A Day Off

On Fridays I don't work at the library, and I always plan to make it My Day Off, but I usually end up spending it doing errands and chores. This morning I actually went back to sleep after the girls got on the bus at 7, had a late breakfast, skipped exercising the dog, and sat downstairs and played. Yesterday I brought home yet another craft book, this one titled Microcrafts, which has about 25 mini crafts to make. I've seen directions for making mini books elsewhere and this included a new version, so I thought I'd try it out. It's kind of time consuming and I'm not sure this is something I could mass produce for a swap, but they are kind of cute. The book pictured above and below was my first attempt. I folded and cut paper to make signatures, then stitched them together by hand with nylon thread (the time-consuming part) and glued them into this cover. When I looked at it this morning, I decided it was cute, but wondered whether or not I should add words and/or pictures. I hesitated because I didn't want to wreck it after I just made it! But I had recently cut out some uplifting and meaningful words from a cool catalog that I get (Isabella), so I decided to jump in and add some. I started with stamping on the title, "be mindful" because that is one of my goals for the new year - to be more mindful of my thoughts, words, and actions. (More on the rest of my goals coming soon...).
I glued, stamped, and wrote words so they read sort of like a little poem: "think happy thoughts, Joy deep in your soul, Love all around you, Peace & Light, serenity for your Spirit, kindness can transform your world, Be the Change, spread joy, share hope, imagine peace, seek Grace, strength & wisdom, Pray always..." It might make a nice addition to my cluster charm necklace and help me remember to be more mindful.

Then I thought maybe it would be easier and quicker to decorate the pages before they're folded and cut, and then add some things here and there after the book is assembled. So I made another version, below. Of course, none of the words ended up where I hoped they would, but at least the pages have a little color and decoration. I suppose if I were sending this in a swap, I would leave it as is, and let the recipient add their own text.
Now that I've enjoyed most of the day, it's time to get some work done! I need to get to the grocery store and to pack up the cardboard for recycling day tomorrow. Before you know it, it will be time to cook dinner (maybe we'll do Chinese take-out tonight!).