The Joy Edit - vol. 6

Hi friend,

Welp… it’s fall. I do enjoy fall, but I really love summer, so I’m always a little reluctant to say goodbye to it. Still, I’m grateful for the change of seasons and the new things it gives us to notice—the cooler air, the colors, the cozy feeling of coming inside.

I have a few fall-inspired crafts on the docket, and I’m sure they’ll make their way into future Joy Edits. For now, here’s what I’ve been making, noticing, and looking forward to lately…

I love collecting little bits and pieces from places I go, along with the everyday ephemera that finds its way into my hands—stickers, papers, business cards, wrappers, you name it. Over the years, I’ve tucked them into scrapbooks, memory planners, and travel journals. Most recently, I’ve been adding them to a junk journal: a place to arrange and paste in all those scraps, with no rules about what belongs on the page.

This week, I realized I had collected a tremendous number of stickers from my son’s college. Instead of leaving them in a pile, I made a couple of sticker collage spreads, followed by a page of photos from the day we dropped him off for freshman year. He’s been there a month already… how??

I think I’d been saving the stickers for something “special.” But once I stopped overthinking it and started sticking them down, I made something special after all—spontaneous, imperfect, and full of memories. Now I get to open my journal and enjoy them. That makes me happy.

I’ve been cross-stitching consistently for a few years now, and I’ve built up a small collection of finished pieces. A few have been professionally framed, but framing can get expensive—especially when you have several pieces waiting for their turn.

So I’ve decided to learn how to frame them myself. Right now, that looks like watching YouTube videos, gathering supplies, and learning about the different methods before I choose one to try. I’m very much in the research stage, but I’m excited to see these pieces finally make their way onto the walls.

The picture above are the ones still waiting to be framed. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!

I’ve been organizing my embroidery thread lately while preparing for my next project—winding each color and then arranging them all together. It’s such a simple, repetitive task, but I find it surprisingly calming.

I think we sometimes underestimate the quiet parts of crafting. Even before you make anything, there’s comfort in working with your hands, seeing the colors come together, and letting your mind settle for a little while.

After nearly a year of construction at home, my little studio is finally ready to host workshops again! I’ve missed having people gather around the table to make things together.

Our first workshop back will be bracelet making, and I’m so excited to welcome friends in for a lovely evening of creativity, conversation, and colorful beads. It feels good to open the studio doors again. 

Use something you’ve been saving.

Is there a sticker, a pretty piece of paper, a special notebook, or a craft supply you’ve been holding on to for the “right” moment?

Pick one thing and give it a place in your life this weekend. Stick it in your journal. Write on the first page. Make something small with it. It doesn’t have to become a big project.

Sometimes enjoying what we’ve saved is as simple as letting ourselves use it.