Farewell 2018

Whether your inclination is to say a year was bad or good, a year is just 365 days strung together under a four-digit classification. Sometimes the best we can do during tough times is to decide to handle them with as much grace and comfort as possible. When we label something as bad, the negative dominoes in our minds begin to fall and soon everything about that day, week, month or year is tainted. 

2017 was a very difficult year for me personally. 2018 meant the final rounds of "firsts" to endure after a terrible loss and I was pretty much ready for them. I am, by nature, a survivor emotionally. I don't know if that is in my DNA, something I unconsciously learned, or if it is sheer will-power. What I didn't foresee and therefore prepare for in 2018 was witnessing the pain of others who are now in similar circumstances. I hurt for them and I hurt for me again. 

What can I do to help them and also me? I can be realistic. I can do mundane things for them that won't alter their journey but will free up time cooking and shopping, doing a load of laundry, etc. I can be there if they want to talk and know first hand not to push for updates because the last thing they might want at that moment is to talk. I can empathize but I don't need to carry this all day. Oddly enough, I didn't feel that way when it was my load to carry. I chose to find some good in everything and smile because it sure felt and looked better than showing fear.

We all have things to celebrate but we sometimes forget this. I have forgotten this a few times in 2018 and I'm saying farewell to that. 

Kindness matters and way too much of society has forgotten that. 

I've said things on Facebook that I still believe politically, but I don't need to say them to get thumbs up from like-minded friends. and negative comments from others. The division in this country is alarmingly wide and when confronted with a Them vs Us mentality, not much can be said that would open a discussion rather than an argument. 

I'm not going to fix the world or likely even affect much of it, so what is my plan for 2019 and beyond? 

1.  Take care of me. That isn't selfish, that is practical and healthy. 

2.  Help my family, friends and my neighbors. 

3.  Remember to look for the good in everything.

Can you imagine how great it would be if we all did this? If I take care of me, I'll be too busy to see that you are eating canned vegetables, watching more than 2 hours of television, letting your kids stay up too late, and whatever the latest thing to ridicule on social media might be.

If I help my friends and neighbors and they help their friends and neighbors, won't this chain of extended hands soon reach across the city, states, the whole country and maybe the world?

Do I sound like an aging hippie? Perhaps, but isn't that better than bitter?

Goodbye, 2018.  Thanks for the lessons and for the laughs. Thank you to my Sweetheart who provided enough love to last a lifetime and beyond. 💗

Christmas cards from 2018

The blogging world has certainly changed since I began, and the nature of what I share has changed because of it. I am not trying to build an audience and really am only in touch with one friend from those more active blogging days (Hi Chatty!) now. Some have passed away, a few have announced their blog departures and many have simply disappeared.

I am still in the habit of not sharing cards or other crafts until they've been delivered to their intended recipients, but I think I am going to change that in 2019. I don't think most of the people know I have a blog, or at least they never mention it. That isn't me sounding pitiful, just a statement. I'm not an Instagram fan and can't tell you why. I'm not an instructor and I'm not about to start since so many are doing that so well online already.

This blog will continue to chronicle what I have made and be a reference for me. I will continue to share on Pinterest and if a post helps someone else, a good deed has been done.

Now that I've issued my combined Mission Statement and non-New Year's Resolution, I will share the various cards that I made this year. With any luck, I won't repeat them next year and send someone the same card two years in a row!

Mele Kalikimaka is a stamp set by Simon Says Stamp. I used this stamp on three cards but on the others, I put the words as an inside greeting. The stamp set is larger, the above card is 5"x7" rather than the typical 4.25"x5.5"

This ornament was done with Radiant Ornament, a die set from Birch Press. The snowflakes are also from Birch Press dies.

These two cards are from Mondo Poinsettia stamps and dies by Essentials by Ellen (Ellen Hutson). I stamped them in Versamark, embossed them with gold powder, die cut the flowers and leaves, matted them on black with hand drawn gold stitch lines, and mounted the black on a metallic gold card stock before adhering to the card front.

This previous post has Hip Gingerbread Men, Woodland Critter Huggers and Snowflakes. This snowflake below is one that a recipient shared on Facebook. 

The skunks, polar bear and puppy huggers are new additions to the previous critters. 

I found a template online to make a paper shoe for my daughter-law-in. One of her gifts was cash to go shoe shopping. I made a pair of shoes and the box to hold them, tucking the cash inside the box. 

 

I made a few other card designs that apparently didn't make it to my camera before mailing, and it wouldn't be a creative process if some didn't make it out of the house at all, landing in the trash instead.