Our Garden of Hope

My good friend Cathi came to help out today since our Courtney had a volleyball tournament. I was really happy to have her there so she could get a chance to meet my girls. Thanks, Cathi! Come back anytime...

Our first order of business was to paint our garden of hope. Ingrid sent me the flowers for our Girl Power 2 Cure garden, which will be displayed in Salon Gossip during the month of March. The girls painted a large poster board to look like a beautiful garden where people will "plant" flowers to raise awareness and research funds for Rett Syndrome.

We have paper icons that are signed for a $1 donation. Together our leaves and vines and these flowers create a "Garden of Hope." They did a gorgeous job, I love all the different greens and textures. Of course, we even added green glitter. I told them I wished I could live in our garden, it is so pretty!

After we finished our garden I got them in our usual circle. I told them that we have spent a lot of time talking about other people and finding ways to compliment them and build each other up. We’ve made secret messages for our pen pals and told them all the ways we think they are special. We’ve had a secret mission to watch another BraveGirl and eventually we'll tell her all the things we admire about her. This morning we are going to turn that love inward a little bit. I brought a round box I had decorated this week. I explained that inside the box they would see someone and they were supposed to give that person a compliment. I went first. I opened the box and said the person inside is fun, likes to laugh, is independent and creative. I loved it when all the girls started to raise their hands and tell me I must have been talking about them. Then I passed the box to Cristina. She opened it up and started to giggle. Then she said, “I see a mirror inside.” I said, yes. Now give that girl a compliment.

I heard the words

pretty,

smart,

likes school,

brave,

good at art,

cute,

funny,

kind to others,

and special.

All very very true. Then we talked about how embarrassed they felt when they realized the box held a mirror and they would have to compliment themselves. They were giggling and blushing and looking down at the floor, feeling strange and funny about turning the kindness inward. Courtney said, “It feels narcissistic.” I wanted them to know that giving yourself a good compliment is just as important as making others feel good about themselves. It’s incredibly important to love yourself, and I promised we’d keep the box here at the studio and make a point to look in the mirror once in a while and remind ourselves why we’re special!

Next we talked about the self portraits we will begin next week. I said we would be drawing and painting ourselves and I asked them to start thinking about how they wanted to portray themselves. I asked them to sit down and write “I AM” poems. They had prompts written which they had to fill in. Some of them went like this:

I am brave and kind.

I am good at gymnastics.

I touch flowers.

I hear the sound of my friends laughing with me.

I believe unicorns exist.

I feel summer coming.

I cry when my mom yells at me.

I am smart and pretty.

I dream about flying.

At the end of the morning I planned to finish up making some fun jewelry. I cut up a bunch of costume jewelry I got from my mother after my grandmother passed away and the beads were perfect for this project , or so I thought. I brought these cool shoelaces that I was planning on using to string the beads, but they were too big to fit through the holes, so we grabbed some hemp string and got to work. Another lesson learned on mistakes and making it work anyway!

Samantha we hope you feel better soon and we’re so sorry you couldn’t join us today.

And extra thanks to Ruth for these awesome photographs. I am one lucky girl to have so many good friends...

Shout Out from Girl Power!

I got the Girl Power 2 Cure February newsletter today and lo and behold, there we are! I am so thrilled to be building this relationship with this incredible group of girls, and I can't wait to get those bottles with their secret messages in the mail!

Our new session begins in March and it is going to be exciting. We have a visit to the artist, Jennifer Levine lined up, some amazing projects to work on, plus more fun and laughter and hula hooping

But our first order of business is to build our Garden of Hope at Salon Gossip for our new friends. Thanks, Donna!

I can't wait!

Mishaps, Miracles, and Introductions

Class this week was about mishaps, "miracles" and introductions.

First, the mishaps: The batteries in my camera died the minute I turned it on. I forgot the magazines I had meticulously paged through and marked to show the BraveGirls some new techniques I wanted them to try. The fabric spray paint was acting temperamental. And there just wasn't enough time for everything I was hoping to accomplish. (Two hours goes so fast!)

Then, the "miracles": I showed them one of my favorite techniques. I was taught how to do tape transfers by Judy Wise. I have taken several of her classes at Squam Art Workshops and I could take 100 more and never learn all that she has to offer. She is a brilliant teacher and one of the kindest souls I know. So Judy taught me this technique and I taught the girls today and they felt exactly the same way I did about it the first time I saw it. "WOW" It's a tiny miracle.

I made photocopies at the library of images that I thought the girls would like to use in their journals, flowers and drawings of girls (FYI, they want me to bring dogs next week). We placed clear packing tape over the images and then turned them over and began to wipe the paper side with our fingers after dipping them in warm water. After a few minutes

of scrubbing, the paper begins to dissolve and peel away. The image is left on the tape. A miracle indeed! These images can then be layered over the painted pages in their books. They loved the way the image changed depending on the color on their page. We had a lot of fun making transfers and playing with them for the next hour or so.

And lastly, an introduction: Today I introduced the girls to Sarah. Sarah is the daughter of my friend, Ingrid. She is the same age as Ava and Cristina--she just turned 10. Sarah was born with Rett Syndrome. Rett Syndrome is a debilitating neurological disorder that mostly affects girls. It is the most severe form of autism. I explained to the BraveGirls that Sarah is trapped inside her own body. She may have trouble moving and speaking, but she understands, learns, and feels just like they do. She is creative and dynamic and brave, just like them. I told them there is enormous hope that Rett Syndrome will be cured and the symptoms will be reversed.

And I told them that they can help. By telling their parents and their teachers and their friends about Rett Syndrome they can spread the word and help create a "buzz" about Ingrid's organization, Girl Power 2 Cure. I love what Ingrid has to say about Girl Power: "I had never really liked the phrase “Girl Power” before. I thought it lacked substance. But on that first day, [when Sarah went to public school] within the walls of a kindergarten classroom, I witnessed real Girl Power in action. I knew in that instant that it would be these girls - this whole generation of powerful, nurturing girls - that would use their talents and creative energies to help raise awareness and find a cure for Rett Syndrome."

As soon as I told them about Sarah and showed them the Girl Power video, they started asking questions. They wanted to know more about Sarah. They wanted to know more about Rett Syndrome. And just like Ingrid believed, they wanted to know more about how they could help. I told them that today we would paint flowers on our hands or cheeks and take a picture for Sarah and Ingrid. I told them they could paint or draw the yellow flowers around their neighborhood or school and explain what Rett Syndrome is to anyone who asked. I told them next week we will be doing a special project for Sarah and her friends. And I told them we would think of ways to raise money. We could be a part of the Girl Power team who could one day open the door to a cure for Sarah and all the other girls like her, and their families, who are suffering and valiantly holding on to hope. I wish miracles really happened as easily as our tape transfers today. But maybe they do, and maybe we're all holding on to that hope...