It's a lot warmer today - almost 40. But very cloudy so things are not melting as fast as I would have hoped. There are no icicles hanging off the plant outside my window so that's a plus. And the forecast has been revised upward. We are now supposed to be higher than the mid 50s by the end of the week! So long ice (I hope)!
Did you write down 15 things to be thankful for yesterday? Did you find that once you began, it was hard to limit to 15? If you did, you are not alone...that's what happens to lots of folks.
So, what does gratitude do for you? Well, it helps to stop all those nagging, negative emotions that can elbow their way into your mind and make a mess. Being grateful helps you even if you do not share it with the person whose actions you are thankful for.
It helps you slow down...and even in this pandemic age, or perhaps because of it, we all need time to slow down. Did you know that there is a 'thing' called slow stitching or slow quilting? The emphasis is on taking time to enjoy the process rather than rushing to complete it. And gratitude actually can change your brain for the better. So what's not to like? As Mikey said, 'Try it...you'll like it!' Keep writing your gratitude list the rest of the week.
One of the things that I have been doing is going though things in my studio...right now, all those magazines that have accumulated over the years. I go through them once again to see if there are articles I want to keep. (I have four 3-ring binders with plastic page protectors crammed full of ideas, articles, crafts...some as old as 45 years!). Once I have taken any articles I want, I go back and pull out pictures that I can use for collage.
And now, for some reason, I want to make collages. I tear out the pieces from the pages I saved and glue those pieces using tacky glue onto a flat painting canvass. Once the collage is dry, I cover it with diamond glaze to give it a thick shiny finish. Here are three...
I have thoroughly enjoyed making these collages. And I am grateful for the time I had to create them. It was relaxing, fulfilling and just plain fun...
Talk with you tomorrow...