This is part of an art journaling project for Gauche Alchemy..
stay tuned for the complete tutorial in August

Happy Sunday!  Can you believe is it is almost August?  Last Christmas, when I was making, creating, celebrating and shopping, getting a little lost in the frenzy of the season...I thought back to July when Hobby Lobby begins to put out Christmas and how it all makes us crazy and we think..."Come on -its way too early for this." I told myself that I should have started in July....Fast forward to today, July 31st and no, I haven't started Christmas Creating, Celebrating or Shopping...but it will all be ok come December 25th!


Travel is where I am today.  We are getting ready for our trip to Europe..It's definitely exciting much like Christmas...We anticipate the day, the presents, the feast, the family, the memories and then it goes too quickly.  Of our trip to Europe, my youngest said "We plan this for months and then it's goes so fast and then it's over!" Time does fly when you are having fun.  This is so true of all the things we love...whether it is a day in the studio, a day at the park, a great movie, a vacation or Christmas Day.



When we see the Christmas aisles in July, what we are really saying is {perhaps}we want to live in this moment not 5 months from now.  Retail has a calendar, what to sell and when.  To them it makes sense, to us it seems to rush us into the future.  So for now, I'll put Christmas in December, embrace it when it arrives..and yes, plan ahead (perhaps, I'll start in August) just as we did for this European vacation..Today, I will keep my thoughts in the present, my heart in the cities we visit, embrace the moments...and create lasting memories.


Until next time, Embrace the moments here and now, I hope that your days are filled with those you love, doing the things you love and watch time fly and then when the days are long, we can look back at these moments that have become cherished memories.


"Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory."
                                        -Dr. Seuss


By the way, there are only 147 days until Christmas...we have plenty of time!