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In honor of my friend, Jodi, who is fighting cancer...and will win. In honor of this month being National Yoga Month. In honor of everone needing some postive vibes in their lives....this is for them...this if for you! Namaste!
Never underestimate the power of the positive!
I made this layout a few years ago, but it is still one of my favorites. We were living in a tiny one bedroom apartment, stuffed to the gills. I was in grad school full time, working a variety of odd jobs to help pay bills. We were happy, but not exactly where we wanted to be in life yet.
But I saw the kitties enjoying the view one afternoon, and just felt so content. We had a pretty little haven, even if it was cluttered and tiny. We had our kitties, and each other, our own little family. I was enjoying the flexible schedule of college, and was blessed to catch this happy little moment of peace.
To convey that in my layout, I kept things simple. A poignant quote in my handwriting, an uncomplicated sticker title, and basic elements of patterned paper scraps, cardstock, and my photo, with lots of white space for the eye to rest and take in the calmness of the layout's memory.
I especially love this layout because it reminds me that we need to cherish these moments of peace. We're now in a house, both working full time, blessed beyond measure. Things are still not perfect, but we are still happy and content, and just need to remember look for those quiet moments of serenity to rest in.
When I get in the zone, in the flow of creating something it brings me serenity. How about you? Even if I can't actually make something at the time, just thinking about future projects makes me feel great!
I created a mosaic of different crafting related photos (I used the mosaic maker at Big Huge Labs), and added lots of craft related diecuts like scissors, a camera and a sewing machine. I also added some symbolic elements like a clock, and birds.
What's the one thing guaranteed to bring you serenity and calm?
"Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm" ~ unknown
A great tip from this layout: if you have patterned paper that you don't particularly like or can't figure out how to use and it has images that you can use try cutting out the individual images and using them on your layout. I did this on this layout with the flower. The added bonus was that sitting and cutting this out was also very relaxing and serene.
How do you bring serenity to your life?
It's September. Time for Back to School. Time to start thinking about Fall, and Halloween and all the end of year celebrations. But first, exhale. September is also National Yoga Month. And for us at It Takes All Kinds that means Serenity.
So before you move on from all the Summer activities and start getting caught up in plans for the end of the year, take a month to breathe.
