My Intern Rocks...

...Not only is she good with a Power Drill, but she's an organizational genius!  The inventory has been growing...changing...and my cozy studio has begun to feel a bit cluttered and disorganized. 
Unfortunately I didn't take any before pictures...but here are some "in process" pics. 

It's looking great...& I'll keep you posted as it all comes together....ahh....an organized creative space...so exciting!  Thank you Lisa!

Mala Creations

The Yoga, Mantra, & Mala class was absolutely wonderful!   Here are some pictures from our creative and inspiring morning.

Selecting the perfect 108 stones...

lots of stringing

Modeling the finished Mala's!

love, love, loving the huayruro

Huayruros are so much fun!  Not only is huayruro a fun word to say...play with me...y-roo-roo...doesn't that make you giggle?....But they are fun to wear!  Here are a couple pieces I've been playing with.  They will be available online next week....one already is :-)

This one is already available online...check it out!

Each of these pieces will be a part of the Peruvian Inspired line of jewelry.  The seeds and stones used to create these beautiful pieces were purchased on my journey to the Sacred Valley of Peru in June.

The huayruro is one of my favorites!  I absolutely love its vibrant color and the way the seeds polish the more they are worn.  

The Huayruro is a seed used by Native Americans throughout the Amazon basin.  These playful red seeds are considered very sacred and believed to promote health and bring good luck.  The solid red seeds are considered feminine, and the red and black seeds are considered masculine. 

Peru...and in particular the high lands of the sacred valley is one of my absolute favorite places.  Each time I visit, I find myself in a deeper place of oneness with all of creation.  It opens my heart and reminds me how to love fully, wholly and expansively.  With every visit I find myself moved by the simple means in which the people live their lives.  I am moved by the deep connection they have with Mother Earth, Father Sky, the mountains, the rivers, the corn fields, potato fields, and with each other.  

During one of my travels to Peru I spent some time in a community by the name of Maras.  10% of the sales from each piece of Peruvian Inspired jewelry will be donated to an organization in Maras called the Andean Research Institute (ARI).

Yoga, Mantra, & Malas!

I just finished creating my first prayer mala!   I've been playing with many new ways of creating...and many new techniques...and I have to say I'm thrilled with how it turned out!  I love natural stones, so that is of course what I used.  This mala is a combination of yellow turquoise, smoky quartz, and carnelian.  

If you're interested in creating your own, I will be facilitating a workshop with MaryKay Marquart at Everybody's Yoga in Green Bay...Yoga, Mantra & Malas...next Wednesday, July 28th.  For more info visit www.ebygb.com 

Mother Earth...My Teacher, My Friend

So I´ve been in Peru for a week now and with all that has been experienced...I feel as though I´ve been here so much longer.  Each day is met with an opportunity to open my heart deeper, to create a new relationship with Pachamama, with the mountains, and with all of creation.  I wish I could put this experience into words, but the words are just not there....and what I feel must be left with experience.

In one of Alberto´s talks, he discussed the the known, the unknown, and the unknowable...and it is the unknowable that can be accessed only through experience.  Here in this deeply sacred and connected land, I find the unknowable present in so many ways.  I find my heart expanding in directions and ways I never expected.

Moray, the neusta, the belly of the Mother is an amazing site.  Not only is it visually appealing, but it is a place that so deeply connects me to the rhythms and heartbeat of Mother Earth.  

As I develop a new relationship with the earth, with the mountains and all of creation I am meeting and connecting with so many amazing people...each beautiful mirrors for the perfection of Mother Earth.  It seems that every day presents an opportunity for me to experience life more intimately...it is my desire to recognize that opportunity every day...and to live each moment in the deepest munay!

Journey Jewels photoshoot...check out what we're gushing over today...

I received one of the greatest gifts an artist & creative mind can receive...a cannon dslr camera.  It was a completely unexpected surprise and one that further ignited my love for photography.  Since receiving this gift...I've been looking for and taking advantage of every opportunity to use it.

Today's camera play included my amazing friend Lisa, her dog Baker, a beautiful white crane, and some of the newest Journey Jewels designs...in one of my favorite Green Bay parks, Pamprin Park.

I love this piece...it has me gushing in so many ways.  It's a really fun combination of blue & green kyanite braided with wood rounds, a brass button clasp, and a funky dangle of green kyanite, amber, and citrine.  It wraps around the wrist at least six times and around the neck 2-3 times.







Lisa is adorable, and this picture makes me giggle.  What else is there to do with dandelion puff balls than to blow the seeds and watch them dance in the air?  Such a fun and playful thing to do...one that makes us giggle like we're 10...loving our inner child.  In this pic, Lisa is wearing another one of my favorite bracelets/necklaces.  Again...a very versatile piece...this one is a combination of freshwater pearls and both green and red garnets...it's oh so yummy.

This is Baker...always ready to entertain...and make his territory :-)

One of the stones had a perfect little holder for my lens...

What a great day!  Thank you Lisa, Thank you Baker, Thank you to Mother Earth & Father Sky for the beautiful weather, and thank you Dad for this new and awesome camera!  Truly an amazing gift from an incredible man!  I love you, dad!

Visit to Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY

I love spring....Mother Earth opens up and all of life blooms into it's fullest.  Last week I visited the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY (near the Hudson River).  It is an absolutely beautiful campus and one of my favorite places to visit.  I spent a week here with a class from the Four Winds...many inspiring individuals embarking on their souls journey.  An amazing community of people dreaming into being a world of beauty and fullness.

This time I not only remembered my camera, but I found time in the mornings to wander through campus and become acquainted with my new camera.   Here are some of my favorite pictures:

The path on the right walks through beautifully hilled gardens planted with vegetables....it's a wonderful quiet spot anchored in the center with a tree and a wonderful arbor entryway at the opposite end. 

The entryway below leads to the sanctuary.  The beautiful stone staircase and decorative pond are a wonderful place to sit & meditate. 

 

The lake is beautiful and looks so different throughout the day.  These pictures were taken early in the morning as the fog was beginning to lift.  I love the stillness here...it brings my whole spirit to that place of stillness.  It opens my heart both offer and receive the love and blessings of Mother Earth.  The goose in the picture below hung out on the shores and called others swimming nearby.  They were active and I loved how their chatter echoed in the silence.  I often spent time here in the evenings playing my flute as the sun set.

There are so many inspiring environments...and even in the ones that appear least inspiring, when we find the stillness within that we experiences at a still lake we can create a place of inspiration.