Connecting to Spirit: Expressing Your Inner Butterfly

KELEE KATILLAC: Design Gives Back (Girl's Bedroom) from Kelee Katillac on Vimeo.

 

{The following is a guest post from "reformed" interior designer, Kelee Katillac.}

It was 1990, just before the holidays, and I was unhappy with life. The thought of another artificial Christmas tree -- and Christmas -- was unbearable. I was longing for something real, deeper and true. I suddenly had to have a real tree. And, I was putting the stops on obligatory gifts. This was the start of a much bigger change to come. I was ready to grow and transform.

As an interior designer, working in a field of material expression, I began to look for the real meanings buried in the things we buy, collect, make and own. I started to think of my work as a spiritual calling, rather than as a sales position in which I forced my taste and style upon my clients. I encouraged them to see their homes as cocoons of Spirit; places in which to transform and become our best selves.

So, in my first book House of Belief: Creating Your Personal Style, I told the stories of people from all walks of life who had created homes from their hearts.  They had allowed their hands to become conduits, like early-stage butterfly wings erupting from the cocoon.  This is the outcome when we create from our spirit's intentions: our inner butterfly can fly us to our purpose and our peace.

The cocoon of home ultimately becomes a place where our families feel loved, valued and accepted, and a place where our kids are more cherished than with expensive trappings. Thrifty DIY living is the purpose of my new blog and web-show The Katillac Shack. Every week I present ideas to inspire a design and believe life.

The design and believe process is an exercise in making your intentions appear before your eyes...creating crafts, furniture, room design and decor to represent who you are now and who you intend to become in life. Most of the projects are equally good for adults and kids alike. In Kids' Sacred Places: Rooms for Believing and Belonging, the following project is outlined and recommended for adults, kids, groups and seniors.

I have demonstrated this heart & hands project on The Christopher Lowell Show and others, and in big workshops for crafty and creative women. This affirmation pillow comes out as different each time as the person that is making it. As you might imagine, Christopher's pillow was glitzy -- flambouyant! Some are psychedelic others are "designy" and elegant. YOU are the designer of your own wings...what will they look like?

 

Step1: After tracing, stenciling or free-drawing your butterfly on cotton for a pillow cover,
begin to embellish the image. You can use fabric paint or acrylic to color the background.
Be sure to place plastic under the fabric to protect the backing.

Step 2: Use tacky glue applied with a brush or small tip to aply your beads to the butterfly. Sprinkle the beads as desired. You can use tweezers for more precise application. To create antennae, use fine bead wire and fix it with a knot and a dab of hot glue on the back side.

Step 3: Create your affirmation to go in the back pocket of the pillow. The pocket can be made to match or "harvested" from an old shirt or pair of pants.

Step 4: Keep your affirmation card in the pillow pocket for an "all in one" reminder of your spirit's intentions. Those intentions will help your inner butterfly to "become"....

Would you like to create your own 'I am Becoming" pillow? Kelee Katillac has offered a signed copy of her book,  Kids' Sacred Places: Rooms for Believing and Belonging and some beads to get you started.

I'll randomly select two names from the comments on this post (today only).

Comments

[Becky]

First - Thanks for inviting me to your blog L'Tanya! I miss the magazine and newsletters and your blog is great.

Second - Thanks for introducing us to Kelee. I don't watch the crafty TV shows cause I already have enough to do. But I wish I had seen her on Christopher Lowell's show.

I especially love her philosophy of encouraging her clients "to see their homes as cocoons of Spirit; places in which to transform and become our best selves." I grew up in a "show house." It was beautiful but sterile.

I have always tried to make my home very different. Sure, it's pretty but it is a reflection of who we are. Casual, welcoming, comfortable.

[Kelee Katillac]

CONGRATULATIONS & THANK-YOU! I am honored to be featured here--L'Tanya!

Your site calls forth the creative spirit in all of us to give and exchange for the good of our world! Lets all join together to CONNECT--using our creativity to promote positive CHANGE in our lives and world.

Lets unite in creative expresion that uplifts, heals ad bonds us.....Design Gives Back!!

Thank-you for your vision and mission L'Tanya-- you are beautiful!!! Kelee Katillac

[Pearl Mattenson]

What a beautiful testament to the power of creativity and love. Thank you for sharing this!

[Sheldon Bernard]

I love Kelee's idea of having a stylish affirmation pillow. I also love the idea of--what will YOUR wings look like. What´s great about DIY is that you can take ideas and individualize them and tweak them. I am not the biggest fan of butterflies--but I do love DUCKS. They have wings. LOL. And I like the idea of thinking of making an affirmation pillow that helps me to explore my spirit of "where will my wings take me".

Hope this isn't too off-topic. But I feel inspired. And that's a fun thing.

[Kelee Katillac]

Sheldon-I love an empowered Duck!!! Think of Donald!!! He had spunk!

Ducks are beautiful and good. You are fun Sheldon! Creative Blessings to Pearl and Becky!

Thank-you for supporting this site!

love,kelee

[jennifer]

hey L'Tanya, I am so happy you are back at it! I always love your crafty knowledge and the people you highlight on your blogs. And I hope you and your family are doing well, also Thanks for inviting me and i will spread the word your are back! Yea! i like this lady" Ideas about the spirtial side of design . I try to have my home like that . When you are surrounded by the things you believe in you feel fufilled. Happy your are back and i got you on the feed
jennifer

[Elaine Shelly]

Thanks L'Tanya for the relaunch and thanks also to Kelee for the article. It has become very important to me to find ways of incorporating my spiritual beliefs into everything I do. For me, creativity is at the core of spirituality. As the poet Audre Lorde once said, "I have come to see my work as prayer." I love the idea of having something I created (other than the typical vision board) representing who I am and who I am to be. Thanks, Kelee, for sharing this wonderful idea.

[Kelee Katillac]

Elaine--thank-you for the Lorde quote.VERY astute-- I love it. I often say that creating with a spiritual intention is an "action prayer." Also, in House of Belief--upon leaving Notre Dame in Paris...eyes glazed with wonder...
I noted that "Art is God made visible."

Elaine, I also like your comparison to the vision board. Our homes are what I call a "dream box." In both of the books I share that heart and hands project.

Sister, you are wise. thanks for sharing......love,kelee

[L'Tanya]

I grew up in a house that was beautifully decorated, with a dining room we never used and a china cabinet reserved for the "good" plates. So I was when a good friend of mine introduced me to "House of Belief," it literally freed me. I intend to share some of my vignettes and my own heart to hands projects on the site.

Thanks Kelee.

[L'Tanya]

Congratulations Becky and Elaine Shelly! Both of you get a signed copy of Kelee's book, "Kids' Sacred Places" and a set of beads to start on your own heart and hands project.

Email me with your mailing address. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments.

[Suzanne]

LOL, I do wish I could push these other worms out of my cocoon, so I could have it my way. But what a good idea for carving out and embellishing a special place, and I appreciate Kelee's reaching out to real life people with real life problems and situations, and helping them build those special places.

L'Tanya, I've loved Craftnicity's special quality of bringing global textile and thoughts together. No matter what we create, our work and thought is rare and exotic to someone on the other side of the world. I think I've just realized that global thought and art really does begin at home.

[Robin Andersen]

I'm glad you are back and I will spread the word on my blog.
Blaze

[Carrie]

I was so moved by your email. It made me smile and made my day such a joy.

Carrie

[Marsha]

Simply BEAUTIFUL...through and through.
Giving truly is the key to healing,growing and soaring.
Thank you for posting this on your site.