I have a card to share today that was based off of the awesome Retro Sketches challenge #22. You know me and challenges….if I have time to do them, I’m so there!
Here is my take on the sketch:
Amazingly enough, I stayed fairly close to the sketch. The only difference was I added the sentiment piece- it just seemed to bare without it! I pulled out some stamps I haven’t used in a little while, which is always fun. (See the supply list below)
Thanks for stopping by- I’ll see you tomorrow for a new Thankful Thursday post AND one of the special birthday cards I got. :)
NOT LISTED: aqua ink/ paper/ button, moss ink/ paper, marigold ribbon, scallop border punch
As you can see from the title, this post is touching on something personal and very real. Some of us struggle with it more than others, but I would say that everyone struggles with one (or many) in some aspect of their life.
I have held back on writing this post for a while. I felt like I needed to write it for me, but I also felt like there were some people that needed to read/ see this. Not sure who, just the Lord put it on my heart. If I’m being honest, part of me didn’t want to be THIS vulnerable and put myself out there. Sometimes I feel like I’m put on a pedestal and well, I want to show you that I face things just like all of you. The thing is, I don’t face my battles or journeys alone. Here, you can read what I’m talking about….
Over the years, I have tackled many insecurities, but I still have many more left to face. Honestly, I wonder if some of them will ever go away. The biggest ones I deal with: the way I look and what people think of me.
The first one goes back to about seven years ago. I never struggled with my weight until I turned 18 and from there it got out of control. Many of you will remember me mentioning losing 60 pounds from my heaviest and some of my fitness journey in previous posts. During this low (or rather HIGH on the scale) point in my life, I got some downright cruel remarks from people I knew. Not to mention, I got asked if I was pregnant three times in one week. This was and continues to be a hard topic for me. In the mirror, I still see and feel like the “fat girl”, even though I’ve lost quite a bit of the weight. I have heard that this happens to a lot of people when they lose a large amount of weight- however, knowing this fact doesn’t help at all.
The second insecurity: I’ve had my entire life. I feel the innate desire to be a people pleaser, almost to a fault. Not too many people don’t care what others think of them- my desire just seems to be greater than others.
All of this leads me to this point:
Don’t get me wrong, just because I know this fact, doesn’t mean I’ve conquered my insecurities. It’s actually quite the opposite. EVERY SINGLE DAY I have to remind myself of this fact. God loves ME, despite my flaws and imperfections. He knows I have insecurities and He is helping me through them. It’s a process and He is willing to walk through it with me.
It never ceases to amaze me how faithful the Lord is. I know He will help me through these struggles if I continue to see Him in all of it. While I may never fully overcome these things on this side of heaven, I’m so thankful I don’t have to go through these things alone.
My hope and prayer is that this post speaks to who it needs to. Like I said earlier, I felt like the Lord put it on my heart to write this. If you need to send me an email, there’s a button on the top right of the blog. Take care, sweet blog friends!
It’s Friday and I couldn’t be happier about it. This week was long and being as I’ve had allergic reactions AND a sore throat these last few days, I’m looking forward to catching up on some rest.
If you have followed my blog for a while, you will remember that I used to post cards using non-DeNami stamps. While I’ve sold many of these sets (I still have some left in my for sale section), there are a few that I just can’t part with. One company that I love: WPlus9 Design Studio. My friend, Dawn, owns this company and it’s been such a joy to see her company blossom.
Here’s what I have for you today:
I just love this sentiment! It is perfect for both family members and friends. I went a little outside my usual color palette (not too much- it still has pink!) and added a pop of bright green. I thought it was a fun little addition.
Here’s a closer peek at the main panel. You know me and my love for glitter….I just had to add it to the flowers and butterfly!
Be sure to stop by Dawn’s fab blog on your way out. She has some beauties over there and I know she would love to see some new faces stop by. :) You can even tell her I sent you over!
It’s a brand new Thursday and it’s time for a brand new Thankful Thursday. I have to admit, sometimes I find it hard to come up with “new” things to be thankful for- many things I want to write, I’ve posted before. I AM trying to think outside of what I’ve done in the past, but don’t be surprised if you see some similar things in the next few weeks. :)
impromptu outings with friends.
my iPhone.
technology. Computers, phones, the list goes on and on….
allergy medicine. These past few days, something has been getting to me and it’s been a necessity to take meds. Throat closing= not good. Still unsure what exactly is causing this.
nail polish. I honestly hate the look of my toes when they aren’t painted.
birthday cake milkshakes. Granted, they are far from healthy, but they are out of this world amazing.
Soooo…. since you’re reading this, that means you made it through another week. You know what that means? It’s your turn to say what you’re thankful for!
Can’t wait to see what you are thankful for this week. I’ll see you tomorrow with a crafty post!
When I first started blogging back in October of 2008, I got giddy when I got my first 10 followers. As the numbers grew larger, I become more excited and also humbled. It’s so crazy that I am just a few away from the BIG 5-0-0!
I am beyond thrilled to see new faces and get comments from new friends. I just love this little community! I have dreams for this blog and with each new follower, these dreams are becoming a reality.
Do you know someone who enjoys crafts, wants to connect with other bloggers or is looking for a new blog to follow? Feel free to send them to this blog! :)
It’s been 1 1/2 weeks since my birthday and I have yet to do my birthday recap. When I was getting ready to put this post together, I realized that I hardly took any pictures. *gasp* Thankfully, my bestie took a few, so this post won’t be completely bare.
Started off the morning with an early nail appointment. Got myself a pedicure and my nails repainted. There’s nothing like freshly painted nails, especially when there’s a “party nail” on both hands!
I had the afternoon to myself, so I treated myself to a delish lunch and rested up for the busy night. My bestie and other friend told me they had some fun stuff, so I figured a quick nap would be a good idea. When we met up, they gave me this little booklet….
The things in this book were completely random, but just about all of them were outside my normal “comfort zone”. Ah, these girls just know me too well. Here’s just a sampling of what they wrote down:
Dance on the corner of the sidewalk for 10 seconds
Follow someone down the sidewalk for 5 blocks
Take a picture with a group of tourists
Try on a complete outfit assembled by Gretchen and Kalyn
Pretend to puke inside of a trash can
Apply the brightest possible eye shadow from Sephora
Oh goodness, this list went on and on. While I wasn’t able to complete a lot (since we started late), I did have to do some things that were embarrassing.
Now no outing with my bestie is complete without some sort of food. We went to get apps earlier in the day, we each tried a different dish and shared. I got the soft pretzels with dijon mustard- so delish!
For dinner, we went to a Mexican restaurant. It was a quaint little “hole in the wall” place. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of what I ordered, but it was pretty good! After getting embarrassed quite a bit, I worked up an appetite!
There were a few other pictures, but sadly they didn’t turn out very well. I am beyond bummed that the picture I took with Gretchen turned out horribly. However, I’m super thankful that I got a fairly good picture with my bestie, Kalyn. Love this girl to pieces. We’ve been friends for 25 years and the plan is to keep it going for another 25+! :)
Thank you from the very bottom of my heart to those sent over birthday wishes to me. You all are such gems. I am blessed to have such sweet blog followers and crafty friends.
This is going to wrap up this recap. Thanks for stopping by!
A couple months ago, I did my first Random Loves post. I had meant to make it a once a month feature and somehow it got overlooked in June. Oops! Anyways, I’m back today with what I’m currently loving. Ready? Let’s go!
With Summer here, this drink is quickly becoming a favorite. It actually keeps me up more than coffee does AND it is low in calories and delish. Be sure to keep your eye out for specials on this drink- you can get them for a pretty low price!
Kira’s blog has quickly become a favorite of mine. I love the variety her blog brings and her blogging tutorials are AMAZING. If you ever need to spruce up your blog, or need tips on blogging in general, you’ll definitely want to check out the link above. (Easy-to-follow instructions from a blogging pro!)
For my birthday, my sister got me one of the best gifts ever. Since she knows I’m a lover of all things sparkly and am always using my iPhone, she got me the best case ever. When I opened it, I literally squealed with delight. To some it may seem over-the-top, but I love it to pieces.
This picture combines two things that I’m currently loving. I absolutely adore the hot pink dress/ aqua earrings combo. I am on the search for both of these items, so if you see them at good prices…. :) I also am a reality tv junkie. The season of The Bachelorette was awesome. Emily has definitely been my favorite bachelorette and her outfits this season were completely fab.
I’m stopping in really quickly for a Saturday post. With all these great challenges in blog land, it was hard to pass up on playing along in a few. Today’s card was based off the new CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #62 and the DeNami Addict Challenge #3.
Here’s what I came up with….
The first thing that came to mind when I saw we needed to do a black card base- Halloween! Being as we just released this adorable Friendly Mummy, I knew I wanted to use him. Seriously, isn’t he cute?!
Since the CAS-ual Friday’s challenge is all about being simple, I though the new DeNami Addict Challenge #3 would be the perfect layout. I must say, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. {You can play along in this sketch- you don’t need DeNami stamp, but you can use them if you have them!}
Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great weekend!
*NOT LISTED: decorative die cut shape, embossing folder
Today I have a crafty project to share AND it’s not a card! Can you believe it? I sometimes even surprise myself. :)
As many of you know, I have two sisters. One of them is more sporty, while the other can be sporty and girly all wrapped in one. Honestly, she’s a complete mix of her older sisters- that may be why she gets along with us so well. Anyhow….Krista* (the youngest) is a fabulous chef and travels a lot. On one of her trips, I decided to surprise her with a little bag of treats for her plane ride. I couldn’t just give her a boring gift bag, so I decorated it up before putting in the treats.
* I’m planning on doing a post about my sis in the future
I was pleasantly surprised how easily this came together! I guess hoarding things comes in handy when you want to add a lot of fun elements!
I started out with a plain white gift bag. I learned quickly that it doesn’t work well to stamp directly on the bag, so I added a piece of pink cardstock and that became my “base”. I pulled out doilies, rhinetones, die cuts, scallops….pretty much anything girly I had, I added.
Here’s a closer glimpse at some of the details:
On the inside, I added some of her favorite treats and a note. It’s a small gesture, but imagine how fun if someone gave you one of these before a long trip.
I hope you enjoyed this post. Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving some blog love!
*NOT LISTED: doily, butterfly and oval die cuts, rhienstones, letter stamps, light pink ink/ cardstock
Wow, have I mentioned how much I love my readers? In yesterday’s post, I was open and honest with you all. In return, you were open and honest with me, and I appreciate that so much. Some great words of wisdom were shared and I have been pondering the advice given.
Being as it’s Thursday, I have this weeks Thankful Thursday post. Does anyone else have trouble thinking of what you’re thankful for when tough times occur? I’m in that boat this week. I know there are ALWAYS things to be thankful for- this is what I have for this week.
amazing, caring blog readers who share advice (and leave comments!)
texting. I love getting random texts from my friends!
the friends I’ve made via my blog and Twitter. It sounds funny, but I’ve developed some amazing friendships through these avenues.
make-up. Tough times and make-up go hand in hand for me. It’s funny, I get the most compliments when I’m going through valleys- it might be because I “pile on” the make-up!
gift cards. Being as I just celebrated my birthday, I’ve gotten quite a few of these. LOVE!!
No matter what deep, dark valleys some of us may be going through, we must remember that it shouldn’t stop us from being thankful. With that being said, what are YOU thankful for this week?
