A New Year's Eve

Happy New Year, deer.

 

 

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Need a little sun

Why is it so dark? It is almost 7am. The weather channel is forecasting a rainy day, but high temps near 70. Actually, I would prefer sun and 50.

Sometimes rainy days can be so productive. Allows you to do the things you need to get done indoors since you cannot or prefer not to go outside.

Sun, on the other hand, normally has a positive effect on your mood, inside or out. Rain may have the opposite effect. All depends on your mojo when you get out of bed.

My mojo today craves sunlight.

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The art of procraftination

How my crafting began

I learned a new word this summer: “Procraftination” which translates to “shunning responsibilities in the name of arts and crafts.” But that is ok. When I quit my job in June, i.e. retired AGAIN, I decided that I no longer would use the terms “Got to Do” or “Have to do” when describing my planned activities.

If I didn’t WANT to do it, it wasn’t going to get done.

I took up crafting.

Last summer I visited with a former childhood friend who was BIG into art. Her “studio” (craft room) was floor to ceiling supplies. She had dozens of rubber stamps, paints and all sorts of products for which I had NO clue what they were for. However, after attending a class with her at the “Papercraft ClubHouse” in our hometown in Connecticut, I thought this would be fun for me to do. She provided me with a starter supplies list so I could make greeting cards. $114 later at AC Moore, I had enough supplies to create a $2 birthday card. Ha ha, not really, it gave me a good base to begin my craft.

 

I quickly learned that anything and everything you want to learn to do is on YouTube. If it’s not on YouTube, you don’t need to do it. I watched video after video on inks, stamping, card making, die cutting, art journaling… the list goes on. I subscribed to blogs and friended fellow crafters on facebook and attended a couple of classes on card making in Myrtle Beach. I tapped into my inner artsy self and took to town on paper crafting. Today my workshop (craft room) is starting to look like hers; I have already invested more money than I am not making any more since I left my job in art supplies. I spend every waking moment and many sleeping moments coming up with new designs.

 

I never had any interest in scrapbooking because I don’t do photographs. I’m not one to take 100s of pictures when I’m on vacation, maybe a few and then I never printed them. But card making is another animal; it uses many of the same tools and supplies as scrapbooking but the result is a different product; one I had use for.

I can’t say for certain how long my short attention span will stay focused on art and papercrafting, but for now I am enjoying myself. I don’t keep any of my cards, except the ones I create in my classes and those are for reference. Each card I make is unique for the person for whom it’s intended and sometimes I’ll spend an entire day or more on just that one card. Obsession? You bet. But that’s ok.

 

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