Gratitudes and Celebration Week 22 - You are Wonderful!

Did anyone ever tell you that you were wonderful, no? yes? what ever your answer I thought that I would remind you that you are!

I know this post is about what I am grateful for and celebrate, but that is just it, your part of that celebration!  If you have taken the time to visit my blog and read my posts you have shared a snippet of my world.  In my post last week I said no man is an island.... we are all connected somehow whether you want to be or not.

Today I want you to know that I think you are wonderful and are a blessing, and whether you comment or not, I want to remind you about that hidden talent you have, the one your weren't sure about revealing or the creative thoughts you have been wrestling with that wanted to be worked on, but you were feeling insecure about.  Even that video that you were going to make or those pictures that you wanted to take, I wanted to encourage you that even when you don't feel wonderful, someone (me) thinks you are - now go and shine your light!

Today I am grateful for you!  You have come a long way - there have been many doors and ups and downs. You know when you have persevered or nearly thrown in the towel but you kept going, you know you have and I celebrate your life. Now that you have been reminded that you are wonderful how does it make you feel?  I would love to hear from you and share what you will be tackling next.

As this week draws to a close can you think of the beautiful things in your life. Do leave a comment and have a blessed weekend!
If you want to see how I made the journal (click here)

Kitchen - Memories of Home

Welcome to Memories of Home, if you would like to find out more information about the series, Click here

Being in a supportive environment is important to our growth as individuals, not everyone has had that opportunity and as adults we try and create an environment that will nurture and bless our children and indeed ourselves.

Kitchen

The kitchen in our home growing up was always the center of all activity. It always had wonderful aromas coming from it and was the warmest room as mum would create her delicious recipes. Mum was a great cook, and could turn her hand to anything. Her baking was divine and we would all get our own individual cake that she made on our birthdays, there was always something going on and we had to celebrate with a cake. When we were little we would help her mix and when she was finished she would give us the bowl and in those days tasting the mixture never posed any problems and tasted good, but times change.

Growing up and having homes of our own we all found we did exactly the same, the kitchen became the heart and usually when we go to each others homes we all gravitate at some point in the kitchen as we relax and reflect. My thoughts recently have been dwelling on the loss of my brother, it has now been just 6 months and new routines are being faced, with the Christmas season quickly approaching we hold his memory dear to our hearts and we gather and reminisce on how things used to be.

What part of your home holds those special memories, please leave a comment and I hope you continue to join me on my journey over the weeks, as I share my mixed media houses and look back to the memories of home. I look forward to hearing about some some of your own memories. Blessings and peace to you!

Material Mondays - Recycled Bag Journal

I wanted to show you one of my favorite bags.  In its hay day It was lovely and soft, very flexible, I loved the colour, but alas I wore it out...

Whilst it was not leather, it meant that it didn't last as long with the daily uses.  I would take it every where and it began to get a bit worse for wear.  I decided that I wanted to see if I could create something else that would prolong my use of the bag.

I decided to make a cover for a journal, where the inside pages would be able to be replaceable, but I could keep the essence of the bag.  Taking it apart was easy, and in the back of my mind I had a vague idea of how I would reconstruct it.

It was one of those projects that once I started I was determined to finish.  Armed with glue, needles, wool, painted fabric and some signatures I was ready to begin working out how to put together the bag. 

I added stitching here and there and with a bit of perseverance it began to come together.

Adding tassel's on the bag

The inside detail includes painted fabric which you can recycle from old clothes or sheets.  This journal uses my sons old primary school shirt and trousers and the strips of fabric provide spaces for extra storage.  The signatures as I said are attached by the plaited blue and purple wool, and is a selection of painted papers from projects that I didn't use.

Painted recycled materials for pockets on the inside

The pockets are deep enough to store supplies and still be able to close and not be too heavy.

The bag journal came together really well, I added detail on the back using fimo clay, sequins and fabric paint and made a woolen button as the clasp.

With corresponding wool, I added tassel's and placed painted fabric on the handles give them added durability.

Quite a different looking bag now, I am looking forward to using it, might even use it as a travel journal!

If you are considering learning how to take part in creative activity check out Craftsy online courses, at the moment they are doing a special offer on some of their classes, and they are offering some free mini courses. Click here.

Confidence - Creating in Faith

Confidence

What do you know that you know, that you know to be true?

Earlier this week I had a mini revelation or understanding about my life.  It wasn't something now I think of it that I didn't already know, but it was clarity that shone its' light over an area of my work.

'You know that you know that you know to be true.....'

In my prayer life I have been praying for change, but we all know that change can only come if you do something different, taking that step each day doing something different until you get the required results.  The change could only be activated if I had the confidence to know that despite what things look like, something totally different than the current view is expected.

I am confident in knowing that if I want to learn something and everyday I do a little bit to expand my knowledge, put it into practise, review and learn some more, I can be guaranteed that in a year I’ll know more than I did when I started.

Having confidence helps me to know that in every situation there are several outcomes possible and if I am flexible in my approach and not ridged then it is possible to be able to gain insight and understanding from any outcome.

In our faith we have confidence that there is a living God who cares for us and wants us to live a life beyond anything we could possibly imagine, using the gifts, talents and abilities that we have all been given, working on those ones that need work, sharing, giving, blessing....

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength... Philippians 4:13

God wants you to be curious about life, to stretch beyond what society tells you is the norm and to keep asking those questions like a child who learns about his surroundings starts to ask the ‘why’ questions.  God’s word tells us to 'ask and you will receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be open in Matthew 7:7'.   There is no standing still, no static, or staleness but an excitement about each and every day, knowing that the difference that it will bring depends on our perspective and whether our glass is half empty or remains half full.

The Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught... Proverbs 3:26

What have you put your confidence in?