Happy New Year!

calendar is Peel It Design Birds in Flight by Masayo Anton-Ozawa

~~~

2012 is going to be a great one. I just know it.

Are you with me?

~~~

December Views Week 3 & a Bit - Part I

Has it only been a week and a half since my last December Views post? There are so many images to share! I've been a little clicker happy so it'll be a two-part post. Voici, Part I:

a colourful haphazard pianoscape in the dining room

off to New Brunswick for Christmas, it was a windshield-washer kind of a day

Day 2 on the road, much better driving weather!

Christmas morning cast-offs

I'm not a very religious person, but I was fascinated with this colourful

backlit Jesus at my aunt's place.

my cousin's top hat topper to her 9' Christmas tree - the hat was her father's, love it!

Shelby soaking in the sun, she's the cutest Great Dane I've every seen

Stay tuned for Part 2...

Out With The Old

December 2011, calendar by Suzy Toronto

(Can anyone tell me how I managed to miss National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day on the 15th?)

Between work on creative projects and Christmas preparations I've been reflecting a lot this past month. Maybe it's the Winter Solstice, maybe it's the moon – full or new, or maybe it's just par for the course as I transition from one year to another.

Stuff is bubbling up, nudging itself into my world to be acknowledged, tended to or both. It comes up in my journal, my dreams or wallops me with emotion when I least expect it.

There's been a lot of talk about Release in the blogosphere these past few weeks and I'm a big proponent.

I have plenty of fears I'm ready to leave behind as I enter 2012. I don't know exactly how that will manifest yet, but I'm ready to acknowledge them and how much they've been limiting me. I might also have an outdated belief or two that no longer serve me. Yup. They might be good candidates for release too.

What about you? What's been dragging you down this year that might be getting old? Fears, beliefs, mental and physical clutter... could it be time to let some of it go?

There are plenty of ways to create ritual around year-end reflection and the release of stuff you no longer welcome in 2012. Maybe you've already participated in Pixie Campbell's Mother of All Releasing Ceremonies on the 22nd, or maybe you prefer spending quiet time with your journal or sketchbook now that the pre-holiday flurry has slowed down. Maybe formalizing it into a point-form list on your blog is the best fit for you.

You may even choose to not make a ritual of if at all and just ponder, let it all percolate. There's a lot of power in percolating possibility (a triple P coup!).

However you choose to approach it, the end of 2011 comes with an opportunity to let go of what's old and no longer serving you and in my humble opinion, it's the best way to make space for all the wonderful things that are waiting to greet you in 2012.

Go! Reflect. Release.

My Christmas Wishes to You

Mom's Christmas angel collection

I'm about to sign off for a few days to celebrate Christmas at Mom & Dad's, meat pies and merriment await! Not to mention books, cable TV (can you say HGTV?!) and quiet time by the fireplace.

I look forward to it. I am blessed.

This Christmas I wish you joy and cheer. I wish you peace. I also wish you space to remove the mask we sometimes don during the season when we're not quite feeling it and don't want to disappoint, space to be yourself if you need it. I wish you Love.

Merry Christmas.

Remember

This December,

That love weighs more than gold!

~ Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon

Savouring Winter - Online Happenings and Inspiration

Bundled Up, 8"x8" on canvas

Three days into December I'm already feeling a strong call to cocoon with tea and jigsaw puzzles, to fall into a restful state and savour the season. I thought I'd pass along a bit of online goodness that's been inspiring me...

Darlene's (a.k.a. Hippy Urban Girl) December Views. In its fifth year, December Views is a "space for spending time with the visual...to sink in and be with what is in front of you, the beauty you see, the lush imagery that seems to explode in the darkness of this time of the year."

If you're craving a break from words and a shift to images, this is a wonderful way to explore your world this month.

Tina Jett's ideas to celebrate the Solstice and enjoy winter on Scoutie Girl. From outdoor camping to hot winter drinks, this is a great list of activities to help celebrate the season starting in December and all the way through to March.

Leah Piken Kolidas' Winter theme for December over at Creative Every Day. Her Art Every Day Month challenge taught me more than I ever expected. She continues challenging us to be creative every day, this month playing with ideas of winter whether expressed through images, food, decor or any other medium of choice.

The concept of Connie Hozvicka's Soul Hiatus over at Dirty Footprints Studio. Taking a step back from the online world to focus inward and on life with loved ones, this isn't a formal challenge, but a personal one for Connie. I included it here because it inspires me to do the same.

Pixie Campbell's Mother of All Releasings Ceremony. On December 22nd, to honour this year's Winter Solstice, Pixie is inviting us to gather for a collective releasing ceremony to let go of what no longer serves us: "Envision a fire, and see yourself tossing your old worries and fears in there." What a beautifully cathartic way of preparing for the year to come.

If you're interested in joining in, Pixie's graciously offered detailed instructions for creating your own releasing bundle here. You can also create your own version of the ritual.