Gloryfades.org

November is here and it has brought the cold weather along with it. Currently it’s about 9 degrees celsius in Mississauga. Yesterday I had frost on my windshield which sucked. I actually had to get out of the car and scrape it off. I didn’t have my gloves with me so my hands were icicles by the time I was back in the car.

This creativity kick that I was talking about earlier is still sitting around in my head. G. has asked me to “stick to one” but there’s a lot that I want to try. Right now I’m planning to make my own Christmas cards this year. I bought the supplies last night at Michaels. It wasn’t cheap but I’ll probably have enough stuff left over for next year as well. Besides, I can make other things with the cardstock.

To some people this sounds like a really tedious task with little to no benefit. However, I disagree. Benefits don’t necessarily have to be things like a returned Christmas card - they can be as simple as an email response or a recollection months later.

Friend: “Hey, remember when you sent me that card for Christmas?”
Me: “Yeah, those were a lot of fun.”
Friend: “It looked really cool, too.”

Something like that … Even if I don’t get a response, it doesn’t really matter to me. I’ll enjoy making them on blustery nights in my room while my bunny hops around.

What is important to me is enjoying what I’m doing, being imaginative, using my hands and my brain to create something pretty.

I never thought I would appreciate what Martha Stewart does - and to a big extent I still don’t since most of her supplies are extremely overpriced - but I suppose I get why she started out. She built an empire on making personal creations she could share with her family and friends. I want to be able to do that as well. A lot of people think she’s just awful and maybe they’re right. She’s so WASPy, so saccharine, just so perfect that the only place she can really go is down.

Still, at the core, all she’s doing is making nice things. What’s wrong with making nice things? If you have the time and the energy, you should totally do it. The objective is not to become Martha Stewart; it’s to slow down and do things for oneself for a little while.

I certainly didn’t set out to turn this entry into an argument for Martha Stewart. I guess I just recognize the intentions behind all of the stuff that she hawks. I also recognize that the bottom line is also the almighty dollar, which is why I don’t buy Martha Stewart brand items! I’m not stupid.

Perhaps one day I’ll finally settle on something like G. asked. I’m not really sure why I should, though. It keeps me busy and keeps me entertained.