AMO, AMAS, AMAT IT AGAIN ....

Wouldn't care to tell you how long ago it was that I learned Latin .... but to my amazement I can still decline this one verb in all its tenses! It was obviously lesson one and nothing else thereafter managed to stick. Anyway, this is a journal page I made on a base of Basic Grey paper - love that stuff. It concerns the Soul Restoration course I recently completed - which was so powerful that I wanted to be sure I remembered all the things I learned.
I suppose what I've written is pretty much self-explanatory, though not necessarily the idea of sending toxic people in your life to the moon? I liked that part - and the lunar surface now has a number of new inhabitants sent there from the darkest corners of my life! Send yours there too, still masses of room left.
I also loved the message which told us to "go where the peace is". Such a simple statement yet very powerful, so that's how I'm trying to live from now on. Even in the midst of getting ready to move house it still seems to work - there's almost always a peaceful corner to hide out in for a while ....

WELL YOU SAID YOU LIKED THEM ....

You did seem to like the others, so here are a few more Truth Cards - did I mention that I'd made quite a few?? The one at bottom left seems to be a universal truth, at least from the way people respond to it. Funny because it's one of the hardest for me, but maybe that's universal too?

Tired today so am going to treat myself (when I should be doing other stuff) to a couple of hours making some more this afternoon. I find it very relaxing somehow, plus its a way to really affirm that these things are true - somehow it goes into my poor old brain better this way. I keep a sheet of paper on which I write down words I want to use, and then every so often I make another batch. There's a lot of real wisdom out there and how is a girl (even a brave one) to remember all this good stuff otherwise?

TRUTH CARDS

Some of you may have noticed that I've recently been doing the Soul Restoration course from the Brave Girls Club? Its meant a lot to me, especially at a time in my life when - preparing to move and start over - I've been thinking a lot about the things I want to take with me or leave behind. Anyway, one of the things the course asked us to do was make Truth Cards, something we could keep to remind ourselves of all the things we've been learning, or already know to be true but so easily forget. This suggestion was a complete gift to somebody who adored making ATCs but could never find enough people to swap with, and besides this way I get to keep what I make!!

So above and below are just a few of the ones I've made so far - the course materials provided some that you could cut out, and I have used a few of these, but mostly I've come up with my own. The result is that these reveal a LOT about me, but I wanted to share because I've found this exercise very very helpful, and its something you might want to do for yourself?
Not only does the act of making the cards and affirming my truths make me feel peaceful, strong and happy, but I now like to get them out regularly and read through them. That's definitely a brilliant tool for remembering the important things that I didn't have before. I made a special box to keep them in, but haven't shown it here because its just a temporary one. Some day I'm going to make a very beautiful box for them, which will show just how important these little cards are (they're ATC size of course), but right now I just don't have time - or a suitable box!

READ THE INSTRUCTIONS ...

This is a page background I made a while ago while experimenting with masks and sprays, and then I included a new-found material - Japanese Washi tapes! That pale blue spotty stuff in fact and its like masking tape but decorative, it comes in all kinds of colours and designs, and you can write on it too! What's not to like? Expect to see more bits of tape on future journal pages ...

So anyway, I was actually having one of those "omigod I can't do this, its all too much" days (I'm sure you have them too) and was getting close to full-blown panic mode. Then I sat down and talked myself out of it by making this page of instructions for use at such moments .....
You see I KNOW all this stuff, of course I do, its just that I forget and have to be reminded. Lots of Teesha Moore images here - I love her funky bright style, and it always cheers me up, which was after all the object of the exercise. Why does working through something in your journal really help to resolve your feelings on the subjectt? I can't explain it, but only know that it DOES.
And this is how it finally worked out. With the benefit of hindsight and perspective I can see that I was worrying about not very much, but at the time I was feeling completely overwhelmed. We move in 5 weeks and that's lots of time isn't it? Keep telling me that.

BIG SPLODGY AND PINK!

Well what's not to like about that? Right now I need to focus on positive emotions, so even if February is really kind of dark and gloomy ... I decided my calendar pages needed to be cheerful and fun, so pink it is! The first thing I did was splash some pink acrylic paint about - which was deeply satisfying, then I went for my lovely water soluble crayons in purples and lilac.

Then of course I needed to indicate the month in some way, and not wanting to be too predictable I stamped it in the middle rather than at the top. Oooh you little radical you! Well you've got to break out a bit, haven't you, and anyway I've been told I'm getting a bit set in my ways. Putting titles in the middle rather than at the top is just the first step in the process ...
I've got a 1 1/4" square punch which came in very handy for the next bit - when I dived into my scrap paper box in search of pinks and purples, and the odd bit of black. Its very therapeutic to just crunch away with the punch before arranging the results until you're happy with them.
I even had room for a few illustrations as well, and chose to use some gorgeous images from Artchix. I love Helga's muse, this quirky lady who turns up in so many of her images, she makes me laugh every time, and the Artchix collage sheets are just fabulous, I use them a lot. Now all I have to do is make sure I keep up with filling the days in ...
And just in case you're wondering, yes I did manage January and here it is! The Artchix lady features heavily here too, I notice, wonder if she's trying to tell me something??