Illustrated Faith | Tela Holcomb

Good morning! When I think of Tela I think of JOYFUL, BRIGHT ray of SUNSHINE, sweetheart, caring, inspiring, creative TALENTED woman of GOD! I am so thankful she is here to share her heart with us today! Please give a warm welcome to Tela.....

Blog | Instagram | Creative Retreat Kits

Hey, hey everyone! I'm Tela Holcomb and I'm truly thankful to have found the journaling bible process. About 2 to 3 years ago, I got the urge to read and have a better understanding of the bible but I kept putting it off. I'll start next week. I'll start next month. I need to find a church home first. When I came across Shanna Noel's Illustrated Faith class, I just knew this was for me. I knew this was what I needed to get started. Through this process I've dug into my bible more than ever before! I love taking a verse that speaks to me and creating in my bible what I see in my head.

 

Recently, I journaled two verses that remind me to be thankful for everyday and everything. Because it's all a blessing!

 

The first verse is Psalm 118:24. This verse reminds me to be thankful for every day the Lord allows me to wake up. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

I love this "sunbeam" washi!



The next verse is Ephesians 5:20. This verse is a reminder to always give thanks to God. Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I've been so fortunate in my life and blessed with so many opportunities and so many beautiful people and it's all thanks to God. During my days as a single mom, I thought I just couldn't go another day. It was hard doing it all by myself and I was young (19). But God saw it fit for me to shoulder the responsibilities I had at that time and the moment I embraced them and said "God, as long as you don't give up on me, I won't give up" everything started to fall in place for me. Career, financial, and personal.

If you are looking for inspiration, come join us in the Journaling Bible Community on Facebook. It is such a loving community. I've been able to interact with some amazing people within this group. Thank you Shanna for being brave and open enough to share your creative journaling process with the world and letting us know it's ok. I see the Lord doing many more great things through you! xoxo



Thank you so much Tela, what a wonderful time of year to reflect on gratitude!!!! If you decide to use any of Tela's prompts we would love for you to share with us in the comments below! Talk to you soon!

go.be.inspired.

Shanna

Walden Reveal and an update on the Thankful Heart Stamps!

It's an exciting time over at Studio Calico! We are getting ready for Gratitude Documented, the Walden kits are live, Christmas items are hitting the store just so much excitement! Where should we start today? Since I have gotten many messages asking that the thankful heart stamps be restocked let's start there!!

They are restocking these, please push "notify me" so you will get an email as SOON as they come in and you will be sure to snag them before they sell out again :) While you are at it here are couple other things I recommend for the class : 

These 3x4 journaling cards are the basis for my album but they would also be perfect for Project Life or traditional scrapbooking as well!

Arrow Letterpress Plate

I don't have a letterpress machine, but I have been using the letterpress plates as a stamp. I love an arrow background stamp and it's perfect for those 3x4 cards you want to add a little something to!

I had a lot of fun using the different elements in Walden in unique ways, this kit lends its self well to a little creative play! 

Walden Scrapbook Kit 

I also had a ton of fun creating the template this month! It was based on one of my favorite wood veneer pieces from Studio Calico and it is just so much fun to fill in all the pockets! 

Okay on to add-ons, I LOVE these kits for my gallery but I think I loved them even more for my gratitude album, they just had so many things that worked perfectly!!! 

Concord Add-on

Now I know you are thinking "but Shanna that is the most expensive kit in the store", yes I know! But friends, it is worth every single penny!! There isn't a single aspect of this kit that isn't crush worthy!!! That ephemera pack? SO JAMMED PACKED! The papers? Perfectly picked! That alpha stitch template alone is something you will use over and over again and turn your projects into something special! The world veneer is magical and those sentiment stickers from Amy Tangerine will help you set the ton of your page! SO much LOVELINESS!!! So yes, it may cost a little more but you are going to get miles out of this kit, I promise! 

So what do you say? Are you over the moon excited for this time of year or what?!

go.be.inspired.

Shanna

Reflect Sunday | A Thankful Heart

 It's Sunday! I hope you are having a day filled with beautiful little moments (and maybe an afternoon nap!). This morning I woke up in a hotel room with my youngest daughter Addison as we are in the middle of a girls trip! I LOVE one on one time with my girls, I think it is so important to really take the time with the special people in your life.

One of the things I love the most about this journaling bible process is that it is so easy when you are on the go! Just pack up your bible, your favorite journaling pen, a couple alpha stickers,  some watercolors and your favorite stamps and you are ready to go! You could create for days with a handful of supplies.    And even though there is so much gained by attending a church, sitting on the ground next to the huge window in our hotel room, with my little one snuggled up in her blanket playing with her penguin and me with my bible... there was really no other place I would have rather been this morning.

gratitude documented stamp set

When Studio Calico asked me to design a stamp set for my next class - gratitude documented, I was keeping in mind how I might use this set with my bible, because lets face it, PERFECT MATCH! So for the next 6 weeks we will be focusing on an attitude of gratitude. In today's society it is so easy to think we need more, or our friend has this wonderful life and we are over here not living up to their standards. My friends, God doesn't call us to live up to their standards, but his. He has given us exactly what we need. That isn't to say that we can sit back and allow God to do the work, but we do need to be thankful for what we are given.

In my class we will be diving deeper into the idea of gratitude (so if you want a more in depth look please join us) but I wanted to share some samples of how we might do that here as well.

Supplies | journaling pen | thankful stamps | watercolors | date stamp | bible | thankful cards | 

This week I decided to focus on 1 Thessalonians 5:18 which reads, "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Chris Jesus for you".  I love that is says "in all circumstances' it doesn't say when you get the "right" job or meet Mr. Right, is says in ALL circumstances. Which lead me to want to create a space where I can really see how my gratitude evolves by leaving room to document that gratitude in the coming years. So imagine my surprise when I opened my bible this morning to see this lovely 1/2 page of space to work with (since it was at the end of 1 Thessalonians). So if you are working in the same ESV journaling bible you will find that space as well, but if you are working in a difference format this is still do-able! Just take the column you normally journal in and create a space that you can document a couple sentiments for 2014-2016 (or longer if you wish). 

So what do you say, will you join me in documented your gratitude in this very important season of your life? Let's celebrate the little things while focusing on the word together. 

go.be.inspired. 

Shanna

Gratitude Documented 2014

Last year I asked my friend Chantal if she would be interested in helping me pull together a gratitude mini kit and create a blog series around it. She agreed, and came to the table with some amazingly inspired ideas. We both blogged about it and I don't think either one of us imagined the response that we got. You guys reacted in a way that set the idea on fire, you really brought it to life. It was so much fun to see how everyone was documenting their gratitude. As a thank you we have taken it a step further this year and partnered with Studio Calico to bring you a class with MORE content, MORE product, MORE inspiration and even MORE ideas .... GRATITUDE DOCUMENTED!!

This is the first class that I have taught at Studio Calico that is really going to dig deep into the idea of gratitude. It is my hope that you will grab a warm cup of tea, your favorite fall blanket and curl up with a journal to get the ideas flowing before we even start our creative process. Gratitude is so much more than putting together a beautiful mini album, when you are done with this I am positive it will be something you cherish for many years to come.

I feel so blessed and humbled to work with some of the best in the industry as Jamie Waters, Lexi Bridges, Chantal Philippe will be joining me to bring this class to life. I seriously can NOT wait to see what these talented ladies come up with! 

In gratitude documented we we be going in depth prompts to help you explore all of your gratitudes from this year, super simple tag book minibook that you can tailor to your own style, 3 videos, message board and class challenges, I will be there every step of the way to help encourage you, Jamie will be adapting the ideas to a WRMK 4x4in album, and we’ll wrap up by Thanksgiving so you can share your project with your loved ones.

As with all the wonderful classes at Studio Calico, we have teamed up to provide you with supplies that will inspire you as well as work seamlessly with the class. The stamp set is one of my faves with fun sentiments in my signature style along with elements you will find yourself reaching for over and over again. I can not wait to explore these more with you in class! 

Even though class does not start until November, the fun starts now! In classic Studio Calico style they have already loaded the class up with some digital goodies for you (the cut files and cards are available at this very moment and the digital stamps will be in there very soon!) 

oh and one last thing....

I want you to know that I am VERY grateful for each and every one of YOU!! Blogging doesn't come easy to me, I forget to post, or don't know what to post about, but the support I have seen on this blog in the past couple of months is just stunning. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

go.be.GRATEFUL.

Shanna

The one where I show off all of YOUR talent... oh and another gratitude documented download!

I am having SO much fun seeing how everyone is using the gratitude files, and I wanted to share a couple fun ideas with you that I have seen in our community!! 

Heather is getting her circles all ready to go!

Miri6guez is inspiring me so much!! Hello, watercolors & cut files!

Um WOW. Sasha surprised me with this little gem this morning, looked how she rocked that brush!!

I am in awe of each and every one of you, thank you for being so inspiring to me!

And here are your files for today!!

You can download them here  !

I hope you enjoy and don't forget to add #gratitudedocumented to your IG posts!

 I can't wait to see what you create!

xox

The one where Chantal has a special gift for YOU!!!

Happy Monday! Monday's are always a little better with a freebie, aren't they? Well I have a special gift for you today from the lovely Chantal! I personally feel like Chantal and I have VERY similar taste, I just love every single thing she does!

Here is a little note from Chantal:

I cannot truly express how thrilled I am to have been asked to be part of this very special project that Shanna has put together for everyone. It is very hard to keep focus of our life's many blessings (little or small) when a busy schedule seems to take over your every waking moment and this is why I am so very much looking forward in taking part in this project.

I currently live on the outskirts of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada with my little brother and my long term partner Jeff. I also share custody of my five year old daughter Meagan from a previous marriage. I enjoy nothing more than losing myself in the creative process that comes with scrapbooking (wether it be digital, paper or hybrid) and photography.

I hope you all will enjoy this project as much as I have and will! Happy memory keeping xoxo Chantal

You can download this adorable printable here

Also, how fun! She is giving you these (not all shown) FUN digital stamps! 

I am having SO much fun seeing how you guys are using the kits! Keep tagging my on IG, and using hashtag #gratitudedocumented, I will be putting togethet a post sharing all the wonderful things you are doing!! You are such an inspiration to me, and I can't wait to share that with everyone! 

oxx thank you for all you do!

P.S. See you back on Thursday for your next download!!

The one where you start your Gratitude Documented project !!!

Yay! It is here! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am! I never expected the excitement I have received around this project. But really, this project is ALL ABOUT YOU! Yes, YOU! As well as documenting my gratitude in my everyday, this is really my way of saying thank you to this community who has been SO VERY supportive!!! So thank you, from the bottom of my heart! <3

Here is your first download for the kit:

You can download here

Also, I thought you might like the cut files today 

which you can find here :) 

In exchange for the download I have two itty bitty requests:

* If you have friends that you think would like to participate, please send them here to download instead of mailing them the links directly

* If you post your project on instagram please use hashtag #gratitudedocumented so I can see all your wonderful projects! Or better yet, tag me!!!! 

I also have a VERY special treat, my dear from Kate is sharing how she put together her gratitude kit using the downloads! If you don't already subscribe to her channel, you must! I love her, she is sweet, honest and insanely creative!

If you would like to see my video you can view it here Also, if you make a video I would love to see it!  Come back Monday to get to know my friend Chantal  and get another download for your gratitude documented journal! xox

The one where Chantal Philippe rocks the kit in a digi way!

Chantal is my secret weapon in this whole gratitude documented process! Not only is she providing the printables one week, she also came up with the colors, which I am in LOVE with! I was not settling on a certain color combo quick enough, and then comes Chantal, swopping in with her awesomeness!!!

And look what she has done with the kit already! She is super awesome! After I saw this I quized her on her iphonography process for 1/2 the day ;) 

Items used: Mended Hex by Amy Martin Designs, Paperwhite Confetti by Sara Gleason, If Only by Lauren Reid, Photobooth by Paislee Press, Accoutrements by Valorie Wibbens, Stand Tall Numbers by CD Muckosky, All Whites Paper Pack by Vinnie Pearce and December Daily 2013 Digital Stamps by Studio Calico

Yep, told ya, she rocks!

xox

P.S. Your first download of gratitude.documented is Thursday!!! xox

The one with Gratitude Documented the video

Thank you so much for stopping by! I am going to keep this short because the VIDEO is not!

1. Come back THURSDAY for your first DOWNLOAD of gratitude.documented

2. Sorry the video is so long, I blabber on and on and one and laugh at myself for no reason!?

3, When I say 2 generations I mean 3 ;) 

Some of the items I am using come from these WONDERFUL stores:

Studio Calico | Freckled Fawn | Chic Tags | Twine & Tape 

  Gratitude Documented | Cultivating your Kit from shanna noel on Vimeo. Thank you so much for stopping by! If you make your own kit will you  tag it on IG #gratitudedocumentedkit I would love to see it! xox