It wasn't two minutes ago we were all praying for January to be over and our prayers were answered FAST it's now May!! Is anyone still working on their New Year's resolutions or have they all gone out the window as "real" life events take priority?

Something I have learned in this season is to focus on changing one thing at a time - the success rate is much higher that way as I am not splitting my attention in a million directions (multi-tasking is our norm) The same can be said for our craft projects - focusing on one has the advantage of steady consistent progress being made, with a sense of completion and satisfaction at the end.

We don't get that feeling when we are flitting between many projects as we just have lots of unfinished things hanging around, taking up room and making visual clutter as well as mental clutter! (Ask me how I know!!)

The Challenge: Pick a Project of the Month

My hope for you this month is that you pick a project of the month and just focus on that one for May. Build time into your schedule to focus purely on that, and enjoy the happy endorphins that it will give you. You deserve those happy hormones!

My Project for May will be the cross stitch

“be the reason that someone smiles today”

Here's the link if you want to see what other projects are in it:

Tips for enjoying your craft project

If you’re like me you might have a job deciding which project to take on!! So my suggestion to you today is to grab a cuppa and take a minute or 30 to:

1. Go and round up all your projects, list them all out.

2. Think about each one and see if you still feel excited about making or gifting it. If that excitement is there, keep it on the list. My planner is ideal for noting these down

My planner is a great way to keep a record of all your works in progress and as a keepsake to look back on your crafting journey. You can grab yourself a copy from Amazon.

What if it doesn't fill me with joy or excitement?

If it doesn't fill you with joy or excitement then consider not finishing it!! ( WHAT!!)

You read that right.

Repurpose it, give it to a charity shop, or see if your other crafty friends might like it!

If it's making you feel guilty then it's not doing what it's supposed to be doing.

Crafting is meant to fill you with joy and be a way for you to fill your cup.

What do you need right now?

Once you have narrowed down the keep pile then decide what your needs are right now. Do you even know!

I'm talking crafts here - but may as well ask yourself what your own "life " needs are too - Have you ever even stopped and thought about it? Or are you just living life on autopilot - something to ponder over the next few days?

Anyway - back to the pile:

3. Consider your needs right now and what is going to make you feel great/proud/happy and how much time you can allocate to spend on crafting this month. I actually split it into "TV project" and 1 other – if it’s going to make you feel great/proud/happy then why would you not want to do as much of this as you can?

4. Decide on THE item.

(Put all the rest of the items away! - ie out of sight – they don’t even exist for this month!)

5. Enjoy the project you have picked.

bonus tip: I would also encourage you while you are crafting to think about how it makes you feel and maybe just jot down those feelings on the pattern or notebook you might be using. Noticing how good it makes you feel will help you to realise its importance and help you give yourself permission and time to do it in the future.

Making time for yourself is so important !!

I know I have talked about this before – but I am so passionate about needing time to recharge that I am talking about it again. It’s OK to stop and do nothing. It is essential to stop and do nothing.

If we are always on the go, we cannot sustain that pace and we will crash and burn. In all honesty, crafting is technically not doing anything – but it’s a good compromise.

It stops us from burning out, gives us Joy, and fills up our reserves ready to share those reserves again with those who need them. It is tough to give your best to those who mean the most to you when you are running on empty.

It’s OK to block out time in your day for you.

You need to do it for the dentist etc!

Are your needs right now to get some quick wins or is there one project that has grabbed your attention (but might take longer)? You know you. You do you.

If you will get bored doing the longer project once the initial enthusiasm has died off (That'll be me!) then maybe the sense of satisfaction, if you can finish 2 items from the pile, would be a better win for you right now.

Commit to booking some time into your month to do something just for you – it's not rocket science – don’t overcomplicate it (also me!). Schedule it in if you need to - that’s what I needed to do to have half a chance of it happening!

Always Remember...

You reap what you sew - if you are unraveling at the seams then you are not going to be able to go the distance for your loved ones before you fall apart! It's time to stop and fix your seams (for everyone's sake!)

Remember,

You matter more than you know and my mission is to make sure YOU realise that!

I'm rootin' for you from MIS HQ xx

____

Fiona (YOUR #1 cheerleader)

Wife | Mother | Creator of The Make it Sew Online Membership

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