Day 8 of "100 days of YOU with kelli"

me at 52 sharing my life with you. grateful. i am. 

Hello day 8. I think this is going great! Yes, I do. I love that a few of you are sharing and really diving into this journey with me. Thank you so very much.

I have decided that it would be a great idea for me to talk about some biggies that I have climbed over. How I have put these moments in my life and turned them around to give me more passion and grace.

We have been thinking of our childhood loves. How our childhood free thoughts and sense of wonder was so giving and such a carefree time. I love to hold onto the really great stuff. We all have some I just know it, along with hard stuff that we have overcome.

When I was growing up I was bullied A LOT! I grew up in a small river town in Iowa so everyone knew everyone. There were some really mean girls that would bully me. I would walk to school in fear, I would have tons of fear in the locker room or even just at my locker in the hall. Yes, I was treated terribly. Of course, my parents were always having my back and trying to make this stop. As we all know sometimes this makes it worse. Drats!!! I learned a few great things about mean bully people. I learned that it is always about the other person who just needs to act out and hurt others because they feel good pushing someone smaller around. I learned that I could rise above it and succeed with my ability to ignore. I would find great comfort in my art and would develop a wonderful imagination to feel beyond the hurt. I continue to rise above mean people. Sure I am sensitive and I have feelings that get hurt from time to time. I will say this - I tell myself how lucky I am to be alive, how blessed I am to be able to show love and give love, I tell myself that I am so heavenly lucky to not be a bully or mean person. Grace is a gift. I give myself grace and love every single day. I turn away from people or moments in my life that do not serve me to my greater good.
NO this is not easy - but with practice it becomes easy and so healing.

Maybe, when we think about our childhood some icky feeling pop up. Yes, that is okay because we are being given the gift of healing those long ago hurts. How wonderful to know that we can heal even a zillion years later. Yes, we are strong, brave and showing up to create our best life yet.

We are all here and climbing our mountain together. I love us. I love you.

Thank you for being present, for taking time to notice the stuff in your life that works for you.
This matters. You matter the very most.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/859440144162697/

Day 7 of #100 days of YOU with kelli

affirmations designed by me = for you 

Happy one week of being here in this sacred space together. I do hope you are getting the magic that is here for you. I know it takes so much to start changing habits and practicing new ideas. I am positive that by being mindful and loving your intentions your new practice of loving YOU will happen. Yes, it might take 100 days or the rest of your life, either way it is a practice worth investing in = because it is YOU.

I feel like it is important for me to really open up and share my life with you. It gives me a foundations to start from and for you to see me. I have always been open and sharing. I have always been an over gifter (if there is such a thing) I know that about me. I do not do it for praise or to make someone like me. I do it because I absolutely LOVE making others feel loved, noticed, appreciated.
It is my dream that I will reach far into the world with my light, love and desire to share more.

I think it is so important for us to remember all that we have accomplished up until this very moment. Really it is crazy how much we live through, how strong we really are, our minds do the self preservation thing where we tend not to hold onto the really hard stuff - I for one am super thrilled about that. I have lived through more really hard things then lots of people. For those of you who do not know me you might be surprised. Instead of thinking about my past I practice really really hard at staying in the present, the here and now. I know we have no control over what tomorrow might bring. Live as fully out loud with joy, grace, giddy silly goofy stuff right now. Just let go of the stuff you are holding. Just let it go. Practice at just letting it go.

I have found it really useful to write what I am trying to let go of. Often times I burn the letter up while saying a little prayer of intention with it. It is enough for me to write it, spill it out and then start the real life practice of letting it go.

So maybe, we can all find a few things we would be better off without? I know I have some.

Thank you for walking this path with me. I am honored beyond that you are here. I love you.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/859440144162697/

link to our closed facebook group. please join us if you like.

Day 6 of "100 days of YOU with kelli

me on the far right with little tie around my neck 

 me on the blue floaty - i was always very thin

me with the pink hat on and my grandpa carrying me - i was 3 

me with our neighbors dogs. i have always loved dogs. 

So what if we keep thinking about what we loved as a child. I know for me it was water, the river, my friends, playing dress up, creating art, flowers, bike rides, the smell of rain, wind in my face, drinking from a tea cup at my grandmothers house. The list goes on and on but, I still love all of these things and I try my best to make them a part of my life.

What if we take a few of these things that we loved as kids and bring them back. Yes, make them happen more often. Surely, there are ways to embrace those memories we hold so dear. I am going to make sure I get outside and feel the wind more. Wind makes me feel alive. Free to get and makes me appreciate even more my life.

Next week we will be starting journals together. I will give you step by step easy ways to create a custom journal. We can add photos of us when we were young and now. We can list the crazy giddy joys we had as kids that we would like to focus on now.

I know that by remembering good things (and we all have them) and really noticing how we might bring them back into our days we will be empowered and feel a deep sense of joy!

I live this way. I know these things to be true. This journey is meant for me and YOU. Please let me know how this feels to you and if you are able to create tiny windows of happy. Love to you.

Happy day 6 of 100 days.

Day 5 of #100 days of YOU with kelli"

we can plant our own dream seeds everyday. start today. it matters. 

dreaming. doing. loving my soul and spirit. i can plant my dreams. knowing.

Precious Life - Plant your dream seeds. What does this look like for you? If you were to dream even just a little bit. What would you start with? What would you like to build in your life? How could you start taking baby steps to make your seeds grow? I know how. Yes, I do.

Step one. Start dreaming. Crazy, fun, goofy stuff and write it down.

Step two. Plant your dream seeds.
Make a list of little steps it will take to create your dream.
Each dream can have its own page. Spill open everything that you come up with about this one dream. What does it look like? How does it feel in your body when you imagine it coming true?
Good I bet.

Step three. Nurture your thoughts and dreams. Water, weed out and plant more. Keep planting daily.
Take your time this planting stuff takes time. The sooner you start the sooner dreams are born.

Enjoy the process of getting back to YOU. It is not done quickly. Remember all good things take time. Time is precious so let's fill ours with dreams, listening and doing acts for us that make us feel most alive.

pure love. plant love. plant dreams. love YOU!!!!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/859440144162697/?pnref=story

Day 4 of #100 days of YOU with kelli

she believed she could so she did.
created with an old photo of me, torn wallpaper, words that i love,
image of a cool door i love. one quiet word STRENGTH 

Here we are on day four. WOW. I love that we are all engaging together on our facebook page.
Thank you for showing up. I know this journey is not easy, deep soul searching stuff, time taking energy. I also know just showing up and doing nothing but reading will help you. So no worries
if you are not making the lists, or thinking about your childhood, or soul searching just yet.
You will join this climb if it is right for you. I promise you will find inspiration, goodness and pure love here and that just might be enough for you. Yeah.

We are working on our lists and diving into when we last felt truly alive with joy (perhaps even the innocent joy of a child) before the big adult stuff hit us. I think keeping a bit of your childlike nature alive is essential for dealing with life. By that I mean this. When you can pack a picnic and drive to the park or sit on your lawn and eat lunch DO IT. If you have the chance to walk to the park or sit on the phone and answer emails - GO FOR THE WALK. If you feel like playing loud music and singing DO IT. When you set the table to eat use your nice dishes or a paper towel whatever makes YOU happy. Try to break the rules you can, you know the ones you give yourself that really are not rules at all. Yes, those!!!

Affirmations we are working on - I believe I can, so I will. I believe I can, so I will. I believe I can, so I will. Remember, in grade school when we would do something wrong the teachers would make us write 100 times - I will not poke so and so in the arm. Well I think that affirmations of positive are everything. Let's forget writing the stuff that has not served us yet. Let's write the fun good stuff we would like to become new habits.

I will be creating affirmation sheets you can print out and hang around your space if you like.
So far we have two. After our first week together I will design us our first sheet. If you like you can use these in your journals as well.

I am also going to have a super easy journal making idea to share with you. We are going to learn to create with items we have in our home. We are not buying things. We are loving ourselves with a natural non spending joyful way. I LOVE THIS. I sure hope you do too.

So happy day four to YOU who I happen to adore.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/859440144162697/

Day 3 of #100 Days of YOU with Kelli

affirmation card = reminder to your soul 

stitching with color is one way i deal with anxiety 

creating something happy from little bits helps me stay present in happy 

many meaning for this one = all of them make me smile 

Happy day 3 of #100 days of YOU with kelli. I am so happy that you are here. We are at the very beginning of looking at ourselves, noticing things we long for that we have forgotten, noticing that we might have some patterns in our life that are not healthy and working for us anymore, we might be sad and feeling like there is this happy soul just laying under the surface ready to come out and be a light in this world. YES, you are in the right company and safe here with this loving group of like minded souls.

We are creating something much bigger then ourselves. We matter. We are stronger together. We are helping ourselves fall back in love with life and all that we are and can be.

Over the next few days start making that list of things you miss in your life. How would your life look if you were to architect it just for you. How would it feel to know you were working and practicing to get that life back? It is yours for the asking. The trick is to fill up with affirmations, and a longing to change the old habits into new strong ones. Yes, it takes great focus and mindfully showing up to do the work. We can do this. We can do really hard things. This is not so hard just different and might feel odd. It is really what all of our souls, spirits and hearts long for.

See I know this because I am the queen of beating myself up. I am the best at never giving myself credit for how hard I work. I am the best at marching forward climbing mountains making huge strides in my world and never taking the time to praise me for the goodness I have done. I am great at never giving myself the hall pass when things do not work so great. I give hall passes to everyone I know but, not myself. Yes, this is one of those huge practicing things I write about. These matter, these are some of the reasons we are here and I have created this #100 days of YOU with kelli.

See I need these new practices in my life. I too am working on more self love. I am not sure how or why I lost it but, I did. Let me note that I do love me. I love myself. I am beyond grateful to be alive.
MY BIGGY is I have little ego, self esteem about all that I create in the world. That is not good for me. I am knowing that by showing up here with all of you, I will create new habits and practice daily.

So we are here. Yes, in this time and space right now. Let's look at creating our lists (maybe your list is one item - that's perfect) maybe your list is a huge page that is perfect too.

Today day 3 is list making. Just listing. I will walk you through what to do with your list in the coming days and weeks.

Please note that our facebook page which is closed to public is for us. It is for us to read and perhaps share. You do not in anyway have to post or respond or write anything ever. You can be a presence in this group and never say a word. That too is perfectly wonderful! No pressures on YOU. Just be YOU.

I am creating affirmations that will be available to you to print out. Hang around your home, space any place you need gentle reminders.

I love you. You are beloved. You are here and that means you are ready to love YOU.


https://www.facebook.com/groups/859440144162697/

Welcome to day 2 "100 days of YOU with Kelli"

Day 2 is all about YOU. Remember those pieces of YOU that you loved about yourself when you were little? Remember how you felt when you woke in the morning? Before real life and responsibility hit and suddenly some of those closest dearest morning loves fell by the wayside.

We are going to climb over this mountain of having lost those loves together.

Today let's remember a few things we would love to feel again when we wake up. Joy for the birds singing - so much that we take our coffee, tea, water and sit outside for 10 minutes and just listen and sip. Music - yes, MUSIC that makes us feel alive and happy. Perhaps, we create a ten minute music morning with the soul stirring stuff that makes us feel like we can (and will) do anything.

Be empowered by your soulful stirrings. They matter the most. No more dusting them away with I MUST DO THIS IMMEDIATELY. Let's be mindful and practice finding a few lost loves that helped us be our very best.

While we are climbing on this new path lets go ahead and add one new affirmation. This is it get ready = I deserve these 10 minutes. I need these 10 minutes. I am worth these 10 minutes. I will give myself this gift.

Remember to love yourself. Practice is the only way. I am honored and thrilled you are with me.
Of course, I will be doing this practice with you. Feel free to share if you like (if not no worries) this is about YOU.

links to our closed facebook page. please feel free to share with anyone you think this would be helpful to. i love that you are here.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/859440144162697/


http://www.kellimaykrenz.com/

Welcome to #100 Days of YOU

baby me - the world awaits 

first grade me - sweet, artistic = already knowing 

me at 14 always loving fashion and vintage = dress up 

me now at 52 curious, smart, driven = still searching and knowing.

Welcome to #100 Days of YOU.

My wish is that on this journey together at the end of 100 days we will have created new good self talk, replaced old habits that are not working for us with new found life and joyful new habits.

I share the pictures above to help remind me that we all start out as children. We all have ideas about who we want to be. Already in first grade I knew that I would be an artist for life. I never worried about if it would make me money or fame. I just knew I had to create. The voices of others never changed my path, I kept marching. Already as a young girl my soul needed vintage clothing and dress up, fashion and fabric. All of these things make me = ME.

Think about what makes you YOU. What did you love as a child? Did you ever really write down your childhood passions? If not do it. Please grab a notebook and start your #100 Days of YOU. It will be a joy to have next to you. Affirming.

My absolute biggest mountain to climb over is being kinder to me. Kinder with my self talk, kinder with the affirmations I tell myself, kinder with the forgiveness I give myself. Owning my talents and having more self esteem for everything I do and create. Learning to know that I am so very special and have wonderful ME to share with this world in a BIG WAY!!!

I am going to share with you my new daily practice (I am using the word PRACTICE like you would in yoga) always changing and doing your very best.

Most of what I share with these exercises, tips, and doings is what works for me. It is all learned from years of having little ego surrounding what I design, illustrate, paint, stitch = CREATE. I know that I am talented and that creating is like breathing for me. I also know that I never have an ego about this or let it really sink in that it is okay and good to own these qualities. I actually say "Kelli you are worth all of this and more, keep going, climb the biggest mountains and get what you want in life."

My wish is that when #100 days of YOU has happened. We together will have moved a few of our personal mountains together. YES WE WILL.

We will share. We will find more of ourselves. We will be proud. Mostly we will love ourselves more with each new affirmation thought. Our new habits will change our worlds. Yes, these are lofty ambitions, I know we can do it. Together we are stronger. Here we go.

Thank you for joining me. You matter. I love you and your passion for living.

Know that if you leave comments here I will be checking daily and listening.

www.kellimaykrenz.com

https://www.facebook.com/kelli.maykrenz

#100 Days of Believing in YOU

Join me #100 days of YOU 

I practice daily at believing in positive living and doing my best to share this joy I feel for living.

I have a weakness in not believing in me. It is crazy as I have had lots of success as a graphic designer and illustrator, artist. Still I remain longing for more. I have a deep need to fill up the world with the joy, caring soulful goodness I have learned in my life. I need to do this. I must believe in myself more. I must affirm myself more.

I thought if I feel this way maybe, other talented artists, lovely friends feel the same way? So I am starting on May 1st which is this Sunday (May Day) my maiden name. My project is going to be called 100 Days of YOU!

I will post daily affirmations, soulful ways to start believing in yourself more. I am convinced that by practicing this for 100 days it will become a lovely new habit. One I can be blessed by and hopefully help others do the same thing.

So please find me on facebook and instagram. I will be posting each day one new thought. At the end of our 100 Days of YOU I am going to have a give away from me to you. I will have a day at the end where I ask you to tell me your story and how this worked for you.

I am going to have more videos, photos of my life and share more of my world. I hope you join me. I know this is going to be a really wonderful new practice. Loving and believing in ourselves more.


https://www.facebook.com/kelli.maykrenz

https://www.instagram.com/kellimaykrenz/

www.kellimaykrenz.com

"Trust what your life is showing you. Lean in to who you are becoming. Stay loyal to that and watch your life flow forward like milk and honey." ~Rachel Awes, The Great Green Okayness

This Book This Friend This Moment in life = We all NEED THIS BOOK! 

Yes, it really is about living well. Love More.

The time is NOW. 

This. Goosebumps of truth. 

Beautiful Rachel Awes. Beautiful spirit and soul. Pure Love. Pure Goodness. 

"Trust what your life is showing you. Lean in to who you are becoming. Stay loyal to that and watch your life flow forward like milk and honey." Rachel Awes, The Great Green Okayness.

This book is life changing. This is the book you will high light and read then read again. You will want it on your bedside table. You will want to travel with it. You will lean on it like a new best friend.

Trust that you will become a better YOU! Love more. Love yourself and gift yourself this fine book.

Rachel is knowing of now, mindfully giving and pure grace. I am grateful to be her friend. I love her.
You will too.

The Great Green Okayness is here = http://www.rachelawes.com/

knowing life is precious. i love you mom.

vintage Virgin Mary card flea market find. graphics by me.

I have not posted in over a month. I realize how very busy my life, studio, creating is. Lately, the past six months or so I have had a huge cloud hanging on me. I know the feeling too well, it is sadness and knowing I do no have the ability to fix it. Life seems to be the most challenging for me when I realize I cannot fix something with kindness and grace.

My mom is very sick. She has been very sick. I try to keep my personal issues separate from my social media world. I am noticing that I can no longer do this, as they are running together in my head day and night.

My mom has a bunch of health issues that are not good. We are now facing the unknown of tremors and loss of some normal things we all take for granted. In two weeks we will go to the University of Iowa and have some tests done that will confirm what we are dealing with.

I am an only child as many of you know. I have moved back to the midwest to be one hour from my mom and dad, as my mom's health has been really bad for the past three years. I am here now. I am ready to be everything and anything I can be for my parents. I am super grateful that my hubby and I are nearby. Lucky.

I have met and faced many challenges in my life. Many so huge I feared not getting to the other side.
I am needing help of prayers and maybe even friends who can hold my hand at times.

My prayers are for the doctors to find what is causing this latest health issue for my mom and to give us all the strength to help her and find that we can help her with medicines.

Time is so precious. I know it everyday when I wake up. Love to all who read my random thoughts.
Thanks for caring. You mean the world to me. I love you Mom.

believing in myself - not always easy

 Listening to the knowing in my soul is not always easy. I get washed away by what I think I should be creating to try and fit the mold. I am taking a new online class and I found in week one I tried to fit a mold. I never do well trying to fit in. I know better. Today was a very hard day for me. I often rise above the hard stuff beautifully and never share this hard stuff.

I want to be helpful and by being honest with hard moments just might help others? I pray that it does. I am filled at times with self doubt. I tend to believe that if I am not making good money being a graphic designer, illustrator, artist that I am no good. Money should not be able to create this self doubt but, it does. I know to face the fears and do it anyway. I know that if we do what we are called to do we will be rewarded. I have had great success in my life as a graphic designer and illustrator.

Only in the last two years since, I made the decision to mindfully leave the corporate clients behind and march into a new world has it been interesting. Moving three times in the past two years, across the country twice well it has been a whirlwind.

So today I marched through the fears again. I created everything in this post and lots more too. I lost myself in French music (I do not speak French) French music is calming to me. I simply did not think I just created. I am always best if I can just get out of my own way.

I wonder how others face fears. Do you have fears of money and survival? Do you create because for you too it is like breathing? Do you look at friends who seem to have it easy and wonder why is that not me? I wonder.

I do know this I am wildly happy to be alive. I know I am a good person. I know that I will make money doing what I love again. It is my life and boy do I love my life.

www.kellimaykrenz.com

loving life - celebrating moments I am

Pearl Button cherished beyond 

magic when I hold her 

she is pure love 

nothing more real pure light 

This past week was a rush of living life out loud and fully. Friends visiting (who have never been here before). New journey into learning more scheduling and order to my creative days with a very talented mentor and coach. New online class that requires me to be brave, learn more and take more leaps into faith and a knowing in my heart.

Then came an hour of sunshine through the window, fun clothes to play dress up in, layering my pearl necklaces (all gifts from friends) putting a bit of silly on and holding my most precious little Pearl Button.

My hubby grabbing his iphone and snapping some photos of this space and time in my life.

Yes, I am 52 and still learning every single day. Yes, I am aging and changing both inside and out. I work daily at embracing all that I am. Loving me fully for the goodness I know I have. These photos are not retouched or doctored up to look special. For me these photos represent taking a moment in my life to say this, "Kelli you are so blessed to be alive, have love surround you and truly know beauty."

Celebrating the precious everyday. I am trying. It makes a difference. Loving more.

www.kellimaykrenz.com

A Love for the Sea = by me. Published in Somerset Studio

hand painted paper wrapping the journal i created. stitched, layered, painted. 

the cover of my sea journal. completely hand stitched for months with drift wood from the sea.

opening the journal a spread of original mixed media, paintings, words, watercolors, my heart. the love i have.

another spread from my journal of the sea. all pages created on vintage ocean map pages. 

another spread blue moon. layers of tissues, white pen and ink, stitched love. 

        

another spread. original paintings and words. feather found near the sea. 

detail from one of my art pages. 

cover of the magazine Somerset Studio Jan/Feb 2016 

The opening spread in the magazine. Page 77  Somerset Studio magazine.

I read about submissions for Somerset Studio magazine last summer - this call for artists to submit was called Laguna Teal. I knew this one was for me as I have such a love for the sea.

I was very sick for four months (all summer long) so I stitched a lot. I stitched this cover and each tiny bit that was my underworld sea love. I drew pages and pages of ocean inspired goodies. Then when I was able to walk up to my studio I started painting and stitching more and painting more.
Words came to me, favorite sea songs (Van Morrison) all of this took so much precious time as I was still continuing to heal and have strength to sit up. I continued to create until I had this really large oversized journal of the sea.

The actual art piece is over 11 x 17" inches and there are 12 pieces of art created here. This was the most time I have ever spent creating something to send off and try to be published. It is now published and I am most grateful. I thought it would be fun to show you the spreads and more details. When you are published you never know what they will choose or how it will be photographed. I think it is so much fun to see the entire journal. I hope that you do too.

I am grateful for the months I was recovering and dreaming of the sea. The sea has been so good to me throughout my life. I have always returned to the sea to heal, listen and learn more about me.

My wish is that you see more of me and who I am by reading and looking at my art. Thank you.

www.kellimaykrenz.com

being grateful and giving back tis the season

my biggest sale EVER. happening right now.

custom dream catcher. filled with many layers of beauty.

original painting. layers of dreams and truth found here.

handmade gorgeous. hands stitched tiny bits. vintage linen.

the most beautiful inspired secret treasure box.

a princess crown of love. 

I live my life practicing being grateful. I am grateful just to wake up each day. I do my best to make moments matter. I try hard to give back to others and really to over give (if there is such a thing).

I have said for many many years how I wish that I were independently wealthy and could create for free. I would in a nano second. I am not fortunate to be able to do this. I will keep wishing and doing and perhaps one day this will be so for me.

I build a wildly successful career as a graphic designer and illustrator working for big huge fortune 500 companies for lots of years. Two years ago I decided I wanted a life where I created from me for me. I had a dream where I would create happy and share with this big world. I have mindfully been finding my path to making this happen. I am once again living the life of a struggling artist financially. Hard facts to admit but, so true. I know deep inside that this will change. I will find the right people in the perfect time and space who will notice my talents, my passion and my desire to make a difference in some small way in this big world.

I am empowered to make this happen as I see it in my soul when I rest at night. I am driven when I wake each day to work harder, create more pure art and be seen.  I am not meant to worry about money each day. I am meant to share and give and then love more.

I think by being open and honest about my life I can inspire and help others. This is my wish. This is my gift that sits inside my heart patiently waiting to shine.

I am grateful for this time in my life to be able to create for me and try with all of my might to be seen. I am grateful to all of my friends and kindred spirits who follow me. I never ever take any of this for granted.

Loving more every single day. I am.

www.kellimaykrenz.com