We’ve all had those days where it seems like the rain will never stop. So we all understand the need to send a friend or family member a card in times of hardship. 

I’ll admit that I needed a bit of perspective recently. I’ve been feeling a little burnt out at work. I always remind myself that my feelings of overwhelm and burnout at work always pass—I do contract work so some days are busy and some days are pretty light on the work load. 

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But it’s also hard because I work from home and my craft room is also my office, and right now, I just really want to craft all the time. It’s my happy place (other than playing my flute). 

The anniversary of my grandmother’s passing was earlier this month, so I’ve just been a little emotional on top of those feelings of being overwhelmed in the office. I even had a day where I just broke down crying, which has never happened to me before. I couldn’t pinpoint the reason for crying and it passed as quickly as it came over me.

But like Luisa in Encanto, I’m the rock of the family, the one that everyone leans on. (The line in Surface Pressure, “And see if she can handle every family burden” was a line that struck me to the core.) When I was a freshman in college, my grandfather was dying of Leukemia. I went with my family to visit him one last time and when we were saying our goodbyes, he told me, “Adrienne, promise me you won’t cry at my funeral. You are the rock of this family and they need you to be strong.” It’s a lot of pressure to put on an 19-year-old. But I kept my promise, crying only when I got home and was alone in my room.

But it’s not healthy doing that. I’m now conditioned to think that having moments of vulnerability like I’ve had the past month are something bad, and cause me even more anxiety. So I’m here to give myself, and you, some perspective. 

It’s okay to not feel okay. It’s okay to not be okay all of the time. But know that this too shall pass. When things hit rock bottom, the only direction to go is up. When the glass seems half empty, remember that it’s half full too. Know that rocks don’t come out of storms unscathed—weather wears them down, but it’s only just a little. Those rocks stand the test of time in the end and you can too. 

Know that you don’t have to go through this alone, though. Reach out for help when you need it, or just talk about how you feel. It’s time we stop making mental health a taboo subject. So don’t bottle it up inside or hide it. Your emotions, even the negative ones, are a part of you. Let people see the whole you. So here’s me. Telling you I’m not perfect, I’m not always happy. But I’m here, in all my imperfectness. 

So let’s send more cards to friends and family when they need a paper hug. Spread more kindness. Plus, making these kinds of cards are definitely cathartic. And I needed that. 

For this card, I used the new umbrellas layered stencil from Scrapbook.com and two colors of blue Distress Oxides, speckled egg and faded jeans, to create the background. 

I trimmed down the background paper and matted it on a piece of dark blue cardstock from the playful A2 smooth cardstock pad, using foam tape. I stamped a sentiment from the Tim Holtz tiny text stamp set using the faded jeans ink, matting it with the same dark blue cardstock and adding it to the front of the card with more foam tape. 

Finally, I added raindrops using the glitter snowflake Pops of Color. Simply hold the bottle at a 45 degree angle and create a dot. Then as you release pressure on the bottle, pull up to create a teardrop shape. 

I hope that you enjoyed this project and that you found this blog post enlightening or cathartic. You aren’t alone. And when you are feeling down, talk about it and then spend a little time in your craft room creating. Until next time,  I wish you more happiness.

Adrienne