Looking forward to the weekend and taking the opportunity to enjoy some of my favourite hobbies. The weather can’t make up its mind. One day sunny and dare I say warm (for this time of year) another day wet and cold. But at least both are perfect for relaxing and yet also doing.
I have a lovely quiet weekend of hobbies planned. A chance, after a full on season of guiding in the Loire, to relax, rejuvenate and simply enjoy the peace and quiet of time spent to myself. The real trick is deciding what to work on. The world of hobbies is my oyster, and there are way too many pearls. Sometimes I focus in on one project, sometimes its fun to work on a few, changing when the whim takes me. Whichever way and wherever, the joy is in the doing. Pure luxury.
Great Plans
One of my all time favourite and long term hobbies is junk card making. This came about as stationery became harder and harder to find for my letter writing. Along the same time was a discovery of junk journals and how to make them, where you use up all sorts of things to make a journal.
Except I have never been a journal writer. The concept though is such a neat one it simply made sense to use the idea. I just apply it to making cards for people instead. It sort of turned them into book cards, a card with many pages to write on.
Junk Journal Cards
Junk ‘journaling’ gives the opportunity to use up old scraps of paper, envelopes, bags, tags… as well as old magazines. Really whatever ephemera I have about. Add in some printed washi tape, the odd sticker and each card ends up being completely unique. (I’m thinking of making a few for My Shop. What do you think?)
I hope to finish a card I have on the go tomorrow. Then let Sunday’s weather either beckon me outside to write in it or cosy up on the sofa to put pen to paper. Funny enough, most of my letters begin ‘I am sat here amongst my ducks, or snuggled with a cat…’. This card is a proper book and will take a few ‘sat amongst my pets’ sessions to finish writing it. Another joy of letter writing.
Rag Rugs
Another favourite hobby is making rag rugs. I started by making a few small ones. Then progressed to a large one, which now resides besides my bed. I am in need of a new large one to put in front of my sofa. As winters’ temperatures loom on the horizon the need for warmth underfoot becomes a definite necessity.
Making a rag rug is such a nostalgic idea as well as being practical on many fronts. It’s also a fantastic way to use up worn out clothes, especially socks with holes in them. I find it strangely therapeutic to sit and cut up into strips in preparation. Especially the socks, as I cut them like peeling an orange in one piece.
I love the idea that that’s all it takes. No sewing, nothing needed but rags and time. Isn’t that what favourite hobbies are all about? Nothing really needed but creativity and time? And a few scraps.
Scraps
Interestingly, in writing this, I realise my favourite hobbies seem to involve using up scraps. Bits of paper, or old clothes, I guess a chance to give new life to old adds to the happiness of projects. Certainly, if I look at the cards I have made, the rugs or other projects, memories come to the fore of sat making them, as well as enjoying them.
The real trick, for me, is not letting the scraps pile up too much. It’s way to easy. Conscious time has to be made to look around and reflect, determining what needs using up before it starts to overwhelm both in mind and space. It helps to have a rule of one in, one out. I try to stick to, at least in my mind, completing one project before I can begin another. Still, things do mount up, and a good clear out helps focus the mind and time on doing. And having a bit of fun in the doing.
And oh, then there is the knitting, embroidery, quilting, candle making… Life is never dull when you have hobbies. Whatever they may be. What are your favourite hobbies?
More Bits
Having the luxury of time to work on favourite hobbies showcases to me how the simple things in life can engender happiness. If you would like more musings on simple living, you will find them here in Finding a Simple Life.
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Or, if you prefer, have a browse of my shops. Here’s a taste, including some designs of my own:
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