One Year Ago Today . . . and a Giveaway Too!

Dear Reader,
I remember when I first discovered this wonderful world of ours – the world of Creative Bloggers that knew no specific location or place because we were everywhere, from different countries and different backgrounds with one thing in common – our desire to create and live a creative life. When I first discovered this gem of a place, I remember feeling fascinated, scared and excited all at the same time. There were so many amazing voices, so many amazing things to see and soon I realized that I wanted to be a part of this world too. You all inspired me and inside I began to change too, my own voice began to awaken and I started to hear my own inner song.

One year ago I decided to take my heart’s second deepest desire seriously (what’s the first you may wonder. . . that’s for another post!) I decided that I would draw and write and paint from the part of me that has always been with me and then I would share it with you. I decided to change everything and follow my own star. I decided to be an Artist and I let Ava dream for real, to her own heart’s content.
That decision started a whole new journey and this past year I have grown and felt wonder and frustration and cried and then felt wonder again (rinse and repeat); a seemingly never-ending cycle that somehow gently brought me to where I need to be. Where I needed to be was a place where I not only understood my truth but also why I wanted to be my truth – besides the obvious reason of living in integrity with Self.

This truth was part and parcel of a bigger question in my heart – what was an Artist? There are so many answers to this one question but as creative folks, most of us ask it of ourselves pretty frequently. When one is becoming an Artist, lots of people who have ideas about who or what an Artist should be or what ‘counts’ as art will no doubt try to share these opinions and that’s just fine, the world is big enough for all our voices.

To me an Artist is a Soul who expresses something that Spirit wants to share or bring into the world – whether it be a beautiful painting, a tender score of music a lovingly baked apple pie. An Artist creates and we are all creative. I love being creative, it has always been one of the most dominant aspects of who I am and I love watching other people create. When I visit your blogs or see a show at a gallery it is like watching a glorious kaleidoscope of all that Spirit wishes to say and all the various ways in which Spirit has chosen to express itself through us each as individuals. Furthermore our individuality is what sweetens and colours these various expressions.

One evening over chai lattes (you know how I love those) and yummy desert, two friends and I talked about our paintings. We each took turns sharing with each other about how we each in turn perceived the others’ work. My friends both agreed that my work was very child-like and pure and when they asked me why, my honest reply was, “everyone looks like a child to me.” This surprised- Me! But it was the truth. When I look at something or someone, I always see their inner innocence – their child-like spirit and that was when I realized that ‘Where Ava Dreams’ was about my creating in this spirit of seeing through child-like eyes and thus ‘The Spirit of Child.’ I wanted to create for the child in all of us. At the end of the day we always carry our child-like selves with us in some way, shape or form.

Lastly – before I get to the giveaway – I will share something else with you: the reason why I create. I create because I love the swish of my paintbrush in a jar of water, because I love how paint colours my paper, because I love to be awakened at some odd hour of the night with an idea for a new drawing or story, because I live in a world where now more than ever it is easy to share what I create and be a part of what others create because of my willingness to appreciate what they too are sharing. I create because it is one of the sweetest joys to my little soul and always I want to feel and experience more of this joy. I create for the love of it.

So, one year ago today, I started ‘Where Ava Dreams’ and one year later it has blossomed into something that has helped and healed me in so many ways and brought me to so many other wonderful creative Souls. Okay, now that I’m done waxing philosophical (smile), here’s the giveaway for you, since today is my anniversary:



Two winners will win a print of their choice from the Where Ava Dreams store. Just leave a comment on this post to enter, and to make it sweet, please share what it is you like about the print you’d like to win. I’ll leave the post up for a week or so and announce the winners next Wednesday.

Until next time then – Dy.

It’s Fall Here

Dear Reader,
It’s fall here and time seems to be moving quietly and quickly all at once. It made me think of when I first came here and with winter on its way, it really does feel as if I’ve come ‘full circle’ or almost since it’s not quite yet winter.

The other night there was some of this:



As the little neighbourhood ghouls and goblins came out for tricks and treats - mostly treats to be exact. How sweet and spooky they all were in their costumes, some requesting Smarties as opposed to Reese’s, and politely too!

Meanwhile the trees are doing this:





Changing from day to day until they become bare and still for the winter, except this one of course – forever growing, evergreen.



Until next time then – Dy.

Another Little Story

Dear Reader,
I promised you another little story (or rather ‘telling-you-about’) didn’t I? The Little Dolls had theirs last week so it seems only fitting to tell you about the angels too.

For starters, they are much quieter than The Little Dolls, very gentle and much less demanding about their wardrobe choices! They don’t care very much about what robes I dress them in, what colour I paint their wings or even how I do their hair – they are simply happy enough to be in the pictures, they like to know that others know that they are there, no matter how quiet they may be. Like The Little Dolls they changed over time also. Let me show you. . .



This was one of the earliest studies, back then they had no face so to speak and their wings were a simple halo of light around them but always they liked to be painted in bright, brilliant colours. The angels love brilliant colours; they always want to be painted in colour and usually their colour choice helps me to understand their personality, since as mentioned before they are mostly reserved -but in a warm non-imposing sort of way. Usually one will appear for a ‘portrait’ and they have gently informed me that there are stories in their eyes and even their wings. The angels love stories with meaning and feeling and so they also give me a short poem or so to share with you as part and parcel of the story they wish to tell whoever sees their picture.



As the months went by they evolved and their faces began to emerge – child-like and ‘far away’ looking but with sweetness, which really is how I would describe them. Sometimes I wonder about which angel chooses to come forward for a picture, their colours, what story they are trying to tell, if I am telling the story ‘correctly’ and even the names they kindly and consistently suggest for their paintings. They tell me not to worry, that it will all have meaning for whoever looks at it and to paint them just as I see and so I do. And they smile their sweet smiles and I can only smile back because somewhere there I am happy too.

Until next time then – Dy.

I’m Back, with a little story too!

Dear Reader,
Yes I’ve been away, not too long I think but away anyway. Perhaps the swift changes happening in and around me brought me to a standstill – a bit ironic don’t you think, but life is funny that way, ironic and funny and lots of things you don’t always expect but then you come to realize that they were indeed what you wanted – so it’s a funny kind of irony you see!

In my neck of the woods fall is here, quiet and cool with crispy breezes and warm smells of soup and nutmeg and chai lattes. . . Why do I somehow manage to make the changing weather about food? (smile) maybe it’s my new cooking phase inspired by this book Apples for Jam: A Colorful Cookbook.

I promised you a little story didn’t I? Come to think of it it’s more of a ‘telling-you-about’ than a story so to speak. While re-reading the year’s post as I copied them over to their original home (the blog here), I realized that I’d never really told you about The Little Dolls. You know their names: Ava, Aubree, Adelaide, Annalise, Aimee and Asha but I never really told you where they come from.The truth is I myself didn’t know for a while. One day – sometime last year, they began to appear in my sketch book, each quaint tiny face with its own personality and clear ideas about how it should look. Only Asha appeared sometime earlier this year and he is a quiet boy; I’m still getting to know him. It was only when I began to look at my old childhood scrapbooks that I truly understood where The Little Dolls really came from. I began drawing them when I was a little girl – even then they were in my scrapbooks and though I forgot about them for awhile, they were all too happy to come out and play again although they would agree that they much prefer their dresses now.

Adelaide loves fairies and dancing and so for Halloween this year she chose a Fairy-Ballerina costume. Aubree, the most opinionated of the whole bunch, decided that she would not wear a ‘girly’ costume as she put it and opted for the Green Martian get up instead.



The twins, Annalise and Ava, look very much alike as identical twins do. Ava, being just as shy as Asha has informed me that she would only appear in the pictures if Asha was there with her and so below are Annalise and her dear friend Aimee, who is a big fan of pink pj bottoms and pig tails.



For now that leaves Asha, who as before mentioned is rather reserved and likes to play hockey and Ava who is perhaps just as shy as he is although she is more of a figure skating kind of girl than hockey player.



Will we talk about the angels and elves next time? I think so. Until next time then. . .

All Dressed up for Halloween

With summer setting and fall at my window almost, I can’t help but think of all the things to look forward to, it being my first ‘proper’ fall and all. Changing leafs, crisp air, earthy tones, being thankful, feeling cozy and of course Halloween! Yes, I love Halloween – the colours, the feel of it. It’s so fun and the perfect excuse to be creative in costume making. What’s your favourite costume? I think I’d probably go as an angel or genie. Anyway, The Dolls are already counting on Halloween with Adelaide and Aubree being the first to pick out their costumes (the others can’t decide and are still toying with this idea and that). So here they are –Fairy Ballerina (Adelaide) and Little Martian (Aubree), all dressed up for Halloween.

My Favourite Ride

Dear Reader,
There is one ride that is my favourite of all favourites.

It stands high against the trees and brings me to twirl in the air:

It’s a somewhat traditional sort of ride, you see, but it delights my heart. Can you guess what it is?

Almost everyone loves to swing. . .

Do you?

Until next time then – Dy.

Day at Wonderland::1

Dear Reader,
I went to Wonderland – Canada’s Wonderland two weekends ago. I woke up early, put on my favourite sneakers and met my cousin, her hubby and wee- ones at the station:

It was a not-too-hot and crowded day and just like the wee-ones, we bigger ones got our hands stamped courtesy of Mr. Spongebob:

Into the park we strode the little ones all abuzz with excitement and planning for the roller coasters while I marvelled at how tummy-churning the rides looked now that I wasn’t such a wee one anymore.

At first the skies looked a little grey but soon the clouds drifted away and it was time to begin the day of rides, cotton candy and funnel-cake eating. Yes, I love cotton candy, it’s what I dream clouds taste like.


Isn’t this pretty? I’ll tell you how the rides went on Thursday.

Until next time then – Dy.