How to Make a Snow Angel

Thanks, Chris Duh!

Snow Days & Cookies (& winners announced!)

Snow!

Snow!

And more...

snow!

We've been playing in the snow a lot these past few weeks.  And with snow days comes making soups and baking cookies.  I've been experimenting with more gluten-free and vegan cooking and I have some yummy soup recipes I want to share with you.  Until then, here's a really good gluten-free, vegan chocolate cookie that I think you'll like.  

Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Bites
2 1/2 cups of gluten free flour 
(I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Mix)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 cup all  natural peanut butter (optional)
2/3 cup agave
1/2 cup sunflower oil
1 T vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Then, mix the agave, sunflower oil and vanilla together, and pour into the dry ingredients.  Mix for about two minutes until the ingredients are combined.  Finally, add the chocolate chips.  Form small balls and place directly on a cookie sheet.  I bake these at 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes.   At 7 minutes I check them and press them down with the back of a spoon to flatten them while warm.  Then I bake them for another minute or two.

I love these cookies because they are simple, very low in sugar and everyone in my house can eat them.

And for a kid who doesn't get to eat dairy and eats very little sweets, well, you can see these cookies make him very, very happy!

Your Personal Reflection:  What kind of fun are you having this winter?

And...the winners of Megan's "Rooted" e-course are...

Angela of Peach Coglo

Trisha of Miscellany

(Megan will be in touch with you soon!)

Express the Free Spirit in YOU

I asked the lovely Megan Monique to participate in this next Free Spirit Spotlight.  I virtually met Megan last year on Twitter (@meganmonique) and I had the privilege to meet her in person this summer when she stopped by my Kansas home as part of her Magical Eyes Tour.  She's bold, she's cool, she's funny and she's kind.  (Her photos say it all, don't you think?)  I know you will find her outlook on life to be quite honest, refreshing and super inspirational.

How did you come to a place where you embrace yourself as a creative being?

Truly, I have been creative my whole life.  However, for most of my life I never called myself an artist.  I was always comparing myself to other people.  The real shift came when I started to embrace my own creative instincts.  I noticed people would come to me for feedback on certain things.  It was then I began to notice my niche and then really finding ways to utilize it in my business and to others who needed the creative boost.  I believe what calls to me most now is doing what FEELS good.  If it feels good to my mind, body and soul - then I dive right in.

What's your favorite art medium for self-expression?

I have a few.  Lately I have enjoyed working with pastels (I love getting messy with art).  There is something about having my hands covered in color that makes my life feel complete.  Hehe.  Also, anytime there is a glue stick involved - I am a happy camper.

What is a free spirit to you?

To me, a free spirit is someone who listens to their Inner Goddess (mine is named Fiona)!  Our Inner Gods and Goddesses guide us through our path.  They are our intuition, passions and light.  When we can tap into that free spirit, that Inner Goddess - we can follow what we are most called to do in life - which essentially leads to peace and happiness.

Where do you get your inspiration?

What a great question!  I hadn't thought about this.  Color provides me with most of my inspiration. I love shiny things, especially glitter.  Another great fuel for my inspiration is fashion.  I love seeing people dress how they feel inside.  It's like wearing your soul on your skin.  Beautiful.  Honestly - inspiration pops up for me in many different forms throughout my day.  But my greatest creations come from looking inward.

How do you manage to find time and make space for your creative projects?

Unlike a lot of your readers, I don't have kids. (cheers to the moms!)  So it isn't as challenging for me to make time for creative play and since I work from home - it's even easier.  However, I do find myself seeping into a funk from time to time and when I do that I make sure to schedule time for creative play.  Whether that is with friends or by myself - I take an hour or so to explore my imagination and see what comes out.  Even though most of my creative projects are shared digitally, I still love venturing into the unknown of my imagination.

What would you say to those who want to live a creative life and find their artist within, but don't know where to begin?

I would suggest that you begin with your childhood.  Look at the things you loved to do when you were a kid and how they made you come alive.  Even if it seems ridiculous to do it as an adult - that is where you need to look - there in lies clues to your passions.  Although the activity may look a bit different as an adult there is something in the way it made you FEEL that will lead you to your passion in this time and space.  Another important thing to remember is there is no box for creativity.  It doesn't look any one way.  When we stop comparing our work to that of others, we are able to see that we are all creative geniuses.

Click HERE to see a recent video interview I did that talks about creativity.

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Thank you, Megan, you free spirit, you.  (To learn more about Megan, visit her blog.)

Also, Megan is giving away two spots to her upcoming e-course called Rooted.  Simply leave a comment here by Friday 10 a.m. C.S.T. for your chance to win! 

Your Personal Reflection:  How do you express the free spirit in YOU?

Making Space for What Matters Most

So far the beginning of 2011 has been really insightful.  I've taken some time away from blogging mainly because I've had to be honest with myself.  (I've missed you all!)  I have about 553 ideas, projects, goals, and dreams that I want to pursue all at once and I've had to come to terms with the fact that it just isn't possible.

I've had to slow way down to enjoy some concentrated time playing with my sweet boys.

And also to clear my head.  I'm still learning how to run a creative business from home while being a full-time stay-at-home mom.  And I'm learning a lot about my limitations.

Keeping my children out of daycare and being fully present during their foundation years is extremely important to us.  My husband and I have made some sacrifices to make this happen and we feel an enormous sense of gratitude that so far our choices are working out pretty well.

BUT...

there are days when I think, "How can I do all this and stay sane!?"

How can I nurse, change diapers, potty train, keep up the house, cook healthy meals, blog, run an e-course, paint, workout - all day and night - without going just a little big crazy?

Well...I. can't. do. it. all.

So I have to let some stuff go, pick the things that are most important to me, and find peace in the middle of the challenging and chaotic times.

My mom laughed at me the other day when I told her I was staying home because going out would involve taking a shower.  (Along with doing my hair, finding pants that fit, getting the boys dressed, packing up the diaper bag, getting snacks ready, trudging through the snow...um...exhausting!)

Being a mom is hard work.  We get very little breaks.  We love our children and we love what we do.  But we MUST, for the sake of our own inner peace (aka: sanity), nourish our creativity and personal dreams, and this may mean having to let go of other things to make sure it happens.

I may not have the cleanest house on the block, but I know that when I make time for my art, for inspiration, and for playing with my kids, I am much less likely to feel overwhelmed, frustrated and stressed out.  Of course we still put our toys away at the end of the day, but to me that's just as important as carving out space to nurture my creativity.

Reducing clutter and creating space was my theme for 2010.  My theme for 2011 seems to be reducing MORE clutter to create MORE space for what matters most.  I'm learning how to let go of the stuff that doesn't matter, so that I can fully embrace the stuff that does.

So in between jumping on beds, adjusting to a new baby, messing up the house, and playing dress-up, I've been preparing space for the fourth session of my e-course, Inside Out: A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery.

My heart is exploding with excitement as the explorers who have signed up this time around have already been sharing their introductions in our private community forum.  Their energy is contagious and they remind me why nourishing our creativity and connecting with other like-minded souls is so important.

I do have limitations.  I can't do it all.  But, with a little practice and an open heart, I'm dedicated to living NOW and making space for what matters most.

This is a plaque that my husband made me for my birthday.  It's the first thing I see when I wake up now and it offers a great reminder for me as I start out each new day.  

Play, be silly, laugh and create!

xo,

Shannon

Your Personal Reflection:  Are you making enough time and space in your daily life for what matters most?  Do you have a theme or intention set for the new year?  Now that we are a few weeks into 2011, how do you feel and are you staying focused on the change you've set out to make?

(psst...There are a few spots left in my art-journaling adventure - wanna join us?  Inside Out starts Monday, January 17th!)

Life, Death & New Beginnings...

It has been an amazing year...

filled with little adventures,

lots of fun,

and tons of love.  

I had the honor of holding my grandmother's hand as she took her last breath, and just a few months later I gave birth to my second son, Ashton Quinn, as he took his first breath.

I've laughed, cried, grown, expanded, connected, celebrated, created, fallen down, gotten back up, and learned to trust.

And while it's the end of a year...it really is just the beginning...

As I look ahead from this moment I open my heart for the possibilities of what this New Year will bring.  The phrase that resonates most for me right now is simply "to receive."  

I'll be taking a little time off from my blog to bring in the New Year, celebrate birthdays (Chris', Kestan's and mine!), and to prepare for the fourth session of my Inside Out e-course.  (Registration is still open and class starts January 17th.)

But mostly because I need space to breathe, to be and to receive.

I wish you beautiful beginnings and a New Year filled with many blessings.  xo

Your Personal Reflection:  What were some of your highlights and celebrations this past year?  What have you learned about life and about yourself?  What things aren't serving a purpose in your life anymore and what are you ready to let go of?  Can you hear the messages in your heart?  What word, phrase, intention or feeling comes up for you?

Mindless Creating Leads to Mindful Connections

I gifted myself the book Drawing Lab For Mixed-Media Artists by Carla Sonheim, and I'm so thrilled about it.  I love all kinds of art - felting, knitting, collage, art journaling, mosaicing, sewing, painting, photography...  And one medium that I am drawn to, yet scared to death of is...DRAWING!  In the past I've read Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and I took a life-drawing class, but I just didn't feel inspired and my practice never really stuck.

This book is super exciting because the exercises are very simple and specifically for artists who love journaling and collage.  The first assignment is to draw 30 cats, quickly and from memory, while lying down.  I love this - using simple materials like a marker and paper, no pressure and no expectations, all while snuggled in a cozy bed!

This page is my first quick attempt...

Kestan saw me drawing and wanted to jump in the fun.  So we set up, side-by-side, in the art room and a special thing happened.

We talked.

Well, he talked mostly.

And I listened.

He opened up about things that have been on his mind.  I was amazed to hear his observations, his stories and his feelings about life.

He drew.

He made marks on the page without thinking twice, without editing, and without being critical or negative.

He simply let his intuition guide his way.  And this mindless activity, of making marks on paper, opened up a channel in him that allowed him to express his innermost feelings.

Together we doodled.  We explored.  We shared.  We made new discoveries.

And it reminded me just how important it is to incorporate more mindless creating and spontaneous play in my day.  It's usually in this space, between all the chaos and the busyness of life, where the true magic really happens.  Just as in meditation, where there is a space between each inhale breath and each exhale breath, and a space between our thoughts, art can provide that same experience.  It gives us the opportunity to enjoy the beauty that comes from s p a c e.  

Mindless creating and letting our intuition be the guide helps us connect to our heart centers.  And that's what this very simple exercise - drawing for fun - did for my son and me.  We let go of our vulnerabilities, embraced play and connected to ourselves and to each other on a deeper level.

And this is why I create...

Your Personal Reflection:  Give it a try!  Step away from the computer and turn off your cell phone.  Grab a marker and piece of white card stock paper.  Get cozy and lay on your bed or the couch and draw 30 cats from memory.  Have fun and let yourself to play like a child would - without thinking about it.  Just see what comes out.  And if you have children, let them join you!  Have fun in the space of the present moment and simply enjoy drawing for fun. 

Giving Birth & Apple Kisses (reverb#10)

Hope you are enjoying your holidays!  Sending you lots of love for a joy-filled, peace-filled New Year.  Let this be a time for deep reflection of the past year, celebration and excitement for the New Year, and inspiration to fully enjoy this moment.  

I'm taking time this week to contemplate my 2010, and I've stumbled across some fun prompts that I'd like to share with you.  

Reverb#10 is an online initiative that encourages you to reflect on this year and manifest what's next.  Here are the two prompts that struck me today:

December 25th Prompt - Photo - A Present to Yourself:

Sift through all the photos of you from the past year.  Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words.  Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you.  (Author: Tracy Clark)

This past year was the year of giving birth and living more fully, boldly and freely from the inside out.  I launched my first e-course Inside Out, a creative adventure that inspires deep change on the inside so participants can live more vibrant, authentic lives on the outside.  

AND I created a new human being, one that started growing inside me in January and came outside and into the world in October.

Living from the inside out has made me come alive in ways I had never imagined before!  This photo montage (Ok...so I didn't pick just one, but decided to share a small collection), best captures the life, love, vitality, celebration, exuberance, truth, growth and pure joy that I experienced and embraced in my life over the past year.

(My husband took these photos in an urban area of downtown Kansas City.)

December 27 Prompt - Ordinary Joy:

Our most profound joy is often experienced during ordinary moments.  What was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year?  (Author: Brené Brown)

These photos were taken at a rest area in the flatlands of Kansas on our way back from a family trip to Colorado.  Kestan and I have a game where we give each other funny kisses.  We do the common Eskimo or butterfly kiss, but we especially like making up our own.  This one is our "apple kiss" because Kestan reached to give me the biggest, wettest kiss while eating apples.  We laughed and tickled and hugged and rolled around and it was a very special, tender, ordinary moment that I'll always remember.  (Another one my husband, Chris, captured.)

Your Personal Reflection:  What about you?  What photo best represents YOU or what ordinary moment from this past year really stands out?