Looking for a Little Enchantment

Hello!  Welcome to the wonderful month of August.  We will be exploring Enchantment this month.  We also need a little Enchantment over at our site, as we are experiencing technical difficulties in updating the information for our new kit.  So... send your glitter, sparklies, butterflies, daisies and any other enchantments our way so that we can get things running smoothly again.

In the meantime... check out the ENCHANTMENT KIT!!

Although the buy now button above does not work at the moment (keep sending your fairy dust), you are able to purchase a kit by viewing yesterday's post and using the button to purchase a kit from there.

Okay, to start out our exploration of enchantment, let's look at a few synonyms and expand our understanding of enchantment, shall we?

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 Is there a synonym that pops out at you?  Please share your favorite in the comments!

Transform with Words

We always start out the month looking at the different facets of the topic of the month.  As you know, this month is Transformation.  Let's take a look at some synonyms for this fabulous topic via the word cloud below. 

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What do you think?  Any that pop out at you that you love?  Hate?  Please share with us in the comments below!

The Curious Sides of Curiosity

So, as I was preparing for our newest topic, exploring the different synonyms of Curiosity, I was struck by all of the curious aspects of curiosity.  Seriously... it can mean quite differently depending on its application!  As one of my favorite childhood characters once expressed, "Curiouser and Curiouser..." 

Now it's your turn.  Begin to get inspired with the Curiosity synonyms below.  What do you think?  Do any reach out and grab you?  Make you laugh?  Arch an eyebrow in curiosity?  :)  Share with us what you think!

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Is There Such a Thing as 'Luck'?

Happy Friday friends! It's been a busy week here by the beach at SFTIO HQ as we received (almost) the last of our shipments from Winter CHA orders. Our DT is about to begin work on the May and June kits and these kits are full of gorgeous paper lines and unique embellishments - I'm personally really excited to get my creative hands on them!

I hope you're loving the behind the scenes look shared this week on the blog into symbolism and design of the layouts and art journal spreads created by our DT with the April FORTUNE kit. I'm always amazed at how our designers are able to create their own interpretations of the symbols we include in the kits. There's always something new to discover.

Yesterday, Kai shared with us a cloud of synonyms and offered some thoughts on her favorites. One of the definitions that jumped right out at me is luck. As I get ready to post this month's challenges, I've been thinking...is there such a thing as luck, or is what we call luck actually the residue of hard work.

The use of the word 'luck' sounds to me to be an expression of things, good or bad, being somewhat out of our control or beyond our ability to make an impact.

Am I lucky if I get a great job, or did I work to create the circumstances that led me to it? If I find the love of my life, is it because I'm lucky, or because I put myself in situations where I was likely to encounter people with similar values?

And of course all of this begs a larger question - is what we call luck actually what comes our way by design from a higher power?

Random...impacted by my actions...or destined...

I don't know for sure. Maybe it's some of all three.

As I've grown and changed as a person, I've increased how much responsibility I want to take for my own circumstances. Generally, I don't want to believe that life is a series of random events...so I vacillate between seeing life as the direct outcome of my choices and it being a series of blessings and challenges - brought to me by whatever force binds us together.

I want to believe that there's a purpose and a meaning in all of what life brings me. There are just too many magical, connected and mysterious events in our lives for me to believe it's all a roll of the dice. And I want to have an impact on those events by making the choices that feel authentic to my soul.

So let the chips fall where they may...as long as they're my chips and they were given to me by a loving power that wants the best for me.

Enjoy the coming weekend and the FORTUNE kits that are zipping their way across the globe to your doorsteps. Our deep and meaningful challenges begin next week!

I look forward to welcoming you soon...

Pick Your Fortune...

We always explore the topic of the month in many different ways.  What better way than to look at various synonyms and antonyms?  There are many facets of Fortune.  Let's take a look:

Please click to enlarge Taxedo word cloud.

I love playing with words. I like to say them out loud and see how they feel rolling off the tongue...sharp or soft.  What fun it is to transfer them into a layout or an art journaling spread.  My favorites right now are Kismet, Karma, Serendipity and Fortuity.  Now to play with those words and create my first Fortune piece of he{art}.

Do any of these pop out at you?  What rolls off the tongue or makes you snap to attention?  Pick your favorite Fortune synonym(s). I'd love to hear your take!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Every time I see the word Respect, I have the song reverberating around in my head.   I'm ready to explore this topic, are you?  Let's start out with some synonyms...

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What is your favorite?  What speaks to you?

Many Facets of Release...

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When starting to explore a new topic, I find it's fun to look at synonyms of the main word.  Usually there are several that jump out and grab me.  While looking at them this time, the following snapped up my attention:

LIBERATE

CLEAR

DISENGAGE

FORGIVENESS

When looking within, I see so many pieces of me waiting to be liberated from the mental chains I use to keep them locked within me.  It's time to Release those pieces to fly and be free.

My mind is so often muddied with so many thoughts ... lists, things to do, remember, people to write, to see, wishes, hopes, dreams, disappointments.  It is time to clear my mind and Release all of that mental and emotional clutter and find some focus.

I'm also a clinger.  I tend to hold on to things way to long.  And I don't mean material items (although, my household clutter would demonstrate that this rings true as well); I am more emphasizing the emotions I hold on to.  It's time for me to disengage and Release that emotional baggage.  I need to not be so weighed down!

All around me, I see the need for forgiveness... within myself and externally.  It's time for me to forgive myself, forgive people in my past, in my present.  Feeling that Release will be uplifting, don't you think?

What synonyms speak loudly to you?  What kinds of layouts or journaling do you see being born from your Release?

Innocence Explored

This month we are exploring Innocence.  Let's take a peek at some different "takes" on innocence... in words.

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Which synonym speaks loudest to you?

To see more and/or purchase our fabulous new kit, Innocence, click the image below!

Can We Talk, Here...?

It's time.  It is!  Really time to open up and communicate.  That's this month's topic we're exploring at Inside Out:  Communication.  Let's play with some synonyms of communication...

How do you disseminate information?  Do you prefer to broadcast it, make a connection and converse, or announce a train of thought?  Do you think written correspondence is a dying art, like I do?  When you have a revelation, how do you articulate it?  Do you prefer to give or receive advice?  What is your favorite delivery method when you share your thoughts?  What in the telling of a story keeps your interest the most?  When you share, what is your favorite form of expression... reading, talking or interchange? When has a prediction ever come true for you?  To whom do you divulge your innermost thoughts and secrets?

There are so many forms of communication.  Verbal, non-verbal, written, intuition... all out there to explore.  Will you come with us on this journey?  Please, talk to us... use your words, your art, your creativity... we love to hear from you!

Delight-ful...

What a lovely topic this month!  I'm very excited to explore Delight.  Here are some synonyms to get your creative juices flowing...

Thank you Wordle

What's your favorite?

What is Contentment?

Just a quick fly by to share with you some synonyms of Contentment.  It's nice to see what reaches out and grabs you.  What is contentment to you?  Take a look-see and I'll be back soon to talk more about contentment!

Thank you Wordle!

See you soon!

Exploring Grace...

It's a new month, and a new topic at Inside Out.  First things first... let's look at Grace in all its incarnations.

Thank you Wordle (click image to enlarge).

Some fun synonyms there.  I like "bedeck", "symmetry", "balance" and "honor".  They make my creative mind stretch. 

What are your favorite Grace words?

Exploring a Dream...

Love the new kit!  Have you seen it?  It's very Dreamy.

To get our creative juices flowing, lets take a moment to look at Dream... some synonyms and antonyms.  Stir them around in your mind and let me know what one or ones reach out and grab ya!

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Thanks Wordle!

More Dreaming coming up.