Good Morning! It’s about 7:30 a.m. here on the West Coast of the U.S., and even though it’s chilly out, there is the promise of a beautiful day. Kiwi is sitting next to me, but doesn’t want me to type; she wants me to throw her “Squeaky”. ha ha
I don’t know about you, but I am really looking forward to doing some crafting today! For the past two days, I have been die-cutting words and their associated “shadows”: “friends”, “hugs”, “thanks” and the like – six each of ten words. And yesterday I glued everything together. When I finished, I had thick, shadowed words which will give some dimension to my cards. And, although I have some nerve issues that cause my hands to shake (but there are ways around that!), I find that gluing paper together really relaxes me.
It’s funny, but I seldom have a problem getting started with my cardmaking. I get excited with anticipation. However, I do have problems stopping with the same excitement! At first it’s pretty awesome: my ideas are flowing; my “to-do” list is itemized in my head; I’m in the ZONE; I’m having fun; and everything is pretty much coming together for some very cool cards. Well, if all these great things are happening, then why, when I eventually leave my crafting area, am I (at times) rattled and irritated? Over the years, I have identified five reasons:
FATIGUE: I’ve pushed myself too far physically, and I’m ignoring it. My back is hurting from bending over my Big Shot. My hands are shaking more. I stayed up too late last night. My mind is tired from focusing too intensely. My eyes are burning from too much heat embossing. I can get really frustrated with my body for not cooperating! I can also get very disappointed that I literally cannot physically accomplish what I want to accomplish. Grrrrrr
GUILT: Whether the guilt is real or imagined, the “Shoulds” have a way of sneaking into my crafting time. I should be helping Hubby fold clothes. I should be spending time playing with my puppy (oh, yeah, and my husband LOL). I should be writing letters to my grandchildren. In other words, I should be doing something – anything – else! The resulting guilt (real or imagined), definitely affects me by sucking out the joy of my creating.
POOR PLANNING: My typical day has two hours scheduled into it for crafting, but sometimes I don’t block out enough time for what I want to accomplish. For example, I may have an appointment in a little bit, but am certain that I can squeeze in 10 more minutes and still be on time (I’m not)! Or, I didn’t realize it was going to take 30 minutes to figure out the instructions for a new technique, let alone try to use it. Yes, I admit it: I get cranky when I have to “craft fast”, or when I forget to take into account the actual learning part of something new (and for your information, I am of the opinion that watching YouTube Tutorials should NOT count toward my crafting time- ha ha). Dang!
MISTAKES: Then there are “Those Days”, where I can’t do anything right if my life depended on it: I glue the card upside down onto the base; I forget to VersaMark over the ink I want to emboss (yes, I’ve done that- @@ -); the die shifts even though it’s taped down; I don’t see the bubbles in the finishing gloss; I can’t find my scissors anywhere; I didn’t put something heavy on my backgrounds and they all curled overnight. Well, you get the idea. I get very “TITCHY!”
INTERRUPTIONS: this is the BIGGEST reason I get rattled and irritated, and finally stop trying to craft for the day. Since I’ve been sitting here typing, my husband has interrupted me I about 10 times: “do you want more coffee?”(actually, that is the only acceptable one! ha ha); “I created a new Pandora Station”; “hey honey, do you think these old sandals will fit you?” (I’m a 7, he’s an 11); “how long do you think you’ll be?” “I dreamed …(listen to me). Then, as I mentioned earlier, there is my beautiful Cavalier, “Kiwi,” who has been quite insistent that I throw her “Squeaky”, making little yips, and jumping up to paw at my arm, to get my attention. Isn’t that the bottom line of most of our interruptions – pay attention to ME, not to your (crafting) whatever-it-is-you’re-doing! And I don’t even have kids at home anymore!
Whether it’s fatigue, guilt, poor planning, mistakes, or interruptions, the result is usually the same – I’m disappointed and cranky that I didn’t get what I wanted, which was time alone to create. Isn’t that a typical response for humans that don’t get their own way? I know it is for me, along with the concomitant guilt over not giving attention to those I love. I realize that I need to stand up for myself and communicate my needs, but I think I also need to work on having some grace toward the interruptors. I guess I need to listen better for the signals that cause my “Crafting Crankies”, and stop (but…but…!) when I first hear them.
Do you have trouble sometimes, like I do, when you have to stop crafting? If so, what are the things that cause your “Crafting Crankies”, and how do you handle them? Please leave a reply, below!
Thank you so much for your time and attention today. I love being able to share my life with you, and I hope you are encouraged!
Lisa
* To be fair, I did get up earlier than Hubby this morning, and I did work on this post during the time we normally have coffee together! 🙂
The Crafter's Apron 