Gratitude

Recently I had to have a long talk with my four year old daughter about what it means to have gratitude. That's not an easy concept for a four year old to grasp, but there is almost nothing as horrifying to a parent to see as when their child acts like something isn't good enough when they have just about everything they could possibly need, am I right. So I had to have that talk. Did she get it? Probably not but I'm sure as heck not going to stop trying to remind her every chance I get that having gratitude for our blessings is probably one of the best things we can do for ourselves. It's what keeps us grounded. It's what keeps us from constantly running after the next best thing. It's what helps us to plant our roots and grow. 

The funny thing is that I can teach it and write about it, but in actuality I haven't really been practicing it myself lately. I'll admit our family has been having it's ups and downs lately so things haven't been easy. But instead of looking on the bright side, I've been using it as an opportunity to complain about almost everything. So that's going to stop right now--so that I can teach my daughter to have gratitude by living it every day.

It's Official, October is my Favorite Month!

I have really been enjoying October...I love the colors that are popping up all over the place, the oranges, deep reds and browns--I find they are even more exceptional when paired against a gray sky. I also love walking around my little town to peek at everyone's Halloween decorations--such a fun holiday and people around here really get into it!

I really wanted to make a bunch of Halloween stuff and get it listed  in my Etsy shop and maybe even sold before Halloween- but now that we are just under two weeks from the 31st I've come to the realization that it is just not going to happen. Although I have made a bunch of adorable cards and some fun Halloween ornaments I've yet to add anything to my shop...so I'm going to cut my losses and skip right over to Christmas. At least now I have a jump start for next year!

I am just so challenged with time management--or maybe I'm really good at it because I'm balancing about six different things at once. How do you balance your time between family and work and doing what you love?

Starting Over From the Beginning

September has always been such a magical time of the year for me. Perhaps it all started when I was a kid who always anticipated the start of the new school year with a sense of possibility or maybe it has something to do with the way the September sunlight slowly changes the sky from a Summer harshness to an Autumn crispness. I'm not really sure if it's really one thing but I bet it's closer to a combination of things that have always made me feel that September is a month for fresh starts...

This September I'm choosing to return to blogging as a way to collect my thoughts, examine my creative voyage and to share my creations with any one who would like to take a few minutes to see them. I'm also going back to the start, so to speak, by reviving my original blogger blog. This is where I started many years ago now, when I first fell in love with paper crafting and discovered the world of blogging. Over the past couple of years I've thought and re-thought ways to make my blog more professional-more cookie cutter-more marketable but have never found the joy that originally brought me to write about my experiences. So this time it's about me-and for me, and through this process hopefully someone will enjoy what I choose to share.

As a way to celebrate September and to celebrate going back to basics I thought I would share a favorite project of mine from a past September. Please feel free to copy and paste my pdf image for your own crafting purposes, all I ask is that you leave my a comment to tell me a little bit about your September and what you love about this month...

Summer Haze

Wow-what a summer it's been! I have been on the run with the kids for the past three months; hopping from one play date to pool date to quick weekend getaway after the other. Not that it hasn't been fun, but I am so ready for a change and hopefully a better routine for the kiddies as well as myself.

Although free time has been a rarity these days, I did manage to accomplish one personal goal this summer--to re-open my Etsy shop Indigo Wings. Yes, it's finally re-open although I have had little time to keep up with it. I'm hoping with September just around the corner and my little guy off to full day kindergarten I will finally have some time to invest in Etsy and blogging again.

I promise to have some regular updates from this time forward--especially with my favorite season almost upon us, Halloween!! Also, I have a giveaway in the works for the near future so please keep an eye out for that. For now, just sharing a few of the cards I've been working on lately.

All my best,
Tina

Citrus Color Combo

I made this card a few weeks ago for a color challenge, but I could not find the time to finish it before the post date. Oh well, I still had a blast making it and love how it came out! I made my own glimmer mist from a recipe I found on U-Tube to coat the Tattered Angels chip board dragon fly and once again I used some scrumptious crinkled seam binding--my latest obsession!

Season of Change; Sketch Challenge

Here's a card that I made based on a sketch that was posted on Sherry Wright's blog Season's of Change. I couldn't resist so I decided to play along, especially since the price is a $20.00 gift certificate for Emma's Paperie---one of my favorite stores!

Deciding on a Theme For Your Party

Having a big party soon and thinking about doing something a bit extra special?

Head on over to my new blog http://www.vintagehavenstudio.blogspot.com/ to read all about creating just the right vibe for your next party.