1. This annual event is easier to pull off in January than December because my primary work space isn't home to a Christmas tree.
2. But doing it in December means making the charitable donation before the end of the year.
3. I am an inspiration collector - I buy fabrics that remind me of dear friends. I buy papers that make me want to create something. I buy new craft materials because I see things made by others and think "I'd love to make that, too!" I buy cross stitch magazines - the expensive ones from England - because they have projects that will look beautiful when they are done or will make great gifts for people I love and they come out more often than the US ones, giving me more inspiration for the year.
4. I can realistically only do one craft at any given time. If I have a love seat full of boxes and bags of craft projects to give away, that means I have let my "collecting" get the best of me.
5. I have enough craft materials in my house at this moment to keep me crafting for years to come.
6. It is time to stop collecting and start creating.
7. One child isn't very tough on toys which makes them easy to pass on to others
8. My son was my hero during this project. He set a great example with his willingness to pass on some favorite toys he doesn't use to a younger child who would love them.
9. It helped that we started talking about it at least a month before we actually did it so he could warm up to the idea. His room looks fantastic after all of our hard work!
and, my final lesson learned....
10. Legos are an evil thing to try to store! There is no good storage system when Legos are sold as sets to build specific things. I have a small house, so I don't have space to store each creation on a shelf. Legos have to go in boxes, which means they get broken or taken apart to make the lid fit. And no one is willing to just dismantle the lot of them and and start from scratch.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Craft day = "epic fail"
Every year my son and I try to do a craft day to honor my mother who was a very crafty person.
In the past we have had painting days, made gingerbread houses, made pictures with our fingerprints, and just generally made a crafty mess. These days are great fun (in fact, we do them more often than once a year).
This year, we saw this fun cookie kit in the Christmas section at a local store. The cookies were pre-cut in a cute penguin shape and came with four colors of icing. Perfect size for a crafty afternoon.
What we discovered is (a) the frosting was almost impossible to spread, (b) the spaces to decorate were too fussy and small to do well, and (c) the cookies didn't taste very good.
Thankfully, we took this failure in stride, did our best to decorate, showed them to my husband when he got home and then promptly threw them out. Hated that we wasted that money, but we made an effort and learned a lesson - painting day is much cheaper and simpler and we always love it!
In the past we have had painting days, made gingerbread houses, made pictures with our fingerprints, and just generally made a crafty mess. These days are great fun (in fact, we do them more often than once a year).
This year, we saw this fun cookie kit in the Christmas section at a local store. The cookies were pre-cut in a cute penguin shape and came with four colors of icing. Perfect size for a crafty afternoon.
What we discovered is (a) the frosting was almost impossible to spread, (b) the spaces to decorate were too fussy and small to do well, and (c) the cookies didn't taste very good.
Thankfully, we took this failure in stride, did our best to decorate, showed them to my husband when he got home and then promptly threw them out. Hated that we wasted that money, but we made an effort and learned a lesson - painting day is much cheaper and simpler and we always love it!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Multipurpose book stores
Books are my passion. I read about new books coming out, author interviews, publishing news, etc. And lately things about the publishing industry are focused on what's next - how can publishers keep making money to pay their staff, keep publishing good material, and stay in business? There are a lot of questions floating around about the future of picture books (which I love) and the impact e-books (so far, the jury is out on these for me) will make on the industry as a whole.
Here's one thing I have noticed recently - my local bookstores (from two of the major chains) seem to be looking for ways to make their brick-and-mortar stores serve more purposes than just books. Both have cafes (only one seems to serve non-coffee items for younger patrons), and both sell DVDs and music. Both have also been pushing their toy offerings - games, Lego sets, stuffed animals.
There was something new at one shop recently though - the craft section.
Craft and activity books have always been a part of the shop offerings, but this display was pretty extensive - there were several more sections. There were fashion design sets, scrapbook kits, and how-to kits for crafts like quilling and knitting.
Some may find this annoying - watering down the book selections available to kids because so much shelf space is devoted to these other things - but I like it. Granted, I am a crafty person, but I like the idea of letting kids explore their creative sides. My only criticism is that so much of it is girl-y. Some crafts that would appeal to boys would be great, too.
Have you noticed anything new at your usual book-spots?
Here's one thing I have noticed recently - my local bookstores (from two of the major chains) seem to be looking for ways to make their brick-and-mortar stores serve more purposes than just books. Both have cafes (only one seems to serve non-coffee items for younger patrons), and both sell DVDs and music. Both have also been pushing their toy offerings - games, Lego sets, stuffed animals.
There was something new at one shop recently though - the craft section.
Craft and activity books have always been a part of the shop offerings, but this display was pretty extensive - there were several more sections. There were fashion design sets, scrapbook kits, and how-to kits for crafts like quilling and knitting.
Some may find this annoying - watering down the book selections available to kids because so much shelf space is devoted to these other things - but I like it. Granted, I am a crafty person, but I like the idea of letting kids explore their creative sides. My only criticism is that so much of it is girl-y. Some crafts that would appeal to boys would be great, too.
Have you noticed anything new at your usual book-spots?
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Thursday, December 30, 2010
A Year in Review - Part 4
Since 2007 I have made a journal every year. I enjoy making them (my 2010 is probably my favorite), but I don't think to use them very often. December 31 comes and I find less than 1/3 of the pages are used.
What I've Learned
I need to write when I am overwhelmed. I use journals to process my thoughts and feelings and I use lists to manage my tasks. But when I don't need to journal, I don't use it. I would get more use out of one that could span more than one year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, January 1 is just a couple days away. It's time to put all this pondering about 2010 and blogging and such to use and make some choices. Stay tuned for what's next in 2011
What I've Learned
I need to write when I am overwhelmed. I use journals to process my thoughts and feelings and I use lists to manage my tasks. But when I don't need to journal, I don't use it. I would get more use out of one that could span more than one year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, January 1 is just a couple days away. It's time to put all this pondering about 2010 and blogging and such to use and make some choices. Stay tuned for what's next in 2011
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
A Year in Review - Part 3
Every January, I set goals for the coming year. This past January, my goals were plentiful, broken down into monthly and quarterly components.
It was a beautiful example of ambition and organization.
It was also ridiculously over the top - too many things, too much pressure, trying to change too much at one time. Within a month or two I had to scale it back. And I still hardly met any of my goals for the year.
What I've Learned
Simple is better. One or two goals to start the year is more manageable. (No goals at all would be even more manageable, but I don't know if I could pull that off....)
Also, if I don't revisit my goals - whatever they are and however many there might be - I will forget them and not pursue them. Maybe a creative/visual project would help like it has with my word of the year....
It was a beautiful example of ambition and organization.
It was also ridiculously over the top - too many things, too much pressure, trying to change too much at one time. Within a month or two I had to scale it back. And I still hardly met any of my goals for the year.
What I've Learned
Simple is better. One or two goals to start the year is more manageable. (No goals at all would be even more manageable, but I don't know if I could pull that off....)
Also, if I don't revisit my goals - whatever they are and however many there might be - I will forget them and not pursue them. Maybe a creative/visual project would help like it has with my word of the year....
Saturday, December 25, 2010
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