I had a chance to hang out at Melissa McCarthy's studio on Saturday and couldn't resist taking photos of some of her cool stuff.
I could spend days just looking around at everything.
I love all of the Mary art.
She has a great collection of toys too!
Definitely swing by Melissa's website to see more of her very cool 1500+ square foot studio space. She also offers classes for those in the Laconia, NH area. What a gem!
Visit www.bonafideart.com/about/studio.html
Friends, today I published an interview on my blog, True North Arts. I love Don Desmarais' collage work and wanted to know more about this artist and his process for creating his Dreamscape series. I hope you'll swing by HERE to see more of his work and to listen to the interview.
In my interview with Don we chat about his work as an artist. The topics include:
Friends, as you can imagine, with a diagnosis of stage 4 cancer, Don has a mountain of medical bills. I'm asking for your help. Let's rally together to support my dear friend and artist. To raise money, Don has designed some affordable one-of-a-kind collages that he calls, Dreamscapes. They come ready to mount and each one has a special little message. They are priced at $35 each.
Let's use the power of the web!
This is how you can help Don.
Thank you so much for your help to share Don's story and his art.
To learn more about Don Desmarais, visit these sites:
Dreamscape Website: dondesmaraismysticart.weebly.com
Don's Website: www.donsmysticart.com
Don's Blog: http://dondesmarais.blogspot.com
Don on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000133976546
Don at East Colony Gallery: www.eastcolony.com
Link directly to the True North Arts interview: http://collagediva.typepad.com/truenorth/2011/04/dreamscapes.html
Today I made the difficult decision to have my dog put down. Here is a little tribute to a wonderful dog.
This weekend was beautiful, powerful, and inspiring for several dreamers who gathered for a weekend of dream sharing. Our sweet hostess, Meri presented us each with a journal. She is so very clever. She made color copies of a collage and covered journals that she had purchased. Throughout the weekend, we were jotting down quotes and notes. Thank you Meri for this beautiful keepsake.
Meri's sister Lynn opened up her bed and breakfast to us. Lynn not only provided outstanding hospitality but she fit right into our group sharing her amazing journey and dreams. Lynn is an amazing baker and chef. She is also an expert needle felt artist who is writing her first book that is due to be published in 2012. Lynn has a regular column in the magazine Create and Decorate. She shared with us her soul connecting work as a singer in a Threshold Choir, a group that sings for people who are facing death. I loved her sense of humor and down to earth Yankee hospitality. What a gem. Be sure to check out her website, www.charlotteshousebandb.com to learn about her B&B. If you are looking for a place to gather, I highly recommend Charlotte's House in Bolton, MA.
We put on our slippers and took off our bras and got cozy to share in our dream circle.
Meri our hostess started our dream sharing off with a quote from one of SARK's books. We then took turns sharing our stories. We celebrated our accomplishments and offered heaps of affirmation and encouragement.
Throughout the weekend Kate showed us different yoga postures. Here I am with Kate taking a quick break from our circle sharing to stretch. What a gift! Kate has been teaching yoga for 11 years and her dream is to expand what she offers. She is developing some programs and retreats as well as resources that will help us to be mindful of our movements each day. You can learn more about her work on her website, kateforest.com.
We came together to share an amazing dinner. We toasted our deep, soulful connection.
Our potluck dinner was savory and nutritious!
The following morning we had a breakfast of Lynn's wonderful scones, muffins, frittata, and fruit.
I introduced SoulCollage® to the group on Sunday morning. We pulled out magazines and each participant made her first SoulCollage® card.
Today I am feeling so grateful to be a part of this circle. We are planning another weekend at Charlotte's Place in March. I know that there were many soul sisters who couldn't make this weekend. I'm hoping we can see you in a couple of months!
Many thanks to all of the dear ones who joined us this weekend. I love our whole-hearted time together. We are so very blessed.
{soul hugs}
Kathryn, Collage Diva
PS -- If you would like to see more photos of our other gatherings, CLICK HERE.
On Sunday eight dreamers gathered in Boston for a lovely Jane Austen inspired tea party. Our hostess, Deb D. went all out with an amazing spread of treats, many inspired by family recipes. The group shared accomplishments and strategies for staying motivated. What delights me the most is how safe everyone feels in our group. Each person is taking risks and it is so exciting to see how far we all have come in less than 6 months! The inspiration was definitely flying. If you are interested in learning more about our group, CLICK HERE.
Many thanks to SARK for DREAM BOOGIE. This online class has been a HUGE inspiration for our group.
Plans are in the works for our next gathering in January. Stay tuned!
On Saturday, I hosted a fun day for my fellow dream boogie buddies. I pulled out some of my paints and gave a quick demo of some easy art journal painting techniques.
Many of us met online a few months ago while participating in SARK's Dream Boogie online class. I organized a gathering in July we decided we would reconnect with each other and our dreams IN PERSON every other month.
After we played in our journals we shared a little about our dreams. We listened and cheered each other on. Great ideas bounced around. I wish I had more photos to share but I was too wrapped up in our activities that I forgot to pick up my camera!
Here is a look at my journal page. I love the whimsical flowers. Some of us created gardens and journaled about our dreams and what we would need to nourish them and help them to grow.
Many thanks to all of the lovely participants. We had 8 people from various towns from New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
I made these little cards. On one side a reminder of our day.
On the other side some wisdom that I found on Facebook. This card really applies to artists and non-artists alike.
The timing of our gathering was a perfect prelude to the Fall session of SARK's Dream Boogie online class. Did you know that you can sign up and take the first class for free? This is a great way to get a taste of the classes and to see if it is right for you.
This will be my third round with SARK and the boogie beans. Each 8-week session helps me to focus on my dreams. I am amazed at how much I accomplished in those sessions. If you have any questions about the online class and community, feel free to e-mail me at kathrynantyr@mac.com
If you live in New England and would like to join our face-2-face gatherings, join our private Facebook group. Our next gathering will be in early November.
Cheers to your dreams!
Kathryn, Collage Diva
This week's "Happiness is..." post is all about delighting others with little surprise gifts.
Pictured above is the Friendship Circle pin that I sent to Jamie Ridler.
The Friendship Circle is the perfect gift to give to someone who inspires you.
I've known Jamie through our blogging adventures.
She has been a constant source of inspiration.
I just love her energy!
It delights me to delight people like Jamie.
This week I was surprised to hear that a colleague of mine is resigning.
My heart dropped.
While I understand her reasons for leaving,
we are losing an amazing talent.
As soon as I heard the news, I pulled out my newest pin design,
the "Follow Your Heart" pin.
It was the perfect little gift for the occasion.
I quietly left it in her office when she wasn't there.
As you can imagine she was delighted to receive it.
Today is the last day to enter in my drawing. I'm giving one of each pin away.
Go to THIS POST, you'll find a sweet story about the friendship heart,
and leave a comment.
Deadline is tonight at midnight, EST.
Now if you want to stock up and buy these pins to
delight your friends,
CLICK HERE for the PRODUCTS page of my
The pins come with a bookmark that tells the story of the pin design.
For $9 you can spread some happiness!
Share your happy HERE and be sure to check out the
FREE HUG video ~ it touched my heart.
My friend Carolyn just opened a new sewing studio in Salem, NH. If you are close to southern NH, I invite you to visit her shop. Don't miss the Open House this weekend. Scroll down for the details and great prizes! Be sure to tell Carolyn that Kathryn the Collage Diva sent you!
In the last two years, my mingling and playing with other artists has been focused online in the wonderful world of Bloglandia. I've experienced first hand how connecting online with other artists and creatives offers support and encouragement. Recently I've plugged in to the local New Hampshire chapter of the Women's Caucus for the Arts.
I have been a member for some time now but haven't taken the opportunity to fully plug-in until this Spring. I started by participating in the annual "Spring Meeting" that was attended by 30 or more women artists from around the state.
After the business of the day and a fabulous potluck lunch, we plunged into play as we created an original mixed-media work of mailable art. Each person wrote their name and address on one side of the postcard and threw it in a pile and randomly grabbed another postcard. In the end, each artist will receive in the mail a surprise postcard.
I walked into this meeting thinking I knew one or two people but quickly found that I new so many more! I was greeted by a fellow artist who had discovered my blog two years ago and has been following me ever since. Now how cool is that? She and I were so over-the-moon happy to meet IN-PERSON and connect.
Everyone, and I mean everyone in this group is warm, down-to-earth, and oh so very creative. I felt instantly at home.
I learned that our chapter is quite large with over 100 members, one of the largest and most active in the nation. Who knew? There is a lot of support and opportunities to help women artists.
As I look back on this wonderful afternoon of creating and connecting, I feel so lucky to have widened my circle.
Here is my postcard titled, "East & West Pinned Together."
I want to thank Melissa McCarthy for hosting the meeting at her very cool studio in Laconia. Want to see more of this amazing space? You can HERE on her Web site.
Are you a woman artist in New Hampshire, looking to connect with other supportive artists? I highly recommend joining WCA-NH. Learn about upcoming meetings and opportunities to exhibit on the WCA-NH Web site and blog.
Share your happy Friday post over HERE at Jamie Ridler's Happy Circle.
{{soul hugs}}
Kathryn, Collage Diva
