All posts tagged: Charlotte

Monthly Art Journaling for Mamas

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I’m so excited to announce my partnership with the very cool bellies + babies (no I am not expecting a new beb of my own, thank you for continuously asking) to offer monthly art journaling classes for moms and soon-to-be moms! As a Mama or a Mama-to-be, we are full of emotions while we juggle the whirlwind of our daily lives. It’s important to take time for ourselves and find a way to be both creative and expressive. Art journaling provides the opportunity to relax, release, create, and share what’s going on in a fun and visual way. I will guide you in developing the practice of keeping a regular art journal. No previous skill is needed and all supplies are included, including the journal! We’ll do some prompts, get comfortable with collage art techniques and start filling our books in no time! The great thing about keeping an art journal is that you can work on it whenever the mood strikes you, and you don’t have to worry about rushing to finish it! It’s …

Triplets for a Day

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My daughter got a surprise a couple days before her birthday with a visit from friends! Our old neighbors who had moved to the beach were so sweet to come and surprise her at the front door. We went Uptown and the girls wore matching outfits so they could be “triplets.” It was the funnest day, and they were real troopers for doing all that walking and posing for our mom pics, ha!

Scenes from Camp Spark

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We had so much fun at Camp Spark yesterday! There were plot twists, french pastries, watercolors, and giveaways! I hinted beforehand that we’d be working out of our comfort zone and I meant it! After years of holding art journaling camps I’d seen many people-myself included-spend too much time on trying to perfect a page that they lose sight of their imagination and ability to release and let go. So after doing our mandatory brain dumping session, I revealed our first prompt: Filling a page with rectangle shapes of any kind of paper, style and size–but you’re not filling your book–you’re filling everyone else’s! It’s like muscial journals: you paste one rectangle in a book and pass it on to the person next to you. I had asked that everyone bring a fresh journal to the retreat. This first exercise allowed them to meet their neighbors and automatically start with a journal that may not be the way they intended it, but there will always be the memory of how that page was made! The next …

I’ve teamed up with Chef Kim Bogues!

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What’s better than being free to create whatever comes to you? Eating delicious food and drinking yummy things from a professional chef while doing so, of course! I am so excited to announce I’ve teamed up with Celebrity Chef Kim Bogues of Hearth N Soul to bring a different spin to the “sip and paint” craze. Her Sip and Paints (and there’s a Punch and Paint for kids too!) will offer homemade tapas and desserts at her kitchen studio, drinks to get those artsy juices flowing and NO ONE IS PAINTING THE SAME THING! Yay! While Chef Kim is filling your tummy I’ll be leading you on a creative journey where you use alternative tools and your guiding intuition to paint something completely different than your neighbor next to you–something that you can call your own! Visit Hearth N Soul to sign up for upcoming dates!

New Workshop: Creative Studio Sundays

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YOGA + MEDITATION + WRITING + ART Hi Everyone! I am excited to be launching a new 2nd Sunday Series at the Charlotte Art League called “Creative Studio Sundays!” Along with the wonderful yoga and meditation instructor Tamara Jefferies, I will be hosting this program at the Charlotte Art League on the 2nd Sunday of every month. Here’s what is included: 11am-11:45am: Yoga and Meditation* 11:45am-12pm: Break/Set up tables 12pm-12:30: Discussion/Journaling prompts for the month’s theme** 12:30-2: Open Studio Art Journaling Notes: * I have been to Tamara’s yoga classes before and am so excited to have her be a part of this program. She offers gentle yoga that works for all ages, sizes, and abilities. She gives clear, simple instructions on how to get into a position and you are able to adjust the position based on your ability and comfort. I certainly lack flexibility in some poses, but have always felt welcome and comfortable in her classes. **Every month we will have a theme to work with. June’s theme is “Wander” After a …

The Jade Buddha

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In May, the kid and I had the honor of visiting the Jade Buddha at the Minh Dang Quang Monastery on its last day here in Charlotte. Known as the “Jade Buddha for Universal Peace” it is a travelling statue over 11 feet in length and weighing in at eight tons.  We had never been to this monastery in the Derita area of Charlotte before (another one of my favorite neighborhoods!)  so we enjoyed walking around the grounds and exploring this peaceful place. I was happy to see my child so happy and checking out not only the Jade Buddha, but all the permanent statues around the monastery.  It felt like the hottest day of the year up until that point, so we bought hats that I deemed magic because they instantly cooled us that moment we put them on. Even though we are usually very private about our beliefs, and normally just celebrate and honor our Buddhist practice at home, it felt like such a special day to be at a Buddhist monastery with my child. We talked to the …

Work + Play: Life in South End

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The Charlotte Art League is in South End, one of my favorite Charlotte neighborhoods. We have the privilege of being in an area full of good food and art galleries, and we’re within walking distance to Uptown.  Our back door is a few steps from one of the lite rail stops, and we have walking trails around us, so everything is very convenient. I personally enjoy working across the street from the Common Market, so I can get a diet soda and/or mimosa any time I want. At one point South End was very industrial and now it has become gentrified, and there are apartments all around us. While I enjoy the revitalization in vibrancy from the neighborhood galleries and restaurants, I worry about the future of our own arts organization. We’re long-time renters in an old building, and honestly we can be sold (and torn down) at anytime. Our friend down the road, Price’s Chicken Coop is now dwarfed by mid-rise apartments on both sides, but its own little establishment still remains. My hope is that we, …