Happy Monday to you all....I hope most of you are just getting home from work, enjoying a nice meal with family or friends and about to settle in for a couple hours of your favorite crafting past time. I hope you make the time to dedicate an hour or so to something you enjoy at least once or twice a week - it will do wonders for your soul - believe me! And the great thing about most crafts is you are producing something. You are contributing positively to the planet and the people around you. Crafts create smiles, warm hearts, spread joy and are a quintessential sharing mechanism. Tonight, I think I am just going to work on my mise en place. Yeah, I watch waaaaay too much Food Network! :0) Mise en place just means putting in place and is used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients. I thought I'd apply it to my crafts as well. Gracie, Ruth and I have been working on making more exploding boxes like the one below.
These boxes can get tedious and take 3 or 4 hours each because of all of the paper that needs to be cut and scored and then embellished. Luckily, Gracie's Dad and Ma have been very generously cutting and scoring the cardstock for the base, pocket insert and lid. So, Ruth and I thought we could make these boxes much more efficiently if we prepared some of the paper squares and triangles (for the folds) ahead of time. See - mise en place! :0)
Believe it or not, after an 8 hour Monday at work that seemed three times as long, there is something exceedingly relaxing and comforting about cutting out dozens of 3.5" squares of brightly colored paper. The repetitive motion helps me decompress and unlike watching Jersey Shore, I'm actually producing something useful. Another benefit is I'm using scraps of paper I already have. I've been thinking lately, that for a business that touts itself as sustainable and tries to use as much recycled and repurposed material as possible, we buy way too much stuff! In fact, it would probably be pretty safe to say, in 2011 alone, the 3 of use each made at least bimonthly trips to Michael's and Joanne's. And I'll wager, we each spent between $50 - $100 every time! (Those 40% off coupons will get you every time!) Our craft rooms are starting bulge at the seams! So, while I haven't officially boycotted either of my favorite supply stores, I have definitely cut down. I give myself a budget and just to start off on the right foot, I even told myself I wasn't going to Michael's in January, February or March. And you know what? It hasn't been that painful at all. Once you make up your mind, its actually quite easy.
Well, as always, that nk you for reading and for your support of Paper Dolls. We hope we provide you with ideas and inspiration - maybe even a few laughs along the way. My paper cutter is calling! Until next time, happy crafting and don't forget to share!
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