14 days left of house arrest remaining :)

Good evening crafters.

There are days when the craft room just doesn't inspire.  Today was one of those days.  We all get moments when our mind are in too many different places and, well, busy.  So. damn. busy.  The thought of "having" to make something seems impossible.  It's days like those,when doing this challenge can be quite a drag.  I wanted to share this, as I'm sure, as a person who now makes a living from my craft, it would seem I'm always bursting with idea's and creativity.  Does forcing yourself to just get on with it help?

We hear, and talk, of mindfulness, and the calming effect of creating, but sometimes that seems like an impossibility, just the thought of sitting down to craft can be overwhelming.  Attempting to build up the enthusiasm to start a project, when you feel despondent.  Where do you start.

This evening I trotted off to my craft room, with this mood looming.  Yesterday, I had started a project which I completely fell out with - the colours were wrong, and it just looked awful, but for once I didn't just pop it in the bin.  Instead, late on in the evening,  I covered it in gesso - well, that's what I intended to do.  What I actually did (whilst brushing my teeth - ever the multi tasker!), was cover it in a glassy gel.  Not to worry.  I walked away and left it to dry. This morning (again, brushing my teeth!!), I did cover it in gesso, and allowed it to dry.  So, this is where this evenings crafty journey began:

From this:

To the white out:

This was perfect for the mood I was in.  A strange blank canvas.  I wasn't sure what to do with it, but figured I couldn't actually make it any worse - with this in mind, I knew I could experiment freely.  So, I sprayed some bold green

And then a stunning strong blue

And added a red.  I then sprayed a silver shimmer over the top to spread the colours and blend them out a little

These are the spritzers I have used for this project.  They are all Mica based spritzers, so will dry with a sheen

There was ink left on my mat, which I used to colour the little butterfly which I'd actually ripped off the project. I popped this aside to dry

I blasted the card to dry the first layer of ink.  I wanted to build up the depth of colour, so spritzed again, this time I didn't water the ink down with the silver.

I started to dry the ink.  I loved the colours.  They changed when the heat was applied.  I presumed this was a reaction with the gel and the gesso.  

I love it.  The gel has added texture, but also brought all the layers of paper, dies and ribbon together

I did decide the sheen was to much, so added a little black paint.  I did this very subtly indeed.  I picked a little paint on a sponge, which I literally dusted over the piece.  This enhances the textures, and creates extra depth

To finish my piece, I added white and black mat and layers.  

I decided to cut up a lovely magazine, to find the perfect sentiment, and also added my little butterfly back in place 

I didn't want the words bright white, so toned them down with a little ink. You can see the difference here, with the craft being a shade whiter than the magic

I'm really happy with this.  "A restless mind creates curious craft magic".  But, the question remains, does crafting lead to mindfulness, or help with the ability to calm our minds. For me, it worked.  I lost myself in my creativity, and loved it.  The process engrossed my mind, focusing my wayward thoughts, and allowed me to chill out and calm.  And I was so happy with the result - so not only a calmer state of mind, but a sense of achievment.  Now, what shall I start whilst brushing my teeth this evening :)