Doing Too Much and How To Do Less

'I believe I can' - affirmation card

Hello my friends,


I have the most amazing amount of stuff I want to achieve at the moment!  I've taken on two creative business courses (which I'm doing and loving), am dreaming and planning new art work not to mention all the normal stuff that comes with family life such as the supermarket shop, the school run, cooking, keeping the house clean etc; you know the kind of things I'm talking about!


When life gets full up with things to achieve, I sometimes find myself looking for a fast forward button - I feel so much excitement about my projects and ideas, that I just cannot wait to get them all done and out there!  When I feel this happening, I realise I need to slow down and find my rythmn again.  It's just as easy to lose my momentum on something if I go at it head down and full speed, as when I take an age beginning a new project, and the ideas percolate for too long and lose their sparkle.

What happens when we lose our rythmn and go into overdrive?
 
My experience has been this:  

Life becomes jumbled and untidy 
I tend to eat rubbishy foods (like cookies, chocolate, heaps of toast and marmalade and kettle chips) 
I am late going to bed and spend way too much time on my computer.  
I rush my 'relaxing' bath and race through my day with each thought chasing the tail of the last one.  
I get crabby and irritable
I feel overwhelmed


Not too much gets achieved when I'm like that because there is no rythmn.  It's jerky, it's messy, and it's painful because it leads to feelings of frustration and failure.  When I expect too much too soon, I usually always feel the pain of these feelings and emotions coming up and I know that I need to move at a more gentle pace, and make time to listen to what I (my body) really needs.  Oh, and I need a plan too.

 

 A favourite waterside walk to relax

Getting outside is enormously helpful for me (as in calming and relaxing), and having a diary or planner for my deadlines is too.  Once I have stuff written down and I can physically see the dates I'm needing to get stuff done by, the urge to rush around like a wild chicken disappears.  I know I can realistically achieve stuff when I've planned for it and that naturally creates breathing space for the rest of life to resume it's regular (and happier) pace again.  I begin to cook healthy food, go to bed at a reasonable hour, and I can hold a conversation without frowning and snapping.  I feel more balanced when I remove the panic and urgency from my mind.

How do you deal with overwhelm, and what do you find works best for you when you're bogged down with busyness?  Please share your thoughts in the comments thread, I'll be popping in randomly to join in the conversation!

Thanks for reading, big love to you

Julia x

PS:

I will shortly be releasing a NEW Open Edition Signed Print of 'The Evening Stroll' which will be available at a special price to my mailing list subscribers for a limited time ~ sign up now to hear about it first, and to take advantage of the discount! (click the link with the envelope in the side bar - it's free and you'll also benefit from exclusive news, art updates, sale previews and regular discounted prices on my work) x

 

'The Evening Stroll'

www.juliacrossland.co.uk

Pumpkins, Strawberries and Joy

Hello!  Hope you are well!

Today I am sharing my hand illustrated Christmas cards with you!  I've been looking forward to doing this, but had to keep them under wraps for a while - but at last, here they are!

I wanted to create a handful of special cards that would show lots of little images reflecting the festive season...tiny pictures and words came to mind, and so after some sketching and doodling, I came up with these.  Each hand painted tile is mounted in relief of a white A5 sized card, and they're blank inside for your own message.  Seasonal greetings have been hand written around the edge of the artwork, and each card is signed by me.

The individual tiles are hand painted in watercolour, with a shimmer glaze for added sparkle and finished with ink.  There are only four left at present and I've got them up for sale in my Folksy Shop if you wish to take a peek.

Here's a close up:

I do hope you like them!

So, wandering away from All Things Christmassy, did you all have a ghoulish Halloween weekend?  My Small Person declared very loudly that she did NOT like witches at all, and would not dress up.  She said she thought the Scary Heads in the shops were horrid and did not like it.  Instead, she would dress up as a fairy and would stretch to helping with pumpkin scooping but that was it.

So pumpkin scooping it was, and not a witches hat in sight!

Our Halloween was very murky and foggy - very appropriate spooky conditions actually, and our lantern blazed marvellously outside in the gloom.  Miss Fairy spent much time back and forth looking at it out of the window, and talking to it.

"Mummy.  Pumpkin Head is sad.  He wants to come in for some tea!"

We are now looking forward to bonfire night - must get myself a decent pair of wellies this year unless I want to come home caked in mud like Farmer Barlemow again! And then it will be Christmas...although in some respects it feels like it already!!  But before we all go demented with the sights of heavily decorated department stores (with Mariah Carey piped in for good measure), I thought I'd mention another little print I'm releasing...and this, I hope you will like, because it harks back to late summer, not a whiff of Christmas about it (unless you would like to buy one as a Christmas present of course!! :D)

Taken from the original painting 'Strawberries & Daisies' - this print will be available on my website, and eventually in my Folksy and Etsy emporiums for £14.00.  It comes mounted with a back board, and each print is hand titled and signed.

Each print is also gift wrapped in bright tissue paper and twine...

...and don't forget, UK mainland customers can take advantage of Free Shipping!

Well there is much to be done these days, Im doing my best to visit Blogland as much as I can, and I've enjoyed catching up with a few of you - Im looking forward to my mid-afternoon cuppa when I will make time to have another roam!  For now though, there is work to be done, a Small Person to keep amused so I will wave Au-revoir for now.  Thank you so much for stopping by, it means such a lot that you do, and also for taking time to comment, I know its a busy time of year for many of you, which makes it all the more special when you do drop in to say Hello.

Sending you caramel lattes, warm mittens and love

Julia x

Toasty Mitts

Morning folks!

As promised, today is Free Tutorial day, for a pair of cosy arm warmers.

For those of you who don't want to read all the pattern bumf, you can scroll down for a scoop of other news at the end :D

My pattern is written using USA terminology so for those who usually follow UK, I hope you can convert it easily. Only the basic stitches are used, SS (slip stitch) SC (single crochet) and DC (double crochet).

I used Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk DK wool in three shades, on a Number 4 hook to make my warmers, and here's how you can make yours!

'Toasty Mitts' Arm Warmers Pattern

First of all, measure your forearm roughly half way up. Mine measured 24cm and you will need to keep a note of this so that you can create a cuff that fits snug (without being too loose) to this length.

Make Your Cuff: Chain 10 + 1 (11)

Push your hook under the 2nd Ch from the hook and single crochet into each stitch along the row until you reach the end (this is a fiddly bit, yes).

Ch 1 for turning chain, and turn your crochet around to work the next row.

On this row, you are going to crochet a SC into the BACK LOOP of the stitch only.

Here is my hook, going under the back loop to show you:

Do a SC into the back loop of each remaining stitch on the row.

Ch 1, turn your work and continue, SC into the back loop of each stitch.

As your rows grow, you will notice a pretty rib pattern emerging:

When you have crocheted enough rows to meet your arm measurement, you need to join the cuff to form a ring.

Turn your crochet work around so that the rows are vertical when you look at them, and push your hook into the topmost corner stitch at the other end of your crochet work to form a ring:

Join with a SS.

Next, we are going to work around the long edge of the cuff with DC stitches.

These need to be evenly spaced, and if you study your work you will see a space at the top of each rib indentation, and a stitch roughly at the top of each rib protrusion (if that makes sense, oh I hope it does!)

First of all, push your hook under the first stitch on the cuff...

...and Ch3...

DC into the next stitch:

Continue around the long edge of the cuff, until you reach the end of your piece.

(here the hook is showing you roughly where to be looking for your stitch to DC into).

When you reach the last stitch space, DC into it and then join with a SS to the 3rd Ch of the first chain you made.

Fasten off, and tie/add another colour.

Hook under 1st stitch, Ch3, then DC around the row, SS to join into 3rd stitch of first Chain.

(it may be a good idea to have a stitch count, to make sure you are keeping each row the same length).

Work this way until you have approximately 14 rows (feel free to add more if you want them longer though).

Now its time to make the thumb holes:

Now this is where the arm warmers differ slightly, and is the only difference in the pattern that you need to take note of. To keep the seam running inside the glove (ie, palm side) we do our thumb holes in different places on the two gloves.

For the RIGHT HAND WARMER:

Hook under 1st stitch, Ch3 and DC around.

When you have 7 stitches left at the end of the row, it is time to create your first thumb hole.

Do 1DC (6 stitches left)

CH 4

Count (and miss out) 4 stitches and DC into the 5th stitch.

DC into the 6th stitch and SS to join to the 3rd stitch of the first chain.

Fasten off, tie in your new colour and as before, hook under 1st stitch, Ch3, then DC all the way around, simply DC into the 4 Chain stitches you used to make the top of the thumb hole as normal.

For the LEFT HAND WARMER:

Hook under 1st stitch, Ch 3 and do 1 DC into next 2 stitches.

Count 4 stitches and Chain 4, DC into the 5th stitch and carry on with 1DC in each stitch until you have completed the round.

Fasten off, tie in your new colour and carry on, as before.

You will need to crochet 3 or 4 more rounds of DC, depending on where you want the arm warmer to finish on your hand. To finish the arm warmer, the last two rows are both SC done into the BACK LOOP of each stitch:

*Attach new colour wool.

Hook under 1st stitch, Ch1

SC into BACK LOOP of each stitch to complete round.

SS to join into the 1st chain you made, fasten off.

Repeat from * for the second round.

You will now need to join together the edges of your cuff - there are a couple of ways to do it:

Turn your arm warmer inside out. You can simply sew the two edges together with the same colour wool, or you can SC them.

To SC the edges, hold the two edges together and push your hook through the two outside loops of each stitch. SC down the edges until you reach the end, finish off.

All that remains to do now is that nasty job of sewing in all the ends - just turn your arm warmers inside out, get a big pile of biscuits and a cuppa (always helps at these crucial mundane moments to have something nice to take our minds off it I think) and get busy.

By now I hope you are posing in your new Arm Warmers and making Happy Noises :D

I also hope the pattern has made sense - I really do, please holler if there are any bits you don't understand or you don't think Ive explained very well, I will email you back with some help.

Well!

I don't want to turn this post into War & Peace, so I will just quickly tell you about two other bits of news before I go - the first is very nice - two very kind and thoughtful fellow Bloggers have given my little blog an award! Yes, Two of them!! I couldn't get my hat on to be honest and feel very pleased at being chosen.

This one was given to me by Jessie

...and this one was given to me by Hilde at Quilts & Boxes

Thank you both so much!

I know I'm meant to distribute these awards, but you know me of old - I can't choose to save my life, there are way too many good Blogs to pick from - so I invite each of you, my dear readers, to please take a wee award for yourselves, you each deserve it for stopping by and reading my waffling...I trust you're still reading...you haven't gone have you? (although by this point I wouldn't blame you, it's been a lengthy tome hasn't it, what with that pattern!)

I will also endeavour to share some vital bits and pieces with you on my next post, as the rules do state you have to reveal things about yourself...but I think I've gone on quite long enough today!

Although there is one last thing before I go...

I have a new print for you - it's called Bear Hug, and it is a picture with some special meaning for me at the moment. Right now, my Little Egg is experiencing her first taste of nursery...we're off to a shaky start, and this picture is helping to remind her how loved she is, and to reassure her that Mummy will always be there.

I am popping it in my Print Gallery and in my Folksy and Etsy shops (links above), it might just make a lovely wee gift for someone and it costs just £14.00 with free P&P in the UK, and a small shipping charge for overseas.

If you are still reading at this point, can I just say 'Thank You' - and also 'Welcome' to some new followers, its nice of you to drop by!

Have a glowing weekend, sending you steaming mugs of hot tea, apple pie and clotted cream, and a golden September sunset...

Love Julia x x x