There is something to be said for expressing gratitude frequently.  First of all, it makes the world a kinder place.  Secondly, it makes people feel appreciated.  Thirdly, it can help shift your negative attitude to a more joyful one.  This just skims the surface of the many benefits of gratitude.

The team at Grateful Living provides some wonderful resources to help you express your gratitude.  For example, you can

• Email beautiful e-cards to friends, family, and others to acknowledge friendship, send love, and say thank you.
• Light an online candle for someone who could use some positive vibes sent their way.
• Reflect on a daily question.

Gratitude is something that resonates with many people across our world.  For example, according to Grateful Living’s website as of September 8, 2018, 20,923,257 online candles have been lit from 194 countries.

So join the circle of grateful people across the planet and share some gratitude today. 

Thanks to Shelley Klammer, I’m enjoying FreeMix—a free online tool that will keep you up late making digital collages! It's very easy to use and it includes a library with a vast variety of images to choose from.

Join Shelley’s 30-Day Collage Challenge to regularly get your creative juices flowing, excavate your unconscious mind, access your intuition, and much more. 
​
I’m including one of my recently created digital collages on this blog. I may share more here and/or on my other social media.
​
Now, go play!

The 2018 Guild of American Papercutters' (GAP) calendar is now available and contains beautiful papercuts by a variety of talented artists.  Each month includes a unique artwork as well as information about the artist's inspiration.

It's a perfect gift for almost anyone on your list!

As shown in the above photo, I'm thrilled to share that I'm the December 2018 featured artist. 

More information on ordering the calendar can be found by clicking here.

Don't wait, place an order today!

                  Happy Holidays!

Looking back at 2016, I can say my life felt more fulfilling than in past years—much of it having to do with creating art, being juried into art exhibits, getting my art out into the world more, as well as working with supportive people at my job.

And even though my life was frequently very stressful, I also had a deeper sense of well-being.

So what’s next for 2017?  Here are my intentions:
​

• Living la dolce vita.
• Clean, tidy, and organized house.
• Strong, flexible, healthy, and vital body.
• Releasing with ease, joy, and love.
• Feeling I’m more than enough just as I am.  
• Making more wonderful, wise, trustworthy, successful, interesting, generous, supportive, kind, excellent listeners and conversationalists, long-term friends who are easy to get together with for deep, interesting, and life-affirming conversations and fun get-togethers that I and they really enjoy.

Now it’s your turn.

Click here to get your FREE copy of YearCompass.

​Heartfelt blessings to you for 2017!
​

Wow! I had a fantastic time at the June 2016 Etsy Craft Party hosted by Ugly Baby and La Ru in Seattle.  It was so much fun, I actually stayed for 6.5 hours.  

And what kept me so long?

Washi tape...I couldn't get enough of this stuff.  I embellished cards, coasters, and envelopes.  I couldn't stop.  Just as I finished one card, I had to do another and then another--doing both the inside and outside of the cards and doing an envelope to go with the card.  Check out my creations in the above photo and the photo slideshow below.

And then there was the drawings for prizes.

Each hour, I eagerly waited to hear my ticket number called--as I wanted to win a fabulous prize.  Several times I was off only by one digit.  I'm sad to report, I didn't win that day.

However, I got a wonderful swag bag. And because I stayed to the end and helped with clean up, I got another one!  YIPPEE!

So thanks to Ugly Baby and La Rue for a cool event and all the sponsors who gave great prizes and provided craft supplies for our creations.  It was one fun day--even when it poured rain!

And as you can see, I'm particularly grateful to Scotch 3M for their Washi tape and Strathmore for supplying cards to embellish.

I'm already looking forward to a 2017 Etsy Craft Party!

This, plus adhering the pieces without getting adhesive all over the place, is also what makes collage such a challenging art form!

For those who love collage, art, or just want to see something beautiful, stop by the second floor of the public area of the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, WA from January 16 to March 28, 2016 to see a wonderful exhibit of 86 collage works that have juried into the Northwest Collage Society’s 2016 Open Winter Show.

I’m grateful that my work, “The Joyful Workings of the Faithfully Busy Mind” is one of the works on display.  

​The photo I've included in this blog  shows some of the beautiful pieces in the show (my piece is the colorful collage of circles on the far right of the photo).

It’s a diverse exhibit that you won’t want to miss!

*​Want to receive or give a gift of creativity?  

*Is your mailbox hungry for real mail?

*Like surprises?

If you said YES to any of the above, read on!

For the past six years, Kat Eye Studio's has hosted art postcard swaps--and is doing it again for 2016.

According to Kat, this swap "encourages you to create, share, and liberate your art out into the world, where it can do its greatest good." 

if you are interested, then visit Kat's site and join the "Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap" this week (otherwise you'll miss out on the fun!).

The postcard swap receipt deadline is March 12, 2016.

I tremendously enjoyed doing Kat's postcard swap in 2015 and I'm joining the fun again in 2016.  Read my blog on my experience here.

​Find out more about the 2016 postcard swap by clicking here.

For inspiration, see the YouTube video of artists' postcards from 2015 by clicking here or on the below.

                                              ***
Author and artist, Kathryn V. White's most recent book, Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness, is a finalist in the 2014 Wishing Shelf Book Awards.  Her art is available as fine art prints.  Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com

​YEA!  On February 27, 2016, Seattle University is again holding the unique Search for Meaning Book Festival.  

This successful and engaging book festival has been going strong since 2009.

This year, over 50 authors will be presenting at longer key-note sessions as well as at shorter seminars.  

Presenting authors include the more famous such as Tracy Kidder, Julia Cameron, and Nancy Pearl and many others who are not so well known, but who have interesting and sometimes provocative information to share. 

​You can buy presenting authors' books right at the event—booksellers include Elliott Bay Book Company and Seattle University Bookstore.

I’ve attended this event for two years in a row and I’m looking forward to this year’s sessions.

An extra bonus is an art exhibit exploring the theme of the meaning of life.

You can’t beat the amazingly inexpensive price of 10 bucks to register for this event.

So be sure to attend and open the doors to more worlds and a variety of perspectives.

Click here to learn more.

And check out the short YouTube video below.

                                ***
Author and artist, Kathryn V. White's most recent book, Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness, is a finalist in the 2014 Wishing Shelf Book Awards.  Her collage, "The Joyful Workings of the Faithfully Busy Mind" has been juried into a collage exhibit at the Washington State Convention Center running through March 28, 2016.  Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com

Now, what about 2016?  

By thinking through your options, developing your goals, and writing down your dreams you are much more likely to move forward in the direction you desire.

And you’ve got help…

A team from Hungary has developed a wonderful booklet as well as an online version for you to use in looking back over the past year and focusing on what you want for 2016. 

It’s available in several languages.  It’s flexible too—go it alone or with a group. 

January is a perfect time to set your direction for the rest of the year. 

Click here to learn more.

One of the things I like about this process is coming up with a key word or phrase to act as my year's touchstone.  

I'm going with "la dolce vita."  For me, this means being aware, allowing, savoring, and actively acknowledging the sweetness of life in deeper and more expanded ways.

What's your key word or phrase for 2016?

To a fulfilling and joyful new year!

Art is a great way to release stress, have fun, feel creative, and access insights and messages from your inner self!  

You also have something tangible to reflect upon, look back at, and share with others!

So here is an easy project that you may become addicted to creating...a mini-doodle book.  You don't need to be an artist to create one and it's an easy project for all ages.  

You can do this project alone or with others.  You could even trade the mini-doodle book back and forth to see what evolves from more than one person working on the same book.

Supplies:

• A black fine point and a black ultra fine point Sharpie permanent pens.
  
• A pair of scissors.  
• Coloring tools such as crayons, colored pencils and pens, and markers.  
• Other items you may want to use include magazines, glue sticks, and even stickers and glitter.  

Steps:

1) Take a piece of paper--you can work with any size.  I have used 8.5 inches x 11 inches as well as larger pieces. A 12 inches x 18 inches works very well and is what I used for the example I'm including here.

2) Draw lines over the page with a fine point Sharpie pen.  

Here's an example of what your page could look like:

3) There are a variety of ways to make mini-doodle books.

I'm including here a quick and easy way to make an 8-page mini book by just folding a single piece of paper and making one cut.

Click here for a short YouTube video on how to do this or click on the below image.

4) Choose which page you want to be the first page or "cover" of your mini-book.  

5) Use your chosen supplies to decorate your mini doodle book.  

As you flip through the pages, you may find that your lines look like an animal or a person's face or an object like a lamp.   

You may want to include words, phrases, or even write a short story. 

You can also keep everything abstract and create your book as a meditation on color, line, and/or shape.

Also sign and date your mini doodle book--it's always interesting to go back and see what you've created at different points of your life.

Looking for an example? Here's my mini-doodle book you can flip through.  It's titled, Teddy's DreamTime Adventure.

I'd love to see what you create!  

And a special thank you to Wendy Wahman for providing the idea of starting off with creating lines across the page before folding the paper to create the mini-doodle book!   The book I include here I made at her "Insight Book" workshop.

Also, YouTube has a variety of videos on making mini-books, including a circle flip up book and a Roald Dahl mini book! 

So go make your mini-doodle book now and have fun!  

                               ***
Author and artist, Kathryn V. White's most recent book, Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness, is a finalist in the 2014 Wishing Shelf Book Awards.  Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com

Click on the cover to find the book on Amazon (USA).  It's also available internationally via Amazon.

Click here to read more endorsements and testimonials.

Click here for an e-flyer on Rumble Tumble Joy.

Click here to learn about Kathryn's stories and here to learn about her art.

                                ***
Author and artist, Kathryn V. White's most recent book is Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness.  Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com

• Are you interested in spiritual and self-help topics? 

• Do you enjoy Eckhart Tolle’s writings? 
  

• Are you naturally curious and like to contemplate the deeper issues of life?

Then Eckhart Tolle’s UnCourse is for you!

It can be taken at your own pace and you can fully explore one topic by completing all its lessons or jump from topic to topic, lesson to lesson—creating your own order of what you want to explore.

There are eight major topics which include:

• Ego
• Relationships
• Parenting
• Choices
• Dealing with Emotional and Physical Suffering
  

Each topic includes subtopics which start with a short video highlighting a question from a member of Tolle’s audience and Tolle’s response.  Additional questions are also included that are provocative and good for contemplation, journaling, and discussion.

It’s a well-conceived mini-program that you’ll return to again and again for insight, inspiration, and wisdom!

Find out more here.

                                ***
A lover of learning, Kathryn V. White's most recent book is Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness. Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com

Luckily, she had a highly-intelligent and helpful sister, an indomitable aunt who wanted her to succeed academically, and her own tenacity to not give up or in to this disorder that threatened daily to waylay her life to one of constant frustration and failure.

Simpson, her teachers,  and her family were frequently exasperated by her inability to read, her gibberish in letters and homework assignments, and her difficulties in walking from home to nearby stores without getting lost.

She got by in school by being quiet and dutiful; copying off the exams and papers written by others; and listening closely to lectures as her class notes were just as hard for her to decipher as they were for others.

Finally, at twenty-two, her future husband, poet John Berryman recognized her disorder as dyslexia.

With this identification, she found she was not alone, many people, including famous writers such as W.B. Yeats and Lewis Carroll suffered from it.  This knowledge also helped to spur her on to bigger dreams.

Within her lifetime, she earned a master’s degree in psychology from New York University and became a psychotherapist as well as a writer.  Besides Reversals, her books include: Orphans: Real and Imaginary; Poets in Their Youth: A Memoir; and Late Love: A Celebration of Marriage After Fifty.

Simpson states in Reversals (published in 1979 and republished in 1991) that one out of ten people have dyslexia, it is found more commonly in males than females, and runs in families.

For an interesting overview of Simpson’s life, click here.

For a list of famous people with dyslexia and related learning challenges, click here.

For more information on learning disabilities, click here.

                                ***
Kathryn is no stranger to struggling with learning disabilities. She was diagnosed with them as a child and with training, self-discipline, and lots of hard work she ended up going to the best schools in the world and becoming a published writer. Her most recent book is Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness. Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com

If you said YES to any of the above, read on!

For the past five years, Kat Eye Studio's has hosted art postcard swaps--and is doing it again for 2015.

According to Kat, this swap "encourages you to create, share, and liberate your art out into the world, where it can do its greatest good." 

Isn't it time to bring delight to the mailboxes of the world and YOU?  

Then visit Kat's site and join the "Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap today."

The swap receipt deadline is March 14, 2015.