[i] LoveLife

What I've learned.

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[ Sunrise on water. ] K.Barteski. 2012

FROM WAVES. I do brush warmups and this is one of them. It started as practice and turned to a calming process that reminds me of looking out over water. When the sun comes up. When the waves are the same + different. The colours. The peace. The repetition. The sparkle. The beautiful trance. Those kinds of things. I've learned from WAVES - that deep within them if you listen still enough you always find the answer. Or you catch the next one.

FROM JANUARY. Life is unpredictable. And mysterious. I'm battling something and I don't know what it is yet - which is kind of frustrating. So while I wait for specialists to weigh in I'm gonna try something SUPER new age: resting. Which is hard coming off of a inspiring conference like ALT. But, sometimes you need to slow down - and watch the water.

I'm going to be semi-stepping away from my computer for a week or so to stare at the ocean. To spend time with my small people. To have a warm-weather adventure. To prepare for the rest of the year. To laugh. And for a brief moment - to forget about the things that overwhelm.

Today: packing for a sunny trip, preparing for Poet's first birthday party (tomorrow morning), pre-trip errands and coffee. Good news! I know exactly where my passport is this time. ;)

GO!

15friends + a 10truths.

Friends. More than a couple of months ago Michelle from Twig Creative sent me an email asking if I'd like to be involved in their art project. Basically, they would start 2 canvasses and those two canvasses would travel around North America from blogger to blogger. Each person would add their mark and at the end the canvasses would be returned to Michelle in Utah and auctioned off.

TRUTH NO.1: I thought hard about it because I don't like being involved with things if I'm NOT POSITIVE that I have time + passion for it. I wasn't positive that I had time, but passion wins every time.
TRUTH NO.2: I checked the list of bloggers first and was pretty wowed - so I really wanted in. (PS. I love Erin Loechner.) I was especially surprised to see my name as one of the "closers*".
TRUTH NO.3: I wanted in.

As soon as I'd made space on my calendar Michelle emailed back and said - 'we didn't realize you were from Canada so we are taking you off the project because the shipping times are going to hold us up'. NO! I really couldn't argue. I ship back and forth to the US a lot and the shipping really does suck. But I was disappointed. I emailed her back and told her I would pay to have it shipped and I would be on top of it... but I wanted in.

So they agreed.

But by the time things got rolling Christmas was approaching and I was really worried about dropping the ball. When we realized that Michelle was from just outside Salt Lake City and I would be there for the ALT conference - we had Gussy Sews send the canvas to the parcel pickup in Pembina, ND. I drove over the border to pick it up the day before I left for ALT. 

TRUTH NO.4: I drove to the US to pick up the canvas and the LINKwithlove gift tags. NEITHER OF WHICH WERE WAITING FOR ME when I got there. The canvas arrived WHILE I was there. Whew. But the tags had to be overnighted to me in Utah.

I packed the canvas in my suitcase with some random art supplies and jetted off. I woke up early one morning...

TRUTH NO.5: I was sharing a room with the awesome Maile Wilson of Epiphanie Bags and I didn't want to wake her so I sat in the closet in the swanky bathroom to finish the project.
TRUTH NO.6: I had three pencil crayons, three tubes of gouache, three paintbrushes and a handful of sequins.
*TRUTH NO.7: Being the 'closer' has it's own set of challenges on a project like this (which I have done a few times before). As the 'closer' you're the one responsible for bringing the work of others together to create something cohesive and finished.
TRUTH NO.8: if you're the 'closer' you should have a little more going for you than a handful of art supplies at the bottom of a bathroom closet.
TRUTH NO.9: I took the photos with my iPhone.
TRUTH NO.9.5: I left a trail of sequins from there to Salt Lake City and back.
But for some reason it worked out. I love it. Maybe because I fought for it when I could have let it go.

I'm SO GLAD IT HAPPENED THAT WAY because I met Michelle when she came to the hotel to pick up the canvas. She's amazing. So sweet. So nice. So gracious. I am so grateful. Thank you, Michelle!

TRUTH NO.10: SO happy to have 15 new friends.

(OTHER TRUTHS: hotel carpet is hideous, sequins make life more fun, I have fallen in love with collborations.)

Today: packing, shipping, YOU-ARE-AWESOME posters, painting. COFFEE. TYLENOL. Cupcakes. ;)

GO!

One for Poet.

I love this kid to bits. It's funny because before she was born - I had a haunting feeling that, as a family, we were still waiting for someone. And since the moment she's been with us - my heart has been full of peace. And happiness. She is a doll. She's a little bit like each of her sisters, but a lot like her own person. She's busy. She's independant. She's affectionate + awesome. Oh man. She's SO CUTE! For me, she is the very best thing that happened to 2011. Without doubt.

*****

Dear Poet,

Today is your day, my love. One year ago it was a cold, winter morning when your dad and I calmly got ready to head to the hospital to meet you. The c-section was scheduled + simple. (Oh wait! They were out of caps so they used packing tape to hold a folded towel on my head and it made everyone laugh.) Yeah, that was a little silly... but my point is that the world was a happy place in anticipation that you were about to be part of it.

And what an beautiful part you are, my love.

You've taught us - with your laid-back attitude and knowing smiles. You're happy. You're lovely. You're patient - except when you're totally not. There's not much in this household that phases you AND WHAT A LESSON FOR LIFE. You're kind. And sparkly. And more affectionate than any babe to come before you. 

Your face lights up when you see your sisters. Or your dad. And you know what, sweet Poet - SO DOES THEIRS. Pilot + Penn delight in seeing you grow and change. You engage them and they have no idea that it's only going to get better + better. It's the best.

You are the best + the brightest + the most perfectly-suited to be you. I never knew I could love someone so much... You have made me the luckiest mama there is.

Love,

Your Mama.

*****

Today: we're commemorating Poet's first birthday with visits, naps and xrays. That's right. Xrays. That's might sound strange, but the whole girl tribe is off to get xrays to make sure their little spines are healthy and off to the right start. I had scary + startling xray results at the beginning of January and after Penn's pretty serious fall - 2012 is about being proactive about health. And making sure that the people closest to my heart have long + painfree lives. And CUPCAKES!

GO!

Doing the right thing looks good.

 
I have this side project that is very dear to my heart. LINKwithlove.org. It stems from this. And this. I was asked to be part of a panel on Ethics & Etiquette for Bloggers at the Altitude Summit. I know, I know - I've said it a hundred times. It meant a bunch of different things to me (and I'll get to that). For the conference, I had some special key tags made. They are special because they are goregous and there aren't very many. LINKwithlove doesn't make money. Or have money. (It actually costs me money.) But that's not what it's about. My idea was - that you would get a key tag that was actually TWO key tags and your mission is to break them apart and give one to someone who doesn't know about LINKwithlove. It would be linking + sharing + spreading the word. Being the change. And looking amazing.

Front + back. And let me say - I saw the comments from this post on the phrase "I AM CHANGED" and I was a little bit surprised to see it spark conversation. I am changed. I'm SUPER changed - and I was a good-linker before. And every time I talk to someone new and share the message - I'm changed again. I learn more. And I see more. And I share more. And I can't imagine a single bad thing about that. I definitely don't assume that every single person is doing the wrong thing - but I'm hoping that by talking about it - we can make sure that everyone does better.

Because there is better to do.

Key tags are available here. For the price of a latte - you will be supporting a good cause. And creating change.

*****

ALTITUDE SUMMIT. It was so surreal to be in the same room as incredibly talented (read: superstar) bloggers and designers and film makers and illustrators and inventors and OH MAN! AND TO BE INVITED. Wow. Super wow. I got to speak my mind on behalf of LINKwithlove to Ben at Pinterest. I talked to the Laurie of Kirtsy. I had dinner with Remodelista. I met too many amazing people to list. But they were crazy-amazing. With blog + sites so awesome I wanted to rush home and revamp my whole life. It was crazy. And fun. Inspiring. (Best parties I've ever been to.)

The Ethics & Etiquette panel was not well attended. I've been trying to think of a fancy way to make that sound glamorous. Or funny. But I can't. Ethics is not shiny or pretty. It is not as fun as craft parties or building corporate sponsor relationships. It is not as easy as naps or window shopping. It's not icecream - it's bran flakes without milk. The panel was insanely fabulous (thanks Danni, Sarah + Tracey ) so it's a bummer people missed out. The people who attended got a front row seat at an informative + passionate session and I am beyond GRATEFUL. To those who were there - thank you.

Today: I'm sorting my thoughts - and getting back to my happy place to refuel. Paint. January has been kicking my rear and it's time to shake it off and get to work. COFFEE.

Get your key tag! (I have mine on my bulletin board - it's too pretty for my keys!)

GO!

Landing.

I'm finally home. The past 5 days have been a bit of a rollercoaster and to be truthful - I'm just hitting the ground now. Angel-soft-feather-weight-crash-landing. Right? I was a panelist at the Altitude Design Summit where I was weighing in on Ethics & Etiquette in the blogging world. (I've made it pretty obvious how I feel about that.) I can genuinely say that there were surprisingly joyful moments when I felt crazy proud of what LINKwithlove.org is trying to do. And I can honestly say that there were shockingly heartbreaking moments when I still felt really proud of what LINKwithlove.org is trying to do. Which might not make a lot of sense - but I'll get to that very soon.

I promised 2012 that I would be FIERCE and I'm just getting started.

HEY. The amazing Karen over at Chookooloonks is doing a giveaway that's AWESOME. We previewed our new collborative print at ALT and it was pretty crazy. Go visit her today and leave a comment for a chance to win one of the very limited first run prints we did.

Today: unpack + unwind. I have a TO-DO list that is out of control, but a pretty ferocious sense of drive + determination to see it through. Oh, that's probably just the coffee. I'm so happy to be home.

GO!