PTSD – 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. 💕

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!

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. 💘

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.

Grow where you are planted

I couldn’t pass up sharing this pretty little piece of art with everyone. A simple reminder to continue to explore healthy ways to release stress. Grow where you are planted. Learn to play again. Dance in the rain. Love relentlessly.

The weekend is nearly here. Get out and go hiking, explore your backyard. Sunshine truly keeps the clouds away.

Aa always, that you for the tons of support I have recieved. If just one person benefits, my time is worth it.

Until next time, be still, create something beautiful 💘

Coping With Chaos

Things seems so out of control these days. How are you coping?

Most of us have lost control over many of the things we took for granted. Our employment, our family and some of our simple freedoms.

I am the type of person that always had a plan B, just In case. In case of what? A pandemic? Well that is kind of crazy, or so I thought. Its not so far fetched anymore.

This is certainly where I have been blessed to have had a plan B.

You see, the pandemic with its associated forced isolation, caused my PTSD to spiral out of control. It was undiagnosed at the time. The signs were there but, being a firefighter, it was considered part of the job.

Unknown to me, I had been coping for quite some time effectively. Hitting the gym after being up all night with your third cardiac arrest and your second multi alarm fire of the shift. I would hit the gym, hard. I worked myself to exhaustion so that I could catch some sort of sleep without Visions and dreams haunting me. I left it all in the gym. To me, it was better than hitting the liquor with the boys for breakfast.

I coped with the chaos everyday. In an odd way, the more I sweat, the more fear and guilt I got rid of. The abnormal became my normal. It was my life.