Decoupage for Dummies

I was trying out a new decoupage medium to see if it would work out well. It didn’t really, but I’m posting pics anyway. I’ll stick with Mod Podge for now. The paper curled too much with this one. In any case, it’s a paper-covered cigar box, which will probably go to my daughter because the colors will go well in her bedroom. I like the paper patterns that I used, but the edging is the wrong color. At least it’s bright. I’m working on a new one, and if it comes out well I’ll post in on Etsy once I’m ready to open the store. Either way, I’m sure I’ll post pics here whether it comes out the way I want or not. I like having a record of my efforts, even the crappy ones.

 

Tuesdays. Not trustworthy either.

I am exhausted. This has been a stressful time for us financially, as it has been for pretty much everyone who’s not Oprah or Bill Gates, and it’s hard to sleep when you’re stressing about bills. I’m waiting to hear back about a part-time job that probably won’t pay as much as collecting unemployment does, but I think I would enjoy it. It’s doing something I’ve done before (working as a church secretary) and liked, only on a smaller scale and closer to home. I would be able to be home with the kids plenty still, and could write and craft and try to build my Avon business if I still want to do that. I really like the idea of selling crafts. I love making things. It seems more like playing than working, and making money doing something I enjoy would be great. I’m not giving up writing though. I still enjoy that, I’m just rustier than I thought and it’s taking more time and effort getting back into the habit than I thought it would.

I took a break to fully caffeinate. A cup or so of coffee, and now a Diet Coke–the breakfast of champions. Or at least of many suburban moms. Actually, I’m more of a rural mom, but that conjures up visions of farm wives, and I’m so very not that. The town I live in is rural, but it’s also a college town so it’s been built up over the years since the college was started in the 1800′s. There are still farms, but mostly small ones with vegetable stands. Of course there are still cows. Lots of cows.

My day today will consist of the ongoing battle with the dishes and the laundry, and hopefully working on some stamping projects I wanted to get started during M.’s nap. Or possibly another decorated box. I’m unsure which I want to do first. Also, I’d like to reacquaint our hall carpets with the vacuum cleaner. I think that might be a nice touch. I also want to make a batch of mini-quiches for H.’s lunches or breakfasts this week. I’m just not sure I have the right cheese. I’ll have to check.

Ok, enough babbling, time to eat some actually food and get moving. I’ve been busy with M. this morning, and now it’s lunchtime which is my usual start time for the day after spending time feeding M. and reading and playing with her. All my body wants to do is go back to bed, but my head has PLANS for today. Wish me luck.

 

Planning isn’t doing.

I am planning on posting some crafts on Etsy. I have begun working on them, but haven’t completed any yet that are ready for sale. I have the store and a website ready and waiting, I just need to finish the crafts themselves.

One thing I was planning to do that I actually did was to melt down all M’s old broken crayons and make new shiny crayon “muffins” with them. They came out pretty and she has six new ones to play with. She likes them because she can shade a big area with the top or bottom, or color with the side. She’s been experimenting.

I really want the weather to be warm again. I have a room full of stuff that needs to go other places (thrift shop, books for the library book sale, etc) but it’s just too damn cold to be loading and unloading the car, especially with M. Let’s hope for Spring soon.

 

My Personal Weather

I’ve been reading an eBook about motivating yourself for success today, and I came to a realization. I thought I understood the idea that if we act how we want to feel, we can create that feeling. For example, the advice to smile if you feel depressed and that the very act of smiling causes a chemical reaction in your brain causing you to feel better. But I really didn’t fully believe it I think. Reading the book made me start thinking about whether that works in my life, and I realized that it DOES work, and I do it on a daily basis.

I have a toddler. She is going to be two in March. Every morning she wakes up and every afternoon she takes a nap, and each time I go to get her out of her crib I leave whatever exhaustion I feel, or worry or any other negative emotion, outside her door and smile when I pick her up. That way, she is happy instead of cranky, and we both start off the day (or afternoon) in a good mood.

If I can do that with her, why wouldn’t I be able to do it in other circumstances too? I just need to learn to apply what I obviously already know how to do to other areas of my life. Funny how we can miss something so simple in our own lives.