My crew were Focused on Focused thinking!

On the final morning of the MoZart Retreat, the ladies were asked to bring a pair of earbuds or earphones and to come to the art room right after breakfast, plug their ears and follow the directions. 

We were about to engage in FOCUSED thinking!  There were instructions on the table, along with a box of supplies.  Everything they needed to make a mixed media mini canvas.

I was quite impressed with Miss Nancy's background!  She used rubs and paints and sprays and... oh my!

Amber is usually not one to really want to step out of her comfort zone, so I was really impressed that she just sat down and got to work.  They were not allowed to talk.  Not allowed to ask for instruction.

There were examples of a variety of color combos on the table for them to choose from and to use as their templates.

There were brushes and cardboard, as ripping it up was part of the instructions.

There are some who really like to be quiet and focus on the task at hand.  (That wouldn't be me!  I like action, noise and busyness)  They probably appreciated the peace!

It's a first for a MOZart Retreat.  Jennifer has been to six, I think she said.  And this is the first time we've done something like this!  She's a talker too.  See those examples that were printed for them on the table in front of her? ! The colored squares.

I actually also like that they had to follow directions and just get a project done!  I have taught classes on projects that I had only tried once after finding them on Pinterest.  My point is that we don't have to be experts to TRY something new!!  So many claim, "I am horrible at art" or "I'm not creative", or whatever, prior to coming to the retreats!  And yet, they leave with projects created with techniques they would've never attempted alone! They just needed someone to stand in the BELIEF gap for them while they tried it!

This final day project showed them that they were totally capable of reading directions, gathering the supplies, and creating a project basically entirely alone! I hope that was a big confidence booster for some of these women.

Jamette certainly seems to be excited about it.

As they finished up these projects, I grabbed their journals, which had all of our notes and photos, and quotes and handouts from our lessons from the John Maxwell book, Today Matters.

I stacked these beauties up on the porch of my cottage, which was the final spot for our last lesson... on VALUES.

Are these LUSCIOUS or what?!

I had all my fall decorations out because some have been to my house for retreats at different times of the year, but I don't think I'd ever had them during this season, so I had this place FALL'd to the hilt!

And now, in no particular order.... each person's final canvas, with a core value in the corner.

Jennifer with two of her projects.

ANd a few more....

(sorry this one is upside down.  It is everyone's all in one spot.  I have no idea how to turn it over.  Anybody wanna be my I.T. person?!)

It was really a great retreat!!  I am already thinking about my next one.  I think it will be January 23-25.  Start looking at your calendars!  See what ya think.  This might be the one YOU get to come to!

I'm gearing up now for tomorrow's Gratitude Journal Open Studio.  Emery did a FABULOUS job of designing the journal prompts to be used in the journals.  Suzy and Jessi helped me come up with lots of ideas to stimulate the mind on things to put in your journals regarding gratitude.  If you are waiting for yours in the mail... hang on... it's coming!  Emery sent them out Wednesday.  I'll be taking some videos of our Open Studio tomorrow and do a blog post to let all of you see a few ideas on how to use your new supplies and journals.  Yipppeeee.... I am living the dream!

Hope you are having a GREAT holiday season so far.  And FILL your life with GRATITUDE and see how everything will shift in your life... for the positive!

MO