Life Book 2014 [Final Flip Through]

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Just a final look-see at last years Life Book lessons, before I start sharing this years classes with you....

It's amazing to look over your year of classes and and see the progression of your art work!

(oh and I must apologise for the darkness, I filmed it on the one cloudy and overcast morning in December!!)

Or you can see it on you tube here

I hope you enjoy it!!

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☆ Nurture Yourself [Life Book 2014]

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By the way - I am having a MASSIVE give away (almost $100 worth of LilliBean Designs products including an original painting, jewllery + gift tags!) I will announce the winner on Christmas Eve. Pop over here to enter.

Week 50 - Nurture Yourself with Kelly Hoernig

I swear life book lessons seem to directly tap into my life + I guess this is why I adore it so much + will be signing up for next years course after Christmas! (It open for registrations now thought if you are interested in joining - pop over to the website here to learn more.)

Any way, I had my final market of 2014 at the farmers markets over the weekend + after I finished the market we had to also go grocery shopping + visit santa for our photos, visit my nan and drop off her presents, but instead of doing all this, I lay down on the pile of cushions I have in my studio and slept.

I slept for hours.

I obviously needed it, because that night I was in bed by 9pm and I slept again.

So doing Kelly's lesson on Sunday was a fabulous reminder to me to nurture myself in these times of business, especially over Christmas when it is busier + more stressful.

I loved how this turned out + I am so excited about finishing Life book 2014 + starting next years. (I've just seen on Tams Facebook feed our first lesson + I am super excited about this one!)

In the new year I will be sharing a flip through video of my life book year so you can see them all together.

By the way - I am having a MASSIVE give away (almost $100 worth of LilliBean Designs products including an original painting, jewllery + gift tags!) I will announce the winner on Christmas Eve. Pop over here to enter.

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☆ Courage and Celebration [Life Book]

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Week 48 - Courage and Celebration with Serena Bridgeman

I learnt a brand new technique through this weeks Life Book lesson from Serena Brigdeman. And I love the effect it has had on my painting. It feels like an old piece of furniture that has been painted many times + has been scratched off over time.

And it was just a humble jar of vaseline which helped make this beautiful texture.

My tiger is my bravery totem + always has been (I'm sure I've spoken about Tiffee the Tiger before!)

The quote resonates with me so much at the moment. I decided to use one that I use a lot in my life!

Have a great week.

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Flying Free and Positive Self Talk [LIFE BOOK 2014

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Week 46 - Flying Free and Positive Self Talk with Tascha Parkinson

I am so pleased with the timing of this lesson, December is the busiest time of the year for us.

And I loved that this lesson allowed me to stop and take stock of where we are up to, what my priorities are +  gives me a handy list of positive empowerment (under my birds feathers) that I can quickly check when I am feeling like shit.

It made me think that I should put these positive items in my notebook that I carry around with me everyday.

What about you? How are you coping with the December madness? Maybe a list of positive empowerment will help you through this crazy month!

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☆ Celebrate Love [Life Book]

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 Week 43 - Choose Joy with Christy Tomlinson

Christy Tomlinson's lesson was another synchronistic one for me at a time - a beautiful lesson, with several different elements + a very important message.

And a reminder to myself - to chose love. To celebrate the love I have in my life.

And at the end of the lesson I had this image to remind me.

What will you celebrate this week. Feel free to share with the rest of us.

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☆ Expressive Florals [Life Book]

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Week 42 - Expressive Florals with Tam

I have learnt so much this year with Life Book - I have been loving the different styles, the different techniques, and I adored this weeks lesson, again with the fabulous Tam.

This is a painting that I adored the actual process. It felt loose, messy + abstract, but in the end there was a recognisable item in the final painting.

I love the bright pop of colour that they give off, especially in my journal that has lots of pastels, greys + teals!

By the way - I will be attending the Bathurst Christmas markets this weekend (nov 15th + 16th) so if you are in the Bathurst area I hope you will pop in + say hi.

And if you bring this voucher with you, you can receive 10% off everything in store.

You can download it by clicking on the voucher above or here.

The voucher is valid at all the markets I am attending for the rest of the year:

Until the end of the year you can find me: 

• Bathurst Christmas Markets: November 15th + 16th @ the Bathurst Show Ground
• Cowra Harvet Markets: November 29th @ Brougham Park Cowra
• Cowra Night Markets: December 12th @ Kendal Street Cowra
• Farmers Markets: December 20th @ Cowra Show Ground [still confirming]

I hope you have a bright + happy week!

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☆ Moon Whale [Life Book 2014]

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Week 41 - Moon Whale - Deep Slow Flow with Tamara Laporte

I enjoyed this lesson so much.

I love the contrast between the dark of the sea + the blue of my whale.

I love that it was mixed media, but that there wasn't huge amounts of different techniques to do.

I love how scrubbing back the black brought out the layers out from underneath + gave the painting more depth.

And I adore how my whale has an expression of contentment on it. Something I was definitely feeling while painting!

Have a great week.

Did you know that I send out a monthly love letter with studio snippets, a monthly give away of one of my paintings or products, a free calendar download + more. Click here or on the image below for more + your free downloadable gratitude angel 

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☆ Healing Intuitive Goddess [Life Book]

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Week 40 - A Healing Intuitive Goddess Painting with Kate Thompson

Kate Thompson was my guide for this weeks Life Book lesson.

And a healing intuitive goddess was just what I needed this week!

During this lesson I ran through a gamut of emotions.

From joy (loved smooshing my texture paint through stencils - it gives a beautiful base texture.)

To frustration (at one stage my goddess looked more like a pink smurf, than a dignified goddess!)

And finally the feeling when I am certain a painting is done, when my soul settles + when my goddess is herself. I guess this feeling is peace.

Healing Intuitive Goddess.

What makes your soul settle? Is it a job well done? A beautiful painting? Seeing family? I'd love to hear what makes you feel peace.

Did you know that I send out a monthly love letter with studio snippets, a monthly give away of one of my paintings or products, a free calendar download + more. Click here or on the image below for more + your free downloadable gratitude angel 

Next love letter comes out November 1st...

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☆ Botanicals Painting [Life Book 2014]

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Week 39 - Botanicals: Painting on Paper & Dry Media with Alena Hennessy

This was such a lovely lesson. I loved that this lesson was intuitive, but I didn't feel like I usually do when I paint intuitively.

Let me explain....

I know that mostly I do paint intuitively.

More often than not, I don't know what I will paint until I sit down. I don't know which colours I will use, or which materials I will use.

More often than not, I make decisions in the moment.

I do this instinctively.

Naturally.

BUT as soon as I stick a label on it, like 'intuitively' then I loose all confidence in the way I am painting.

Crazy right?

I suspect this is tied in with my inner bitch. And the fact that she has for 30ish years told me I am not an artist.

'You can't draw' she's told me. 'You can't paint' she's gloated. And now I suspect she is using an almost whisper as she tells me 'You can't paint intuitively'.

I loved Flora's lesson, but the whole time I was painting I felt uncomfortable. And the painting seemed forced. It didn't feel natural.

This one felt easy + it flowed.

I loved it.

I wonder where else, in my life, where I am struggling to break free of past behaviours, I would be more successful, if I was to relabel it!

What about you??

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☆ Intuitively Creating with Flora Bowley [Life Book}

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Week 38 - Brave Intuitive Painting with Flora Bowley

*no brushes needed* 

Well...

This was one of the hardest lessons I have ever done.

Not because it was technically difficult.

Not because the subject was hard.

Nope.

The reason I found this one of the hardest, is because I was accessing new ways of painting that I had never done before.

Using a range a tools, from potato stamps, flowers, feathers, and other items I found around the house, the pantry + the fridge I made marks.

Marks that had no real rhyme or reason.

Marks that were intuitive.

I had no idea that this would unleash my inner bitch + bring her to the front.

Every mark I made she has something to say.

Every time I added something new she had a comment,

I had to walk away several times...

And I realise that the reason my inner bitch was out to play, was because this was something I hadn't done before.

It felt foreign + uncomfortable.

So uncomfortable...

In the end, although I am not particularly fond of the painting, I love that it represents that I pushed past the doubt, the criticism + the fear.

I think I will need to make some more of these types of paintings, paintings that use my intuition.

I would love to be in a place that I could create with out the commentary of my inner bitch.

What about you? Are you comfortable with your intuition guiding you while creating, playing or living? Or does your inner bitch like to pop up + share her two cents?? I'd love to hear your stories.

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☆ Artsy Abode with Carissa Paige [Life Book 2014]

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 Week 37 - Artsy Abode with Carissa Paige

This was such a fun little lesson. A quick one by Carissa Page + where I used a picture I had of a cool tree house + some beautiful patterned collage pieces.

This felt like a really loose painting, one that all came together perfectly, one where I didn't worry about perspective, realism or whether something looked right or not.

It just flowed beautifully. 

And I love how she turned out.

And one day I would like to have a tree house like the one in my painting. One I can escape to from the world!

Have a fab week.

Did you know that I send out a monthly love letter with studio snippets, a monthly give away of one of my paintings or products, a free calendar download + more. Click here or on the image below for more + your free downloadable gratitude angel 

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☆ The Art of Play [Life Book 2014]

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This was a really enlightening + enjoyable lesson which explored the art of play in painting.

Something I can struggle with at times. Something that I have a hard time doing applying this to other areas of my life.

Play can sometimes feel like a chore. So it was a nice change to actually just play.

So I journaled about what play meant to me, and then scrunched up the paper. After a couple of layers of paint + stencils + collage I then cracked open the stamp making kit I bought last year + have been meaning to crack open for ages.

Stars are a symbol that frequently pops up in my art. And they remind me that my play as a child would often take me to the moon and back, there were no limits in my play.

And I totally love how my play ended - these two little girls, going to play

Just like me and my sister.

Just like Bean + Bug + Beastie...

With our busy lives, we are often so serious, we have bills, mortgages, commitments. It is hard to let play into any aspect of our lives. So I'm challenging you to play a bit this week - and check in and let me know how you went.

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