Whimsy + Inspiration = Tamara Laporte ((giveaway now closed))

 Trick-or-Treat... Friends and Blog Hoppers,

My stencil hoard is growing! In all honesty I used to avoid using stencils in my work, but over the past year I've grown fond of building up layers with some good ol' stencils / stamps. It was a joy to play with Tam's new line with Artistcellar... Technique-wise: I used a sponge brush w/ acrylic for the words and then colored them in with stabilo crayons. Black dylusions spray inks were used for the house bits....and then along came this girl. Taa-daa:

PRINTS AVAILABLE HERE

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
       love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

-Mary Oliver

What else? Oh yes.... I'm giving away 2 FREE SETS. 1 of each = "Tam's Whimsy" + "Tam's Inspiration". All you have to do is leave a comment below. For EXTRA entries: share this post in your social e-spheres, or sign up for my monthly newsletter in the upper right. Extra bonus entries: share your FAVORITE Halloween Get-up. Tally up where you shared & let me know in the comments below. 

Chomping at the bit to buy your sets now? Here's a link --->  "Artistcellar Signature Series Stencils". Ready to hop on to the other stops? Right this way: 

10/26 Artistcellar http://www.artistcellar.com/wp

10/27 Jill K. Berry http://jillberrydesign.com/blog

10/28 Dawn DeVries Sokol http://www.dawndsokol.com

10/29 Carla Sonheim carlasonheim.wordpress.com

10/30 Micki Wilde thesecrethermit.blogspot.com

10/31 Carissa Paige http://carissapaige.blogspot.com

11/1 Effy Wild www.effywild.com

11/2 Gracie Howle http://graciehowle.blogspot.com

11/3 Jane Davenport http://janedavenport.com

11/4 Chris Cozen http://chriscozenartist.typepad.com/my-blog/ 

11/5 Tamara Laporte www.willowing.org/blog 

In other NEWS:

Ooooodles of NEW art + prints have been added to my shop today ==> right here 

 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! 

Here I am pretending to be a Blythe Doll:

My Tumbling Act

Last night I had a dream I was flung out onto a stage. The mission: perform an improv acrobatic act. I began to panic. I haven't done gymnastics in 20+ years. Something inside me said: tap into what you knew as a child. I fumbled around in this leotard, peeking at the audience all sitting in their seats, and I just began to tumble my way around the stage... Literally tumbling. Cartwheeling, falling over, rolling around. Little kid style. Not long after this tumble act was over, I was home. Inside my house there was this huge black basket. Curled up inside was a gentle looking yet HUGE snake. I was mesmerized by it's creamy color and subtle brown pattern. My eyes were trying hard to focus on it. A voice tells me, "look up anaconda." I search for anaconda. My Grandfather suddenly appears and tells me 3 snakes appeared in his house once.

I wake up, take notes, research anacondas. I dig into Animal Speak to look at Snakes and the number 3. Here's the fascinating thing about my dreams the past 5 years: while I'm inside my dream, I can literally ask: what does this mean? What do I need to learn from this? The answer isn't always there. Sometimes it's like a riddle unfolding as the day goes on. Sometimes my days feel like extensions of dreams. So many wonderful mysteries about this life.

Confession: The last few months have felt like a tumbling act... I tumble inside my head, my heart, my words come tumbling out backwards. There has been a lot tumbling around in a lot of little ways and let me tell you: a bit of my own madness tumbled out and led me to some incredibly wide open fields. These things I'm confronting leave me feeling joyous and shellshocked.

My biggest tumble of all: I've made some huge snafus with some huge things and feel slightly embarrassed (?) about it.

Namely: Legend of You. The glorious project I announced was underway on 12-12-12. The lessons I've learned when it comes to unveiling something incredibly precious to you before it's complete, is that it's better to keep some things under your hat until their finished. The videos for my course were accidentally erased. The joy and madness of digital. The writing content is safe, but yes, the videos must be refilmed.

Legend of You, I am picking up the pieces, rebuilding, and coming back stronger than ever. 

In the meantime, I don't plan to force it. It feels so much better to confess this, because the loss was a little tragic and for a while I felt completely crippled, like I can't make any decisions or make any moves until this thing is outside of me. To those of you who've been waiting for the ride: thank you for your patience! I feel like I have so much to say about the things we lose along the way. I have always regained whatever it is I've lost and it always comes back in a deeper more profound way. 

 My new mantra. Freebie! Download / copy / print / share :)

Local Current: I'm teaching Art Journal Magic at The Funky Trunk in downtown DeLand and preparing a painting class. Some other precious things... I'm keeping under my hat for now. Much of my art is there right now, so if you are local and want to peruse, it's a fabulous little shop next to the Women's Museum of Art smack dab in the heart of things.


Last but not least on this giant update train: 

I can finally announce how excited I am to be a part of SOUL FOOD! Have you heard about it yet?? There's a whole slew of creatives cookin' up some Artsy Lessons and Soul Food just for you. I'll have more details on my "course / dish" as time grows near, but until then: 

Learn all about this fabulous offering AND get in on the early bird special <click below>

With Love and Confessional Relief, 

Carissa

Art Journal Magic

Dear Friends, I have some exciting news!! I've been gearing up & pouring my heart into a new project: An art journaling class called "Art Journal Magic!" I'll be teaching it locally @ "Art and Soul Studio." The lovely owner Bonnie just finished revamping her entire store. It's a fusion of Spiritual / Metaphysical and Art. It's really amazing how much it's changed in just the short period from when I first visited a month or two ago. It's a perfect space to hold a sacred journaling venture. I feel blessed. I'll be using a mash up of foto-transfers, paint, paper, glue, heart, soul, intuition, words, and wine! My hope is that it will be a safe and sacred space and that we'll all let-loose... and magic will happen. What magic you say?! The kind of magic that happens when you just show up... and play.... and be.... and listen.... and receive... a vast pool of inner wisdom. A space where intuitions can be giddy... With a brave heart I share this.

A

Magnificently

Amazing and

Giddy

Intuition

Creates Magic

My soul is searching and open wide listening. 

Ready to hear and share and create a 

Soul

Practice
A'la mode de
Creative Exploration

.... I wish to spread magic... and healing.... and bold inner knowings.... (and maybe a little fairy dust!)

Dear All-Knowing-Wise-Spirit, I also wish to cast out a blessing to this new venture... Right now as I type this, I feel butterflies and chills. I'd really love to dig up all I need for this, and conjure a healthy dose of brave! (Thank you.)


XO
Carissa

*The middle image is the transfers in the sink. The female magician is from my 2011 planner which is filled w/ old magician pics! The other is one of the portraits from The Woods series (currently blog header!)