Be Still and Know

One of the unfortunate side-effects of having a narcissistic parent is the high alert that follows you into adulthood. This manifests as people-pleasing and feeling guilty when you just sit still. My father, who cut me out of his life when I was 19, ingrained in me the constant need to “do”—to keep him happy, to meet his needs, to avoid punishment. 

Habits established in childhood are very hard to break.

For the past 15 years or so, I’ve been practicing meditation—being aware of the moment—and that has helped. Yoga has helped even more, although you’re not still in yoga, you are profoundly focused on your body, balance, and, for me, the humor every time I gracefully fall out of half moon pose. Yoga isn’t for anyone but myself, and it certainly doesn’t feel busy or pressured. Regular worship in community also makes me be still and know/trust.

Sometimes, we just need to be still, be in your own skin in the moment, and trust God or the universe, or whatever you call that higher power. 

Being still can be a good thing. 

And today’s card preaches that. Inspired by THIS PIN, my version simplifies the inspiration piece a bit. The colored squares were painted with shimmery watercolors. Sentiment is from Simon Says, and I honestly can’t remember the source of the die…Poppy Stamps, maybe? Or maybe Simon Says? 

Anyway, I love the softness, the shimmer of the squares and bling, and the peacefulness of the card. The design leverages the “angles love curves” design rule, pairing the right angles of the squares with the graceful curves of the die cut branch and flowing layout of the bling.

Make some time to be still today, and be at peace. 

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan

Layered Circles

Many thanks to those who commented on the blog or Facebook, or who emailed. You warmed my heart, the encouragement is much appreciated.

So on to business. For the past few years, I’ve loved circles. A number of stampers (especially in Europe) use circles creatively in a CAS style, and I owe all of those stampers a debt of gratitude for the inspiration. 

Today’s card offers offset layered circles. The middle circle is white card stock stamped solid with Simon Says Stamp zest ink, and the flower (an old Papertrey stamp) is stamped with the darker yellow honey. The bottom circle was embossed with a Tim Holtz folder. Sentiment is from Simon Says. 

While this card is monochromatic (my favorite for lots of reasons), I’ve been experimenting with more interesting color combinations. Some of those experiments will appear on the blog. Don’t worry, though. They are still simple!

G and I are currently in Colorado (Grand Junction) visiting his parents for a few days. The scenery is awesome!

Mercy, grace, peace, and love, 

Susan 

The Good Stuff

 Hello!

I’ve missed you. 

One of the main reasons I started blogging was to connect with other crafters on Simplicity and other mothers on Questioning my Intelligence because stay-at-home motherhood is rather lonely. Those online connections kept me sane through my jobless phase of life, a time when I was navigating the strange and difficult and hugely funny world of motherhood and also trying to keep sane with papercrafts.

That season of my life was made so much better by blogging and the connections I’ve made with so many of you. 

Seasons change, culture changes, lives change. When I returned to teaching, the connection aspect of my life became face-to-face with students and colleagues. I stopped blogging regularly, and then pretty much stopped blogging at all. 

I miss it. I miss writing about life, with all its light and fun or serious and meaningful happenings. Mostly, these days I write assignments and educational content for students. And while that’s rewarding on many levels, it’s also a job. 

I need to write “the good stuff” again, have needed to write again for several years now, but I’ve finally diagnosed the reason it’s been so hard to motivate myself to just do it: depression. 

Those of you who’ve followed me from the beginning know I have a history of depression, and Lord knows we’ve had lots of triggers for depression since 2020. My having cancer didn’t help, but thankfully, I am cancer-free and only mildly bothered by side-effects of treatment. Yay! 

But my mood…well, that’s not been so good. Partly, it’s been circumstantial: cancer (my own and that of dear friends and family), family issues, politics, world affairs, pandemics, a significant death. How does one process all this mess healthfully and healingly?

Therapy and drugs, people. Therapy and drugs. 

Crisis theory tells us that when we enter crisis mode, we use the tools in our toolbox to try and regain equilibrium. Part of a therapist’s job is to help us learn how to use new tools when our old ones aren’t enough anymore. My therapist and my husband have been God-sent and helped remind me that just doing stuff—small steps in a positive direction—makes a huge difference. 

So here’s a small step toward reconnection and healing. Being vulnerable again, trusting the goodness of people, and remembering that sharing is caring…these are good things. 

Blogging is a conversation, though, so what sorts of things would you like to see here? I’ve been stamping and creating through all of this, have new goodies (like the BetterPress) that I could share, have reorganized several times, and would be happy to share personal stuff here as well, without reviving Questioning my Intelligence. Or would you prefer me to keep the personal stuff to a minimum? 

As you contemplate your answers, if you care to contemplate at all, here’s the last card I made, a happy attempt to get back to basics of paper, ink, glue, and just a bit of bling. 

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,

Susan