A brand new start.

2015 has been about loss,...and love. Gratitude and appreciation. Patience and prayer. Friendship and Growth. Family and Commitments.  It has been an ever evolving year, a year of transformation and continued rebirth and with each passing day the light I see becomes clearer and brighter and warmer. It's a process, I get that now,like a brick to the head,I get it.  

(this is my new mug from Kecia. It reads "Blessed" on the other side,but it was the angel that first caught my eye,I call her my Momma angel)

Every year I pick a word or a phrase that helps me to stay focused,helps me to find my way. And when I pick it,I put that word/phrase everywhere. On my fridge,in my car,in my wallet,in my art room...it's everywhere. 

My phrase for 2016 is .."Still Becoming"...

and I want to see it everywhere,so the first thing to change was my website banner and I used some delicious stamps from Viva Las Vegas Stamps.

I first stamped the images on to white card stock and then took pictures of each one.

I uploaded each image to Photoshop...

I then used the Magic Extractor tool to remove everything but the black image.

I then saved the files as Png's

and headed to the photo editing program Pic Monkey and created assorted banners in the Design Tool.

I ended up with one below and I really love the way it came out! 

I turned the banner into a Png File. You can see how it looks on my website here.

It's been so very long since I've scrapbooked,but lately,the urge to give it another try was a strong one. And I'm so glad it because Scrapbooking really isn't what it used to be. It's now full of texture and dimension and paint and so much more. Below I used a Flower stencil from Stencilgirl products and the wonderful butterfly Cut Outs from Retro Cafe Art. I added texture paste,color and just I LOVE the way it came out!  

Plus there are many new projects(both personal and art life)I have planned for 2016. 

In my heart I feel open to what ever comes.

I am willing to do the work.

I am ready for all the lessons. 

Open

willing

ready.

2016 here I come.

"Long ago God drew a circle in the sand exactly around the spot where you are standing right now. You were never not coming here. This was never not going to happen.” — Elizabeth Gilbert

Here's to making every minute count,

Tis the Season

There is just something magical about this time of year. Perhaps its the youthful playfulness that fills the heart and brings you back to younger days. For me, ...I remember the days of endless Christmas music filling the house, and the white and happy lights of the Christmas tree, and especially holding the warm mug of hot cocoa after a cold wet day of playing in the snow. Such happy memories, they come back to me, like precious gifts.

"Tis the Season to be Jolly" 

First I added card stock to the inside and outside of the Hutch shrine. I then added a bead of glue along the inside and added glitter.

I then added multiple layers of glitter to the trees and after I put them in their notches,I covered the bottom of the trees in glue and thick glitter that looked like snow. 

I cut out a vintage image from collage sheet #DP239 and added some glitter detail

I then added Silver Dresden to the outside of the box 

and snowflake embellishments along with a Black Chipboard sticker.

Retro Cafe Art Items I used in this tutorial:

http://www.retrocafeart.com/item_5791/ATC-Hutch-Shrine-Kit--Christmas-Trees.htm

http://www.retrocafeart.com/item_1819/Assorted-Squares-Christmas-Collage-Sheet-by-Debrina-Pratt--DP239.htm

http://www.retrocafeart.com/item_3087/Martha-Stewart-Glitter-Set-with-Glue--Woodland.htm

http://www.retrocafeart.com/item_1466/German-Dresden-Border-Fancy-Scalloped-SILVER-10-Strips.htm

"Long ago God drew a circle in the sand exactly around the spot where you are standing right now. You were never not coming here. This was never not going to happen.” — Elizabeth Gilbert

Here's to making every minute count,