Feelin' Like a Diva

 Today was a spectacular day. The sun was shining, it reached 70 degrees and a hint of Spring hung in the air. It was one of those days, for me, when I just feel like a diva. I found myself walking around a local outdoor shopping center with a little more "spring" in my step. With my flowy dress, fab Gucci sunglasses (I splurge because they're prescription) and high heeled boots, I felt like a movie star! I went shopping and it was ALSO one of those days where I loved everything I tried on!

Thinking about my mood, I am convinced that is the combination of the two holidays today that did the trick. The first is Purim, a Jewish celebratory holiday that celebrates freedom from destruction for the Jews in ancient Persia.  It is a day of feasting and partying and is often celebrated by dressing up in costume and giving charity to those less fortunate (kind of the opposite of Halloween, you dress up and leave charity at the door - the costume ensures that you remain anonymous). The heroine of the Purim story is Queen Esther. Esther was only allowed to see her husband, the king when he summoned her. The punishment for disobeying this command was death. However, she went against to decree in order to appeal to her husband King Ahasuerus. She asked him to spare the Jewish people from the plan an evil man named Haman had to persecute them. Her success saved the Jewish people, and for that, she is considered a brave, heroic woman. That brings me to the second holiday of the day, International Women's Day.

According to the International Women's Day Website, "International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies...IWD is now an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers." Hmmm...why haven't the men here caught on?!

So, in honor of these two holidays, I created a card in honor of Queen Esther, a brave, heroic historical figure who just happens to be honored on the same day as a holiday that celebrates women as a community! I made another easel card, but this time I used my Cricut Once Upon a Princess cartridge and some more of that fab SEI Couture stack too!

Hope you enjoyed my little "lesson" of the day, and the card. Happy crafting!
Panda Hugs!
J-
Glitter Panda