New year faith renewal...and a little craft tutorial

I think we all could use a little spiritual motivation and faith renewal no matter what time of year, but it seems to be fairly prevalent with every coming new year.  Resolutions that motivate us to "stay strong", "be healthy", "put more happy in our life" are all very common but unique to each individual making them.  Each resolution is special and a reflection of the person's past experience and hopes for the future.  

In thinking about my resolution (and I have the hardest time keeping one), I wonder what motivation I need to keep that resolution.  What it boils down for me is faith--faith in knowing that everything will be okay because we believe God is holding our hands and guiding each of our steps.  When we fall, He picks us up and when we succeed, it's all because of Him...so we dance...like no one is watching...and sing....like we're on American Idol.  We stay HAPPY in all that we do and thankful for this life.

Now the tutorial....which is completely related.  =)

To help us keep our thoughts in place and where they should be, I wanted to put up motivational sayings in our home as a constant reminder of God's blessings to us each and every day.  Pretty Print Shop is a fabulous Etsy shop that specializes in digital prints that serve to motivate and inspire.  Hannah, the owner of the shop, designs each and every print--such a talented person and I'm blessed to have met her at the Penelope Lane Holiday Boutique last November.  She has these beautiful designs below, all printed on high quality photo paper--everything so bright and cheery.

I decided to decoupage these prints on canvas (those ones that artists use to paint on).  I wasn't sure how they would turn out because I didn't know if the paper type (glossy photo paper) made a difference with the Mod Podge.  Using a sponge brush, I applied more than a thin layer of Mod Podge on the canvas and then lay a print on it.  

It worked out well and I was very happy.  

I waited a few hours for the Mod Podge to dry completely and then applied another thin layer to the top of the prints to seal them and add a bit of glossy sheen to them.  I really liked how they turned out especially with the texturing of the gloss resembling the texture of the canvas.

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I will hang these up in a spot in our home where we will see these every day as daily reminders of God's blessings. Such an easy little craft with lots of meaning--right up my alley!

Happy Crafting!