Ali Edwards Challenge - the delightful side of crafting

Ali Edwards set a challenge for us this week: “This week I want you to take a look at those "extras" that are truly delighting you right now and making you want to create. Make a list and then CREATE a layout that details your favorites. I love how people ended up making layouts about their essentials - very cool idea.”

Well, I am still building up my craft supplies so most of what I have is really pretty essential for me, but I think I do have some luxuries too that I love to have around me. The more I thought about it, the more I realised it isn’t the things that top the list. It’s the connections with people I treasure the most. Here’s a list of things that currently give me joy:

The people:

1. Blogs, Web sites and Magazines about how other people make their cards and LOs. It’s a real luxury to me to have found some inspiring and warm people in these wonderful communities! You are all amazing.
2. RAKs (Random Acts of Kindness) and the people who send them! What a wonderful, uplifting thing for people to do.
3. Live Workshops with friends – how relaxing and enjoyable these are. I had no nearby friends who were interested in craft when I started making cards seriously, but all that has changed wonderfully.

The things:

4. Flowers, little and big, silk and paper and punched and hand made. I love them. They seem to be able to bring a project into another class. Same as stickers and ribbons – they are fun and quick and easy and pretty. Oh and I like beads too.
5. Punches – I borrowed a bag of them from a generous friend – and they are so much fun. This friend also lent me a bag of new stamps! Joy! (Hmm – this is a people one too!)
6. A slow recovery foam block that can take on the shape of anything it can be pushed into - you heat it up with a hair dryer then push it onto something with an interesting texture, and voila - a new bg stamp! You can have different textures on each surface of the cube.
   

OK – that’s my list. I will have to work on getting a LO done which can reflect some of this. I may not get that part done this week, but ‘counting my blessings’ about my craft has been a very lovely thing to do. Thanks for the idea, Ali.