Behind the Art with Stacey

This summer brought lots of changes for my family.  My husband was no longer home with us each day as he took on a new job.  It was so odd to no longer have him around to help us fill the days and make memories.  I decided to realign things and really embrace the quality time with just the kids and me.

It was really life changing.  To just go freely with the day and have adventures, to be present in that moment was pretty cool.  It brought mindfulness to my life. 

Again, the page is simple.  It is more about the bold words along the top that communicate my feelings.  It is more about the photo and the embellishments I chose to use to convey how much these two mean to me.

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to appreciate my blessings.  It shifted me at the core.

Behind the Art with Stacey

I hope you enjoy your last kit this month.  May it bring you peace and joy during this busy holiday time.  I used this kit as a means to really reflect on how I align my life.  I focused on what I need to be centered and aligned.  I find that when I live in that space, I attract positivity and love.  That is the best feeling.

I decided to go with a huge title on this page.  It states exactly what I need to be me.

There are certain things that really help to align me.  Things like spending quality time with family, laughing with friends, fostering my relationship with my kids.  Then there are things just reserved for me.  Think trips to Target or days spent at the flea market.  I used a photo from a recent flea market trip.  My sister in law calls it my happy place.  She is right.  I love the hunting of the hidden gems and treasures.  Mostly, I love the company.

The page is relatively simple.  I used a strong floral to represent the women in my family.  I then grounded the photo with the pink tag, having the arrow point to the title.  This page makes me happy in a simple way, much like family.

Behind the Art with Jen

Another fine December day here is Upstate NY... we have had one of the warmest in history for our area.  Hope it's nice where you are too.  I've enjoyed a lot of fun family time and preparing for the holidays.  So, I'm sharing this page with you today.

This time of year is crazy but we manage to fit in lots of fun as well as our daily responsibilities.  Karate is one of the things we all do in my family.  We just had belt graduations and 2 of us earned our next belt!  With everyone's schedules, work, school, homework, music lessons, karate, and sports, as well as events we are super busy! But most of the time we make it work.  It takes communication and coordination!

I loved this stencils and traced it with the Distress pen to create that feeling of directional pull... going in multiple directions!

The arrows were perfect too!  Even though we are busy we are happy and crazy!

I love my happy, crazy, busy life!  

Behind the Art with Stacey

I can't believe this incredible journey is coming to an end.  Inside Out has brought so much creativity and joy to my life.  I have always believed in scrapbooking things that really matter as a means to heal and grow.  This experience only fostered that belief.  This month's theme is align and attract.

I explored how sometimes we need to realign our lives.  It can be difficult and frightening.  But not everything works out the way you think it will.  I have been struggling with this lately.  I am at the point where I need to let go with love.

I purposefully chose the butterfly paper to go with the idea of letting go.  I am transforming to a new place.  I hope to quietly flap my wings and move along.  I cut some of the butterflies out and made them fly across the page. I used the typewriter cut out as a symbol too.  A proclamation of my intentions.  I find that stating your intentions helps you to reach them.  I used the location symbol because this is where I am right now in life.

I loved the word peace in this kit.  You can find peace when you align your life and attract the right kind of energy.  That is my goal.

Behind the Art with Jen

Hi Artsy friends!  Sharing this page is a pleasure.  I love this accidental photo I took one day with my youngest son on a walk while out Pumpkin picking.  We happened to be holding hands and I just snapped the photo on a whim.  I was so happy and surprised that it came out so well.

It's hard to be a mom somedays when there is so much going on but when moments like this come along and family time is precious, I value these little details.  Holding hands, walking and talking about our lives.  My sweet boy is growing so fast and becoming his own person and I hope that I have instilled kindness and positive choices in him.  

I used the vellum heart to frame our hands so we could still see it through the window.  I drew a heart to draw attention to it.

Lots of splatters from the Distress Marker (I colored on a non-stick mat and added water with a stiff bristle brush and flicked it to create the splatters.  I did the same with some gold and silver inks) and some Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Whipped Spackle through the stencil added some texture to the page.

I absolutely love sparkle and these adhesive sequins were perfect as accents!  Just gives such a shine to the page!

I cherish the times when he grabs my hands and wants to walk with me.  My heart soars with joy!  Love you little man!

Behind the Art with Stacey

The idea of inner gifts got me thinking about what relationships in my life are connected to the gifts I possess.  Inner gifts form us and drive our decision making.  They lead us down the path in life.  When you enter into a relationship, you have to make sure your inner gifts are honored and cherished.

I remember when my husband and I first met.  I shared with him about how I need to stand in my truth.  Be who I am and know where my boundaries are.  He told me early on that I should always do that.  If at any time, that meant I needed more from our relationship or needed to move in a different direction, he would understand.  It made an impact on me and I knew he was someone I wanted to build a life with.

When I saw the word stencil in the kit, it instantly reminded me of Steve.  Those are the kinds of words he would use with me, the advice he would give.  It reminded me of standing in my truth.  He loves me for my inner gifts and remembers those when the not so good sides of me come to life.  

I put the journaling along the diagonals on the top border.  It reads, "Stand in my truth.  You love that about me-vowed to never pull me away from that.  You taught me all these things. I am so very happy."

I layered the journaling card and a picture of him.  I also placed the arrow stickers in between the lines.  He reads between the lines with me all the time.  How is he able to do that?  He knows my inner gifts.  It is a simple page, but I love it so much.

Behind the Art with Stacey

Happy November and welcome to a new month where we are exploring our inner gifts.  For each kit, I tend to explore feelings and thoughts about myself.  But each month I also consider my family and how they fit into the month's theme.  As a mom, I hope my kids develop, recognize and foster their unique inner gifts.  I know that life will be fulfilling if they do.

I love the Simple Stories paper with all these words.  I want my kids to feel each of these things on a regular basis.  I also love the Dr. Seuss card.  I knew they had to be big elements on this page.  I just started layering some of the elements I was drawn too and then put down the photo.  

By placing this journaling card over the paper, I lost a bit of the words.  I decided to trace over the loved and extend the writing over the journaling card.  I embellished the loved with a sticker heart and the silver arrow head.

I also wrote a note to my kids.  I hope they learn about what makes them special and they can identify their inner gifts.  I want them to hold onto those gifts, foster them and remember them when they make mistakes in life.  It is the remembering your gifts that helps you to admit your mistakes and move forward.