Alyssa from Clever Nest

Today we have Alyssa here from Clever Nest, and I love what she chose to share about. Please take a minute to check out her blog. She is kind and funny, and you will love her! Here's Alyssa...

 ’Ello everybody : ). I’m Alyssa Wine of Clever Nest, and I was so excited when Lauren asked me to guest blog for her one year blogversary! I’m  a loyal fan of Lauren’s, I think she’s fantastic, and her entry way make over is the bomb. Lauren, thanks for letting me be part of the fun!

Now, it’s time to confess a dirty little secret of mine.

Self Diagnosis

I follow quite a few awesome DIY blogs (that’s not the confession). The confession is, some days when I’m reading the posts of my blogging friends and the wonderful things they’re up to, I feel… intimidated. Seeing picture after picture of beautiful homes, flawlessly executed crafts, and overly photogenic children I think, “how can I compete with this?”  Everybody but me obviously has perfect lives and spends their time smiling and painting chevrons on things all day long!

This is true for Pinterest as well.

I know I’m being dramatic, but, have you ever felt that way too? I look around my house and see my hubby’s dirty socks on the coffee table, my half finished craft sitting on the dining room table, and the baby smooshing crackers into the tile.

I have named this feeling. I call it,  Comparison Rage And Preoccupation syndrome. Otherwise known as, feeling like C.R.A.P.

Getting’ Real

The first thing I do when I start feeling this way is to remind myself that beautiful pictures show only one side of the room, er, story.

Here’s a real life example. I wrote a post revealing my little guy’s newly finished nursery (you can see the full post here). Before a camera got anywhere near that room,  I dusted, vacuumed, removed half Andrew’s diaper and wipe paraphernalia, fluffed blankets, and styled stuffed critters.  Here’s some of the pics I posted-

Now, here’s the pics I did not show anybody. If you had turned to the right, you’d see why I didn’t show the closet view.

Stunning. We haven’t exactly gotten around to installing closet doors. Thankfully Andrew is still young, and not yet old enough to know how he’s being neglected by his parents. And if you had turned to see the hallway, you’d find even more good stuff. 

Ye lovely Pile O’ Mess. I scooped up everything that wasn’t photo worthy and dumped it out of view! I just walked in the other room and took a picture of what the nursery looks like on a normal, blanket fluffing free day.

 My Andrew sign is wilting... 

That’s the plain, unphotogenic truth. I appreciate it so much when my favorite blogging ladies show their behind the scenes pictures! Their houses on a normal day, the untouched rooms with gloriously high stuff piles, even divulging their secret to making a bathroom towel look extra fluffy in the “after” shot. It reminds me that, they live real life too, just like me.

You Got This

The second thing I do to alleviate feeling like C.R.A.P. is to remember my triumphs. I definitely don’t always knock it out of the park (the time I hung a fish-turkey on the wall!),

but sweet comments by family, friends, and you guys remind me that sometimes I do get it right. We’re all trying to make our lives a little more awesome, and chances are, we underestimate how much what we do means to those around us!

Embrace the Fail

When all else fails, I stop blog surfing and type in this website. CraftFail. I discovered this site a while back and I always leave feeling better about my artsy endeavors (I was not paid to say this, I just think they’re awesome!). Here you can laugh along with fellow crafters who had their project fail hilariously and miserably. You can even see one of my very own flops on there, this lovely thing!

Holy Restickable Gluestick Batman. It wasn’t funny at the time, but now it is! : ) Sometimes a good laugh reminds me not to take it all too seriously.

Craftians, Unite!

Nobody paints chevrons all day, certainly not me. I know that, but sometimes a reminder is good for the soul! My house doesn’t look like a magazine cover 7 days a week, and that’s ok. My crafts sometimes are only fit to amuse. I’m a real human being with a stuff pile just as big as the one I’m sure my favorite bloggers have at their house too.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with cleaning up before you show off your space, or showing off our sweet craft ideas. We all like looking at pretty pictures! BUT-  what I’m saying is, let’s not let those glossy, white balanced, staged pictures fool us. Let them inspire and motivate us to be creative, never make us feel like second class uncraftians. Will you join me in fighting C.R.A.P.?  Pinky swear?

<3 Alyssa

www.myclevernest.com

(Sorry for saying C.R.A.P. so much, mom. It had the letters I needed.)


I know I am guilty of C.R.A.P. from time to time. I am also most definitely not living in a photo ready house in a moments notice. I often find myself taking pictures while trying to avoid a pile of laundry, or toys. I'm in Alyssa! How about the rest of you?