Stories & Updates – Blooming Resilient

Swagbucks Finds

If you haven’t heard of Swagbucks it’s a great cash back program that is run by Prodege LLC. They have a ton of activities you can do through their website or apps that allows you to earn swagbucks (sb) to redeem for gift cards. I know you probably hear about these kind of companies and programs all the time, but this one really works! J made a blog post at the end of last year about how I was able to buy so many items I needed when I moved last year with gifts cards from Swagbucks. You can see the post at the link below:

https://atomic-temporary-170538561.wpcomstaging.com/2021/10/07/joys-of-swagbucks/

I wanted to make another post about Swagbucks and the cool ways I earned sb this week! You might be wondering why I want to share this! It’s because it is too easy not to do! All of us need extra cash or resources for various needs or wants. This is a great and fun way to do it! I will say it does take some patience, but if you stick with it, it is so fun and can lead to lots of great gift cards! I actually redeemed a gift card and used it today at Target while I was grocery shopping. It’s very helpful!

Discover Deals! Most of the swagbucks I have earned has been through Daily Discover. One of the east ways to earn sb is through the Explore Web Content section. These don’t require a purchase and some of them you can click on every day to get 1 sb. I earned 36 sb today just from clicking on the click and earn discover deals! Definitely worth looking into!

SB Live! This is another fun way to earn sb! It is a live trivia game that you can participate in on the SB Live app. There are 10 questions, 9 of which you can earn you extra sb when you answer them correctly. If you get all the questions right you can also get a bonus from the total grand prize! The hosts are always so funny and entertaining! Would definitely recommend giving this a try!

Swagit! This is a social media platform that Swagbucks created. You post short videos and people can like it, comment, or send you swagbucks. When you send someone 1 sb you get a 2 sb bonus. This is another easy way to earn swagbucks. And if you upload a video people might send you swagbucks!

Shopping Receipts! Another easy way to earn sb is submitting your shopping receipts. You can favorite the stores you go to most, to make it easier. They have special cash back opportunities for certain items at specific stores. They typically give at least 2 sb for just submitting the receipt and then possibly extra if you buy something that there is a cash back deal for.

Hope you will look into this! Or if you have a Swagbucks account already share your favorite ways to earn sb! Below is my referral link if you would like to give Swagbucks a try!

Check out Swagbucks! I use it to get free gift cards! Click my link to join:

https://www.swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=95703408&cmp=197&cxid=2001-app

My Bookbinding Journey

My journey to learn bookbinding was a long one! It took me years to finally learn it! I wanted to share this story with you today because I was thinking about this beautiful blanket my grandma gifted to me a couple of years ago. It is a quilted blanket with scraps from all the journals I had made. It was such a beautiful gift and it filled my heart with so much joy to see the pieces of all the journals I have gotten to make.

I am a life long journaler!! It is a hobby that is very near to my heart because there have been times in my life when it felt like my journal was one of my dearest companions. A safe space where I could keep my secrets, share my feelings, write my prayers, express my thoughts, and tell my stories. Because of this passion for journaling I wanted to learn how to make journals. I enjoyed crafting but was not skilled at any particular craft when I was first looking into making journals. I did not even know where to start. I wasn’t sure what to use for the cover, what paper to use, how to bind the journals, or what tools I needed. I tried many many many different ideas!! It was a messy process!! I’m so thankful for the friends who stuck by me through all the trial and error. It was rough! Below is a picture from college when I was trying to figure out how to make a journal out of this used book. I had seen something on Pinterest about how to get bad smells out of books by putting them in the microwave. Needless to say it was in the microwave for way too long! I grabbed the book out of the microwave and there was a lot of smoke and the pages were burning. We thankfully put it out quickly in the bathroom sink, but it was not my finest moment.

After I graduated college I was still doing research about book binding and various tools that you can use. The whole process was so hard for me to wrap my head around and I didn’t have a lot of resources to pay for materials to experiment with. One night I was about the give up and I found a video on YouTube that made all the difference. All the sudden it made sense and I learned how to do the long stitch. I figured out that I could take apart old books, recover them, and sew in new pages. The video was of a woman in Australia who was making a junk journal out of a cereal box. She took so much of the pressure off by saying to just use what you have in your home, it doesn’t have to be perfect, and make it your own. I felt so empowered!! I didn’t have to have any special tools I could just use what I had and create!! I am forever grateful for that video!!

After I learned this I understood the types of tools I could use for making journals. I went to Walmart and got a sewing awl and went to hobby lobby and got waxed thread and large needles. I experimented with various glues for recovering old books with fabric and just started creating!!

Then I learned about the Coptic stitch. It was finally all coming together!! I bought a large printer and was able to print my own lined pages and planners.

I am so thankful to have made and sold so many journals. I have now expanded to book disc and metal spine binding as well. Once I learned this craft, it seemed to open up a whole new world for me of creativity. I began to have more confidence in my work and allowed myself to explore new crafts!

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from this journey is to not give up!! There were so many ups and downs but I am so thankful that I kept pressing forward!! Bookbinding is one of my greatest joys!! Keep pressing forward and working towards your goals!! You never know what kind of opportunities it will lead to!!

Face Toner Recipe

Why I Use Face Toner

I love using face toner!

A few years ago I didn’t even know it existed! I first used Thatcher’s Face Toner. I really enjoyed using it and loved how it cleaned my skin deeply. I wanted to learn how to make my own face toner to save money. I first did research on Pinterest to find different face toner recipes. The one below is the one that I use regularly!

I found that using the face toner every day has cut down on blemishes and I used to get eczema on my face and I haven’t since using the toner. I didn’t know at the time, but witch hazel has the ability to help with inflammation and eczema. I have made this recipe for several family members. One of my cousins who has struggled with acne most of her life has found that it works better than anything she has tried before. I also made it for my grandma and she did not like the feel of the toner on her skin. Everyone’s skin is so different, but this could be a great addition to your skin care routine.

Ingredients:

4 oz spray bottle
Witch Hazel 4 Tbsp
Lavender Essential Oil 15 drops
Water
Citric Acid 1/2 tsp, I get mine from Hobby Lobby or Amazon, but they also sell it in grocery stores with the canning supplies.
Vegetable Glycerin 1 Tbsp

Instructions:

Put witch hazel, glycerin, citric acid, and lavender essential oil in spray bottle. I use an amber glass spray bottle. I get mine either at Fresh Thyme or Amazon.
Fill rest of the bottle up with water.
Put lid on and shake to mix. Shake before each use.

Coping with Anxiety

My Story

I think we all struggle with varying levels of anxiety. Life has so many trials and uncertainties that can cause us to worry or have anxious thoughts. I have struggled with anxiety and overwhelming fears for most of my life. Part of this is from the dynamics of my childhood, the patterns of mental health in my family, and my own internalizing of events throughout my life. There has been various things I have tried to help with my anxiety including therapy and medications. But I still was not coping well with day to day life.

Thankfully I have had relationships and circumstances that pushed me to confront this anxiety and try to cope better. During the beginning of the pandemic, while at home, I began to be more intentional about searching for tools and strategies that would help me live better from day to day. I came up with the acronym GRASI and practiced tools of it intentionally everyday. It made such a difference for me! We don’t have to stay stuck in the same anxious thoughts. We can break cycles and thrive!!

G.R.A.S.I.

I made up this acronym for myself after I chose these five tools to focus on to help with my anxiety.

G: grounding, which is the process of focusing in on one of our five senses. Sometimes I would go outside and close my eyes and put all my attention on the sounds around me, or putting all your attention on any of the senses to ground yourself back to your current moment in time. Anxiety often involves being stuck in the past or the future, therefore to combat that it can be helpful to focus your attention back on the present moment.

R: relaxation, is something I incorporated because I typically was not being intentional to do something relaxing everyday. So when I started practicing this I planned at least one relaxing activity everyday. Sometimes if was taking a hot bath, resting on the couch and watching TV, doing yoga outside, or taking time to be creative.

A: acceptance, was huge for me!! In my planner or journal if there were thoughts that were nagging at me or anxieties that were weighing me down I would practice acceptance and the worry about those issues no longer had control over me. For example I accept that all I can control is my thoughts, words, and actions and I cannot control the words, actions or intentions of others.

S: spirituality, is vital. Though this is the fourth letter in the acronym for me it was foundational for the whole process of healing. This involved me being in prayer, reading scripture, and reminding myself of truths. Truths such as God created me, I am fearfully and wonderfully made, I was created with purpose, I am loved, I am chosen, I am cared for, and there is a plan for my life.

I: improve self-esteem, this was important for me as well because a lot of my anxiety was also tied to habits and thought patterns of self-loathing. This would often keep me from accomplishing my goals, seeking healthy relationships, and living well. To work on this I first started by writing positive affirmations and repeating them to myself everyday. I tried various other strategies too, including writing letters to my past self, choosing to focus on strength based narratives of my life, and paying attention to my self-talk and correcting myself when I spoke cruelly to myself.

I would incorporate these five areas in my daily life. It would look different for each day, but the goal was simply to be aware and start changing my thinking and actions to combat my anxiety.

Thank you for reading my story! I would love to know what helps you with anxious thoughts or if you give any of these strategies a try!