Many Hats and Good intentions

I'm linking up today with the lovely mavens over at  The Maven Circle's Truthy Tuesdays series, as we share our thoughts on wearing many hats in life and how we deal with it. Click over to The Maven Circle to see other awesome posts and find out how to join in!

Source: topit.me via Gillian on Pinterest

 I'd like to be able to say that I wear my many hats and roles gracefully, but I feel stitched together, hanging on a fragile thread without any way to strengthen my hold.  I'd rather switch out my mad flurry of hats for the time to enjoy the one I have on, to break it in to fit my head perfectly, rather than switching from hat to hat without rhyme or reason.

I'm one of those people who are full of good intentions, who always mean to get everything done that I say I will, but that ultimately over-schedule myself and take on too much to be realistic. I get stressed and I hide out to try to get things done but often have trouble gaining my focus as I switch from task to task. 

 In a perfect world, I'd have more down time to enjoy all the things that I'd really say are important, and not always be struggling to catch up, to find some time to spend enjoying the things that are really important to me and not get caught up in the filler.

I'd find the right hat that fits perfectly, and spend some time with it, designing my wardrobe around it and letting it get worn in all the right places.  I'd patch its holes with buttons from concerts, patches and collections of thread of many colours, stitched in enticing zig zags and whorls. It would be a part of me; people would recognize me by it in the street. 

But for now, I have to settle for the flurry of hats of school and work and crafting when I can , because the flurry and the madness will eventually lead me to my one right hat, one of these days.

♥ Craftzilla 

Finding time for Originality and Creativity

Source: themodernquiltguild.files.wordpress.com via Gillian on Pinterest

Finding inspiration as well as that spark of an idea that you can make your own has always been a struggle, but in the age of the internet and inspiration machines like Pinterest or even just reading the other blogs of crafts and knitting and cooking, I find it's become even harder to become inspired in a way that's uniquely your own. Personally, I find I can get too caught up in seeing what everyone else is up to and what has been done, rather than focusing on creating things and allowing myself that creative space to stumble upon a new idea or a new twist on an old idea that's purely me.

I've been feeling a lot lately like I don't have any good or unique ideas and that everything is being done better by someone else. I've thought about crafting and making many times over the last few months and I've done some, but mostly I'm just finishing up long started projects or making things that I've made before, that are easy and safe. I've been sort of stuck in getting back my creative mojo, and I think what's in the way is that I'm just not making enough uninterrupted time to just do. So I think that how I have less time for crafting fun during the school year, I need to limit the time I peruse other people's work and actually put aside more dedicated time to playing around with materials from my stash, to letting go of the need to have a set idea in mind when I start out, and to just let myself create and go my own way with things, as well as to be flexible with crafting on the go. The best things I've made have come out of needs I've found around me for something more functional or beautiful or cozy, or out of that desire to use up a scrap piece of fabric, an interesting piece of junk or a bit of leftover wool. 

So with all of this in mind, here are a few crafty goals of mine for the coming months:

* Make it a point to carry a smaller craft with me when I'm travelling for my placement and school-- knitting, cross stitch, it's all good
* Set aside a least a few hours a week to be creative - actually get myself to knit night, spend a little bit of time looking through some craft items while I'm watching a movie
* Make sure to start carrying my inspiration/ blogging notebook around with me again --I always think of my best ideas when I'm out, and I never have a pen or paper. This should also help with some Christmas list planning that I'm behind on...

I'm hoping these small goals will help me to feel more inspired and creative, since that was a big thing I struggled with last year during school. I'll be sure to share some progress on my journey back into regular crafting!

Pop on over to the Maven Circle today for more Truthy Tuesday posts about inspiration and original ideas, as well as to find out how to get involved in this amazing weekly link up! 

♥ Craftzilla 

Risks Worth Taking

Today I'm linking up with the Maven Circle and Truthy Tuesday, to talk about risks that are worth taking. To  link up and see a list of future topics, click here.

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Gillian on Pinterest

I've never been one to take many risks. I'm more the type to weigh decisions too carefully, until the moment has passed and the decision is no longer there to make. I'm that girl who considers everyone's feelings and all possible outcomes instead of going with my gut, and regrets that moment where everything could have changed and didn't, goes over in my dreams how some things in life would have gone a completely different way if I'd thrown even that one ounce of caution to the wind.

Then there are the risks I took that were stupid ones, that left me alone in alleys at night, without my wits when I needed all of them about me, that left me faced with impossible decisions with only heartbreaking solutions, one way or the other.

But then there were the  risks that made it all worth it: the risk taken to pursue that job or move or relationship that was risky or far away or unsure in the hopes that it will be worth it in the end, that you will find new skills and community and happiness that never would have been possible if you hadn't just closed your eyes and jumped in head first while trying not to recall that time at camp you did so at the top of an actual cliff and it resulted in the most epic bellyflop of the summer, because even that was worth it really - no one had ever named a dive after you before, and the Gillyflop was exceedly catchy in it's bruised hilarity. 

If not for taking some risks,  I wouldn't live where I live, wouldn't be back in school again, wouldn't be in the relationship I am and I wouldn't even be talking about this on this blog. These are the risks that I  never regretted taking, that remind me that good things can come of taking risks when  lack of confidence or other people's voices in my head try to drown me out and keep me paralyzed. Above all, I took a chance and know what the the outcome is --I never have to wonder "what if" or "I wish I had done that" and this sense of knowing is a lot easier to live with at the end of the day, even if I had to some fear and hardship to know. 

♥ Craftzilla

On Creating Space

Today I'm sharing my thoughts on creating space for Truthy Tuesday, a weekly linkup on the Maven Circle. For more information on how to participate, check out the Truthy Tuesday info page. 

Source: apairofpears.com via Gillian on Pinterest

Today I'm thinking a lot about space.  About creating it for myself, using it wisely, building up as well as out and taking it when I can get it.  

I'm thinking about beauty, and design and room to move and create and grow. 

I'm thinking about shelves for my newly reclaimed desk area, about having supplies within reach to create. 

Everything in it's place , and a place for everything.

About embracing space where it's needed for my own sanity and that of others.  

Letting space evolve, rather than forcing it.

About letting things be and letting them grow as they were meant to. 

Trying not to think of the impossibility of making this space, but of doing what I can, what is realistic and what is possible. 

About subtracting those things that don't matter  as much to make room for others. 

Opening my mind up to a world of possibility. 

Dealing with the space and time limitations that  I've made for myself, with the start of school again. 

Trying to breathe when the space is tight.

Understanding that nothing will be perfect,, that unpacking will be done eventually, routines will develop and a new rhythm will emerge for fall. 

That nothing is impossible.  That nothing is perfect. 

That sometimes the walls will seem close, and others non-existent. That some are of my own making. That some need to be dismantled and rebuilt. 

That space is most often a state of mind.

♥ Craftzilla

Simplicity and Procrastination

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Today I'm sharing my thoughts on simplicity  for Truthy Tuesday, a weekly linkup on the Maven Circle. For more information on how to participate, check out the Truthy Tuesday info page. 

I've written a few times about simplicity (searching for it here and here and looking for a simple life) and the ways I want simplicity and balance  to be more of a presence in my life, from having less stuff to being more organized, to getting more sleep and taking better care of myself. But it's become clear that what really needs simplifying around my neck of the woods is...my brain.

My brain and it's patterns of procrastination is the one that's putting forth the biggest challenge to me finding some simplicity in my life, with it's tendency towards procrastination in all things, which is a huge challenge that I'm trying to overcome in my daily life to try to incorporate simplicity into my life in a real way.  

Procrastination is eating up my time, occupying my thoughts, interrupting my sleep with late night catch ups and eating into my quality time with friends, puppies and family. It doesn't seem to matter what thing I have to do, be it walk the dog, get dressed, work on an assignment or get to bed on time, but my brain jumps in with a "just check your email one more time" or "maybe just one more show with the boy won't hurt" or "maybe a new knitting project is just the ticket!"

With school coming up, I'm trying to break some of these bad habits and put some new routines and schedules into place to help combat this time wasting and lick my procrastinating streak, but it's been slow going to change years of thought process. 

My general strategies will be to: 

Be more organized: Meal plans, to do lists, chore charts

Waste less time on the less important things.  Prioritize and make time for what counts.

Break tasks into smaller ones, and do a little bit each day rather than leaving bigger projects to the last minute. 

Make deadlines and stick to them. 

If you have any tips for fighting procrastination, I'd love to hear them! 

♥ Craftzilla 

Getting over a Bad Day: Thoughts on Changing your Perspective

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I saw a post from my lovely friend Kelly up on her blog, and decided I'd participate in a bit of Truthy Tuesday-ness of my own! Hop on over to the Maven Circle blog to check out how to participate, as well as to view other posts on this week's topic of bad days and how to get over them.

When I'm having a bad day, you'll definitely know it. 

This is not a trait about myself that I particularly love, but when I'm having a bad day or in a bad mood, I can get C-R-A-N-K_Y. Woe to you inanimate objects that get in my way and stub my toe, you puppies who pull on your leash, or people who irritate me on these kind of terrible, no good very bad days, because you might just be in for a bit of crankiness when I'm having one of those bad days.

I've written a post before about my ways to de-stress on these kinds of bad days (puppy hugs, tea, cookies and baths anyone? ) so today's post is more about ways that I try to change my perspective to turn a bad day into a good day.

Turn that frown upside down: Everyone's Mom has said this to them at some point, with varying results, but it's really a true statement. If I acknowledge that I'm in a bad mood and laugh at my crankiness or the fact that I just stubbed my toe on a box and am yelling at it, that little bit of realizing the ridiculous and acknowledging the crankiness can sometimes be enough to snap me out of a bad mood and out of a bad day funk. A little bit of laughing at yourself can go a long way.

Get a change of perspective, literally. Get up. Hang upside down, Do some yoga. Go outside for a walk. Go to another room. Go to the mall or the library or somewhere where you're not expected to talk. Hide under the blankets for awhile in a makeshift fort (we're never too old for a good blanket fort!). Having some new scenery to look at or getting out for a walk or some exercise always seems to get me out of my current state of mind and into a new one, as long as I don't stub my toes on too many things on my way.

Talk it Out. Maybe this is just me talking to my partner or a friend about whatever it is that has put me in a bad mood, or me spending some quality time with my journal complaining about everything, but some reflection and thought on the bad day mood can help give you some perspective on why you're feeling so cranky and help to get over it.  I know for myself, my bad mood usually my bad mood stems from frustration over a bunch of little things all piling up, so talking it out can definitely help as well as give me some perspective on the issues at hand and how to start solving them, rather than thinking of everything bad in my life that has happened EVER, since then I'm even more unlikely to recover from my bad mood.

What do you do to change your perspective when you're having a  bad day? 

♥ Craftzilla 

Holiday Ornament Inspiration

I'm getting on the Christmas boat a bit late probably, but considering the lack of time I have at the moment, I think it's reasonable. Also, I'm already listening to Christmas music non-stop whenever I'm at work and hearing about everyone else's Christmas-y projects, so that counts, right?

At any rate, I am going to have to keep my Christmas projects simple this year, so I'm thinking a lot of my crafting will end up being ornaments, so I hopped onto Pinterest this morning to start getting some ideas. All the pins below have tutorials links below if you'd like to make your own!

These Matryoshka Ornaments are so simple and cute! Good for Christmas, but good for people who don't necessarily celebrate Christmas.

Source: mysparkle.blogspot.com via Gillian on Pinterest

Tutorial

These cute tree ornaments are so colourful and simple!

Source: sewmamasew.com via Gillian on Pinterest

Tutorial

I admit to loving penguins, quite a lot!

Source: thetroublewithcrafting.blogspot.com via Gillian on Pinterest

Tutorial

Mmm Bacon, you should fill my belly and decorate my house! Yes please!

Source: blog.seremeres.com via Gillian on Pinterest

Tutorial

Cute mittens - I like the numbers on them as well, might even be neat for an Advent calendar.

Source: oliverands.com via Gillian on Pinterest

Tutorial

These houses make me die of the cute! Also would be fun for Advent Calendars, or even to personalize a bit with the person's address for gift giving.

Source: retro-mama.blogspot.com via Gillian on Pinterest

Tutorial

Oh my, how I love terrariums, and these are so sweet!

Source: designsponge.com via Gillian on Pinterest

Tutorial

Neat Idea as well--very classy and simple. I think I'd have to add some colour somewhere though.

Source: marthastewart.com via Gillian on Pinterest

Tutorial

I can always put a bird on it, and these are so pretty and simple.

Source: projectsforyournest.blogspot.com via Gillian on Pinterest

Tutorial

These silhouette ornaments would be a great way to personalize an ornament gift. It would be neat to do them over the years for kids too.

Source: modestmaven.blogspot.com via Gillian on Pinterest

Tutorial

Hope you found some interesting ideas! If you make any of these ornament tutorials, or have some other ideas to share, please let me know!

♥ Craftzilla

7 Day Push - Read a Book - Kobos and Book Clubs, oh my!

I used to read  A LOT. The fact that I read all the time as a kid and into highschool meant that choosing to do an English degree when I was first at university an easy thing. Read lots of books and get to critically discuss them with others? Yes please! But since getting out of university, I've found it harder to actually sit down with a book for some reason. I'm not sure when my greatest pasttime became something I had to schedule in, but between everything else going on, and moving to a smaller city where I no longer spent hours a day commuting, I just haven't read as much as I used to, and I was really missing it. Not to mention I was (am still am) really trying to work my way through reading a lot of books that I have in my home library that I've never read and not always succeeding without a goal in mind.  That was part of why I made my goal to read more books as a part of my 30 before 30 list (# )

What's changed lately has been that I rented a few of my textbooks from an online site, for WAY less than buying the hardcopies and decided that in order to read them (and because I'd saved so much money) that I'd TREAT MA SELF (reference - please watch the hilarity of this scene from Parks and Rec)and buy a touchscreen Kobo!

Yup, I'm in love! I'm reading until late at night again, and have read 5 or 6 books since getting it, as well as got an awesome deal on the new Jeffrey Eugenides book, the Marriage Plot. I'm even doing a fun bookclub on Goodreads with Liesi from Too Crewel, because I'm just that excited about reading again. The touch screen is awesome and responsive, it's easy to save your place and mark up the text if you want, and there are tongs of free classics and other books available on the Kobo site. Finally I've been making a bit of progress working my way through the BBC Big Reads list  and I'm feeling much happier for it! Books I'm currently reading include "The Return of Sherlock Holmes" and soon the Marriage Plot, once I find the darn cable for my Kobo to sync it  (downside, everything uses cables which are easily lost in my apartment) I am in fact a little bit sad that another awesome new Kobo, the Kobo Vox ereader is already coming out -colour, touch screen and apps, oh my!  This sounds awesome already.

But I'm just going to settle for the awesome Kobo I already have and go and read some more books.

Do you use an ereader or do you prefer reading a real book?

♥ Craftzilla



Note: This is not a sponsored post, I just love and use this product, a lot!

New Things - New job Starting and Exciting Photo News!

So my first new thing is that I started my new job yesterday. I haven't worked a lot in retail, and never in setting up and stocking a new store, so this is a new learning experience for me, and a test in how long I can stay on my feet and not complain! For the most part, I had an OK day, but I'm definitely not used to being on my feet for so long, and I'm not much of a morning person. The people seem nice though, which is a plus, and I haven't been put in a situation for awhile (aside from school I guess) where I have to chat to people and get to know them. I can see how tired and busy I'm going to be though, and not looking forward to that aspect of things :(

In other exciting news, after my post about Culture Days the other week, I got an email from someone from Culture Days asking to include one of my photos in a thank you ad in the Globe and Mail! I'm excited to share the ad (that is running in today's Globe and Mail ) with you below!


In case you can't tell from the ad, the photo they used was this one of Gillian Wilson doing a screenprinting demonstration. It feels sort of fun to have one of my photos seen by a lot of people, and getting the photos ready to submit was definitely a new thing I hadn't really done before.

All in all, lots of new things and information stirring around in my head, which feels good!

♥ Craftzilla 

7 Day Push - No Spend Week

This was sort of a difficult week for me to participate in this 7 Day Push challenge of spending no money, with it being my first week back at university, with books to buy and other school related things, but I tried to be mindful and keep a mindful eye to spending.

There were definitely areas where I failed in this, and some areas where money really had to be spent, but I tried to shop around and avoid impulse buys.\

Areas where money got spent that possibly could have been avoided:

Coffee at school - I admit it, I got used to the free coffee at work, am a bit addicted and not *quite* used to commuting an hour + a day anymore, and REALLY NEEDED a few coffees during the week at school. Especially after stressful, wanna rip my hair out excursions like fighting my way through the bookstore.

Food- I tried to bring as much food with me as I could, but on the first day, I just didn't have anything prepared for dinner that I could bring, and ended up having to eat out for dinner. This was also a day of me being away from home for like 14 hours, so I didn't feel too badly about it. I got a sub at Subway, and resisted the urge to get the combo. That's something, right?

The Inevitables:

Books and Course Kits--I had to buy these, but tried to get them used where I could (difficult) and also ended up renting some in PDF format online, which actually saved me about $200.

Downside to books online: My repetitive strain in my wrists and arms has been bothering me this week, due to working on my laptop at school during interminably long breaks. My chirpractor recommended getting my home desk set up with correct ergonomic stuff as soon as possible, as well as using the money I saved on the books to buy a Kobo, which is touch screen and will make the reading of stuff a lot easier.

Which leads me to the next area that I spent money--on a chiropractor appointment, a new ergonomic keyboard and an ergonomic wireless mouse. The mouse is wireless, so I should be able to bring it with me to school and use it, and that should help a lot with the mousing arm pain I'm getting. The other purchase was the Kobo Touch E-Reader, which has come down in price, but wasn't really something I wanted to have to spend money on, but if my arms don't fall off because of it, I think it will be worth it.

With the money mindfulness, I've also been thinking where I can trim things out and bring in a bit more money to cover some of this stuff, so I've listed some stuff on Kijiji/Craigslist: a keyboard I'd bought but couldn't get to work with my computer, an antique table and will be following up with a family member who'd wanted to buy my old desktop computer.

Also, I've been applying for jobs, work study, bursaries and scholarships like a crazy person, since I have a bit of a shortfall in cash for the current moment, which is immensely stressing me out. So all in all, this was a great topic for me to think of for this 7 days, as finances, budgets and making do on less is really at the top of mind for me right now, and will likely continue to be for the next little while!

♥ Craftzilla

Today I am - Link up with After Nine to Five

Today I'm linking up with Ashley at her blog for a fun  post! This one has got me thinking about what's important today, which is always a good thing.

• Ready to actually do some fun things this summer with the time I have  now that I am not doing a summer course
• Wishing I could realistically go to games night tonight AND get everything I need to do done..but I guess we'll see how it goes
• Excited (still) about my first Etsy sale and wanting to get home to finish/photograph a bunch of things to add to the shop, as well as get some stuff packed up to ship out! (Sale + giveaways!)
• Proud that I am doing what my dreams are telling me I should do (at least in terms of a few things going on in my life) even though they are difficult and require sacrifices on my part
• Realizing that I always take on too much, and that I need to be more focused and streamlined in my thought processes to get things done 
• Finally adjusting to being back at work after another 3 day weekend. Sorta.
• Noticing that I am in need of a yoga session. T-e-n-s-i-o-n is brewing!
• Wasting time at work when I'd rather be doing other things!
  
• Hungry for all the types of pie that are at home in the fridge that I resisted packing all of into my lunch (sweet potato, chocolate tart, and pecan!)
• Looking forward to tonight and seeing my cute puppy and hanging out with the boy (it's the simple things, really)
• Thankful that a lot of my plans are coming together, and that I don't have to wait much longer to get started on a lot of exciting and fun things!

What are you today (or tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day…)? Link-up! (click on the image above to join in the fun!)
♥ Craftzilla

Blog Weekly Features - Searching for the Perfect Fit - Part 1

I've been thinking a lot lately about weekly blog features and which ones I should try to integrate into my blogging experience. There are so many out there, and while there are obvious ones that are not a good fit for my blog or where I am in life, there are still a ton of choices out there. Here's an overview of some of the weekly features I enjoy from other people's blogs, as I try to find a few features that I can keep up with and that fit with my writing style.

First off, I've been doing one of my own features, somewhat not religiously, which is a Sunday post called "Things I made and saw" which basically allows me some free rein to show some photos of adventures, as well as things I've crafted or cooked over the past week.  You can see the links here , here and here. I find this is working fairly well for me, since it allows me to sum up the week, do a fairly open post with some sort of structure, on a day when I have more free time than most nights during the week after work.

I tried doing a Photo Friday sort of thing a few times (here and here ) but I felt a bit limited to only show one photos, and lacking a theme of some sort, I felt a little lost, since you don't always have an awesome, hilarious photo like the one from the first post (this one) to share.

I've also done a few Etsy Treasury posts (here and here)  which I also think work well, as long as I have a theme and only do them once in awhile....not sure if I really have time to do one of those more than once a month or every two weeks or so.

General posts of tutorials around some sort of theme also seem to be informative and interesting, and I know I like these ones on other people's blogs, since I love tutorials and different ideas for doing things. And things  like Pinterest are super helpful at keeping track of these sort of things (when I have time to play around with them, of course!)

I'd also like to do a few more tutorials of my own (I've done a couple ) but I find the steps a bit time consuming (plus it's hard to get pictures of things you're sewing--need to work on this )  However I definitely have a few more projects, tips and techniques to share, so likely there will be a few more tutorial posts to come, with the possibility of some video tutorials (if I get up the nerve)

Anyways, so making progress, and I'll think a little further about what works best for me, as well as put together a bunch of options that other bloggers are doing for weekly features (that will be Part 2) and I'll see what works best for me :)


♥ Craftzilla

Happy Trails and Sidewalk chalk

We went on a sunny walk with the pooch tonight, and were out enjoying the nice weather

We were enjoying the new stretch through Guelph of the TransCanada trail that's still being worked on. Is a nice walk through the park and

Oh, and I was wearing my fancy new brooch today that I won in a giveaway from PunkrawkPurl and Restless Hearts Crafts! Look how purty!

Also, gaze upon the loveliness of my fancy lace shawl that I finished awhile ago! It's from a Needful yarns pattern, and knitted in 3 different colourways of Needful Geranium (which sadly seems to be discontinued)

We also ran across some ridiculously cute and amusing chalk drawings! I miss those days when I used to graffiti things around downtown TO with my roommate  use chalk to draw hopscotch boards when I was a kid.

In case you can't read this, it says "I may look innocent now, but as son as we are along I will EAT YOU!" Du dun DAHH!"

Eventually, we have to come home again. All of us are not that pleased by this--some of us wanted to stay and play allll day.

♥ Craftzilla