Crafty Adventures
I know the worst of a depressive episode is over when I'm able to be creative and crafty. And last night, I made a bracelet, my first craft in like two months or somesuch. :) So I wanted to share with you all.
I am a big fan of inspirational quotes and sayings, as anyone who follows my Facebook or my other LJ acreativememory can attest. Reading them reminds me of helpful wisdom that I often already know somewhere inside of me, but have trouble remembering in the moment. I have several books of such quotes that I like to read when I'm home, but carrying books around with me is cumbersome and I often wish I had these little reminders when I'm out and about, so around when I was 19 or 20 I came up with the idea to make jewelry with short sayings or wisdom I want to be reminded of. I kept getting caught up in other things (like college for instance, and other creative projects like SoulCollage) and putting off this idea, but 6 years later I have finally gotten around to it.
I embroidered "Just Be" on a piece of ribbon, to remind me to relax and be how I feel like being, rather than over-analyzing the situation and putting on a mask in order to impress people. It's also about being in the moment and absorbing my surroundings (mindfulness). It reminds me of what a friend once said, "I need to savor time just being rather than flitting around finding things to do".
I glued the ribbon to a piece of blue cloth, which I cut out with scalloped edges. The purple stitching is purely decorative and does not attach the green ribbon to the blue backing. I can't take credit for the beading; it's from a bracelet I already owned. I thought that the colors of the beads went perfectly with the colors of the "Just Be" and also were relaxing and peaceful, going well with the message and mood I hope the jewelry will elicit. In the future though I think it will be fun to do my own beading.
This was my first experience with embroidery and I was basically figuring it out as I went along. I found out that I really enjoy it. It gives me something to do with my hands that requires some creativity, but not as much decision-making as say drawing or painting, so it's more relaxing and I can do it even if I'm feeling a bit out of sorts. I think I'll make more jewelry like this with reminders such as "Breathe", "Only One" (interpret as you will), or "Be the Change" (Ghandi). I also love "Don't Dream It, Be It" from Rocky Horror, but that would take a hell of a long time to embroider, especially if I want to stick with cursive. O.o
Speaking of which, in the future I really ought to draw the words first, so I have a guide and can do the embroidery on top of it. If I had done that with this, perhaps the s wouldn't look like a blob. I also need to come up with a better way to attach the cloth to the bracelet (or necklace) than poking a hole in the cloth and tying the chord to it. The hole caused the cloth to fray, and I had to use glue to stop the fraying, which dried shiny and makes it look a bit sloppy. Finally, using cloth that isn't stretchy would have made the whole process easier. Eh, you live you learn.
I am a big fan of inspirational quotes and sayings, as anyone who follows my Facebook or my other LJ acreativememory can attest. Reading them reminds me of helpful wisdom that I often already know somewhere inside of me, but have trouble remembering in the moment. I have several books of such quotes that I like to read when I'm home, but carrying books around with me is cumbersome and I often wish I had these little reminders when I'm out and about, so around when I was 19 or 20 I came up with the idea to make jewelry with short sayings or wisdom I want to be reminded of. I kept getting caught up in other things (like college for instance, and other creative projects like SoulCollage) and putting off this idea, but 6 years later I have finally gotten around to it.
I embroidered "Just Be" on a piece of ribbon, to remind me to relax and be how I feel like being, rather than over-analyzing the situation and putting on a mask in order to impress people. It's also about being in the moment and absorbing my surroundings (mindfulness). It reminds me of what a friend once said, "I need to savor time just being rather than flitting around finding things to do".
I glued the ribbon to a piece of blue cloth, which I cut out with scalloped edges. The purple stitching is purely decorative and does not attach the green ribbon to the blue backing. I can't take credit for the beading; it's from a bracelet I already owned. I thought that the colors of the beads went perfectly with the colors of the "Just Be" and also were relaxing and peaceful, going well with the message and mood I hope the jewelry will elicit. In the future though I think it will be fun to do my own beading.
This was my first experience with embroidery and I was basically figuring it out as I went along. I found out that I really enjoy it. It gives me something to do with my hands that requires some creativity, but not as much decision-making as say drawing or painting, so it's more relaxing and I can do it even if I'm feeling a bit out of sorts. I think I'll make more jewelry like this with reminders such as "Breathe", "Only One" (interpret as you will), or "Be the Change" (Ghandi). I also love "Don't Dream It, Be It" from Rocky Horror, but that would take a hell of a long time to embroider, especially if I want to stick with cursive. O.o
Speaking of which, in the future I really ought to draw the words first, so I have a guide and can do the embroidery on top of it. If I had done that with this, perhaps the s wouldn't look like a blob. I also need to come up with a better way to attach the cloth to the bracelet (or necklace) than poking a hole in the cloth and tying the chord to it. The hole caused the cloth to fray, and I had to use glue to stop the fraying, which dried shiny and makes it look a bit sloppy. Finally, using cloth that isn't stretchy would have made the whole process easier. Eh, you live you learn.