be good to yourself

It is inevitable: when either the spring or winter craft show season hits, I get a little frantic and manic… SO MUCH TO DO, WHERE DO I START, THERE IS NO TIME, AHH. I always get things done, and somehow on time, but I often am a frazzled puddle of a person afterwards. Being a business owner (especially a flying solo business person) you end up wearing many hats and doing many things that it is just so easy to end up exhausted. This year I am trying to be different in my approach:  I am planning further ahead and am starting to get the hang of these big shows… but something else I’m doing is making a conscious effort towards finding (or making) time for MYSELF. It could be as simple as a relaxing hot shower before bed, a calm yoga stretch session, a little walk around the block, sipping a cup of tea, etc… but let me tell you, these simple things do wonders for the mind, body and soul. My friend Valerie shared this link the other day, and it is right in tune with the mantra I am trying to keep up. The shared post lists 55 ways to gently take care of yourself. We all need to do more of this, so why not try 1 of the 55 today?

ephemera from across the pond

The beautiful Holly Trill was doing a clean-out and was asking on twitter if anyone was interested in a collection of vintage cigarette cards. She was happy to give them away for free to any loving and excited home, and as someone who constantly collects little pieces of paper ephemera (either as wall art inspiration, as collage material or as mail art goodies), I was all over the offer. Inside the fat envelope, all the way from the UK, was over 140 cards in collectible sleeves, and about 30 other unsorted ones. It was such a bonny pile, that I only had room to share some of my absolute favorites. A few will find a place on my inspiration walls in the studio, and the others will most likely find suitable places in future outgoing mail art parcels. Thanks again for your generosity Holly!

a few of my inspirations

I wanted to share a little creative list of my inspirations… What inspires you?