A small token of appreciation.

Sometime it takes a good work colleague to sit you down and tell you some home truths, namely you are being "a pain, a right pain"

I didn't appreciate the home truths at the time but then this afternoon whilst relaxing (something else I find hard to do) I had the light bulb moment and realised that yes perhaps I had been "a right pain" 

I'd lurched into old my habits of control freak stress management, when my workload seems unbearably out of control and there is too much to do, I try and manage EVERYONE ELSE whether they report into me or not, to try and feel I've achieved something.

Ummm, perhaps that good work colleague had a point and perhaps I should have listened a bit better. 

It takes guts to to point out to me that I'm a pain, I can be a bit scary at times I know that. So I really do appreciate that good, kind work colleague for taking the time out from their overworked day to give me a slap so to speak.

It reminded me to stop working so hard to be the perfect manger and stop setting unrealistic targets to prove myself to others.  I only need to prove it to myself and you know what, I'm doing a pretty good job and so is that kind work colleague.

 

Hugs
Jo
xx

Creating + Sharing = Happiness.

Well its the 14th February, you know hearts, flowers, romance etc. 

Let me sum up the 14th February in my house, the usual question a couple of days before is one of us will say, "have you got me anything for Valentines Day?"  If the answer is no, there's a sign of relief and if its a yes then there is either some frantic crafting or a quick trip to a card shop.  Its fair to say we don't really do it, I don't need a special day to tell the people I cherish and value that I love them.

However saying that I have made some postcards (nine to be exact) made with love that I will be sending to people to share happiness by hopefully making people smile.  There's a lot to be said for giving, it really does make you,  the giver happy, well it does me.

So I started with a 6"x4" piece of Kraft card and embossed a background stamp from PaperArtsy in Yellow and Orange WOW embossing powder mixed up. I then went over the card with Spiced Marmalade and Wild Honey Distress Inks and spritzed and flicked with water. 

I then added a thin layer of Grunge Paste mixed with a little Sand Texture paste and Yellow Submarine and Cheesecake Fresco paints (I am still getting to grips with these brights and I have to be brave). The sand texture paste gives a nice gritty texture.  When it had dried a bit I went back over with the palette knife and scraped again to give me lines. 

It was very yellow, so I added some Tango. Now it was very orange in places. Added watered down Chalk to tone it down a bit more and make it less in your face bright.  It needed some contrast so I added JOFY's new Jade colour, just a couple of dabs top right, held it upright and spritzed with water to get drips down the card. 

I added some more background stamping using a small alphabet stamp from PaperArtsy in black Versamark.  I didn't put in a block as I wanted a clear but not uniform all over stamping.  Looking to achieve the weathered worn beach side look. finally I sewed around the edge of the card with toning thread both a matte and glazed shiny thread.

The photo is one I took on an early morning walk along the beach in Peel in the Isle of Man, I have so many pictures from that morning the bright clear light and the amount of shells, seaweed and worm holes was a pure joy, all that texture and shape!

I distressed the edges and then used both Walnut Stain and Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink around the edges. It was stapled onto some stamped beige tissue paper and Chalk gently wiped around the photo to lift it from the background.

So I hope my wormy sandy heart has made you smile, it does me every time I see it and  creating these postcards makes me happy.  

Hugs

Jo