Hi friends! I was scrolling through my Pinterest feed the other day (a rare treat these days as I have been so busy) and I saw this quote: I will not compare myself to strangers on the internet. It really struck a chord. We all do it though, don’t we? We compare ourselves to other parents. We compare ourselves to acquaintances and yes, even strangers on the internet. People with cleaner, nicer houses that know how to cook…people who know how to cook, not cooking houses…hey, I totally want a house than can cook now! If you have one of those I am comparing myself to you and you are totally winning. Just kidding. We need to stop the insanity. It is not fair to us. When I posted this on YouTube the other day a viewer Glen shared advice his dad used to remind him: “You know, everyone’s doing about the best they can.” With that here is today’s tutorial. I sped up the process of this video because it was all lettering and seemed a bit dull to watch for the 30 minutes it took to create.
Remember how I messed up the banner? Well, it inspired me to make a quick and easy tutorial on how to draw banners! Use this on scrapbooks, art journal pages and cards for instant fancy flair!
Well, 2 for the price of one, I love it and I hope you found something useful here today, even if it is just a bit of encouragement. Let’s be kind to each other and ourselves OK:) Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
The Frugal Crafter Blog 
Thank you for demystifying ribbon/banner drawing. Always look forward to your posts-you are uplifting, encouraging and so down to earth(you know what I mean).
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Must practice those banner…you make it look sooooo easy!
Jan
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Thanks for the reminder, not to compare ourselves to strangers. So now, when I drive down the road and notice everybody’s car looks cleaner than mine, I will just tell myself, “yep, their cars are cleaner, and I am just doing the best I can!” I feel better now.
Thanks for the two-fer videos today. You are a gem!
Sincerely, Cheryl K. Johnson (The one in Idaho)
Sent from my iPad
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Two comments: 1) I laughed out loud at your ‘cooking house’ comment. 2) About 30 years ago someone told me, “people are generally doing the best they can” and this led to an exponential increase in my level of empathy for fellow travelers. Thanks for reminding us of this valuable lesson. Hugs, and gratitude.
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Both tutorials are great. Perfect reminder on comparisons, and a reminder to me that I need more practice drawing banners. Thanks for your great ideas.
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Thank you for the inspiration.
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I really like the first tut…never compare yourself. We all have something that we are good at! And love the banner tut … Wow I never thought they could be that easy. Of course I haven’t tried them yet…but, you make it look easy! Thanks for sharing all your talents with us!!!!
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I really liked what you said about using quotes in your art journal as a way to remember them. I have often thought of keeping an art journal, but I’m a very practical person, and couldn’t really see a purpose, other than experimenting with different media, which is great, but with 2 smallish kids, I don’t have time. But now I can see a purpose. I like it…. a lot. Thanks Lindsey, U R Awesome.
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What great advice this is Lindsey. It’s amazing how those kinds of comparisons can spiral to every area of my life too! Love your tutorials, especially the banner one :)) Every day is a ‘banner’ day ❤ Peace
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Cool banner drawings!
When I was young I thought everyone else had a perfect life. And I was envious. But I discovered that what you see is often not the reality. So many people struggle daily; they learn how to put a good face on it. And that is something we need to be able to do—persevere in spite of the obstacles we find facing us.
And I thought others were so talented and that I was lame. But I discovered that that everyone has talents and gifts, even me
Discovering our strengths and gifts will increase our love of life. And we will love others more as a result, because we are happy and joyous we will extend that to others—we will be full of grace.
As far as parenting—there are no perfect parents; we do the best we know how to do at the time. Better to err on the side of caution imo. There is always later for children to do all those things they are not allowed to do when they are younger. As the Bible declares “love covers a multitude of sins”—children who know they are loved will flourish. And having parents that love each other is important—it makes them feel safe and cared for.
My children used to tell me I was mean; get mad at me, etc. All par for the course. I’d just tell them ‘well, I love you and want you to be happy when you grow up so that is why I don’t allow this; I may be wrong but it is out of love for you”.. They accepted that and turned out just fine. In fact, the are better than fine—they are two wonderful human beings.
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Thank you! I’ve watched your video several times and practised it over and over. I am finally getting it. 🙂
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