I consider myself a creative person, but certainly not an artist. I reserve that distinction for people with refined talent. However, when I open my kiln after a glaze firing and find pottery pieces that I am proud of, well, it certainly motivates me to spend more time creating. Unfortunately, December can be a difficult month to be creative. Creative time to “play” is not always easy to schedule. I have learned that I enjoy the holidays more when I am able to find quiet creative time to make something beautiful. This is my version of self-care. Give yourself the gift of time to do something that you truly enjoy. For me, creative time provides me with necessary balance. Ultimately, this time may enable you to enjoy the season more. Let’s face it, this can be a hectic, sometimes stressful, time of year. This is one strategy I use to “fill my own bucket.” It’s my secret for tackling the additional tasks we take on to make the holidays more enjoyable for our family and friends. When I have enough inventory, I like to hold a pottery sale. The proceeds from the sale always benefit a charity. We have donated to Toys for Tots, Stand Up To Cancer, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Using my pottery to support these organizations is even more motivation to keep the creative spirit flowing. I hope you find inspiration in this post and find your own creative outlet, then use it to do good in this world
Deck The Halls…
If it’s December and if you haven’t already started, it’s time to gather the troops and deck the halls or otherwise knowns as getti g your holiday decorating knocked out! Put some holiday potpourri on the stove (here’s an easy recipe) put on Christmas music, and let the magic of the holidays inspire you to transform your home. We find it’s easiest to carve out a chunk of time to gather holiday items and get organized. For me this means hauling boxes of décor down from the attic and getting organized. Once we have inventoried our decorations, we work room by room adding simple holiday decor in every room. We use command hooks in every room in order not to mar the walls. My goal is to make our home feel welcoming and festive. Over the years, we have developed a system to make this easier, especially if you have people helping with this process. We have large storage totes that are labeled for each room. Taped to the underside of each box lid, there is a page protector that contains pictures of the arrangements from previous years. These images give the decorator some inspiration and guidance if needed. No one knows what the holidays are going to look like again this year, so we are committed to decking the halls using simple decorations to add holiday cheer all around our home. We have added custom wreaths, garlands and lights to every room. Here are some easy ideas to get you started. If you are looking for additional gift inspiration, check out our holiday gift giving post or the DIY gifts section of our site.