Thoughts & Whimsy

A writer's insights mixed with a touch of whimsy

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Feb24

Remember House Plants?

Feb24

Felt succulent

Where have these been all my life? Succulents are all the rage—just take a look in any trendy boutique or college dorm room and you’ll find them in mini clay pots, glass terrariums and DIY containers. How can you not love their perfect tininess and the fact that it’s incredibly hard to kill them?

If you remember house plants of old, you’ll recall the hours we spent ministering to our plants. We’d fuss about the best location for each species, research how much to water them and when to fertilize, then agonize over when to repot. We would wash the individual leaves of our potted rubber trees and carefully water the African Violets so no water got on their leaves, causing spots. There were hundreds of books about taking care of house plants (don’t forget, this was pre-Internet) and stores devoted to them. There was even a trend in the 70’s of talking to your plants to stimulate growth—-I kid you not. Needless to say, as my plants died off, (or did I kill them?) I didn’t replace them.

And then along come the succulents! These mini treasures are ideal for 21st century living. They look lovely in any room of the house and you barely need to pay any attention to them.Continue Reading

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Posted by Paula Wilson
Filed Under: Arts, Crafting, Crafts, Creative Life, Fabric crafts, Felt, Fiber Arts, Handcrafted, Writing Tagged: Crafts, felt, felt flowers, felt succulents, handmade, succulents

Oct17

Crafting: More Than Child’s Play

Oct17

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There are those who pooh-pooh crafts as a waste of time, old-fashioned, boring or just for kids. If you fall into this category, it’s time to take a second look.

The benefits of handcrafting for children are well documented. Countless studies show how kids grow physically and emotionally when they work with their hands. They not only develop fine-motor skills but also self-control, patience and self-esteem.

But before you write off crafts as merely child’s play, consider an article Time magazine published last year: The Health Perks of Arts and Crafts for Adults—Why the Elderly Should Go DIY, by Alexandra Sifferlin. She reports that senior citizens who participate in artistic pursuits and hand crafts are less likely to develop cognitive impairment because of the increased brain activity.

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Posted by Paula Wilson
Filed Under: Arts, Blogging, Crafting, Crafts, Creative Life, Handcrafted, Paper crafts, Writing

Mar19

A book is a book, no matter how small

Mar19

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I’m still feeling a bit guilty for defacing a book for my last post about bookfolding so I’ve decided to redeem myself by creating these adorable minibooks.

Just like in Horton Hears a Who when Horton proclaims that people are still people no matter their size, so it goes with books. Even diminutive pages can have beautiful and inspiring words and pictures. Who wouldn’t love to get one of these tiny creations as a gift? So think mini and get creating!

Here’s a little poem I wrote to fill the pages of one of my minibooks:

Come inside this mini place,

don’t worry if there’s not much space

a little world awaits you here,

with tiny things and so much cheer.”

There are hundreds of tutorials for these books online. After trying several methods, I decided to create my minibooks using these directions:

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Posted by Paula Wilson
Filed Under: Arts, Crafts, Creative Life, Handcrafted, Minibooks, Writing

Feb11

My Heart is an Open Book

Feb11

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We teach our children to treat books like little treasures; never write in a book, never spill food or water on a book, always use a bookmark instead of folding the pages down and never rip or cut a book. Ok, so now I’m telling you to lighten up. I say get out the old books and start creating! My elementary school librarian just choked on her cup of tea.

Let’s face it, not ALL books are worth cherishing, sharing or saving. You must admit that there are a few duds out there. I say we can sacrifice one or two in the name of creativity and home decor, right? In this age of Pinterest-inspired crafts, I came across hundreds of ideas for adorable projects using old books. This bookfolding idea particularly caught my eye.

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Posted by Paula Wilson
Filed Under: Arts, Bookfolding, Books, Crafts, Creative Life, Handcrafted, Writing

Jan12

New Year, New Craft

Jan12

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I’ve tucked, packed and shoved my Christmas decorations into the closet under our basement stairs. The tree is waiting at the end of the driveway for the garbage truck to whisk it away. The Christmas clutter is gone and the house looks bare but refreshingly clean.

But now I’m longing for a craft to brighten the long New England winter. I’ve overdosed on crocheting, I’m done baking for awhile and I’ve made enough origami stars to last a lifetime. January is the perfect time to log into Pinterest and sift through the thousands of craft projects that I so overzealously pinned.

The craft project that I’m drawn to is paper flowers—they are easy yet incredibly impactful, not to mention inexpensive. If you’ve ever strolled down the scrapbook paper aisle in the big-box craft stores, you know that the color and design possibilities are endless.

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Posted by Paula Wilson
Filed Under: Arts, Crafts, Creative Life, Handcrafted, Uncategorized

Oct21

Yarnwork

Oct21

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Crocheting…how terribly old-fashioned. Granny squares, afghans, pot holders, doilies. Just the word ‘crochet’ conjures up a rocking chair, a pot of tea and an 8:00 bedtime. But not so fast…in 2012 the Huffington Post reported that the demise of crocheting and knitting is nowhere in sight.  Their article, “Knitting is Cool: Twenty Somethings Taking Up Knitting, Crochet and the Trend Hasn’t Let Up”, describes how the fiber arts of yesteryear are making a starling comeback. Dozens of articles proclaim that crochet and knitting are soaring in popularity among celebrities, on college campuses and as a way to reduce stress. Move over granny, we’ve got our crochet hooks and we’re not afraid to use them.

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Posted by Paula Wilson
Filed Under: Arts, Creative Life, Crochet & Knit, Fiber Arts, Handcrafted, Writing

Paula Wilson

Welcome to my blog, Thoughts & Whimsy. So glad to have you along as I share my love of writing and all things creative and whimsical.

thoughts_and_whimsy

🎄🎄a chilly Sunday in December is the perfect 🎄🎄a chilly Sunday in December is the perfect time to get crafty for Christmas 🎄 today’s project: a Christmas tree made from an old book!
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🎄Follow link to Folded Book Christmas Tree 🎄
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#christmas #christmascrafts #craftsforchristmas #bookfolding #diychristmas #christmastree
💠 Sunday morning 💠 #crochetersofig #sundayvi 💠 Sunday morning 💠 #crochetersofig #sundayvibes
🇺🇸 Happy 4th!! 🇺🇸 #4thofjuly #independ 🇺🇸 Happy 4th!! 🇺🇸 #4thofjuly #independenceday
Nothing says summer like 4th of July pinwheels 💙🇺🇸❤️ Make a bunch for your cookout, or better yet, put your kids to work making them! Follow link for how-to
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#4thofjuly #4thofjulycrafts #craftsforkids #pinwheels #crafts #handmadecrafts #maker #crafternoon #summercrafts #summertime
🦏 silver rhino spotted in NYC 🦏 5th & 43rd 🦏
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#ursfischer #gagosian #nyc #bigapple #silverrhino #artwork
♦️ ribbons anyone? ♦️ . . . . . #mjtrimmin ♦️ ribbons anyone? ♦️
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#mjtrimming #trimming #craftribbon #ribbon #craftersofinstagram #craftcrazy #handmadeisbetter #ciamember #ribbonlove #buttonshop #buttons #irononpatch #patches
🌸 🌼 I’d say it was a good year for peonies 🌸 🌼 I’d say it was a good year for peonies and poppies 🌼 🌸 .
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#peony #poppy #garden_styles #springtime #flowerpower🌸 #flowersofinstagram #gardensofinstagram
🌸 how cute are these? 🌸 #kindnessrocks #kind 🌸 how cute are these? 🌸 #kindnessrocks #kindnessmatters
🌸 weekend work-in-progress 🌸 . . . . #wip #w 🌸 weekend work-in-progress 🌸
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#wip #weekendwip #feltflowers #felt #crafturday #crafts #crafternoon
💕 enough said 💕 #nescbwi18 💕 enough said 💕 #nescbwi18
Sad to leave this charming country, despite its ho Sad to leave this charming country, despite its horrendous weather. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🌧🌪❄️☔️☀️
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#scotland #edinburgh  #uk #edinburghclose
🌞 FINALLY some Scottish sunshine!! 🌞 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
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#scotland #edinburgh #edinburghcastle
🌧 Still raining. Still gorgeous. 🌧#edinburgh 🌧 Still raining. Still gorgeous. 🌧#edinburgh #scotland #edinburghcastle
🌨 cold + rain + snow but still beautiful #Edinb 🌨 cold + rain + snow but still beautiful #Edinburgh #scotland
✨ Gorgeous Edinburgh ✨#scotland #edinburgh ✨ Gorgeous Edinburgh ✨#scotland #edinburgh
⚜️Glasgow store window ⚜️#sewingmachines # ⚜️Glasgow store window ⚜️#sewingmachines #glasgow #scotland
✨ #details #glasgow ✨ ✨ #details #glasgow ✨
Street art in Glasgow ✨ . . . . . #glasgow #scot Street art in Glasgow ✨
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#glasgow #scotland #streetart #streetstyle
H A P P Y ❤️ V A L E N T I N E S D A Y ❤️ H A P P Y ❤️ V A L E N T I N E S  D A Y ❤️🧡💛
⭐️ May your star shine brightly in 2018 ⭐️ ⭐️ May your star shine brightly in 2018 ⭐️ .
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#thoughtsandwhimsy #2018 #happynewyear #staypositive #shiningstar
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Recent Posts

  • Remember House Plants?
  • The power of pink
  • Crafting: More Than Child’s Play
  • Dahlia Days
  • A book is a book, no matter how small

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