Dave was away from home for four days last week. I'm not sure I've been home alone for that long in the last thirty-two years. It was the perfect kick-off to that "independent" life I blogged about. I had to work the first couple days, of course, but I had the evenings to fill, plus forty-eight weekend hours. With the exception of the hour I spent de-skunking two dogs, I really enjoyed myself. I mixed some long-overdue household chores in with my favorite hobbies, so it wasn't a totally self-indulgent retreat, but I moved at my own pace, slept erratically, sewed in the wee hours and generally "did my own thing".
In addition to the Japanese Knot Bags and the Bunny Bag, I made a demo crazy-quilt bib using a variety of fabrics from my scrap pile. Maybe with more baby-friendly fabrics, I would like it better, but I'm not sure it's worth the work. I think I'll try again with just one cute print. I also made myself a mug rug - just for fun.I decorated two journals because I saw cute ideas on Pinterest that I wanted to try. They are both made from standard composition notebooks. The small one is covered in a scrap of scrapbooking paper and embellished with ribbon and a pocket inside the front flap. I covered the larger notebook by weaving strips of paper, then added a bit of ribbon and a luggage tag, for space to label the contents. Since I haven't decided what to use it for, the tag is still blank. I'm sure inspiration will strike one of these days.
I also worked on my painting. I have been trying to learn to paint with watercolors - guided by books from the library, YouTube videos and a lot of trial and error. It may be the most relaxing thing I have ever done. I can focus on the mixture of colors to the exclusion of all else. Reading and a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle featuring the covers of bestselling books rounded out my retreat. But the true benefit wasn't in the fun of crafting or in the freedom to ignore the clock. The solitude allowed time for reflection on relationships - with God, with family, with co-workers . . . Or the lack of relationships with friends and the wall I have built to discourage friendships . . . and the changes that need to be made in all of them to allow me to "live abundantly" in my Life Under Construction. The biggest creative project I'm working on is me
Catching up with your posts! So glad that you had time to do some of your favorite things and the freedom to reflect - that's a good thing! I'll be looking forward to hearing some of your "revelations"! Love the crafts and I plan to get more intentional when it comes to being creative. Saw a quote the other day - - - we can "plan" to do many things - but we have to "move" - - - and I think that applies to lots of things for both of us!
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