christytomlinson

Back home again and sneak peek #6!!

Back home to little old Idaho from my Europe teaching trip and feels so good to be home! Yesterday was mother's day and I as we were kneeling last night as a family in the living room for family prayer.. i looked around the room and had this overwhelming moment of " i am so blessed".

 

(taken yesterday on our front porch)

The last few years on Mother's day.. has seem to be ones of not so fond memories.. but THIS year, was just truly the best ever. Spent the entire day with just my little family. Breakfast in bed from ethan, noah and Parker, Church, a afternoon nap, a bbq'd dinner made by ben and my son Braden.. then  a pedicure and manicure by Allie and Preston and to top it all off, an evening walk with the entire family down by the boat dock about a 1/2 mile from our new house and  around the property of our soon to be new home! (we close friday!) 

( i was going to post the picture of us in all bare feet.. but had decided this one showed our personalities more.. gotta love noah has on two different shoes lol.. this was at the boat dock)

(we were SO excited it says SOLD on it!! lol..friday is the day! wahoo!)

I admit I am experiencing a bit of jet lag from the 16 hour flight home.. but won't complain a BIT because the trip was magical! I have never been to Europe before and wow.. what a BEAUTIFUL PLACE! Sweden was gorgeous and loved the women I taught there!

I had a wonderful experience with those girls! Wish I had more time to explore the outskirts of Stockholm and drive through the beautiful country side! 
Then it was onto germany to meet up with my husband ben and visit my mother and step-dad who were there on a mission for our church.  I really wasn't expecting all the green lush trees and beautiful rolling hills of Germany.. Dresden was just a magical place that will always have a special part in my heart!  had some cool experience there was well. Fell in love immediately with this gorgeous country!

 I  I will tell you more about Sweden and Germany later this week.. but wow.. FELT SO blessed for the opportunity to go there! Amazing!

I got home late friday night and freaked out about when I realized Your Living Canvas workshop starts in ONE WEEK!!

 Freaked in a GOOD way.. I have been SO excited for this class to start for weeks now and it's ALMOST HERE!!! SO STINKING EXCITED! I know over at the facebook group page.. there is a lot of good things happening. I was without internet for most of my trip (i seriously live on my phone.. and it was crazy hard not to have it to check for emails and texts and facebook! lol..).. but it was good for me to be present and enjoy where I was for sure!  Art was great to hold down the fort at the facebook page while I was in Europe. Of course I don't think anyone complained too much that he was totally in charge either lol. He's alot more fun than I am!

So today is the last sneak peek for the living canvas workshop! AND we also drew another 4 winners for this workshop giveaway!

 REMEMBER!! if you are singed up for this workshop, you are entered to win our weekly giveaways.. a $100 gift card to our store, a $50 gift card to our store and two $25 to the store! Today's winners have been sent and email and I will also be posting them in the facebook group page! (as well as last weeks!!)

SO if you are on the fence for joining the workshop! COME JOIN US! You will be entered to win in our final giveaway next monday.. and its HUGE! ONE person will win $300 gift card to the store and 3 others will win $25.00 gift cards! SO COME JOIN US! once you sign up.. you are entered to win! THIS IS THE LAST week to sign up before it starts! SIGN UP HERE!

So onto the sneak peek.. week 6 of Your living canvas workshop, The 3 p's,  is based on something I learned and decided about 2 years ago.. after my dad passed away.

 For me, one of the things that struck me most when my dad passed away was that now, I felt like he was watching over me all of the time. He could see me and see my actions and it made me want to live a better life. It made me want to live so he would be proud of me. I learned so much from my dad and one of those things was to have passion in everything you do.

 That if you love it, do it and to be proud of it.  So 3 p's is based off that lesson I learned from him.  I have found that in everything i am doing in life I need to ask myself these three questions.. am I passionate about it, does it have purpose and at the end of the day.. am I proud of it. 

 If it doesn't fit into those 3 p's I really need to evenualte my actions, my relationships and my life and see if there is something I need to be doing different so that it does. 

This week is about that and also about taking all that we have learned from Art's previous weeks and putting them into action and moving forward in creating our own living Canvas. One that has purpose, one that has passion and one that at the end of the day, we can be TRULY proud of. Doesn't mean we won't have mistakes and bumps along the way.. or step backs.. but one that we can always say we are trying to work on and do our best.

So here is little sneak peek about week 6! I actually filmed this while I was in Germany.. the day I arrived from sweden.. super fun to be there! Have a wonderful MONDAY! AND please come join us! Last week!!
for more info about siging up.. check out this link HERE!

Your Living Cavnas Workshop!

 Y

 

Sneak Peek #5 and ANOTHER giveaway!

so last wednesday I told you about the newest giveaways we are doing for the Living Canvas Workshop! $200's worth of gift certificate to the Scarlet Lime Store each week for the next 3 weeks! For all those who are registered for the workshop you are entered to win automatically and if you haven't signed up yet.. as soon as you are.. you are entered to win each week! AND of course. the refer a friend.. for every friend that signs up and lists you as the referral.. you are entered AGAIN. cool huh? So the sooner you get signed up the better!

This week we have four winners from those who have already signed up for the workshop! The winners have been emailed and gift certificates will be emailed later this week when I return home! FUN FUN!

 

SO happy monday by the way! I am on my way from Sweden to Germany right now.. just got done teaching at a WONDERFUL event in Sweden with all those awesome sweet ladies! My dear friend Meredith came with me to Sweden to be my travel buddy.It was truly So fun! Now I am heading to Germany to meet my husband and see my mom and step dad who are currently serving there on a mission for our Church. Last week was a blast by the way.. IT was SOO good to have my best friend Mer with me there. We went a few days early to just get use to the time zone and yea.. that didn't happen. We found ourselves waking up at 2:00 am every morning and not being able to go back to sleep! lol.. so we would stay up and talk and read until the sun started to peek around 4:30 am and then we found a coffee shop and went and read and sketched the streets for stockholm as it was waking up for the day. THAT was probably one of my favorite memories.. (will share more about that later in another post). So fun though!

Okay.. so onto sneak peek of week 5 of the Living Canvas Workshop... BE PRESENT!!

 

This week digs deep and starts to focus on our relationships.. and being totally available and aware of who we are with at the moment.. so for instance.. sitting on the couch snuggling with your kids..

no cell phones, no facebook, no checking pinterest.. or emails, not making a list for the grocery store.. no thinking about what we need to get done tomorrow..

 

but being PRESENT with them. Giving them our full attention. Being Genuine. Giving quality time.. being in the moment with them. EVen if it's for five minutes. Those five minutes of undivided attention will go so much further than 30 minutes of hanging out but not really being "there" if you know what i mean.

 

Being Present is so important and truly does build and strengthen our relationships with those who are important to us.

okay! so enough talk.. here is short sneak peek video of Your Living Canvas Workshop.. WEEK 5! (and get signed up for the workshop to get entered to win the giveaways!!)

Sneak Peek #4 AND GIVEAWAY!!

we are getting close to the Living Canvas Workshop starting.. only 3 weeks away! ANd today is sneak peek #4 for this 6 week workshop! 

BUT before I tell you about it.. I wanted to tell you about something super fun we are doing for the next 3 weeks to really get everyone excited for this workshop! EACH week for the next 3 weeks.. we will be giving away $200 worth of Gift Certificates to the Scarlet Lime Store.

 

$100, $50, and two $25 gift certificates.. The giveaway is open at ALL registered participants in the Living Canvas Workshop! So if you have already signed up.. you are already entered.. if you haven't sign up yet.. JOIN us and you can be entered to win EACH week! AND if you refer a friend to the workshop.. and they mention your name that you refereed them, when they sign up, your name will be entered another time as well! So the more friends you have join, the more chances you have to win!

These giveaways are going to be great! Each monday for the next 3 Mondays, I will pick the winners! $200 worth of gift certificates each week!  Gonna be fun! We also have a special prize in store for the final week.. you'll have to tune into to find out :)

Okay.. so onto the sneak peek!
Week 4 of the Living Canvas Workshop focuses on the 80/20 rule.. Pareto's Law.

 

Which is.. 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. Most of us believe (me included).. that we must multitask to get everything done.. when infact if we would just simplify

 

and focus our efforts on one thing at a time, we will actually get more done and be more productive and get more out of life.

 

 

THIS was something for me.. that I REALLY needed to learn. I realized after going through the journaling and exercises that Art had me doing that I didn't need to add MORE to my plate to feel like I was being successful with my dreams or being a better mom, or being a better friend.

I didn't need to DO more, I actually needed to let go of MOST of what was I was doing and focus on the most important tasks and moments that would cultivate those relationships and dreams

 

and then I would see those grow more than I could ever imagine. ANd it's true. When you simplify and focus.. you actually get more from your results.

One of my favorite weeks by far.. Love love love what I learned in this week...

so.. enough talk.. HERE is the sneak peek for this Week 4 of your living canvas workshop! Simply.. or 80/20 rule.  AND DON'T FORGET! As soon as you sign up you are entered to win in our BIG giveaway each monday for gift certificates to the store!! To find out more about the workshop and sign up.. you can read about it here!

 
Your Living Canvas Workshop..

Happy Wednesday! Enjoy the video!  

Happy Monday.. and sneak peek of week 3!

oh happy beautiful MONDAY friends! holy cow it was in the 80's over the weekend and is again today.. I am having a VERY hard time staying in this dang chair.. want to be outside doing something to ejoy this weather before it goes back to 50 and cold and rainy(this is VERy unseasonably warm for us! lol)

had a great week last week and weekend. been working hard on getting alot of the videos done for the Living Canvas workshop, did an actual art day with Art McCracken and his entire family.. teaching them how to create a mixed media canvas! (the boys did their own art and the girls make a she art girl!)

 

 

 spending time with my family

(my goofballs below playing around in my dad's old airport bus he used to take them to movies in)..

and playing cards and having a BBQ this weekend with my brothers and sisters who were in town!

lots of fun memories made last week.

So now it's monday and I leave in ONE week for Sweden and Germany to go teach Mixed media to those wonderful women over there! Can't WAIT!! So this week is going to be full of so many things.. getting more videos done for the workshop, finishing my April Mixed Media kit video.. (oh it turned out so cute!! Just need to edit it and will post wednesday!!)  and also getting the website ready for the 1st.. since I will be gone, getting all the NEW products we have ordered for the store listed.. oh cow. there is a lot. lol

so I guess I better get cracking..

AND since today is monday.. as you know we have been showing a sneak peek each week of my upcoming workshop, Your Living Canvas. This week is week 3.. Vision!

 

Alot of us.. INCLUDING me.. have a tag line or a motto that we "refer to" or live by.. Mine is on my blog header.. DO what matters most.
While this is a great START to having a vision.. a vision is much more than that. A vision is a statement or words or paragraphs of what we call our "non-negotiables" in life. In the way we live our life, in what we want out of it, in how we are with others, in our beliefs.. in our souls. I have many "non-negotiables".. some of them include the following..

my family comes first.. in everything.

these are a few others.. always always treat others with kindness.. and give the benefit of the doubt.

Be okay with YOU and love your imperfections.. beauty is NOT whats on the outside..

these are just a few of them.. I will share many many more of my own in the workshop.. but this the vision statement I have for my life and to be honest as I learn and grow and change and have new experiences.. things are added to my vision statement.. my non negotiables and sometime they change. Which is okay.. but I make sure that when I live my day to day life and are faced with making decision, i refer back to that mission statement to go to. Okay.. so I don't always REFER to it first. I have moments of weakness.. lots of them.. when i make poor decisions and vere of the path.. but then mend the mistake and hop right back on that vision and move forward.

So with that being said.. week 3 is all about creating a vision statement. Finding and listing out your non-negoationables.. and then putting them into an art journal and canvas to refer back to again and again.. and make changes if needs be! And we will help you do that!

So here is a sneak peek VIDEO of week 3!!  For more info on this workshop starting in May.. you can check this link here!

 Your Living Canvas

Happy Monday!
 

Finding Balance... week 2 sneak peek of the Living Canvas Workshop!

 

Okay so if you know me well.. I DO not balance my life well. I actually have really good balance when it comes to standing on my head, doing yoga poses (i don't actually do yoga, but it's fun to see if you can do the poses and think you are cool because you can. lol).. anyhow totally off track.

So while I have good balance. I don't or haven't I guess I should say balance my life very well. I have this creative spirit where when my heart gets a hold of an idea.. it just runs with it and EVERYTHING else falls to the way side.. until I realize my laundry hasn't been done in a month or my kids pants look like high waters because they outgrew them months ago. Or that my blog hasn't been posted on in almost two weeks!! Yes not good balance. lol

HOWEVER one of the things I learned when working with Art.. was to FIND balance.. and what that means for ME. ANd why it's important and WHY it is good for me and for life and how actually when I have balance in my life i am so much more productive and happy and present.

so what does this all have to do with anything? Well as I mentioned LAST week on THIS BLOG POST.. i am debuting each month for the next five weeks.. a sneak peek of each of the weeks of my upcoming workshop: Your living Canvas.. with my friendArt McCracken.  Week 2 is all about.. you guessed it.. Balance and the Six F's. I will let the video tell you more about that and what it has meant for me.

Again.. I am seriously so passionate about this workshop! I SURE hope you join me in it!!

 

I hope you all have a wonderful monday!

Sneak Peek for week one..

 

This week marks exactly 6 weeks to the start of my new online class for 2012.. Your Living Canvas.

It's also my biggest class to date (6 weeks!!!) and my most meaningful class yet.

Althought the class is 6 weeks.. it includes a FULL YEAR ACCESS TO THE WORKSHOP! So even if you can't start right when we are.. you have a FULL year to work on it!

ALSO each week you will not only be taught a fun new art technique that is not taught in any of my other workshops, BUT we will also take what we have learned from that week's exercise and put it into either an art journal, on canvas or another project. EACH week will have it's own separate art techniques and projects. SO LOTS AND LOTS Of art :)

 

But more importantly it includes life lessons about Creating a Living Canvas. one that you are proud of and one that speaks to you.

How to have balance in your life and simplify.. and BE present with those you are with.

It also helps you find passion and purpose in your life and living a life (creating a canvas) you can be proud of.

This course is very personal to me because I have actually done the exercises myself and it changed my life. It changed the way I looked at life and appreciated what I have and help me feel passionate about what I want to do. Doing what matters most.

 

So while I have been filming and preparing for this course.. I also thought it would be fun for the next 6 weeks to do sneak peek videos of each of the weeks for the course! I TRULY TRULY think this a must class for anyone who is looking for direction or passion or purpose in your life. This content is all based on the written content taught by Art McCracken.. a life and business coach. I know it will help because it helped me. ANd I am the most stubborn yet driven person I know lol.. and it totally reigned me back in and made me think about what was truly important.. and what my life meant to me and what I wanted and needed out of life. A sense of coming home.. if you will

 

Of course through the workshop I also share with you my OWN personal stories.. and what I learned and how I applied it to every part of my life. My personal life, my relationships.. my business.. everything. THIS is a very personal course for me and my journey

Anyhow.. So I really wanted to give you a feel for what this class is all about. So each week for the next 6 weeks I will post a sneak peek video of the 6 different weeks of the course. ALSO remember that this course is currently $20 off until April 15th.. and then goes up to the regular price after that.. so now is a GREAT time to get signed up! ALSO for those of you that sign up early.. we have started a facebook group page (if you have already signed up.. you will receive an email on wednesday with info on how to join).. and each Art and I will be posting pre-course challenges to get you ready for the course. some will be simple journaling exercises.. and some will be art exercises.. its going to be fun! We really want you to get the most out of this class!!

ALSO so many of you have asked about an Payment Plan option.. to break down the payments into two equal parts.. and we listened and so here you go!! Simply use the option below to sign up for that option. . This option is ONLY available until April 20th.. as the class must be paid in full before the class starts May 21st. 

For that optoin click on the link Below!

(no longer available)

So enough talk.. here is a sneak peek of week one: Your story..

 

ALSO remember if you haven't seen the "Main" sneak peek video.. you can watch that HERE and also read all about the course and each week HERE..

Your living Canvas Workshop

Happy Monday!

 

Big News!!! My newest online workshop.. Your Living Canvas

 So you may or may not know.. but I still haven't done my own personal workshop for 2012.. I have done three collaborative classes with other AMAZING artist where I was more of the "guest" in the workshop.. but not where Its been my own personal heart and art I was sharing. Well.. it is FINALLY here..and I have to admit.. it has awakened my passion for teaching through my art! We actually will be taking this journey together as I share with you some of the life changing content that inspired me to do this workshop, much of which was introduced  to me by a amazing friend of mine,  Art McCracken, a couple of months ago. YOu will get to know more about him and what he has brought to this workshop as it goes in.. but here is part of my story..

 Last year was a whirlwind of good things for Me. I had a goal to really put myself out there and do what's in my heart with my art and it that dream and goal quickly and unbelievabley became a reality! I had 7 online classes, I had features and articles in many of my favorite magazines, I signed  a licencing contract with an agent which presented some awesome opportunities, we started our mixed media store and mixed media kit club for Scarlet Lime, AND i launched my own product line for mixed media art as well. It was a CRAZy crazy year! oh and did I mention I was blessed to be able to travel and teach my art at events all over the world? Seriously crazy I tell you.  I was truly blessed.

 I worked hard, I spent a lot of sleepless nights, and days away from my family to make it happen, but i did make it happen. As awesome as it all appeared to be, by the end of the year I was exhausted and KNEW that if I continued on this path alot of the things I loved and the reasons why I had originally started down this path of sharing my art.. would soon be lost. I needed to refocus. I needed balance, I needed purpose. I needed a vision that was just for me. I needed help.  Luckily enough.. I started working with an awesome friend of my husband and mine,  Art  (who i mentioned above and btw go find him and friend him on facebook.. let's make him feel welcome to our art community lol)

 

 Art is a life and business coach and also a motivational speaker on how to do better and be better. He helps individuals and business really define what they want out of their business and out of life. What TRULY makes them happy. What things they are willing to sacrifice for their business or way of life and which things they are not. Which things are important and which things.. while may be amazing opportunities or paths we could take, at the end of the day.. aren't what is going to bring us joy and happiness and focus to our life. It couldn't have come at a better time. I had already sat down and made a list for 2012 of ALL the new adventures I wanted to take on.. ways to grow my business and expand and just leap into more things. I was ready to tell him all the things I wanted to do and have him help me figure out how to get them done! What I found when working with him.. is that TRULY the only thing I needed to do to be happy was to simplify. To be Present with what I was doing, To DO what I loved most. What I believed at the end of the day, made the most difference.  I started out working with him for to help me figure out how to achieve more in my life, but ended up realizing that what I had right in front of me, was exactly what I already wanted and if I cultivated that and put my time and energy into just that, I would find happiness and fulfilment and joy! ANDI would have more time to spend with my family and friends and doing what mattered most. 

 I also realized what I wanted for myself personally.. in my in my art journey and what I was willing to give up for it and what i am absolutely NOT. I learned how to re-focus and create a living canvas, that I could be proud of and happy with at the end of the day. I gained a clarity and peace and passion and drive. Working with Art has been a life changing experience and through it all, I just knew I wanted to take what I had learned and share it with all of you! I knew that there are so many of us on life's path, not sure which road we should be taking.. in our relationships, in our jobs, in our personal identities! I wanted to create a workshop that helped you define those things and through the process create beautiful art as well!

 I can't wait to share all of my journey and experience with you, in this new course.. that I am SUPER excited to bring this workshop to you!  Each week's lessons in this workshop will be based off  Art's excersizes in helping to create ou rliving canvas. I will also share my experience with each lesson and how it has helped me and what I have done to apply them into my life. Then we will take everything we have learned and create messy fun art journals and canvases and vision boards.. so we have something to look back to to remind us and motivate us to stay on our new path! I can't wait!  

Sooooo.. enough talk.. I want to introduce to you to my newest online workshop starting this May.. and a sneak peek video of what's in store.. I TRULY hope you join me! 

Your Living Canvas

a 6 week online workshop!

(with FULL One year access to the WORKSHOP!!)

 

 

We all have a story to tell... one that we live and paint and breath everyday... through our heartaches and trials, joys and celebrations, insecurities and moments of clarity. What story are we telling now and what story do we have yet to create? At the end of the day, it's our living canvas that will tell our story.

In this six week course we will help you discover that through art,  messy play, techniques, journaling and soul searching exercises... you will be able to create your canvas by design not by default.

Each week we will talk about specific ways to create your canvas. We will focus on those things that will help you creating a canvas that has purpose.. one that you can be passionate about and one that at the end of the day you can be proud of. THIS will be your living canvas.

  

ALSO each week you will not only be taught a fun new art technique that is not taught in any of my other workshops, BUT we will also take what we have learned from that week's exercise and put it into either an art journal, on canvas or another project. EACH week will have it's own separate art techniques and projects. SO LOTS AND LOTS Of art :)

Here is a little sneak peek of what this class is all about..

AND dont forget to post below.. because I will be giving away 5 spots into this workshop! I will draw the winners later this week!

SNEAK PEEK VIDEO!!!

 

  

*********************

This workshop as I said, is a six week workshop.. and is broken down into 6 areas of focus

week 1: telling your story

week 2:The six F's.. finding balance in the everday

week 3: Your Vision Board

week 4: The 80/2 Rule

week 5: Being Present

week 6: The Three P's... purpose, Passion and being proud.

Each week we will have soul searching excises and journaling that will help you grow and define your living canvas, then we will take those things we are learning and put them into art. Through art journaling, on canvases, on our vision boards.. things that we can see each day to remind us of the canvas we want to create!

This class starts May 21st!! I hope you join me in this workshop! This is such a huge adventure for me.. it's my biggest workshop EVER, and its the most passionate one yet. I have been struggling over the last year to figure out what I want my living canvas to be and I KNOW that through doing this class.. it has helped me re-focus and remember what is important and what brings me joy. It has reminded me to do what matters most. I also know that doing this class again with you.. and for you.. I will grow and continue to learn even more!

Can't wait to share my heart with you! Excited for you to take this journey with me and for you to create your own living canvas!

This class will be a work at your own pace class.. where you can come in a watch the videos and read the content anytime night or day. AND this class will be available for an entire year to access.. so plenty of time to really take your time in doing this class the right way!

This six week workshop is $109.00 and I KNOW that is more than my usual classes.. but I promise you the 6 weeks will be SO worth it! And it will be something you will never regret doing!

  

Your Living Canvas