art therapy – Anxious Crafter

Challenge Accepted!

The most important thing I have learned about myself is that I cannot control everything. Part of coping with PTSD is the desire to control everything, your environment, your family and the people around you. In doing so, you can develop unfavorable ways of manipulation and often, the result is the opposite. The outcomes are viewed as failure.

Failure is a word or idea that no one wants to have around. It can destroy your self esteem and lock you into a dark place.

To be successful, we must learn to let go. Things will not always be perfect or foster self growth.

My favorite way to simply ” let go ” is through watercolor. Think about it for a second. The water flows without bounderies on paper. You can set a few bounderies by using more or less water or maybe the size of the brush or paper. Many times, the creation of simple embossed edges can keep the color from going ascew.

The freedom to choose any color you wish.

We all need to let go sometimes.

Drop me a comment to let me know you were here.

As always, the support is very much appreciated.

Remember, Be still, create something beautiful ❤️

Hello, You’re Beautiful!

Consider this a subtle reminder with a not so subtle creation.

You are beautiful just the way you are 💕

Sometimes, life gets in the way. We get lost in who we are. Lost, in everyone else’s expectations of who we should be.

This was created for all those who may be lost.

When different media come together as one.

This card began as a card base covered with a strip of peach washi tape. The tape has the illusion of stray alcohol inks. The tape was sprayed with gorgeous copper mica.

Watercolor paper was then stamped with this gorgeous magnolias and embossed with matching copper powder.

I used my favorite Derwent graphitint watercolors to shade the flowers. Once dried, they were die cut and added to the card with 3D foam tape.

The card was finished with a strip of burlap ribbon that I picked up at the dollar store, more mica spray and shades of Nuvo dream drops.

Topped with the most appropriate “Hello, you’re beautiful” sentiment.

⭐Drop me a comment to let me know you stopped by. ⭐

Remember, Be Still and Create something Beautiful. 💕

Missing You

Did you ever have a day that just didn’t go well? No matter what you did, for whatever reason, it was crappy. For me, these kind of days are simple reminders. A reminder there is a bigger plan and your just a small part of it. My support system fell apart years ago with the death of my mother, my best friend.

Somehow, the thought of what used to be, came back. Maybe it was the smell of her perfume or cooking her favorite dinner. Perhaps it’s stopping to stare at her photo in my living room. The same photo that I walked past several times a day. My journey of healing has been a long one.

Enjoy my creation as I celebrate her memory. If she was still alive, this would have been made for her.

It took some time to create this card. I started by ink blending distress oxides over an embossed and stamped floral image. I used my favorite altenew white embossing powder for this. Once the first layer dried, I spritzed it with gold mica spray. Then I set it with a heat gun. Finally I dry de-bossed it with a 3D folder that matched.

The same image was stamped again but this time on watercolor paper. I embossed that image also but this time, I used my favorite rose gold powder. I then used a watercolor technique with the same distress ink stain, adding color for the flowers. The image was die cut and popped up onto a card front with foam tape.

This card was finished off with more gold mica spray and matching sequins.

What kind of struggles do you have with the death of someone you love? How do you cope?

Again, thanks for stopping by by. Leave me a comment to let me know that you were here. If you know someone special that is struggling right now, drop me a message and I will send this out to them.

Check out my affiliate links at the bottom for all the items used to make this card. I may be compensated if you use my links.

Just remember…. Be still, create something beautiful. Your not alone

Hang In There,

Sometimes life hits us so hard and so fast that we feel helpless.

I have created a gorgeous reminder that you are not alone. The physical and emotional struggles we all go through, make us a better person.

One Day At a Time Using the “Sun and Moon Mandala” stamp set

I decided to work with this gorgeous stamp because it’s actually a set. Nested inside the sun is both a Moon and a sentiment. I choose to only use the sun stamp for this.

Distress Inks by Tim Holtz are versatile for gorgeous backgrounds and highlights.

Once the cardstock was stamped and embossed with fine black powder, the blending began to create the wonderful background. My choice of colors are linked below but you can use any color you choose.

After the ink blended background was complete, an apperture was cut in the center. I used a shaped circle die from my stash. it’s great to have several sizes and shapes already in your stash for this reason

Sweet color combinations with a shaker feature in the center.

Once the front was cut the acetate sheet was added and back with foam tape. I piled shiny star sequins in the center of the base and adhered the card front to the base.

I then cut both the sentiment and the shadow with my mini blossom die machine and glued them together. “Hang in There” sentiment was perfect and popped up with foam tape.

The card was topped off with smooth satin gold sequins and left to dry.

It’s ready to go out to someone that needs a smile today.

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Links at products used are posted below. If you use my links, I may receive a small commission but it makes it so much easier to find supplies.

Remember, be still, create something beautiful!

Just A Little Shabby

Usually I begin with a little story but this one doesn’t have one. Well, not really.

You see, we all lose loved ones and memories come sneaking back to us at times that leave us with a smile.

Inspired by the memory of my Mother. This would have been something I made her, had she been still with us. It’s her style through and through. A little sweet but not too obvious.

Enough mush, here is the nitty gritty of this card. I was inspired by the washi tape that I had purchased on sale at Altenew. I knew I wanted to do something with it because it really caught my eye. I decided to try and add a little watercolor to the tape to give it a sweet muted look. I used Altenew woodless watercolor pencils. I chose these because the color is very soft and I didn’t want to tear the washi. I applied the color after adhering to white cardstock.

I then ran the entire panel tucked into the wood planks 3D embossing folder through my platinum. This came out gorgeous!

The edges of the card base were dredged across the embossing ink pad. Then the antique rose embossing powder was poured on and heat set.

Lastly the panel was adhered with foam tape to the base. This is important because tape runner generally doesn’t stick to washi when it’s tucked around the back.

Sentiment taken from the vintage roses stamp set and also embossed to match.

Finished off with some sweet acrylic white pearl dots. Try using washi on your next project and tag me because I love inspiration! 💕

Remember…. Be Still and Create Something Beautiful ❤️🥰

I choose you.

ACEP 1 Seasonal Scene Building/ Anderson

It has happened to every one of us when we least expect it. Later, the timing was proven to be right. This happened to me years ago. I rescued a very large cat from a family that was ready to give him up to a shelter because they couldn’t care for him.

Recently we celebrated his birthday. He is now well over 10 years old. He is my best friend and he has been through so much. He chose me.

Continuing on with my papercrafting, I recently completed a class teaching me how to build scenes. This project portrays my kitty and his playful nature. I began by using the graffiti scribble stencil by Altenew for the background. Inked with distress ink in “salty ocean” color.

The images were cut and stamped from Altenew “modern cats” stamp and die set. I used honey drizzle and caramel toffee crisp dye inks layered on top of each other for the perfect color. Fine details were added with black fine liner pen. My favorite Nuvo drops were added to complete the scene.

Who is your best friend? Was it planned or just kind of happened?

Thanks to everyone that has emailed and left kind messages. I appreciate each and every one of you. Remember to drop me a comment and follow my blog for more stories and creative gems.

As always, all my creations are donated back to the IAFF Center of Excellence for firefighters recovering from PTSD or to someone that just needs to know they are important.

Remember, Be still and create something beautiful. 💘

Self Love

When was the last time you took some time for yourself? You did something to feed your soul? Something that helped your grow as a person?

For me, being a first responder, that concept is considered selfish. As a firefighter, we go to work, save lives and go home to our families. Many times, we do not think about the stress we place on ourselves or our families. The sacrifices we make to save others are huge.

Since my diagnosis of work related PTSD was given to me, I have learned that I am important. Important enough to take time for me. I took time off to feed my soul and enjoy life again. Its been tough but so enriching.

This card is dedicated to those afraid to let go and enjoy life. Do what makes you happy.

I intended this card to have calm and muted shades of yellow, greens and blues. I accomplished this by ink blending my card stock with tumbled glass and shabby shutters Distress Oxide ink. The paper was embossed with a technique using Altenew’s Geo Cover Die B. The paper was misted with water to prevent cracking because of the intricate pattern.

The muted flowers were cut from Altenew’s Wild and Free stamp set. I used my favorite shade of Blue Lagoon Crisp ink with Mango Smoothie and evergreen. The special 3D butterfly was a stamp cut from vellum and embossed with nuvo navy metallic powder. Dimension was created with foam tape.

Finally the sentiment from the same stamp set was embossed with the same navy powder to match and handwritten “be” was added with fineliner pen. Topped off with yellow and blue nuvo drops.

Its a simple reminder to take time for yourself. Wake up just a little earlier each day and enjoy the calm.

Thank you to everyone for all the comments and support.

Tell me what you think.

As always, Be still and create something beautiful. 💘

Choose Kindness

I was at the store the other day, picking up a few groceries. As I was leaving, I noticed an elderly woman in the parking lot struggling with a case of drinking water that had fallen off the bottom rack of her cart. Without a second thought, I put my bags down and helped her bt picking up the case of water and throwing it in my shoulder. I asked her where her car was parked and she gladly accepted my help. As we walked to her car, she proceeded to tell me that she was shopping for the homeless veterans that lived in a nearby shelter. The case of water was for those veterans.

Its interesting how things come full circle. I wasn’t just helping an old lady. I was helping a generous elderly lady that regularly helps others. 💘

This brings me to my inspiration for my most recent class project. The class taught me different techniques on how to add a little “shine” to my paper crafting. Me being, an “outside the box” kind of gal, enjoyed this class.

This card began with a wavy grid stencil over white card stock. I used antique gold paste over the stencil to create a shimmering background. The panel was heat dried and then cut to fit. Next used Altenew’s Rose Spray stamp set on a second white card panel. The stamps were inked with moss and paper bag inks for the leaves. I used peach perfect, buttercream and warm sunshine for the flowers.

The problem I had is when I went to die cut these, the stems didnt line up with my dies. It worked out great because I turned this into a second panel trimmed into a rectangle. This was a perfect fit for this card. Not too flashy but focused. I finished this off with the sentiment taken from my favorite Altenew Eucalyptus Jar stamp set.

Finally, I heat embossed the sentiment with a metallic green powder and added a few pale yellow nuvo drops.

Always choose kindness because you never know someone’s struggles.

I hope you find a little light and inspiration in this card. Drop me a comment and a follow.

Until next time….. Be still and create something beautiful 🌹

What’s your passion?

Perhaps, you still don’t know what makes you happy. When was the last time you tried something new? Are you afraid of failure? Are you afraid of what people will think? Who cares,

because at the end of the day, only YOU can make YOU happy.

I recently tried watercoloring. I was attracted to the forgiving nature of the ink and the bright colors. Coping with PTSD can be very challenging from day to day.

As most of you that follow me know, I have been exploring art as a coping mechanism. I have been searching for ways to learn and reach out to others in recovery.

Welp, here is latest project and very first watercolor design. I love this!

I started this with a teal layered card stock background on a 4×4 square card. I was looking for something a bit outside the box so I used shades of blue and green watercolor pens from Altenew. I sprayed adhesive onto the Altenew flowing hearts stencil and attached it to white watercolor paper. I wet the paper and filled the stencil with shades of blue and green watercolor.

Then, I let the paper dry before die cutting it with a scalloped heart die from my stash. I adhered it to blue card stock and cut a second heart base. Lastly, I taped the entire heart to my base card using 3D foam tape. I topped it off with matching sentiment from Altenew “A crafty life” stamp set.

Drop a comment below and follow me for more inspiration. Interested in art therapy? Reach out because your not alone.

Remember, Be still and create something beautiful 💘

For the guys…

Sometimes a simple “Thank you” just isn’t enough.

I have been single by choice for a long time. Perhaps it was fear of something new. Low self esteem, thinking that I just wasnt good enough.

Either way, I have had many influencial men in my life. My adopted father who earned the title “Dad” through his actions. My maternal grandfather whom I recently lost. My bestie whom I also recently lost. My always helpful neighbor. My many firefighter and medic co-workers. Many of these men gained my respect and trust.

For that, I say thank you. This recent creation is dedicated to all of the men in my life.

This card was made slimline style. I started with a circular pattern Altenew washi tape that I placed on 80 lb white card stock and cut out the circles.

Then, 2 layers of card stock was cut for the front. One was heavy kraft paper and the other was navy classic card stock. The kraft panel was decorated with nuvo glitter paste through the altenew wavy grid stencil. The kraft panel was heat set and then placed on the navy panel using flat adhesive strips to smooth the paper.

Finally, holes were punched in the circles and craft thread was added joining all three circles together. Foam tapes was added to the backs and adhered to the panel. The sentiment was stamped in jet black and taken from the eucalyptus stamp set. This completes this card for today. 💘

As always, I thank everyone for all the support, comments and emails that I have recieved. I am excited for those of you discovery crafting and art as healthy path to recovery.

Remember, its not you, its what has happened to you. Be still, in the moment and create something beautiful.

Drop your comments below.