you don.t need to cut the apron strings here....

question:  what happens when a wonderful event planner goes crazy 

bidding on vintage apron lots on ebay?

answer:   happy artsy chica.s  have a free for all picking the one they want...

trying them on for size...

 showing their divine apron fashion sense...

and posing before the paint begins to splatter!!!

i thought this was one of the cutest ideas that i learned this past weekend

at the seaside soiree with some really dear women...

on your next art date with friends,

 or even your next "let.s all cook together" weekend...

take some time to gather some sassy vintage aprons from great aunt martha.s 

linen closet (or ebay or your local thrift shop...even better) and gift them to 

all those sweet brave creative wonderful souls that you.ve gathered near.

{elena did this for us...i.ll post mine later this week)

cul*ti*vate a clever hostess idea

find me by the seaside...

today i am blessed to be boarding a plane for

this wonderful event is being hosted by 

this beautiful brave girl.
i feel abundantly spoiled as i will get to go and soak in all sorts of
wonderful classes taught by several women whom i really admire.

alisa burke

&

suzi blu

just to name a few.

i feel extremely grateful to be meeting up with precious artful friends i have gathered into my circle along this creative journey i am cultivating.

 kathy wilkins from brave girls

 brave girls...marianne, camille, kelly and kolleen

 wise and wonderful brave girl patrice {hugging kelly}

melody, lara and elena...all brave girl sisters

the bravest girl EVER....jamie

{being smooched by kolleen and i}

 my talented "unearth" sister and photographer...patty

and i can.t tell you how excited i am to get my arms wrapped around

this "unearth" scarf sister of mine...the beautiful miss G...{gloria}

just writing these words and looking at these photos gives me goosebumps

and makes me recognize how incredibly privileged i am to be completely enveloped by such amazingly strong, courageous, creative, brave souls over the past year. i look forward to sharing some fun stories with you

and want to send huge hugs and kisses to all my girlfriends old and new

who won.t be finding themselves at the seaside this weekend.

i truly love you all!

xo

cul*ti*vate a WONDERFUL circle of girlfriends!

because "i like you" so much

21 years ago i got one of the sweetest presents.

it was for no big reason at all except that it was monday.

that...and i had a premium first class magnificent friend who liked me!

those are some of the best friends to have.

the ones who celebrate the ordinary.

the ones you share your good ideas with.

and they think you are the smartest person that was ever born.

everyone needs a friend that likes them.

a friend that makes everything nicer when they are around.

a friend that throws confetti their way just because it.s monday.

and today just so happens to be monday!

so...happy monday friends!

what can you do to make someone else.s 

monday a bit nicer today?

cul*ti*vate happier mondays and good friends too

-oh, and to my very bestest monday friend...miss allison...I LIKE YOU!-

a holiday challenge....

do you ever just have a great desire to make the most of the holiday season?

i do this every year.  i fret about the commercialism that surrounds us.

i worry that my children will grow up thinking this time of year is about receiving.  and not giving.  i strategize about how i can teach them to serve.

  to give.   sub for santa.s.   angel trees.  feeding the hungry.  

making scarves and blankets for the homeless.

we.ve done all these things.  and all these things are good.

but i want something that will last throughout the season.

something simple that they can do each day to give to others.

my friends at brave girls club have a perfect answer for me.

if you are looking for a holiday challenge you may want to give this a try.



if you don.t have time to watch the whole thing you can read about it here!!!

think what could happen if everyone in the world took a moment of their time to spread words of kindness....WOW!!!!

cul*ti*vate words of kindness

5 kernels of corn...

it was 1623 and the pilgrims were literally starving.

governor bradford had rationed out what little food was left.

5 kernels of corn.

that was what our early settlers had to live on each day.

5 tiny kernels

 and yet....they bowed their heads in thanksgiving to their God

for all of their wonderful blessings.  i am always humbled

 each year as i remember this story of those pilgrims and their hardships.

 my 8th great grandmother, mary perkins was one of those pilgrims.

 each year as my family comes to the table, 

laden with food enough to feed a colony,

they find 5 kernels of corn resting upon their plate.

5 kernels to remind them of how blessed we are as a family.
it is always a sober reminder and one which sticks in my mind as i lay my kernels aside and begin to load my plate with bounty.  i hope it is one that will find it.s place into the hearts of my children and in years to come as they set their tables of harvest in their own homes, i hope the first thing "their" children see on their thanksgiving plates will be
5 kernels of corn.


have a very blessed thanksgiving!
i am so thankful for all of you!
love,
chrissy


cultivate an attitude of gratitude

love dough...

 let love rise

then share it with others

cul*ti*vate love {and creative baking}

everybody wants to be loved...and fed!

remember learning about pavlov.s dog?  

how he would call his dogs to eat by ringing a bell? 

 it was classical conditioning.

  {no, i didn.t know that name just off the top of my head, 

i actually had to google it}

anyway.  every time pavlov would ring the bell, the dogs would salivate.

well, call me pavlov.s dog.  why?  you ask?

you may have read my post HERE on the amazing food we were spoiled with at brave girls camp.  well those clever ladies came up with a beautiful idea to let everyone in the house know that food was ready to be enjoyed.  instead of hollering or ringing an old cow bell, they played the most catchy, make ya wanna dance, can.t help but smile and sing along song i.ve ever heard.  wherever we were, whatever we were doing at camp, when this song came on a pavlovian effect took place in every brave girl.s taste buds.  it was the most heavenly sound i heard at camp  {next to the sound of us all singing together...that was downright goosebumpy too}

i came to love this song, not only because it meant i was about to eat the most delicious comfort food my body has ever ingested, but also because the words of this song really rang true to my heart.

"everybody heals with love."

enough said.

apparently i sing this song a lot because i hear it being hummed down the hall by one of my little ones or blasted in my teenagers bedroom.
i even found it on the doodles of my 11 yr. old.s homework last week.

i do have to say that since returning from brave girls camp, i have an darn awful evil hunger that comes over me every time i hear ingrid.s voice.  i wonder if pavlov.s dogs ever wished he never rang that very first bell?
 nah!  probably not!!!!


have the best day and cultivate letting the love love love begin!