The mandalitas are making me very happy. It's amazing how meditative it can be to draw circles. I think that is why they are my favorite "symbol."

I really toiled over placing a letter "K" in the middle. I started to put the number 5 instead -- you know, for day 5 of AEDM, but I went with the "K" even though at first it felt self serving and a little narcissistic, but I know my spirit/energy and so I did just went with the "K." If nothing else, to prove to myself that it's important to celebrate the self!!

The watercolors were also meditative -- trying to keep them in the lines was fun, until I decided that staying in the lines isn't as important as the meditative nature of using watercolors. That realization was more fun -- even though it came at the end of the painting process. :-).

My NaPhoPoMo pic for day 5 is called, "Thank Goodness for Leftovers" :-). Yes. I am thankful for the leftovers today because I don't have time for cooking this week with the launch of my first product -- The Mixed Media Inspiration Deck -- so I'm grateful that there are left overs in my fridge!!! Yummy leftovers!!!

I'm also really working to learn how to take better photos. I need a lesson in lighting and angles. Anyone wanna come teach me?

Meet Artist Maria McGuire
This week begins a series of posts about several artists who will be joining me in a mixed media blog hop in December. I'm excited about hosting my first blog hop and about introducing my first mixed media product. My way of marking both of these firsts is to share  a little about each artist that will be "hopping" along as we make art using my new MIXED MEDIA INSPIRATION DECK in December.

To kick things off, let's start with Maria McGuire of Stencil Girl stencils. Her creative energy shows up in the many ways she keeps all of us StencilClub members educated and inspired with images, teasers, guest artist tutorials, and amazing examples of how to use the exclusive stamps that only club members receive. AND to top it off, she also designs stencils for StencilGirl. Check out her two latest creations -- butterflies (my favorites).

While the number of things Maria does in a day will impress just about anyone, I'm most impressed and inspired by Maria's artwork.  She has an amazing sense of composition and she's not afraid to play. That's what comes across in her work for me -- a feeling that she is having fun when she makes art. I LOVE that. Wanna be inspired by her art -- visit her personal webpage here.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what beautiful and fun creations Maria will make as she represents StencilGirlProducts during this hop. And if you don't know about the stencils from StencilGirl, then you're in for a huge surprise. They are one of my favorite products to use in my mixed media book art and art journaling.

Oh!!! Did I mention that we will be giving away a signed copy of Mary Beth Shaw's latest book, Stencil Girl: Mixed Media Techniques for Making and Using Stencils? Trust me, you want to own this book.

Make sure you pay Maria a visit today and bookmark the StencilGirl blog so you don't miss her when she hops on December 9th. She'll be giving away a Mixed Media Inspiration Deck from the StencilGirl blog -- so go make sure you're signed up and ready to hop along with us.

THIS IS A LONG POST WITH LOTS OF GOODIES -- Make sure you read to the end!!!

You know how I'm always going on about creativity & empowerment and how we are all creative beings? Well, it's true and the thing I've come to realize is that the more I create, the more I want to create, and the more I want to create the more my creativity is ramped up and waiting for me -- it's infinitely available to me and NEVER runs out. So that's what's been happening over here at Giving Hands Creative. I've been creating almost daily since last year this time when I participated in Art Every Day Month.

It was also last year this time when I participated in a day-long workshop with Jennifer Lee, award winning author of The Right Brain Business Plan. The workshop was called the Product Development Playground and it was life changing for me. I met some amazing folks: Amy Egenberger, Tammi Dager Spruill, and a host of other super creative and talented people, learned a ton, and started laying the foundation for my new Mixed Media Inspiration Deck. So, DRUM ROLL PLEASE............

YIPPIE!!!!! My very first product in a line of many to come. This first one is for mixed media artists and art journalers. I'm excited about this first deck because it has already given me hours of joyous fun and creativity. I've been playing with it for a few months and I'm finally ready to share it with YOU.

The way the deck works is really up to you. There are infinite possibilities for how you can use it to enhance your creative practice. You can shuffle the deck, deal yourself a set number of cards, then use the prompts on the cards to guide your inner creative as you play, journal and make art.

Another way to use the deck is to simply keep it near your art space and pull a card whenever you need a creative boost or spark to get you to the next step. OR, if you're feeling ambitious, you could shuffle the entire deck and see where all 52 cards lead you. And don't even get me started on all the fun times you can have if you play with a friend.

I promise you, the possibilities are endless. And just to let you see how seasoned art journalers and mixed media mavens use the deck, I've got some amazing creative cohorts who are going to join me in December for a 9 day BLOG HOP!!!! EXCITING...

Wanna join in on the fun in Dec? Order your deck TODAY and you just might have it in time for the first hopper -- ME -- of course on December 2nd:-).

Oh, wait!!! Did I mention there's a give-a-way with the blog hop???? But of course there is. What hop would be complete without one?

Okay!!!
Are you ready to join us in the fun???? Make sure you're in all the right places so you get entered into the giveaway. Here's what you should/could do...

• Visit the blogs of the hoppers (listed above)
• Order a Mixed Media Inspiration Deck today
• Sign up for my blog (see the sidebar for options)
  
• Like my facebook page
• Follow me on twitter and instagram
  
• Sign up for my newsletter
  
• SAVE THE DATE -- DECEMBER 2nd -- The Blog Hop Begins
  

I'm determined to let my AEDM mandalita be the first thing I do in the morning. I stuck to that today and it felt great to do it and then move on to the other 1 Million things I needed to do today as I prepare to launch my FIRST product. OH MY!!!

So here is my AEDM fourth mandalita.

What are you "arting" this month? Leave a comment below and link to your images if you like.

So I just learned that my blog host has an app where I can load my blog posts while out and about. How fabulous is that??? !!!! Guess I'll be using that from now on.

Here are my AEDM and NaPhoPoMo pics for day 3.