Try Something New

Have you ever been given the opportunity to take a class or watch a demo or hear a speech and you thought, no I don’t do that craft or I’m not interested in that subject. Well, go anyway. 

 You never know when going to a talk of something you have no interest in will actually spark an interest.  I belong to a number of crafters groups.  I often see someone prepare a talk or a demo and very few people in the group show up.  “Oh I don’t do that type of craft,” I hear them say.  So?  How do you know if you will like it or not if you don’t see it?

 Maybe you won’t like it but maybe you will.  I went to a meeting once with no interest what so ever in punchneedle embroidery.  I heard how it was done and saw some finished projects and I turned to my friend and said “I want to learn that”.  And now I do punchneedle all the time.  My little 3 heart logo in the corner of the blog is done in punchneedle.   

 Even if you have no interest in something, what you learn might apply to something else you do creatively or intellectually.  I learned to make rings at a meeting of our local Fiber Artist group.  I really have no interest in making jewelry but the technique I learned for the ring I can use to make embellishments for some of my needle felted bowls.

 If the class or demo or talk is being done by someone you know, wouldn’t it be nice for them to see a friendly face in the group?  It takes a lot of time and energy to put together a demonstration for a group (especially a group where you are a member) and it is a little disheartening to just see four or five people in the audience.

 So go try something new.  You might learn about something you didn’t know you wanted to do.  Or learn about something you might not do but will now appreciate more.  Think of how smart you will look when you can discuss the intricacies of basket weaving at a dinner party. Or just go and be supportive whether the speaker is a friend or stranger. Just go anyway.

 © 2017, 2021, 2026 – Cheryl Fillion

Practice Makes Better, Not Perfect

I recently wrote about my absence from this blog.   I had developed some infections and had heart surgery so all my energy went to getting better. 

But some of the energy and time, particularly in the hospital, went to needlework. Having a needle and thread in my hand helped calm me.  It occupied my time and mind.  It helped make some of that time away from home feel normal.

But I have to admit that with the weakness in my body, my stitches were not as pretty as they had been before I got sick.  My embroidery looked like it did when I was 9 years old and just learning to stitch even though I had been stitching for decades.

I'm not one to take out my stitches and redo them when they are not smooth and since the pieces were just for me, I just left them.  I was fairly sure that redoing them would not improve them and would just stress and frustrate me, undoing the calm the stitching had brought me in the first place.

The actual stitching was helping me in other ways.  As I mentioned it calmed me while I lived, at one point 4 months, in a place that was not mine.  It kept my mind occupied as I waited for tests to be done or results to be reported.  

It brought some normalcy to my life;  I was doing what I would have at home. Even to the point of displaying them in my hospital rooms just like I would have at home. I began to notice as I looked at my hand stitched display, that my stitches were getting tighter, straighter, and smooth looking.  My skill was coming back.

I realized it was just like with my physical therapy.  The more steps I took  or the more I worked with a hand weight, the stronger I became and the better my movement was.  I slowly became more confident in my stitching and my stepping.  

So if you find yourself in a situation where your skill has weakened from illness or injury, don't give up.  Keep stitching.  Keep painting, sculpting, making pots, doing wood work, even cooking or baking.  Keep up with your creating.  It may not be your prettiest work but it will get better and it is helping you heal inside as well.  

© 2026. Cheryl E Fillion 

July Fun Days

 July has some fun days mostly involving food.  So it might be a good month to try some new eats.

But you want to start the month with International Joke Day on July 1.  Tell as many jokes as you can, maybe even teach a couple to the kids in your life.  The first one I learned was “Why is a barn so noisy?” – “Because cows have horns.” 

Now for you who are interested in extra terrestrials, July 2 is  World UFO days.  (and I don’t think they mean quilter’s UFOs which are un-finished objects.). And while we are in space, July 20 is National Moon Day.  And you can continue to look at the moon in a hammock on July 22 for National Hammock Day.  You might want to share your hammock with someone on July 30th which is the International Day of Friendship.

Of course here in the U.S. July 4 is Independence Day.  And July 6 is International Kissing Day.  I probably don’t need to give ideas of what to do that day.   If you have been thinking of cleaning out your closets,  July 15th is a good day with Nation Give Something Away Day. And don’t forget to do something for your favorite Aunt and Uncle on July 26th because that is their day, National Aunt and Uncle Day.

We do have a couple of animal days in July.  National Kitten Day is July 10th so spend some time with your favorite feline or if you can, go adopt one at a local shelter.  July 14th is Cow Appreciation Day.  Go visit a farm or a zoo which might have cows or if nothing else just eat chicken or fish that day.  We end the month with National Mutt Day, giving equal time to dog lovers.

As I mentioned earlier the rest of the month fun days are filled with food.  Starting with National Fried Chicken Day also on July 6th.  The 13th is National French Fry Day  followed by National Mac and Cheese Day on the 14th. Eat your Hot dog on July 23rd because it is National Hot Dog Day and then have a chili dog on July 30th because that day honors the chili dog.   Make sure to get one meal thru a Drive thru on the 24th because, yes, it is National Drive Thru Day.   If you can’t decide what to have on the  29th, think about lasagna since that is National Lasagna Day.  

Now that your main meals are taken care of, here is what to have for dessert.  Ice cream is an important dessert in July.  You need that creamy goodness to cool you down.  So have  A strawberry sundae on July 7th and a hot fudge sundae on the 25th and then any ice cream on National Ice Cream Day on the 19th.   A sugar cookie has its own day on July 9th.  July 12th is Eat your Jello Day so cool down with your favorite jello.  July 28th is the day to drink your chocolate milk with any left over cookies from National Sugar Cookie Day.  And finish your desserts with cheese cake on July 30th.

So if  your family needs some fun things to do, here are some ideas for July.  Put them on your calendar and get the whole family involved with the planning of the day.  Happy July.

©2020, 2026 Cheryl E. Fillion