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Saturday 13 April 2024

Living & Crafting Sustainably [Pt 5]: Choosing the Right Hobbies

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
How can we sew, craft and live more sustainably?
Are you someone in search of a new hobby? (As opposed to someone "not needing" another hobby. 😉)

If so, is there such a thing as a "bad" hobby? Maybe one that's not so great for the environment or not sustainable? Does your favourite pastime pass muster for being (somewhat) green?

About four years ago, I became aware of a craft called diamond painting. A friend was gifted with a kit and she completed it as part of her pandemic pastimes (photo below).

It didn't occur to me at the time, but what an environmentally unfriendly hobby it seems to be!

For those who don't know what diamond painting is, it involves sticking tiny coloured plastic gems (called "drills") onto a coded mat to create sparkly pieces of art. It's essentially a plastic version of paint by numbers that produces a finish resembling cross stitch.

Diamond painting sample
An example of diamond painting done by a friend...

Those who are strong supporters of the craft say that the detailed attention required to do it has a calming effect on them and thus improves mental health. Personally, however, I can't get over the fact that someone actually invented yet another way to introduce millions upon billions of tiny bits of plastic – contained in small plastic bags, sorted by colour, no less – into our lives.

Not for me, and to be totally honest, I usually find the results gaudy and "unhangable". (My other half was given one as a thank you gesture. He had told the crafter that he liked it, but it's still rolled up in its box, as there's no way in the opposite of heaven that it's going up on our wall.)

Mental health benefits aside, diamond painting doesn't seem to qualify as a sustainable hobby.




Sewing With the Right Materials


On the other hand, whenever I do a search for "environmentally friendly hobbies", sewing is almost always included in the results. More and more, it's due to the fact that sewers are sourcing supplies in thrift and second-hand stores... and their own closets. (As for sewing machines, they've always been common finds in garage sales and the like, not to mention that you can sew by hand.)

But sewing is not without its environmental controversies, apparently.

Last fall, someone posted a comment on a YouTube video, strongly admonishing "the bag world" for not acknowledging the problem of plastics in making bags and purses, particularly as it applies to using vinyl as the material of choice. This person thought that pattern designers should be taking more leadership in discouraging the practice.

Printed vinyl by ONEART
Printed vinyl called Colorful Heart (by ONEART)...

Apparently, apart from the usual faux leathers that have been around forever, there are now all sorts of clear printed vinyls – called TPUs: thermoplastic polyurethanes – that one can sew with; or more properly, with which one can sew.

I've not made a bag entirely out of vinyl in years, but I do own a small supply of (clear) vinyl that I sometimes incorporate into my sewing projects. Most of it's repurposed, so I'm not so much contributing to the problem per se, but I get the concern over how introducing more options into the marketplace isn't necessarily a good thing. (That doesn't address the ever-increasing practice of sports arenas and stadiums mandating "see through" bags, but I digress.)

Printed cork fabric called French Symbol by SorenCut
Printed cork fabric called French Symbol (by SorenCut)...

Fortunately, there are always better options when it comes to materials for sewing that are environmentally friendly, even apart from repurposing existing textiles. If being transparent is not a requirement, a material that has a similar texture to vinyl/faux leather that is a more sustainable choice is cork.

In terms of cost, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot to differentiate the two; a 12" x 53" cut of the TPU is about $23 (CDN) and a 12.5" x 52.5" cut of the cork is about $26 (CDN). That said, most selections of cork are always going to appear a bit muted compared to the colourful vibrancy available in vinyl. I say most, because there are selections like this one below that might convince you to try cork for your next project.

Portuguese cork fabric
Image courtesy of frameyourbag on Etsy...

This particular piece is smaller than the others at only 26.77'' x 19.69" – and sells for about $19 (CDN) – but it is definitely more colourful than the usual variants of cork.

There is also an increasing movement among established sewers to "sew down the stash." I don't know the actual numbers, but let's say that many people have purchased fabric over their lifetimes, just to have it. Sewing down your stash simply means that you will not buy new fabric until you use up your own supply.


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Indoor & Outdoor Gardening


Gardening, in general, is another widely recommended sustainable, environmentally friendly hobby.

I really dislike outdoor gardening, but the indoor variant that hubby started a couple of years ago has rubbed off on me... somewhat. I must admit that it is tremendously rewarding to see seed, dirt, light and water combine to grow actual food.

indoor garden harvest
Tomatoes, arugula, spinach, romaine and kale from our indoor garden...

And all without the messiness of dirty dirt (indoor dirt is arguably "cleaner", believe me), dealing with insects, and roasting under the hot sun. I am so not suited for outdoor gardening! We grew cucumbers along the side of our house last summer, and for a period of several weeks, I refused to look at them. We had had an explosion in the mosquito population and just venturing out onto the lawn next to the garden was sure to provoke an assault by those pesky buggers.

indoor garden carrots
Emerging carrots...

Inside, I'm able to put my hands into the actual plantings and fiddle with leaves without fear of finding a huge spider climbing onto my fingers. (Although, we have have had aphid problems, so it's not all bug free.). I'm not sweating in the heat. I've heard that some folks like the whole experience of "being at one" with nature when they garden in the traditional sense. They are welcome to it.

Scrapbooking Without Supplies


In the three or four years prior to starting this blog, I was very much into virtual scrapbooking. It was a relatively environmentally friendly hobby, quite in contrast to the ultra expensive, material-laden, and ultimately wasteful version of scrapbooking that was all the rage in the early 2000s.

Digital scrapbook pages
Two pages from a digital scrapbook that I made after a Mediterranean cruise...

Digital scrapbooking allow you to scatter various embellishments over your pages just as you would with physical scrapbooking; they're just not tactile "things" with actual texture and substance. Words and text – in various fonts – can be added anywhere, photos can be sized and arranged and creatively edged without cutting, and there is virtually no end to the types of paper you can select for the background.

Digital scrapbooking
As a bonus, you can also use any one of your own photos as the background "paper" (see example at left), which you wouldn't be able to do easily with physical scrapbooking.

After completion, your work can be printed out or left as an electronic file. I don't know what today's preferred apps might be for digital scrapbooking (it might simply still be called a photobook service), but I used Shutterfly back in the day for at least two of my books. (Wait for a sale before printing and you can usually get up to 50% off no matter what resource you use.)

With digital scrapbooking, there is no mess, no need to hoard supplies, and you can indulge your creative efforts without lugging around huge boxes. (There are still scrapbooking events – conventions – that crafters can attend, although they are not as popular or prevalent as they were in their heyday.) And unless you print out every book you make, you also don't need to find a spare room in your house to store the actual scrapbooks that no one will want in thirty years.


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Journaling


Which leads us to the topic of my most recent post, journaling. Whether a junk journal like what's been occupying my time, or an art journal, or a travel journal, or just a day to day diary journal, journaling is usually considered a sustainable hobby.

eSheep Designs' Jumbo Junk Journal sample page
Harvestng Spoonflower packing slips and cards for my jumbo junk journal...

At the bare minimum, all you need is something to write on and something to write with. With junk journals, art journals and travel journals, you just populate the pages with appropriate ephemera, none of which you need to buy... it's kind of like scrapbooking the way it was done in the "old days". In the sense that these types of journals encourage reuse of things that might otherwise be thrown away, they would definitely qualify as being environmentally friendly. (Natasha at Treasure Books has a video showing how she embellished an entire journal using just an old magazine. Just yesterday, I harvested two images out of an Avon catalogue for my journal.)

Project JJJ Update
Jumbo junk journal by eSheep Designs


Speaking of, for those of you curious about my progress on the JJJ project, you can do a virtual flip through of it (of the first signature, in any case) in PDF format here.
 

Reading, Writing & Stimulating Conversation


This last section is sort of a personal aside. I have always enjoyed reading and writing and it suddenly occurred to me that they are quite sustainable activities to enjoy: they cost virtually nothing.

Jessica Pan quote
During my ongoing search for quotable quotes for my junk journal, I came upon a bunch relating to introverts. It may not surprise you to learn that I am a die hard introvert who always plans her escape from large gatherings before arriving at them. Introverts are not automatically shy nor socially inept, they just find being in large groups of people draining and need time alone to re-energize. (I regularly tell people that there are only a handful of individuals in this entire world with whom I can spend more than five hours at a time.) Anyway, it turns out that reading and writing are – no surprise here – popular hobbies for introverts.

The third item in the heading above may appear to you to be an outlier for introverts, but yes, we love one on one conversations. In point of fact, that entire heading is taken from my first real resume. In lieu of extensive work experience, we were told to list some hobbies. I quite correctly assumed that the description of "stimulating" would attract attention and invite questions.

Tuman Capote quote courtesy of BrainyQuote.com
Courtesy of BrainyQuote.com...
Did you know that questions are the lifeblood of conversations? And that truly listening to the other person – and not interrupting – leads to the ability to ask questions that keep a conversation going like a good natured table tennis match?

I was at a fair sized gathering last month and had conversations with five people whom I had never met before. Out of the five, one was truly a great conversationalist, another was good. The remaining three... well, let's just say that I don't know if they ended up learning anything about me after our talk, beyond what little I offered up myself. (I know stuff about them, because I asked.) I went home and wrote in my journal, "I love a great conversation, but most people don't know how to have one."

In the big scheme of things, learning and mastering the give and take of meaningful conversation is a rewarding and sustainable hobby for everyone. What do you think?

'Til next...

Saturday 23 March 2024

Jumbo Junk Journal [Pt 1]: Gathering the "Junk"

Project Jumbo Junk Journal by eSheep Designs
Project JJJ...
Happy spring (or fall), everyone! For those of us who live as far north as I do, it always seems like an accomplishment to have endured another winter. 

Over the past couple of years, you may have seen my series of posts called Living & Crafting Sustainably (which I'm actually going to continue with, next time I'm here). For those of us who sew, we're lucky in that we can be eco friendly in our sewing choices.

As a sewer, that's become important to me, so it was unexpectedly gratifying to encounter a craft like junk journaling that uses truly ordinary materials – that some might even deem to have no use – to create a uniquely beautiful item that no one else will have. (One of my readers once referred to junk journals as "eye candy".)

Once I decided that I needed to make a junk journal, ideas began to swirl in my head about all the things that I could use from from own "stash of stuff". Over the next few months, I'll share updates here about Project Jumbo Junk Journal, in which I'll reveal the results of my first attempt at this potentially addicting craft.

Oh, and it was encouraging to learn that a few of you are similarly intrigued! I won't just be blogging for myself. 😉




As with all creative endeavours, one needs supplies to make a junk journal, some of which – fortunately for the pocketbook – are just basic household items (like scissors, glue, tape, etc.). Some folks will go all out and purchase stuff that they don't absolutely have to have; my decision to make a junk journal was based on knowing that I had things that were just waiting to be transformed.

I was also very much influenced by YouTuber Natasha at Treasure Books. Her extremely practical advice regarding improvising by using what you have – even when it comes to tools of the trade – is absolutely the principle by which I've always crafted. (By the way, when I speak of junk journals as being beautiful, you will certainly understand that I am not exaggerating if you check out Natasha's creations.)

Bling


Whenever I made a purse, I loved to add bag bling. Fortuitously, it's a habit that can be applied to junk journaling, as they are usually replete with bling-y bits and dangly charms, commonly hanging off paper clips.

When I first saw examples of these, I instantly thought of two necklaces that I could take apart. Here's the first one, which – after removing various components – still manages to function as a necklace.

Junk journaling supplies
A dangly necklace gives up some pieces to provide junk journal bling...

This was purchased as a souvenir on a Royal Caribbean cruise that I took back in 2007. It's not my usual taste, but at the time, I wanted something with a boho vibe to add to my collection. I managed to harvest five charms from it while still keeping it intact as a piece of jewelry.

Given the bronze toned bits, I was able to use paper clips of the same hue that I don't normally use. I didn't have many of them – my paper clips are mostly silver – but I found a small box that used to belong to my father-in-law that was full of (albeit smaller) copper toned clips. With the help of these, a second necklace was recycled to create three more dangly charms. (These bling-y bits are arguably serving a better function here than in their former life. Since the pandemic, I've been a very minimalist jewelry wearer.)

Junk journaling supplies
One of the paperclip charms from a second recycled necklace...

Does anyone recall the bunch of belts that I got for a dollar each? (Hard to believe it's been almost six years since I bought those.) Various components have been put to all sorts of good uses on bags that I've made over those years, but these choice pieces seem to have been waiting for the perfect application.

Junk journaling supplies
Old belt bling...

These came with their own lobster clasps on the original belts. The one on top was taken apart and rearranged to create three more or less equal lengths. These two pieces will be used to beautify the front cover closure of the journal. (I eventually added a gold-toned initial "r" to the mix.)

Ephemera


With the bling out of the way, I poured out the ever-increasing supply of greeting cards, stickers and notepads that we receive throughout the year from charities that we donate to; all of which were threatening to burst through the seal pup gift bag that you see in the photo below. These items were my main motivation for undertaking this project.

Junk journaling supplies
My bag of "greeting cards from charitable organizations" has been partly culled!

In my opinion, these cards are usually much nicer than the pricey ones that you buy. Many of them have metallic highlights, fancy cutouts, and interesting edges to them, not to mention the absolute best matching envelopes. I don't really send cards to anyone these days, so the idea of creating a junk journal that allows me to enjoy them is just pure serendipity.

Junk journaling supplies
I received these cards in a mailer from the Red Cross...

The term ephemera covers the whole gamut of things you can put into a junk journal. Apart from stickers and greeting cards, I ended up using bits and pieces from various packaging: the lid off a box of Lindt chocolates, part of a tissue box, silver flaps cut from an Olay box, even the cellophane top from a pecan pie container! Things like pressed flowers, ticket stubs, tags, etc., are pretty standard fare also.

Here's the thing — once you decide to make a junk journal, you begin to look at everything with a different eye... and I mean everything.


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Paper


Junk journal aficionados often make vintage style journals by using coffee and tea to stain various types of papers – from discarded books to newspapers to doilies – for the book pages.

Although I like vintage-y, I knew early on that I wasn't going to make my pages out of different types of found paper. I wanted a more durable, modern looking journal, with same sized pages that I could mostly write on.

Junk journaling supplies
A set of 24 sheets of neutral toned scrapbook paper...

I decided on this pad of scrapbook style papers from Dollarama. It was $4 for twenty-four 12" x 12" sheets. As you can see, it's a good sturdy weight paper at 190 GSM. (Since I was going to bind my pages eventually, I also picked up a nifty set of coloured cotton twine with two rolls of washi tape for $1.50 at Dollar Tree.)

The colours that you see on the cover are those found inside the pad, where there are three sheets of each. I sliced 3" off the bottom of each one to get twenty-four 12" wide x 9" high sheets. Folded into book format, they will yield pages that measure 6" x 9".

Dollarama notebook
That size wasn't just pulled out of a hat. I had already purchased the notebook ($1.75) that I would continue to use for my daily handwriting exercise, as it was my plan to incorporate it into the junk journal. The notebook's dimensions therefore dictated the size of the journal pages.

With my previous notebook having had a hard cover and a big decorative coil, I chose something simple this time because it's easier to write in. (It didn't matter what was on the cover because as soon as I got home, I glued torn images from an old travel magazine onto the front and back. In essence, it is its own version of a junk journal.)

Notebook for junk journal
Back and front cover of notebook decorated with images from a travel mag...

Junk journal page edges are commonly adorned with all sorts of decorative trims (such as the paper clipped bling that I described above, as well as the ruffled ribbon). They are meant to stand out and be noticed, which adds a lot of creative fun to the mix.

Junk journaling supplies
I found a pair of decorative edging scissors in my craft supplies that allowed me to cut wavy patterns on pages and various ephemera. (I'm pretty sure it came from Dollar Tree.)

Some people employ paper punches to make uniformly rounded or otherwise creatively cut corners. Not wanting to spend money on this, I "made do" by using a cardboard template that I have in my sewing kit. Certainly not as quick and certainly not perfect, but perfection is hardly necessary in a junk journal.

A little over a week ago, we received a package in the mail that included a massive amount of packing paper inside a fairly study cardboard box. The protection factor seemed overdone, but as I flattened out the paper, I immediately identified its potential use for junk journaling (not that I'm planning another one). Take a look and see what you think.

packing paper ideal for junk journaling
Packing paper is an ideal start for a junk journal...

As I said, the package didn't need all of this protection, proving that our current buying habits are contributing to an overabundance of "stuff". I've always kept this type of paper on hand for drafting sewing pattern templates, but I sure don't need this much of it. This stack may eventually go off to my local reuse store.

Ribbons and Ruffles and Fabric


Junk journaling supplies
I had two ribbons in my sewing stash that ended up being used on several of my journal pages. One was the leftover remnant from my origami coin purses (the wide yellow one shown here) and the other was a crochet type ribbon that I had purchased for a project that never got used.

The crochet ribbon can be seen above in the picture showing one of the paperclip charms. (It was glued flat along the front right edge of the page.) The yellow ribbon was sewn into a ruffle and used as edge trim.

Large pieces of fabric may or may not be part of a typical junk journal, but mine was always intended to have a fabric cover. I turned to my Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements fat quarters to find just the perfect selection; it's called Cigarbox. (Did you know that Mr. Holtz comes from the world of paper crafting? You could literally make a journal out of just his stuff.)

Junk journaling supplies
Don't you think this fabric is just perfect for a junk journal?

The sheer ribbon shown here (that came off a Christmas present) was going to be used as a belt to secure the journal, but I eventually went another way with that. The little metal buckle thingie, however – which was saved from a pair of shoes, if I recall correctly – ultimately served as the method of closure.


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Finally, what is journaling without a variety of things to write with?

Pens & Markers


Since starting my daily handwriting practice last July, I've gone through five BIC Gelocity pens. I lament the fact that pens seem not to be eco friendly. For some reason, manufacturers simply churn out pens without selling refills. The Gelocity pens are retractable and are robust enough to be taken apart and refilled, but no. (However, in writing up this paragraph, I've found out that Staples – and likely other stores around the world – will accept writing instruments for recycling. Did you know this? I will stop tossing my used pens!)

Part of the fun of journaling is the opportunity to be freely creative with pens and markers, so I dipped into my supply of Sarasa Porous Fineliners that I purchased many years ago (to colour with, back when I was zen doodling). For writing on the textured surface of the scrapbook paper, I bought a pack of four gel roller balls from Dollar Tree for $1.50.

Journaling supplies
Gotta have colourful pens!

Adding in some glue that I also picked up for $1.50, the cost of supplies for this project totals $10.25. As I said, I will be sewing some elements of this junk journal, but since my sewing supplies come out of my existing stash, they won't be adding to the cost.

With stuff gathered, my next step is to make the signatures (that's a book binding term referring to a set of sheets that – when folded in half and bound down the middle – forms the pages) and then get on with the fun part: embellishing. I'll need to have an idea of how thick this is going to be, before I can arrive at dimensions for the fabric cover.

By the way, for my US friends, March is National Craft Month. It's almost over now, but April 2nd is also National DIY Day. It's a great time to plan your next crafty project!

'Til next...

Saturday 2 March 2024

How My 2024 Crafting Project Came To Be

Mexico beach
Paid a price to fly from -45° to +25°...
and not just in terms of dollars!
Hello!

Is anyone here?? Or has everyone fled to greener pastures? (Remember, they could be fake!😉)

Anyway, if you are here, thank you for stopping by. I hope you've been keeping well. Me, I haven't been as lucky. I was sick over Christmas and barely recovered in time for hubby and I to head off to Mexico in mid January for our first "fly out" holiday in over four years.

The morning we left, it was -45 degrees Celsius at YEG airport; that's -49 to you Fahrenheit folks. Too cold to de-ice the plane before our scheduled takeoff, our departure was eventually delayed by over ten hours. Yep, love to fly... not!

The first couple of nights at our hotel, we were blasted by an AC unit that may not have been very clean. With my compromised immune system, I promptly ended up with a nasal infection that got progressively worse. On the day we were to fly back, I was literally without voice. Miraculously, the frigid cold temperatures of the Great White North seemingly KO'd whatever bacteria was infesting my respiratory system once I got home; I recovered substantially overnight – could talk at least – and within the week, I was "clear". But it sure wasn't fun for a normally healthy person to have spent the better part of six weeks being under the weather. (Not to mention being super paranoid about getting sick again ever since.)

Anyway, enough about my unexpected health challenges. Let's begin today's post by flashing back to January 6, 2024.




It's the early morning hours of the first Saturday in ten years on which no new blog post will appear in this space, and I'm lying awake, composing in my mind some of the words that you'll be reading here in the coming weeks. Yes, old habits are hard to break. (That being said, I did not miss having to schedule weekly posts to go up over the past couple of months, which surprised me.)

No blog posts scheduled
No posts scheduled for a long time!

I was reminiscing on how, back in the latter part of November, with all of my remaining blog posts composed and merely awaiting last minute edits, my YouTube attention had been captured by a channel called Treasure Books, hosted by a talented individual named Natasha, who creates magnificent works of art under the guise of junk journaling. (Boy, that's one long hummer sentence!) I had originally come across her channel three years ago I made my personal project portfolio.

image courtesy of Treasure Books on YouTube
image courtesy of Treasure Books...

For those who are not familiar, junk journals are pretty much what the name implies: they are journals (i.e., books that you write in) made out of things that one might normally throw out or toss into a recycle bin. A common variant of a junk journal is actually made out of a discarded hardcover book, keeping the cover intact and often retaining and making use of some of the pages.

My old notebook
Anyway, if you go back to my last regular blog post, I had talked about having taken up a daily routine of handwriting and scribing life affirming quotes. Towards the middle of December, the notebook that I had been using for that purpose (the back of which is shown here at left) was down to its final pages and I was pondering what I wanted to use going forward.

Alternate notebook
For a variety of reasons, I didn't want just a notebook anymore. (No matter that there are so many different styles to choose from at dollar stores these days, like the one here at right.) Some of the quotes that I had been collecting were "keepers", and a more permanent place for them – where I could flip through and see them featured in creative ways – was what I really wanted. As I scribbled towards the last pages of my original book, the concept of a quotations themed junk journal bubbled up in my head, along with immediate ideas for various things that I could add to the mix, to make it be everything that I was looking for as a solution.

After a quick visit to YouTube, realizing this idea became my crafting focus for the latter part of December, and essentially, for all of 2024.


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Why all year? 

Because in many ways, compiling a junk journal can be a never-ending process that doesn't require completion (and certainly not in any given timeframe). As it's turned out, it was precisely the kind of diversion that I was looking for to occupy my time during this transition from regular blogging.

Since I had to keep to myself between Christmas and New Year's, I had a lot of time on my hands. I took advantage of it and made tremendous progress on my journal, which had by then already been dubbed the Jumbo Junk Journal. (It currently weighs three and a half pounds!)

Junk journal pages
An up close peek at the edges of my jumbo junk journal...

It was jumbo not in the sense of being large in overall page size, but in girth. From my exploration of online videos, I found that I really liked the creative treatments of the edges of junk journal pages. Using different elements to add bulk and extend them in quirky ways appealed to me. Purposely aiming at irregular and uneven is antithetical to the normal order and neatness that I strive for in everyday life, which is yet another reason why this is the perfect transition project for me.

reusing greeting cards in junk journals
I have many, many, many of these greeting cards that I cannot possibly use... but maybe now?

I was originally motivated to make a junk journal for the repurposing and upcycling opportunities. Certain things were accumulating that weren't necessarily garbage or trash, but were definitely adding up beyond my needs (and certainly beyond my wants). I'd been gathering up such items to take to a local "reuse" store, but as I said in my post about donating, reusing at home is always the preferred solution.


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As you might suspect, junk journals are generally "no sew", paper-based things. (Although as you can see in Natasha's sample above, some makers like to sew decorative stitching around the perimeter of the papers used, as a way to embellish them.) As a sewer, of course, it was always my plan to come up with a custom fabric cover, one that would wrap around and protect the entire journal, overlap on top and then cinch closed with a ribbon belt. I also envisioned a fabric pen holder inside to keep various writing implements handy.

Most importantly, perhaps, the cover had to accommodate a notebook. Yes, back to the notebook.

Notebook component of junk journal
My junk journal has a removable notebook component built into it...

After careful consideration, I thought, there's no reason why I can't have a junk journal that incorporates a regular notebook for daily use. The creatively adorned junk journal pages can be used to preserve the especially meaningful thoughts and quotes, while the basic lined sheets of a notebook would provide the necessary space for my handwriting practice.

In the end, I managed to come up with a solution that allows for easy daily use. The notebook is an integral part of the entire junk journal; it's not just slipped in as an afterthought. Even though it's removable (so that it can be replaced once it's filled up), it is securely attached in the meantime and is functional without having to contort anything.

Over the upcoming weeks and months, I'll be sharing bits and pieces of my junk journaling adventure here. But... is the subject remotely captivating to any of you who have read this far?? (Remember, I have zero ability to gauge whether a topic will be a hit or a miss!) If this doesn't snag anyone's interest, then most of these next posts will truly be a "blogging for me" effort.

But then, that's been my philosophy since the beginning, so that's okay too! (¬‿¬)

'Til next...

Saturday 30 December 2023

Pushing Pause After Ten Years

Closing the door for a bit...
Closing the door for a bit...
Today marks the unofficial completion of a journey that started over a decade ago. Little did I know at the time that it might actually have the possibility of lasting a decade.

Despite moments of great uncertainty over the past few years about how much longer I could persist, I kept pushing for as long as I could. At some point, this particular milestone seemed within reach and became a goal of sorts.

last scheduled blog post
I've never had only one blog post scheduled... as of today, there's zero.

When I started this journey in 2013, I was still occasionally dabbling in actual work; i.e., doing things for which I got paid real money. Over the years, I've heard so many people make the comment of "what am I going to do when I retire?" I feel lucky to have been doing something quite fulfilling during my final (albeit extremely part-time) working years, so that when I finally decided that enough was enough, the prospect of having all this extra time to devote to sewing – and to this blog – was exciting.

Now I've been asked, what are you going to do with all the extra free time if you're not going to blog anymore? Believe it or not, the first thing I might want to do more of is to sew. While I've cut down on making "things" simply because I don't want to have clutter around the house, the past year has been somewhat ridiculous for what I've actually managed to sew. As in, very little. Whether I actually end up doing more is still to be determined, but I will indeed have more time to consider it!




So what's a good topic for a potential "last" post? Believe it or not, I didn't think too long or hard about this one. Around this time of year, I usually take a step back from all things sewing and ruminate on other stuff... and often hop up on a soap box.

Be well be smart and above all be kind
Good advice to follow...
Because I'm signing off for awhile, I thought that an appropriate use of today's space would be to explore my personal interpretation of the signature line that I've used to close each blog post since the pandemic hit.

BE WELL


What does being well mean to me?

First of all, having a hobby is an excellent way to maintain wellness in spirit, body and mind heading into one's supposed "golden years". (Honestly, that term grates on me. By my early 40s, it was pretty clear to me that there's nothing golden about old age.)

writing by hand is good for you
Writing by hand is a big part of overall wellness...
If your hobby is pickleball, then you've also checked off the "need for exercise" component. For those of us with relatively sedentary hobbies like sewing and crafting, it's worthwhile seeking other more active ways to occupy our time. In my case, I've managed to keep up a morning exercise routine for five years now. Hubby and I also regularly stomp around the neighbourhood and beyond.

This year, I found out that writing by hand is enormously beneficial to us, especially as we age. (Do a search for "20 reasons to write by hand, according to science" and read all about it.) Back in July, I took an old notebook and began writing in it on a daily basis. I make it a point to write slowly and methodically, taking care to form letters the way I was originally taught to do, not the way that I've come to scrawl them over the decades. (Fun fact: back in my early teaching days, I received a comment on a student evaluation that said I was the fastest writer this person had ever seen... luckily my writing still managed to be legible!)

And what do I write, you might ask?

When I set out to do this, I looked for websites that could provide me with good things to scribe. One of them turned out to be a veritable well of goodness, and it's my recommendation that anyone who needs a little help "being well" should turn to it for support.

It's a site filled with inspirational quotes of all kinds, put together by a guy named Maxime Legacé, who started it after losing his girlfriend in a car accident about twenty years ago. One of my favourite quotes of his is, "Life is a mountain. Your goal is to find your path, not to reach the top."
image courtesy of wisdomquotes.com
image courtesy of wisdomquotes.com...

In my daily writings, I also appreciate that some quotes make me think and give me pause, like this one by Marilyn Vos Savant: "Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent." After I copied that down, I felt compelled to compose a quote of my own: "Beating a dead horse is a waste of energy that can be better applied elsewhere." (Being a realist, I think there are far too many "never give up" platitudes and not enough "know when to give up" advice.)

In any case, 2023 was/is yet another year of things going badly for planet Earth and humanity in general. If, like me, you believe that being bombarded by a daily news cycle that focuses on disaster, violence, evil and greed is truly bad for you, then you need a way to counter balance it. This site has given me a sense of calmness in the storm every day since July 10.

What else do I write? I found material via various sites that offer daily thoughts, fortunes, questions, etc. When I want to write more than the single page per day that I usually do, I flip to the back of the notebook and work from there, copying lengthier sections of text from books or interesting articles from the newspaper. If something is particularly uplifting, I write it down and let it sink in. 

Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side because it's fake
Hubby and I subscribe to this theory...
Finally, in a world where we know virtually everything about virtually everyone, part of being well – especially for the younger folks – is to compare yourself only to yourself. (Are you better than you were last year at doing whatever?) I've touched on this before, that nothing good comes out of comparing yourself to others. If such a comparison makes you feel superior, it could lead to an annoying god complex; if you feel inferior, you run the risk of beating yourself down as never being good enough. Believe me, the rest of us don't need the first and you don't need the second.

Avoid unnecessary comparisons and you'll be well positioned to...


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BE SMART


For my daily handwriting exercise, I actually start by transcribing the Word of the Day and its definition. On a few occasions, I've actually learned new words, like abnegate and encomium. But my point about being smart is not really about increasing one's vocabulary, although aiming to learn something new every day is a smart goal to have.

Maxime Legace quote
Being angry also saps your energy...
Being smart in today's world is mostly about how to handle the cyclonic chaos of information and misinformation. Be smart by detaching from social media. (Yes, for some it's hard, but it also helps immensely with the "being well" part of the equation, particularly as it applies to comparisons with the various Joneses.) Just last month, I read that neuroscience researchers have discovered that – wonder of wonders – teenagers who spend hours scrolling their smartphones show more aggression, depression and anxiety. Yes, young brains are especially vulnerable because they are still developing, but no brain of any age is immune to that. What we've seen in the past several years is that some people are just filled with rage for seemingly ambiguous reasons. It's not at all far-fetched to think that it's directly connected to their consumption of social media.

George Santayana quote
Some things are exactly what they appear to be...
Be smart by knowing right from wrong; we were all taught the difference from childhood. Don't fall prey to those who would like to convince you that there is somehow validity or honour in defending a morally, ethically, and/or legally wrong side. A lie is a lie, not a flavour of truth discernible only to those with elevated palates or exceptional intellectual capacity. Be smart by knowing that some basic matters in life don't actually have fifty shades of grey to them. They just have the same two sides they've always had: right and wrong.

Be smart by cultivating and maintaining common sense, and by seeking advice from people with earned expertise. Whether by formal education or years of experience, there are such experts in our midst. Your common sense should tell you that they should be trusted over megaphone mouths who feed on notoriety by spouting outrageous opinions aimed at getting your attention. (Be smarter still by not giving them any attention.)

Nelson Mandela quote
I aspire to be what this man describes...
Be smart by taking the time to listen. Too many of us are impatiently waiting to nab our turn at the podium to truly listen, even during casual, everyday conversation; we end up talking "at" each other. Be the person who actually hears and understands and knows how to add to a discussion.

Be smart by accepting that it is okay to say, "I don't have an opinion on that because I don't know enough about it." That is, be smart enough to know that you can't be smart about everything.

Lastly, be smart by letting most things slide off you. Not being easily offended results in a happier life. Which leads to...

BE KIND


"Please, be kind. Especially when we don't know what's going on."

I watched Everything Everywhere All At Once last year. While I generally avoid multiverse movies, this one was different enough to pique my curiosity. The heartwarming comeback of Ke Huy Quan was a feel good story that resonated with me. It was, however, the above quote that his character said during the film that left a truly lasting impression. (It hit me sort of like how Paddington Bear stopped me in my tracks with his Aunt Lucy quote.)

To be kind is a simple concept, but unfortunately, it's not the first option that many choose. Even in seemingly benign circumstances, the "go to" response is often escalation or aggression, or at best, self-defense.

Waymond Wang Quote
Very apropos for today's world...
I once lined up at a grocery store self check out and heard – it was spoken loudly enough for me to hear, obviously – something like "look how she just jumps to the front". I truly hadn't realized that the line was actually forming along the opposite side of where I was. I walked over to the speaker and offered my apologies, explaining the simple mistake and took my place at the back of the line. She had the decency to look humbled by the time the whole situation concluded, but really, why choose snarky – or anything but kindness, or even humor – as the way to approach something so inconsequential? (Being kind doesn't mean that you can't enjoy the occasional private dose of schadenfreude, by the way. 😉)

We're all so busy with our lives that the vast majority of us don't have time to make others miserable (online behaviour notwithstanding). Whatever injustices we perceive as having been done to us – by perfect strangers that we encounter on any given day – are most likely not intended to be so at all. I certainly keep that in mind whenever I'm out and about, pretty sure that I am absolutely not the center of anyone else's universe. Therefore, I choose to keep kindness as my go to response, because I just don't know what might be going on with that other person.

By the way, as a reminder, Paddington's Aunt Lucy said, "If we're kind and polite, the world will be right." How true is that when you look at what's happening around the world today?


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Now before I bid you adieu, let me get some admin details out of the way.

Along with everything else on this blog, my various "shops" will remain operational. I will also maintain a presence in terms of not letting spammers take hold. I cannot conceive of a day when I grow tired of hearing from actual readers, so if you're someone who will be browsing the archives, please feel free to leave a comment or send an email if the urge strikes. (Comments may eventually need to be approved, but to reiterate, I'm still here for that.)

While I'm probably going to remove the sidebar widget for "This Week" eventually, I'll still update the home page on a regular basis to feature a different "This Week in History" post. Point being, this is not going to be an abandoned blog.

Einstein quote
Food for thought for those who don't believe they have the capacity to be creative...

As I've said before, I don't want to promise anything about the future that I'll feel obligated to deliver within a certain amount of time. My decision to push pause was made in the spirit of allowing myself to do nothing (in terms of posting new material) for as long as I needed or wanted. I hope to come back and update once a month, but I have no idea when or if that might be achievable. All I can say is that this little blog – in whatever form it takes down the road – will stay focused on or around sewing. While away from here, I will definitely continue to look for interesting things to make; I will never stifle that creative part of me.

But for now, I'd simply like to sit back and bask in the moment.

Peace out, everyone – ✌(-‿-)✌ – all the best and happy sewing to you!