Here it is! The second day( or rather my second post using the topic for the 2nd day) of the the Blog Along Challenge with Effy Wild. I wasn’t sure I would make it here but I am glad that I did. Once again, I find myself at the end of my day and just getting into the creative swing of things. I’m a night owl by nature though my schedule doesn’t always cater to that tendency. I digress though. Let’s move onto today’s prompt.
We were asked to think about what we want. What we really want. My mind immediately went to that Spice Girls song. Did yours? Once I got that out of my system, I got a bit more serious. The things I really want are not easy and I may or may not sound vaguely like a beauty queen at a pageant when I say this. I want world peace. I want people to better manage the care of the environment. I want to end hunger and animal cruelty. I want for all stray animals to have a home. Some of these things, my family and I manage to help and contribute too on a small scale in our community. I don’t think standing on a soapbox about these topics will necessarily change things right away. As my son says, it’s better to do sometimes than to just talk about it. So we do what we can and hope that our small contribution will add up when stacked with the small contributions of others.
Sitting here tonight, with my recent fosterfail kitten, Pixie, purring in my lap, I have to also acknowledge that I want/ need creative release. It’s self care of a sort for me in a very serious world. My expectations in regards to creative endeavors are also a bit unrealistic. I want to make all of the pretty things. All of them. I have a list and I want to make them all.
I started off with a color palette that I can share with you. I like making color palettes. I find them inspirational. This one has a lot of colors in it. In some ways, maybe it breaks the rules. It’s easier to work with about three colors or so. Somehow though, within the month of September, I am drawn to this type of palette with a lot of color. Perhaps it’s the whole back to school thing.
Yesterday, I mentioned that I had a lot of projects in the planning phase or as a work in progress. For the most part, I am not bothered by partial projects. It would be a lie to say that having them never bothers me. There are a few of them that do. I broke them into two lists and I have a plan to tackle them.
Works in Progress that just make me feel inspired:
- my scrapbook albums. I have so many going and I love jumping around to whichever photo or year inspires me. Currently, photos of our new kitten are my favorite pages to make.
- My art Journals. I have about 13 magazine journals in progress. Having so many doesn’t bother me. I can work on one while the paint dries in another. So many of my pages have a lot of layers and I have no patience for things that need to dry. If I am in the mood to work in my journals, then I want to work now. The multiple journal approach is really necessary for me.
- The Kalevala Cal. This is a crochet along project. I am still a beginner when it comes to crochet. I am going slow but steady. I still need to google help once in awhile for the stitches but it makes me feel so accomplished when I figure it out. It you want to play along too, head over to the Kalevala blog. The patterns are free.
Works in Progress that Make Me Feel Guilty
- The loom weaving project I started sometime last year. I bought the kit. I started it. It is now in the closet. In my defense, it is hard to work on when you have four cats who find the yarn and the loom so fascinating. As it is, I have to crochet when my cats are napping.
- Crocheting patches for the chair the cat tore up. Yep. They scratched holes in the chair. I want to try to fix it rather than replace. Reupholstering would cost more than a new chair( it was a REALLY cheap chair). I said I would crochet patches for it. However, I need more yarn and frankly it is kind of a boring project. Very boring.
- Making pillows for sofa. I have lived here for two years. I said I would make and not buy. I still have not made any. Not one. I am reminded I need more pillows on the sofa every time we have a binge watching session.
- The death star pillow my son requested. I started it 3 times. The pattern is not easy for a beginner. I ripped it apart three times. Almost ready for another go. Almost.
- Crochet baskets for my house. Namely, baskets for my cats. They would like them and I would feel good about having been the one to make them.
I have more, but if I list them all, I might get discouraged. So, I am choosing to focus on these few things. Focus means pretty things will be made. Looking at my list, I realize that most of the items that don’t bother me, I consider to be ongoing projects. I hope I will never stop scrapbooking or art journaling. I have accepted that I will always have projects to do, things to make with those. It’s ok for them to always be in progress. The one’s that do bother me feel more finite or have a commitment attached. My husband is expecting me to finish the chair. My son is hoping soon to have his pillow. I have an expectation to meet. The best balance will be for me to choose one to focus on and then rotate a little on my ongoing projects in with those. Rotating my creative time will allow enough flexibility to not feel stifled.
I shared my list. Now it’s your turn. Is finishing a project something you really want? What are your works in progress? What would you choose to finish first?
