Wednesday, November 18, 2009

My first tutorial


My devoted devotees, (if you do not count yourself among this elite population I invite you to visit the sidebar and  sign up, follow me....NOW...go to.)  I feel as though I have been a part of the blogging world long enough now to share with you something from the vast stores of my knowledge.
  
Have you always wanted to be able to make a hat like this?


Or an adorable headband like this?


Or a garden box like this?


Or booties like this?



Or a birthday cake like this?
Pink Cake Box Cake
via pinkcakebox.com
 
Or a scarf like this?


or a dress like this?
 

Really? You have???

Me too.
 
Instead I will show you how to take a very bad case of the blues and turn them into a case of ... a lighter hue of the blues almost back to a normal shade.  Ready?

Step 1

Here I am feeling very sorry for myself because I believe I am a total failure because I can't make any of those things pictured above.(or maybe it is because my house is unorganized, or I forgot to pick up a child from rehearsal or I yelled at someone. It doesn't really matter but for this tutorial we will say that it is because I think I can't make these thingies.)

Step 2

 And then I start thinking about ALL the places where I fall short and start feeling really hopeless.
 
Step 3 (and this is the most important part)
 
I just smack myself in the forehead and say "Rebekah, you are being ridiculous." (Except you might not want to call yourself Rebekah.  I like calling myself Rebekah because it reminds me that that is my name.)
  
Step 4 (no, wait, THIS is the most important part)

I reframe the whole thing. Like this: Just because you haven't made these crafty wonders doesn't mean  you don't do lots of things really well. You are a champion movie watcher.  You made some very nice humans once from scratch.  Remember that time you made crackers for an entire month because you refused to buy anything in a package? Remember when you didn't get in a car for a whole summer and rode your bike everywhere with your kids in the trailer just to prove you could? Remember when you ran a very very slow marathon?  Remember that one time that you made dinner? See? You CAN do things, Rebekah. You are a work in progress.

The Finished Product

And look at that. Do you see it? It's called hope.  After a few simple steps you feel like you can take on the next challenge.

 And it might even be something you knit.

For more tutorials along these lines may I suggest you read the book "Learned Optimism" by Martin E.P. Seligman.  Its a goody. And it's just good strategy.


14 comments:

  1. I found you from a comment on Jordans blog, I used to live in Berkeley, now in WC. This is exactly how i was feeling today! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You forgot your warm and funny personalty brights others days...like mine! You are also very creative! I LOVE your BLOG!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, how I needed this today!

    Your tutorials ROCK. I expect more in the future. Many, many more.

    P.S. If we move back, I will be letting you know. And we will be getting together. And doing lunch. And not making great cakes.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. i love this tutorial. and your blog. so glad i found it. meow.

    ReplyDelete
  6. YOU ARE SO FUN!
    I have to tell myself every day that if the only thing I have done today was make the eyes of our unborn just that much more efficient, I have done a great job today! ha! (and then i tell chris that is what i was busy doing. sometimes he buys it.) We are actually reading that very book right now! But, I still want to learn how to do all of the pics you just showed, how can I find out how to do that?

    ReplyDelete
  7. and oh i read you my darling, even on old posts...

    ReplyDelete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You have always made my day Bekah and you did it again. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I tried your tutorial and it worked for me. Check out my fab results!
    http://aldridgelorton.blogspot.com/2009/11/testing-out.html?zx=72be3e560657da9b

    ReplyDelete
  11. Rebekah - Do you know how much I love you!!! You are an absolute gem of a person! I'm so glad to have met you through dance! It's fabulous to just be around you & I hope we don't let our friendship go after Behold The Light is done! I can't imagine a Saturday without your humor and our laughter!

    bcholtfamily@sbcglobal.net
    Cathy Holt
    www.bcholt.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Might I add that life can be divided into three stages: 1. Life before kids (where you waste all your time), 2. Life with kids (where you somehow defy time in order to successfully sustain the lives of a bunch of people), and 3. Life after kids have moved out (where you have loads of time to devote yourself to making cool stuff). Don't worry, life cycle number three hasn't even started for us yet.

    ReplyDelete