The Things That Matter

Sometimes I get mad at myself for not getting everything done on my to-do list; organize the hall closet, go through the donate/sell bag of clothes, write a blog post...

It's funny how that list and what you can tick off of it each day can make you feel like a champion or a looser.

Not sure why I let it get to me so much, there are plenty of things that I do get to--my day is full, perhaps a bit too full.

 Recently I've had some heavy thoughts on my mind about life and death--an epiphany really, brought about by two recent events.

 One very close and personal the other one effecting my whole community; both tragic.

 Being with the ones you love and making them see and feel how much they are loved by you is all that really matters, the rest is sand running through our fingers.

Trigger Happy

It was such a mild weekend here in central Jersey-- hard to believe but spring was in the air. It would be very surprising if it were to last but all of my bulbs are already pushing through to say hello and if nothing else, it's refreshing to be reminded of better times to come.

I'm just having so much fun with my iPhone. I recently downloaded the Camera + App and now I feel like I have an SLR camera and a photo lab small enough to fit in my pocket. I even used it to take pictures of all of my Valentine's day cards that I listed in my Etsy shop--and it was super convenient too!

 Of course this little luv bug is one of my favorite photo subjects...

The Start of a New Year

Oh I have been a naughty blogger and have been very neglectful of my little nook in cyber space. Where do I pick up from after such a long absence? I know the people who visit this blog are looking for something specific-- something vintage and handmade. In honesty I haven't sat down to make a card or other handmade goodies in so long. It's not that I don't think about it every free moment I have--because unfortunately I can't get it out of my head--probably the reason I find myself back here once again trying to make a fresh start.

When I first started blogging I really didn't think about what people wanted to read. I blogged for myself, to keep a sort of journal of what I was doing and what I was crafting--to document my own journey. For my own sake I'm going back to the start and blogging for me--because after all isn't that more authentic and I think that is what people truly want.

It's snowing here today in Central NJ--the first snow of the year. The kids are outside enjoying the weather with their Dad, so I have a moment of solitude--one of the reasons I decided to sit down and write.

 2012 has been off to a good start, I must say simply because I have already been able to make one or two of my goals for the year a reality. I would like to make this year a learning year-- my interest in art and mixed media is growing so that I want to dabble in other things besides paper arts. I am so happy to say that I found out my local library will be holding a two part collage class in February and I plan to be there! When I discovered the class it felt like one of those aha moments when you know you were at the right place at the right time. Also I have been taking an on-line class at www.jessicasprague.com and learning all about making art with digital stamps in photoshop. I love it and plan on making more digital art as the year progresses.

My other goal is to become more tech savvy and I have taken steps towards that by finally becoming an I phone user--yes one of those, but I have to say I am totally hooked and plan to use it to be more hooked in to the online world and marketplace.

Family life is forever busy--and although I would love to have a bit more time for myself, I love my life and wouldn't change it for the world. The kids are busy as usual. My son is doing great in kindergarten and will be starting martial arts soon and T-ball, while my little one is getting bigger and bigger everyday. I plan on doing more family scrapbooking this year as well and have already gotten a start on that which I plan to share here as well.

Happy New Year and wishing you the passion and perseverance to follow your own passions throughout the year!

Tina