Gratitude's and Celebration - Day 46 - All your experiences ......

All your experiences make you stronger...

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal - The beginning page

The majority of people at some point in their life will have an experience that will shake them to the core, but not everyone will react in the same way to the same experience.

After playing around this figure emerges

Layers are added to our lives, each day we walk on the earth there will be key things that we thought would crush us, but as we looked the experience dead in the eye, picking ourselves up, we moved past.  Holding on to life and seeing a purpose to our existence.

We didn't know that we would heal, but we did, we didn't think that we would laugh again but we did.  We never thought we could breath without the pain coursing through our bodies.  But the pain got easier, we still remembered but it didn't hurt as much with each passing day, we were able to exhale.

Our lights once dimmed began to shine again and light up those dark places.  Our minds and our hearts renewed with strength and we were able to face another day.

I am grateful for the love that carried me through many a dark day, and celebrate the grace that enabled me to find the space to breath again, and heal a heart that felt broken.

In thinking about your own experiences, what strength can you find to turn a current situation around?

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal - Full of Inspiration!

Have a blessed weekend! If you want to see how I made the journal (click here) Blessings!

Gratitude's and Celebration - Week 44 - Listen to the stillness

Gratitude's and Celebrations - the beginning.....

Allow the blank spaces and the silence time to settle....

Sometimes you need to be quite, to stop and listen.  Listen to the silence uncomfortable at times but necessary, listen to your heartbeat, your breath, the ticking of the clock.  Listen to your mind as it tries to make sense of the world, as the wind soars past your window frame and makes a sound as it seeps into the panes of glass, to the tweeting of the birds in your garden.  

Gratitudes and Celebrations - Listen as the page begins to take shape

Listen to your thoughts, as you go about your day, what are you saying to yourself, what words of encouragement or discouragement do you utter in a moment of testing?  Listen to your cries of your heart, what is it you really want? often what is not said speaks volumes.

Listen - sometimes it takes time to make sense....

Listen to your voice, do you support yourself in your endeavors?  Are you spending time in your creativity, do you listen to the little girl inside you shouting to be heard, or do you brush her aside and miss your calling?

Listen - don't be afraid to stand out....

Listen to your heart as you give space to those friendships, the bonds of love, nurtured, supportive, and forgiving, those that are near and sometimes far.  Listen to the word....

I am grateful today for the opportunity to listen, to listen to my heart and celebrate the stillness that will bring peace.
What do you need to listen to this week?

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal

Have a blessed weekend! If you want to see how I made the journal (click here) Blessings!

Gratitudes and Celebration - Week 43 - Sing a new song - change can happen

Whatever is not working right now can be changed!

Change is stepping into the unknown, making steps to experience something different.  We can embrace it or we can run from it, and it can be for the better or could be for the worse but what counts is how you respond and react to change.

Many of us have experienced needing something to change but we don’t have the immediate resources, experience or knowledge of what steps to take.

A good place to start is knowing why you want change, if things are not working and you are unhappy there is no point in dwelling in the situation but do something about it.  If you don’t have the resources find out how you can get them, do you need to save up, change your job, get more creative, whatever it is do something, change the way you treat yourself and begin to sing a new song.

I am grateful today for the songs within my heart that tell the story of change that has occurred and will occur within my life and celebrate the new experiences that change brings with it.

What songs of change will you be singing this week?

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal

Have a blessed weekend! If you want to see how I made the journal (click here) Blessings!

Gratitude's and Celebration - Week 42 - Gifts

Nothing can compare to the gifts you have to bless the world

Gratitude's Journal - this is how the page started out

But you already know, and you have had a chance to see some of them.  Your gifts that you can sometimes take for granted have been given to you for a purpose.  

The page is starting to take shape!

Whether you teach, encourage, lead, or minister to others you are supposed to use your gifts to bless the lives of others and help others to locate and use their gifts to bless lives and so on until we are all blessing each other around the world, making that difference, being that miracle that someone prayed for, stepping in when there was no one else. 

When you start to use your gifts you will see the life that you are living in a different light and begin to uncover additional gifts which complement the ones you currently using and give you a totally new perspective.  

Whatever life you currently feel you have your gifts are unique to you, there is no one that can bring it in quite the way you can, and you have to be prepared to do more, be more and really be ready to see breakthroughs and successes unfold as you step out! 

I am grateful today for those gifts which reside within me and celebrate the lives of others that I will be able to bless through stepping out and using my gifts.

How will you use your gifts to impact on the lives of others today? 

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal

Have a blessed weekend! If you want to see how I made the journal (click here) Blessings!

Gratitudes and Celebrations - Week 41 - Let Go

Let go

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal

We hold on to things, old ways of thinking, acting and being.  It is time to let go, let go of that which doesn't promote life, understanding and peace.  It is time to let go of the negative memories, thoughts and beliefs that you hold about yourself, some that have been with you for a long time, and for some from childhood.  It is time to let go of treating yourself at times as though worthless without an opinion.  It is just time to let go.

You know what you want to do, where you would love to go, experiences that you would like to try that encourages, enlightens and inspires.  Let go of whatever is holding you back from living the best life you can live right now and trust that a way will be made.  

I celebrate the uncertainty that comes with letting go, stepping out and learning to be comfortable in the uncomfortable.  I am grateful that as I let go I can encourage and be an inspiring example.

Letting Go - Gratitude's and Celebrations - Mixed media Art

What out of date and negative thing that has been clouding your life can you let go of this week?

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal

Have a blessed weekend! If you want to see how I made the journal (click here) Blessings!

Gratitude's and Celebration - Week 37 - Each Step you take...

Gratitudes and Celebration Journal

Each Step you take leads you closer to your dreams

What are the dreams you have been allowing to stir in your heart.  There are so many things that you are naturally gifted with and often you find your self falling into things, seemingly by coincidence.  

Imagine what life would be like if you had a plan, if you made an effort each and every day.  What are the dreams you have for your life, where do you want to be next year, or 3 years time.  You have to be an active participant in your dreams and work on achieving all the little milestones that's how positive change happens we have to do something, so let us continue to dream, dream big, take action by taking a step to realise those dreams.  

Each step you take leads you closer to your dreams

I am grateful to God for enabling me to realize many of my dreams over the years, and I celebrate the ones that will come to fruition in the future.

What dream can you take action on today?  As this week draws to a close have a blessed weekend! If you want to see how I made the journal (click here) Blessings!

Gratititude and Celebrations - Week 35 - A New beginning...

Gratitude's and Celebration

A new beginning is calling you

March always signifies the beginning of spring, we hopefully have gone through most of the bad weather and look forward to brighter evenings and a spattering of sunshine.

We put the clocks forward by an hour and we adjust our body clocks.  The clouds and moods seemingly lifted with more daylight hours available to us.

There are new beginnings ahead, no matter where you are in your life, old or young, you have a new day ahead, new opportunities, new adventures.  

I celebrate and I am grateful for the opportunity to see a new day and embrace the new beginnings that are unfolding in my life.  What are you going to do with your tomorrow, take time to notice everything over the next 24 hours.

Gratitude's and Celebrations - Week 33 - Use your strength

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal

Sometimes we forget the many things that we have come through, gotten out the other side of, stepped out of the way of.  There are times when we never thought we would get through and nearly came to the point of giving up.  In these times we have to call on those strengths that we don’t often get to use though they are they there. I am not talking the physical ‘I can move a mountain’ strength, but the ‘I have been to the deepest darkest pit and came out the other end type of strength and we have to dig deep. 

This type of strength is the kind that comes out of immense pain, be it loss or illness. Our strengths are often prepared in the fire. I see one of my strengths as one who can encourage, having come from a place where in my younger days I wanted to disappear to experiencing the loss of many loved ones.

I love being able to support others in being able to find the strength which lay within them, that can often mean a simple shift in perspective or uncovering and dusting what they saw as weaknesses. I am grateful for today for the strengths which lay within me and celebrate the ones that I will uncover this year.

What would you say your strengths are and how can you uncover new ones? How can you identify the many strengths you have in your life today? I would love to hear from you and share what you will be doing. As this weekend draws to a close have a blessed week If you want to see how I made the journal (click here) Blessings!

Gratitude and Celebrations - Week 32 - Your blessings are waiting for you!

Gratitudes' and Celebrations Journal

We are constantly surrounded by blessings and they come in the most unusual packaging.  If we look past what you expect a blessing to look like you will be pleasantly surprised.

Your Blessings are waiting for you

I see the blessings as the very things I would miss if they were not there.  The sound of the birds singing and tweeting as they fight for the seeds in the bird feeder, the feel and sensation of the suns rays on my skin even on a cold day.  If you have ever over come an illness you are thankful that you are able to do something that was previously difficult.  

I would obviously not over look a large windfall or selling every piece of art work I have created, but if and when they do come I will be grateful for the many other little things that present themselves and makes any day one to be grateful for.

Mixed media

What are the blessings that you have within your midst that you should be talking note of?

What have you done so far with the day that you have, How can you identify the many blessings in your life  today? I would love to hear from you and share what you will be doing. As this weekend draws to a close have a blessed week If you want to see how I made the journal (click here) Blessings!

Gratitude's and Celebrations - Week 30 - This is a great day! .......and Memories of Home

I missed the Memories of Home post on Wednesday and decided to do it anyway for this week especially because it is about being in tranquil environments or creating one in your space.  Mum has been in her flat now for nearly 40 years, all the neighbours kids that used to live there are all grown up, including myself having now been replaced with a new generation that play football in defiance of the 'no ball games sign'.  I am not sure what they were thinking when they put it up being the only space to play out in, there was never anyone to to enforce it when we were young and me and my brother would race round on our scooters, or play ball with the other kids.

Memories of Home - Tranquillity

Having experienced my first home at different points of my life growing up and now as mums carer I find that there is an unusual peace in her home which I am not sure I can solely attribute to the flat or what I have done myself, but a combination of making the environment suit the purposes and meet whatever the current needs are at the time.

I remember looking around at some things as a child and feeling how tall everything seemed, competing with my brother to check who was actually getting taller by measuring ourselves on the door frame.  He became much taller than me in the end with his 6f 2in frame, covered over are the lines on the frame.  This is my weekend with my mum and I am looking forward to spending time with her, while she is not as mobile and her understanding has diminished some what, she can still enjoy being creative and I am going to work on a mini memory box with her.

I had one of these boxes that contained a storage bag and thought I could recycle it has some potential and could be turned into a memory/assemblage box that could either be hung up or free standing, and would be a great way to capture something!.  I will let you know how it turns out in the recycled projects next week.

Gratitude's and Celebration

I am grateful and celebrate the 90 years my mum as lived, that she is able to see her grand-kids and continues to hold on to her precious life, not giving up but taking each day as it comes.  We are blessed more than we can know and I continue to look at the small things that come my way as a reminder.

Gratitude's Journal in progress

Completed page

This is a great day! 

What have you done so far with the day that you have, what can you do differently to make it even more special? I would love to hear from you and share what you will be doing. As this week draws to a close have a blessed weekend! If you want to see how I made the journal (click here) Blessings!

Gratitudes and Celebration Journal - Week 24 - Preparation

Gratitude's and Celebration - Week 24

'Prepare yourself for the journey - Your not alone...'

Sometimes we prevent ourselves from taking the journey, not because we don't have the tools or know the way, but simply because we feel insecure about ourselves.  It might have been a throw away comment that someone said or even a look that someone gave you or your work that starts you on the self doubting route.

We are all on the journey

Preparing for the journey takes all the slip-ups, mistakes, comments and anything else that will invariably come and gives you a reminder of why you started your in the first place.  They are the things that get you back on track, the encouraging images, the reminders of what you are working towards and keep you going when the going gets tough.  

Support is available as you make your journey

Today I am grateful for the support, seen and unseen from that are routing for me as I make my journey and I am grateful to those who are further along on their journey and every now and then reach a hand back to encourage me forward.

Today think of those things that you need to make preparation as reminders along the way, and decide what steps you will take next.  One small change over a period of time can make the difference. I would love to hear from you and share what you will be tackling next.

As this week draws to a close have a blessed weekend!  If you want to see how I made the journal (click here)

Christmas Fair and Concert Today!

EEC Christmas Fair and Carols

Today is the day of my stall, there will be lots of lovely displays and people sharing their work.  There is an International Food Hall where you will be able to sample a lot of the delights, if you are in London, near to Victoria or Westminster then why not take a detour and come down and start your Christmas celebrations in style!

As usual at this event which I attend yearly there will be a feast of colours from the neighbouring stalls, and there will be so many lovely arts and crafts on sale.

On my stall I will have some of my art pieces and a selection of my Capturing Moments mini journals and have designed some mini kits that contain 2 mini journals, paper pack, ephemera tags, beads, glue etc for you to get creative with,

Captured moments kit to encourage your creativity

I thought is is a great way to dip your feet into getting creative and everything comes in the kit.  They also come in a lovely clear box that helps you keep everything together, and make lovely gifts.

Captured moments mini kits

If you don't want the kit I have some small mini journals that come with tags as seen below.

Captured Moments mini journals with tags

I will have some available on my website over the next week so if you want to order one of the kits you can. If you can't wait and want them before the Christmas rush then email me at amanda(at)realityarts(dot)co(dot)uk and I will sort something out:)  The Kits are £10 plus £3.50 pp, the mini journal with tags are £3.00 plus £2.50 pp.

Captured Moments Journal Kit

I will be giving 30% of all sales to Oxfams disaster relief appeal and I hope to make as much as possible to donate to the appeal.  I thank everyone in advance who will make a purchase for either themselves or a loved one for their special occasion.  Your purchase will go to support a family whose whole world has been turned upside down and whilst we are far away we can do as much as possible to show our support.

Also for those who are looking to continue the evening how about coming to a concert with a range of local artist.  III Chronicles Studio will be hosting their 7th Anniversary concert.  There will be an array of performers will be contributing to the night. I'll be there, so stop by and say hello.  I hope you have a blessed weekend and do share what you will be getting up to!

III Chronicles Studio in Wembley