Hooray for Normal Everydays

I found this quote on the web and I can

only agree with its truth:

Cherish your normal every days

and have a wonderful weekend!

Strive to be Happy

I'm gearing up for a new year of crafts & ideas

but this week, I wanted to fill my thoughts

with all things positive. I hope these

words inspire you too!

Goals for the New Year

As we begin a new year,

let's think about this:

Be Happy in 2010

I wish we all follow our passion this new year!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year My Dears!

I have a bunch of blah to TADA! ideas

as we begin 2012. But let's take it

slow and start with positive words

that we can carry throughout

the year.

A Charm Bracelet for 2011

I love the allure of a charm bracelet. One that you build yourself and tells the story of you. The charms can be expensive, quirky or collected over time.

The charm bracelet I created was inexpensive but still lovingly assembled, meaningful and will be a piece of heirloom jewelry that will remind me of 2011.

My year was peppered with a few heartaches, but it also finished with many sighs of relief. That's why I picked this charm -- an angel wing. I know that each of us has a guardian angel who protects and defends us. A being who's got our back and our best interests at hand. A bodyguard who will be with us in the high and low points of our life.

As the year comes to a close, I am grateful for all that I have been blessed with -- yes, even the sad events. I'm looking forward to the New Year with much enthusiasm and optimism.

And I promise you, I'll continue to turn

blahs into TADAs!

Happy New Year dear Friends!

Asking for a Sign

If you've been reading my posts since the start of the week, you already know my year-end craft project. If you just tuned in, I made a charm bracelet:

I used some beads, invisible string and gold clasps.

In between the beads, I added some gold-toned charms, each one whispering a tale of what my 2011 was like.

It was generally a peaceful year marked with the passing of loved ones and a few health issues. How can I call my year "peaceful" even with tragedy? I could have easily anointed this year as "terrible" or "a year I would like to forget", but I am accepting that everything can't be shiny, happy 24/7.

I'm deeply spiritual and would like to uphold hope and faith in my life. But sometimes, it isn't easy. Especially when I'm afraid or worried or upset. Then I pray. I asked God for a sign that everything will be alright. He spoke loud and clear.

God showed me a rose. Not just one, but many in different forms -- fresh ones at the deli, a sculpture at a museum, a design on a stained glass window, an ad in the newspaper. Then I read this passage from the Bible {Isaiah 41: 10,13}:

Do not be afraid - I am with you!

I am your God - let nothing terrify you!

I will make you strong and help you;

I will protect and save you.

I am the Lord your God;

I strengthen you and tell you,

Do not be afraid; I will help you.

And that's why I have this rose on my bracelet -- it's a reminder of God's reassuring love.