It’s the week of Thanksgiving…the time we are all supposed to be thankful, right? Actually, our lives should be overflowing with thankfulness all through the year. No matter what our circumstances, no matter how much we have or don’t have. Even if you are not feeling very thankful, you can choose to be thankful. Find at least one thing each day for which you can choose to be thankful and say out loud that you are thankful for that. Just hearing it with your own voice will help your heart feel more thankful. My guess is that if you keep that up, pretty soon you will be finding many more things throughout your day for which you can say thanks.

This time of the year it is easy to become more focused on the material things you don’t have because people are asking what you want for Christmas. And the advertisers are trying so hard every day to convince you that your life would be so much better if you only had their products…and here’s a coupon that you can’t pass up to make sure you get their products. Today Becoming Minimalist shared a photo with these words, “If your biggest dreams in life can be found on sale in a catalog you should be dreaming bigger.”

We could make a huge long list of art, crafting, and sewing supplies and equipment that we would love to have. We could do so much more if we only had this, and that, and that, and… but we do have a lot, and there is so much more we can do with what we already have. Sometimes it takes a little more creativity to figure out how to do something we want to do but don’t have the exact tools we think we should. But being creative and inspiring others to be creative is what we want to do, so that means it isn’t always necessary for us to have the latest greatest tools.

We decided we would share with you the creative tool we are each most grateful for.

Jan: The creative tool I am most grateful for is my sewing machine. My current machine is about 25 years old. Too bad sewing machines don’t have odometers, because it would be interesting to see how many miles I have put on this machine!I learned to sew as a young girl making most of my own clothes in high school, college, and as a newlywed and sewed many home decorating items, gifts and toys through the years. I did not make as many clothes once the kids arrived, but it is fun to see my granddaughters wearing some of the dresses I made for my daughters so many years ago.

A sewing machine can be used to create, recreate, or repair so many things. After all these years, I still don’t know how to use it to it’s fullest potential! A few weeks ago, I shared with you what I learned about the darning foot. I still have other feet I never use, but plan to in the coming months. My machine can do several kinds of stitches, some practical, some just fancy. Do I use them? Occasionally. But if I really learned to use them, it would probably help me come up with even more creative ideas.

Thank you sewing machine for all the things you can do to help me be a more creative person. I am grateful to have you in my life.

Melinda:

I am thankful for my crochet hooks and knitting needles. I learned how to crochet when I was a young girl–mostly pot holders. I picked it back up in college making scarves as Christmas presents. As a poor college student who liked to be crafty, crocheting was one of the cheapest mediums to pursue. I kept doing it after college when I was pregnant with Ninja Boy making baby blankets for my pregnant friends. I have made a lot of other things since them and have used my skills as a business as well.

I am thankful to have a form of crafting that does not require a lot of space and is easily picked up and put down as I am needed with the kids. They are portable. I have crocheted/knit in the car, at coffee shops, on the subway while visiting my sister, waiting in line somewhere, at friends’ houses while hanging out, etc. All you need is a small project bag, and you can do it anywhere. I don’t have a lot of space at my house for craft stuff, so crochet/knitting supplies are some things I can keep on hand without taking up too much space (especially if I don’t go crazy with my yarn stash).

I crochet and knit for my sanity. When I don’t have some kind of creative outlet, my life becomes more stressful. I don’t have to think about other things when I crochet or knit because I am either counting stitches for a pattern or just counting out of habit. I can forget about the issues for a moment and give my mind a break. I can feel productive while resting my body, which has helped me get through each of my pregnancies toward the end. If I am not stressed, it just feels good to see something come together from start to finish. I feel like I’ve accomplished something no matter how big or small the project.

I am thankful for my mom and grandma who taught me how to crochet. I am thankful for my sister and my friend in college who took multiple sessions to teach me how to knit even though I just wasn’t getting it. Thank you for your patience because I finally got it!

Thank you specifically size G crochet hook and size 8 knitting needles because you were my firsts, and you two get used the most of all.

We are looking forward to sharing time together the next several days with part of our family to celebrate Thanksgiving. Hard to believe December 1st is part of Thanksgiving weekend! We will be back next week with ideas for having a Simple Christmas. Enjoy time with your loved ones this week and remember to find something every day of your life for which you can be thankful.

…”give thanks in all circumstances…” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18