Showing posts with label current trends. Show all posts

Check on Your Interoverts --- Not All Of Them Are OK, Either









We're hearing a lot of words and phrases right now --- many of which were not even around two months ago.  Living through a pandemic has necessitated it in some cases, and other new parts of our vocabulary have become buzzwords or trendy on social media.   There are certain ones I'm pretty tired of hearing, like "unprecedented times," "social distancing," and "quarantine," to name a few. 

There is another one, though, that I feel is a bit incomplete, which says:  "Check on your extroverts.  They are not OK."   Let me start by saying that I am not criticizing anyone who feels this blurb sums it up for them.  I'm not an extrovert and cannot speak to what their experiences with the pandemic are.  This is a great reminder for those of us who love these high energy, social folks. We should be keeping in touch with them and see how they are doing, as having to be social distant will be difficult.   As an introvert, however...I think there should be a companion statement which says:  "Check on Your Introverts.  Not all of them are OK."

Many of your introvert friends are having difficulties, too. Yes, there are many who are enjoying the chance to slow down, stay in, catch up on their Netflix watch list, and tackle projects that work and other facets of life have prevented them from doing normally. As an introvert myself, I have taken pleasure in these activities. There have been days when I enjoyed the slower pace, having everyone in the family home for dinner, and not having to drive the mom taxi. Honestly, though, I still miss people and the things we used to do together. This may sound funny, since it may seem contrary to your idea of an introvert, so let me clarify.

A few years ago, when my family was sitting at dinner, my daughter struck up a conversation about the difference between our personalities and introversion vs. extroversion. She identifies as an extrovert. She also recognized that I was an introvert. Her idea of a great time is to be with her friends as much as possible. She loves to meet new people and would rather be out doing something than at home. In contrast, I enjoy being home. I can pop on a movie or a great playlist of my favorite movie, and be content to do something while it's playing. I can do housework, some crafting, or cook in the kitchen. I'm also quite comfortable going to eat at a restaurant or a movie theater by myself. As we were discussing this, my girl came to the conclusion that I was anti-social. What I tried to explain was this is not the case. I'm not anti-social. I just socialize in a much different way than an extrovert. 


Does this mean I don't like going out with other people?  No, it doesn't.  Am I against
 meeting new people?  No, I'm not.  I still like to grab lunch with some gals from church, 
see a movie with my family, and love extended family gatherings.  And, I take fitness 
and ballet classes, where you will find me in the front row every single time if I can 
manage it.  I might often be content to take a back seat in a group conversation, but 
when I dance, I like to be up front, in the thick of it all.  


When I go to fitness classes, I get there several minutes before the class starts to just sit and gather my thoughts. I can take that time to shed off any negative thinking, let go of things that happened during my day that I didn't like, or just have some peace. When I'm home with my family, I speak a lot. Answering questions regarding dinner, what needs to get done at home, and so on. I'm also giving constant reminders: get back to doing homework, please clean up after yourself, comb your hair, etc. Some days, I feel like a chatty parrot repeating the same stuff over and over. So, if I have a few minutes to myself before class starts, and I can relax and enjoy the silence, I relish that.


If, however, one of the peeps I know from class sits down and wants to chat, I can do that, too. Or, I can choose to listen as they talk amongst themselves and silently enjoy what is being said. There are times I enjoy just being a listening ear for someone else.


So, after that long ramble, what is my point?  Many introverts are not anti-social. We still need people...but the way we approach it looks different than it does for extroverts. I miss going to my weekly ballet class and taking time to chat with the other students and our teacher. We all appreciate the adult interaction, as it is often the only conversations we get that don't involve managing family decisions,  kids, work, etc. I feel great talking and letting each of us have our say.


I also miss going to events. Last July, I danced in a Flash Mob with a boatload of other Shine Dance Fitness students. There were some who know me who were surprised to see me in a bright yellow dress, dancing in the front row. It was real thrill for me to take part! Dance is one of my best outlets for self expression. I grabbed a selfie with one of the instructors afterwards, and went to dinner with a couple of my brothers and their spouses. This doesn't sound like an introvert's idea of a fun evening, but for me, it was awesome.


Additionally, three years in a row, I attended Brave Girl Symposium, which I went to by myself. The purpose of this event to is to find tools to heal, bravely live your best life, and connect with other like minded gals. I didn't go with any girlfriends in tow, but I saw friends I made at other Brave Girls events, and made some new friends, too. I danced, swam, ate, cried with, sang, practiced yoga, and attended classes with these gals. I asked to sit with groups of other ladies when going to the large meetings. I stayed up late to do some of the activities with all the attendees, and at other times, ducked out early to decompress after emotional speeches, or just to wind down and watch TV before bed (In case you are interested, I did a series of three videos where I show how to make the layout about the flash mob.  You can check them out here:)

And, here is what else I miss:

-I wish I could hug my mom. While I still see her weekly, since I try to be available to help her once a week, we don't give hugs because of the pandemic. I don't see my brothers because of social distancing guidelines. It bums me out.


-Not being able to do the normal things with other people is difficult. Unlike some of my extroverted friends and family, I'm not the life of the party, I've never been one to entertain at my house a ton, and may not make new friends every week. However, I still need people. I still miss my people. I really dislike the social distancing. I hate not being able to travel, or stopping to chat with a friend or acquaintance I see in the grocery store.


I know I'm not going to die.  I realize the pandemic isn't lasting forever.  It's just not always fun for me, either.  I'm mostly doing OK.  But often, stuff gets to me, as I'm sure there's stuff that gets to everyone else.  


Take it from an introvert. We're not all okay, either. So check on your introvert friends, too, and see how they are doing. See if they want to talk, text with you, or do a FaceTime chat.  I think in general, it's wise to check on your friends and family, whether we are an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert, we all still need connection.  
Read more »
Labels: , , , , , ,

Digi Paper Trend - Tropical




 Do you ever miss the many different scrapbooking magazines that used to be available?  I used to see them so frequently, not only in the local scrapbooking store (aka LSS), but in pretty much every grocery store I frequented, bookstores, gas stations, and more.  Nowadays, it's harder to find them...thankfully, there's still Scrapbook & Cards Today.  I'm grateful for it, and love to read it, but I still get sad that there's only scrapbooking publication left.   Back in the day, when there were plenty to choose from,  I felt like the magazines were the best source for spotting papercrafting trends.

I know there's a ton of inspiration online, but just trying to find info on the current year's trends is a bit hard.  It feels like most posts or online articles about what's trending are focused on one brand, and I think that it's nice to be able to look across all the offerings available.  There was one blog I used to visit that had a series on trends, but they stopped posting about that about 2 years ago.

So, after doing my own research on this year's trends both in print and online,  I decided to do videos and blog featuring a current trend.   Here is my first video in this series, which showcases the "tropical" trend:





I created a Pinterest board for things I found that show the popularity of Tropical Chic, which does have scrapbooking layouts and cards, but also food ideas, home decor, jewelry, party favors, and more.  If you have any doubts as to how well-liked this trend is, the objects I've gathered here should put them to rest:

Pinterest board - Tropical



Since trends are seen across multiple areas, it's no surprise that it's also popped up into paper crafting.  I was easily able to find tropical- themed digital scrapbooking kits.  The one I chose to use for the projects I'm showing you today were made with the "Pineapple of My Eye" digital kit by Traci Reed and Jady Day Studio at Sweet Shoppe Designs:

Get The Pineapple of My Eye Kit Here







The first project I'm sharing here is my digital bullet journaling spread.  I imported a jpeg image of a single pineapple as well as a white ribbon with little pineapples on it.  I used the ribbon as a border and placed a little pineapple next to each day of the week.  From there, I just used my Apple pencil to doodle in the Morpholio Journal App and added the writing for each section of the spread.



,


Up next is this scrapbook page I made about a pool day we had during our DisneyWorld vacation.   The pool was at the Music Resort, and while it did have pools shaped like musical instruments,  the main feel was more tropical, so this kit was perfect. 




I couldn't resist using the kit to make a card...this pineapple element was calling to me, so here you go:




Here's the list of traditional supplies I used for this card.  If I couldn't find a link to a particular product, then I provided a link to one that's similar:

Pink Bazzill Cardstock
Recollections colored rhinestones
silk flower embellishments
raffia
a button from my stash.  You can use anything you have on hand...I fully encourage using your stash whenever you can.


I hope you guys enjoyed my take on the tropical trend...if you feel so inclined, go and try it out for yourself!

See you all later,


Read more »
Labels: , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)