Celebrate Christmas All Month Long

 I really love Christmas.  I tend to go all out.  I start playing my Christmas music before Thanksgiving.  I get out the books I have on Christmas customs and traditions and reread why we do the things we do.  I try to make my yearly ornaments to give out in early December.  I try to make the holiday last as long as I can.  And one friend described my decorated house as sensory overload.

While looking for a celebration to write about this month besides Christmas, I found there are all kinds of days in December set aside to get you ready for the big holiday itself.

December 6^th is St. Nicholas Day.  In some parts of Europe and even here in the States, this is the day when St Nicholas (Santa Claus) comes for an early visit.  There actually was a St. Nicholas who was an Archbishop in Turkey back in the 5^th century.  He became the patron saint of boys and December 6^th is his birthday and on this day he is known for bringing little gifts for the good children, and sticks for the bad.  

If you are Christmas Card sender, December 9^th is Christmas Card Day.  If you haven’t gotten your cards yet, this might be a good day.  Or maybe this is the day to make cards.  Wouldn’t Grandma prefer a hand made card from the little ones than a store bought one?

Poinsettias, considered the flower of Christmas, have their own day on December 12^th.  So make sure you get out to your favorite garden store to pick out your festive plant.  December 14^th is Roast Chestnuts Day.  If you are not much of a chestnut person, how about picking up those other nuts you might eat.  A favorite part of Christmas growing up was going to the local grocers to get our bag of mixed nuts (only available this time of year).  They would have bins of unshelled nuts.  My favorite then and now were the walnuts.

 And what is Christmas without the cookies.  Well, December 18^th is set aside just to get those holiday sweets completed for Santa’s visit with Bake Cookies Day.  And so you don’t forget that tree, Look for an Evergreen Day is December 19^th.  And while you are getting ready, why not take a break on December 20^th and celebrate Go Caroling Day. 

If by now in the month you are bogged down with shopping and decorating and feeling a bit overwhelmed, there is a day for you to go ahead and just feel a little like Scrooge.  December 21^st is Humbug Day.  Just don’t let it last more than a day. 

And finally on December 24^th, hopefully all the preparations are done and you can sit back and enjoy a little eggnog for it is not just Christmas Eve but also Nation Egg Nog Day. 

If you are one who likes to have Christmas last as long as you can, go ahead and celebrate it all month long.  And Merry Christmas to you.

 

©2018, 2023 Cheryl Fillion

 

 

 

 

Creativity iu your Holiday Shopping

 I am sure many of you have started your holiday shopping or are at least are planning your lists.   If you read this before you start your shopping adventure, don’t forget to add a little creativity to your shopping list.

What do I mean by Creativity?  I mean make sure you buy someone you love some art supplies, craft supplies, or a craft kit or two.  You never know what life long love you will start in a young child or help someone older continue to enjoy a lifelong love. 

There are all kinds of activities out there from model airplanes and cars to assemble to adult coloring books.  The other day I saw a kit to paint a set of nesting dolls (I almost bought it for myself).  There are looms of every kind and step by step books to do all kinds of needlework.  And of course you could provide the supplies for one of the crafts I have done a tutorial on and show them this blog.

And also consider a gift of music or dance.  Either provide some future performer with lessons or an instrument or take them to a holiday concert or ballet.  I bet there is a Nutcracker Ballet going on somewhere near your hometown this time of year. Going to a performance is a memory both of you can share.  I still remember going to a simple children’s Christmas concert at a local junior high with my mother when I was visiting her one holiday.

So add a little creativity to your holiday shopping by giving a gift of creativity in whatever form your heart desires. You can never give too much. Happy Shopping!!

 

©2017, 2023 - Cheryl Fillion

Cook Something Bold Day

Cook something Bold Day?  Sound’s interesting, doesn’t it?  This year Cook Something Bold Day is November 8^th. 

Now cooking something bold is really in the eye of the beholder or should I say the tastebuds of the beholder.  What is bold to one person might not be bold to another.  And what one would consider bold might be bland to someone else. 

So what would you cook if you wanted to be bold?   Something spicy?  Something pungent?   Now it doesn’t necessary mean that you create something with disgusting ingredients intended to make people sick to their stomach.  Actually one description of the holiday suggested an original dish with new uses of herbs and garlic and maybe some hot pepper.

You want to make something that is edible but with a taste you have never tried before.  How about some Indian food or Mexican with lots of jalapenos?  If you are not one to do spicy food, how about using some vegetables you have never tried before like asparagus or an artichoke?  Or maybe trying cooking some fish, if you have never done that before.  Or just trying a new twist with an old recipe.

The fun part of this day is to use your creativity to determine what you consider bold.  So get out your cookbooks and look for something bold and tasty.

 

©2018, 2023 Cheryl Fillion

Wear Something Gaudy Day

On October 17, don’t wear your usual colors or style.  Instead go gaudy. After all it is Wear Something Gaudy Day.

Gaudy usually means bright and flashy and maybe tasteless and tacky.  Now gaudy is also one of those terms that is in the eye of the beholder.  I have a flamingo blouse that I love to wear.  I think it is wonderful and makes me smile.  My mother might have thought it was gaudy.

 So on this day; get a bit more colorful in your dress.  Wear a neon color (even if it is just a handkerchief in your breast pocket).  Or maybe buy yourself some wild socks.  It is OK to gaudy in secret if it could cause problems at work. 

Wear something that sparkles and glitters.  Add some bling to your clothes like some rhinestones.   Or try one of those pins that have fake diamonds in it or are just big and bright.

Whatever you and those around you might thing is outrageous, wear it.  Maybe make a pact with those you work with to all dress gaudy so no one will stand out and everyone will have a good laugh about it.

Whatever you do, do it gaudily. But most of all have fun.

 

©2018, 2023 Cheryl Fillion

Silence

Society today is built to allow for communication with others or from others.  We have phones (cell and land lines), e-mail  not to mention television, radios, and voice mail.  The only communication that society doesn't allow or even sometimes encourage is communicating with yourself.  To do that you need, not all those electronic gadgets, but the antiquated idea of silence.

Silence is how we hear ourselves think.  As creative beings, we need silence.   We begin to see our lives, and the world around us in silence.  To some it is the only way to communicate with the Spirit. 

For many years I lived in a dormitory as the hall director (what many might think of as a Dorm Mom).  Outside my front door was usually a lobby with a TV and dozens of college students at any time of the day or night.  I realize now, being away from that atmosphere, that I kept my stereo and TV on more as a sound wall than for any enjoyment or even company.  As long as I had something on in the apartment, I couldn't hear what was going on in the lobby (and there were times I didn't want to hear what was going on in the lobby J. 

Now the TV is rarely on.  I don't have to fall asleep with either music or something creating 'white noise'.  When I do listen to music, I am able to enjoy and relax to it. And to my great enjoyment I can hear the little birds at my feeder, the breeze through the trees and a thunderstorm.  But mostly I can hear my own thoughts.  

I don't have to set aside time very late at night to create an atmosphere of quiet (usually with ear plugs).  Silence isn't that far away.  Without all the noise, my stress level is down, decisions are made easier and my creative ideas just flow.

Now this might not be possible with a house full of family.  You might also have to create some time late at night with ear plugs, as I did.  If you need to, do so.  Without silence, your life and your creativity will reflect the chaos of the noise around you. 

Catch bits of silence whenever you can.  If you are consciously looking for the quiet, try not to use the phone - even let voice mail pick up.  Don't have the TV or stereo on.  While driving, turn the radio off.  Silence can be found quite nicely in the newly insulated cars on the market these days.  And even in the mist of traffic, with the radio off, you will be able to hear yourself (pay attention to the road though, OK?)  Take a nap in the afternoon when you can so you can stay awake after the rest of the household is off with the Sandman.

You don't have to do anything during these times of silence (unless you are driving the car).  Just sit.  Maybe start out by breathing deeply.  And relax - the blood can't get to the brain with those tight shoulders and neck muscles.  As you spend more time in silence, your mind will take over.   Just follow it to see where it leads.

Even with tiny bits of silence here and there, your stress level will decrease (noise of any kind raises the blood pressure), your concentration will increase and your creativity will blossom.  It may take a while but you will see a difference in your life.

Silence is golden.  Shhhhh.

© 2017, 2023– Cheryl Fillion

 

Positive Thinking Day

With all the negativity on the news these days, September 13 is definitely needed.  No, not as in Friday the 13^th but as in Positive Thinking Day. This is a day set aside to think of positive things.

Now how do you celebrate Positive Thinking Day?  You can wake up thinking about all the good things that will happen that day like maybe what you are going to eat that day, who you are going to see, and how the weather will be (even if it is raining, the rain is a good thing for the grass and the flowers), 

Every hour think of 3 things in which you are grateful.  Maybe it is the people in your life or your health or the job or school you attend.  How about being grateful for your 5 senses?  Or even grateful that it is Positive Thinking Day and it gives you an opportunity to practice positivity. 

Give compliments to everyone you meet. Everyone likes a compliment.  Or maybe extend some random acts of kindness.  This could be as simple as letting some go ahead of you in the check out line to paying for the meal of the car in the drive thru behind you. 

In the evening, turn off the news (and don’t read the paper).  Watch a funny show or read an inspirational book instead.  What is usually on the news is the entire negative events that has gone on in the world during the day.

And of course, the best way to keep yourself positive and spread positive vibes is to smile.  It is amazing how smiling can change your mood.  And smiling is contagious.  Have you ever noticed when you smile at someone, they will smile back (unless of course they are a Scrooge).

So while one day might be set aside to be positive, why not spread it to the next day and then the next week and then every day after that.  Happy Positive Thinking Day.

 

©2018, 2023 – Cheryl Fillion

Beginnings

 

It was seven years ago this month that I started this blog.  I thought I would celebrate by reposting the blog post that started it all.  It was a nice reminder of how I got started. 

    I have come across two philosophers in my life who have the best advice ever for people exploring their creativity.  The first was a German poet and scientist by the name of Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe who wrote "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." (That quote gives me goosebumps.)

    The second philosopher was my nephew, Alex, at the age of five who, when I asked him how we were to make a housecleaning robot he wanted to give his father for Christmas, very blunted told me that "You just do it, Auntie Cheryl." 

    Both wise men had a point.  If there is something you want to do, you will never know whether you can do it until you begin it.  Is there some creative technique you want to try but are afraid to?  Just dive in.

    Now it is okay to start at the shallow end (sorry, it is hot outside and water metaphors seem cooling to me somehow right now.).  Dip your toes in.  Paint a page of just one color. One color can express any emotion. Write one line to start a poem.  One line can say a lot (Alex had a lot to say with his one line and it has stuck with me for 30 years.)  Sing one note.  A continuous note can be very relaxing to the diaphragm.

    Just begin it. Don't jump from the high dive. Don't plan a gallery show yet.  Don't figure out your office at the Library of Congress for when you are considered the next Poet Laureate.  And the Grammy nominations are already made for this year.  So relax.  All you are doing is beginning.

    And beginnings are wonderful.  There is mystery in them - you aren't quite sure what will happen next.   And there is an adventure in them - traveling to a new area of your heart.   And the excitement of them - you actually did whatever it is you were wanting to begin.

 You have had beginnings all of your life.  You survived all of those  - school, college, work, marriage, family.  You can survive this one.  But you have to just begin. As Alex said, "You just do it, Auntie Cheryl."  Who can argue with that?

 

© 2016, 2023 – Cheryl Fillion

Reading is Good for You…. and Your Creativity

 

I come from a long line of readers. My favorite memories as a child are getting books for birthday or Christmas and going to the library.  In fact right now an image popped in my head of me standing at the New Books section of the Green Bay, Wisconsin library as a teenager while at the library with my mother. 

I spend much of last summer reading.  I did so much reading, that I began to wonder if something was wrong with me.  So I got on the internet and found that actually the opposite was true.  Reading is good for you.

Studies have shown, for children, reading not only increases their vocabulary but also increases their grades in school.  The more a child reads the higher their grades will be.  I have a set of books my mother bought me when I was a child called the “Best in Children’s Books”.  Each book contained an abridged novel such as Black Beauty or Alice in Wonderland.  There were usually a number of poems or short stories, some activity of some sort, a little bit of science or nature, a short biography and my favorite “Let’s visit” where some area of the world was highlighted. It included a map, local vegetation and animals, and activities of the people who lived there. I think that is where my love of other cultures came from. 

For adults, research shows that reading helps delay memory decline and those who keep their mind active are less likely to suffer from dementia.  It also helps reduce stress.  When you are reading whether it is fiction or nonfiction, you are not thinking about the stresses of the day.  Your reading is taking you away, at least mentally, to a place far from where your body actually is.  If you are not thinking about stressful events, your body is not reacting to stressful events.

I also read that reading before bedtime helps relax you enough that you sleep better.  Now I recommend (and this is not based on any research) that you don’t read a very violently graphic book before bed. The violence might seep into your dreams.  But then that could just be me.

What I noticed last summer with all my reading was that I came up with more ideas for quilts and punchneedle and embroidery.  I was reading books, mostly mysteries, which took place in different areas of the country from where I lived and involved characters that had different interests than mine.  One series of mysteries took place in a tea shop.  I am not a drinker of tea but I began an interest in different teas, and teapots and tea cups and those images became part of what I created.

And whether it was the reduced stress or better sleeping that came from reading, I seemed to have more energy to create even with so much time spent on reading.  The reading also pulled me to the library again (I hadn’t been to my local library in a couple of years) and there I found all kinds of activities going on like yoga and meditation, quilt classes, coloring for adults and book clubs.  And this doesn’t even include what they have for children which would keep an child active.  Libraries these days are more than a place to check out books. 

Much of the research I read was done on fiction reading but I would think nonfiction would have the same affect (of lessening stress and dementia).  I love biographies and books about other people also pull me into another time and place.

So get yourself a book and start reading. Or go to the library and see what adventures they have for you in the pages of the books or the activities they sponsor (either for you or your kids or grandkids).  It will help with your stress, your mind, and can help with your creativity.   So go read.

 

©2017, 2023 Cheryl Fillion

 

 

August Celebration: Just Because Day

I have been having a lot of fun this year looking for unusual and creative ways to celebrate.  I have found some quirky holidays.  But as unusual as some holidays are, and there is probably a holiday for everything, this month has a holiday for anything you want.  On August 27^th, you have to celebrate Just Because Day.

The idea is that since we spend much of our days doing things we HAVE to do, why not have a day to do something for no reason than Just Because.  I like it.  Doesn’t everyone want to do something or like to do something for no particular reason. 

Maybe you see a new outfit at a store.  You don’t need it for an event.  You might have plenty of clothes.  You just want it so buy it, just because.

 aybe you want to go on a picnic but it is not a weekend day or a holiday.  So take the day off and have a picnic, just because.

Figure out something you want to do on this day and just do it.  Or better yet wake up that morning and do the first fun thing that comes to your head.  And make sure to let everyone know you are doing it Just Because.  Who knows if enough people do something just because it might become a national holiday marked in red on the calendar for no reason than just because. 

©2018 Cheryl Fillion

The 8 to 1 Rule

 

Business studies show that there is an average of 8 negative complaints to every 1 compliment.  This is known as "the 8 to 1 Rule". 

    It tends to be human nature to complain. Sometimes complaints are constructive.  You want to let a restaurant know if you have gotten sick eating there.  You want a store to know if they have a rude employee.   But complaining just to complain is never helpful.  Negativity has a lot of power. 

    If you criticize a young artist, even in the area of "helping", you might just stop that young one's art forever.  Without intending to you have silenced that artist's voice.  Where's the benefit in that. 

    I once hear a story of a young artist who painted the mountains in his art class a maroon color.  His art teacher, of course, told him that mountains were not maroon.  They were green or brown or snow capped.  That "help" from the teacher stopped his painting.  Years later in New Mexico, he was sitting with a friend watching a sunset reflect along the mountain range.  Guess what color they turned out to be at one point.  That's right - maroon.

 When you are trying something new creatively, you will find that you are sensitive to other's comments.  You may have created a wonderful arrangement of things and with one well intended statement from a friend or family member; you now doubt your creation and your ability.

 These well intended statements are real sneaky in form.  They may start out with words such as "Don't you think it would be better if...." or "Maybe you should do this or that" or "Have you thought about...”   Often times you have not asked for a critique, or advice, or suggestions.  You have just shown what you have created.

Sometimes you may even find someone who takes the complaint into action and may add some color here or there or rearrange this piece and that piece or rewrites your essay or poem.  Now these folks do not see what they have said or done as criticism or a complaint or even negative.  They are just trying to help.  They want you to succeed and for your creation to look wonderful. 

They just don't see that their help has undermined what you have done.  They can't see your creation from your eyes.  They just see how they would do it.  They didn't see how much you worked on it with possibly sweat and tears.  They may not understand how much your creation is part of you.  To them, it is just an arrangement of things, be they words, colors, or knickknacks.

As you explore your creativity, be sensitive to the creativity and creations of others.  Change your "8 to 1 rule" to be 8 compliments to every 1 complaint.  Don't offer suggestions.  Find something positive to say about it:  "Oh, that is so you." or "I like this or that." or "I would love to see maroon mountains." (you might get an offer of a trip to New Mexico for that one). 

And for goodness sake, don't break one of my mother's rules: "If it is not yours, leave it where it is."  Don't add paint or correct grammar or move one piece of anything.  It is not your creation; so show it the respect you would want your art to receive.

 

© 2016, 2023 – Cheryl Fillion

 

Clutter

My house is cluttered.  Not really dirty but just cluttered.  I have piles or boxes or bags with projects in them everywhere. A friend once came to my house and while looking around my living room, I said “Welcome to the Heartfully Cheryl Manufacturing Center”.  I wanted her to know there was a reason for all the clutter (and why she couldn’t sit on my couch) and it wasn’t that I wasn’t a good housekeeper. 

I am one of those people who have several different projects going on at once.  In fact behind me right now. laying across my sewing machine. is a pair of slacks I am about to finish but I also need to get this blog written.  Usually I don’t mind the clutter and I am able to move from project to project.  But once in a while, I just have to straighten up.

I read all these articles and blogs about how cleaning up the clutter helps calm the nerves and helps focus the mind.  I can see how that would be.  There are times when I am looking for a particular tool and can’t find it where it usually is because it is stored with a project where it is being used.  And I do spend (or maybe waste) time hunting for it.

I read in these articles that cleaning the clutter helps allow in new things.  Not sure I need anything new but I get the point.  So once in a while I go through my projects and supplies and see if there is anything I need to discard.

One of the things I do with my fabric is sort out the scraps.  To me that is anything smaller than a fat quarter(an 18 x 22 inch of fabric).  These scraps I cut into various sized squares; anything from 2” to 6”.  I then put them in boxes dedicated to the individual size square.  This has become useful when doing a project that requires a certain size. I have the squares cut and ready to use.  Or if I just need a scrap of some green for an appliquéd leaf I go to my box of squares and usually find what I need.  I don’t have to sort through yards of fabric.

Another thing I have started to do is dedicated a certain amount of time cleaning one area of my work room.  I can do anything for 15 or 30 minutes and it usually takes a big chunk out of my clutter. 

So you might be asking what I do with the clutter I am eliminating.  I usually see if someone else wants it.  At our Fiber Artist group we have a monthly raffle.  Bring something you are no longer going to use and put it on the table.  If someone wants it they will buy a raffle ticket and maybe win it.  The money goes into our general fund.  The one problem with that is while you are getting rid of your clutter, you might end up winning someone else’s clutter. 

Another thing I do is donate it.  Our guild has a section of our quilt show set aside for basically a garage sale.  You as a member donate fabric, books, tools, even some handmade items to the guild and they sell it during the show bringing in money to get the type of programs the members want.

Now if you don’t have a fiber artist raffle or quilt show garage sale, why not donate your clutter to Goodwill or the Salvation Army.  The money from their thrift stores help run their programs.  Or if it is general crafts items, donate it to a school or day care for the children to use.  It helps their budget. 

See if a friend just starting out in crafts like quilting could use your scraps.  I gave some of my 6” squares to a friend who just wanted to make a scrap quilt but didn’t have a lot of money to buy yards of fabric.  Or maybe give it to a mother with young children who need some crafts to keep them busy during the summer.  When I started to do the kid’s crafts at the farmers market, I asked my quilt guild for empty thread spools for a project and the guild members not only gave me spools but any other craft supplies they had but didn’t want to help out with the crafts I was planning.  I didn’t have to buy anything that first year of crafts.

So whether you are cleaning out your clutter for peace of mind, to bring in new things or to keep your house off one of those hoarding television shows you see on cable TV, there are places to send your items other than the city dump.  And who knows maybe in cleaning out your work room (or your Manufacturing Center), you may find a special treasure you forgot you had under all that clutter (like a couch. haha). 

 

©2019,2023 - Cheryl Fillion

 

July’s Quirky Holidays

July has a lot of holidays.  Of course in the US, there is July 4^th, Independence Day when it was decided to separate from Britain and form our own nation.  That is a big summer celebration with picnics, parades and fireworks.  But there are a lot more reasons to celebrate in July, especially if a picnic on July 4^th isn’t enough.

There are all kinds of food “Days”.  July 1^st is Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day and International Chicken Wing Day. July 3^rd is Eat Beans Day.  Sidewalk Egg Frying Day is also on July 4^th (not sure I would want to eat that egg).  Do you like apple turnovers?  Well, have one on July 5^th, that is National Apple Turnover Day.  July 6^th is National Fried Chicken Day.  July 7^th is Chocolate Day, International Cherry Pit Spitting Day (got to eat the cherry to get the pit) and National Strawberry Sundae Day.  My favorite summer fruit – blueberries is honored on July 8^th.(and then Pick Blueberries Day is on the 10^th and National Blueberry Muffins Day is the 11^th)

July 10^th is National Sugar Cookie Day (and you could revisit the Chocolate Day and Strawberry Sundae Day by having aother sundae with a little chocolate syrup and a cookie).  Just to make sure we get in another dessert, Pecan Pie Day is July 12^th.  French Fries are honored on July 13^th (appropriate since French Bastille Day is the 14^th).  We go back to ice cream with National Ice Cream Day (different from July 1^st which is Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day, remember). Have some pudding on Tapioca Pudding Day on the 15^th.  And with all these sweets, eat some spinach on the 16^th for Fresh Spinach Day.

We do another flavor of ice cream on the 17^th for Peach Ice Cream Day.  And to get a little fancy, try some caviar on National Caviar Day on the 18^th but I wouldn’t combined it with the other food honored on that day, Hot Dogs.  And with all this food you do need a drink now and then, so for the adults try a Daiquiri on its day the 19^th. Cakes are also back on the 19^th with National Raspberry Cake Day.  The 20^th brings another ice cream day with National Ice Cream Soda day.  Don’t want anymore ice cream but you do want something sweet?  Switch the ice cream for a lollipop on the 20^th – it’s that sweet sucker’s national day. 

And so we don’t forget a favorite ‘unofficial’ food group, July 21^st is National Junk Food Day.  Remember with chips, you can’t eat just one.  July still hasn’t had enough of ice cream.  We have to honor the basic, vanilla on July 23rd. You don’t have to live south of the border to get some tequila on the 24^th.  That day is National Tequila Day.  The 28^th is a favorite of children of every age: National Milk Chocolate Day.

July 1^st was International Chicken Wing Day.  We also need to bring it home with National Chicken Wing Day on July 29^th.  If you want more of a meal, the 29^th is also National Lasagna Day.  And we finish off the food month with a sweetie on the 30^th, National Cheesecake Day. 

Now if you can’t find something to celebrate with food during the month of July, you are just too picky of an eater.  To the rest of us, I say “LET’S EAT!”

©2018, 2023 Cheryl Fillion

 

 

Sewing Machine Day – June 13

June has some wonderful holidays to celebrate.  Here in the U.S., there is Father’s Day and Flag Day.  But I found one that just fits me.  It is June 13: Sewing Machine Day. 

This day celebrates the humble sewing machine which changed the way clothing and bedding and now everything is made.  Before the sewing machine (patented in 1829) everything was sewn by hand. It took a long time to complete an item..  But with the sewing machine, clothing and quilts, home décor even shoes and purses could be done quickly and efficiently. 

Even now, so much in the fiber world is done by machines that are based on the sewing machine.  Long Arm quilting machines are just over sized sewing machines.  Monogramming and embroidery is now done by computerized, multi-thread sewing machines. 

So how can you celebrate the sewing machine?  For one thing, take time to clean and oil the machine you own.  If you have a machine that needs a little repair, take it in and have it done. Show your machine some love. If you use your machine often, you might give it a rest and sew a hem or piece a quilt block or do a little embroidery by hand.  Doing the stitching yourself will give you an appreciation for how efficiently and quickly your machine does this work for you.

I don’t know if June 13^th was the date of the patent for the sewing machine but even if it wasn’t, Happy 194th Birthday, Sewing Machine.  I don’t know what I would do without you.

©2018, 2023 Cheryl Fillion

Celebrations of Music – May Holidays

 

I found two fun celebration days for May and they occur on the same week and involve music. 

The first is Tap Dance Day on May 25^th.  Tap dance is seen as an American form of dance and Tap Dance Day was started in 1989, although it is celebrated in other countries such as Japan, Australia, India and Iceland.

Whether you are a tap dancer yourself (I am not) or just an appreciator of tap (I am), enjoy the day with a little dance of your own.  You don’t have to be good.  Your dance doesn’t have to be public.  Just tap dance. Maybe even sign up for some lessons.  If you are lucky enough, check out a live performance of dance. Or if nothing else watch a movie with a little tap dancing in it. 

The second celebration is May 26^th and that is International Jazz Day. This celebration was founded in 2011 by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.  It is intended to show the international aspect of jazz.  And like so many other forms of music, jazz seems to bring people together and that is a great thing.

So spend the day listening to jazz ( and maybe tap dancing to some).  If you are able to go to a live concert or even a local festival of jazz on that day, do so.  I am sure you won’t regret it.  If you are one who plays an instrument, play a little jazz that day if only for yourself (but sharing with others is also good).  You don’t have to be great at it; you just have to do it.

And if you are ending the week with a Memorial Day celebration, include a little tap and a little jazz in your backyard barbeque.  Celebrate the music.

©2018, 2023- Cheryl Fillion 

Nature

 In honor of Earth Day, I am reposting an early blog about creativity and nature. 

One way to encourage your creativity is to spend time in nature.  It doesn't matter where you go or what you do, just make sure you are away from concrete and asphalt.

Talk a walk in the park.  Work in your garden.  Go on a nature hike in nearby woods.  My favorite place is the local zoo.  I love to walk the trails and watch the animals.  Its design helps me feel isolated and I forget I am in the middle of a city.  No street sounds, no city smells.  Just the animals and trees.  Just nature. 

Nature heals.  There is a psychological theory that the more we move inside to buildings with central heat and air with windows which don't open and surround ourselves with all the modern conveniences and technology, the more mental illness we will suffer.

   Nature keeps us grounded. It slows us down, focuses us.  It moves and blooms and grows in its time, not ours. If we want to watch a butterfly, we have to do it now not when our cell phone call is over.  Nature fuels our core of energy, our creativity.

 Nature inspires.  I bet there isn't an artist now or in history who hasn't painted, written, danced or sung nature.  Nature shows that there are endless possibilities to everything.  In nature there isn't one bird, flower, or tree but a multitude.  There isn't one color green or purple but infinite shades of each.  One never lacks if one is in nature.

If your creativity is slow in starting or has stalled altogether, spend some time in nature this week. I know it helps me; I have a feeling it will help you. 

 

© 2016, 2023 – Cheryl Fillion

April celebrations

 

 I have been doing blog posts on holidays for a couple of months now.  It is fun to see what people around the world celebrate.  This month I have two.  I just couldn’t decide. 

The first is actually the whole month of April.  It is National Poetry month.  That alone should tell you what I am going to recommend.  Yup, poetry.  Do you read poetry?  If not give it a whirl. 

If you are not sure you will understand poetry, start out with some children’s poems. If you don’t like the structure of poetry, read some freeform poetry.  My favorite poet is Emily Dickinson.

Have you ever tried to write poetry?  Try it.  Know that all the words don’t have to rhyme but that might be a lot of fun to try.  Here is an experiment to try: go to a page in a book or newspaper and randomly pick out 5 words.  No fair picking only words you like.  Then with these words write a 4 line poem.  If you want to start easy, go with a children’s book or the funny pages in the newspaper.  You don’t have to publish it.  You don’t even have to show anyone your poem.  But as a line from a commercial once said, try it, you’ll like it.

The other holiday is April 22, Earth Day.  This holiday was created in the 1970s when the environmental movement was just getting started.  It is one that has special meanung to me.  I recycle and reuse (and reuse and reuse) but it is a holiday when my dad would send me a Happy Earth Day card.  He always tried to find some card with a nature scene on it and make it into his own Earth Day card.

So on this day do something nice for the Earth.  Take your cans and bottles to the recycling center.  Plant some flowers (and if your ground is still frozen, plant some flowers in a pot).  Paint or embroider a picture of a natural scene.  Or take a walk and watch nature (and then come home and write a poem about it.  Ah, you knew I would get these two holidays together.)  Maybe even continue my dad’s tradition and send someone a nice card with a nature scene on it.

So                    Roses are Red

                        Violets are blue

                        Celebrate Earth Day

                        And poetry too.

 

©2018 , 2023Cheryl E. Fillion

 

 

 

Challenge Yourself

 I like doing challenges.  You know when you are given a certain piece of fabric, a theme and maybe a technique or two that you are required to use and you have to come up with a wall-hanging or block. Our quilt guild does them ever year. 

One year our guild’s quilt show theme was ‘Home is where the Heart is’.  We were given a striped fabric with those words on it and we needed to make a house of some sort.  My house ended up on wheels and looked like an upside down heart.

                                                

Another theme dealt with stars. Well, I couldn’t use a plain 5-pointed star, I had to get crazy and used an stretched out 8-point star with a smaller star on top of it.  I did French knots around it in metallic thread to make it sparkle a little. 

Another theme honored out Guild’s ruby (40^th) anniversary so we were given one piece of red fabric.  I had just seen a movie that had a heart shaped ruby in it so that was on my mind.  So I took other red fabrics and created a crazy quilt type heart to hopefully resemble a ruby and I used metallic thread again to make it glimmer a little. 

Well recently I had the need to challenge myself and I had read an article of a quilt artist who had taken all kinds of suggestions of different quilting and embellishing techniques and design ideas like colors and when she got stuck would pick one of the ideas and use it.  So I decided to make my own list and start with 5 ideas and see what I could come up with from those ideas.  It has been so much fun to do that.

My first 5 picks was us to use a big shape, some ugly fabric, cut out an object, use squares, and add some fiber.  Well below is what I came up with.  I started small so this is only about 8 inches square. The big shape is the heart, the ugly fabric and the use of squares are the squares in the piece, The cut-out shape is the circle in the big square fabric and the added fiber is the small needle felted heart.

I like to challenge myself.  It gets my creative juices going and you are fairly sure your piece will be an original.   So if you want to give yourself a set of challenge ideas to work with, make a list.  Ask your friends for ideas, or thumb through quilt magazines and see what techniques or embellishment or color and fabric ideas other quilters might use and add it to your list.  Make sure you have items you are comfortable with and some that will take you out of your comfort zone.  After all it is not called a challenge for nothing.

 

©2023 Cheryl E Fillion

A Doll Festival

 In Japan on March 3^rd, the Hina Matsuri, Doll’s Festival, is celebrated.  This is a day to pray for a young girl’s growth and happiness.  On this day girls host a party of tea and poetry for their friends and they serve little pink and green diamond shaped mochi (rice) cakes.

At the party is a display of dolls.  These aren’t dolls that the girls play with everyday but instead heirlooms that have been passed down for generations.  The display is a tier of shelves with dolls representing the members of the imperial court in ancient court costumes as well as pieces of furniture, small meal dishes and other things.

This used to be one occasion when little girls had their own parties.  The set was brought out for the day and quickly put away after March 3^rd.  (It was thought that if it was not put away immediately the girl would have trouble marrying.)

No one really knows where the origin of this holiday came from but it is thought that it actually started with the Shinto religion.  On March 3^rd a folded paper doll resembling a kimono known as a Kata Shiro would be cast into water and with it the user’s sins, illness and bad luck. 

 I like the idea of a day to pray for young girls (there is a similar day for boys in May) but what really intrigues me is the doll display.  I have one baby doll of my mother’s and much of her miniature doll furniture.  I actually have some of the pieces displayed on furniture in my living room.  The furniture while made of plastic is very well made.  My favorite piece is a sewing machine which folds down into a cabinet just like the old Singer sewing machines did.  And when you turn the knob on the side of the machine, the little “needle” goes up and down.

Maybe if there is a special little girl in your life, you could tell her about the Doll Festival and find a way to display her dolls or toys on March 3rd.  The dolls and toys might not have the significance of a imperial court but it might show her that her possessions are just as important as she is. 

©2018, 2023- Cheryl E. Fillion

Festival of Broken Needles

 There is a Buddhist festival that takes place in Japan on February 8 called the Needle Festival or the Festival of Broken Needles (Harikuyo).  There is an old Buddhist belief that even inanimate objects have a soul and to discard an object that has been used for so long is disrespectful.  So throughout the year broken pins and needles are saved and on February 8^th they are taken to a temple to be blessed before they are properly ‘rested’. It is thought that if you blessed the needles, the energy of the needle will make the owner a better stitcher.

 

I like this idea.  Have you ever thought of the work our pins and needles do for us?  Yes we are the one who guides them into the fabric but they are the ones who actually do the stitching.  And when you have trouble threading a needle – do you blame the needle, the thread, or the Stitcher?  Yeah, I thought so; you blame the needle.

 

So on this day of the Needle Festival, take a look at your needles and pins.  Do they need to be cleaned?  Do you have a nice pin cushion to store the needles you use?  Maybe one with wool or sand which will help clean and keep sharp the needles. Maybe today is the day to buy a gift for your needles and pins.  And maybe refrain from stitching for the day and give them a day of rest.

 

Happy Needle Festival.

©2018, 2023- Cheryl E. Fillion

 

 

 

Inspire your Heart with Art Day – January 31

 I like holidays.  Give me a reason to celebrate anything and I am there.  I like not only the major holidays (Christmas, Halloween, Easter, etc.) but I like the silly obscure holidays (Eat a hot dog day, Talk like a pirate day, National Scotch Tape Day, Cat day, Dog day).  They make life silly and fun.  I decided this year I would find an unusual holiday each month and do something special on them. So I guess for me, 2023 will be the year of the holiday. 

 

The one that attracted me for January (other than New Years day) is January 31 which is Inspire Your Heart With Art Day.  It seemed to fit not only the title of my blog but the subject of it.  And it is really so easy to do. 

 

Think about it.  Art is everywhere.  You can visit a gallery. Go see an exhibit you have seen before or one that is brand new to you.  You could check out any of the movie websites and find a movie to watch.  Find something commercial or even something a little ‘artsy’.  Listen to music.  Attend a play or ballet.  Go to a poetry reading or create a reading of your own with friends.  Pick up or paint brush or your needle and create something beautiful.

 

So whatever your heart desires (pun intended).  And maybe share that art with someone you love.  Invite a friend or family member to the gallery or play or dance with you.  Write your loved one a poem.  Paint a picture to send to someone on Valentine’s day.

 

Think of how art makes you feel.  What thoughts does it invoke, what feelings.  You might even want to try a new art form to inspire your heart. If you are not one to go to a ballet or dance performance, do so.  If you never stepped into an art gallery, today is the day.

 

So on January 31^st, do something with any kind of art that will inspire you or excite you.  And let me be the first to wish you a Happy Inspire Your Heart with Art Day.

 

©2018, 2023- Cheryl E. Fillion