Today Is Your Day Zine

As I was contemplating all the different things I could use March's Kit for, the idea for a zine came to me. The theme is a timely one for me as I'm having something of a fresh start and new beginning. I thought creating a zine to document this would be both fun and cute, not to mention relevant. I can also photocopy extra copies for friends.

I have a process video for you below, but what I basically did was, after painting a background, I cut out a frame for each page, and used the phrases to give each page a title. Next I embellished the pages with the stickers, sequins, confetti etc. 

Photo order from cover to the back page...

I hope this has inspired you. For a better idea of how I made my zine, check out the following video.

Confirmations, Signs & Guidance!

Little signs, a random word of kindness, serendipity...Sometimes, that's all we have to go on to show us that we're going in the right direction. When you're pretty much on your own, forging the way ahead in life, and realising your dreams, these can feel like an oasis in the desert! 

When I wrote my last post I mentioned something serendipitous happened. At the time a huge block just lifted for me. I saw clearly. I knew what needed to be done. 

Then the mail arrived.

A bright pink envelope with my name on it lay in the porch. It was from a business I follow on Instagram. I have been wanting to subscribe to their boxes for a while, but haven't been able to. They then released a personal power pack...very timely! Included was a gem stone bracelet and affirmation card. However, it was a surprise as to what gem stone it would be. 

So there I am, writing that blog post about feeling more empowered, knowing what I have to do next, and being my true self, when this personal power pack arrives.

Upon opening it there was a beautiful fragrance. My gem stone bracelet is Sodalite. Now bearing in mind the next fear I have to overcome is in the area of being myself as an artist. This is what is said about Sodalite...

 The Sodalite crystal meaning is linked to the ethereal energy that promotes the highest form of self-expression. Sculptors, painters, and artists were known to carry Sodalite for inspiration.

 Next, a card with the words "Believe in Yourself" stood out. Signs and confirmations at their best!!!

What was a bit vague was the affirmation card. It was about embracing peace within and surrendering the outcome. This I feel goes deeper and I need time to think about it. 

I'm well and truly into the second half of March Magic and I feel that, even with the guidance, I'm in vast and unfamiliar  territory. The next steps are a little harder than before and I really could do with a breakthrough right now. But for now, I'll go find that peace within and embrace it, trying to be present and enjoy the now. 

Power Pack from Rainbow Soul Surprise Box http://www.rainbowsoulsurprisebox.co.uk/shop/product/1366978586

Getting Ready For Your Dream!

New starts can happen at any time. Not just on Mondays or New years. For me it just so happens to be mid-week, mid-month. 

March Magic (see here), has brought me to a point where I am finding courage to be my true self. To be honest with you, I didn't think that this would be as big a side effect as I thought it would be. The goal was to spend a month intensely investing in both ourselves and our dreams. I knew inner change would happen, that it had to happen. But not in such a dramatic way. 

It's not even been a month yet!

This makes me wonder....what will the next few days bring?

I have wanted to make changes and form new habits in a certain area for a while now but they never seemed to stick. But with what has happened to me these past few days, including facing a big fear of mine that held both shame and hurt, I feel more empowered, not to mention the fact I can see with more clarity. I put the latter down to blocks that have been removed.

When this clarity comes, you see what needs to be done and feel ready for it this time. There's a very strong sense that a new start is here, whether you like it or not! You've moved into a new space. Now you have to occupy it!

It's scary and exciting at the same time! 

This, I believe, is what you getting ready for your dream looks like. 

A sign, in and of itself!

As with any sign you have to claim it! This is where I am now. Making new choices and decisions to reflect this. 

All this comes about when we are mindful each day, of our inner growth and pursuit of our dreams. If we stop to listen and pay attention, following the signs, learning the lessons, this will no doubt not only prepare us for, but lead us to our dreams.

In my next post I'm going to share something very serendipitous that happened after I wrote this! 

My March Magic Journey - Week Two

Since my last post quite a lot has happened. For a couple of days there was a lull. Journaling was going well and I was loving the fact I had something different to focus on each day. By doing just a little each day and being forced to bring to mind my dreams because of each days prompts, I felt a shift happening.

On Monday, I faced a fear I've had for a long time. This particular fear is rooted in my upbringing and has to do with fear of getting things wrong, or in trouble. Really, there was no chance of that and I was projecting my mind into a imaginary future situation thus creating fear. So, I took the leap and faced it.

Since that day, I felt a block clear and feel very strongly that I'm in this new state of allowing. The door is now open for new opportunities to flood in.

The next day, as I scanned through houses online as part of that days prompt, I knew I had to look for the house that matches my ideal, and not for THE house. This meant no max price and widening my search area. Within minutes a house popped up that evoked exactly the same feeling of a picture I have on my vision board Of a room in a house that captured the essence of what I wanted. Not only did this house evoke the same feeling but it looked very similar down to items in the room. It was really bizarre how similar they were. It didn't stop there. 

This property also had features that I had been visualizing! The miracle of it all is that out of all the houses I've looked at, this is the first time this has happened. I've been looking for years! Certain properties have appealed in the past, but they haven't matched ones I've visualized as my ideal place. 

I've learned that first we need to dream up our perfect home. Establish it first in the mind. Then a property like it will appear.

So the next miracle is receiving the house. I'm not saying it'll be that exact one. It is a sign though. Before we receive, signs show up. I believe this is one of them. 

Today, It works out that I have a couple of powerful things to do that reinforce the idea of receiving. On top of that, the whole of March Magic feels more empowering seeing what everyone else is doing, how inspiring they are, and the encouragement everyone is giving to each other.

At the time of writing, my seedling sprouted today. May that be a another sign!!! EDIT: At time of posting, a second seed has sprouted!

My March Magic Journey

It seems that we have to fight damn hard for the things we want in life. The temptation to give up is strong. That or withdraw into a form of escapism for a while until we either recover or feel strong enough to try again. Many choose to just give up because the fight is just too hard. They then join in the flow of the mundane of every day at the mercy of it's tides and currents. 

I've come to a point in life where I believe it's perhaps not so much fighting against something as it is about unlearning what we have been taught growing up and accepted as truth. This unlearning is a battle. It can be isolating and a lonely path to walk on. But in the unlearning there is also the learning of something pretty amazing. We're not exchanging one prison of thought for another. This is about freedom. About becoming not who the world wants you to be but who you were born to be. The problem is, from the moment of your birth, the world has had it's own plans for you. What those caring for you thought was best was, in most cases, just debilitating and stunting your growth into being the best possible version of yourself. 

For example, "You need to stay in school, get a good education and if you do those things you will get a good job." Without getting into a debate, the school system is a model that convinces people that only certain topics matter and doesn't nurture their natural gifting. It's basically trying to produce sheep. 

Then there's the age old nurturing your child on fairy tales and father Christmas, only to one day break it to them that that period of life is over and they must now come to what is called reality, a totally new and horrible concept for them having been brought up with the idea that anything is possible and imagination is your super power! Toys must now be put away and work begins. I fought hard to keep my dreams but I was soon bullied out of that with the added horror of watching my most treasured possessions being thrown out.

So I've been on this journey of unlearning and becoming now for a few years. About five now to be exact. Before that I did what everyone else wanted me to do. I was being who they wanted me to be. It has been one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life! 

Back in February, after seeing no progress, not even a hint, of my dreams coming to fruition, an idea came to me like a bolt out of the blue. I put pen to paper and started writing and writing and writing....until March Magic was born. I knew it was to share but I also knew it was for me. March Magic was a way for me to hold my focus everyday and not get distracted by the hardship of becoming. That transition takes time and I feel if we're not careful it also takes our focus off pursuing our dreams. The L.I.F.E course on Dream Create Journal is about becoming. March Magic is about focusing on our dreams, like a magnifying glass steadily focusing a beam of light, until something happens. 

So the first couple of days were good. They were great in fact! Magical moments happened. Ones that meant something for me personally. But then at the end of day three I felt as if I'd pissed off whoever it is that doesn't like the idea of us owning our power. Things started happening that normally triggers me into retreating. Actually, one night I did, only to wake up about 3am thinking what am I doing? And then deciding to fight back. 

A new kind of strength from within appeared. It was so small I wouldn't blame anyone for missing it. But I felt it. I told myself no matter what, I will fight for the right to be myself. 

When I wrote that I had had enough. When things come against you it is sign you're on the right track. If you keep retreating however and not learning from it or applying what you learn and face your fears, you will find yourself constantly facing this same battle. I am so familiar with it now I recognize it for what it is and know now I have to push through and stop retreating or it will repeat itself over and over again. 

I'm writing this on day 6 feeling a bit bruised but yet also feeling sense of achievement. So I took my own advice and got myself some flowers!

I'll be sure to keep updating you with my progress and check in with you all to hear about yours! 

Below is a short intro video to March Magic.

Happy Mail Planner

As soon as I saw this month's kit I knew what I wanted to make with it. My old happy mail planner wasn't really serving me anymore. I wanted something that was a joy to come to and made planning my happy mail a happy experience! With so much in these kits it's not hard to make them go a long way! 

I began by making the essentials...the pages themselves which I needed to track my mail and record my penpals. For this I used watercolours, a micron pen, the stamp and stencil from the kit. Once I was happy with the master pages, I scanned and printed them. 

Next I moved onto the dashboards. I wanted something bold, so choose the bright patterned papers from the kit, decorating them using the stickers and embellishment card.

Now, if you are a subscriber, you will have noticed the small pack of beautiful sequins in the box. How could I not make a shaker dashboard. The problem is, my sewing machine really doesn't like making them anymore. So I got some thinner acetate and pushed my luck! It worked out...just!

Next I made a bookmark using the love heart embellishment to create a top tab.

I then added the envelope as a place I could keep stamps.

Using the twine, I created a very simple closure for the planner itself, decorating it with the charm. Both included in the kit.

I now have a beautiful, fully functional planner for my happy mail! I'm so pleased with how this turned out and cannot wait to start using it! Check out the bottom of this post for a flip through video!

Circumstances Creating Metamorphosis

Okay, I'm going to try and put into words something that I have recently experienced. 

When you're forced to endure uncomfortable or trying situations, a couple of things happen...

You react & hide...

or

You react, hide then change.

Generally, you react. You're still practicing positivity to the best of your ability and knowledge, but the ego, that part of you that reacts, still has more ground than your true self. There's a lot of kicking and screaming in the form of moaning and complaining (and actual screaming) until you're exhausted. Then, a small voice says 'You done now?' And you say 'No!' and go and find something to numb the pain. For example..

• Binge watch TV
• Drink
• Loose yourself in a book
• Go online etc

Not one of those things are bad at all. It's your motives for doing them. Most people love a good book or movie. But when you run to them to escape a situation again and again, it becomes unhelpful to you and to changing your situation.

Then there is personal change. 

When you do all of the above, once you've exhausted yourself & through lack of energy to fight, practiced a form of escapism, but discovered you feel worse and things aren't improving, you come into a space.

Okay, so what the heck do I mean by "a space?"

Right, well, it's like an instinctive place of being in between who you were, and who you are becoming. It's not a big space.

The best way I can describe it is by using the word 

Metamorphosis. 

 The voice of intuition becomes stronger. There's a knowing that you no longer react the way you did before or hide. You let go of things that are not good for you. I can see this change in the way I express myself through art. New ideas come. 

It feels like a big storm came ripping through and removed old, dead branches, weak structures and left only what is needed to build on.

This new landscape causes you to see things in a new perspective. Old structures you thought were pertinent to life have gone and you see they only hindered you. Pathways that you thought you had to take to get somewhere are pulled up and you see countless options and new destinations.

And then there is the matter of your new wings!

A strength has risen up in you. You are reconnecting to something very old yet new to you. It's a strength that brings ancient wisdom. You become both your true self yet also open doors within to receive via intuition the truth of others. Truths you perhaps read before but didn't see or fully understand. Now, they burst wide open. 

This is then expressed. Slowly at first as you learn to use those wings. But still, there is now the butterfly effect.

The morning of the day that I am writing this, I woke up, still half asleep, to these words...

What you do effects others. The way you express yourself is an energy you use which vibrates out like a ripple effect, touching the lives of people around the world. This is the same for everyone. 

This can be done in complete ignorance and chaos, evil & hatred. Or in knowing and creative intent, goodness & love. By being carried along with the wind or navigating the way of your dreams.

So for me, I guess I'm just making my way out of this space.