In the directions of your dreams...

Happy New Year Everyone!

The quietness of the snow over the city creates a quietness in my heart and as another new year dawns - it is always a time of introspection and reflection. I have been taking in some deep breaths - putting together all the pieces that were 2012 - trying to heal, move on and take the lessons I have learned (and still have to learn) into this new year. 

Ringing in the new year this time was different - it was both another day and at the same time there is always the feeling as if the slate is being wiped clean and there is a renewed chance to "get it right" this time. I didn't write any resolutions, who am I kidding to think that I could make it a year sticking to a resolution (let alone a list of resolutions :) Instead - I took a deep breath of gratitude in and breathed out my own anxieties and worries... and that is all I can do everyday: Treat every day like a new year, a new dawn... breathing in gratitude for the chance to "get it right" every single moment of every single day and breathing out worries and anxieties.....  It was really healing to do this and I am feeling a bit of lightness...

So instead of the point value resolutions - I am trying to remember to be true to my dreams and goals and to live the life that I have always imagined: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined." by Henry David Thoreau. This is one of my favorite sentiments in the New Beginnings stamp set from Taylored Expressions - I love this set - the sentiments are so positive and I love that flower is both closed and open for your coloring/stamping desires :) I created a card using this sentiment and kept it monochromatic (except for the green ;) - orange feels like a happy burst of sunshine to start the new year with :)

I liked this card so much, that I created another one Here are the two together:

But this time I added some glitter to the rose - but afterwards, I wasn't so sure if I liked the glitter rose... I mean don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some glitter - but sometimes, maybe less is more? Yikes! Did I really say that? Me who loves adding layers and layers and layers till the card weighs 40 lbs!! It's fun to create duplicates of cards and add something to one and then just step back and look to see which one you like better....

Card Ingredients:
Paper: Orange Bazzil cardstock, Choice Snow White cardstock, Victorian Garden DP from Echo Park
Stamps: New Beginnings stamp set from Taylored Expressions
Inks: Tangelo from Memento Inks
Dies: Frame it Up 1 die, Labels Stacklets 3 and  Leafy dies from Taylored Expressions
Accessories: Swiss Dot embossing folder, Spellbinders, pearls, satin orange ribbon, corner chomper and dimensionals.

It was so nice to sit back in my craft space this morning and just craft a little in silence :) Grateful to this wonderful community that constantly inspires my with all the creativity that is out there and the amazing and wonderful blogging friends that constantly make me smile with their beautiful blogs, posts and texts! Grateful to start this new year with you!

Live the life you have always imagined! Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!
Happy New Year everyone!
Thank you for stopping by today!
Ciao for now,
Sankari :)