and don’t tell anyone but this is how I fell in love with Canada 😉
I really miss receiving snail mails. I remember how excited I was to go to my mailbox everyday and check if someone sent me a letter (and I still am, but except bills… we don’t receive lots of personal letters).

It’s free (you just have to pay the shipping), and it’s simple: you create something (6×6 maximum) and you write an handwritten encouraging letter to someone that also signed up. And this person will do the same for you. You’ll make someone’s really happy.

When you sign up, you answer a few questions so your paypal will know you a little bit better.

Samantha describes it better than me:

This swap has two parts:

Create a piece of art.

It can be any of the following:

ATC
Tag
Journal Page

Pretty much anything 6”x6” and under and flat.

(No canvases or boxes, unless you’re okay with paying extra postage.)

Write a letter.

Be encouraging. Write about life lessons you’ve learned, tips and tricks dealing with art and life, send a favorite recipe. Your letter doesn’t have to be about art, but it should be uplifting and loving.

I am so exciting to know who I am paired with ! Last time I heard about it, we were 57 people. Fifty-seven !!!!!!!!

You have until August 30th to sign up. And when you know the identity of your pen-pal, you have until September 20th (my birthdayyyyyyyyyyyy) to send it.
But only do it if you are sure you can, of course.

So, are you in ?