Updates and the New Year

Since I last wrote, I took up crafting - paper crafts. I started with paste paper, moved on to collage, then altered books, followed by rubber stamps, an art journal, and finally, cardmaking.

I've spent lots and lots of money on supplies; I've purchased, rubber stamps, clear stamps, ink, magazines, punches, stickers, and all manner of accessories to store, clean, display, and design cards or collages.

For all the organizing and money I've spent on craft supplies, I've made two "journal" pages, a set of Christmas cards (for office and immediate family), and gift labels (immediate family).

Following from my excessive spending on craft supplies in 2007, I'm going to curb my excessive spending this year (except tonight where I spent a lot of money buying new corner punches which I enjoy a great deal). More to the point - before Christmas I foolishly purchased Scene It for TV. It was spur of the moment; on the way out the door. My justification was that I like TV - it'll be more fun than the movie version I bought last year, which was really slow and I hated. Waddya know? This one is slow too. Bore Ing. What a waste of my money. That's the kind of purchase I want to stop making.

The other items on my To Do List in 2008 are:
1. approach all people and tasks with a warm and open heart
2. read 50 pages a day
3. Listen and Observe.

I've noticed that although its commonplace and noticeable when I 'approach' people and tasks during the day, I almost always forget that's what I'm doing, so I forget to have a warm and open heart. I'm already in the moment before I notice that it is a moment, so I can't approach with the right attitude fast enough. Over the years my heart has become less naturally warm and open. Practice, practice, practice.

Also, I haven't read 50 pages on any day of the year so far. I did read Rosie O'Donnell's book 'Celebrity Detox', but that hardly counts because it had big print, lots of poem type prose, and I skipped pages. Practice, practice, practice.

As noted above, I spent excessively this evening, but I feel its justified because even though I'm not making a craft item right now, the paper and punches and embellishments will be there tomorrow and the next day and the next day.

I've been aware of the 'listen and observe' one - practicing.