AMANDA'S BASKETS: WORDS FOR THE YEAR, INSPIRATIONAL BANNER AND A 30 DAY JOURNAL

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

WORDS FOR THE YEAR, INSPIRATIONAL BANNER AND A 30 DAY JOURNAL

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO EVERYONE!

It's so sunny and bright outside that I almost feel I could go for a walk and find these flowers. Of course, the radiators blasting out heat would indicate that it may be a bit too cold outside. As well as the wind.

Speaking of which, I was in midtown yesterday for most of the day and even with the mild temperatures (40's), the wind was absolutely brutal. The gusts were so strong that folks had to fight to stay upright!

So, quite a few folks attended the guild meeting last Saturday even with less than perfect walking conditions (snow and ice). The snippet workshop was a complete success and the results were unique from the traditional flowers to modern art. And all the participants were really surprised at how far the bonded fabric went. I let everyone keep their leftover bonded fabric and they were excited to continue using it at home. Can't wait to see the results.

The creativity session went well also but trying to cram a 4 to 6 hour workshop into 20 minutes, with a hands-on activity, was difficult and for me seemed only superficial. I did give the participants an assignment and I decided to do the assignments myself.

First of all, each was to choose a word(s) for the year. Some found it difficult and others found a word immediately. Me? Well, it took a while but I finally came up with two words. (Yes, I know it's really three!)

CHOOSING AND DOING

Seems kind of simple, right? Well, I have found myself in somewhat of a funk...I may choose to do something but not do it. Or, I may do something without actually taking the time to assess and choose the activity. Does that make any sense? Not to me either!

Second, each participant was given a banner. This was not to be a design banner, or a decorative wall banner but an inspirational banner. Something which each participant would create to inspire them to celebrate and explore their creativity.

Today, I combined snippets and fabric pens to come up with this inspirational banner...

Seems a bit incomplete doesn't it? Well, my idea was to have this vine with flowers (you know how much I love flowers!) encircle the outside. That leaves the inside in which I can add things on a temporary basis because we all change. And what inspires us one day may not the next. Right now I am looking for phrases and words that will encourage me. I'll share them when I finish. And this banner will be hanging front and center on my shelves!

Finally, each participant was asked to keep a 30 day diary on something they want to improve, start, think about, etc.

You can probably guess what my focus will be...choosing and doing. So each day, I need to make a conscious choice about doing something and then do it. Seems simple. Like yesterday, I had an eye doctor appointment in midtown and I choose to take more time to explore areas which I had not been to before...and I did it, even with the wind. Day one done, only 29 to go!

That's all for today folks...

Thanks for stopping by...

Is this really only week four of the new administration???

Yep, it is...keep the faith...

Talk to you tomorrow...

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

So in looking over your habits what did you find? Some popular good habits folks have are: Meditation, exercise, journal writing, flossing, reading and walking up early. Some not so great habits included smoking, saying yes, swearing, tolerating folks, not sleeping enough, always complaining and constantly making excuses. Do you have more good habits or more bad habits? Is it time to change? If so, start with the easiest bad habit to change, not the hardest. This will give the best chance of success. Decide on the best way for you to change your habit. Worry too much? Set a time to worry and then stop. You may have to stop yourself several times at the beginning but keep it up and you will worry less. Or, alternatively, write the worry down as well as options to stop the problem. Just figure out which way to stop is best for you.