Happy New Year and New Year's Mantra!

Happy New Year, friends!  I love when our Christmas Break starts close to Christmas so we have a nice week after to clean up the decorations and PLAY in the studio.  I love being able to play with PTI's Make it Monday early rather than scrambling to create something last minute on a Sunday.  It's the A La Carte time so we get to pick a challenge we missed.  Can you believe, that was a challenge?  I've played along with most of them but did find one that I missed...#312, Framing Sentiments and Images with Laurie.  Though my poinsettias are done now, I was happy to make one more for my card that will make it's way to my cousin in the States.

I'm also entering this into the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Something New.

Speaking of PLAY...this is my "one word/New Year's Mantra" for the year.  Being a Grade One teacher means that this word is always around me and a big part of what I try to bring into my class.  However, it really became imprinted on my heart this summer when I bought a bracelet at a local market.  The bracelet had a "2018" charm on it so I asked if I could change it out.  The artist opened her charm container and the first one I saw was "PLAY."  I picked it right away.  So now it's my mantra for the year (and forever!).  I'll leave you with a photo of the bracelet and some playful quotes...to see more, visit my Pinterest New Year's Mantra board.  You'll also see quotes from past mantras.  Thanks for stopping by!

what's in it?
stamps: Penned Elegance Christmas, Painted Poinsettias (PTI)
dies: Painted Poinsettias, Noted: Scalloped A2 Vertical Die (PTI)

New Year's Mantra ~ Viva La Verve

Happy New Year, friends!  I have been AOL these past few weeks... just enjoying a house full of company, then cleaning, then reading, then having lazy mornings.  However, I am now taking some time to warm up the studio and start creating.  I found my one word for the new year, "calm."  I thought this sentiment from Verve's Winter Peace Digi was perfect to express my new mantra for 2018.  I'm using a brand new Viva La Verve sketch and some more Verve goodies to create the first card of 2018!  Head over to the Viva La Verve blog and play along this month!  Thanks for stopping by!

What's in it?
stamps: Winter Peace DIGITAL Set, Beyond Measure (Verve)
dies: Falling Leaves Die Set, Christmas Spirit Die Set(Verve)


Here are some quotes I've pinned for this year's mantra...



 











 

 

 

Listen ~ New Year's Mantra (finally!)

Greetings friends!  Today's card concept was a long time coming.  You see, each year I think of a little mantra to focus on throughout the year.  No resolutions for this girl, just a mantra to think about when I'm feeling  a little lost or overwhelmed.  However, this year, I struggled to find the right fit.  I wanted "trust the process," or "faith," but when I looked for accompanying quotes with those words, they seemed more negative than uplifting.  So I waited and waited.  I'm not sure how "listen" finally showed up, but it did.  I knew right away I had found this year's mantra, albeit 2 months later. Better late than never, right?  Enter the PTI Make it Monday challenge...now I had the card for my mantra.  I love this quote I found via a Pinterest search then found a free font, Beacon, so I could print it out onto card stock.  I customized my pattern paper by stamping the heart image from Wet Paint in coordinating colours.  LOVE IT!  Here's the before and after...

I want to leave you with some more images for my Mantra (also check out my New Year's Mantra Pinterest board HERE to find the links and original posts).  How about you?  Do you have a "one word" or "mantra" or "resolution"?  I'd love to hear about it!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 
 

 




 

 


 

 


 

 

Celebrate 2015 (with Grace)

Good morning!  I’ve had such an enjoyable holiday, but sadly it’s coming to a much too fast end.  I am blessed to have such great holiday time to recharge and enjoy other things besides school and work.  Spending time in the studio always feeds my soul.  This card is one I made to celebrate the new year and start thinking about my New Year’s Mantra.  The word “grace” came to mind right away and it came up a few more times this week so I knew I was on to something.  I did a Pinterest search for some quotes to add to my New Year’s Mantra board found HERE.  I’ve added some of them here below. Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day :)

Verve Diva Inspiration Hop and New Year’s Mantra

 Click here to enter my Top Dog Dies Giveaway!

Welcome to Verve's January Diva Inspirations Hop. It's the 5th of the month and that means it's hopping time! This year we're spicing up our monthly hops with the addition of a challenge! So in addition to a comment prize hidden along the hop, you can play along with the challenge and link up your creation for a chance to win another prize! Woohoo!  If you’ve come from Tiffany’s blog, you are right on track!  If not, check out the whole Blog Hop list over on the Verve Blog.

Our January challenge is:

This month it’s all about shimmer and shine!  Hmm, I love it all year long! LOL  I added a HUGE sparkly snowflake die cut out of glitter cardstock, a small glitter snowflake, some gold sequins and gold cording.  This card is inspired by my New Year’s Mantra: speak kindly. More on that at the end of this post, if you care to read more :)  If you’re just here for the hop, then head on over to Stacey‘s blog!

Remember, we've got a prize for one lucky commenter along the hop! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize info and deadlines.

 

what’s in it?

stamps: Kind Words (Verve)

paper: rustic cream, shimmer gold (PTI), Snow Village (Pink Paislee), glitter cardstock (Recollections)

ink: onyx (Versafine)

accessories: circle and scalloped circle dies (Spellbinders), snowflake dies and button (PTI), gold cording (SU), sequins (Michelle Wooderson’s online store), stitching

My New Year’s Mantra

I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions.  I already exercise regularly, eat healthy (most of the time), and try to do something that challenges me (my Masters right now).  However, I can always work on being a better person.  Starting my Masters and getting back into writing papers have made me really think about the words I choose to use.  That was the starting point for this year’s mantra.  Then I googled quotes about words and did a similar search on Pinterest.  This is what I found :)  Do you make a mantra too?  I’d love to hear about it!