DonnaBellas Angels

"Medicine Heals the Body, Art Heals the Soul" DonnaBellas Angels is a 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to provide inspirational healing themed art to the public. See more online www.DonnaBellasAngels.org

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DonnaBellas Angels donated art royalty use to the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center. They used the art to create cancer patient and caregiver wellness tip cards with messages of hope and encouragement using art from the word art painting series.

Cancer Support Cards Art Donation to Carol G. Simon Cancer Center

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Memories of Kindness and Art on Southwest Airlines Flight

Memories of Kindness and Art on Southwest Airlines FlightI travel for my work which takes me all over the U.S.  I had a Facebook memory pop up from 9 years ago in November 2015 and wanted to share it.  “I am always impressed at how a small act can be meaningful to one person and spread on to others.Today, I worked in Tampa and then flew home. I was working on my computer and had the image of one…

Memories of Kindness and Art on Southwest Airlines Flight

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Finding Your Way to Hope with Life Detours

Hi, The kindness art challenge is on hold because I have had ill family members, followed by me getting sick. It has been an unexpected detour for the last couple of months. I lost my voice and had lots of coughing, but I am recovering. I hope to be well enough to record the kindness art challenge videos soon and launch it. Until then, I thought I would share a few art pieces from my…

Finding Your Way to Hope with Life Detours

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Serenity Prayer Angel Inspirational Art Painting & Gifts

A vibrant pastel-colored angel is in the middle, and the text of the Serenity Prayer swirls around the edges. ​This is inspirational artwork by Laurel Latto for DonnaBellas Angels.​​  This painting was donated to Family Medicine of Vincennes in Indiana. Serenity Prayer Poem Angel Art Painting God Grant Methe serenity to accept the things I cannot change,the courage to change the things I…

Serenity Prayer Angel Inspirational Art Painting & Gifts

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Colorful Cancer Angel Painting donation to the Arizona Cancer Center

The Colorful Cancer Angel art painting has the colorful thick rainbow paint and the poem of “What Cancer Cannot Do” swirls around it. The painting was rendered in acrylic. Colorful Angel Cancer Poem Art Painting The painting was donated for display in their gift shop to the University of Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson, AZ in 2005. What Cancer Cannot DoCancer is so limited…It cannot cripple…

Colorful Cancer Angel Painting donation to the Arizona Cancer Center

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Feel My Beauty Pink Cancer Angel donation to Mays Cancer Center

Feel My Beauty Pink Cancer Angel painting was donated in 2010 to the Mays Cancer Center located in San Antonio, Texas. It is part of the University of Texas (UT) Health System and the MD Anderson Cancer Center. At the time of donation, the cancer center previously known as the Cancer Therapy and Research Center (CTRC). Feel My Beauty Cancer Poem Angel Painting Mays Cancer Donation The painting…

Feel My Beauty Pink Cancer Angel donation to Mays Cancer Center

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Friendship is a Plant German Proverb

The German proverb "Friendship is a plant we must often water" highlights the necessity of regularly nurturing friendships for them to thrive and grow.

Friendship is a plant we must often water. – German Proverb “Friendship is plant we must often water.” German Proverb The German proverb “Friendship is a plant we must often water” highlights the necessity of regularly nurturing friendships for them to thrive and grow.

Friendship is a Plant German Proverb

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Manifesting Universe Angel Art shows a soft pastel-colored angel against a luminous night background filled with hearts and stars. The image was initially painted with watercolor and finished digitally with white accents. Angels are there and available for help. They will do what they can to support our Spirit but first, we have to ask for their help. When we do we can expect to receive their assistance. They are able to bring to us for support if it is a sincere request.  Inspirational artwork by Laurel Latto for DonnaBellas Angels. https://donnabellasangels.org/manifesting-universe-angel-painting.html #angel #angels #guardianangel #guardianangels #manifest #manifesting #universe #watercolor #love #spirit #spirituality #spiritualawakening #consciousness #manifestingdreams #divineguidance #affirmation  (at San Diego, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPts7CRDspY/?utm_medium=tumblr

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We See the World as We Believe - There is a saying, “We see the world, not as it is, but as we are.” I believe that everyone has a “Spirit Team” waiting to support us if we are willing to open ourselves to the idea of it and ask for assistance. Some would call it coincidences and others might say it was guardian angels. My dad has been in and out of the hospital regularly with his chronic health issues. Those hospitalizations caused other problems leading to more hospitalizations. It has been exhausting as a caregiver. During his October hospitalization, a surgeon suggested a new surgery to fix his problem. The proposed surgery felt like a great answer, but my dad is frail and it would be a risk. I wondered if it was better to wait until after the holidays for his surgery in case there were surgery complications or he died. It was a guessing game of the known risks and more hospitalizations versus whether he could come through another surgery okay. I was torn. I put out a wish and prayer to Spirit for help. In early November, we had a health scare for him at the same time the surgery scheduler called about getting a date for my dad's surgery. It made our family move quickly to agree to the surgery. Things came together quickly and easily. He got a surgery date within a week and was able to get all his pre-surgery clearances quickly. I worried but there was no time to overthink it. His surgery was a success and we were able to visit him in the hospital. On the day of checkout, the hospital informed me that starting the next day no more visitors would be allowed due to the COVID surge. Looking back, it now seems like a blessing how it came together. Who knows if we had waited? Would have had to be hospitalized again over the holidays by himself or get sick with COVID-19? My dad still has many health struggles. I know I have limited time left with him. It gives me comfort to believe my family and I are supported by Spirit. I hope you find ways to believe in a positive outlook. Happy New Year, Laurel Latto Artist & Founder of DonnaBellas Angels #believe #believer #spirit #spirituality #spiritual #art #wordart #wordartist #hospital #surgery #hope (at San Diego, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJepuzSjIdI/?igshid=1jdg2tfimci2o

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Rediscovering your Creativity to Color like a Kid I admire how small children can sit down with a blank piece of paper and some crayons and happily start coloring.  Finger painting is messy joyful fun.   At some point, kids lose that natural ability to create, and the mindset of trying to make "good art" that other people will approve of sets in. When I was in college, I had the opportunity to volunteer once a week in a local elementary school.  I requested to go in during the afternoon art class.   One week was a St. Patrick's day project.  The kids were to trace and cut out shamrocks on construction paper, paste them to a large piece of paper, and color in the shamrocks with a looping vine between them.   It made me sad to see how the kids were trying to copy the sample art at the front of the room.  The teacher had told me to hold up sample work as kids were making art to give them praise and feedback.  I got an idea to discuss their art like I was talking about its artistic merits for a college art class. I looked for kids NOT following the example.  I discussed the importance of thin lines and thick lines for contrast, how circles could be large or small, and some shapes could be colored in versus an outline.  I encouraged that the different shamrocks options were interesting to see. The kids quickly caught on that anyone not following the example and finding their own expression got praised.  The enthusiasm rose up in the room and they sought new ways to color and create.  It was a proud moment when a little girl started using letters and numbers in varying sizes on her shamrocks.  I explained how letters and numbers were an art form too in how they were drawn. I could see the teacher looking up and eyeing me occasionally over her stack of papers.  At some point, she stopped and asked the class, "So class, no one describes our art quite as Miss Laurel does?"  The kids cheered with "yeses" and "yeahs". I hope you find your way back to your creativity. #art #creativity #color #coloring #artclass #artclasses #hearts #artappreciation #create #createexplore (at San Diego, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJK0p5vDkQh/?igshid=la6i5km4i6sc

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Letting Go of Generational Fear for Life Happiness I was chatting about this with a friend and life coach, Michelle Simmonds.  We discussed how our parents and grandparents raised families using their knowledge about punishment and reward.  The "life rules" were built on a fear of approval from society.   Our world is different.  Our life choices are more open.  We talked about ending it with the affirmation, "It stops with me." Moving forward means letting go of past heaviness with love and forgiveness to the generations that came before you.  They lived in a different world.  They were doing the best they could with what was taught to them.  We empty out our hands the fears from the past we can reach out to Spirit for new support. I hope you find your way to identify and let go of anything that is holding you back.   I understand that the idea sounds good in theory but where and how to start? A good place is to ask yourself the question, "Who would I be without that thought?" Yours in Gratitude, Laurel Latto DonnaBellas Angels Artist and Founder  Above is edited from my blog post. Read the full post here: http://www.donnabellasangels.org/blog/2020/12/01/letting-go-of-generational-fear-for-life-happiness/ DonnaBellas Angels is a 501(c)3 3 non-profit that creates art for mental health wellness.  Support us for #GivingTuesday by donating at https://donnabellasangels.org/donate.html #lettinggo #letitgo #lettinggofear #ichoose #itstopswithme #soulscalling #fear #friendlyuniverse #generationalfear #learnedfear #fears #changingfear #faceyourfears #facingyourfears #familyfears  (at San Diego, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIRBccbDBwZ/?igshid=13bcb31193hl9

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Turtles - Giving and Receiving Help from your Community Last week, I attended an online meeting.  A story was shared that two women were discussing coping with pandemic life stress and the feeling of wanting to retreat from the world.  The idea was born to send out a turtle emoji 🐢 as code when the other person wanted to be like a turtle and crawl into her emotional safety shell.  The simple emoji text 🐢 would be a quick way to communicate, "I am hurting. Please reach out to me." The leader of the meeting then went on to ask if someone asked for help, who here would be willing to help?  Many people were willing to step up.  The question got turned around and asked if you were hurting, would you ask for help? It was a gut check for me.  I am more willing to give help than reach out and ask for help.   Later, I shared the turtle story with a friend who at the end and asked how he could help me. My friend knew I had been dealing with a lot of issues as a family caregiver.  I stumbled over what help to ask for knowing I needed it but unsure where to start.  We agreed to keep in touch and potentially have a COVID safe dinner meet-up soon.  I really appreciated the phone call and the empathy of a friend. It made me grateful that I do have a community that I can reach out if I remember to do so.  That idea inspired this turtle art piece.  It is a relaxed turtle that feels safe coming out of its shell because of community love.   If life has been hard for you, think about sharing the "turtle" idea.  You can pick another emoji but have an easy way to let someone else know you need them to reach out to you with a "hello" and soul healing help. A pencil sketchbook drawing was used as the initial outline.  Color art was created using digital paper and brushes in Photoshop.   See this post on the DonnaBellas Angels Blog at http://www.donnabellasangels.org/blog/2020/11/18/turtles-and-asking-for-help/ #askingforhelp #turtle #turtles #stress #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #courage #mentalhealthhelp #mentalhealthawareness #askforhelp #trauma #hereforyou #youarestrong #help #overthinking #depression #stressed #anxiety #socialsupport #covid19mentalhealth #covid_19 (at San Diego, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CHwu3qFDIq1/?igshid=k9f5cvimkjt5

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Surfing Life's Big Waves of Change and Finding Your Silver Linings 2020 has been a year of changes that has thrown the world in turmoil.  A business coach friend, Emily Manning (@emilymanningofficial), shared with me about the importance of finding the opportunity or "silver lining" when there is an obstacle.  For those not familiar with this metaphor, it comes from the saying "every cloud has a silver lining" meaning finding an opportunity or a positive experience during a difficult change. Listening to her made me think of a surfing angel.  You cannot control the waves of life but if find the opportunity then you can surf over the waves.   The name of the above painting is "Archangel Raphael Surfing Healing Waves".    The angel pays tribute to Archangel Raphael whose color is green and is known for bringing healing. The sun helps sustain life and through it plants such as palm trees strengthen and grow. The power of the sun's energy is symbolized in the matched orange-yellow surfboard.  I hope you find your way to surf big changes and discover your silver linings of opportunities within disruptive changes! Best Wishes, Laurel Latto DonnaBellas Angels Artist and Founder P. S. There is more on the DonnaBellas Angels blog at http://www.donnabellasangels.org/blog/2020/10/31/surfing-lifes-big-waves-of-change-and-finding-your-silver-linings/ #silverlinings #silverlining #hope #waves #surfing #change #changeyourmindset #archangelraphael #angel #angels #healing #ocean #beach #art #paintings #inspirational #inspirationalquotes (at San Diego, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CHEUZhJDUZw/?igshid=1ke3p11laafsa

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The Alpha Omicron Pi "Rocky Mountain Alumnae Chapter" in the Fort Collins, Colorado area participated in the American Cancer Society's fundraiser Relay for Life.  The AOII alumnae chapter asked DonnaBellas Angels for third party art royalty use for their team. The team created a 10' x 2' team banner and 4" x 4" tribute cards using the art. The tribute cards were sold as a team fundraiser. They were paired with luminarias that lit the racetrack at night and balloons that were released at a ceremony at the end of the event.    The banner featured the paintings "Rainbow Cancer Heart" and "Blue and Gold Cancer Angel".  The tribute cards also used the "Rainbow Cancer Heart" artwork.   http://www.donnabellasangels.org/blog/2020/10/19/aoii-relay-for-life-booth-and-fundraiser-using-our-cancer-art/ #relayforlife #cancerwalk #americancancersociety #AOII #alphaomicronpi #aoiialumnae #cancer #fundraiser #cancerawareness  #fundraiserideas #art (at Fort Collins, Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGivrSGDiTk/?igshid=173183qffa3zy

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If you are emotionally struggling and feeling overwhelmed, I thought I would share the mantra "Observe, Don't Absorb". One of my spiritual mentors shared it as it has been shared with her by her mentors. I have been dealing with this problem more frequently and drew it out as a way to internalize it. The idea is that there can be a lot of drama around you but be a witness to it without empathically absorbing the situation / other people's bad vibes. The heart shape is a reminder in keeping yourself heart-centered. I thought others here would be interested to create their own reminder to post it in their homes. I was thinking it could be done as easy the words and heart on a sticky note placed on a bathroom mirror to be a daily intention.   See it on the DonnaBellas Angels blog at http://www.donnabellasangels.org/blog/2020/10/08/observe-dont-absorb-sketchbook-drawing/ #meditation #intention #intentions #observe #dontabsorb #observedontabsorb #drawing #sketchbook #drawings #inspirationalwords #mantra #mantras #handlettering #heartcentered #hearttoheart #badvibes https://www.instagram.com/p/CGFmyoMjudi/?igshid=ks1xfi9wjqus

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Wishing everyone well and sending out healing thoughts! HEAL, HOPE, LIVE #heal #healing #hope #live #drawing #drawings #sketchbook #healingthoughst #healingintentions #wellwishes https://www.instagram.com/p/CFPzFA6j3En/?igshid=tq167gzx0r6y

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It has been a heavy emotional time between the current crises and memories of the 9/11 tragedy in America.  I use my sketchbook as a mediation journal.  I created this drawing and thought I would create this quick post to share. The hand lettering words state “Embrace the Love Surrounding Me”. The word “surrounding” is written in tiny letters with small hearts on the “O” of “LOVE”. There are other hearts drawn floating around the letters.   Swipe for a detailed drawing. The illustration to me was a reminder that there are so many opportunities for love around us if only we open ourselves to love and embrace it.   The love is there in many forms and sources.  It can come from family, friends, strangers, animals, angels, or within ourselves.  Let go of the fear and embrace the love surrounding me. Best Wishes, Laurel Latto DonnaBellas Angels Artist & Founder http://www.donnabellasangels.org/blog/2020/09/11/embrace-the-love-surrounding-me-sketchbook-drawing/ #drawing #drawings #drawingart #pencilsketch #sketchbook #inspirationalpost #newart #heartcentered #lovequotes #loveyou #heart #hearts #drawingsketch #handlettering #handletteringart #wordart #love #embracelove #letgofear https://www.instagram.com/p/CFBU3GijcJZ/?igshid=1i055vh35ecu4