Stepping Out Challenge - 31 Days - Reflections

Welcome to today's post.  Last month wrote about a challenge that I was taking part in over the month of October and looked at some of the challenges that I had taken part in over the years.  

It was great reconnecting with some of the challenges and reminding myself of what I had achieved.

It is important to have a proper time of reflection and very often you are so thankful that you made it to the end that you can find yourself stepping from challenge to challenge, with no time to really think about what you like and dislike about taking part.

I have a lot of other projects that took a back seat while I was doing the challenge and want to get back to working on them.  I really enjoyed doing it and as I mentioned yesterday I learnt a lot about working with podcasts, editing and found hidden gems in the challenges that I was sharing that I will be revisiting and working on.  All in all it has created a whole new set of activities in motion that I am looking forward in  working on.

If you missed some of the posts for the Stepping Out Challenge I have listed them below, they lead to the blog post and has a link to the podcast which has additional material within it.   Hope you have taken the step for making the rest of the year rewarding, by learning as much as you can, challenging yourself and stepping out of your comfort zone

Day 1 & 2 - Challenge Starts

Day 3 - Art Studio Essentials 1
Day 4 - Art Studio Essentials 2

Day 5 - Tropical Garden 1
Day 6 - Tropical Garden 2

Day 7 - 31 Art Journals 1
Day 8 - 31 Art Journals 2

Day 9 - A - Z of Dementia 1
Day 10 - A - Z of Dementia 2



Day 11 - Tips for Carers 1
Day 12 - Tips for Carers 2



Day 13 - Healthier Lifestyle 1
Day 14 - Healthier Lifestyle 2

Day 15 - 365 Days of Colour 1
Day 16 - 365 Days of Colour 2

Day 17 - Writing Challenge 1
Day 18 - Writing Challenge 2



Day 19 - Clearing the Clutter 1
Day 20 - Clearing the Clutter 2



Day 21 - 52 Weeks of Colour & Inspiration
Day 22 - 52 Weeks of Colour & Inspiration 2

Day 23 - Creating in Faith 1
Day 24 - Creating in Faith 2

Day 25 - Gratitude's 1
Day 26 - Gratitude's 2

Day 27 - I love you today because 1

Day 28 - Memories of Home 1
Day 29 - Memories of Home 2

Day 30 - Gratitude's and Celebrations 1
Day 31 - Gratitude's and Celebrations 2

I would love to know if you have started a challenge for yourself, or are you thinking of it? 

 Do you want to explore some ideas that you would like to start or have been mulling over in your mind and have some feedback, then join the mailing list and you can have an email feedback to help you on your way?

Check out some of the supplies/books at a discounted price, check out one of the links below:

Adorn it - http://bit.ly/AdorAT18

Dollar Tree - http://bit.ly/DolAT18

Blick - http://bit.ly/Blick18

Book Outlet - http://bit.ly/BOOKAT18

Stampington - http://bit.ly/STAAT18

C& T Publishing -  http://bit.ly/CNTPAT18

Dover - http://bit.ly/DOVPAT18

Craftsy Kits - http://bit.ly/CrafAT18

Amazon Store -  https://www.amazon.com/shop/realityarts

Stepping Out Challenge - Day 31 - Gratitude's and Celebrations Pt 2

Welcome to today's post, I am taking part in a 31 day blog challenge where I post everyday in October.  I love creating challenges for myself and joining ones by others.  My challenge for the rest of the month is to reflect on some of the series I created for myself and inspiration that I have taken away.

Listen to the Podcast

Thank you for joining me for another Gratitude's and Celebration Journal, today is day 31 and the end of the challenge.  I am very proud of myself for keeping it going and sticking to the schedule.  I did have a couple of days where getting myself to complete the post on the blog and then do one for the podcast, but I made it work, and I stuck with it for me, and for those beautiful people who visited the blog and listened to the podcast.

For the Gratitude’s and Celebrations journal I shared with you yesterday  I made the journal, and had a fabric cover which I decorated and was a piece of art in itself.  I showed up on that challenge every week to look at those things that I am grateful for, and celebrate the life that I have been given.  One of my last posts was about growth and the things that we learn through our growth which at times can be painful as well as exciting, scary and thrilling!  

Spending time in the journal each week was a good discipline, I made time for creativity, and learnt to have more patience in the work I wanted to do.   

Making it work for you

I created 86 weeks worth of insights, celebrations and paintings and made some lovely connections with those who visited the blog posts each week.  We are connected and our actions have an impact on someone somewhere around the world so we have to be mindful about what we say and do and treat each other with a bit more kindness.

I still continue to have an attitude of gratitude and celebrate the growth and the insights that I learn each and every day.

Adding and stitching and embellishments

I am still on a creative journey in my journal and like many work in a variety of journal depending on how I feel and what I want to work with, and as I said before each journal is still a lovely work in progress

That said I have also had an amazing journey completing the challenge for the past 31 days I learn to use some new technology, new skills, the value of showing up for me, and for those who find value in my work.  On the blog I will be sharing more art journal work, process videos, art book reviews and some of the art work that I have been getting up to so it will be great if you join me.

Podcast

I am very proud of completing all 31 additional posts for the Realityarts Podcast along with the weekly 2 posts I have been doing.  I hope that it has brought some enrichment to your lives.  I thank all the listeners for joining me over this past month, as I shared my work. 

I would love you to come over to the podcast and hear some podcasts that I have been creating and maybe think about joining me on my Patreon site where you will get some exclusive content and you will be helping to keep much of the content that I create free.

For November I will be continuing to post  on the podcast twice a week and have a bit of a breather, but will be working on midweek show where I will be looking at Arts and Health specifically, so you will be getting 3 episodes each week

If you missed some of the Blog posts you can find them below, click on the day to go to the post:

Day 1 & 2 - Challenge Starts

Day 3 - Art Studio Essentials 1
Day 4 - Art Studio Essentials 2

Day 5 - Tropical Garden 1
Day 6 - Tropical Garden 2

Day 7 - 31 Art Journals 1
Day 8 - 31 Art Journals 2

Day 9 - A - Z of Dementia 1
Day 10 - A - Z of Dementia 2

Day 11 - Tips for Carers 1
Day 12 - Tips for Carers 2

Day 13 - Healthier Lifestyle 1
Day 14 - Healthier Lifestyle 2

Day 15 - 365 Days of Colour 1
Day 16 - 365 Days of Colour 2

Day 17 - Writing Challenge 1
Day 18 - Writing Challenge 2

Day 19 - Clearing the Clutter 1
Day 20 - Clearing the Clutter 2

Day 21 - 52 Weeks of Colour & Inspiration
Day 22 - - 52 Weeks of Colour & Inspiration 2

Day 23 - Creating in Faith 1
Day 24 - Creating in Faith 2

Day 25 - Gratitude's 1
Day 26 - Gratitude's 2

Day 27 - I love you today because 1

Day 28 - Memories of Home 1
Day 29 - Memories of Home 2

Day 30 - Gratitude's and Celebrations 1
Day 31 - Gratitude's and Celebrations 2

Thank you once again for joining me and taking the time to read the blog and listen to the podcast, it has been much appreciated.  it is never too late to start working towards your dreams, the main thing is to take one step at a time and do something that you find interesting.

Stay blessed and be a blessing.

Stepping Out Challenge - Day 30 - Gratitude's and Celebrations Journal

Welcome to today's post, I have been taking part in a 31 day blog challenge posting everyday in October.  I have been talking about different challenges that I created, reflecting and gaining new insights.  

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I created an Arts Gratitude and Celebration’s Journal after a year of writing on a weekly basis for the 52Weeks of Colour and Inspiration in which I would write about things I was grateful for, so I have been working in it for quite a while now.

I wanted to have a way to visually look over my work, as well as read about the things I wrote and look at how I felt about them whenever I reflected back on them.  I use creativity as a form of expression, not to just paint a picture but use it as a means to express in ways that words may not.

It is easier to look back at the months and see those things that I was grateful expressed in image form creatively, we don't have to have a reason to create and it is important to think about how you can get time to express when you can rather than look for a long stretch of time that you never seem to find.

I never put a time limit on how long I would work in the journal I kept some of the pages small so that I could finish a page if I had 15 minutes or bigger pages if I had longer.  I created a weekly page which generally also had a word that summed up either what I was grateful for or was celebrating, and once the page was complete I wrote about the things I celebrated and was grateful for on the same page.  Keeping it as simple as possible makes it easier for you to show up and do what you need to do, and it is a great reminder over the preciousness of life and the choices that you have

Gratitude and Celebrations Journal - Amanda Trought

It was great making the journal, I used an assortment of cards that I had in my supplies which I had intended on making greetings cards with, but had been neglected.  Who would have guessed that they would come in handy for a creative project?  That is the essence of ‘Clearing the Clutter challenge’ so many creative things can come in handy if you give them a chance.

Gratitude and Celebrations Journal - Amanda Trought

I made several signatures of the cards and kept the sizes random, and they were varying thicknesses which then were able to take paint or could be collaged over.  I then covered the journal with fabric and used cowrie shells, beads and seed beads and attached them to the different types of material used for the journal. It is lovely and chunky and I still add embellishments even now, as it is about constant use, enjoyment and play.

Gratitude and Celebrations Journal - Amanda Trought

Creating a working art journal can be done very easily and it is a fulfilling activity on many levels.  Then I began, I didn’t think about how long it would take I just enjoyed the journey. 

Tomorrow is the last day of the bonus challenge.  I will share the second part from my Gratitude's and Celebrations Journal and share reflections.  I hope you have managed to find some time to challenge, be creative and stretch yourself.

Why not join me on the blog, sign up for the mailing list and receive a free guide to spending more time being creative.  

Join the Mailing List and receive this Guide!

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, just remember to start, take one step at a time and do something that you find interesting.

Stay blessed and be a blessing.

Ps:  If you are on a budget and would like to check out some supplies/books at a discounted price, check out one of the links below:

Adorn it - http://bit.ly/AdorAT18

Dollar Tree - http://bit.ly/DolAT18

Blick - http://bit.ly/Blick18

Book Outlet - http://bit.ly/BOOKAT18

Stampington - http://bit.ly/STAAT18

C&T Publishing -  http://bit.ly/CNTPAT18

Dover - http://bit.ly/DOVPAT18

Craftsy Kits - http://bit.ly/CrafAT18

Amazon Store -  https://www.amazon.com/shop/realityarts

Stepping Out Challenge - Day 29 - Memories of Home 2

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Welcome to day 29 of the blog challenge.  It is funny how talking about the challenge again has brought up so many memories for me.  As I walk down memory lane some of the posts I had written in the original challenge feel as if they are only yesterday. 

Today is the second part of the Memories from Home reflections, and I am really glad that you could join me.

We grew up in a 3 bedroom apartment.  My sister had her own bedroom, my brother and I had to share until my sister left home to go to University. We had moved into the house when I was 7 years old and grew up and eventually left home when we felt that we were grown.  

It was our family home for over 33 years and we would have family dinners on the weekends, and continued the practice when we had children of our own.  When mum became ill with Dementia we needed to consider an adapted flat that would cater to a wheelchair, and her increasing needs. 

The Memories from Home posts came at the right time for me, I had lost my best friend 2 years previously and then my Brother passed and it was like a big hole had been left and there was nothing that could quite ease the feeling.  

As I wrote the posts and looked back to what we used to do as children, and the adventures that we had I realised that when you stir up the memories that you shared it helped heal some of the wounds left by your loved ones departing.   

I smiled at the things that we did as children, all the near scrapes, the laughter and adventure we shared.  I also smile at the way we began to sound like our parents – all those things that you swore you would never say suddenly start to roll off your tongue when trying to discipline your child, and you hear yourself say the words and your mind is saying  'really'.

Going down memory lane every now and again is an important activity, and if you can write about those times you help preserve your own piece of history that your children and your children’s children can treasure.

What things about your childhood, traditions and memories  can you think about? Take time to journal, or create an art journal page.

I look forward to having you join me for tomorrows post where I will be sharing about the Gratitude’s and Celebration Challenge.   I hope you have been able to you find some time to challenge, be creative and stretch yourself.

Why not join on the blog and sign up to the Mailing list as we dive into to some exciting challenges and look at ways in which they can impact on your own life. 

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, it is never too late to start! The main thing is to take one step at a time and do something that you find interesting.

Stay blessed and be a blessing.

Ps:  If you are on a budget and would like to check out some  supplies/books at a discounted price, check out one of the links below:

Adorn it - bit.ly/AdorAT18 

Dollar Tree - bit.ly/DolAT18 

Blick - bit.ly/Blick18 

Book Outlet - bit.ly/BOOKAT18 

Stampington - bit.ly/STAAT18 

C& T Publishing - bit.ly/CNTPAT18 

Dover - bit.ly/DOVPAT18 

Craftsy Kits - bit.ly/CrafAT18 

Amazon Store - 

www.amazon.com/shop/realityarts

Stepping Out Challenge - Day 28 - Memories of Home

Welcome to today's post, a few more days left, it has gone so fast! 

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Welcome, I hope that you are having a blessed day, and that you have been thinking about some of the areas of your life where you can set yourself a challenge.

The Memories of home challenge was a weekly series of art pieces and reflections and memories of what home means to me.  I created and shared a selection of mixed media 4x7 houses that I had made that captured different elements of home and growing up.

Home brings up a range of different memories, some of mine took me back in time to childhood and some memories more recent that reminds me that the home environment should be a nurturing one. 

Alongside creating the mini houses I also chose a selection of words that all bring back memories of home life, or how I wanted my environment to be ie 'nurturing, relaxing, a sanctuary' things that I want to experience at home and I am sure that others too want to have that place where they can be themselves and recharge their batteries.  These words were also ones that you could spend time reflecting on and thinking about what they meant for you and so creating an additional jump off point for creating a journal page

Some Earliest Memories

My earliest memory of home was when I was around 4 years old.  We lived in 2 rooms on the 2^nd floor of a house.  My mum, dad, me and my brother who was a baby occupied one room and my sister who was 10 years old occupied the other. A large fireplace dominated the room and at bath times we had a large tin bath which mum used to fill with jugs of water.  We had fun playing, splashing and laughing and the next minute you are being wrapped up in an oversize towel looking forward to the night time snack.

Family life has changed a great deal over the years.  Creating the challenge was a lovely way for me to take that trip down memory lane and preserve some of it for the next generation.  It is important that we continue to tell our stories and share our truths.  

As the families change/grow and relocate how do you stay connected and have those ‘do you remember when we used to’ conversations.  Our 'Trought' family gatherings used to invariably end up in the kitchen.  The kitchen seem to be the place that everyone gathered and the adults sat around the tables with the children trying to blend in as they listen to the laughter and stories, hearing the long kept secrets.  They would be ushered out when they tried to pip in with their comments and to go and play with the other kids, we were told the same things when we were kids.

There are so many parts of the story to tell, which will you share?

When you think of home what comes up for you?

What are the traditions that you have held on to as a family.

Join me tomorrow as I share more about the challenge and reflections.  Tomorrow I will share the second part from my Memories from Home series.  I hope during this month you find some time to challenge, be creative and stretch yourself.

Why not join me and do a challenge of your own.  Look at ways in which they can impact on your own life and get you out of your comfort zone.

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, it is never too late to start! The main thing is to take one step at a time and do something that you find interesting.

Stay blessed and be a blessing.