In these internet-filled times, it's too easy to be hard on ourselves. I look at so-and-so's blog and I wish I could write like that. I look at the next enviable blog and wish I had thought of that idea. I move on to the next one and think "now why can't I just be as cool/creative/funny/[insert adjective] as this person?" And so on and so forth, until I've sufficiently compared myself to everyone possible and completely discounted myself in the process. I think you get the idea, and I don't think I'm going out on a limb by assuming that you've probably been in this position as well. It's easy to get there. There's so much good stuff out there in internet-land! People are amazing, aren't they?

People ARE amazing. And here is the thing: I'm amazing, too. We're all amazing, because we're complex, beautiful, unique, and flawed human beings. All of us, just because we're alive. I read recently that only one in every 10 million living creatures on earth is a human-- isn't that astounding? One in 10 million! We're quite special. (And now I'm wishing I would've bookmarked wherever I read that, because I'm questioning now whether it might've actually been 10 billion. Oh, brain, I wish you had a better memory!)

It takes practice to be kind to ourselves. We hold all kinds of rules for ourselves and ideas of how we should be, and in reality we just picked them up along the way somewhere thinking it was "the right way to do things," and now it's time to let them go. I think We need to be kinder to ourselves and listen to our own hearts; ask ourselves "what do I want to do?" And then do that. Not according to how anyone else thinks you should do it, but however you want to do it that makes will make your heart sing and skip beats and jump up and down in your throat. Because why would you even want to compare when you feel that? That's joy, people. Tapping into your purpose.

Our purpose is to be happy and to love one another. That can only stem from first loving and valuing ourselves. There's an amazing person inside each of us, and we're all at varying degrees of showing and shining it, but no matter what, deep down it's there. And it's unique and incomparable. You are unique and incomparable.

One thing I rarely do is buy cards. My whole life long I've given handmade cards for birthdays, holidays, thank yous, and whatever else requires a card. So needless to say, I've been having a ball these past few weeks designing some fun new cards to take with me to Surtex. I'm envisioning one whole wall of my booth at the show being covered in a grid of colorful cards-- wouldn't that be wonderful?

These are a few of the birthday cards i've come up with recently-- I'm particularly in love with this elephant one:

I also have a question. Where is your favorite place to buy cards? I'm in research mode, seeing what all kinds of cards are out there, and I'd love to know where you shop for fun and unique cards. As a novice card-shopper, I'd love some tips from you smart cookies!