My Studio Tour Part 1

I started taking photos of my studio and got as far as one shelving unit when the little munchkins started getting into everything and I had to stop and put the gate back up. So here is a peek at one wall of my creative space, AKA the "formal living room" of our home.


Unless otherwise noted, everything is a Close to My Heart product. These are most of my stamp pads, I have some other ones packed away in a traveling case. I only have about half of the 60 colors. On the middle shelf are some of my Acrylic Blocks, a 6x6 accordian album and a ribbon rounds tube.


A little peek inside the Accordian album of Alia's first Christmas.




Close-up of a card I made recently. I love this stamp set with the clock.


Another card that I love and keep on display.

Pictures of the Kids

I've been telling people that I've returned to blogging, so I guess I should put up some recent photos of the family. I am looking like a beached whale, all pregnant and swollen, so for now it'll just be pictures of the kids. We had some belly shots done the other day, and once they are developed, I'll post them regardless of how I look (the water retention is unbelievable!!!)

Nesting

I want this living room!! For some reason I am totally into design and decor at the moment, I think it must be the "nesting" phenomenon.



Maybe in the next few days I'll take some pictures of my current abode and post them. It looks NOTHING like this picture, but I know it is always interesting to get a peek at how your friends live. It won't be quite like real life though, as I'll be sure to put all the toys away before taking pictures!

Let go of anger and cut people some slack

I found this article on http://unclutterer.com/ and it was perfect for what I'm feeling today. Sage advice, much needed for this cranky girl. Let's all cut each other a bit of slack...........

News flash: Nobody is perfect.

Continually focusing on others’ imperfections can easily clutter up our lives and get in the way of a remarkable life. As long as someone’s human rights aren’t being violated or no one’s life is in danger, it usually isn’t worth the energy to get angry and upset over an aggravating behavior.

I read an incredible post on Gretchen Rubin’s website The Happiness Project back in 2006 titled “Remember to cut people slack” that spoke to the heart of this issue:

The “fundamental attribution error” is a psychological phenomenon in which we tend to view other people’s actions as reflections of their characters, and to overlook the power of the situation to influence their actions: I assume that the guy in the drugstore is a jerk who is trying to cut in line, when in fact, he’s a considerate guy who’s rushing to get home with the medicine for his sick, miserable girlfriend.

With ourselves, however, we acknowledge the pressures of the situation. So when other people’s cell phones ring during a movie, it’s because they’re inconsiderate boors. If my cell phone rings during a movie, it’s because I’m a conscientious mother who needs to be able to get a call from a babysitter.

In our personal quests to be better people, we accept that there will be days when we falter. We know that there will be dim moments when we fail to shine. And, we can save time and energy if we acknowledge that others will experience similar bumps along the way.

How can we let go of the anger and focus on more positive behaviors? Try out the following:

• Ask questions of those around you so that you can get a better idea of what is preventing them from doing their best — don’t make the assumption that the person is incompetent.
• Take a few moments to think over a situation before you respond (this is something I definitely need to do more often).
• Cut yourself some slack when you don’t live up to your own expectations.
• Cut other people slack when they don’t live up to your expectations.
• Lend a helping hand instead of making a critical remark.
• Remember that there is a lot to be learned from our inevitable mistakes.

How do you work to cut other people slack in your life?

Organizing Tip

I love this idea for Organizing tools. We had one of these magnetic knife strips in our home in BC, but here we have tile in the kitchen and there was nowhere to attach it without ruining the tile. Next time I see one, I'm getting it to put in the laundry room to store the random tools that end up in weird places throughout the house.

Sleepless in Stittsville

I have complained about just about everything to do with pregnancy........I am sure people around me are sick of hearing about it (my poor husband for one). So instead of whining about my lack of sleep, I'll post a picture of what I consider restful.

If I could take to this bed, in this room, with this view out the window......I'd never complain again, at least about my bedroom or lack of comfort!