STEPHIE'S BEADS AND BAUBLES

We take creativity for granted . We fill our spaces with materials to create with, whether we are painters, crafters, jewelry makers, writers, artists or poets. We fill our spaces with the things that help us to create.

Sometimes that no longer works. The things we have done for so long, leave us feeling empty and uncreative. We are finding the wonderful things we have always loved and counted on to help us create, but yet, we just cannot connect to that creative part of ourselves.

It is frustrating, maddening and sad to feel like you are not being the creative person you have always been and you feel helpless to fix the situation.

I am currently going through this exact scenario. I have a room full of wonderful things. A wonderful studio. OId jewelry, beads and other jewelry making supplies, paints, pencils, every kind of craft supply I could want or need. However, I just cannot seem to get it together right now. My creativity fails me. I feel empty and at a loss .

I am at a crossroads at this point. Trying to decide which way to go. I still love all my familiar creative things. My beads, sequins, cookie cutters, felt. I just feel unable to do anything with it all.

Today I went through all my cookie cutters. I sorted them into some containers by subject and filled one tub with my collections of vintage and interesting cookie cutters. I still have a drawer full of them to go through, but one full drawer is empty and sorted. It is very weird. I still see the potential . I can still see the projects I can create with them. But seem unable to start.

I have these boxes I sort my cookie cutters into for both baking and craft projects. Mostly based on holiday, but some are by category.

Today I sorted out a bin of my Christmas cookie cutters.

one very large file cabinet drawer full of some sets and singles I have to still sort out.

This is a box of my most collectable stuff. Many vintage sets and singles and a lot of my most unique cookie cutters. It is a collection as much as a supply for making my ornaments. I have been collecting them for my entire life and have hundreds of them.

I am working to get my studio a lot more organized and less cluttered but unfortunately it will take weeks to get it done. I want both of my huge file cabinets out, but that will not happen over night. I have to be patient.

I think a lot of it has to do with the mess and chaos of the room. But also with the way our life is sort of upside down right now. We are dealing with some medical things that might change some of our future plans, but are on hold until my husbands appointment the end of September.

This is not a life threatening thing at all. Just something that we have to see about before we can make future plans about retirement and we are a bit stuck until then. It is a frustrating situation and one we just want to figure out but at this point, it is hurry up and wait .

On top of that, our daughter got a new job which means we are babysitting two of our youngest grandkids and their older brother is also hanging out here as well. He is in high school, but home schooled and does his work here. So, our days are a bit full with the kids, three and six years old and sixteen years old. A wonderful young sixteen, not ready to get out and drive, and work quite yet. Still a bit of a kid yet, which is fine with us, not everyone is ready to take on the world at 16. I know I was not. He is a wonderful , creative, interesting kid. Fun to have here every day.

So, we have this rich , full life. My husband still works full time. He works a rotating schedule of two different schedules that alternate and ends up with about half the month off when the dust settles. Our plan is for him to retire next year but we need to see what is going on with him and how it will affect our plans.I will explain more later, but just know it is not a serious thing, more of a mobility thing for him, and how we have to address it going forward.

So, I am trying my best to balance it all. Making sure my husband has what he needs for the days he works, making sure the kids have what they need and help homeschool our six year old grandaughter. Laundry, cooking, dishes, housekeeping, and homeschooling.

I feel at a total loss when it comes to creating. I used to create a lot with the kids, but have not even been doing that lately. I think I am just a bit overwelmed by it all right now.

I have not been listing online as well, something I need to be doing.

My wonderful husband said when he is home, I am welcome to head into my studio and work, he will take care of the kids. On the days he works, I can work on the family room and still be on top of what they are up to. I just need to start doing it.

I am working to figure out what to do. Getting back to writing is the first step. Writing and photography are my true loves. I have always been a writer. My dear friends can tell you about my way too long text messages . I am always writing lists, and budgets and all kinds of things, I just love to write.

I have a YouTube channel and decided to do shorter videos and send everyone here where I can do picture tutorials instead of video tutorials and that is the plan. I had hoped to have my first video up by now but my first week of having to be up much earlier than I am used to for the kids, kind of took down that plan. I was so exhausted by the end of the week I could not see straight. Unfortunately I overslept this weekend, which will not help make this week easier but , it is okay, it is just a matter of time and my inner sleep time will adjust.

So, how do I plan to get my creativity back.

I do not know yet. I do know that I will. This is not my first time going through this and every time is a bit different. Most creative people have creative crisis once in a while.

I do need to declutter and move out the stuff I am going to sell in yard sales. At that point I can organize what I want to keep and go through the supplies I plan to sell and get them put in my resell room and out of my studio. I need some clean surfaces to work, something that I do not have right now.

my work table is a cluttered mess right now. This is one shot of it. Lots of wonderful things on this table, but they are not being utilized creatively right now. I have to get it all organized.

So, I will share this journey. I will share how I get my messes cleared up. Right now I am going to go enjoy the first good rain storm here in our part of Texas in a very long time. Unplanned and unexpected and wonderful !!!

I will be back soon !!! Thank you so much for stopping by !!!