press pause

Two weeks after we ground to a halt, I feel like the adrenaline crash has well and truly hit. I’ve caught up on all the washing. I’ve rescued the last of the dishes from random places – bookshelves, floors, jammed between mattresses and walls. I’ve hauled ten* bags of tissues to the bin. I’ve thrown open the door and hustled kids outdoors and embraced the cleansing, revitalising power fresh air and sunshine. And then…then I languished.

A great big wall of nope grew overnight, waiting for me Monday morning. I pushed through the bare minimum school work, and then gave myself a moment to breathe. By evening though, I was sick of being in my own head, and pulled out my cross-stitch for a few rows. Yesterday, I gave myself a pep talk, and decided it was time to close the stress cycle. What better way to do that, that to draw a line under it with a finished mini book?

Mini books are always and forever my favourite way to document a little slice of something, and it was a no-brainer that I would follow up my lockdown 1.0 mini book with the companion plague edition. The base pages were a simple Kraft cardstock from BigW, and then I used the papers from my as yet untouched project life kit, along with some gelli prints from a play session a couple of weeks back.

With the addition of some posca pens (my latest mixed media addiction), and my ever faithful book-for-ripping, I had a simple and easy mini kit to work with. The photos were all off my phone – I collaged them using the Project Life app, and then printed on my Selphy printer**. Some photos I edited in Snapseed, especially if they were shared to instagram, but others I just printed directly. Does the colour balance annoy me in some photos? Absolutely! Do I care enough to edit and reprint? Nope. Imperfect printed photos win over photos languishing on my phone waiting for editing “one day”, every time.

There were two pages waiting on photos, that I wanted to print as 1/4 of a 4×6 print. Yesterday, I had two days of my Advent art journal ready to go as well, so it seemed the perfect time to group, print, and then finish the album.

I will confess, it took quite a bit of negotiating with my mojo to actually get stuck in. But once I did, I was so glad I had made the effort. The album was done, and I could consider this chapter done as well. I could feel the tension leave myself shoulders with every swipe of the glue stick, and my mojo racing back for other, more fun projects.

It’s one of those times where “done is better than perfect”. I pulled out my big camera and quickly snapped the photos to share in this post, and started editing. There was a lot I was not happy about with them, and I even messaged The Minister to say I was giving up and would redo them in the morning. Once I sat back down, though, I took another look. Again, are they perfect? Not at all. Would I submit them to a client? Not a chance. Will posting them buy me back some headspace and be able to officially call this mini book complete and ready for filing? Yes. Ok then let’s work with them and get. it. done.

Just as I expected, I feel a million times lighter. The block stopping me from the next items on my list has gone, and I am full speed ahead into Christmas crafting. Those finished project feels might just be my favourite way to close a stress cycle.

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