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)
Friday 6 December 2013
Wednesday 4 December 2013
Kitchen - Memories of Home
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!
Labels:
cakes
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Monday 2 December 2013
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...
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 |
Painted recycled materials for pockets on the inside |
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.
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.
Labels:
Art journal
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bags
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Craftsy
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fimo clay
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Material mondays
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Recycling
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removable pages
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wool
Sunday 1 December 2013
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.....' |
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?
Labels:
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Change
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Saturday 30 November 2013
Recycling Project - Mini's
From some of the projects that I have been sharing here and here, you would have realised that I have a thing about quinoa and textures as part of a creative project I thought that I would make a series of mini frames that you could use in different ways. You could use them in and on your journal or cards, or a range of other projects.
I wanted to create antique type look and having old photographs within the frames enables you to achieve this effect. There are many royalty free images that can be used that you can find on the internet.
I guess I have found the quinoa to be quite versatile in creating surfaces but also as edging as once it is dry it becomes really hard. For the one below I tried out linseed's.
For some of the mini's I used a combination of polymer clay, stones, clay and friendly plastic.
There are so many beautiful things that can be made using recycled materials, the only problem I am finding is running out of space either from the things I have been collecting to make something else or the things I end up making. There will be lots of handmade gifts being given at Christmas this year:)
I hope you have a blessed weekend, and allow your creativity to push back the boundaries in order to allow yourself to really soar!
Come back on Tuesday to see how I make the Mini's in Tutorial Tuesday. Do share creative ways in which you have used recycled materials and leave a comment below.
Labels:
portraits
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Quinoa Frames
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Friday 29 November 2013
Gratitudes and Celebrations - Week 21 -Support
Support - Gratitude's and Celebrations |
When you feel like quitting, reach out to your support network
Who is in your support network? |
We can isolate ourselves or feel isolated in certain circumstances but we have to make sure that we surround ourselves with encouraging and positive people who can not only keep it real, but also see further than what is in front of them - our cheer leaders near and far that encourage us to go another mile, take another step to be more than we ever thought we could be.
As we look to surround ourselves with encouraging people, let us also be the one who can encourage and shine the light on others. Your words of encouragement to another could make the difference between them giving up or getting up and dusting themselves off and trying again.
I celebrate the encouraging souls near and far that have been a source of strength along the way and I am grateful for another day to be able to encourage someone else.
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)
Labels:
Art journal
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gratitude's journal
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Gratitudes
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Mixed media
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support
Thursday 28 November 2013
In the News - Christmas Fairs, Concerts and Reviews!
There are two events happening on Saturday 7th December that will inspire, encourage and bless you.
EEC Christmas Fair
If you are in London on then come along to the EEC Christmas Fair and Carol Concert. I will be there displaying some of my work, there will be other craft stalls, international food and more, starts from 1pm to 6pm.
For every item purchased on my stall on the day I will be giving 30% to charity for the Philippines disaster appeal organised by Oxfam, so come down and show your support.
Concert
Katherines Corner
It would be great to see you at one of the events if you are in the location or even in the UK on Saturday 7th December, share what you are up to, and if you have a pet will you be giving the cat portraits ago?
Finally, have a great day and blessings to you and yours!
EEC Christmas Fair
If you are in London on then come along to the EEC Christmas Fair and Carol Concert. I will be there displaying some of my work, there will be other craft stalls, international food and more, starts from 1pm to 6pm.
For every item purchased on my stall on the day I will be giving 30% to charity for the Philippines disaster appeal organised by Oxfam, so come down and show your support.
There will also be a concert the same evening starting at 7pm at Tokyngton Community Center, St Micheal Avenue, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 6SA. There will be a wide range of talented musicians sharing their skills. My husband Alan will also be show casing one of the songs from his Ekidz album about internet safety for children. For more information on the concert at Tokygnton, email iiichronicles@yahoo.co.uk or call 07986893511
Book Review
DIY Gift Guide - Quirk Books
This book is one that I downloaded on my Kindle, I am always looking for mini projects to try my hand at and this seemed like a useful start. The book was free on Kindle, so I didn't hesitate in ordering. It has a selection of DIY ideas curated by Homemade Quirk, which is a place where people share their stories, ideas and they are not only craft based but have ideas of food gifts and treats.
The book is split into 6 sections - for the bookworm, for the lovebirds, for the kids, for the animal lover, for the foodie, for the geek, and aims to appeal to different needs has a total of 18 projects, 9 of which are food based. The instructions are fairly straight forward to follow.
My favorite 3 projects were making the Tiny books, pink champagne cake which I intend try substituting the wheat and dairy, and the mini candi charms using polymer clay. My least favorite was the cat portraits made with real cat hair (never knew you could do anything with cat hair, although for those with pets this would be a great recycling project. It is a nice book for kids to try their hand at trying to make some of the project, it could have had a few additional ideas or variations on the projects that were listed. All in all as a free publication you can't go far wrong and it is definitely worth a look at least!
The book is split into 6 sections - for the bookworm, for the lovebirds, for the kids, for the animal lover, for the foodie, for the geek, and aims to appeal to different needs has a total of 18 projects, 9 of which are food based. The instructions are fairly straight forward to follow.
My favorite 3 projects were making the Tiny books, pink champagne cake which I intend try substituting the wheat and dairy, and the mini candi charms using polymer clay. My least favorite was the cat portraits made with real cat hair (never knew you could do anything with cat hair, although for those with pets this would be a great recycling project. It is a nice book for kids to try their hand at trying to make some of the project, it could have had a few additional ideas or variations on the projects that were listed. All in all as a free publication you can't go far wrong and it is definitely worth a look at least!
Katherines Corner
Today is also Thursdays Favorite Things on Katherines Corner Take a stroll over there and visit some of the inspiring and encouraging blogs, If you have a blog you can leave a link to your post and show some support by visiting others who have listed theirs.
It would be great to see you at one of the events if you are in the location or even in the UK on Saturday 7th December, share what you are up to, and if you have a pet will you be giving the cat portraits ago?
Finally, have a great day and blessings to you and yours!
Labels:
Book Review
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christmas fair
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concert
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DIY Gift Guide
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Katherines Corner
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News
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oxfam
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Tuesday 26 November 2013
Ice Cream - Memories of Home
Ice Cream - 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.
Ice Cream
When we were younger, about once a month my dad would take me and my brother and sister to an ice cream parlour - the old fashion kind. It was called Marine Ices. It was run by an Italian family with its recipes developed by Gaetano Mansi and they had a wonderful selection of ice creams and sorbets.
Our trip to Marine Ices became a family tradition which would be followed by a stroll around Camden Lock which has become a very trendy place to be for millions of tourists each year. When dad passed as kids we kept it up for a while fondly looking back at our memories and each building new ones with our own children.
Do you remember somewhere you used to visit as a child, 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!
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Camden Lock
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childhood memories
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Ice cream
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Marine ices
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Memories
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Memories from home
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mixed media houses
Tutorial Tuesday - Tea Bag Treasure Box
Where will your imagination take you? |
It is surprising what you can do with an empty box an a bit of imagination. As part of the recycled project on Saturday I shared with you the Teabag Treasure Boxes I had made, from the empty box once it had finished, here is the selection that I had made previously.
Selection of Tea boxes made into treasure boxes |
Today I will be showing you how you can decorate your own box using a few simple techniques. What you will need:
An empty tea box (or any box you have to hand, paper of choice, gesso or paint, stamps, embellishments of choice and imagination!
Starting off with a box |
Taking a box of your choice - this is one of my favorite teas and I do go through quite a few - it is spiced tea with a blend of ginger, cardamon, black pepper (yes) and a range of other things, it is absolutely delicious with some sugar and rice milk. It is similar to Chai, but a bit more spicy, but that is for another post...
Cover your box in your paper of choice, this will help make it more sturdy. Here I have used a brown paper bag. I spritzed it with water which made it easier to scrunched it up which will add texture to the box.
As I applied each piece I have covered it pva glue and then allowed it to dry.
Once covered and dried your on the home stretch! |
The box sets quite hard, I decided to keep my box open and then I painted it with gesso, allowing some of the colour of the paper to show through.
Add an encouraging word with lettering |
I stuck on some letting - the word 'Create' and on the inside of the lid using handmade stamps I stamped a heart and added stamped flowers around the outside of the box..
Home made stamps used in decoration |
I applied glue from a hot glue gun around the edges and around the heart.
To finish off I added some goldfinger metalic paste to the edging of the box and around the glue and it gives it a worn grungy look.
I attached one of the 'teabags' from the teabag treasure tutorial post I did last week. You can cover your box with pva glue to seal it and then your ready to go and use it
I look forward to sharing next weeks project with you.
Monday 25 November 2013
Material Mondays - Chunky Button Fabric Journal
Chunky Button Fabric Journal |
Ever one for making a journal, I had some material from some scarf material I had that is at least 30 years old....does that make it vintage? The scarf formed the basis of the covers with 3 panels. The journal measures around 5 x 5 inches. I really love the size and feel of this journal.
I decided it was going to be an experimental journal, the inside page holds a crochet pocket to carry tools and equipment, I wanted to add as much storage space as possible so that you wouldn't necessarily have to carry any other supplies.
Chunky Journal - inside 3 panels |
The central pages that form the signatures are made from my sons old school uniform trousers. Once covered in gesso the pages become stiffer and easy to work with. There are 12 pages, 6 of which have already been altered with paints and writing and will form the springboard for additional ideas.
Pockets of joy, with lace and crochet trim |
Love stitched on a piece of hessian allows for more storage underneath |
More buttons decorate the back of the chunky 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.
Have a blessed day, see you tomorrow for Tutorial Tuesday.
Have a blessed day, see you tomorrow for Tutorial Tuesday.
Labels:
chunky fabric journal
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fabric journals
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Material mondays
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Mixed media
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