It’s that time of year, the time when the maker madness starts to appear. We rush around in a frenzied state, hoping our gifts will not be late. Covered in glitter, threads, & glue, we’re trying to decide – is that teal or is it blue? Checking our lists just to see, which ones are craft worthy, who could it be? In the end, despite the race, we know it will bring a smile to their face. And that is worth all the stress & the strife for anyone that lives a maker life!
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Maker Madness
Well, I hope y’all enjoyed my little maker poem. My first sentence rhymed, so I just went with it! It is that time of year, the time of year that a little maker madness starts to settle in. Soon it will be October, which is full of fairs, festivals, & Halloween. Then we head into November for gatherings filled with fabulous food. Finally there’s December which is filled with gift giving & merry making before the end of the year. Whew! That made me tired just thinking about it, which is what I’ve been doing since September started, ha ha!
When you’re a maker, you tend to think about this time of year before other folks. I don’t know about y’all, but I always have grand plans for the gifts I will make. Don’t forget about the food, decorating, & gatherings as well. I’ve also got the blog, YouTube channel, Etsy shop, & an advent calendar to prepare for this year. Busy, busy, bee!
I thought I’d share some things I’m doing to try to keep my sanity during this very busy time of the year. It can get overwhelming very quickly & I’m already feeling the pressure. I want to enjoy all the fun things because this is my favorite time of the year. There are things I can do now to try to head off a maker meltdown!
Getting Ready for the Holidays
Holidays are hectic & can be even more stressful for a maker. We sometimes want to make more than is feasibly possible! There are some things you can do to help your holiday making more enjoyable & less – why do I do this to myself?!?
Self Care
Yes, I’m listing self care first on this list! Self care gets over looked for many makers because they want to do all the things for all the people. Keeping yourself healthy mentally & physically will help you spread joy & enjoy the holidays. The February challenge in the Maker Finish-Along was all about taking time to stretch & sitting properly when making. Take a look for some great tips!
It’s also important to make sure you’re taking medication properly. It can be very easy to let these things take a back burner to other things happening. I say this because I caused myself some unnecessary energy problems this past weekend by mixing up medicines & forgetting to take a medicine. I’ve been taking these medicines for years & it’s in the routine, but rushing around to get things done really messed me up. Plus, staying up too late to finish things probably didn’t help!
One more thing I want to mention in this section is to make sure you’re eating regularly & staying hydrated. I’ve been grabbing way too many “quick fixes” the past few weeks for lunch & sometimes supper. It really does affect my mental focus & I imagine that it affects others as well.
Making Lists
Y’all I love making lists! Now, I’ll also say that I don’t always stick to the lists I make. Sometimes a list just helps me get things out of my head & free up mental space. Then I can look back at a list later & see what really needs to be done right now. These are the kinds of lists I usually make this time of year:
- Gift list – My gift list generally starts out huge & then gets whittled down when I realize how much time I really have.
- Card list – Sometimes a card with a personal note is the best gift. And sometimes I get cards sent out & sometimes I don’t! : D
- Event list – There’s always so many fun things happening this time of year! Add that to all the family events that occur & a girl can overbooked quickly.
- Food list – Most family events require bringing food & I like to give food gifts, so I like to stock up before the shelves empty out.
Now, these are just a few general lists that I start out with. Then I’ll start dividing things up a bit. For example, on the gift list there will be people I give individual gifts to, family gifts, & general gifts. General gifts are for things like the gift swap we do at my in-laws or just extras for unexpected things.
As I said before, list making is a way for me to get all the stuff out of my head & free up mental space. Then I can stop trying to remember all the things!
Advanced Prep
Once you’ve got all your handy, dandy lists, go ahead & do some advanced prep. I like to bake, so it’s a good time to make up some cookie & pie dough to stick in the freezer. It’s such an easy thing to do since I use my Ninja blender
Another good thing to do is make sure you’re stocked up on wrapping & shipping supplies. There’s nothing like finishing the perfect gift & realizing you have nothing to give it in! You can even make the wrapping part of the gift if you don’t like disposable wrapping. I had to be sure to stock up on items for shipping in my shop as well. Sending out an order is like sending out a gift & I want the recipient to be excited about opening it when they see it in the mail. : )
My goal this year is to wrap things as I buy/finish making them. I’m always wrapping things last minute & I don’t want to be stuck doing that this year! Anything that you can do in little increments in advance, will mean more time enjoying what you prepared for.
Okay, I think this has gone on long enough! I hope you enjoyed the post & found something useful to help you through all the maker madness. Have a great weekend & live life creatively!
