Today I'm wondering what's on everyone's mind when they are doing a bit of cutting and sticking? Do you think big, heavy thoughts? Mull over the events of the day? Or idly muse on something simple?
Last week I gathered up all the scraps on my desk and made a few "blank canvas" cards: deliberately leaving a space at the bottom to add to at a later date. As I stuck them together I pondered:
- It's true what they say: a little Glossy Accents goes a very long way. And "dries clear" doesn't actually mean "dries clear" in any meaningful sense. Oh.
- Anyone who eats while scrapbooking has my admiration. I have a scampi fries dusted layout to prove it's not for me.
- That sky blue enamel dot which I noticed stuck to the lid of the breadbin would be perfect right now. But it's not here because it fell off some part of me in the kitchen yesterday.
- I'd like to find the person who invented that red extra sticky double sided tape and shake her by the hand. Non- sticky hand, of course.
- It's so warm up here that I really need to open the window. But if I do, a freak breeze will blow everything off the table and scatter it down the stairs in some kind of weird paper art installation. Or I could just suffocate.
- That was the doorbell. was that the doorbell? Someone else will get it. No, no one else has got it. maybe it was the postman. Maybe it was the window cleaner who really needs paid. Maybe it was that nice man from the American Consulate again (long story, needs a layout).
- The coffee and biscuits are downstairs. The coffee and biscuits are downstairs....
Yes, that last one won in the end. How about you? Any thoughts?
When I am clipping to a mask, which is the equivalent, I often get distracted by looking over saved digital files and wondering how they would best sit alongside one another in a photobook.
ReplyDeleteMostly I am in the moment because I don't spend a lot of time on any one layout.
I love this post Sian! When I am sewing or sticking I am always thinking about 'the next thing' it drives me nuts.
ReplyDeleteWhen I am working on the computer I am totally absorbed in what I am doing, well except for the coffee and biscuits bit...
I don't think of much at all when paper crafting.....totally absorbed:) Aha! So your the one that answers the door in your family too, how comes no one else hears the door bell and if they do (or the telephone rings) they all look at you to get it? Why does it ring when you have either a, stuck your hands in water or b, just say down with your dinner? Answer to biscuits and coffee.....have them upstairs or a little bell to tinkle when service is required...naw wouldn't work here either....
ReplyDeleteRight in the middle of reading your post I got up to shut the window as it was getting too blustery in here ... then I sat back down and read about you doing the same! Spooky!
ReplyDeleteI was also thinking 'oh, I'm glad all my receipts are safely tucked under that paperweight'. Then I thought 'Paperweights. You don't really see people using them any more.'
So I guess I'll pass that idea on to you [although of course, you may well end up having to use dozens of them while making a layout!]
Great post Sian! I have been scrapbooking some old holidays recently and get thoroughly caught up in the memories, I am transported back to that time -it's fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI think you hit the nail on the head---my thoughts, too are random and all over the place while I'm scrapbooking. Usually I'll put a dvd on as I do not have cable in my scrapbook room. If that's the case, my thoughts are a little more controlled!
ReplyDeleteWhen crocheting and other 'sitting comfy with something in my hands' crafting I often float into a zen like meditative zone and don't really remember what my thoughts are.
ReplyDeleteWhen sitting at my desk crafting my thoughts are much like yours
Must pay attention to my thoughts as I create on PSE
great post
So it isn't just me with random thoughts going on then! What should we have for dinner? What's that dog doing? Is there any chocolate left? Where did I see that layout I wanted to copy?
ReplyDeleteI most often listen to an audiobook while I am scrapping. Only on occasion do I have to stop the recording to catch if I missed anything or to solve a perplexing design question. In fact, I found that if I don't have something on in the background I over think my layouts. I save eating for in front of the computer when I'm blog reading or checking email - for example, leftover mac 'n cheese right now - in my pajamas. Life is good!
ReplyDeleteSian - you really need a kettle and biscuit tin in your room. Really - it's a necessity. If I had to trek all those stairs for a cuppa, believe me - there would probably be TWO kettles. But. Then how far away is the loo?
ReplyDeleteI love this post :) What goes through my head is usually lyrics. Remembered wrongly and then warbled even more wrongly. Which is bad as lately they have been influencing what I do.
I'll also get a tickle across my neck. And then there is a mad dance while I'm brushing myself down with one word going through my mind. SPIDER. But it never is. It's just my mind.
I'll also hear a crash. And a bang. And screams. A pause. A little voice saying er, Mum - want a cup of tea? And I'll say - what was that noise? "Nothing. Nothing." Hmm.
Psst. I bought this for my Dad for Christmas. He loves it. Just sayin'. ;)
ReplyDeleteI have totally random thoughts....could be about what I'm making....could be 'what shall we have for dinner'....could be 'how come the dog's hairs always end up where I'm creating'.....this morning I've been wondering 'how come embossing powder travels quite so far'and 'does it make the carpet look more attractive'.....but the coffee and biscuits usually do win out in the end.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting post! One of the very best things about cutting and pasting for me has been that I don't think much about anything other than what I'm doing. When we were going through some very tough times, card-making and scrapbooking were really my saviors. I couldn't keep my mind on a novel, but I could escape in the studio.
ReplyDeleteI have random thoughts when I am scrapbooking - but the doorbell is one thing we have in common - I hear it ring very easily as it is in the room next to me, but the front door is a walk away. And does someone else ever answer the door? No! Well, only if I get up and get 2/3 of the way there!
ReplyDeleteIf I am cutting or working on a card my thoughts are pretty random interspersed with thoughts about my stash and why didn't the wonderful lady that made the awesome 2 sided tape make the red peel off part non static! When I am working on a layout or a project for a particular person I usually am in my prayer for them. The doorbell I ignore ;) I never eat when working.
ReplyDeleteRecently I think I have used scrapping to escape from the real world at times! We haven't been able to go out as much over the last few months as DS has been unwell, DH hasn't had a job for several months so has been doing the food shopping and cooking (so I have had extra time) my dad's cancer is spreading so looking at happy photos and preserving memories is real important right now xxx
ReplyDeleteI so enjoyed reading your random thoughts today! I will often listen the Paperclipping Roundtable while I scrap, but other times it's just me & my thoughts. I think about the item I'm creating, whether or not I'll blog about it, how much time I have until I need to stop and cook supper, whether or not I really did hear the end-of-cycle beep on the washing machine & if I should stop and go switch the laundry, etc, etc, etc
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to make cards and leave space for personalizing them later! I'm sure my random thoughts would jump all over the place, as well. And I'm with you on the eating while crafting since I often leave traces of food on my creations!
ReplyDeleteSo funny! I love scampi fries too (but not whilst I'm crafting lol!)
ReplyDeleteI usually think 'why can't I cut straight!' and 'Ouch, not another hot glue gun burn' ;)
Hugs, Estelle xx
Love this post! I'm with you on glossy accents and big bows too. No eating and scrapping for this one either. Too risky. Idle easy thoughts for my scrapping time. I can't scrap if heavy things are on my mind.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. I don't actually know what I think about. I'll have to think about it next time I'm scrapping! But I often eat while creating. love your 'anytime' I do this too
ReplyDelete90% of the time, i will watch a movie or tv serie while i scrap because thinking too much usually is not good for me!
ReplyDeletei do sometimes have food with me but i always completely forget it. i guess i like pretty papers more!
I don't think about much really...i'm away with the fairies (most of the time-not just when i scrap!). I always put a film on the laptop..one i have watched before (sometimes over and over) so i don't get distracted. If the boys are home they distract me when they lean across my layout to have a closer look and yep it;s normally when they are eating a biscuit!! it's not a good combination! x I'm not sure i could scrap like you do high in the sky...the kettle (and biscuits) would be too far away!
ReplyDeleteI'm in the 'random thoughts' brigade, or caught upin the memories of what I'm scrapping about!
ReplyDeleteAlison xx
Nooooooo! this thinking stuff is quite over-rated. brings a person out in heat lumps. I once said out loud "I quite like ironing and do all my best thinking while ironing" for the rest of the time my father lived with us he would look at me ironing and say "What can you possibly have to think about?" Put me off thinking and ironing for years.
ReplyDeleteI quite often use my scrapping time to catch up on tv programs on iplayer or watch a dvd.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of your post I was trying hard to think about what I actually think about when I'm crafting. I think I kind of zone out... But then I read your random thoughts and realized, yes, that's me too! My mind just wanders and that's just fine by me.
ReplyDeleteWell this has been a thought- provoking, hilarious, touching, spooky post all in one for me! When I'm crafting I usually have music on in the background but lately my thoughts have been so full of unhappiness over my Mom and Son I found the music made my mood worse so I'm watching catch-up tv or listening to the birds singing in the garden. I'm always looking for the elusive red bead too Sian, to finally finish my page, which I never seem to find!
ReplyDeleteI always make sure I take coffee & biscuits up with me lol. And I have a dish full of sweets while I scrap, as door thoughts, sadly mine are so random it's scary :)
ReplyDeleteI can relate to that random thought thingy. My brain jumps back and forth all the time.
ReplyDeleteMmm... good question. Depends if I am working alone or with others. On my own I frequently zone out - if it is a longish session I might light some aromatherapy oil, put on music, and let my mind wander. I like times like that.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant post! I am usually concentrating but occasionally I'll get a distracting thought like "why is photoshop running so slow - argh!"
ReplyDeleteI think I'm a mix of Jacky and Karen. I find cutting and sticking as a way to clear my mind out but then it's often filled by miscellaneous things.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Rinda
You always write such great posts Sian. I tend to listen to audio tapes when I craft. (My guilty pleasure is Harry Potter read by Stephen Fry)!
ReplyDeleteThis is funny! Following your sporadic train of thoughts made think of the dog in the movie "Up"... squirrel! Have you seen it?
ReplyDeleteI actually don't think too much about anything else while I cut and glue, I am focused on the task and it is the reason why it is so good for me :) A bit meditative/head clearing...
I've never really thought about what I think about when I scrap. I'll have to pay attention next time! I agree with you on the bow thing - they always look great when somebody else does them but I haven't quite learned the trick of it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating question and set of comments!
ReplyDeleteIt depends.... I often put on a podcast - GQT, PRT, DigiFiles if I'm alone in the room but as I share it with the rest of the family it is often someone else's choice of background noise. If I get into flow however - I don't think of anything other than being in the moment - those are the best layouts and best experiences. The trick is to get there...
oh and I don't eat whilst scrapping, and usually don't drink anything but water.
I craft to stop my mind thinking! LOL That is probably why I have the TV on at the same time ... if my mind starts to wander it gets distracted by what is on there. Otherwise I tune it out as white noise.
ReplyDeleteBut I do agree, that red extra sticky tape is the BEST and I have almost run out! I will soon be back to glue :( If I think, it is all product/craft related.
Omg scampi fries!
ReplyDeleteAnd I tend to think..
ReplyDelete'eugh, where did I put that?' and 'eugh that doesn't work!'
I'm usually thinking one of two things ~ is my tea cold and what time is it?
ReplyDeleteI'm usually thinking, will I get this done before somebody wants to eat again?!
ReplyDeleteSo many of these thoughts are familiar! Its been an interesting read. My mind totally wanders too and usually about what else I should be doing or what I need to next / keep an eye on the time etc. I like listening to music but I couldn't have anything visual going on like a DVD etc. I always have a cup of tea on the go - its the law ;-)
ReplyDeleteAll kind of things go through my mind when I am crafting - generally rather random ones as well.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Sian. I'm definitely a random thoughts person - what do I need for dinner? do I need to go out? I really should tidy this desk up. etc., etc. Although like Alison I'm also caught up in the memories of what I'm scrapping.
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly how my mind wanders when I'm cutting and sticking! :)
ReplyDelete