Be Kind to Yourself

My Nana once told me:  "Teresa Marie" (that's my REAL name and I was always in trouble when she used it with my middle name...) "do not ever apologize for your house or your life.  You do not need to apologize for who you are."   At the time I had three little children, a husband who worked shift work and I was driving 1 hour each way to work daily.  I love a clean home but it never seemed clean and I was oh-so frustrated.  She came to visit and I said "Excuse my house Nana..."  That's when she imparted her wisdom on me (one of the many times but we will go on past that in this post!).  My Nana's words have resonated with me since that time and even though I am the hardest on myself and I tend to forget what really matters, those words creap in and I know she was speaking the truth.  I miss her so much.

It took me awhile after I lost my job to realize that bad things do happen to good people.  Just because something bad happened doesn't make me any less of a good citizen, a good mother, a GREAT wife (if I say so myself), a perfect daughter.  Okay, I'm stretching on that one... 

Every day I learn a truth about myself.  I had a friend (I'll call her Sally) call me today to discuss a blog "Sally" had read (http://missgracieshouse.blogspot.com/.  Sidebar:  This blog was so honest and open that I have nothing but praise for this woman's courage.)  "Sally" felt that this blog was written just for her because she identified with Miss Gracie.    "Sally" is one of the most generous and caring women I have ever met.  She's very creative and enthusiastic.  She accepts people so genuinely, including all of their warts they come with!  She is always ready with a praise of some sort to lift someone's spirits.  Yet she's afraid people will judge her because she spends her time giving of herself instead of organizing her home.  While I believe organization is important for me, it doesn't have to be that way for everyone.   My truth today was "Why do we have to be so hard on ourselves?  Why do we judge others who are different than we are?  Why do we make someone feel less that what they are worth?"  "Sally" is wonderful just as she is... therefore, "Sally", and I for that matter, need to quit berating ourselves.  We all need to be a little kinder to ourselves.  After all, we are the one person that we will always be able to count on.  Love yourselves.  God does....  And if you need a little more inspiration, go to the Braves Girl Club (http://bravegirlsclub.com/). 

I had a little time in my studio the last 24 hours and I was able to stretch my wings.  I created this tag.   

I used Tim Holtz' birdcage die cut (love it!).  You can find it here. 

Prima Flowers and Tim Holtz ticket and mini-key (which you can barely see in this picture)...

Bird is from a napkin which I have done a card with on this blog.  Red feather from Hobby Lobby.

The gold metallic is metallic rub-on.  I used it on my sides of my tag and on the birdcage.  I used brads on the flowers and bottom of the birdcage. 

You can find this on my Etsy store if you'd like to purchase it or request a special order.  Have a great day and love yourselves!   

Etsy Shop

I have finally gotten off of my behind and opened up my Etsy Shop.  Etsy is a place where crafters of all kinds can sell their handmade items.  Take a look at this post and if you would like to purchase, visit me over at my Etsy Shop.  See you there!

Spring 2011!

Well, I should call this post "ALMOST Spring 2011".  Here in Georgia, we've had terrific weather since Punxsutawney Phil declared Spring would arrive early this year!  So terrific, I've been able to open my windows during the day and in some cases, leave them open all night.  While it's pleasant now, I cannot help but think...  "Does this mean I'm going to have to turn my air on BEFORE April 15th?" (My general "cannot turn the air on before' date...)  Since I've begun to have some "personal summers" during the wee hours of the morning (wink, wink), I may have to lower my expectations this year.  We are new in this house, so I do not have a standard of what our electric bills will be like...  Therefore, for my sake and my hubby's, I may be spending a lot of the summer in my basement which is cool and where my craftroom is located.....  Darn, the bad luck...  ;-.)

Because Spring is on the way, I wanted to showcase this card.  I used a napkin found at Tuesday Mornings and used my encaustic wax process to adhere to napkin to the card base.  Encaustic waxing is very easy to do and a quick way to make a card.  I love the look.  

 The gold line stickers in the corners are from Hobby Lobby and I just love how they add a slight elegant feel to the card. 

On a side note, I received a wonderful surprise from my friend Deb at Playing with Color.   Deb sent me an award and I want to personally thank her! Thank you so much, Deb! I was so surprised and tickled!

This award is for someone to give extra attention to another person's blog so that more people are aware of that blog.  So, the award is not given to people with hundreds of followers.  The rules of this award are to:

Make a reference to the blog of the person from whom you have received the award (with a link). Thanks Deb!!!  You can choose to pass the award from three to five other blogs, with a link. Leave a comment on your chosen blogs to let them know that they have received an award.

Of course, you do not have to accept the award on your blog or you can specify from whom you have received an award but are not passing it on. Nothing is required.

In the spirit of giving, I have chosen to pass this award on to:

Heidi at Sugah Beez

Tara at Typing out Loud

Carrie at Creative Cards By Carrie

These ladies are very talented--check out their work on their blogs and share a little love!