The Thursday Sweet Treat has a NEW HOME!

Today marks the first unveiling of the Thursday Sweet Treat on CreativeNachos.com. Please hop on over and check it out!

YOU have all been so incredible in my life. You have made this place magical for me. It is my hope that you will come along over to Nachos and continue to play. Let's see where this adventure leads us - together!

Love and many, many cartwheeling hugs to all of you beautiful souls!
Natasha

First 2011 Theme! Sky Blue

Announcement: So the new site is not fully ready yet. It needs a few more things AND I'm still deciding how to best work this merger. BUT let's not let that stop us from playing!!

The TST is NOW open for business!!

A couple of things to note. I would like the Thursday unveiling to remain a largely visual experience. So, I ask that we keep the things we write to accompany our finished masterpieces brief. HOWEVER......

I'm EXTREMELY interested in process. So, when you submit your piece or pieces, please share an additional paragraph about the process of creating the work. If you were creating and you made a mistake, share that as well as mistakes are often just little nudges to take our designs in a different direction, one better suited for it.

I will be highlighting 1 artist each week. I will highlight their creation as well as the process. So, if you have included a longer "process" piece I will post that along with the work. I hope that makes sense. If not, please let me know.

Ok...ready let's dive in!

How you choose to interpret the theme is completely up to you. It simply needs to be tasteful – no pornography or messages of hate here. When you sit down to create, you cannot think about how people will or will not receive your work. You are required to simply enjoy the act of creating.

This week we are going to focus on Sky Blue. Now you are free to interpret that any way you wish. Perhaps you would like to create something using the color of the sky during the day or the deep color of it at night...the sky, oh so blue. Or maybe sky blue makes you think of the eyes of your Mom, daughter, or someone you love. Let this color take you where it wants to go!

Important Guidelines

The work submitted must be something you have created and/or worked on between the time the theme was revealed and the Thursday unveiling. Please submit your response to Natasha@creativenachos.com no later than end of day Wednesday, March 9th if you would like it to be posted on Thursday, March 10th. OR send me a link to your response to include in the comments section of the post.

With your response please include:

1. Your name - either first name, shop name, blog name or all three.

2. The name of your piece (if you choose to give it one)

3. Something you'd like to share (idea behind piece) if you'd like to share anything. Please limit this to 2-3 sentences

4. A small paragraph on the process of creating this work in case you are chosen as the artist of the week

4. Links you'd like to include

5. Two photos of your piece or of each of the pieces (3x5 or 4x6 and 72dpi or a max of 96dpi - if you need any help with that please don't worry I'd be happy to help!)


Most importantly, let your imagination soar up, up , up and away!

An Online Course - Oh the Stories You’ll Tell: A Celebration of You and Your Work Begins March 14th, 2011

Back by Popular Demand!

No two stories or the ways in which we tell those stories are alike. We all have interesting lives and we bring a distinctive perspective to all that we do and yet, how many times have you thought of sharing a story but stopped yourself? How often have you felt you had nothing to say?

We don’t celebrate ourselves or the moments that make up our lives nearly as much as we should and - as artists, writers, bloggers, crafters and creative folks making a presence online – it is especially important to do so. Getting your authentic voice out there and being truly proud of it takes courage. Whether you are writing in your professional life or your personal one, it helps to have someone cheering you on and providing the advice and encouragement you may need while working to make your dreams come true. Let me be that personal cheerleader.

“Oh the Stories You’ll Tell” is a 4 week workshop designed to recharge your storytelling and celebrate the true magic in all you do. We will tell stories in all sorts of ways from writing and art journaling to collage and video/photography. As we explore new and unusual ways to tell our tales, our vision of who we are and what we do will broaden allowing us to find unique ways to represent ourselves and our work in person and online.

Within this limited enrollment class, you will find exercises, thought-provoking prompts, inspiring pdf’s and funny videos. In addition, you will interact with members of the group and receive personal attention from Natasha. This course has been designed so that many of the activities will fit within the framework of daily life. In fact, the hope is that it allows all of us to be more present and fulfilled in our day to day lives. In the end, you will have a journal filled with memories of your storytelling journey that you can refer to anytime you feel as though you are losing your way.

If there is one thing I have learned as a writer and artist, it’s that we need to shake up routines, find new ways of looking at things, and find an inspiring and supportive community where we can share our ideas.

I hope you will join me on this journey. In the end, we will not only have found a way to stay true to our voice but we will celebrate it in ways that will enhance our personal and professional life.

The workshop will begin on Monday, March 14th. You will receive a link to a private site a week prior to the start of class. The cost of this course is $40.

About Natasha

Natasha has been writing since the day her mom put a journal in her hand at age four. She received her MFA in writing from the New School in New York City before spending time as Marketing and Development Director for a nonprofit and later, freelance writer creating promotional materials for small businesses. Natasha assisted in creating original curriculum pieces for a private school in Manhattan before being invited to teach writing and editing workshops for some of the students. She has taught writing and photojournalism workshops for teenagers and written for publications such as Family Circle, Latina, Lifetips and MediaBistro. She is a 2011 Sketchbook participant and will be teaching along with 20 talented, professional artists in the upcoming 21 Secrets course.

Are you IN?

I've come to understand that time flies when you having fun but it also whizzes by when life is NUTS! The whole family came down with the flu so I was the round the clock family medic. Then, we had a celebration for my son and now, here I am.

All the while I have been working on new classes (check back later today for a class announcement) and focusing my attention on where I want to go with my art and writing.

However in the meantime, I'm still moving this party to Nachos but I'd LOVE to know who here is still up for the Thursday Sweet Treat! May I see a show of hands for who wants to play??

Either leave a comment here or email me to let me know if you are still game. My goal is to bring the fun back on March 3rd...so let me know your thoughts.

Big things are honestly about to take place around here....so let me know if you are in!

Universal LOVE

Life has been NUTS! The whole family was sick and it felt as though it would never end. Everything was put on the back burner but now I'm playing.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I'm not a huge Valentine's Day gal because I think it can often make people feel bad. It's geared toward couples "in love" when really it should be about love - universal. However, I do dig the idea that there is a day to remind us of what we should be doing all the time - loving one another well.

So, in honor of loving all I'm celebrating ART JOURNAL LOVE DAY! I created a page and I thought I knew exactly how it would turn out and I found that it's completely different from what I imagined. I also discovered it's for a friend who needs to remember how loved she is these days.

So, pop over to Dirty Footprints if you have a sec and make an art journal page. Share it on your blog and you could win ...a prize! YES, a TOTAL LOVE FEST PRIZE!! Woooohoooo

Want to Know a Secret??

21 What? Ways to bake a cake? NO!

21? Ways to do narly tricks on your skate or surfboard? NO

21? Types of drinks you can make? Umm...potential class but NO

How's about 21 AMAZING secrets you can learn from AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, SENSATIONAL artists, including ME!! That's right....I will be joining 20 artists on April 1st for the most magnificent art journaling journey.

From April 1st to August 1st, 2011 you can bask in all things art journaling on the 21 Secrets playground.The cost is $59 and you get SO much material...videos, pdf's and months to get to know these artists, art therapists, writers, and creative extraordinaires.

But don't take my word for it. PLEASE check out all the phenomenal women I will be working with...it will blow you away. Visit Dirty Footprints Studio and the fabulous Connie - the founder of this art sensation for more information.

I truly hope you will come play on April 1st. Registration starts Monday, March 14th, 2011. I can promise you, you will LOVE it!

True to Myself

It has been a LONG time. Please forgive me! How are you all doing?? I've missed you very much so here's a BIG hug from my heart to yours!

Happy Belated New Year to each of you. How has the New Year been? Tell what's new?

The start of the year has been rather interesting for me. I know normally people slow down at the end of the year and then come January 1st they ramp up again with resolutions and energy to take on all the things they hope to accomplish but this year wasn't like that for me. 2011 started with a call for stillness and silence. So much happened at the end of last year that I needed quiet and so I went with that thought and feeling.

I started the next installment of the BIG painting series at Dirty Footprints Studio called DEEP which has allowed me to get quiet and get into a place where I can grow personally, professionally, and creatively.

I needed time to sort through things and slow down enough to begin to hear the sound of my own inner voice and heart. I needed to be more at peace with myself. I am still immersed in that process but I know in my heart that I am ready to return to blog land> I want to connect with each of you and get this place going again.

As I mentioned last year, I will be merging CreativeNachos and Thursday Sweet Treat. CreativeNachos is where this all began and it's time for all of this to live under one roof and expand. In addition, I will be teaching new classes on Nachos and have some other surprises.

I want to thank you for all the love and support you always share with me and all the patience you have had as I've worked to grow as an artist, writer and woman in this life. I would love to hear how your lives are going, what your hopes are for this year and all you would like to share so please feel free to comment or email.

In the next week or so, you will begin to see changes. Please bear with me as I make this transition. My goal is to be set up completely by the first week of February.

Love and shimmy shakin' magic to you!
Tasha