In This Skin

Happy Hump Day Yall! I hope you are having a great Wednesday! I have been bored out of my mind today. It is still so rainy and dreary up here. I need some sunshine. So I guess it has put me in a odd mood and I am scrapping a little different. I love to let out alot of my frustration through scrapping and that is what I have done today...so bear with me. I did this layout for 2 challenges. First, a challenge where you are suppose to do some scrappy therapy....meaning, you scrap something that bugs you and you want to get it off your chest. Second, for a challenge where you are to create your own patterned paper.

I created my own patterned paper by using this stamp. Here is my paper:

Now, this layout is called 'In This Skin.' I don't think many people know this about me, but I suffer from a skin condition called psoriasis. You have no idea how hard it is for me just to say that out loud, but it is. I have spent over 5 years suffering from this condition and stay covered up whenever I have a flair. I can't tell you how many hot, sunny days I've been in jeans and a long sleeved shirt because I am ashamed. But I am trying to do better. I am starting to put my story out there and get it off my chest. Thankfully, my psoriasis is only mild, but being a woman, it is still enough to make you really self conscious. But I am working on it. So I decided to get my frustration out. This will be another layout to go in the scrappy album that is just for me...almost a scrap diary. Here is the layout:

I journaled on a clear journaling tag and it reads:

"This photo is probably one of the last! It is when my skin was clear and beautiful. Then almost overnight it happened: psoriasis. Ugh! I even hate the word! It in itself sounds so disgusting! I spent years looking in the mirror and crying! Then one day, it hit me. This is who I am! You love me for who I am, not what I look like! I'm tired of covering up! Today, I will begin to put the pieces of me back together!"

Then around the tag that has the lady on it, I wrote: "I am lucky because this will make me stronger!!"

This next part really got me some criticism from the hubby. He said...'why did you tear up a perfectly good picture?' Well, I responded that I did not care what he thought. (LOL....I am really hard headed when it comes to my husband. I am a bit opinionated to say the least...ha ha). I tore it up for symbolism. I feel like this condition has taken 'pieces' of me away and by 'stapling' them back together, it symbolizes that I am going to make the effort to put those back together.

So there it is. Whoa! I feel like a weight has been lifted! Thank you for letting me share.