30 Days Of Gratitude

#30DaysOfGratitude

I just got through one week of #SelfLoveMagic so now I am super excited to show gratitude outwards for everything that's made me who I am today.

Since its officially Thanksgiving month I've decided to join the 30 days of gratitude challenge.

I wouldn't be anything like I am today without this amazing beautiful human who's always got my back. I'm forever grateful for all his hugs and help every single day. <3

What are you grateful for today?

#sharethelove #loveyourlife #begrateful #gratitude #gratitudeistheattitude

Photo credit : Jacqie Q Photography

Shout out to my partner Selomon! Check him and all his amazing out in www.Selomon.com  ( personal tip: hes got awesome free meditations and other offerings you will love!)

Today Is The Last Day Of The #selflovemagic Challenge I Joined!

#selflovemagic | Day 7 Yay we did it! .

Challenge: Write a letter to your younger self all about self-love and your insights on self-love from the perspective of where you are today.

In today's post, share a photo of your younger self and in the caption share some of the things your younger self learned/heard that you think others would benefit from reading as well. 

Post a photo of your younger self to show how far you've come. <3

****

Here goes it...

 Dear baby girl,

This one brought so many feels...as everyone in this photo but me is now gone.. I want you to  know you are so powerful and loved. You have quite the journey ahead and lifes anything but easy. But know you will get through every test with your best. 

Don't ever give up, and find the strength to not only love yourself but all those around you.

Your smile is contagious and your mood can shift a whole room, so be careful with it.

Know that everything happens for a reason, and everything you want is within reach. Don't every stop aiming for those shiney stars and never settle for less than you deserve, which is only the best.

Your family and friends may not always get it but they do love you a lot. Take more time to make memories and SMILE  and Dance  MORE.

Be happy and enjoy the moment. Things will happen so fast so remember its Bout the journey not the destination. 

Embrace love. Believe in miracles. And never back down for that which is right. Stand strong. Be mindful. And always always always.. be yourself. 

<3 Shannon

As I wrote this I also felt a sense of my future self talking to me now tol! Whew all the feels. 

What would YOU tell your younger self? 

#selflovemagic.

@aerialyogagoddes @_angiemsanchez @askdoctorjulie @loraleibayette @simi_fromen @essentialroselife @iam.alyssalove

Thank you ladies sooooo much for this amazing push. What a beautiful week it's been. 💜😍🙌🙏

If you enjoyed this event I encourage you to get yourself a journal and join me for my own 52 weeks of self love prompte and challenges starting, (hopefully) next week!

Ahh I'm so excited!

Self Love Magic- Day 2 : Movement

#Selflovemagic challenge day 2:#Movement

Today I post these photos for the movement challenge not because I'm some yoga queen as you can see from the photos I'm totally not and still pretty basic haha.  But because stretching and yoga have become a key part of life this summer.
I use to be afraid to move my body. I became timid with it in middle school as I grew faster than everyone in many areas. Then they decided to line up and girls and boys alphabetically for stretches and I was then not only surrounded by judgey teenage girls but also boys.
I became so self conscious of my , uh behind? As they'd giggle and make rude comments at me as I'd stretch and bend. It made me so uncomfortable I didn't even want to dance either. And who doesn't love to dance?

Even as an adult I still deal with this. Just recently I had the displeasure of stretching in my own yard as a car drove by and whistled at me strangely.  Making me angry and grabbing my may to go inside. For many it may have been flattering but for me it was uncomfortable.

However, this summer somethings changed inside me. My body wants to move.
 I am lucky enough to know more than a few amazing yoga instructors that have changed my views. So much so that I even decided to take a training to teach children yoga to cope with trauma (and many of the techniques have helped me too!)

I don't get to do a full routine everyday however I have added that I wish to do 10 of some sort of stretch everyday and let me tell you it feels great when I get to follow through!

Now I'm still not a huge fan of group classes however I do love to come out and hide in these trees, stretch out my knees, and feel the breeze. <3

And you'll be happy to know I also danced my happy behind out here listening to the new REZZ  track and it felt amazing.

Do you want to join the fun and win prizes and meet amazing powerful females? Follow
@aerialyogagoddes Angie Sanchez​ Dr. Julie​ Loralei Bayette​ @simi_fromen Essential Rose Life​   on Insagram and check out the 7 day challenge !

#yoga #stretch #moveyourbody #selflove

Sacred Spaces.

Hello Everyone!
Today is Day ONE of seven for the #selflovemagic challenge that I found online and a bunch of lovely ladies are hosting it all week. I am excited to be a part of this and get my own self love challenge in order. (Stay tuned for that!) Anywho, today's challenge is to set up a #sacredspace. 

I am lucky enough to have a few sacred spaces. I have several areas in my house that are adorned with crystals, flowers, nature offerings and more. Just last night I brought in several of my plants from the cold and began to create a few more spaces that I didn't have a chance to photograph just yet and my common room already feels so much better.

I am also grateful I live near some of the most beautiful woods in the Appalachia and I have a special tree we call "overwatch" that looks over a beautiful watershed that I love to meditate and relax at.

Lately I have really loved adventuring with my transformation journal. It's really become my "sacred space" it's the place I can store and organize all of my thoughts and hopes and dreams. That thing really does contain everything in there.

And lastly I am grateful I have a spare room in my home that my partner and I converted into our meditation room. It's a calming blue and is home to my favorite "thinking chair" where I often record my videos and work on my content for here and my other blogs and pages. Its here that I keep many of my favorite Crystals and grids and universal offerings as well.

Creating these spaces and outlets became really important to me this past few months and I'm so glad that I have them to retreat too when I need a moment to recharge. <3 

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR RITUALS,or SACRED SPACES?
Leave me a comment because I'd love to know!


Want to join the fun and win prizes and meet amazing powerful females? Follow 
@aerialyogagoddes @_angiemsanchez @askdoctorjulie @loraleibayette @simi_fromen @essentialroselife via instagram and check out the 7 day challenge !

Carnelian the orange stone of protection , abundance, fertility and more!

Carnelian  from my Reiki 2 attunement- Photo by Shantastic Shine
- purchase pieces like these today from Indigo Flame Gifts

Carnelian, a very beautiful glassy yet translucent crystal that is a variety of orange tones and a mineral of the Quartz family. Carnelian is believed to help so many things. From helping even the shyest become a bold speaker to helping workers and architects construct master buildings. It was even worn by ancient warriors for courage and strength! Carnelian is a stone for many as you can see. It’s also a favorite of little old me!

Carnelian is used for many things  some of the other major uses and purposes are to attract prosperity and resources.  I personally used Carnelian in many of my grids for this purpose. It is also the crystal of ambition, drive and determination all amazing qualities to have. 

Carnelian also helps the voice and singers often wear it to promote confidence for their performances. If you are a singer it is said to be beneficial to wear it as a necklace. ( You can find carnelian necklaces in the Shantastic Shine Shop if you are in need of one asap!)  IT is also the stone that lends the courage needed to help overcome difficulties while defending a specific cause. It offers a sense of community and love.

Orange crystals in particular help with fertility and the sacral chakra as well. Carnelian is full of life force energy and stimulates the metabolism while activating chakras.

Another reason I have chosen to talk about carnelian today is because it helps aide us through the LEO FULL MOON which is coming TOMORROW.  Which means you should also be prepping all your crystals to charge under the moon tomorrow night.

Carnelian is a strong crystal that is also good for helping charge other crystals like citrine or selenite. It has a self charging frequency to it.  When going through my personal Reiki 2 attunement I choose 21 crystals from my Reiki Masters collection. 14 of them were Carnelian while the rest were honey calcite. I proceeded to build a grid (  I actually never counted how many I had just started picking from until after the actual ceremony , then realized I too choose 21 stones just as Usi did while going through his own process)  I still have these crystals and often use them in the center of my alter grids in my home where I am building my own reiki healing center. It helps make the house feel very calm and has indeed help me draw in some abundance.

 

I currently have a set of carnelian in stock for Crystal Gridding and would be willing to sell or trade it if interested please contact me. I also make custom reiki charged healing energy jewelry and could combine carnelian with your other favorite stones upon request. Feel free to contact me at anytime my email is shantasticshine@gmail.com. I promise I am easy to work with and would love to get you a piece as soon as I can.

Shine on always

-Shantastic Shine.

Malachite – The Power Crystal

What is Malachite you ask? It is one of my favorite crystals!

Malachite has a beautiful rich green color similar to that of very healthy grass or a pretty pine tree.  It is actually made of a carbonate copper mixture. Malachite can also have some black spots or bands which simply adds to its beauty in my opinion.

Don’t be to fooled by its beauty though, this stone is POWERFUL and the dust from an unpolished piece can also be toxic if not handled properly.

It is said that malachite should be used by an experienced crystal or energy healer and will often find it’s owner at the right time. This stone is very important to cleanse every full moon and as much as possible. It absorbs negativity around it and can start to emit it at a powerful rate if not cleansed frequently and no one wants their negativity amplified.

Malachite is said to be the power and transformation stone. Malachite helps balance pure love, spiritual evolution, and “female monthly problems.” This stone will bring transformation in a positive way again and again if used properly.  Malachite is also a protection stone, it guards against radiation of all kinds, clears electromagnetic pollution and heals earth energies. It is also said to aide you in fear of travel. Of the current reality and the astral realm.

Malachite is dedicated to the heart chakra located near the center of the breastbone, it regulates our interaction with the external world and controls what we embrace and what we resist most. Malachite also stimulates dream state and brings memories more vividly to life.

Handmade Bracelet by Shantastic Shine - Malachite with a Lapis Focal. Charged and ready to be shipped to your door!<3

Malachite is one of my all time favorite stones. I've used it for healing and transformation of myself and in my family. I actually received my malachite heart in the mail the day my Grandmother went into the hospital during one of her last battles. That heart stayed in my pocket for 6 months and I used it many times to help cleanse her heart chakra and balance energies in the room.  The day my Grandmother passed away the heart literally jumped out of my hand and hit the ground, and broke.  This heart was sturdy and has hit the ground before. Where it fell from wasn’t more than about 2 feet from the ground and it broke into two pieces, She now has a piece of my heart with her forever and Malachite will forever remain one of my favorite crystals.

Feel free to e-mail me for a custom order. : shantasticshine@gmail.com

Thanks for checking out my Malachite Review!
If you are interested in wearing some malachite of your very own check out these bracelets in my ShineShop!

 I created them with love , cleansed them and reiki charged them with amazing energy. I would feel honored to send you some malachite.

Shine Bright, Love Light

-Shantastic Shine.

The Light Queen of my life ...may she rest in peace.

My best friend of 23 years... the women who knew truely how to take away all my fears.
I feel like this just isn't even real life right now oh super moon how you've brought my biggest fear to light on this dreaded night.
My grams is officially gone... she finally given up on her fight.
</3
On the 9th month at 9 p.m. on the 10th day , of 2014 she was guided to the other side on her mothers birthday... ( at least she got one heck of a present on this day)


Thank you to every single person that's been there along the way I knew she wasn't able to continue her stay. I just hated seeing her have to end it but today was just meant to be the day.

So much love for one women I never knew it where possible to be true. But I can honestly say there will never be another women quite like her. Though I keep reminding myself it's better to have loved her and lost her than to have never have had her.
 

My grams had a notebook she was writing in... One of the only rings she wrote me was " Shannon you are loved remember that. And now always look to god for answers."... I cried... then got on and saw this....

Oh what a day. I feel like this means leaves in general rather than turned against me. regardless I am grateful for the strength to get through .
She is forever an amazing part of me and my life.

I will be regaining my life in the next few days then restarting some of my pages for yet another new chapter to my life.
The darkest days are here then its all up from here! No time left to fear. Gotta just grab the wheel and steer!

Love and Light... things are about to SHINE so BRIGHT

Sorry for my lack of organization. However as always in the early stages of business and bloggin' growth there are big things happening. Worlds are changing and things are growing and being created! A lot of it because I am currently growing so much myself that it's ridiculously exciting.

I'm hoping to get some organized information together and start adding more motivational topics to the blog rather than just creation updates.

It's about time I spread more than just arts and crafts and spread some Love and Light in this world. Look out tis about to get real!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!

I did a giveaway on my  Facebook page I meant to post an update for anyone following here but it seems my feed didn't update in time.   So I guess that was a special Valentine for my Facebook Followers <3 So be sure to add me so you don't miss the next freebie!

I gave away these three bracelets:

For those of you who missed it you can still buy these from my ETSY SHOP with a few other options :)

I hope all of you have a good Valentines Taken or not! If you are single enjoy a day for yourself and spoil yourself a little extra ;)


As for me I'm not doing anything too special. Boyfrienddd and I have a long trip tomorrow to take care of some long overdue priorities that will mean He can be my personal driver again ;) That shall be a big gift all in its own!   However I did do a little something for him :P

I surprised him with with a few of his own awesome Personalized Guitar Picks from Six Shooter Leather! They are AWESOME!  I will do a bigger post on them very soon! Until then enjoy the Love day.... or at least save up for the candy that shall be on sale tomorrow!!

haha So Since I had to do the "gifting" this year for V-day I got a big
bag of Reese's to SHARE so I did indeed leave him a reminder to not eat
them ALL as soon as he could lol. The card was a bit last minute since I had to do it while he was sleeping I had been a bit busy >.< ah the life of a full time Crafter!

14 Days of Valentines.... Day 7..... Couples Photo Shoot?

SHANTASTIC INK PHOTOGRAPHY
(CLICK HERE)

 I recently just got to do an AWESOME engagement photoshoot for my business Shantastic Ink Photography with my new Nikon D3100. 
This couple was lots of fun to do photos for, they photographed so good together.  With the help of boyfreinddd (aka my awesome photo assistant) we captured some fun shots of them.

 It was awesome that we got JUST enough snow for it to lay pretty in some of their photos. They got engaged on Christmas Eve which for our area had a decent snow fall . It helped recreate the scenery a bit better than the ugly muddy ground of the previous weather would have.

I always wanted to do a photo like this. I thought it was such a cute idea. Glad she thought so too. Turned out pretty cute :)

The other fun thing about this location was that on one side of the tracks was His hometown and the other was Her hometown so in a way we caught a  little piece of both their homes in one little location :) All in all it was tons of fun.   

If you need something fun to do with your loved one or your family this Valentines day instead of going out and getting bunches of candy, call your local favorite photographer friend and book a photo session to capture your memories today.   Or you can always call me or contact me for Shantastic Ink Photography to capture your photos! I will gladly do what I can to make that happen.

14 Days of Valentines... Day 5...... Love Knot Rings

It's february 5th, and Valentines day just keeps creeping up on us!

Good thing you still have a chance to place orders or requests I should be able to ship them in time. :)

My 5th Valentines gift idea ...and I must say is one of my favorites are love knot rings....

BUY ME HERE

Do you need a gift for your Mom or Sister? Maybe your girlfriend or your best friend? How about your Daughter? Or that special Aunt!

Love knot rings are awesome because you can get a set to match and make them an awesome gift for two special people. Whether they're for you and someone else , or two people that are special to you! They are bound to bring smiles to faces.

They can be made in generally any color. However, silver is my most common and favored color and style.


Order a set today for $25.00 with custom sizing! Includes Shipping.  

Or order one for $10.00 + 3.00 S&H  Comes with heart Gift box while supplies last.

SHOP SHANTASTIC ON ETSY! 

 

Valentines Gift Guide... and the countdown begins

Today I wanted to share a quick little gift guide for the Valentines Holiday.

I created this awesome little treasury on Etsy. Featuring the lovely work of Shantastic Shine Sales, Forgotten Cotton, Beadsoul, SteamCircus.com  ,and Chrysalis Jewelry  
and many more!

I will be working on a 14 days of Valentines gifts , and decor... I will hopefully be featuring each of these lovely creators from this treasury once they get back to me :)

Time to let the handmade gifts and romance begin.

CLICK HERE  FOR MY Valentines treasury

LunaLove - I just realized I painted my night away.

I just realized I painted for about 6-7 hours..... I went down to the studio instead of cleaning like I said I would in my last post because it was a beautiful day outside and the sun felt awesome coming through the studio windows. I started painting and just got really into it. Then I realized the Sun disappeared  and I wondered why I felt kinda tired. I looked at the clock and the time had flew buy! I had facebook notifications and a new Etsy contact!

TIME FLEW... and now I realize I have a bad habit of hunching over my easel :/ however... I did create a pretty sweet looking moon piece.  Wanna see?:)

Luna Love is a 16x20 Acrylic Paintnig by Shannon Cook of Shantastic Spectrum
This piece is for sale and can be purchased -Here-

 I used my new paints with new brushed and a new canvas...... what an awesome feeling. That doesn't happen often.  Did I mention the studio was all cleaned up still? (Yes I am proud of myself. )

Here's to a good days work... Off to a relaxing evening of Pinterest "research"

Check out the new Section for Shantastic-Spectrum on my blog here:

Tree Branch Necklace.

I made this one for my best friend Kayla and sent it home with her to good ol' Alabama.... Now I can't wait to make more.

Hope she shares it with all her awesome friends down there.
I love how it turned out for a first try.

  It is a rather large piece that lays over the chest.  But it can be arranged a bit to lay how you like.


 It can also be customized with whatever color  "leaves or blossoms" you would like as well.


 I want to make a copper one with brown or fall colored leaves soon. :) I will for sure post some awesome pictures.

 

My aunt said it reminded her of lighting.... Hmmmmm maybe that will be of some use. Sounds like some good inspiration.


I will post photos of my next one Asap!

Until then ,

Happy Crafting

Photos from my Christmas Holiday

 I know the holidays have come and gone. I wish I would have kept up with the blog better there were so many awesome things happening I wanted to share with everyone!

 Before it gets to late in the year I wanted to share a few photos from the holidays that I enjoyed taking.  Here are my holiday festivities in a Photo form:
 
Kayla and I one Christmas Eve

 Cozmo is my best friend Kayla's kitty. He is a cutie for sure! Such a sweet little fur ball!





>>>> Me playing with my new Nikon D5100

My beautiful opal ring from my boyfriend. He gave it to me on Christmas Eve 2012 how sweet<3

 My brother and Grandma on Christmas 2012

 Gingerbread man and the Front Pine tree from the snow storm the day after Christmas

 The outside kitties were crying for some warmth so I brought them in to get a few Christmas photos , they weren't very cooperative. Oh well at least they are cute!

This was a Christmas bulb on our Downtown Christmas tree.
The dedication is to one of my highschool teachers who passed
She was truly and amazing women.

Downtown Cumberland Maryland Christmas Decorations