School Days, Snow Days, Holidays, and Hope

My name is Katie and I am a procrastinating artist. It's been 4 months since my last post. Things have been a bit hectic around my home since school started. First of all, school started for my kids in early August. Getting them dressed, ready and out the door every morning takes a lot of planning and hard work. We're in a groove now, so all is well, but it always takes me a few weeks to get used to the new schedule. Second of all, in addition to teaching classes at Spirited Art part time, I began working 2 days per week as a toddler teacher at a local Mother's Day Out program. It has been very rewarding! But, all the extra work has made it difficult to blog about my Ka Soul Studio projects. So, to catch you up, here's what I've been working on around here:

We just celebrated Christmas and one of my very favorite parts of this wonderful holiday season is decorating my Christmas tree! I am a firm believer that a person's or a family's Christmas tree says more about who they are than almost anything else. If I ever become a behavioral psychologist, I will have my clients bring in a picture of their tree to one of the first appointments, so I can get to know them better. It's like a scrapbook of what really matters to a person, all "wrapped up" with a bit of personality. As you can guess, our family tree is FULL of whimsy. It's art, baby!

Isn't it a masterpiece? I sure think so!

For the first time in my life, we had an honest to goodness "White Christmas" here in my city. It was beautiful, but we lost power for a few days and the whole area has pretty much shut down. That is fun for a total of 1 day, but after that, we all start to get a bit of cabin fever. What better time to create some art?! I painted some new Toms, which I bought myself for Christmas. I've done this to 2 other pairs and I love them!:

I used some really professional products here, folks ;) Actually, I just used a basic black permanent marker to draw the circles, then a yellow fabric marker to "paint" the soles. I sprayed them well with a weatherproof matte finish to protect them from the elements. If you have some extra Christmas money and want to have your very own personalized Toms, please contact me and I will be glad to create some for you. I can do simple or elaborate designs with permanent marker or paint. Plus, they are waterproof, so if you go sledding in them, no worries about ruining your cool new shoes!

One of my very best friends in the whole world, AG, asked me to paint something for an art awareness show, which helped to raise money for Hope Cottage of White County. It is a safe place where women and children can go to flee abusive situations. What an honor to be apart of such a good and worthy cause!

This is basic acrylic paint on a 16X20 canvas. When I painted it, I was thinking of a woman who was in the middle of a very overwhelmingly painful and sad situation, which she thought was never going to end well. Her battle ended in May. Something inside her helped her stay calm--that constant that holds us all together when we need it most. I believe it's God, but you can make your own interpretation. This is titled: "Upward Spiral" and I'm very proud of it!

2012 is coming to an end and many of us are making our resolutions to become better people, in one way or another. But, I encourage you not to wait until the New Year to make necessary changes in your life. Today is a new day. This moment is a new moment. What will you create within yourself? I can now say I've created and finished this blog post, which is a huge accomplishment!

Back to School

Summer is almost over and a new year of school is just around the corner! What better way to stand apart from "the crowd" than by carrying your own, personalized pencil case and lunch box?




Plastic is a medium I've never painted on before. This was tricky because the surface is slippery and paint doesn't stick to it very well. After a lot of trial and error, I finally found a technique that worked well. A primer was applied first, followed by acrylic paint and a waterproof sealant, which I'm hoping will help things stay in tact with all the travels these cases will do throughout a typical school day.

If you have any school supplies you would like me to help you personalize for your big school year, please send me an email. Don't forget, 20% of my profits will go to help The Townsend Family adopt a child!

E is for Ellie

I adore babies! I really do. My 3 "babies" are getting older and more independent, which is very nice. So, I'm done having little babies of my own. But, I do love sharing the excitement with my friends as they have babies. Part of sharing that joy is getting to create something special to give them. That's part of why I have a lot of fun creating art for little ones. My neighbor, Mama Y, gave birth to her second child last week--a daughter. She named her Ellie. I have wanted to paint her a gift for several weeks now, but haven't decided what she might like. About a week before The Big Day, Mama Y was talking about how she really wanted to buy something cute to hang on the nursery door, but hadn't had time to find anything. For awhile, I have wanted to try making one of those cute burlap door hangers, so this was a perfect opportunity to make one! Here's what I came up with:

2 burlap "E's" were carefully cut out, painted, joined together, stuffed, and then coated with a waterproof sealer. Wire was strategically placed in between the 2 "E's" and curled at the ends. Recently, I found a roll of vintage lace at an antique store, so I used some of it to make a big, puffy bow. This finishing touch is especially fitting for a Southern baby girl!

This was such a fun project! I might even make a burlap letter for my front door. I'd definitely love to do more projects like this, so please contact me if I can make one for you. They would make great wedding/baby gifts! Don't forget, 20% of Ka Soul Studio profits will go to The Townsend Adoption Fund until August 31st.

Rise and Shine for Adoption!

You heard it here first, Folks! I've decided to start selling my artwork in the Little Rock area. This is something I've wanted to do for awhile, but haven't quite known how to do it right. I still may not get it right, just in case you are wondering. But, art is my passion and I will always be creating it on a regular basis. I might as well make a little money. And also share some of that money. Which brings me to the 2nd part of my announcement...

20% of my profits through August 31st will go to help The Townsend Family go from a family of 3 to a family of 4! As a mom of 3, I know what a gift parenthood is. I am also a daughter to two, loving parents who have been more supportive than I could ever ask for--definitely more than I deserve. Sadly, there are millions of children who do not have that blessing, for one reason or another. So, let's help bring one of these children into a home filled with love, laughter, and grace. Amy, Robert, and Layla are really excited about how God will use them through this process.

Without further ado, let me show you one of my first business venture creations! This canvas was painted for The P Family, who also happens to be very passionate about adoption. So much so, that they adopted a sweet baby daughter to join their family of 4! Here is what I painted for them:

Mrs. P sent a photo of a poster she had seen that she loved and wanted to see if I could do something similar for her daughters' room. She wanted something large, so I suggested an 18X24 canvas. I used acrylic paint and mixed most of my own colors. The poster picture was pretty, but, being the crazy rebel that I am, I had to change a few things. The original font was changed a bit. The words rise, shine, and glory were outlined with silver dots. Also, I thought it was important to highlight the word God a little more than the poster did. Swirls were painted behind the letters of the word to give a "cloudy sunrise" effect. The bold colors of all of the letters really pop off the white background. The family had it framed with a beautiful glossy black frame. Wow! What a fun way to wake up and start the day!

What can I create for you? If you would like to have personalized artwork made for you AND contribute to a great cause, please send me an email at: kasoulstudio@gmail.com.

Teacher Gifts

"Be careful to leave your sons well
instructed rather than rich,
for the hopes of the instructed are better
than the wealth of the ignorant." -Epictetus

My husband and I are very wealthy! You might believe otherwise if you look at our house, our cars, or our clothes. But we have more than most people could only dream of.

We have 3 happy and healthy children. Their little bodies and minds are the most precious things in the world to us. We do our best to help them make good choices in the food they eat, the friends they make, and in the way they spend their time. A large part of that is how they are educated.

This past year, they have had 3 wonderful school teachers! We could not be more pleased with these women who have sacrificed so, so much to care for my "babies!" To show my appeciation, I painted them each a canvas that might brighten up their home or classroom.

Jack's teacher is having a baby boy this summer, so I painted her a canvas with an "h," the initial of his first name. Moriah's teacher loves smiley faces, so her canvas has this painted on it, "You're never fully dressed without a [wide smile painted across the bottom]." Molly's teacher loves the color hot pink and she also loves zebra stripes. I painted a large zebra-striped "S" outlined in hot pink. These were 11x14 canvases painted with acrylic paint.

These ladies deserve much more than painted canvases, but I do hope they will look fondly at those paintings for years to come and know that they are an answer to prayer. God bless teachers!

Pesto Chicken Surprise

Art is everywhere around here! From the painted canvases and old Bible pages, all the way to the food on our table. Tonight, we enjoyed one of the most beautiful (and yummiest) meals we've ever had here at our house. Take a look:

Yes, I know, I know. It's not presented in a pretty serving bowl placed on a pretty table setting in the middle of a pretty dining room. Yeah, yeah, yeah.... That's boring. It's not only boring, it's not reality. 

So, let's get real. Here's how it was really served:

Yep. There's the "surprise" part of this dinner. Folded Laundry, which is basically another member of the family. Wadded Laundry is also a member. Add to that, Laundry in Waiting (laundry that's been in a basket, hidden behind the couch, patiently waiting to be folded), Monet Laundry (laundry I thought was clean, but found out it was NOT after someone wore it out in public), and my personal favorite, Dirty Laundry (laundry that has been worn more than once and smells like something died in it).

Hungry yet? 

Okay, so if you are still reading, and would like to make this lovely meal for your next dinner party (sans laundry), here's the recipe:

Pesto Chicken Surprise

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins

sea salt and pepper

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 large red bell pepper, cut into thick strips

2 handfulls of baby carrots

2 cups basmati rice

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves , chopped (I used Eau de Cologne mint, from my herb garden)

water

pesto sauce (see below)

juice from 1 lime

Pesto Sauce

1 cup fresh sweet basil leaves 

1-2 teaspoons fresh cilantro

1/2 cup raw almonds

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

sea salt and pepper

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil + some in skillet for cooking

1) To make the pesto sauce, grab an iron skillet (this is a MUST). Put some olive oil in the skillet and turn on medium low heat. Throw in the garlic and almonds to stir fry until browned. Let cool slightly, then place in a small food processor, along with the herbs and salt and pepper. Chop in food processor for a minute or so. Then, gradually add the olive oil until sauce forms into desired consistency (mine looks like a green paste). Set sauce aside.

2) Using the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (use medium-low heat). Add chicken tenderloins and cover with sea salt and pepper. Stir fry until browned, place onto separate plate, and set aside. Keep that skillet hot!

3) Add pepper strips and carrots to existing oil substance. Cook for a few minutes, then add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil, mint leaves, and rice. Stir together until rice is nice and toasted. Cover with water (water needs to be about an inch above rice). Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to simmer. Do not cover and do not stir the rice mixture! Just shake the skillet back and forth on the burner to spread the heat around. Once the water is cooked down and rice is al dente, add chicken and pesto sauce. NOW you can stir. Once it is heated, squeeze that lime and stir again. We're done, Baby!

So, there you have it. Whoever cleans the kitchen gets to scrape the yummy, extra toasted rice from the skillet. Mmmmm. Everybody else gets to put away laundry, if it joined you for dinner.

The Word Became Flesh

Two of my "loves" have been in the forefront of my mind this week: CBS and Decoupage. I had the privilege of combining them for my most recent art project. Allow me to explain:

CBS is an acronym for Community Bible Study, an interdenominational Bible study for different communities around the country. I have been apart of CBS, directly or indirectly, for 4 years. This past year, the group of ladies I met with every week studied Job, Hebrews, and 1-2 Thessalonians. I have grown so much through these studies and through the relationships I've built in my little group. A major influence on this was my group leader, Cathy.

Cathy is a wife and mom of 3, just like me. The moment I met her, I knew she was going to make a huge impact on my life. Her words are absolutely saturated with grace and humility. God has given her such a gift for hospitality and encouragement. She's really present in conversations--like there's nowhere in the world she'd rather be than with whomever she's engaging with. No matter what is going on in life, there is a feeling that everything is going to be okay when Cathy is in the room. Yesterday was our last day to meet before our summer break, so I wanted to do something special for her. This brings me to the "decoupage" part of this conversation...

I knew I wanted to paint something for her, but had a hard time deciding what to do. Then, I remembered that my daughter had put her Bible in the washing machine a few weeks ago. Don't ask. 

AND I happened to have the materials from my previous project still out on the table, so I decided to decoupage. I carefully tore out the fragile, wrinkly pages of Job, Hebrews and 1-2 Thessalonians and "aged" them. They were glued onto an 8x10 canvas and left to dry. I used oil pastels to create 3 different crosses, then covered everything with a sealant. Here is the finished product:

In creating these crosses, I asked myself this question: If the people addressed in each of these books of the Bible (Job, The Hebrews, and The Thessalonians) were able to create a picture of a cross, what would it look like? I leave it up to you, the observer, to interpret why I chose these 3 designs. 

Coming up with a name was the easy part. "The Word Became Flesh" is taken from several places in the Bible, indicating that Jesus was always with God and that His sacrifice for the sins of mankind is what the entire Bible is centered around. This truth never ceases to amaze me! 

Cathy loved it! Here's the picture I took of her holding her new artwork:

May it always remind her of our sweet little CBS group and, more importantly, of the peace God has made with humanity.

Four Last Laughs

"Earth laughs in flowers." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nobody in the world makes me laugh like my younger brothers. Nobody. One of my brothers, Sam, and his wife, Brooke--who gets the privilege of laughing at Sam every day--just bought their first house. Brooke has spent some of her spare time on Pinterest, gathering together different design and decorating ideas to incorporate into their living space. She found this painting on a Pinboard by the blog, Decorno, and fell in love with it:

I wanted to get them a housewarming gift, anyway, so I decided to create something similar for them. This is my interpretation of this painting, which I have fittingly named "Four Last Laughs." Maybe one day, I'll get a better quality picture, but for now, this will have to do:

Recycled, aged paper was decoupaged onto a very large 30X40 canvas. I created the flowers with oil pastels, which I have never used before. There was a surprising feeling of satisfaction in drawing basic lines and shapes, then using my fingers to spread the medium around to create each part of each flower. My husband, Aaron, whom I fondly call "Mitch, gave me this eye-rolling grin and shook his head every time I passionately uttered the phrase, "I absolutely LOVE doing this!" He knows I was made for this.