hold her love

Today my heart is heavy for the king family.
I needed to get this out. To feel it out and pour it onto paper. And this is my little note to Chelsea King and victims like her.

It breaks my heart thinking of how young she was. How much she had to look forward too.
I just don't understand how a life could be taken just for sex. For a moment. For a feeling. It's so sinful. It makes me sick. And that we all fit the profile. You don't have to dress seductive, you don't have to go to a dark alley you just have to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. I cannot imagine the hurt the family is going through. It just hurts me knowing they will serve a harsher and longer sentence than the actual rapist and murderer. The King Family will now serve a life sentence without their beautiful sweet girl. Knowing she was taken away from them and she died suffering. Died living her last moments in a horrific nightmare.

My focus is of hope. That she is far away from pain & fear. That she is held in a loving memory safely tucked away in a heart full of love for her.

Dear God, please hold her.
love,
d

CTS , my version ;P

so happy it's friday today! :)




I've recently received a few emails with questions regarding carpal tunnel syndrome. I have blogged about this before and although I don't consider myself an expert I hope my 2.5+ years of personal experience with CTS can at least give you an inside perspective. And because I do not wish to bore your sweet minds, I have made my own version in picture form :) (which i hope you find not only informative, but entertaining .hahaa.)

first off.
Know the symptoms of CTS ( Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ) So you think you might have CTS? I didn't.


I had severe pain up and down my left arm all the way back to my shoulder blade. I saw a physician and yep. He quickly diagnosed me with CTS. Gave me a brace and had me on my way in no time. So go see a doctor to make sure it's only CTS and nothing more severe. No more putting it off or wondering what if! It can get worse if you don't start treating it now.


Now that you know for sure it's CTS, you're bummed right? Aw nuggets! It is a bit of a downer. I felt broken, weak and helpless :( You'll have questions like how to I get better? Is this forever? etc. Ask your doctor. Mine said with therapy I could definitely get better. I'm holding onto hope this isn't forever :) Keep your chin up!


Then see a Physical Therapist. They will help educate you in several ways to help fight CTS ! ( this is mostly a lifestyle change and honestly does require encouragement & support )

- Start wearing ugly arm braces. hahaa. (could they not make these cute? just a little? hahaa) ( mine are from here) Notice I have 2, one on each arm. I waited 8 long months to start therapy. I ended up with CTS AND tendinitis in both my arms. Please learn from my mistake. My excuse? I didn't have the money to pay ( my insurance was lame ). No excuses.


Fight CTS while wearing a good pair of braces.
Look how ridiculous i look in TWO arm braces! I especially hate it when people ask questions EVERY time i wear my braces and they have the sorry look on their faces. That's another excuse why I didn't wear my braces. People. Comments. They make it worse. But don't worry about it. You get used to it :)



- Fight CTS by checking the ergonomics of your work space My CTS was work related. So this is very important.


- Fight CTS by exercising 30 min a day. ( umm. gotta get back to that oops! :P) Although I did take 15 min. walks every 2.5 hours around my work building. Take your iPOD and some good walking shoes and you are good to go. You feel so relaxed and your muscles will thank you for it too. It clears your mind and is such a good way to de-stress. I have to admit a healthy mind & attitude makes the difference here. Unplug from your daily for a little bit.


- Stretch often. Like every 30 min of each day often. i do keep this up daily. I don't like to wait until i feel pain. It's so much better to do this as a preventative measure. And you might want to try the theraband to help strengthen your muscles. Or a ball of putty to help strengthen your grip. Both worked for me.


then you'll be all cool and such with your braces. You might even bust a move. Vogue :)
But if you do still experience pain... it's okay. I was prescribed Ibuprofen and take one pill if I have done all my exercises and stretches and still feel pain. This is very few and far between. I don't like taking pills :)


My favorite by far was the deep tissue massages my therapist gave me on both my arms. Good gravy! I always felt so relaxed and renewed right after. I always looked forward to those :) Basically they put a hot compress on your arms for 15 min. then they do a massage all the way up your arm to your elbows. It hurts if there is scar tissue but it's worth it. Then they do a cold compress for 15 min. ( i have trained Mr. Handsome and he gives me my arm massages now. )


After about 9 months of weekly or biweekly therapy I graduated and now no longer see a therapist. Not because I'm cured, but because we felt I was living my life armed with the proper skills to help fight CTS. I just need to keep up the exercise, stretching and positive attitude everyday. Which at times is not easy, but I thankfully have a strong group of friends and family who pray and encourage me and are just as determined to help me live a life not ruled by CTS. And I think that has made the difference for me.

I can even be silly about it now :)
-d

it's the little things i love

I love little red birds perched on vintage pink balls of yarn.

and little birds that tweet only the sweetest pink hearts **

love indeed.

I recently was asked this question:

lisarachel said...
I wish I had discovered your shop earlier! I've never actually bought anything from Etsy (using all my earned moneys back on the shop) but I truly enjoyed your shop (so i chose yours apposed to any others)

It looks like you truly enjoy what you make! I want that feeling in my shop........how do you do it?

Thank you Lisarachel for your question and very sweet comments about my shop. :)
I've had this post here for a while and have added so much too it I hope my answer doesn't overwhelm you ;)

It all started with a couple of resolutions for 2010. The main one was "finish unpacking the studio". And in my attempt to do just that, I found myself overwhelmed with "stuff". I neither wanted to part with nor keep. Don't know if that makes any sense? I wanted to make something with it. Not just pass it along. So I did just that. I started making stuff and I found that making stuff just makes me happier. I then put it in my ETSY shop and hoped with everything in me that someone, ANYONE would like it and want to make it their own. Live with it or even give it away as a special gift. Those two are just the icing on the cake for me.

So I'm happier making stuff.
I'm happier because it declutters the mess in my studio & makes room for more :)

I then started thinking about changing jobs. Mr.Handsome once asked me... what you you WANT to do? I surprisingly answered, "I want to do something completely different. I want to work in a paperie type shop or Anthro." Well, the second one is a given to anyone who loves anthro right? hahaa.

So then he said, "But isn't your studio like your paper store? You have everything you need in there. Just sell what you make in your ETSY shop." ( I did have an opportunity to apply for a position at my local Anthro shop for Window Display Manager... but I have no experience in it, even though I do have the degree they require...hmm... still on the fence on that :)

So we talked finances... bought & made only things I absolutely LOVE:

*LOVE* first of all that Mr. Handsome completely loves and inspires me to do what I really love. And even financially supports the decisions I make to sell only what I love in my belladrummer etsy shop. He's my biggest support. :)

*love* making limited and one of a kind mini paper kits,

*love*colorful baker's twine wrapped around handmade tags

*love*making use of things I have made for giving gifts like the Pillow Box Kits

*love* my favorite bits of papers all sewn up to make the sweetest garlands.

*love* To try out new things not just for myself but to add to your art too with these pretty fascinator style flower pieces

All these things I've personally used and have loved to give away to my friends & family. I wouldn't put anything I don't love out there just to "sell something". I feel like my etsy shop is my place to curate some of my favorite if not most loved items just for you. Because I feel you totally and completely understand my love for all things paper & art. And sharing that with the most unexpected group of virtual friends all over the world makes my heart skip a beat :) I love when I am at the post office and they ask me where am I going to next? Meaning where will I be sending my art to next. I LOVE that the little things I make in my little corner of the world have reached places farther than i could ever have imagined.

And as a thank you for kindly making my art yours I package it up in a lovely manner as a little extra gift from me to you. because I think sometimes receiving beautiful packages are few and far between. It just makes it that more special to receive something that has thought and care put into it :)

I don't let running my shop stress me out. It is not my full time employment. It's what I choose to do. It brings me joy. Practically every time I sell something I love sharing that with Mr. Handsome. Even the trips to the post office have been fun for me. I rarely get to drive since I work from home... so when I do make a trip to the post to send out ETSY orders... I crank up the radio and sing along while I drive. I enjoy my friendships with the clerks and it makes it that much better for me.

- So think about what makes you happy
- Then make what you love
- Put it in your shop
- & make sure to show appreciation by putting thought into the packaging & special. (I always remind myself... be generous.)

So there you have it! You can do it too :) There are so many artists and sellers out there that there is a special place for you too ! i love that about ETSY & handmade. It's all so unique. i LOVE that.

My etsy shop has been a joyful experience for me. And i especially want to thank everyone who has supported my shop. It's been such a blessing that you choose to support handmade. it gives me the confidence to keep putting my heart into everything I do. Playing around in my studio is so much fun I am so happy I get to share a little bit of that with you. I truly am thankful.

XOXO
******
- d
belladrummer

today it's all about spring :)

I shared this wee little bit of spring shadow box over at KR blog today.

it's love for handmade flowers inspired by Anthro bathing suits



flowers made of soft felt, wrapped around a cute vintage velvet button and black jewels. Finished off with vintage crepe paper and handmade duo tone leaves with crazy sewing lines.

I had to do everything in my power to not wear this EVERYWHERE and leave it inside the shadow box to embellish the page.

It's still in the shadow box ;P



*shivers* ( it's too cold to talk about bathing suits I know :)
but isn't this piece just the perfect bit of lovely?
*SWOONS*

And as if that weren't enough add some KR kit love to the mix:


And finish it off with the sweetest snapshot of Mr.Handsome and I on our wedding day. Completely tired and happy right after our wedding. Breathing a sigh of relief that we had a miracle happen upon us and our wedding went off as planned and we were now in love for life :) lucky mr.handsome hahaa.



So this little shadow box love lives in our living room. Even if the sun doesn't shine outside, inside we have a little bit of spring living among us. Making us happy :) As we celebrate us. I'm on a roll! I haven't missed a month yet. Remember my resolution I made here to celebrate more? It's actually something I look forward too. I can't wait for next month... :)

sweet.
spring came sooner than i expected.
just don't look outside.
its gonna rain.

ps: thank you SO much for the dentist love yesterday!
sadly. it was another 2 hour ordeal at the dentist...and it was all over 1 cavity. I have sensitive teeth! who knew? the bummer part is they didn't finish and i have to go back. :( but on the flip side I did make it through without killing anyone :) hahaa.

and i did finish off on a high note:
starbucks strawberry banana w/soy smoothie + coffee swirl cake ( you know I shoved that thing down the part of my mouth that wasn't numb hahaa. )

this of course makes every dentist visit well worth it.

loves!
-d

corner love

hi and welcome to my little corner in my little studio. I've had several e-mails asking to see more pictures of either my home or office/studio... so I decided to share another part of the studio that seems pretty much finished.

So make yourself at home
*smiles*

+ white lanterns ( IKEA )
+ yellow & white pom poms ( Yellow from Martha Stewart, white Handmade )
+ colorful feather butterflies ( Paper Source SF )
+ handmade paper garland ( yours truly still in my ETSY shop *although I secretly hope it doesn't sell. I LOVE it! :)
+ soft white heart doily ( .18 cents for a pack of 20 at Michaels clearance )



This is your seat my friend.
When you come over, this is my fav chair that I put in my studio just for my special guests.
Although I've never had one. Well, not yet at least :P But for now you can just pretend you sit here and we chat about our daily life here.

Just yesterday Mr. Handsome helped set up my white lanterns. If I put them up, they would just come falling down on you :P hahaaa ! jk.
We bought this pretty chair on Target online right before Handsome and I were married. This is very well our first piece of furniture that we bought together. And because there is power in persuasion ... I convinced him we had to buy two. We also purchased this beautiful chair that sits in our master bedroom. But back then we paid less because there was a sale.

AND.... also because I took Mr. Handsome to anthro and had him sit in one of these



and something like this:


and he about fell over and off the couch when he saw the price tags.
making our target purchase a little more sensible :)

hey, we have a mortgage to pay after all. and then there is food we need to eat. he's always reminding me of these 2 very important things. but I could possibly do anything for either of these pieces. food ? mortgage? boo. hahaa. Its okay, I've come to the conclusion that I will never really own one piece of furniture from Anthro. I just still can dream about it. it's free :)




So today, I'm headed out the door to my dentist appointment
NERVOUS!
ack. stop it.
hold me.

I had to do everything to stop myself from kidnapping Mr.Handsome this morning to make him accompany me to my appointment. So today, I am just having one cavity filled. Should be fast right? Yeah. let's hope so.
And as a reward to myself after a good visit I will treat myself to a smoothie from JAMBA. I did end up going to my doctor for something to help me relax but that requires Mr.Handsome or someone to drive me back home... so that's out of the question. So here I go! Blind faith knowing everything is going to be okay. And thank you for your encouragement and sharing your stories with me... it kind of made me feel less scared. and crazy. and even held... I felt comfortable. knowing i wasn't alone in my anxiety. group therapy even. And it was fun. so I will see you tomorrow same chair, same corner right?

I will have my iphone on while I'm at the dentist so send me some encouragement love!

:) i love the dentist. i love the dentist, i love the dentist
repeat.

I can do this!
-d