are you a brave girl?

i discovered brave girls club about 6 months ago through one of the many blogs that i read. i was originally attracted to the fun graphics and the happy atmosphere on the main page. this is what "they" have to say about the site:"they" are kathy wilkins and melody ross. they are beautiful girls who just want to share some of the things they have learned with women everywhere.

they live in idaho and conduct brave girls camp, which looks like a ton of fun to me!! a little out of my price range at the moment, but just looking through the pictures and stories from brave girls who have gone, what an awesome experience that would be!

thankfully they recognized that there were lots and lots of us out there that would love to experience brave girls camp, but could not make it to idaho, so they came up with soul restoration. Click on the photo below for the official sr page.

when i heard that they were offering this online course, i knew it was right up my alley. a little time for some work on myself mentally, and learning a few new art techniques in the process...what's not to love!?! Since the registration started in december, it was a perfect gift to ask for from my mom, and as always, she came through! each time i got an email about the upcoming course i was so excited. i didn't really know what to expect, but the more i read about bgc and what they are about, the more excited i got. i was downright giddy to get the kit that is included in the registration fee. plus there were a few craft items they suggest having on hand, so i got had to go shopping for those!

the course started on jan. 11, so we just started the 4th week ... and it has been great. melody has come up with some great curriculum, wonderful collage sheets to use, an inspirational online community so that participants can go and share triumphs and troubles they have experienced while working through the lessons and projects. she is so genuine, and shares some very hard stuff she has worked though, and some fears of hers, which makes it easier for me to trust what she is saying and get more out of the lessons.

i have had so much fun working on the projects, well, most of them ... they do require looking at some things that can be painful, but it's so good to work though those things. my favorite part, so far, has been the journaling. in the first week melody shared some painting and journaling techniques that have been a lot of fun. i like journaling, but i am not usually very regular about it. since i started this course, i have journaled at least every other day, and sometimes twice a day. it's just more fun when your pages are pretty to look at! i plan to post some pictures of some of my journal pages soon.

so, check out brave girls club, brave girls camp, and soul restoration, because

there is a brave girl in there, and she's got things to do!!

hugs and kisses

i'm not usually one for decorating for valentine's day, but there have been so many cute ideas floating around blogland i couldn't resist! plus, i went on an impromptu trip to joann's the other night and the wood letters were on sale...as were all the valentine embellishments and other goodies...it was practically meant to be, right?

so this is what i came up with...not much, but it's a start. just a couple of wooden letters painted white, then stripes for the x (using painter's tape) and little dots for the o (using the cap of a pen), a picture frame i had on hand (with a peice of cardstock, painted free-hand), and voila!

right now they are living on the mantle...but after looking at this picture, it's getting kind of crowded up there, so i may move them, but i may not...we'll see!