Atiliay noun, a play off the French word “atelier”; a workshop/studio, esp of an artist or designer; my creative space

Notes plural noun, a brief record of facts, topics, thoughts written down as an aid to memory; a short informal letter

 

In this month where love is celebrated, I wanted to focus on self love, self appreciation, and self care…mostly because I kinda suck at it sometimes! 😅 Maybe you can relate?

 

There is nobody who is harder on myself or gets more disappointed in myself, than me.

 

And it has been brought to my attention that the way I care for Valentine is not very sustainable if I also don't make time to care for myself…I realized this is true because I have really felt pushed to my limits at times.

 

So instead of being hard on myself for being hard on myself (!), I am trying to embrace this month's mantra--to remember all the times I have trusted myself and things turned out right, to talk to myself like how I would talk to a good friend, to let go of this idea of perfection or being the best, and to chill out a little and simply show myself a little more love! I invite you to do the same. May we all move through the year with the energy and confidence of this fabulous child. :)

For this sketchbook page I began with writing down positive examples in my life as the result of listening to myself. Mistakes always seem to stick so this is a reminder of all the good that's come from it. I added pink watercolor for self love. Then I used a white crayon to write the mantra. I like how you can't see it until you add paint to it--I felt like it represented how our intuition and gut feelings are invisible but so powerful. I added a layer of white paint as a symbol of forgiving ourselves, a clean slate when we need it, and finished it with pressed flowers to symbolize finding the beauty within and growing and blossoming into who we are. (I also love the idea of getting ourselves flowers instead of waiting for someone else to!) Here's a short process video that you can watch on Instagram or TikTok.

 

 “Fall in love with taking care of yourself. Fall in love with the path of deep healing. Fall in love with becoming the best version of yourself but with patience, with compassion, and respect to your own journey.” 

Sylvester McNutt

 

The time will come

when, with elation

you will greet yourself arriving

at your own door, in your own mirror

and each will smile at the other's welcome,

 

and say, sit here. Eat.

You will love again the stranger who was your self.

Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart

to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

 

all your life, whom you ignored

for another, who knows you by heart.

Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

 

the photographs, the desperate notes,

peel your own image from the mirror.

Sit. Feast on your life.

Derek Walcott
Thank you Ellen for sharing these words with me!

 

 

 

Our voices are significant / Our parent's shoes don't need to fit / And when we just get over it / Oh, just let it go / And take it slow / Keep my head high / Keep my heart light, light

 

I’m done chasing all the wrong things / that open road has come call to me / got the wind in my hair and my worries in the rearview / i’m not attached in the way i used to / better when i’m set free  

 

Springtime, get a little me time / A little breathe time, fresh air / New beginnings and less cares / Wonder who can hear the thunder / Rolling in over the green / White noise in a distant dream / Isn’t it lovely, lovely / Lovely, lovely / Doing my own thing, own thing / Own thing on my own time

There's one more thing you can listen to today---my interview with Lindsay Jean Thomson on #The100DayProject Podcast! 

 

We touch on several topics including being gentle with ourselves. As with anytime we put something out into the world, it can be a little nerve-wracking and easy to be self critical, have imposter syndrome, etc. etc.! But I truly believe that if there's something you feel like you need to share, that means there is someone out there who needs to receive it. So I'm leaning into that today, along with being gentle and having gratitude for the experience! 

 

A big thank you to Lindsay for having this conversation with me and giving me a chance to share and to my wonderful friends who helped make this opportunity possible! :) I hope you enjoy this episode! (If this is the first time you're hearing about #The100DayProject, I wrote about it here.) 

 

Happy early Galentine's Day and Happy Valentine's Day--

there is so much to love and celebrate about each one of us ❤️

Take good care and talk to you soon,

PS: Find a variety of free Vday inspired / themed freebies including gift tags, mini notes, and pet valentines in the PDF Library. 

 

PPS: In the spirit of self care, during Valentine's nap time on Vday, I'll be having my first head spa experience! I am SO excited and have been wanting to do this every since I heard about it. I saw this IG reel of a place close by so I booked an appt! My goal is to do at least one self care related activity each month.

 

PPPS: Valentine turned 18 recently! 🥳 I got to name her myself (everyone else already had a name) and I chose Valentine since I found her around Valentine's Day and it just seemed to fit. It took her no time to answer to it! I can't believe we've gotten to spend 15 years together--I was 25 and she was 3 when we first met. Here's a pic of one of our first hikes together and a a recent one from a trip to Gig Harbor. 💗

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