Hello, my crafty friends! 2022 is well under way, and it sure does feel like 2020 too. I’m confident things will get better, but we have a very long winter ahead of us.
A few years ago I stopped making New Year’s resolutions and started picking a word of the year. The last two years have made it hard to even keep up with my word of the year, so this year I thought really hard about what I wanted my focus to be. I settled on Self-Care. I’ll be totally honest with you, as someone who has dealt with (diagnosed) depression and anxiety for many, many years, the past few years have been hard. I’m thankful that I get up and dressed every day and still take some pleasure in crafting. I intend to look after myself this year. To indulge in that crafting time I don’t think I have earned, or take that bubble bath before bed, or splurge on a new book that looks perfect for me. We will get through the hard times, and a little bit of self-care will make it a bit easier. (Self-care also means being vaccinated and getting the booster, flu shot, etc!)
MemoryDex card featuring washi tape, elements from Simple Stories Vintage Rustic Christmas Collection, and a Tim Holtz Christmas flair.
Today, as we are waiting for a big snowstorm to move in over night (and possibly give us a snow day!, as much as that matters when doing school virtually), I was feeling Christmasy. So, I dug through my stash and pulled out some bits and pieces to put together a couple of MemoryDex cards. The first one (above) has a washi tape background, with a distress tag and ephemera from Simple Stories’ Vintage Rustic Christmas collection. The button is a Tim Holtz Christmas Quote Flair piece from 2021.
Christmas MemoryDex card featuring elements from various Tim Holtz collections, random washi tape, and pearls from PinkFresh Studio.
MemoryDex card number two also has a washi tape background, and features a distressed kraft card and a couple of elements from different Tim Holtz Christmas collections. The pearls are from PinkFresh Studio, in the colourway Sparkling Champagne.
I’m just starting to experiment with MemoryDex cards. They are a really fun way to create a small piece of art, be it mixed media or just a flat stamped and coloured image. There really are no rules, expect maybe that the finished piece should fit on your spinner or in your box, and even that doesn’t really matter.
There’s lots more to come in 2022! I’m experimenting with junk journals, working on several cross stitch pieces, creating with my beloved Cricut Maker 3, and I’ve even expanded my crafting family to include a Glimmer hot foil machine and a Brother ScanNCut. If the outside world is dark and sad, I’m going to work on creating happiness for myself and my friends and family in my cozy little craft room.
Needleworker, Knitter, Crocheter, Sewist, Paper Crafter, and more!
Given the past two years, and given what you say about dealing with anxiety and depression – really well done for getting up each day and keeping going. I certainly haven’t always managed as well as I would have liked. And it seems to me that Self Care should be very much on the agenda. We are meant to thrive, not merely survive, in this life, and crafting happy times and having lovely hot bubble baths will surely contribute!
On which note, I think it’s my bathtime…!
Self-care sounds like the perfect word for this year. It’s something I am very aware of, the importance of saying “No” sometimes. I’ve chosen “Focus” for my word, I’ll let you know how I get on! My friend made me a beautiful,Junk Journal for Christmas.