Shakti
Pearl Clutcher
Too old for dyin' young; too young to live alone
Posts: 2,585
Oct 30, 2022 23:42:30 GMT
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Post by Shakti on Jun 8, 2024 0:36:01 GMT
What do you consider a crafty "project" to be? How many do you have "open" (in any physical state somewhere in your home -- a pile of products set aside together, a partially completed project set aside for now, etc) vs. "active" (being actually worked, perhaps intermittently with other projects) vs. "conceptual" (you have an idea, maybe using products you already own or want to acquire, or maybe the idea is search of products to actualize it)?
I would add a poll, but I feel like this is too fuzzy a question with too many variables....
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Shakti
Pearl Clutcher
Too old for dyin' young; too young to live alone
Posts: 2,585
Oct 30, 2022 23:42:30 GMT
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Post by Shakti on Jun 8, 2024 0:42:34 GMT
I feel like I have more projects than I think I have. I have a list of conceptual ideas in my journal, but also a crafty to-do list, which is more a "don't you forget about me" list -- things to finish. Then I have a project cart full of mesh bags of work-in-progress. Sometime the to-do list and the stacks on the cart are out of sync. And I also have a bin of unused products that I want to try SOON. Sometimes I want the shiny! happy! new! of the planning phase and other times I feel obsessively driven to finish the things started.
Anyone else? How many "things" do have going on, if you tallied them all? Are you OK with following the ebb and flow of your crafty energy through its beginnings and endings phases? Or do you think you should be more...disciplined, I guess? Part of me thinks I should be, but…art, right?
Please share your experiences with these issues!
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Post by lg on Jun 8, 2024 1:37:32 GMT
I always have the following on the go:
- ds and dd albums (stories in chronologicalish order)
- at least 1-2 years of project life (my version, monthly, story based)
- a travel story (still have 3x trips at least to scrap)
- witl/ditl/Disney/pet album
I have so many because I get bored of each one after a time so I swap to another and get a few layouts done, then swap again when I get bored or get inspired.
Still also working on wedding album, and trip album from when I was 20 😂 the more I think about it the longer my incomplete projects list gets!
I am okay with how I approach these projects as I don’t want my creativity that I use to relieve daily stress to become a source of stress.
There are times when I have to be disciplined/tough with myself to get those last couple of pages done for some of my albums so I can put them away as complete - I’ve had a lot of success in finishing witl and dd in this way. These two projects are the only ones I seem to complete “on time” - ie before the next year when the project starts up again.
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paget
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,791
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:39 GMT
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Post by paget on Jun 8, 2024 1:47:39 GMT
I have three. Last year taught me I don’t want more than that. I do have some other ideas for projects if I get bored of the three I have but right now I love them and they are enough for me. Ok, maybe it’s 4 depending on how we are counting.  1. Weekly project life. This is my main project and I love it. I keep current with this and the other things are as I get to them. 2. December daily. I haven’t finished 2023 because I had a lot going on. I plan to work on it in August or September when the excitement with dd comes. 3. Week in the life. I’ve started but was moving right after the documenting week so I really haven’t done a lot. I’m planning to dive in more this week! 4. I do a daily journal- it’s crafty with washi and stamps, etc so to me it counts. |
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Post by Linda on Jun 8, 2024 3:20:10 GMT
can I plead the fifth? lol I think it'll depend on how I count and what is considered a "project" I have family albums in progress (2010, 2012-2015, 2021-2024 ...I think that's all ...) I have shared albums for DD24 & DS32 in progress (2022-2024) I have a Girl Scout Album (8x8) for DD17 That's what I'm actively working on at the moment. I also have an awful lot of trip album (mine and the kids) in some degree of progress - DH/DD17's 2022 summer trip, our 2017 Epic road trip, DD24's 2017 Euro trip, DS's 2018 Malaysia/Singapore trip, 2019 Mississippi/Lousiana, 2012 AND 2017 DC trips, DS's RI trip 2008 and DD's in 2016 ...I'm pretty sure I'm missing some more... I'm also working on some classes/summits/online stuff...this weekend's Scrapbooking Fun Summit, several Shimelle classes, SG 52-wk Layout a week challenge, there's a card countdown I'm working on cards from... And I have plenty of ideas floating around in my head of stuff I would like to do, techniques I would like to try or improve, and so on... Edit - but if you're asking what's actually ON my desk? the kit I pulled together for grammadee 's challenge this weekend |
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Shakti
Pearl Clutcher
Too old for dyin' young; too young to live alone
Posts: 2,585
Oct 30, 2022 23:42:30 GMT
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Post by Shakti on Jun 8, 2024 9:50:12 GMT
Well, linda, I’m not entirely sure how to define “project” in this context, either…or how many is too many! There is a drawer in what was DS’s BR with 3 or 4 scrapbooks that haven’t been touched in 20 years. I can’t say that they’re not projects, but they are so deeply frozen I don’t really consider them at all “open”. If anything they are currently on my To NOT Do list. But classes and events definitely count! Currently on my desk is homework for Concord an 9th Summer Camp in a couple weeks, or at least for the half of the projects I know I want to complete. The things that were cleared off the decks to make room for that include a stack of art deco/art nouveau style products I want to/had started to play with, a mini-mini-album of a weekend away, and materials pulled/purchased for the OCC embossing folder class. I actually kept one only one card/embossing folder project out, jotted down some other ideas to try in my journal, and put the rest away. Those three projects are in a bin on the top of my project cart. To which I also added some papers and SLOC sketches for the summer Pea card exchange. The next two trays on the cart are FULL of WIP: one remaining class/card from Altenew’s March Mindfulness retreat, Altenew’s alcohol marker coloring class with Kelly Taylor (only got about one class in), some of HA’s spring ‘23 stamp-along — I think that’s it for unfinished events. There are other mesh zipper pouches on the cart, though, so clearly there are more projects! I think there’s a CS boxed notecards project, possibly some SLOCs that stalled out, and definitely some Pea exchange cards to be remade for donation. In addition to the embossing folder ideas, my journal has other plans, techniques, and germs of ideas… I’m not even sure how many count as projects. All that said, I think as primarily a card maker, pretty much all my projects are smaller in scale/scope than any of a scrapbookers. |
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petscrapper
Full Member
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Feb 13, 2023 2:09:58 GMT
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Post by petscrapper on Jun 8, 2024 11:01:52 GMT
can I plead the fifth? lol I’m with linda on pleading the fifth 😆. My problem is I get excited about things, hyperfocus on them, and eventually fizzle out. I have quite a few 1/2 completed classes to finish. I also have ancient layouts I made for classes, design teams, etc. I need to add photos to. I’m in the middle of consolidating all of my digital photos. I’m trying to digitize and/or organize memorabilia. I want to complete more layouts featuring my partner. The list goes on and on. I think of all of these as pending projects. I consider anything I’ve started and still have a desire to finish a project. |
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Post by kimba on Jun 8, 2024 11:57:23 GMT
If I am making multiple layouts encapsulated in an album, I would consider that a project. Right now I have 2 travel albums I am working on. WITL, DD, October Daily, Joy in July, those would be projects.
Using SBTM or an AE Kit to make layouts, I don't consider them projects.
Unique projects I am working on: The family got together for the April 8 eclipse and I took pictures. I am making an 8x11 scrapbook page for the adults attending, and will stick the layout in a picture frame for a Christmas gift. So I am making 5 similar layouts. For ME, I am making about 5 layout pages about the eclipse.
My reading challenge project (started a few years ago) I decided to read one of the best selling novels from every year since I was born. I made a list (spreadsheet) got book covers off the internet. Many books I had already read (The Outsiders, The Stand, Jurassic Park, The Hunger Games..etc) but I've read a few that would not have been on my list: The Exorcist, Papillon, Red Dragon, Hatchet. I started this in a regular travel notebook and hate it. So the idea is to rip the work out of the notebook and put in in a 3x8 or 4x8 album. A long work still in progress.
I do a modified daily Stop the Blur journal, so I guess that would be an ongoing project.
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Post by hoopsfn on Jun 8, 2024 15:38:58 GMT
Wow! Deep question Shakti. I'm going to say countless projects waiting on me. Several page kit type product gatherings that I hope to complete (someday). 2 sb albums that I'm making progess on - SLOW progress. Ongoing organization, which I guess belongs in the "never-ending project" category. Which, if I'm being honest, could apply to several things I have going. |
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Post by ScrapbookMyLife on Jun 8, 2024 15:45:44 GMT
Great question!
My "craft" hobbies are >> scrapbooking and my scrapbook style-mixed media style journal.
For me, my "projects" are separate entities, singular one of a kind type things.
Example:
One past project that I did about 3-ish years ago, is make my own "Life Rules" sign.
Blank wood (with planks), paint, stickers, mod podge, etc.
It took a couple months figuring out the words, quotes, sayings, etc.. Pre-assembly took about a month (moving the words around, switching letter sticker styles), painting-then slightly distressing the wood planks.
The assembly didn't take long >> adhere stickers and then do a couple coats of mod podge.
Current work in progress. A scrapbook style-mixed media style self help-self care type of book (it's more of a guide book with questions, thoughts, prompts, quotes, etc..).
I've been compiling for about a year or so. I've envisioned how I want it to be. Assembly has not started yet, as I feel I am still in the compiling phase.
Future Project that is still in the compiling phase:
I've seen on Etsy >> custom digital prints that are a stack of books, on which custom titles can be added.
I don't want actual book titles.
My "book titles" are going to be along the lines of.....
Learn from your mistakes.
Life experience.
If I knew then, what I know now.
Boundaries and limits.
Etc...
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Post by Ryann on Jun 8, 2024 17:10:41 GMT
I tend to get sidetracked very easily, so my "works in progress" (WIPs) are aplenty! If I included project kits (unfinished classes in different states of completion, including not started yet), it would be DOZENS! I'm especially horrible about doing/starting card making classes/events. I am pretty good about finishing scrapbooking classes/events (eventually).
I do cardmaking, scrapbooking, hand embroidery and have not yet started, but ambitions and supplies, for painted/decoupaged/embellished wood pieces.
Since I started doing cardmaking for donations (this year), I have 3 containers for different stages of completion - card fronts only, done except for finishing touches and completed. I also have a separate bin for completed seasonal cards used for the 2peas card exchanges. Right now I'm working on summer cards for that. These are in addition to another two containers - one which has cards I've made previously for personal use and another with recycled card fronts or pieces of card fronts to be turned into new cards to then be donated. Most have come from previous pea card swaps. I try to address each of the containers once they are full. I'm at that point right now for most of the bins. Thinking about that overwhelms me so I will likely let that sit for a while until I'm in the headspace to tackle it.
For stand alone pages in scrapbooking, I tend to finish a layout in a single session and those are put away into albums right away. My scrapbooking hangup is travel related projects. I have maybe 5-6 trips that I would like to complete (each will have their own album). I have each trip separated into a zippered bag that includes ephemera & photos. I recently got a 6-drawer insert to fit into a Kallax cube to help me better sort things like this. Before it was random plastic bags full of stuff. I now have it better organized and labeled. I hope having it tidier will help my brain also be tidier about working through the projects, eventually. I have a NYC trip sitting in a 12x12 Iris container along with everything I need to make it, but have yet to start...
I also have quite a few WIPs that are mini albums that I made with the intention to give away or even sell - not use for myself. Mostly to play with whatever papers/collection it was, but I wouldn't have a personal use for.
For hand embroidery, I mostly stitch on felt (making ornaments is my go-to) but have done a couple projects on hoops, too. I would say this is the hobby that I have the most ideas for but they tend to live in my head. I have lots of smaller Iris project boxes that hold different parts/pieces that I've cut out of felt that have yet to be stitched. I'm at a point with this hobby that I need to cut some new projects as nothing I have right now is inspiring me to "play", so I don't.
After thinking about how to answer this question - I think I would like to take an inventory of the different WIPs I have in the different crafty categories. Maybe have a list of the different options I have when sitting down to craft might be helpful. Otherwise it tends to be "out of sight, out of mind".
A few years ago I found myself in a situation where was "bored". But really it was just a matter of not being able to think of all the different choices I had available to me when I sat down to craft. My solution to create a (long) list on a small erasable whiteboard, kind of like a menu. I think doing something like that with WIPs might be useful. Hmmm...
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leeny
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,658
Location: Northern California
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Jun 27, 2014 1:55:53 GMT
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Post by leeny on Jun 8, 2024 17:29:22 GMT
I most likely have a lot. I have have-finished themed scrapbooks; have purchased supplies for projects I wanted to do, but haven't yet. I am slowly purging my huge hoard and have actually thrown out some unfinished projects that no longer interest me (thank you to practical advice from the Peas). I like the idea of listing my projects on a whiteboard so I can see and plan what to do next if I feel so inclined.
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PaperAngel
Prolific Pea
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Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on Jun 8, 2024 20:55:42 GMT
I exclusively scrapbook & only create layouts (no cards, TNs, Bible/art/junk journaling, mini albums, or special projects - e.g. DITL, WITL, OD, DD, JYC). Therefore, my lone "project" is always open, active (although S-L-O-W), & conceptual one layout at a time!  |
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pantsonfire
Pearl Clutcher
Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy your life with those who you love.
Posts: 4,955 
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Post by pantsonfire on Jun 9, 2024 2:44:52 GMT
What do you consider a crafty "project" to be?
A card, a layout/pocket page, stamping an image to be colored, tags, name cards. And for me embroidery.
How many do you have "open"
One paper craft project at a time. When I have an embroidery project going, then two.
"active"
One, two if I have an embroidery project going.
"conceptual"
Zero. I do not like to pre plan craft project especially for paper crafts. I craft when the mood hits or when I have a project to work on.
For when I want to start a new embroidery project, then I that day think of what I want to do or just go to the store and look around.
I have so much going on in my brain as is and like to have things in neat piles, even in my head. I am also a start a project and finish it kind of person. Even as a neurodivergent. I like my craft space organized and neat.
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Post by grammadee on Jun 9, 2024 3:29:05 GMT
The word “project” has several meanings for me, from the one card or page I am currently working on to a mixed media canvas planned as a gift, to a multi page scrapbook of a vacation or a person’s whole life.
Some of them have real or arbitrary deadlines, some deadlines more pressing than others.
I may be working on one or more of these at any one time. Sometimes “working on” means simply collecting supplies &/or photos. Or making lists of what I need, or what has to be done.
Ongoing: one calendar page per month for the family calendar. Birthday and holiday and sympathy cards needed throughout the year.
Otherwise, I try to stay more or less up to date with pics I take, and those shared with me. More concerned with telling the stories than scrapping every photo. As I finish one album, I move on to the next usually by season. Each album needs a title page, but no other requirements.
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artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,143
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Post by artbabe on Jun 9, 2024 13:13:03 GMT
I don't have that many projects.
I do my scrapbook pages as one offs, they aren't for any particular album. Once I have 40-50 pages stacked up I'll go through my albums and find a place for them but I don't really consider an album a project because mine are so open ended.
I guess you can call each scrapbook page a project. I usually do them one at a time, unless I'm waiting for mixed media to dry or I'm really stuck on a page. I think the most I've ever had in process was 3.
I also have a junk journal book I'm working on. I do each page as its own work of art. I'm not really trying to fill it up- I just open a random page and start gluing.
Most of the time I just have a scrapbook page and a junk journal page I'm working on at the same time.
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Shakti
Pearl Clutcher
Too old for dyin' young; too young to live alone
Posts: 2,585
Oct 30, 2022 23:42:30 GMT
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Post by Shakti on Jun 10, 2024 18:18:08 GMT
Sounds like generally, most of fall into the one (or possibly up to three) thing(s) at a time camp or the everything all at once camp with not a huge amount in the middle. I didn't jot down an actual physical tally, but I got the impression that many who have multiple "open loops" or active projects are also those who participate in online events. That makes sense to me. An online event is a reason to put other WIP on hold, one often doesn't quite keep up so at the end it often becomes another open project, and it keeps one (at least if that one is me) from starting to work on ideas that came up recently elsewhere.
I don't think I heard anybody else who felt that they had a sort of cycle of starting but not finishing followed by one of finishing and not starting. For me, I think that might also be driven by the online events to some extent.
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Post by judyc on Jun 11, 2024 0:15:42 GMT
I consider a crafty project to be something I'm working on ( plan to do) that has a Beginning and an End. And I have dozens of scrapbooking projects that I have started (begun) but not completed (ended), so they are Open.
Some OPEN Projects I consider Active - I'm usually working on a couple at any given time.
Others I consider Dormant (UFO's/ Unfinished Objects): I started them and haven't finished, knowing I would just be contributing from time to time or I started something at an event (a page or album), and the event didn't allow time to finish, so I need to finish it at some point.
Most of the Projects are albums or mini-albums, although for practical purposes, I break down projects into smaller units, like a school year vs. the whole 13 years of public education.
Currently I'm working on 3 albums (Open Projects): Grandson's Elementary school album and high school album, and the 2021 Family Album. I also have a couple of pages I need to finish from an album I worked on in 2023 - the 2001 family albums - I never did a title page or ending page, and I think I skipped a couple of pages in the middle as well.
I have a spreadsheet where I have defined all of the scrapbooking projects I have planned (Conceptual), Active, or Dormant as well as Completed. Some are Albums, some mini-albums, the single incomplete pages didn't make that list.
Scrappy Project count:
14 Complete
42 Open - Dormant (most of these are family albums for a year that are missing a few to several pages)
4 Open - Active Projects (mentioned above)
16 Conceptual - Not Started (no pages done yet, but plan to do them)
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Post by lasteve1 on Jun 11, 2024 16:12:41 GMT
I consider self-contained albums to be one project: week in the life, december daily, a travel album. But, outside of that, I consider one layout to be a project and I add to albums continuously. I would consider each spread in project life to be a separate project.
I am very much a craft planner so I probably have 100+ planned projects that I haven't really started on. They likely have just a sketch + some products set aside in a ziplock. I also do a lot of bulk processing, so if I am printing photos, I will likely print photos for several projects at once. When I feel like crafting, I will put out a few and work on them back to back.
I store planned projects by kit and I usually have 6 - 10 kits out at a time to pull from. I would consider all those planned projects "active" because I will pull from that stack when I feel like working on projects. I also have some planned projects that end up dormant... the kit gets stashed until I have less to work on and will rotate it back into my active kits. There are def a lot of kits/projects in that pile, but nothing sits there too long. If it does, I end up revisiting if I actually want to make it and sometimes redo my plan.
I always work on various projects simultaneously. Especially self contained albums, because those take a long time, I will go back and forth with them and project life/other layouts.
I also do lots of not scrapbooking projects that are still paper crafts: I keep a daily journal, a media journal, a commonplace book, etc. So these are essentially always in progress.
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Post by joblackford on Jun 11, 2024 18:09:19 GMT
I have a few ongoing projects like the photobook I do for my family and an ephemera/sticker journal. They're "put away" and only brought out when I'm actively working on them.
I have some seasonal projects like a digital Xmas journal and seasonal card drives.
I have one crochet project going at a time, or very rarely two (because the one I'm doing doesn't work for travel, etc).
I think of cardmaking in project terms - getting out a paper pad to finish or a sheetload to work on, and I don't put that away until I'm done with that (which usually means all the paper I pulled is gone). Much less often it's a single card for a specific event.
Sometimes I have to stop and move to something else while I still have a bunch of cardstock pulled and unfinished die cuts, etc. I put it halfway away (a specific spot) but I don't know when to admit that it's actually a finished project with leftovers, not something on hold. I die cut a bunch of little pieces and put them in my deviled egg plate to sort/separate, then I have trouble knowing when I'm finished and throwing away the bits that aren't used. I don't have the energy/time to keep working on assembling more die cuts, but hate to waste good bits. Maybe I need a divided pill organizer or tiny zip bags so I can put it away without mixing it all up.
TL;DR: once I use it up I know I'm finished. If I don't use it all up I get confused.
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Post by melanell on Jun 11, 2024 18:49:20 GMT
I guess I view a "project" as anything more complicated than a single card or an ongoing yearly album.
So any specialty album, or any group of related cards---maybe thank you cars for an event, holiday cards, making a year's worth of bday cards at once--something like that.
A junk journal would be a project, or any sort of journal I made myself, really.
Any other kind of craft would be a project, too.
I only tend to have an ongoing album and maybe 1 or 2 projects going at any one time.
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,198
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Post by scrapnnana on Jun 11, 2024 21:46:22 GMT
I consider a craft project to be anything from a card/scrapbook page to a home decor project, or any other hand made item.
I make cards more than anything, but they are a quick finish.
I scrapbook, and will always have albums in progress. I started scrapbooking after I already had my kids, now I have grandkids, so that is a never ending project, I guess.
I make home decor items, but usually finish each project before I move on to something else.
I make jewelry. Same thing. I finish a project before I do something else.
I do t-shirts, too.
I usually finish each project before I go on to another.
However, I do have a mini album that I started back in 2020. It was a project that I was designing/making up as I went. I got bogged down, so I set it aside. I go back to it about once a year. It’s mostly an exercise in creativity, so there is no time table to get it done. When I do a mini album, I just do it for the fun. I have added photos to one or two, but mostly I just enjoy creating them occasionally for the fun of it. I should get that one mini album finished.
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Post by refugeepea on Jun 13, 2024 18:23:46 GMT
A project is anything I'm working on. Most don't have end dates. I jump back and forth depending on my mood.
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Shakti
Pearl Clutcher
Too old for dyin' young; too young to live alone
Posts: 2,585
Oct 30, 2022 23:42:30 GMT
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Post by Shakti on Jun 16, 2024 1:12:03 GMT
Thank you all for joining me in musing about this!
I have come to at least a couple conclusions:
1) I almost certainly have WAY too many projects.
2) Online retreats where I pay a LOT of money for products and specific project instructions become projects in my mind.
3) Online classes where you can play along with your own products (or buy new per what the instructor use if you want) don't have the same impact in my psyche.
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