About

The future is now, and the beginning of a new year, 2011, is a good time to begin a new challenge. After mulling this idea over for a few weeks, I accepted a challenge to do something that I enjoy every week.

Over the years, the daily routine of housework and chores became overwhelming for me, and I neglected to nourish my creative nature. Per Ecclesiastes 3:11, “That everything one may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil – this is the gift of God.” If there is no visible satisfaction on a day to day (or at least week to week) basis, it can be difficult to see God’s gift amongst the mundane and tedious chores.  I don’t have any problem with the eating and drinking aspect, just the toiling aspect.

I rationalized this with Ecclesiastes 3:18, “Then I realized that it is good and proper to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him for his lot.” So, amidst my regular household duties, this year, with my husband’s encouragement, I plan to make time for that which I enjoy, crafting.

According to 1 Peter 4:11, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others faithfully administering God’s graces in its various forms.”  Romans 12:6 specifies, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” One of my graces is definitely a creative nature.  Through this blog, I hope to serve others seeking encouragement and inspiration to express their creative selves, despite how much work awaits in the background. The work will still be there when I am done with my craft, and may be easier to complete once I nourish a bit of myself.  This is not to say that it’s okay to neglect obligations, but it is okay to let some matters slide lower on my priority list to allow room for some fun too.  It’s easier to rationalize fun time for others, such as kids, and it’s equally easy for a Mother to forget to devote time to her own enrichment too.

To help keep my focus on crafts, I will blog my way through this challenge and give glory to God as I see the signs of progress. During the process, as I complete some of my many UnFinished Objects (UFO’s), it’s possible that some household organization and clutter reduction may take place also. If it does, that’s a bonus! Maybe someone who reads this will be motivated to tackle a project and get creative too. At worst, it will be a fun year rewarded by completed projects!  

My list of UFO’s are many. Over the years, as I spotted an interesting craft and gathered the materials for the craft, either I lacked the time to complete the craft or saved the craft materials for a future ready to complete craft. As I blog about a craft, I will mention it’s status, whether it is a UFO, something stored for another time but still contemporary, kid friendly, environmentally friendly, or economical. For each craft, I will include a supply list, basic cost info when available (especially if utilizing newly purchased items), time required for completion, skill level, and reference links for more topical information. To help readers understand the crafts, I will upload step by step photos for each craft. I will attempt to be clear about the craft instructions, but if someone reading this blog has any questions, please contact me and I will be happy to answer your questions or direct you to another resource for an answer if I did not encounter a similar problem with my craft. Also, when certain crafts are seasonal, I will blog about the crafts a few weeks early to allow ample time, if desired, for readers of this blog to complete the craft in time for the season or holiday.

My outline of crafts for this year includes a variety of categories from fabric to wood and many types in between. It’s a fun hobby, multi-purposeful, sometimes costly, and rewarding with the completed project. I hope that I can adequately share the fun and challenging aspects of each craft along the way.  Plus, I hope to share the joy of expressing one’s creative nature, as hopefully God intended for me to do.  Afterall, what good is a gift not used?  This is one that cannot be regifted.

Now I’m ready to begin….