Gettin' in the Flow

Proverbs 4:25

Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.

 

Valerie Burton calls it "flow", but I call it "focus". You've probably had one of those moments- the one where everything just falls into place and you are working on something, devoting your all, with no interruptions and nothing to sway you from your purpose.

 

I used to have those moments a lot, but not so much lately.

 

One of the things that my daughter hates to do the most is clean house with me. There I will be cleaning the living room when I make a stack of old magazines to throw away. I go to the trashcan and the trashcan is full, so of course I have to take the time to empty it. I can't have just a HALF bag of trash, so I empty ALL of the trashcans in the house. Then I have to take out the garbage. I sweep and vacuum the floors, but there are spots in the kitchen floor that really need mopping, so I dig out the mop. The spots won't come up, so I end up on my knees scrubbing away.

 

See a pattern?

 

I always thought that I was focused on one task- cleaning. After reading this week's chapter of Happy Women Live Better I now realize that I am allowing myself to be distracted from the task at hand. I may have set out with the purpose of just cleaning the living room, but I end up like the Energizer bunny, going....going.....going.....from one small thing to another, until either I don't see anything else that can be done or I simply collapse from exhaustion.

 

It isn't just cleaning that distracts me either. I have always been a "list person". Even if I don't take the time to actually write the list down or enter it into my cell phone notes, my mental list is still there. I really MUST get these 5 things completed today! Then I end up rushing from one thing to the next, trying desperately to check those things off my list.

 

The problem is that I am not taking the time to actually ENJOY anything that I am doing. I do it quickly; I do it concisely. Then I move to the next task. That list is always there looming in my mind, taunting me with the number of things that I have YET to finish.

 

So... what is the alternative?

 

Turn off that cell phone, unplug that television, and take the time to really devote your full attention to one task. FIND YOUR FLOW!

 

For me, the one time these days when I really "flow" is when I am doing some type of crafting. Just this past weekend I found myself, early on a Sunday morning in my silent craft room as the rest of the house slept. I needed a graduation card THAT DAY and I was determined to make it myself. A quick search on the internet and I found a card that I could use as a model. For the next hour or so I cut paper, folded it, cut more paper, trimmed, glued, and assembled until finally I had finished the card. I did not realize how long I had been working because I actually allowed myself to enjoy it!

 

The result?

 

THIS card.....

 

 

which my daughter says is her favorite card of all that I have ever created. (I secretly think it is probably one of my favorites too.)

 

I think that I need to do things like this more often. Crafting has always relieved my stress and now I know why- it makes me happier! I need to allow myself to truly put my eyes in one direction and not allow the stresses of today's to-do list or the dust around me to sway me from my purpose. I need to give myself a silent "ok" to focus on crafting something with my hands because the dust will still be there later.

 

What about you? What do you focus on that gives you happiness? What do find yourself lost in, savoring the moment and making you a happier YOU? I would love to hear your comments!



A New Love

For years now I have been one of the many women who was busy scrapbooking and documenting family history, but lately I have been finding it very difficult. The kids are at the ages when I don't get a lot of photos, sweet hubby and I are far too busy with work to do much that was worth documenting, and the amount of time that it took to get out all of my supplies and actually create something was just something that did not exist in my personal calendar.

With all of that said..... I still found myself with a desire to create and a HUGE guilt about all of the supplies that I have stored away that were just gathering dust.

This week I discovered a new love......one that would still allow me to use my creative energy AND my supplies, but could be done with a smaller amount of time---- cardmaking!

I have seen many ladies posting pics and tutorials online for cards and I even jumped in and tried it a time or two, but I just didn't feel really good about the results. That changed this week when I created THIS card.....

Recently our women's church group met and asked me to create a special card that could be sent to a women's charity, along with a love offering. Given those facts, and the fact that Valentine's Day comes this month, I thought this design would be perfect.

I bought the Spellbinders at Christmas- one of those personal splurges that I allowed myself.  These are the Spellbinders Majestic Elements Opulent Ovals- I LOVE them!! (I think I may have to splurge on several more Spellbinders.)

I dug into my stash for the following items: cardstock: 2 different patterned papers, a border punch, a flourish stamp, a distressing ink, a pink dye ink, a heart stamp, 5 rhinestones, and pink Stickles. I even dragged my sewing machine out so I could stitch the panel to the paper below.

I definitely think that I will be making more cards- guess I better head over to Pinterest for some more creative inspiration! If you have some comments to share about my card.... or if you have some great cardmaking advice, I would really like to hear from you!