Thursday, June 9, 2011

Discussion Day #5 - Life is too short...


Our morning newspaper always has a "Reflection for the Day"  and sometimes the thought is something that strikes a chord with me.  On Wednesday, the quote was "Life is too short to finish every book you start reading," attributed to Dr. Jeffrey Bernhard.  You can see the archive of daily quotes at the Reflection for the Day website HERE.

This quote made me think about all of the creative things I'd like to do and whether it is realistic to think that I could or even should try to finish everything I start.  Most crafters are full of ideas and love to see and learn about new techniques and products.  They often have the supplies for various projects stashed in their home just waiting for the time to come when it is possible to spend the time to try something new.  Sometimes, you can accumulate a huge amount of material only to find that your interests change or a new craft or product comes along and captures your attention.  Then you have to decide what to do next and what to do with the inventory of items you have for a craft that is no longer your primary interest.


Do you have supplies and tools for crafts you are no longer interested in pursuing?  Have you progressed in your level of ability from a basic creative level to a place where you want to go further to explore and master a craft at a new level?  Are there activities and crafts you used to enjoy that you no longer find interesting?


How do you decide that it is time to move on and try a more sophisticated version of your craft?  If you are a knitter and fascinated with yarns and fibers, do you start spinning and weaving your own yarns?  Many quilters I know end up getting involved in dying their own fabrics to get just the effects they want.  If you only use the commercially available ingredients to create your projects will you be fulfilled or will you find it limiting and ultimately frustrating?


When is it OK to just let the old materials for the craft you are no longer doing move on to someone else?  Do you have trouble getting rid of things if you don't think they are going to a "good home" with someone who will enjoy and use them?  Were you brought up to believe that it is wrong to "quit" something?  If you find a better or different way to do the crafts you are interested in should you "convert" completely or just add another set of tools to your inventory?  I am curious to know if you have any thoughts about this - and whether you have let go of the materials and tools that no longer fulfill your creative goals.

Please leave a comment with your thoughts if you'd like to join in the discussion.  I'll be sure to add a link to this post at the end of each post for the next week or so in case you want to think about the topic and evaluate whether there are some things that you should just stop doing to make room for other things that you find more intriguing...


Wednesday was the Senior Prom night in our town and I went to a neighbor's home to watch a large group get ready to leave in a huge limo together.  The girls all looked lovely and the boys were quite handsome in their suits and tuxes.  I took some photos of the flowers in the flower boxes as well as some of the corsages. 


I edited a few of my flower photos and added them to a quick page incorporating the Reflection for the Day.  I may use these flower images for a new project I am working on - more about that soon. I think I will be letting go of some things at our neighborhood yard sale this weekend...

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21 comments:

  1. I definitely agree with this quote. I know that through the years I have tried many different craft mediums. Most of them I still love, but, now that I am heavily into paper crafting, I do not have the time (or inclination) for other projects. I still knit (now only socks as they are something that I can do without even thinking and while traveling). Most of my other hobbies have been very thoroughly weaned out and donated. Need to clean house every now and then.

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  2. I have every craft genre out there.... some I love doing; others not so much. I hate to get rid of anything though. Because like fashion you never know when it will come back around again. I sew, knit, crochet, paint, scrapbook, do woodwork, etc..... SOmetimes I get bored with one genre and I move onto another to keep my crafting mojo working.... I have three daughters and the two oldest ones could care less for crafting at all. The youngest of the three really loves it, but is still too young to devote much time to it. Hopefully one day!!!
    Crystal

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  3. Great quote.......Thanks for all the great pictures and lovely flowers. I got my software yesterday Design Studio. I am so lost but I hope to have time soon to work on it......... Thanks for all you do and the help you give to your bloggers.
    Blog:http://lovethatexpressions.blogspot.com/

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  4. Diane
    This post came at such an appropriate time. It is a very difficult time and this helped so much.
    With your permission I would like to use the quotes and flowers on a few cards.
    Myrna

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  5. Wow, you are so right. When I was young and had a family I was busy with sewing and loved making their clothes, even the undies for the girls. I also made beautiful cakes and everyone loved that. I made all the ornaments for our Christmas trees and one for each of the kids for their own trees someday. Yes they do have their own trees and use the ornaments. I taught myself to knit, crochet, quilt but now my love is making cards. I always enjoy helping others learn to do the crafts I am into. Great quote and thanks for sharing.

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  6. I've also dabbled in many crafts--painting, woodcarving, woodburning, beading, quilting, stamping, scrapbooking, etc. When I outgrow a craft I try to find a good home for my castoffs. Material has gone to a charity quilting group, beads ended up with a missionary in the Ukraine, etc. A good home always makes an easier parting!

    Grandma Quilter

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  7. Well, I'm like the others who have posted. I have things to make so much and lots I never use anymore. I start something and then someone will mention a new project and I just take off on that for a while. However, I have stuck with doing cards for a long, long time now and I do enjoy that.
    You flowers are beautiful and I want to thank you for sharing the site for the daily quotes. I would love to use some of them if it is permissible. Always looking for quotes for my cards. Thank you for sharing all that you do.

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  8. You are quite the philosopher ... putting out such thought provoking questions to us. All of your thoughts have been mine at one time or another ...one thing I need to set a time limit for is reading blogs ...hours can go by before I know it. I just get so caught up in everyone's creativity. It's all so inspiring but doesn't leave me much time to get busy and create my own things. Thanks for your blog..it's awesome!

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  9. Over the years I've done cross stitch, cake decorating, glass painting, photo album covering and who knows what else. When starting a craft I sponge up every tutorial and technique and quickly amass a large collection of supplies. Once I started having children the crafts stopped for a few years and I sold alll of that stuff. Now I wish I still had those 30 colors of glass paint and the fabric stash would have really been useful in creating cards.

    However, sending it on to new places helped me to stop looking at it and wishing I had the time or even the passion to continue pursuing those crafts. I'm just now realizing that as much as I need time to be artistic and create things I don't have the time to do alot of setup and cleanup (making icing for cake decorating then cleaning it up was eeeewwwww). Even my current obsession of paper crafting is already starting to wane. It simply takes too long to sort through which materials I want to use then setup the machine and make sure I have a "good" Cricut mat available and on & on.

    Someday I'll have a room for these things and my boys won't be in the touch EVERYTHING stage. So, I'm hoping to keep all of this stash and not sell it off. In the meantime I've picked up a new craft - digiscrapping! I'm really excited with the stuff I've learned and it is so nice to jump right into creating then simply close the program when I'm out of time ;)

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  10. I am ashamed to admit how much of my crafting/paper crafting supplies that I have in my craft room; that looked so interesting at th craft conventions, bought it, and have never used it. I can't bear to get rid of what I don't use; ESP., At a reduced price. I hope that doesn't make me a "hoarder"!

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  11. Are you kidding me??? LOL I have done every craft under the sun. I have plastic totes full of crafts I have moved on from. I have scrapbooked the longest of my now-a-days crafts. I got into cards for a while, but that was a fad. With 2 grand kids and wonderful trips, my DH & I take, I'd rather stick to scrapbooks. I am giving handmade mini albums a try, now. It's a good outlet for special occasions and a way to use ugly papers and embellies left over from kits.

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  12. I used to be one of those people -- you know . . . the one who had to have every piece of pretty paper, every gorgeous new embellishment, that ribbon in every color and size. Heck, who am I kidding! I'm still that girl -- but circumstances have changed. I've been unemployed for two years now and I use what I have. I've dusted off the rubber stamps, hauled out the paper I was saving for that special project and I'm creating. No more new cartridges or paper -- the only thing I buy now is adhesive! And if feels good to use what I have and put on the old thinking cap to make old products work in new ways.

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  13. What a great discussion. Yes life is too short and I really found that out in 2007 when they found a tumor inside my spinal cord. I had to undergo surgery to try and remove it, then 6 days after my surgery my colon busted and I nearly died, so I really appreciate each and every day that I have. I had to undergo another surgery for my tumor as it came back, but I am up and walking with the aide of a walker, but I am fine, I try and do as much as I can, at least I can shower and that personal stuff on my own. I am v=ever so grateful to the the most wonderful hubby who treats me like a queen and never ever makes me feel like I am a burden. Anyways on to my card making, I am so thankful that I had this hobby prior to my surgery, I love making cards and spend each and everyday in my room "working" on my cards. Yes I do start things and then throw them aside till the inspirations returns for that item. But I have to say that I love to share, when I upgraded to an Expression from my baby bug I gave my baby bug to my SIL. Then I also got another SIL started so we found a Create on clearance and we gave it to her. She was thrilled. Well I do keep buying things and if I find I can't or rather don't use them anymore I pass them on to one of my SIL. So sorry for such a rambling post but i thought this was a great topic.
    http://nanadonnascarddreams.blogspot.com/

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  14. Oh my, we all, while so diverse are so alike. I was thinking back to the crafts I have done over my life…lanyards, key chains and pot holders as a child. I enjoyed leather tooling, sewing clothing and crocheting while raising my children. Most of my hoards of fabric and yarn went to good homes when my hands told me I wasn’t able to use them in that way any longer. I tried cross stitch around this time also. I have some quilling supplies and now that I am “older,” I have experimented with watercolor painting and have settled into card making and am slowly working on getting all those pictures I have finally organized into scrapbooks. I used to think I had to have most everything associated with each craft, but have learned how creative it can be to make do now that I am on a fixed income. I have a cricut expression and a cuttlebug which are used frequently as I am fortunate to have space to leave them set up. I am also fortunate to have a couple of my grandchildren living close who like to create and do so frequently at my house, sometimes just for fun and often for school projects. Thanks for these questions and all your helps, along with the beautiful pictures Diane. Glad your weekend went well!

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  15. What a great question. I too have tried lots of crafts and finally have given myself permission to get rid of some supplies. I sold some at a yard sale and have given lots of paper to my grand children. I use to freak out (internally) when they used my pretty papers but i have made most of the papers fair game and have my own stash just for me.

    I don't sew much anymore so I gave away a bunch of the cone thread for a serger. The lady we gave it too was thrilled.

    I may group some stamps and coordinating papers together and sell them on e-bay or something. If someone takes the time to pay even a little bit for them, it gets rid of something taking space in my craft room and helps someone get what they want.

    Both of my grandchildren (10 and 12) love to craft and usually I just let them go. It is amazing the different ways they use my supplies.

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  16. Not sure this is where I comment on your Father's Day word book post, but it's gorgeous...thanks so much for sharing the file! I also loved your post from yesterday and couldn't get to a place to post a comment ...it was regarding the new lite cartridges just released and are the BEST I've seen!!! Thanks again for being so organized on your blog.

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  17. Yes, where have the years gone? I've tried so many different hobbies. My favorite before papercrafting was cake decorating. I spent years making beautiful creations. I taught it for many years and to this day I see my former students around town and they always talk about their cakes. When my kids grew up I gave up that fattening hobby and discovered the Cricut machine. Boy, have I been hooked! Now I'm into stamping and really enjoy getting together with my StampinUp friends. Papercrafing means a room full of gadgets and products. Oh what fun! I have to buy every new thing that comes out! My hubby of 50 years is so patient and caring. I'm so lucky. I love your blog Diane. You've been so helpful over the past three years.

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  18. I actually have waited before posting because I actually have been thinking about this..... So.. I have come up with... years ago.. I was into quilting - usually simple yet awesome designs for presents, my kids - ya know just to belong with the ladies at church (different state then) When I "discovered" scrapbooking - I had to decide.. everyone had a quilt so... so no more quilting and onto stickers, papers and scissors. My scrapbooking had grown by leaps and bounds till I found my new love - the Cricut. so I have stopped buying stickers and now I am obsessed with all these awesome cartridges and all the things it has replaced. OH yes, I have tons of books, and "accessories" that just sit but am I sad.. NO.. I love my Cricut & of course my obsession/addiction really wants an Imagine!! what an awesome question.... next.....
    parkernana5@cox.net

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  19. I've enjoyed reading everyone's post. I'm right there with them....tried many many hobbies and learned I didn't like a lot of them. I learned to sew at 12 and have sewn around the world and back - but don't like quilting...now, I don't sew so much - I donated all my stashed fabric to the Senior center 7 years ago...quite a freeing experience. I had my own cake decorating business for 8 years; now don't want to even bake a cake... I still love to hand stitch but papercrafting is my biggest love (now). I do have a few scrapbooking items I'll not use so actually am getting ready to give them away.

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  20. I love these discussions - if only to find out I'm not the only "crazy" person in the crafting world. I started sewing when I was 12 or so and made a lot of my own clothes for a while and my children's, too. I did a variety of things as my children grew up; cake decorating, oil and tole painting, Christmas ornaments, knitting, photography, you name it I probably tried it.


    Then a lightning bolt hit. I wanted to be really good at a few things instead of mediocre at many, so I narrowed my field. I couldn't give up sewing entirely, so I make quilts. I love mixing fabrics and patterns, not unlike card making in some ways. I plan to make one for each of our combined grandchildren (15 in all) for graduation. Only 6 more to go. I also make mosaic picture frames from broken dishes, again mixing bits and pieces of color.

    When we began going on mission work projects 16 years ago, I started scrapbooking to record the things we did. I continued on with layouts of family events. I used the computer to journal, and stickers for accent. When I got my personl cricut last August, (yes, I only have the baby bug) I began making cards and am loving it. I will continue to scrap, and quilt, but cards are first right now.

    I'm not one to buy everything, and always ask myself "how will I use this?" I have limited space (8 x 10) and income (retired) so I must be choosy, which to me only adds to the creativity.

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  21. Yes, Life IS too short and that's why I try to do more of the things I WANT to do than the things I always felt I HAD to do. I've given up cleaning! LOL Actually I have scaled it waaay back and do more crafting and searching Ancestry.com and just do what I need to do to keep the house sort of clean and mostly tidy. I'm over it too!! Can't get into the rest of discussion right now because I have a scrapbook to attend to!

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