The Making Of Box #4

A dear friend of mine from high school in El Paso requested a Little Box Of Joy for a friend of hers.  I love reconnecting with old friends. And especially this one. We went through a really horrible experience in High school together. One of us should have written a book about it. We have lost track a few times but it always feels as if there has never been any time lost when we do reconnect.

This friend of hers is going through some difficult times.  She's hit a deep pot hole in the middle of her road. She's a fighter and tough, so she'll make it through fine. But my friend  thought she just needed an affirmation that she is perfect and loved and not alone. She is in the reserves and has my deepest respect. I appreciate her all the more for taking care of our country.

My friend told me about The 5 Languages of Love by Gary Chapman.  They are: affirmations, acts of service, receiving gifts, Quality time and physical touch. 
Have you read it and what do you think?   It was explained to me that her (box #4) love language is gifting. I also learned that she is an outdoorsy type of girl. She loves hunting and Motor cycles. Her favorite holiday is Christmas (how wonderful is that!). So it makes sense that she loves to give gifts.  In addition I learned that she LOVES mason jars, another favorite of mine. Actually I just love jars of all shapes and sizes. But for this box and size we will be doing something a little smaller. She wears Pink and black but were not sure what her favorite color is.

So the reason I'm sharing all of this is that I thought I would try giving  a few more details and include why I choose to make or gift the items that I do. Maybe then It won't seem so random.
The very first thing I do is put my notes on a piece of paper. Then I go to My Pinterest and make a board for her ( kept private ) this may change in the future though. I go to my boards and look for things according to the clues given to me. then I create a rough draft in my brain, like this.

So rough draft in my brain is :
I have all of these things or can make them. (my insperation from Pinterest)
A re purposed cigar box;
 for starters I'll put some feet on it ,
 and maybe a burlap bow. ( That is as far as I've gotten with that.)

The box will have
 tags and cards and ribbon in it

A jar- wrapped
in ,you guessed it, Burlap !
a small piece of lace. Not frilly , just sweet.

I also am thinking about doing something special with twine, but that's a secret.

she is a Christian so I want to acknowledge that

 Christmas.

So, this is how I go about putting together a box.

Any ideas? I sure could use them.

Skipping down my path, today
Lovingly
M

Update:
I have now read the book and love it. I learned so much , it is possible to apply this to all of your relationships. Very easy read.

Little Boxes Of Joy (box #3 Fabric)

On to the fabric portion of this box.

How this all came About ( Or In The Beginnig) or ( Box #1)

When I am feeling good I make things. It's just what I do. When I make something for some one I just focus on Love.  It keeps me sane. It helps me recover. When I broke my right wrist almost 4 yrs ago The specialist told me I would only get about 60% usage or mobility back. No! That was unacceptable, I would sneak into my craft room and play. I would intentionally work with glitter and paint . Paying attention to the smallest details. I would create situations where I had to pick up tiny beads, or place small threads just right. I was 

Box#3 (tags)

         

Little Box Of Joy (Box #2)

Drum roll please....

I am finally getting these on here. I'm so pleased with my self, I'm Pink.

We have had showing after showing; which has made it difficult, to say the least, to get all the wrapping and packing done. On the box I mean.

I have a confession: after going through the pictures, I realized that there is quite a bit that did not get photographed. I don't know if it was that, I was on a roll and forgot, or what: but I promise I will get better at this. I'm pretty ecstatic that I remembered to get this many.

Remember I did say (warn) in the beginning that I forget to take pictures all of the time.

So without further ado, here they are:

 

Goal Setting

I had a suggestion to set some goals. So, I had to think about this for a moment. My conclusion was: I definitely needed to do this.
I think about my goals all of the time, but I do not have a clear and concise idea of how to attain my goals. I needed to put pen to paper.

Side note: I am a paper person. I love bound paper: It does something for my soul. So I have a day planner and a notebook both. I love a smooth pen and/or the feel of a good sharp pencil as it glides across the paper.
  
My intention here is to list these goals and then, as I learn the steps, I need to take to attain my goals. I will list those as sub goals under the main goal.

I hope You will join me in organizing your time so that you have time for YOUR life.

1) Enjoying my life is my very first goal while letting let those that I love know how important they are to me.

2) Be realistic. We are not super human nor do we need to be. (Enjoy the Process).

3. Learn more about building my blog:

      a) I bought "Building Beautiful Blogs", an e-book  by Karen Valentine. Schedule time to work on this every day
      b) I have signed up for tips from Brent Briggs (Linky Blog Tips), they are wonderful Free tips. Schedule time to look at these and decide whether or not they apply to me: if they do, then use the idea right away or pencil in a time to apply it.

4) Introduce myself to Bloggers that I have admired:

      a) Ask for their opinions.
      b) Ask for help .

5).Do not lean so hard on Pinterest. (I absolutely love Pinterest. It is my favorite place to hang out; but I get stuck there and loose myself completely): 

      a) This one has an easy solution. Stay off of the site completely then,
      b) Slowly reintroduce it in small increments.
      c) Reevaluate allowing it back in to my schedule.

6) Stay out of the craft stores:

      a) If I do need something, order it online.

7). Set appointments for myself: to work on Goals 

      a) Work on a specific goal at a specific time.
      b) Make a list of my projects and goals and work on a clear schedule
      c) Schedule time for resting: drinking a cup of hot tea, reading something uplifting, watch the birds. 
      d) Do not beat myself up if I can't do something that day.
      e) Don't just drop it,do remember to reschedule it. 

8) Be realistic and leave enough time to accomplish the goal in a comfortable time limit. Don't cram your appointments(self).

9) Enjoy a Different artistic style each week, Or study a new to (me) artist.

10)Join an art group or take a class! Preferably in person but if not, then online. 

This is my list for now. I may add or delete at anytime.
 I give myself permission to change my mind. 

So do you set goals?
How do you follow through with them?

My Newest project

So, I am not really the best at selling my stuff. I'm not the best with the computer, as y'all will find out , so posting on Etsy or any other digital market is more of a chore and for me it ends up taking all of the joy out of what I created.